This writing is #206 of over 2000 now – a great reminder to keep blooming because you never know who God has to put in your path and you theirs…
I appreciate now that I was 10 years ago realizing that God put these thoughts into my head – it was up to me to move my fingers faster and capture them..
Thank You God for making me and making us BLESSED IN THE BLOOM…
…
God Wants YOU in HIS Bouquet in Heaven, 08July2015 #206
I’d like to take the wonderful opportunity to say thank you to God for placing such certain people in my path. I have and had so many wonderful people to learn from, pull the best characteristics from each one into my bouquet of life…. Blessedly more amazing people, than terrible people… But I learn from those folks as well… Learn to delineate the good from the bad traits within each person (because we all have both), the roses from the thorns, the grain from the weeds.
Matthew 13:29-30 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
When God choose me, and when God choose you, He let all the seeds grow, grain and weeds alike… good grain people and weed people/temptations (planted by the evil one). When it is time to harvest, the weeds are set aside and burnt… And the best in you will be taken into the barn of God… into HIS eternal kingdom!!! Yes, you see God let those bad habits grow like weeds alongside your best grain characteristics. He dare not pull the weeds that intercalated into your being, entangled all around you, because the grain of who you are is/was not yet mature, it is/was not yet firmly rooted in good soil.
When you are mature enough, which does not depend on your age, God will call you louder by name… God will lead you to Jesus… maybe others will cajole Him to come into your house and raise your life spirit like Jarius’ daughter (Luke 8:41-56)… Maybe you will cry out in painful screams of angst… When God says it’s time to wake up, you sometimes snooze thru the alarm, then angrily realize you weren’t ready to get up but God called you anyway. When you wake up earlier than the alarms, it’s refreshing and peaceful to see God coming for you, and you can be ready and waiting for HIM. You can work on your root growth deeper and obey his Word.
Before harvest God says: it’s time to get right with the Lord…. It’s time to start pulling those weeds within you, so hold on tight to your roots planted in ME… God’s harvest of the good in your crop will become easier and less painful if you cooperate with God and not work against him, if you identify and start eliminating the weeds in your life… If you dig deep and get to the roots of these vice-causing traits and clean out your soul.
It’s ok if you can’t get out all the weeds or invasive roots out before God takes you, it’s ok because God knows any harvest, no matter how small is still pleasing (Matthew 13:23). God will take you as you are. Be grateful and let God bless you with HIS joy.
God sees the Jesus within you, and takes you for HIS bouquet of heaven. God loves you and will keep you forever…
We got home and then I went back out to the car, looking looking looking because my son lost his wallet (probably) in there, knew he used it in the car, good for that. So yeah it was a situation with an unknown mystery and he started to retrace his steps (again). My first time looking, I bumped my hand against it – found it “easily” while getting trash (straw wrappers) out of the way. I hadn’t seen it blending in either until it was SO OBVIOUSLY there. But really it took a second. Then, I left it there and called to him to come see. It was a ‘teachable moment”… true… it was OK, nothing lost, but still a moment for teaching the value of reevaluating and relooking without panicking.
So you’ve been there surely – imagine in a panic (hopefully never) of this type of situation – a wallet or phone or whatever… Remember too the hope – those memories of “it is OK” it might resurface, should resurface, will resurface and then it WAS OK. That trust is teachable. We fortunately or unfortunately have LOTS of teachable moments.
Isn’t that true for us in faith too? We should be teachable and reassured that mistakes happen, accidents too. And we need to get into a learning frame of mind!
Another teachable moment for kids this time was tonight – I was happy to help just for a little bit at a STEAM event – Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math hosted at the high school for a madhouse of kids – wow. I sat and helped and I love watching the kids WANT to learn – want to TRY – want to PARTICIPATE. And I appreciate having enough strength to tell the parents who might try to “do it” for their kids to LET THEIR KIDS LEARN. Of course each parent was super close and monitoring.
Interesting that THIS is EXACTLY how God is handing us – allowing us to learn – wanting us to learn – and OF COURSE being RIGHT THERE – monitoring – guiding – WANTING to be relied upon. God would rather we NOT take it into our hands only – He would rather we LEARN to be dependent upon Him – and when we praise Him – we please Him.
A teachable moment from God is a real adventure in faith…
Keep Faith!
Keep keepin on!
Amen
—
Keeping the Word – Luke 11:27-28 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Oh wow, it’s starting… TREE POLLEN!!! I never used to be allergic, well…. rats… and it rained 3 days and wow relief… Who knew the smallest POLLEN could be so powerful in overwhelming our systems. Maybe we should remember this for spreading faith, yes spread seeds but first be the busy bees that pollinate the blooms of people’s faith. Spread the Word, bring it directly to each person. DON’T OVERWHELM THEM – that is for the Lord to work on opening eye and ears – we are to just be present COVERED IN POLLEN.
In seed spreading, we could toss or drop seeds into any soil. In pollination, the POLLEN has to get to the right flowers, so imagine the right Word getting to the right ears. And by the Word, I mean also our actions consistent with the Word, the encouragement, the kindness, the gentle chastising too.
POLLEN can fly in the wind, but it’s a good thing for bees and moths to both feed on the flowers and POLLEN, and for extra POLLEN to cover their fuzz. Then a vehicle for transport is established to get POLLEN to the same alike flowers, fast… Fly fly fly, jump jump jump, buzz buzz buzz!
The Fruiting of Faith starts with the POLLEN of patience, of perseverance, of prayer. The seeds of harvest start with the hearing of hope.
Let us be busy bees today!
Pollinate and ACHHOOOO…
God Bless You!!
AMEN
—
Matthew 4:17-25
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.
If last week’s word of the week was Strengthening, then this week my word is ENRICHMENT. Yes, enriching the soil, like in the garden, and enriching our lives with nourishing feedings of the Word with enrichment to GROW.
One growth is to appreciate what God thinks of us over what anyone else does. Our enrichment is physical often in hearing, but our mindset is SPIRITUAL in focus and refocus to pick up on the cues and clues to our strengthening. In other words, we need to realize that GOD IS FOR US!
A song aptly placed in a youtube feed for me was “The Blessing”, a 2020 song by Cody Carnes, Elevation Worship, also sung by Kari Jobe. Ah 2020, do you remember that we thought in 2020 about 20:20 vision – and trust the scriptures that the Lord has envisioned us in each of our days – sometimes strengthened and sometimes needing strengthening. The lyric in this song “The Blessing” rings out loud and clear: “He is for you. He is for you.”
The other song that hit me perfectly right is Mudcrutch’s “I don’t scare easy” – sung by Tom Petty. We should not scare easy if we are in our best intentions and have some experiences that DID scare us, but shouldn’t now. We need to know that we got through certain experiences before and we will get through them again…
If we could step through our days NOT with more hubris but with humble confidence in HIS LOVE, in the Lord’s strength and purpose, we could approach life with more energy and stick-to-it-tive-ness. We could stand more strong in the wind. We could remember that we are always a child of God, no matter what. And this gives us also the freedom to not retaliate nor swing back, but turn that other cheek on our way OUT of the way of barbs that won’t stick.
Romans 8 reminds us of God’s everlasting love: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
And the book of Numbers 6:24-26 gives us the familiar blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
SO, to be enriched with Spirit is to know that God sometimes puts us in locations that might get heated, but we are the cool of the Spirit to muster through. Then the coolness of hot and cold people also will remind us that there is no victory in the world or winning over people, our victory stand is with the Lord in His stance – we are more than conquerors in HIS LOVE.
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8
The Lord bless you and keep you Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace
x2 Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen
. The Lord bless you and keep you Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace Amen, amen, amen x4
. May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children, and their children
.x4 May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you
. He is with you, he is with you In the morning, in the evening In your coming, and your going In your weeping, and rejoicing He is for you, he is for you He is, He is
. Amen, amen, amen x4
—
Romans: 8:28-39 NKJV
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It’s the growing season, yes we love to work the soil. I put more into the veggie garden than I get out of it, and yes the soil is more expensive than the seed!!! So this year I’m changing it up for container gardening for peas and beans and strawberries. My garden needs weeding too, because I do see strawberries making a comeback there too, strawberries propagate by runners, a shoot to become rooted, and sow down the lane…
We in faith, like the plants need good soil to root, plant ourselves and fruit. We in faith also have to branch out into new soils or spread seeds outward because new soils mean we are reaching, spreading the ABILITY to grow, not just tending close by.
We know we are to spread seeds, but God does the ultimate miracle of growth… Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven – so many parables about seeds and soil and growth – as well as spreading them. I find too that the Lord has invested SO MUCH into the soil – so MUCH in so much as sending Himself down here to accomplish growth for everyone – the opportunity for salvation – the teaching to repent – the gift of the forgiveness of sins. The stage is set – the soil is poured and the nutrients are available. The Lord wants to have a well-watered season, and fruit in good yields.
I recently heard an interview with Rick Steves, travel expert, and Martin Sheen, TV and film star, about India and how experiencing travel puts into perspective our needs and wants. Travel is a whole level of privilege. It taught them to count blessings looking at the situations of impoverished people, and how they were grateful for having a passport and ability to get on a plane for their work – to travel the world . We can see the scenes on TV, but the in-person experience of the people changes your perspective. We grow by experiences.
We also surely grow in faith by experiences. We understand that Jesus loves all people (and there certainly are a lot of people in the world), and so we must keep working the soil – around us and sending seeds ahead – spreading faith – and enriching our own.
May we, like Jesus’s disciples, keep leaning into the learning and then sharing all that we have insight for – may we keep growing to keep teaching…
Amen
—-
Mark 4 excerpts
The Parable of the Growing Seed
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
BEHOLD Baubles and Bargains and Brownies and Bathrooms and Bed, Blessings to Lay One’s Head.
My Saturday was SO BUSY, I BLESSEDLY was most thankful to go to bed after a BUSY day. Basically weekend warriors work at wacky combinations of wows on weekends. Days off are days ON. And we get WORN OUT.
Basic living is what we need, right? But we surely live anything but basically these days – especially in blessed american dream dedication. Days are both blessed and burdened with baubles and busy. I could babble on about baubles – but I need to be back to the basics.
So what is the busy we should be basically doing? Be less burdened? Be more basic? How about BEHOLDING BLESSINGS and BEING THANKFUL. There is where we find BLISS!
Jesus said to a deciding disciple: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Basically we have to live life more lightly. LIGHT as in less burdened and LIGHT as in lit up for Christ – LIGHTING the WAY of HIS WAY – BEING LIGHT AND SALT!
I know it’s hard to be a full-time disciples for Jesus, but for a basic purpose, we best live “making due” and be thankful for what we do have! We are supposed to be BOLSTERING the BRIGHTNESS of the DAY – and yes, taking a battery recharge for ourselves. You can’t be ON all the time from artificial light, you need to tap into a resourceful recharge. (Thus me/us resting now and pondering the restart for today.)
Yes, our days are filled with busy. Yesterday I was selling Christmas stuff at a local non-profit rummage sale at a historic site, gifting smiles and daffodils in my Santa suit, for “Christmas in April” – people were shocked and laughed – I sold about half my room contents in bargains that the people appreciated – they also appreciated looking inside the renovations of the place – chatting – and just reminiscing… My favorite was little kids with their treasures (like little bird figures) which we either gave away or inexpensively sold. My ultimate JOY in seeing JOY was a 20-something who saw the wooden painted plaques for a video game and I gave them away at 2 for $1 – and he gave me a hug in astonishment and glee – yeah – JOY in the TREASURE find…. FUN… Then we had to take the time for packing packing packing the leftovers for another sale day. My Christmas stuff was easy – 3 bins consolidated – but oh those vintage tea cups of fine china, from the other room, which were priced at pennies practically to simply unburden the big collection of attic finds, they took some time to repack. It is interesting to realize that these items, so beautiful and useful, came across the seas from places far away 75 years ago plus. They might have been used well or just viewed. I remarked that we are trying to practically give away something that an ancestor may have fought for as an inheritance…
Busy continuing, I then zipped home to grab a shower and be on the road again to a friend’s invitation to bingo fundraiser for the betterment of a cat shelter charity, lots of “B2’s” and “G52’s” but no winning except for the blessings of friendship and food, and thus the blessings of clean bathrooms, public and home, and the ultimate daily blessing of BED, whew!!!
Put a basic need in the busy lives we lead, how do we find the blessings? But just BEING and just BELIEVING in a purpose greater than basic living. Being with people who are thankful. Being thankful. Believing in thankfulness. It is a lesson for us, in learning from life now, to approach each day with less lust of life’s loads of loots, and be more transient, less trashful and more true. We need to truthfully TRUST in being TEMPORARY in this world, and just enjoy one day at a time.
Jesus Himself said there is a cost to discipleship, that He Himself has no place to lay His head, must keep moving, must go out to work His Word-spreading work. We have work – in the worthy living of life. We have rest – in the restfulness of realization of temporary work in the here and now for eternal rest.
Isn’t life funny? We surely are human and we accumulate stuff and dust, we are human and fight for stuff like teacups that once were inheritance but now that outlive us, and maybe are burdens to pack in future generations for them to move or sell. We pour money into extravagant but fun events for foodies, but now eat off paper plates and fill trash cans with waste. (Trust me we wasted none of the yummy food from the bingo event last night – I just ate the leftovers of chicken salad sandwiches and half a brownie for breakfast, yum). Life is funny as we pay money for a chance to win something like at bingo, that we could have just bought ourselves, but for the sake of a good cause, sure, it’s about community… Our jolly allows the recipients of the money to live better (in this case cats to have shelter and food while they await the home that will spoil them!). I enjoyed the event, feeling the normalcy in joy, and the blessing of friends of friends, knowing my gut said my blessing is to be thankfully present at all things in the present. I appreciated the normalcy for the woman next to me too – who had her arm covered and had been going thru cancer treatments. I also marveled looking across the room that 5 years ago we would never be here – we flew out of that covid era – it is like a distant memory now… Do we count our blessings for that?!? I also marveled at the historical site rummage sale that we are just a few stewards now of back-breaking work to build the infrastructure of the day – including indoor plumbing – are we thankful for that? I hope so!
So – what is the message in my wandering of pondering, plunked down in my restful den of a house? That we need to take our rechargeable spirits, and recharge them and look where to shine the LIGHT today – and if we have human limitations of needing daily down time, we have to simply be thankful to have what we have when we have it. And when we feel low, we should look for Jesus’s LIGHT. And we have to remember that we have to BEHOLD BLESSINGS – no matter what they are – even in trials – whether they are brownies at bingo – or baubles at bargain prices – or blessings of modern bathrooms and beds.
We take the blessing to lay our head – into the rest of the ONE, Jesus, Who did not rest from His mission even if He did rest from his long days. Let us be MOST thankful – that He has shown and shone us the Way. Be the Light and the Salt of the day!
Amen
—-
The Cost of Discipleship Matthew 8:19-22 NKJV
And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
—
Matthew 6:19-34 NKJV
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The label on the bathroom towel dispenser “MARATHON” reminded me of the Jackson Brown song, “Get up and do it again.” That we are in a marathon of life. That life changes and yet doesn’t. There are common situations all around, even if the scenery or seasons change. Then there’s core situations that instruct us that “what is old is new again”. No matter what season or place we are in, we best to keep moving, learn from the past, and apply newness to the new times. Times change, but yet how many repeated scenarios will we encounter? Many… Many…
Marathon life. Keep running… Don’t forget to shine… If the Lord doesn’t change, He doesnt, and if our gifted salvation is secured by our belief in the Lord, asking forgiveness, it is, then who are we not to be working out in the world with a renewal of faith every day. Jesus said to remember this and SHINE.
Today I’m helping with a rummage sale for a local non-profit. Selling for proceeds, yes, because they need money to paint the place to preserve it, but also since clearly things at the sale are priced to move – they don’t want to keep it all!!! Reducing the volume of what surely was donations and attic accumulations and what not. Dishes are a quarter, the stuff is OLD and yet not. The stuff is simply A LOT! And if we don’t sell it we have to pack it up! So we want to sell it!!!
My marathon marvel moments were MANY last night, the first time I stepped into the sale set up… First this is a reminder for the many church rummage sales of the 70s, that my mom used to volunteer with. Stacks and stacks, and people chomping at the bit to come in. Other marathon memories include taking my kids to this mansion to absorb history and remember that we are to remember. But what got me last night walking in to help price, was that the SAME CHRISTMAS donations that I personally brought were there for me to SELL, AGAIN, haha, Lord that is funny. After selling for my friend who is moving, these are now the SAME in the room that I am staffing for selling today… weird and not… It’s like I’m in a loop of my life for a reason. And yet I think the lesson here is just keep living life… This is an opportunity to share and to shine – and have fun for a good cause – and really – I hope we DO sell it and not have to pack it up and sell it again…
I heard the birds chirping last night as I was putting price tags on – it is definitely spring and we could even leave doors open in the warmth of the weather… it was a short long winter and spring has sprung. Yet I am going to wear my Christmas outfit because it is funny – humor is timeless. SO we have no excuse to not get out of our ruts of winter and move forward.
Our scripture for motivation today is Jesus reminding us to live life and keep living it – no matter how many times around the sun – we need to shine the LIGHT of HIM. We don’t shine to shine our accomplishments – we shine to show that He is still lighting us up from within… We as believers are called to be salt and light. – let us shine and not put our lights under baskets – let us keep salty preserving the goodness trusting inside of us. Let us KEEP LIGHTING UP FAITH IN EACH OTHER!
Ok – time to keep going and get rolling…
It is time to shine….
Amen and please read: Matthew 5 – Believers Are Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
It is Easter coming – and we condense an already condensed 3 years of ministry into a month of study – and watch and feel Jesus in His Journeying… Some days easy, some days hard… I would say that it was a novel new day each day – yet Jesus KNEW EXACTLY what He was walking into…
Jesus Begins to Preach (Matthew 4:12-17)
When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles –THE PEOPLE LIVING IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT; on those living in the land of the shadow of death A LIGHT HAS DAWNED.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
A Jesus Journey never stops…
My journey this past year and 10 years has no scale nor complexity that Jesus had – but yet I realize that this Jesus Journey for each of us is mapped out in a TRIP-TIK if we choose to open that up with the Lord’s account – and study the roadmap of life. Our lives can be the open road or the intricate mountain passes or the tiny street nooks of fun things to look at. Really our Jesus-journey is for each of us and so varied even day to day…
I enjoyed my trip yesterday – gave a talk and saw the operations of a very impressive small group. When someone said “You are getting so much mileage out of that 4 weeks sabbatical” I reply YES I AM! – I did not imagine that I could use it to drive encouragement to as many people as possible AT WORK, as the opportunities to speak to big small groups of people and especially individuals fell right into my life-mission “TRIP-TIK”. WELL… YES… Yes, I actually DID know and was excited for the possibilities. I knew that both for my learning and for the eventual teaching, that it is SO IMPORTANT to take folks on this journey of science and life… and oh the people you will meet – and all that fun stuff in between. It is not all about me – but about the gears turning inside the mindsets of the folks you get to talk to – the folks who are going places even when sitting simply at a lunch and learn before dashing back to the lab. It was a joy of seeing minds turning for the places that the students of life will go…
So yes, I hopped in my Subaru and with my PowerPoint slide decks fully decked out – these are encouragement slides and science journey slides that I started making at the same time I started my sabbatical – I even wondered at my hyper-drive to spend 3 hours one Sunday afternoon at the beach plugged into the electricity of the boardwalk pavilion to work on 5 slides which are beautiful to me – and meaningful to my experiments – and a treasure of trivial stuff that is not trivial. So, with these slides in hand, I jumped at the opportunity to visit one of our sister-sites. SO COOL TO SEE IN PERSON! I also brought my own posterboards of my science fair of me – and just like the day before this, when I was a science fair judge – you need good shoes to keep journeying on this life journey… and good tires too as yesterday was rain rain rain – but no problem for my new-ish tires…
Crossing the BIG bridge, in to and from the event, and seeing the majesty of the steel towering, I was impressed with visual beauty of engineering usefulness combined with the strength of it – that bridge was sturdy – and I am sure and hopeful that the engineering designs allow it to withstand extreme weather conditions and whatnot… Can you imagine the folks sitting up at the top and overseeing their work – knowing that generations to come would benefit from their day to day back-breaking work. Now imagine that small scale – at the work bench – at the engineering discussions – at the data crunching – at the anything that you do locale… Imagine that again in bigger life-scale – and then in God-scale – and then come back to that Jesus Journey that Jesus went on during his short time on earth… It is not just engineering and timing – it is a whole Majestic view of God’s Sovereignty to take us on our journeys just like Jesus took Himself on His… God is walking us back to Him – and giving us Mountains to both look at and climb, valleys to admire and slide into, and flat even life fields too – just walk the narrow way rather than the wide wander.
I have the best advice that I can give – live today in a Jesus-Way… Just be open to the opportunities – and get out there and meet the people – and be the “encourager” or use whatever spiritual gift you have for this life journey… KEEP WALKING… Good shoes… Maybe bring a good PowerPoint set of slides or posterboards too… Take your smile and your listening ears…
Bring your Jesus Journey to where He needs you to go.
Jesus, He Went His OWN Way, and the devil went away (for a while). Jesus stood strong against temptation by the devil in the wilderness, which is where the Spirit led Him, to pray and fast, which was to fulfill prophecy. Jesus prevailed by speaking His OWN Way of Scripture into His direction. Jesus quoted truth: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’, and ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’, and ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’… Quoted from the truth. Jesus also rebuked the wrong use of Scripture when the Devil tempted Him. We too must remember that the evil one twists truth, but Jesus lays our way and His Way STRAIGHT…
Follow Jesus really closely and don’t let the devil distract. Let Jesus Keep Us On Track.
Like Jesus, in hunger, reach for the daily bread of His Word over the worldly wilderness of wanting.
And keep walking…
Amen
—
Luke 4:1-13 NKJV
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Fast Fast – we like everything FAST! And yet we yearn to slow down…
We also think too fast and comprehend too slowly – we are human.
We need a moment!
Even Jesus went to the wilderness – more for just a moment – He went 40 days at times – such a long time… Actually He wanted to go, did not hesitate – and he went to rest NOT like a spa but to be apart from the world but in the mind of His SPIRIT – Jesus went to pray, to fast, to be tempted like us humans, and to demonstrate worship in the way He knew was the best way – to completely TRUST – by being completely in God’s Hands.
And God sent angels.
God ministered to Jesus (like to us) with extra hands of angels. God told Jesus (and those there at John the Baptist’s scene) that He was Pleased with His Son. Then Jesus took the time out to go to the wilderness. Mark’s gospel is the shortest but to the point: And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Jesus already knew that the Spirit led Him there – required Him to Trust – would be there WITH HIM.
Angels are everywhere – the wilderness is wild but not barren.
My cat sits sometimes looking at the wall – I wonder of her wondering – but I think she is looking at angels who are telling her to sit – to wait – to rest. I can’t even imagine the angels who are attending me attending us – except that they are – and that they are for all of us for God’s Spirit in us sake. Angels are working all the angles in our lives – especially the spiritual battles that we are not even paying attention to. “Angels are all around us” – we say this phrase but do we know the scriptures? I went to google and “AI” found angel scriptures. Really “AI” is algorithms for the searching, then let us say “AIM”, I will make a new acronym, to be “Angels in Ministry” – and for us to be in the receiving. The AIM of life in this wilderness of earth is for us to be in the receiving – in the trust – in the living of our lives.
All around us is God’s AIM – that is God’s Angels in Ministry.
Let us accept their help.
Amen
—
Mark 1:9-13 NKJV
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
MORE AIM – Angels in Ministry:
Psalm 91:11-12: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone”. Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them”. Hebrews 1:14: “Are not all of them ministering spirits sent out to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Exodus 23:20: “See, I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”
My friend’s son made a cute easter craft project and all the people around Jesus were every which way around the paper. Yes, that’s how life, even post Easter, feels at times, like a trampoline of life. Jesus would understand!
Jesus knew and knows about storms of the weather and the storms of life.
It WAS a wild storm last night, well a normal storm, we forget sometimes that this is how weather works, storms are “normal” – and thus building codes as they are, and it’s why there are drainage places, and places to take cover. It may feel like April fools with cold weather – but yes this too is “seasonal normal”…
I don’t live in tornado areas, my prayers for those folks for sure. We here have “normal storms”. I live on a hill, close my door and ignore them. Well ignore most of my fear now that we don’t have big trees here anymore. And I tamper my fear down while waiting for my youngest to come home late from work. It’s a normal storm so normal concern is normal. (The cat however knew the severity of the storm! Her eyes said volumes! And she knew to hunker down.)
I want to enter this month of Easter thinking of the storms and retreats of Jesus walking the earth. It was just 3 years on earth, that’s so short, yet every step was meaningful and real. Including and especially the retreats. Jesus took retreats, sometimes out of the storm, sometimes into a storm, ALWAYS praying through the storms and through the calm. I hope we remember the Lord’s STRENGTHENING and tap into it.
Jesus weighed not just the day in His sight, but the whole of all from the beginning of time. Jesus IS Alpha and Omega and every little letter in between. Jesus being the Word, provided the letters too to explain His journey. Luke tells us that He often withdrew and prayed. The Lord’s STRENGTHENING came in praying.
Jesus prayed in obedience not in requests alone. Alignment with God is not God aligning with our will. There are storms, there is HOPE, and with God there is guidance and strengthening.
“The Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”
Let us start this month with the wind still blowing, the storms still passing, but ourselves walking with Jesus, standing with Jesus, resting with Jesus, and just plain living with Jesus as we trail out of and into each day. Let us pray through our way, HIS WAY, and always one day at a time…
Amen
—
Luke 5:15-16 NKJV
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
The end of March is the dawning into spring, and longer days, warmer temperatures, and LIGHT… The weather in March goes out like a lamb, gentle and growing.
And the light? Our hope is not just in the now, our hope is forever for Eternity. The LAMB of the Lord is Jesus, and the LAMB as our NEW LIGHT never goes out.
The Glory of the New Jerusalem is our scripture for renewal, from John writing in Revelation: But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). (Ahhhh wonderful… Read more of Revelation 21 below)
This weekend, I treated myself to flowers both for the spring and super warm temperatures on Saturday, and for the decompression of the successful driver’s test pass for my daughter, whew! Fabulous! (Another new season for our family with all drivers…)…
I saw the pansies, which can tolerate cool temps, and impulsively bought a flat, refilled my flower boxes in joy, and also gifted some to a friend for her spring birthday. And then again Sunday, after the birthday party, driving home I saw a roadside stand with opened pussywillow soft fuzzy buds for sale. So nice. Seemed appropriate to pair with the fuzzy fleece from my Sunday sermon still sitting in the car. Treated myself to another iris for transplanting too from that inexpensive roadside stand… And then at a big farm stand, I bought strawberry plants, to renew that hope in me of growth and fruitful yummy strawberries… I also got bags of soil and cleaned up the yard and picked daffodils. My favorite flower is the “Forget-me-not”, never seem to be able to grow those, well I got those too… beautiful even if the flowers are but temporary for the season and for life.
It’s that excitement and hope of the spring flowers and growing season that renews energy in me and in us. We live in cycles of seasons, and cycles of life. Some things die away, others are made new… We need to keep cycling until we get home. Meanwhile we will enjoy as gardeners working the soil on earth, watching renewal. We will enjoy as children of God, the Life He breathes into us. We know that we too will pass away but He won’t – and we have life in HIM.
Someday in Home of Heaven, ALL things will be made new. They will spring forth like we have never seen before. The city walls with the names of the apostles of the Lamb, the gates with the tribes, the peoples and nations of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life…
Our Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, will reign in Heaven with our Lord God Almighty. Our Lamb, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, will bring in the NEW city, and God Almighty and the Lamb will BE the LIGHT.
All tears wiped away, all things made new. New life, new forever, new yet never-changing LIGHT of the LORD.
Let us hope into Forever, and keep going and keep growing now too.
Amen
————
Revelation 21
All Things Made New
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
The Glory of the New Jerusalem
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Recently I decided it was silly not to purchase more bowls and little plates and silverware that I found that matches my main set – sure I have yardsale forks that I got for a quarter but we in our house have a fondness for “our real forks” – lightweight and good – and less fumbling thru the drawer around cheapo ones that I usually take to work… Plus I got 2 more ice tea spoons in my pattern – LONG STORY – but those are just awesome to use… Well, it was a little splurge I decided to go for – and easy to get them (even though they are now “vintage”) through some online selling – really easy – and I negotiated the price and shipping too. So, I’ve added 12 forks to my collection and 2 cool ice tea spoons. The bowls? Well they disappear everywhere, not to mention ones (RARE) that broke – yes I managed to break some… These bowls are so useful, just the right size and yeah… I negotiated and paid $3 each – cheaper than when I originally got them probably at the outlet itself, ummm over 30 years ago. Silverware was probably more expensive than the outlet I was at, but like I said now it is “vintage” geez… I don’t REALLY need these things for any supper sit down – I don’t try to match usually – but occasionally it is nice to sit down to a nice Easter meal with everything attempted matching – just nice – and whom are we – yeah whom am I to be so human – but I am. I really am… I am human and picky and yeah – and we may try to blame our modern society but we also buy into that human-worldly visual lifestyle as well, our comfort zones of stuff and yeah… There is one fringe benefit of our humanness however, it is that we have a Lord who understands and Who forgives humanness – and Jesus said there is nothing that tempts us more that He will allow – yes Jesus understands and even better, One Who brings us one day to HIS SUPPER!
Nothing whets my appetite for HIS SUPPER than reading the book of Revelation and knowing that there is an end to the chaos and madness of the world we see and have yet to experience (whew!). Jesus will set all into place – a place for Him to be King – and place settings set for Him and for us, for the “Supper of the Lamb”, because Jesus and His Holy Bride (that’s us as the church) will be sitting down to dinner, yeah… I won’t care what kind of place setting I have then – I won’t be looking at the food even if I were looking at Jesus. So, in making myself unworldly now, it would be best to follow Jesus’s Breadcrumb trail and snack slowly on it – not devouring a whole handful – but take it in like popcorn, one kernel at a time.
Jesus, Our Daily Bread… and MORE…
King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus, His Supper, we will explore.
Someday when we walk through HIS DOOR…
Someday we implore…
And we will hear the angels ROAR:
“Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Amen
“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”
—
Revelation 19 excerpts NKJV
Heaven Exults over Babylon
After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Christ on a White Horse
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
If there is ONE thing to understand in the intricate complex Book of Revelation, it is the same TRUTH from the whole bible and all of life’s twists and turns: THE LAMB OVERCOMES. GOD’S GOT THIS.
JESUS IS THE LAMB, THE “LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS”
“…and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
You think we live an intricate complex life? Well we DO, and yet so how much MORE COMPLEX is ALL of time, all of life, all of evil twisted plots, people, pawns… How much MORE is God to be God and we are not. FOR HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.
If the book of Revelation states these grandeur complex stories of all of time portrayed in complex representations, remember simply that: THE LAMB OVERCOMES.
When other people marvel at “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Remember that JESUS IS LORD. JESUS OVERCAME AND OVERCOMES.
John, writing the prophecies of Revelation, was carried away in the Spirit to see this, so that we know the Truth: GOD’S GOT THIS…
Our walking through the Lamb’s mentions in the bible reminds us of Jesus’s Sovereignty from before time began, He was and is and is to come. Let us let Jesus handle our life TODAY.
Amen
—
Revelation 17, 18:1-8 NKJV
The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast
But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
The Fall of Babylon the Great
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
Of the unknowns of our future, there is this major KNOWN: We WILL be SINGING in Heaven. We will hear SINGING, we will know who is SINGING, and we will add to the SINGING. AND we will all know WHOM we are singing about and for.
We sing the song of the Lamb who OVERCOMES! “Sweet Victory in Jesus” – is a hymn that fills my head whenever I see a great craft display on my windowsill that says VICTORY in Jesus – of the displacement of the tomb with the victory of Easter. “O GLORIOUS VICTORY, THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD.”
There will be trials in our future, and in the greatest of hard times, yet the book of Revelation states there will be people who have to endure more punishment surely than we endure right now, these people to be martyrs for their faith in Jesus. And they also will be singing in Heaven, singing of Jesus overcoming: “they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”
The Song of the Lamb, sung with thankfulness surely, will be great and marvellous… and the singing will surely be of admiration of victory – both over sin and death and in anticipation of final victory over evil.
God’s strength in people overcomes the worst of times. And there should be some serious singing in serious healthy fear of the wrath of God. . God’s wrath overcomes the worst in evil. God’s wrath is not to be ignored. I believe that we can overcome fear with singing, we can celebrate JOY with song too.
What an interesting balance of life.
Just and true are God’s ways. To fear God in a healthy way is to give Him the credit for His Sovereignty over all. And us? We should be assured that we will be singing when all is come and done and begun again.
Amen
—
Revelation 15 KJV
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
“A family that pray together stays together” – that is a great saying – my family spread to both east and west coasts early on – and honestly any of us with ancestors who came on the boats in the great immigration era should remember those people endured leaving family that they never saw again – letters were sent and sometimes packages in my family – but no plane ride home to visit – all my great grandparents would have left home in the same ages of my kids now at 20 something – that is just the way it was…
I remember my Dad today with finding a newspaper clipping about his 1st communion and other articles, like with scouting. I remember many blessings growing up like family trips and family stories – remembering this morning while giving my cat water of when my Dad who vowed that he hated cats said to my mom: “we need to get cat food – there is a stray in the garage” – and wouldn’t you know it? we became cat people – as the stray was pregnant and had her kittens under my bed – on a green velvety blanket that was my grandmothers. We gave all of them away except one who became my cat.
Spreading the love and taking care of others – that was my Dad – taking care of your fellow man – and realizing to be appreciative for everything you have – and treating them fairly – and all this good advice that still fills my brain and my heart. I had over 50 years with my Dad before he passed few years ago. I remember his stories (and to make sure I have good brakes for the car)… I recently found during family history searching, newspaper articles about our family. I found the great scouting article where my family spoke of their many sons in scouting and how good it was. I found a letter to the editor about my Dad as a persistent newspaper carrier, telling folks they needed to buy a subscription – VERY CONVINCING – I also found what we discovered years later that he was a hero for saving a boy who broke away from his troop and fell at a scout camp in the rugged terrain. We also found good articles of the dedication of my grandmother as a den mother.. cool…
A family which prays together – and plays together – and all that – well I found an article from the parochial school of my father’s first communion – a family which worships God together… It is comforting to me that it was my grandparents who instilled faith and instruction into my dad and his siblings – by enrolling them in parochial school. Even if my father railed against the hypocrisy in the catholic church and the unfortunate but totally human going-wrongs of the day, I am encouraged that the Lord’s teachings still got instilled in that generation – including first communion. My faith is that faith was instilled early and demonstrated weekly and daily and moment to moment by my Grandmother.
I remember my Dad taking great concern for visiting my Grandmother in the nursing home every day – yes every day – sometimes in the morning before work – sometimes at lunch – sometimes after work. I trust that my grandmother, is in Heaven by the Love of Jesus. My Grandmother, whom I never heard complain ever, even with a noisy roommate and with many aches and pains of leg amputation from diabetes and cancer from mesothelioma,. And I remember my Dad talking about his father – about the generosity of helping others – about the chickens they bought and then had eggs more than they could handle and beng directed to go give them to all the neighbors – that my grandfather would have directed them to take their wagon and go door to door not to sell but to give away… Yeah – family who takes care of others…
I thank the Lord for these memories and my family. I am grateful for these newspaper articles for new memories.
My connection to a lamb scripture today – is that the Lord told the families in the first “Passover” – to share between neighbors – to make sure there is enough but not too much – to take care of their households and of each other. I would know that my family was trained to take care of each other by the generosity of the Lord – the Lamb gives of Himself – and no one is to waste it – like the Lord’s Word which comes to earth and never returns void – always shared to do His Work.
May we always be remembering good memories – and may we always be thankful to the Lord for all our life experiences good and bad – and the perseverance the Lord has enabled in us to survive and yes to thrive… Amen
Thanks Lord for my Dad and family… Thank You, Lord, for You!
Amen and amen…
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. Exodus 12:1-3
I LOVE doing family history work – and yet it is not simply to learn of older things – it is to connect my current cousins together and we remember us as family. Cousins are like brothers and sisters whom you don’t fight with. Cousins are fun.
I recently got back from my uncle’s funeral and we did have such an enjoyable time reconnecting. – and we looked at family trees (as I am updating now) – and we like to see that we are all included – and our spouses and our kids and the spelling of our names – etc etc… We want to be remembered and to remember. I was looking back at funeral photos – and seeing our cousins together and loving each other. Even cousins who never met – already have the love. (I loved seeing my kids meeting their cousins for the first time – of the same age.) Yes, we have so much to learn from each other including that we HAVE each other!!!
Well, isn’t it a blessing that the LORD KNOWS OUR NAMES AND OUR LIVES AND OUR FAILINGS AND STILL FORGIVES US.
Here is the Lamb scripture of the day – we see in the book of Revelation that the many in Heaven are known – and that the Lamb gives so many opportunities to get His Word out there. We work at it – being known like with our cousins – and the Lord? WELL, THE LORD HAS THE CATCH ALL PLAN: John saw: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
YES! EVERY NATION EVERY TRIBE EVERY TONGUE EVERY PEOPLE.. THe Lord won’t forget anyone – everyone will have the chance to hear. These “saints becoming” as a friend always says, will include those who need to hear the gospel and then have to live in bad times with the beast abounding – there will be people martyred for their faith – and this is going to require people who stand strong for the Lord: Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
May we now stand in the knowledge of this and in our own knowledge of faith and not take it for granted. And may we regard people of faith “Cousins in Christ” – our brothers and sisters whom we don’t fight with – may we learn their names and meet them – may we love them even if we never will meet them until up in Heaven…
I don’t know about you – but I am going to be busy the rest of my life AND eternity talking to all my cousins in christ… (Can’t wait but no rush)…
Lord come quickly and send that angel to proclaim your Word. In the meantime – let us help share the love.
Amen
—-
Revelation 14 NKJV
The Lamb and the 144,000
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The Proclamations of Three Angels
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
Reaping the Earth’s Harvest
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Reaping the Grapes of Wrath
Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
Whatever you do, don’t worship the beast, not even a little, not even in jest.
Don’t let the devil nip at you, don’t let him disturb you in your rest. (IN JESUS).
.
And that’s true, isn’t it? We tend to joke around. We have a tendency to jest about ourselves as being bad. We both forget God’s mercies and we think “I’m not worthy” – Well, God says you ARE WORTHY to be saved – that is why Jesus is the Lamb Slain from the Creation of the World. Let us not let the evil one confuse us. We are worthy because of Jesus.
If we stand strong in our faith and demonstrate faithfulness – then perhaps others will see HOW important faith is – for them to take it seriously too. SO don’t play with fire, don’t jest with the joker, and don’t give the devil anything to latch on to. Jesus wants us 100% reliant upon Him, and not fear evil – even unto death.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” That’s what Jesus said as he calmed the storms…
Isaiah foretold that we would have trouble in this world. “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” – because the Lamb was slain from the creation of the world BEFORE it all went down. And Jesus Came so we will rise up again. Just like waves of the water. Don’t let the Devil rock your boat in between. Rest with Jesus. Rest IN Jesus. Rest because of Jesus.
Remember the Isaiah 53 scripture: “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.“
Amen
Rest in Jesus, our Lamb. Keep living LIFE in His Peace.
Amen
Mark 4:35-41 NIV Jesus Calms the Storm That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
—
Revelation 13 NIV The Beast out of the Sea
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
Whoever has ears, let them hear. “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
“I Remember, I Remember, You have always been faithful to me.” that’s what Lauren Daigle sings, and was in my head as I woke up. It’s really good to listen to praise music because I really believe it tramples down the negative thoughts. And the recall of music is a God-given gift. Singing PRAISE reminds us of His Faithfulness.
Faithfulness is remembering Jesus remembers us. God set a whole process in play from before time. Satan knew he had/has “limited time” and nips at our heels all the time here on earth. “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” He causes chaos to followers of Jesus, yet we are to remember the ultimate Sovereignty of God, remember His Faithfulness to defeat Satan forever. Already we have the blood of the Lamb covering us and forgiving us. WE KNOW THIS, WE SHOULD SING OF THIS! “You were there, always there, with me…”
Here is a short poem:
That dragon, satan, was downward hurled as the Wrath of the Lamb has been unfurled. Our testimony should be fresh not canned, that we TRIUMPH by the BLOOD of the LAMB
What a blessing we will sing in Heaven forever. Let us sing now, so not of old condemnation but of mercies fresh each morning…
I REMEMBER I REMEMBER!
Amen!!!
—
“I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL TO ME. ” Lauren Daigle
Fear is on my chest, the weight of the world on me
Everything is crashing down, everything I had known
When I wonder if I’m all alone
.
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER
You have always been faithful to me
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER
Even when my own eyes could not see
You were there, always there
.
I will lift my eyes even in the pain
Above all the lies, I know You can make a way
I have seen giants fall, I have seen mountains move
I have seen waters part because of You
.
I remember I remember
You have always been faithful to me
I remember I remember
Even when my own eyes could not see
You were there, always there
.
I can’t stop thinking about
I can’t stop thinking about
I can’t stop thinking about
Your goodness, goodness
. (repeat)
I can’t stop thinking about
I can’t stop thinking about
I can’t stop thinking about
Your goodness, goodness
.
I remember, I remember
You have always been faithful to me
I remember I remember
Even when my own eyes could not see
You were there, always there, with me
—-
Revelation 12 NIV
The Woman and the Dragon
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus
The Lamb gets things going, we are talking about Jesus OF COURSE,
beginning of the end, from Revelation trumpeting angels to riders on each HORSE.
.
Jesus present from the beginning of TIME,
will also help start the earth and heavens UNWIND.
.
Seals to be open, scrolls to be READ,
angels and trumpets resounding, and bowls poured with DREAD.
.
God does not want anyone to perish, but live INSTEAD,
we know that now and will witness this surely AHEAD.
.
Revelation scriptures note sections of time we might fear and DREAD,
because it means God is going to judge the LIVING and the DEAD.
.
Don’t follow evil or worship anything else behind or AHEAD,
Read up and know JESUS SAVES all who choose Him INSTEAD.
.
THE LAMB SURELY HAS CONQUERED,
OUR FUTURE HE ALREADY SECURED.
.
Amen to PRAISES,
Jesus is our Lord and Savior who RAISES.
.
AMEN
Revelation 6 – New King James Version
First Seal: The Conqueror
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Second Seal: Conflict on Earth
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
—
Revelation 8
Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
The scripture emailed to me, Jeremiah 17:7-8, this morning is so true: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
We have anxious times and we are told to stay close to Jesus – what does this mean? to ask Him direction, to know He is in charge, to know things get better even if they get worse first, to know simply to TRUST. Put our roots in His Word in His Living Water – meditate on Him as it states in Psalm 1. We are to know that there are others even more in danger physically and politically by worshiping openly – we can’t even imagine their lack of freedom of religious expression. There are known examples of people who trust the Lord – we see them around us – and there are those who worship in secret trusting the Lord for the long term – and we should know there are multitudes that will be and are saved by the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world – Jesus. These multitudes are mentioned in the book of Revelation 7:9-17, multitudes that no one could count – who are also mentioned in the prophecy of Isaiah – the many many people who plant themselves like Psalm 1 trees into the Word and TRUST in Jesus won’t wither and die but be reborn in new life. ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
Let us STAY CLOSE TO THE LAMB. Let us not wither in the trials of this life but keep moving WITH Jesus. Never alone, always remembering Him on the throne. Keep close and we will OK: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer 17:7-8
KEEP THE FAITH – FAITH IS BELIEVING IN GOD AND HIS ALMIGHTY POWER.
WORTHY IS THE LAMB. STAY CLOSE TO THE LAMB.
AMEN
—-
Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude in White Robes After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ – ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Psalm 1 NIV
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Isaiah 49:8-9 Restoration of Israel
This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
In the theme of Lambs for this month’s writing “March goes out like a lamb” – we find many scriptures of both the gentleness of lambs and the fierce strength of the perfect Lamb, Jesus.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”… “who conquered the grave.” are praise song lyrics that ring TRUE. This is the Easter season and we are to remember that Jesus conquered the Grave and negated Sin and defeated Death – and Jesus is found worthy to finish all the rest of prophecy in the book of Revelation. Here is where Jesus is seen by apostle John in a transported state to a heavenly place – Jesus stood worthy as the Lamb.
“in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain” – Yes Jesus died but rose – the Lamb was slain but standing – and worthy to start the cascade of the remaining steps – with the breaking of the seals – and to complete the work that will then bring about the arrival of the New Jerusalem.
We are not to worry about today, let alone tomorrow or forever. We have been told of the future and that Jesus is worthy of our praise because He came and will come again. And through the Holy Spirit, we can trust God is ever present and Jesus, the Lamb Slain, has been found worthy from before time began – and will be found worthy forever more.
What will we do in Heaven? We will be in Awe – and we will Praise – “Worthy is the Lamb”… “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Amen
—
Revelation 5 (NKJV) – recorded by John the Apostle
The Lamb Takes the Scroll
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,And to open its seals;
For You were slain,And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Oh the smiles at work yesterday, St Patrick’s Day awesome. We hid tiny resin gnome leprechauns all around the building for finding, sharing… People did pursue them. We had a fair number of people wearing green too. We still got our work done, don’t worry. I helped hide them and take pics, people expect that of me so I embrace the days of fun. I love the people. My family raised me that way, it’s ingrained and encouraged. Also doing one’s day job is so important, we do good stuff at work.
I saw a newspaper article interview with my dad, he said: “I enjoy working with people, I enjoy living and I enjoy helping others. I’ll never understand people who ask me what the payoff is, as though they’re expecting me to point to a large bank account. What I do has nothing at all with a personal return other then a deep sense of satisfaction out of knowing I helped someone somewhere.” (AMEN TO THIS!)
So in our spiritual lives, shouldn’t we also continue to be an encourager as well? There’s no leprechaun’s pot of gold in heaven, there’s going to be something so much better! The NEW JERUSALEM!!! AND “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” are there.
I encourage us all to read and reread Revelation 21 for hope to go thru the days that aren’t so golden and those which are – and wow appreciate not just the opulence in the heavens coming to us, but be in awe of God with us – REALLY RESTORED with us. And Jesus the Lamb will be with us all, as the Bride of the Lamb. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
For our Lamb portion of March Weather, the warmth yesterday and calm after the storms was palatable. The spring coming is palatable. So how about the future we have? We need to find Jesus finding us. He will never let us go, but life is best when we look directly at Him. We need to accept the new life Jesus offers as forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, rest, life. This is worth more than a pot of gold – this is everything.
The Lamb’s Book of Life holds our names, our Shepherd wants us with HIM.
Amen and thank You to the Lamb Jesus !!!
—-
Revelation 21:9-27 NIV
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
The roar of the storms passed us – actually we flew ABOVE them yesterday – what a way to pass a storm by rising ABOVE it. Really for us it was just the wind and not like the tornados of the south – God bless those people. Let us pray the fierceness of the LIONS of March were going out in a storm… And let us pray the Lamb of gentleness to remain – weatherwise and comfort-wise.
John the Baptist (recorded in the apostle John’s gospel) recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God – even though He had not known Him to recognize Him by sight. Therefore the Holy Spirit – the same that made John leap in His mother’s womb – leapt in Him as this was prophesy moving into motion. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Remember Jesus chose to follow this storm system of living in a fierce world that was not ready for Him – not recognizing Him – and loving the people all the same. Jesus could would and did RISE ABOVE THE STORM.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
So, let us remember (also on this St Patrick’s Day) – a prayer attributed to the Irish but universal to us all: Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
And let us remember the LAMB OF GOD has come to give us PEACE.
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD, JESUS.
AMEN
John 1 – King James Version
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist]. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus
By Faith, people do LOTS of things and BY FAITH we easily flew yesterday, both in the plane, train, bus and automobile AND flew through time. It was 40 years ago that I was last in Michigan, but years melt like hugs for cousins (I am youngest of 23, now we have next generation of my kids and so forth into the future).
Yes. It’s SO good to have come to my uncle’s memorial service long weekend in Michigan, and so good to simply click click click feel the ease of modern travel with old-fashioned friendly skies. So good to see my kids overtake with their traveller’s smarts too, experienced at flying. This is experience that’s not too much expense. My advantage that I take it all in stride, including talking my way into easier situations… It’s The Friendly Skies we fly.
Well, BLESSED as we gathered last night at the hotel for pizza reception travelling cousins from 5 plus states, before today’s military service at the cemetery (we are north of Detroit). Saw 2 remaining aunt’s, who with my mom (arriving this morning) are the 3 remaining spouses of the 6 brothers, my uncle being the last one to pass.
BLESSED to fly over God’s Fingerlakes too! And oh the ice on the great lake Erie was gorgeous. BLESSED to see ithaca in the distance, see the NYC skyline and Statue of Liberty from our Newark flight. We easily took the train to the plane and shuttle and rental car… by faith it all worked out. My great grandparents steamed across the ocean from Ireland and saw lady liberty, wow what would they say, seeing their next and next generations now… WOW. By faith they forged ahead, let us not forget.
BLESSED, while waiting at out gate, to see the little birds drink from the water fountain in the airport. Yeah, they got in somehow, so at least they have something to wash down their french fries. God provides. And if He takes care of the birds, how much more He cares for us…. yeah…. by Faith we know that this is TRUE.
The March Lion of Scripture is that Faith in Action shuts the mouth of Lions, as said the writer of Hebrews, likely Paul, recounting the faith of those who came before Jesus and trusted God. The people of the Scripture stories had SO MUCH FAITH, and yet never say Jesus in the flesh to finish the prophesies, but they had faith. We are encouraged to have faith, not just for adventures, it’s faith in life everlasting and life everyday and especially in God’s Sovereignty. We can “have Faith and live it too!!!”
Scripture says faithful people gained what was promised – shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword – their weakness was turned to strength !!! I’m SO THANKFUL for the Lord God Almighty to coordinate life and living it.
Let us trust Faith in Action and take action in faith. Let us live the BOLD lives God gave us to live. LET US TRUST IN HIM!
AMEN
—
Faith in Action Hebrews 11
Faith in Action
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
I ventured out to the park in the sunshine for I felt like I was emerging from a winter hibernation, even though I have not been hibernating. Felt like a long winter (it wasn’t) and a long week too, even if it was only Wednesday. The park meant SPRING and I could use some SPRING IN MY STEP returning. I appreciated some of the beautiful first flowers of spring – not looking delicate like snowdrops, but these were precious and hearty and BOLD yellow treasures low to the ground. (bold, new, and not eaten either, but enduring)
Emerging in SPRING is like SURVIVAL with new and renewed life. Emerging from a Lion’s Den of danger or gloom, harshness or harm, such the classic of the Lord’s pattern for us all. Life after Death. Maybe not a dying death at all with His protection. Classic Jesus jumping in front of the lion for us. SAVED.
Classic Jesus is also allowing us to be bold in witness about life in the midst of trouble. And WOW – I just read an online article that led with “Sharing Jesus in the Lion’s Den” – when I know that I have been writing this whole first half of March about lions mentioned in the bible… Wow, it’s about a brave witness to Jesus who ventures to the middle of the tense protests demonstrating about the middle east war, blockades and forever bad situations. It’s a sad strife of this life we have seen years upon years. This person stepped into the Lion’s fight not just the den. BRAVE.
The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
I know it’s not normal to be so BRAVE, but Jesus is not normal but extraordinary and Jesus is fully powerful God, and His Righteousness and Strength combined with His Compassion and Love, give us the ability to emerge dangers, to Shine Boldly, and to Love in a merciful way. Daniel is our example to keep faith. Daniel worshipping the Lord in a public way even when forbidden escaped the punishment and told of the Lord’s provisions.
Worship Forbidden? If we are allowed to worship, let us remember those who couldn’t and those who still experience opposition, and pray them Daniel’s commitment and Jesus’s Presence and Protection.
Let us therefore be BOLD like the image of SPRING FLOWERS in the waning Lion of Winter and LET US SHINE, let us EMERGE and even enter new Lions’ Dens of tough activities, knowing Jesus takes us only where He is willing to go.
And Jesus IS EVERYWHERE.
Amen
—
Daniel chapter 6 in the Den of Lions
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly!
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
“For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
I believe in the Lord and in His amazing mighty way and His total everything, especially when my cat bites me to wake up, stop dreaming unproductively, and for me to say Hey, I’m up Lord, I’m Yours.
Ouch, it’s not a break the skin bite but it meant business. The cat (of course a mini-lion in her mind) wants action on my part, well not necessarily the cat, I believe that angels direct my cat. I’m not crazy just faithful in paying attention to her paying attention to a power bigger than a bite.
I believe that all creatures and creations are made by the Lord and He uses them for His goodness, wonderful power, and His pursuit of us. It’s not nature vs nurture, it’s nurture of God over all including the amazing natural and even worldly world which is like dust to the Lord, useable and beautiful dust in transition.
I believe in the Lion’s Roar and the Lord’s Mightiness and control and if He wants a lion to eat you, well yeah… I’ll take a cat bite any day listening to the Lord rather than being eaten by a Lion. 1Kings20:35-36 By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused. So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.
OUCH – that’s worse…
So let’s get up to God’s Will for us today. With Him in Control – we can step wisely and while listening. Don’t take it for granted that the Lord is there but He will be there either way. And let us remember to trust Him, hope in Him, and obey Him.
Therefore let us listen for the Lord – His Word is louder and sharper than the Roar of any lion or the Bite of any cat…
More “LION” scripture references can be found in the warnings of Amos – a prophet trying to tell the Israelites who have disobeyed the Lord, not followed Him, to realize that not only does the Lord mean business, but that He will give them the business. A Lion as a fierce animal and the Lord as the Law. The Lord as the power and the might. The Lord who is jealous for His Own people.
In our Lion scripture of Amos 3, first we are told to remember that the Lion does not roar for nothing – and it is not easy to tear anything from a Lion’s mouth. As for the Lord – He WILL roar as He DOES have something to roar about – He told His prophets to tell His people of all His plans and He did and does roar for their attention and for their commitment to listen.
To the folks who are not paying attention to the Lord, Amos reminds: He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name.
Let us pay attention to the Lord leading and let us remember that as the Lions roar, the Lord Almighty surely roars for us!!!
AMEN
—
AMOS 3 NIV
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing? Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything? When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?
Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.”
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”
This is what the Lord says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
“On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord.
—
AMOS 4:11-13 NIV
You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name.
We’ve heard the phrase: “Sometimes bad things happen to good people.”… Simple enough to say “things will get better” but always hard to remember. We pray for perseverance and hope. We have been thru tough times before and we should know that in the tough times, the tough spots of life, God brings us the LIGHT, the LOVE, the LIFT, because He is LORD!
The people of Lamentations, the chapter and the times, when Prophet Jeramiah was writing to inspire and console, had problems, BIG problems, but the scriptures remind us that God’s LOVE and POWER does and will outweigh the issues of the world. The words to inspire include: I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.
So, yes, the world can be tough, the situations that trip us up, and issues that become like those LIONS that drag us like prey… We think the Lord has turned his backs on us and yet GOD is more LOVE than He is correction, we must remember that the Lord is LOVE and He Lights the Way.
Keep it simple – just follow HIM.
Amen
—
Lamentations 3:1-26
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked.
Like a bear lying in wait,LIKE A LION IN HIDING,he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.
He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
It is not like the fear of Dorothy going to Oz – “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” – but an awe exclamation of the number of inclusions of LIONS in the bible – which is enough to bring us each day to the middle of March when I plan to switch over to include daily scriptures about LAMBS… What a great theme of Lions to Lambs – weather wise and in life. The Lord uses both magnificently in scripture and we are in awe, like David writing his psalms songs of praise: How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” AND “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”
And the Lord uses the wind – David would also sing in Psalm 104: “He makes winds his messengers“. And weather-wise the early March wind has been HOWLING all afternoon night and then again this morning – WOW! I ain’t Lying about the LION of March’s weather roaring in. I shuddered at the sounds but we were safe and sound in the shuttered house, falling asleep counting blessings. I even remembered and praised that the big tree that used to scare us in the wind was taken down a couple years ago. I awoke to sunshine and hope in a new day (and TGIF!!!!)
And wow to know the LIONS of scripture! Of course there are many, and so I did look them up on a bible study tool engine online – which allows the finding all scriptures for a particular word. I LOVE PSALM 104!!! Psalm 104 brings the best of praise for the Lord’s ability to create and take care of His creations – growing and feeding – protecting and directing – including us – including the LIONS: “The Lions Roar for their prey and seek their food from God.“
There is SO much strength to be had in the bible verses to keep us going (and out of the Lion’s mouth). How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Scriptures are waiting for us to pick them up! Scriptures are worth knowing! YES – Let us be hungry like Lions and seek our good food for thought from the Lord! Let us be Lion around in Wait – for God is Great!
Amen
(and please be pleased with a Psalm 104 read.)
Psalm 104 – Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.
He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.
How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number -living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works – he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.
It’s the theme of the moment, to live IN the moment. Yeah!
This March (and always) we must march in the moment – humble ourselves to NOT overthink nor overstep – stay walking with the Lord at the pace of the day, whether a standing march or full forward strut. Whatever you do – don’t march ahead into the unknown – always walk with Jesus.
The month of March is also a month of lions weather-wise, roaring into spring, but don’t get carried away like a mud slide into anxious thoughts. Don’t give fuel to the devil to shake you up. Our advice from scripture is always to wait upon the Lord. The Lord requests us to remain calm, like the succinct advice from Peter:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
***We must TRUST the Lord, that covers our future, so don’t worry about the future. Worry gives the roaring lion of the devil a running start.***
***We must TRUST the Lord, He took care of us in the past. He has a “track record” – a proven track record. Jesus defeated the devil, keep remembering this.***
***We must TRUST the Lord, He is present in the present with us. We are protected in place and placement if we allow ourselves His Peace. ***
STANDING FIRM IN THE FAITH. MARCH-ING INTO PEACE.
Keep March-ing in the Moment.
Amen
—
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1st Peter 5)
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember there is no escapism from our mere mortal status, from dust to dust, us AND our oppressors, the Lord is the One who will fight for us. The battle belongs to the Lord. Mere Mortals are Made More with God shepherding.
For after lent comes Easter – we are to remember that we ARE saved – Jesus rescued and rescues and will come again.
And so escapism scenarios, and just plain hiding from life won’t work. Escapism is not the same as surviving best. Yes, we all do wobble, but Psalm 23 says to WALK through the valleys of shadows, don’t stay and linger.
In another “March in like a Lion” themed instance, Isaiah warns about the escapism of the ancient Israelites and Judah-ites thinking Egypt is their friend or at least a less evil compared to being carried away to Babylon for an exile said to be for 70 years. The Lord is purposeful in His ways, and Isaiah also told of the eventual downfall of Babylon. Isaiah later also speaks of a Messiah to save. We know Jesus came and finished the prophecies, and Jesus will come again and defeat evil one and for all. Even evil is exiled from existence eventually. Wait upon the Lord.
Salvation Secured Saving – it is the Lord who Saves. Be available for transport and be working for the Lord despite danger and disillusionment with the world. Make moments meaningful despite monumental challenges.
With coming from ashes and returning to ashes, we are to be reminded about God’s creation in us and God’s win over sin and death. Our ashes could be from burning through life, fiery and giving it your all until there’s nothing left in the tank. God’s ashes are His handiwork to move us more freely, and God-efficiently, thru life and into forever.
Don’t fear the ashes of death. Won’t in our travels we be lighter then? Dust trails behind us and in front. We will be rescued and restored, we will be with our Lord.
March Lions roar, but WITH the Lord, our souls will surely soar!
Amen
—
Isaiah 31-32:4 NIV
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.
But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.
This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey – and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor – so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the Lord. whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
The Lord walks with us and reels us in, and “reals us in” to reality too. Realigned with God is how we are to live our lives. In reality, God gets the “Lion’s Share” and more.
God is surrounding us and instilled in our Spirit and us in Him. God loves us like no other. Even to wandering people, like Israelites and Judah-ites in Hosea’s time, God said and says: I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
This March, for the “Roaring in like a Lion”, there is no bigger nor better Lion than our Lion of the Lord. GOD MEANS BUSINESS and PROTECTS and HOLDS His people, as a Lion would for cubs. This is for the wandering of old and the wondering of new. This is for us, we can not deny God as love pulling us in.
For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you…
They will follow the Lord; He will roar like a Lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling…
The Lord Almighty LOVES, He will Roar and implore His people to come to Him.
Let us be His. Let us walk in His Way.
Amen
—
Hosea 11:1-11
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.
“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.
“The righteous are as bold as a lion.” Solomon’s observation in Proverbs 28:1b
(I am keeping with my theme of March Lions and Lambs for this stretch of writing…)
I watched the Oscars as mindless meaty media and had many munchies as it was as marathon-like as any movie, but longer. I didn’t see any movie except “Wicked” which was so good, and like life, the deep understanding of the characters and their history in that movie is necessary to gauge their wickedness or goodness, or simply their human-ness gone astray. The Broadway musical score, of course, is grandeur and catchy at its best. The performance and every musical score were crowd pleasers on the show.
I don’t see many movies – but I’ve liked comedian Conan O’Brien, the Oscars host, for years, so made sure to tune in… and I appreciated the witty humor, gags, the speeches even, the glamor yes, and that the people liked doing their craft of making movies to inspire, teach, and entertain. Politics and faith, war and peace, fashion and firefighting, it all fit in the show.
Some folks play both good and evil characters, but mostly human ones who can make mistakes. THANK GOD, GOD LOOKS AT AND WEIGHS THE HEART (more wisdom from Solomon in Proverbs 21). Like the movies, people get type cast, but God is the one who leads the better plots. Follow Him.
And watching the Oscars was good for an “evening in” on a roar of chilly weather, on an early March night. Sunday is when my weekend brain is full, just decompression of a weekend and “time for myself”.
And yet this weekend was also a good time for me and the Lord, because click click click, I forced myself to sit down and I organized 2 whole chapters of my writing for print and pdf. It seems a process, but it’s my purpose and my pursuit of God’s Heart holds me in alignment of both writing and curating. Most of my writing is captured brain waves that flash then disappear from memory, maybe someone reads or needs it, but like last year’s Oscar’s and star-winners and movies, it’s gone from memory that quick. But SCRIPTURE remains – the wisdom and the freshness of it refreshed.
SO, the Lions in scripture roar the righteousness right into place. The Proverbs seem to be Lion roars of observation and wisdom from King Solomon both good yet flawed. King Solomon saw A LOT, ruled a long time, wrote extensively in God’s name and in his own processing. Human and wise, King Solomon would have seen the righteous and the wicked, both, and known how to use a Lion as symbol for each:
1) The Righteous are as bold as a Lion.
…
2) Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
…
It is up to us to be aware of the difference between good, righteous and evil, wicked. It is like a movie in some ways to discover and discern the characters of life, but behind the scenes and in front too, we are to know God weighs the heart. We need to be a March Lion of righteousness “righted” by God and “Marching” in His Way. We need to be wary of wicked lions chasing us. We need to remember that we can be bold IN God – and let Him score our lives.
Amen
—
Proverbs 21:1-3, 29-31
In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him. A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
…
The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
—-
Proverbs 28 NIV
The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.
A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.
Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.
Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.
A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.
Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.
The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
To show partiality is not good – yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.
Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys.
The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.
Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.
When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
“Create in me a clean heart.” – The song and scripture was so moving that I choked up, rolled tears down from my eyes in the concluding acts of “David” (Sight and Sound’s Production that I finished watching online). As David prays, offering his broken spirit in sorrow for sinful adultery with Bathsheba and the battle-sent murder of Uriah – sinfulness and greed taking over his backtracking, he himself heard the message from prophet Nathan of the slaughter of a lamb. David found himself again offering prayers to “be washed white as snow” – David had tears of repentance and remarkable re-fixation upon the Lord. He was always “after God’s heart” and shows us that the deepest sinner can still return to be the most sincere God seeker.
The more the trials, the more we can rely upon God – in good and bad.
David in the musical remembered the days the Lord was with Him as a child playing the harp and writing the psalms of songs, and David realizes the Lord is ever-present and faithful.
“The Lord is after your heart – be after His” David urges Solomon, his son in the closing acts of his life and the play… The musical closes with David and all singing Psalm 23 boisterously and a visual of Jesus raising David into Heaven. Beautiful… Soul stirring and truthfully soothing.
Jesus came as the Lion of Judah and was slain as the lamb, in God’s Plan, in knowledge of salvation’s power, taking away the sins of the world, as far as East is from West.
We say that the weather in March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. March 1st for us was like a lion sleeping and then awoke with wind storms and cold… Surely the end of this month will be much warmer, calmer, and we will have felt triumphant over winter. Lion to Lamb.
We might relate this to that Jesus came in like a lion to this world, because Jesus IS as the Lion of Judah, the King, and then relate to Jesus leaving as the Lamb, but remember also Jesus, the King, IS the Lamb slain before the beginning, before the foundation of the world was laid down. Jesus knew He would lay down His Life. Jesus always was and is the Lamb, innocent and sacrificial. Jesus was led by His loyalty to God the Father and by His Love for all of us. The sacrificing servant is oru example, as Jesus is also the Shepherd.
Jesus is the Lamb and the Lion, and Jesus is our Lord and King.
We best, in any and all weather, GO with Jesus, because God goes with us.
Be after His Heart.
Amen
—
Psalm 23 of David
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
—
David speaking to King Saul in 1st Samuel 17 how the Lord protects: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. [Goliath]” Saul then said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
—
1st Kings 2:1-4
David’s Last Words to Solomon: When David’s time to die was near, he told his son Solomon, “I am going the way of all the earth. So be strong. Show yourself to be a man. Do what the Lord your God tells you. Walk in His ways. Keep all His Laws and His Word, by what is written in the Law of Moses. Then you will do well in all that you do and in every place you go. Then the Lord will keep His promise to me. He has said to me, ‘Your sons must be careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and soul.
—
Psalm 51:9-15 of David in repentance: Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
It’s not going to be THAT fierce of weather today, but enough force of wind this afternoon will remind us that we are in late winter. March ROARS IN like a LION they say, and yet out like a lamb in gentleness…. Hmmmm… We know a Lion that is also a Lamb…
YES, Jesus ROARS in like a Lion too, both Him and His Word. Genesis speaks first of Lions in scripture, and scripture itself is the ROAR into lives, bringing Jesus directly to us. The Rescue is like a Lion Who takes what is His – and WE ARE JESUS’S – we are His.
In Genesis 49:9-12 Jacob is speaking about his sons, specifically JUDAH, who is the namesake of the tribe of Judah (1 of 12) and the land settled including Bethlehem where Jesus was born from. Jacob speaks of Judah as a LION – and speaks of Jesus coming through that Land as the Ruler: “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.”
Oh yes! Jesus is the ROAR into today and the fierce ruler of today and tomorrow. Jesus is the Lamb Slain who will lead us through today, this month, and always. The Lion of Judah is Jesus, Worthy. The Nations will all be obedient to Him one day – so let us start now with our own obedience and TRUST HIM. No one on earth or in Heaven but Jesus is Worthy.
The Scroll and the Lamb – Revelation 5:1-5 written by John sees this LION of Judah, Jesus, Who is a Lamb slain for the sins of the people of the world. John sees a revelation of Jesus when He comes again: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Let us take this month of Lions and Lambs and be wary of whom we find worthy – may we find ourselves in Jesus’s Care as He ROARS into our lives.
Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice.
My cousins are doing preparations for my uncle’s memorial, couple weeks from now. In communications, our other cousins and I have been discussing travel via text and email and even phone calls. Prayers on getting there following prayers on if we are going. We discussed back and forth about driving vs flying, attending vs not, some wanting to go but being financially crunched, and the logistics of going with immediate or close-by extended family or not. When both my adult kids decided to go, it became a little easier to decide to fly, instead of the many hours car trip… It was and is both logistics and family need in consideration. I too have my tipping points of comfort.
Applying the Power of Prayer is an everyday choice. Prayers on getting there safely apply to both plane and car and train, packing and work and all. Prayers help. Prayers PLEASE the Lord. Prayers show we KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE. Prayers acknowledge that we need the help of the Almighty. PRAYERS WORK.
APPLY PRAYER in everything.
One cousin was going to travel but now is not as she weighed it back and forth, and she prayed on it and decided she is going to stay home and send her best to everyone. In our discussion came relief for a decision. The prayers helped her for sure, she needed to have that assurance for she already had a gut feeling about not going.
Me too, my gut feeling of flying switched therefore from not a burden into more of an adventure with my crew, as well as a teaching moment in adulting with logistics of flying as waiting rather than driving. We could have arranged many choices, but THE RELIEF IS IN DECIDING and GOING WITH IT. Then steps to follow get laid down and you can return to other life planning. Best we pray and yet acknowledge multiple paths are viable, like ice cream flavors there are many GOOD choices in life. There might be bad choices in life too, but consulting the Lord is always GOOD. LISTENING IS EVEN BETTER.
Other and ALL planning and adventuring surely are best in ALIGNMENT WITH GOD, VIA PRAYERS FOR GUIDANCE. Respecting the absolute TRUTH that God’s ideas are above ours, makes us realize He sees the future best.
Best we not be too worldly and be weighted down. Applying prayers puts us on HIS FLIGHT.
Up Up and Up…
Amen
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:4-8
Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, PRAY CONTINUALLY, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
It’s a short month, February, and March comes quickly with warming weather. Oh I am going to get some outside things done if just for an hour today, and I should walk too… It is still winter and a cold snap we complain about, and yet it WAS nice to snuggle in, be indulgent (even too restful for myself) in indoors activities this short long winter… I’ve had not marathon TV days, but snippets of time in the evenings, good stuff and junk too… BLESSED online offerings too. I am in the middle of watching the Sight and Sound production of David, a tremendous overview of the shepherd boy turned king and hand-chosen ancestry to Jesus’s birth… David was a man after God’s Heart.
The music in this show came with pre-written lyrics – a musical after God’s heart – as David writer and singer of over 70 Psalms. The placement of certain Psalms in the scenes of his life connect the context to content. The lyrics set to melody in various arrangements from traditional to contemporary, are then placed at the appropriate time frame for David’s life: joyous in joy moments or expressing sadness and fear yet trusting God. Psalms of true lament, as David like us was flawed, and wrote and sang Psalms in reminders of God’s faithfulness by singing PRAISE.
A praise for the Lord God Almighty is purposeful and pertinent because the Lord Himself instills in us this ability to PRAISE. God fills us with love too as GOD IS LOVE and this means the opportunity is always appropriate to try to apply LOVE in tough situations with tough people. Tough love too. For extraordinary extravagant LOVE is God’s existence. Psalm 103 reminds: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
A friend once said: “God has no choice but to love”… and for this we PRAISE! Psalm 56 states “I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you.”
May we apply PRAISE and apply LOVE, today and always.
Amen
—
Psalm 103 Of David.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
—-
Psalm 56 – For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,that I may walk before God in the light of life.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
—-
Psalm 56
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
I spend much of my time cleaning up things – but not as much as I spend leaving things around – it is a losing battle but also one that we wage everyday if we choose to – we’ve got lots of stuff here in our modern day – just don’t let it accumulate to trip you up.
I’ve been cleaning in my family farmhouse – I call it cleaning UP not cleaning out – no need to move stuff anywhere but the good stuff is buried in the not needed stuff. I try to clean up at home before the not-needed stuff encumbers and covers my good stuff that I DO want people to save one day. I was reminded of a task I did last month, cleaning a closet in the church basement, which I knew was next to the heater and safer that way plus just stuff was lost and tossed in there. I pulled out old Sunday school materials from 10 years prior, study guides, even an old film projector surely from the 60’s. It was important to clean up and condense, yet appreciate the past efforts to build community in the church. I just left the film projector – someone else can rediscover that treasure later. The books I put up on a shelf of a lending library because the best shared part of the Word is when you lend an assist to another person. HOPE and LIFE freely given.
Of course one of my favorite finds this week was the little birthday book from my great aunt – with non-scriptural but witty proverbs and poems – plus important scriptures like finding Psalm 27 after reading and writing about Psalm 27, and to add the Hat Trick – I SHARED Psalm 27 – sometimes WE are the ones who create the “coincidences” that we long to see in the world. The CLEAN UP portion of cleaning is to decide what helps other get UP or stay UP – or believe UP – and turn their faith UP. That is our goal too – to “FAITH UP” each day – look up and look into HIS Ultimate CLEAN UP – Salvation.
The little book provided a proverb “It is far better to do well than to say well.” paired with the whole John 21 scripture statement by Peter: “Lord, Thou knowest all things.” – and that is a GREAT CLEAN UP scripture – because just before the risen Jesus had breakfast on the beach for the disciples who met Him at the sea of Galilee, Jesus had told them to “fish over on THAT side” – and wow did they “clean up” gathering so many many fish. Jesus knew where to “clean up” – and He still does – His Salvation is a net of collection and wash – Jesus cleans us up with forgiveness – Grace and Mercy – and a clean of His Blood ransoming our sins.
So let us clean up our HOPE – for Jesus cleansed and cleans and He calls us back to reinstate our clean slate – like He did for Peter in that John 21 chapter, also urging Peter to “feed my sheep”. Jesus also reminds us to HOPE – like the witty non-scriptural saying: “Hope is as cheap as despair” – true – might as well HOPE rather than despair.
Jesus is our CLEAN UP – so let us FAITH UP!
AMEN
—
Here is the scripture for Clean Up Clean Up – Faith UP!
John 21 NKJV Breakfast by the Sea After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
Jesus Restores Peter So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
The Beloved Disciple and His Book Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17b
I recently told my daughter, as we drove, that the apartment complex on the way to her work was where a friend of ours used to live before she passed from diabetic coma about 5 years ago, passed way too young and yet lived a full life to that point. My family loved her and she loved us and surely shaped a kind heart in our children as their forever Sunday School teacher and VBS craft lady. She was the sweetest and loved the Lord and loved people, most generous even when she was living on borrowed time and borrowed dime. She knew was not perfect, never pretended that. and knew she needed the Lord and people. She was in frail health with asthma and more, I’m appreciative that she didn’t fret through our covid-era of uncertainty that folks with good health freaked out in. I’m thankful that she is in Heaven for the most important reasons of wholeness in healing and seeing and embracing our Savior Jesus. I’m so thankful for the calmness of Heaven knowing God is in control even in the current spiritual battles waged for us in spiritual realms. I am thankful for knowing that now.
My friend was in my dream just this morning, she looked well, a white blouse, sat calmly next to me, I rarely saw her calm, and she spoke of something that now escapes my awake mind, only that we spoke of the realization that she was past into Heaven, knowing calmness, and passing good vibes back to us on the other side of the holy divide, (and maybe passing good candy too, lol)… Interesting dream that disappeared from my mind so rapidly like a vapor, even I wrote a wonderful devotion in that pre-awake moment, in my head, gone now, all I remember was there’s Isaiah scripture to now look up pertaining… give me one minute… ah yes.
Ah, there are so MANY good scriptures in Isaiah of being certain that the Lord fights our battles, wins our wars, lives to lead us, died to save us, rose to rescue us, and now calms us in any storm including death. Jesus is our Salvation and STRENGTH.
Interesting how we are to think of STRENGTH for the day, and we need it. Especially we need to have STRENGTHEN to remember God has a calmness in Heaven which could be passed to us on earth if we remember that He has everything under control. Nothing in His Word returns void.
Yes, better than heavenly candy is heavenly calmness that we will have, let us tap into that now, today, and be strong to live the life we are called to live. “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength!”
Amen
—
Here are a few Isaiah scriptures, please do read for STRENGTH:
This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.” Isaiah 56:1
—
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:8-12
—
The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10
—
“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.
Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Isaiah 51:7-9
—
…. ISAIAH WRITES 500 YEARS PRIOR IN PROPHECY AS IF JESUS HAS ALREADY COME HAD ALREADY WON – HE HAD HE HAS HE WILL HE WON.
All of Isaiah 53:
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
—
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you,…” Isaiah 55:1-3
You ever been down rabbit holes? Earthly holes no, but worldly ones yes! Me too! Those goose-chase activities to find answers, but the goose or rabbit unobtainable and you get lost in focusing on a distraction. Plus you might be wasting time (like clicking on endless web browser links) or you might be enriched in knowledge, like reading an encyclopedia of tidbits while chasing down something else. Rabbit holes could be fun with “other stuff” you dig up – or a rainy day project. Rabbit holes can be distracting from other obvious things to look at and do.
I DON’T think there are rabbit holes of faith-leading. I instead believe there are faith-leading openings that might appear like a rabbit hole of intricately faceted issues or distraction, but are instead Light-leadings of Spirit and flattening plains of stepping stones. Follow in Faith because the Lord is purposeful. Sometimes we have a foot stuck in worldliness and either we pop it out quickly, or it settles in like slow quicksand, or we apply Living Water by inquiries to Jesus of why? how? when? which brings us to WHO, oh YOU JESUS.
Once we release our angst to Jesus, the Living Water makes our stuck soil into not just the mud release but includes a wash off in one sigh of faith realized. Freed. The Lord levels the steps we take when we walk with Him rather than anticipate the problem hike.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path…
It’s not the steps of life, but the fear of taking them which hinders us.
The Lord is the strength of my life.
Let the Lord LEAD… intricate knowledge… simple signs… sheep gated gallops .. Wholeness views over hole-ness of distraction. In-His-Temple-protection and safely being placed upon a rock high enough to see all that the Lord has accomplished for us and brought us through – all while listening for His Shepherd voice and focusing all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord…
When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
BELIEVE.
Amen
—
Psalm 27 NKJV
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
My Uncle Joe, last of my father’s brothers, passed on Sunday morning. I learned late morning, between giving my sermon on Elijah with big gusto joy – and the Eagles superbowl big gusto win, important win for the city of Brotherly Love. My Uncle Joe was many years active and his body was giving out – but his spirit was certainly flying high all the time – he had the best smile and laugh – level headed and much success in business, not that that matters in ALL of life’s purposes, because LOVE is most important, read Corinthians 13 for anything without love is just noise. GRATEFULLY, my uncle – all my uncles and dad and our families were and are FILLED with LOVE.
In general for my uncle, we saw that emotional calmness plus good and God smarts goes far. Uncle Joe lived not extravagant but smart for allowing and building comfort in his family. This was and is a success story of taking care of family in big ways – and them taking care of each other – brotherly love – they cared for each other – and our immediate family traveled a lot to see each of them, my Dad was youngest, the oldest was a number of years older then the other 5, as his mom passed away young and their father, my grandfather whom I never met, remarried to my grandmother. So grateful their blended house was never an issue according to my dad and uncles – of course they were all great and they were all different too.
Ah – Joseph of the bible, was taking care of his brothers – I just finished watching Sight and Sound production of the story, link is below, marvelous story, of trouble and redemption, pain and forgiveness, this is a story we find Jesus in spirit and strength for sure inside Joseph’s character. We also see troubled brothers with jealousy but ultimately the best line in this section of the Bible: “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” Because Joseph became the ultimate rags to riches who then saved nations and families and these brothers and families who become no less than the twelve tribes of Israel.
Building upon brotherly love – brotherly shove AND brotherly love. May we all be so faithful and so forgiving as Joseph. If you haven’t read the story or watched the story, I highly recommend it.
And as we connect with family now during these newly tough days after my uncle has passed, we are GRATEFUL for these brothers who became pillars for our families now.
And thank you Lord for building families, Yours from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into David and Jesus and opening for Gentiles and Jews alike. Leading the Way for us all to understand LOVE in Jesus, ultimate LOVE.
Amen and thank you for prayers for my uncle’s family.
1 Corinthians 13 NKJV The Greatest Gift Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
SIGHT AND SOUND – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE ONLINE STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION, I’m going to use a couple months at only $9 to watch them all this winter: https://www.sight-sound.com/tv
And the long wonderful scripture story of Joseph, Jacob, from Genesis 37-50:
It’s probably because I was watching the star of the movie “Wicked”, Cynthia Erivo, in an interview, because I woke up singing “It’s time to try defying gravity… I think I’ll try defying gravity… And you can’t pull me down…”
It’s catchy, I’ve enjoyed the musical since it first came out 10 or more years ago, love the twists of the plot line, even if we really wish we could fix the misunderstandings of her powers, and make everyone and everything live happily ever after. I am surely a Pollyanna – but you got to go with optimism…
The movie version is good, if only it was FULL LENGTH like the musical, then again that’s too long without intermission. I’m looking forward to the second part later this year. That’s OK, I know how it “ends” – all made up of course.
Defying gravity – maybe we can think of not flying through the air, but Defying gravity of a situation. I don’t mean ignoring true gravity of sadness and horror, tragic circumstances too which may not be corrected. I mean defying the deliberate pull downs of ruining JOY, or evil ways trying to pull the darkness over light – it can’t do that.
Love never fails, try defying “gravity” with that!
God is LOVE and we have JOY to break our earthly tethers and to keep moving even if the grief of life. Laugh through the tears and look bigger picture. Yes, cry when others cry – but rise up in knowing “Joy comes in the morning”
Jesus Himself knew to look past the evil knocking people down – many times defying Satan on individual scales, plus the ultimate defying gravity of RISING FROM THE DEAD. We know how it ends – with a new beginning – let us remember to not let this world hold us down – we are but travelers – and our home is Heaven.
Jesus wants us to believe in His Ultimate Win, and trust and praise God in all circumstances. Whether raising Peter’s mother-in-law from the dead, or chasing out impure spirits who know His Name and Power and Almightyness, Jesus Overcomes and so can we.
I can imagine Jesus singing movie lyrics too: “If we work in tandem, There’s no fight we cannot win, Just you and I, defying gravity, With you and I defying gravity, They’ll never bring us down”…
EXACTLY !!! Joy, Love, and Defying Gravity. Jesus will lift us up!
Amen
Luke 4:31-44
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Jesus Heals Many
Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Psalm 30 NKJV The Blessedness of Answered Prayer – A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
SO EXCITED to be sharing God’s Word TODAY – Superbowl Sunday!
We will have tailgating, shaking off the pregame jitters, a good huddle, the HALFTIME SHOW, hunkering down in the 3rd quarter, chariots of fire and angel reinforcements in the 4th, OVERTIME!
Let’s cheer for Prophet ELIJAH!!! E – L – I – J – A – H ! ELIJAH! It’s a God Thing…
PREGAME – The Children’s Message
So – let’s start with TAILGATING WITH GOD! Yeah, we love game day food. Here’s an amazing story INTERESTING way food was provided by God! Even in a drought! God called upon a man named ELIJAH – to be a prophet – which is God’s way of sending out information and advice – to talk to people thru a prophet who would tell them what is going to happen and how it would go down.
Well – God needed ELIJAH to do a lot of things – but there were people who were not supportive of either Elijah or any prophets of God – they wanted to hold the power and do their own thing…
Two people, a couple, Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen of Israel, in the time well before Jesus came to earth. Jezebel – you may have heard that name as a troublemaker – and she and and Ahab stopped listening to our One True God, in favor of the worship of Baal and Asherah – false made up gods. Jezebel was responsible for the deaths of many of God’s prophets. Prophets were holy people who listened to God and tried to help the people by telling them what God wished. Prophet Elijah – a good guy – was trying to do God’s work. But there were people chasing him… It was a bad scene – but God got him thru it and kept him safe.
Do you think it is a good thing to talk to God and trust God when we feel unsafe or scared or lacking something? Yes – we all have jobs to do – and if God asks us to go somewhere or do something – surely we are to remember that He is with us – just like now.
God said to Elijah: “… I am sending you to the children of Israel who have, as a nation, rebelled against Me; – do not be afraid of them – nor be afraid of their words – You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or not… “
So Elijah did go talk to Ahab!!! Elijah was to Announce a Great Drought – he said directly to Ahab the king, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my [God’s] word.”
So Elijah did what God asked even it was unpopular – and God protected him – then God told Elijah to hide in a Ravine. God sent THE BIRDS! Yes – football birds? NO – RAVENS – God said “You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
What??? – YES! The ravens – which are black birds like crows – brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
God took care of ELIJAH – God sent him “into the game” – Will God take care of us in whatever tasks He asks? Yes, He will – and He will use AMAZING ways – sometimes even the birds – All creation is in His Power – used for Good. Amen Let’s pray: Lord – you won the coin toss of this game of life before we even stepped onto the field – you have us safe and already headed home – we have the home team advantage with You, Lord.– may we always trust You – AMEN
SERMON 1st Quarter…
Now – like Football – ELIJAH is feeling out how he is going to play in this game – of course it is not a game but you know Elijah had those pre-game jitters (and middle of the game jitters too – but he hit the field!
YIKES – that football and farmer’s field would have been BONE DRY – remember God send a drought – surely to teach king Ahab a lesson about His Almighty power. – SO that brook dried up – where the ravens were bringing Elijah food and he was drinking – so God sent him to on a journey.
God said: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” YES THINGS WERE DIRE !!!
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said.But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
AWESOME… ELIJAH surely was strengthened in both his travels and in his assurance that God would take care of Him – and whatever God’s plan was with him and the people…
This is great because the Second Quarter? – oh – now the game was getting tougher – and tragedy struck for the widow – and it was time for Elijah to have a really important HUDDLE with God!
Second Quarter… breathing life into the game…
Here is the story: “Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. The woman said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and HE LIVED. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
Now this huddle of Elijah and God was so key – Elijah could see the problem and questions God – and we too must regroup = this might seem like a retreat into the locker room sometimes and not come out until we are rehabilitated – like from an injury – or sometimes we play hurt… We see Elijah has performed a miracle for the boy – and his mother – this is reminiscent of the miracles that Jesus performed healing the sick and raising the dead like Lazarus and Jarius’s daughter = these acts are for the people watching to understand the mercy of God and the POWER of God. We too must realize that God can breath life into our lives = into our game plans – and often uses our friends to get us rallied and back onto the field…
HALFTIME !!!!!!!!!!
Woohoo!!! It’s TIME FOR THE HALFTIME SPECTACULAR!!! This grandeur is unparalleled – for God’s got something to show Ahab (and Jezebel and the false prophets) by – through the real Elijah devotion of working on God’s behalf. !!!
Let’s set the stage for this powerful production! Elijah is daring enough to talk to King Ahab directly – he does not believe in the almighty God of the Israelites – think Elijah is the trouble maker. But really Elijah is the truth teller – a prophet sent from God: he said to Ahab “I have not made trouble for Israel,” – “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. [that’s the fake god they worship] – Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Queen Jezebel’s table.”
And they gathered on the mountain – Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, “Get two bulls for us – cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
WOW WOW WOW – what a challenge – and the false prophets of the false god called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. THAT is quite the half time spectacular song and dance but with no fire – NOTHING HAPPENED with a fake god… At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” – So they shouted louder – continued until evening – But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
WHAT???? Did you ever see Prince doing the half time show in the POURING RAIN? Playing purple rain? This is 4 LARGE jugs of water poured all over the altar and all that dry wood he just placed!
“Do it again,” he said, “Do it a third time,” he ordered – water ran down the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah prayed: “Lord, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
This was not just a show – this was a SPECTACULAR POWER DISPLAY OF GOD – WOW !!!
*** THE POINT IS GOD WANTED THEM TO TURN THEIR HEARTS BACK TO HIM ***
3rd Quarter = time for Elijah to hunker down
WOW – you can imagine that Ahab and Jezebel are not happy with Elijah now!!!!
And Elijah had one of those “are you sure Lord that this is really the way? Am I really OK? Can I really go on? God surely gave Elijah the knowledge and the protection – to keep moving – and the power of the Lord came on Elijah and he ran down the field – he kept moving!!!!! Yes –
Elijah is back on the field, bit oh, the other team is chasing Elijah, YIKES
19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and even killed false prophetss – So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life – went a day’s journey into the wilderness… Elijah said: Wait, time out time out!!!
Elijah needs a break…
He came to a bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
Elijah is so exhausted, all this running! The chase and the people are against him… he has no strength, who does God send? The sideline crew comes running onto the field. Gatorade and medical care. Actually ANGELS came at God’s request to tend to Elijah. Food and sleep…
Then Elijah rested… isn’t that us too, an awful day, people chasing us or maybe we just perceive the fight and our minds run away from us – it’s awful, awful. God wants us to rest, calls a time out to sleep, eat something, God says His mercies are fresh each morning.
Elijah is watching the world in turmoil – God says well, yes, but you’re still on my team and I need you… and the people, they need you…
And here is that scripture that gives me chills –
We are to remember that the Lord is ON the field with Elijah – and us – again from 1st Kings
The word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came. When you get there, anoint a new king – and anoint Elisha as a new prophet to succeed you…
The Lord gave instructions to keep moving… think of the whisper- maybe in football terms Elijah and we have the best in helmet headset microphone system that connects us directly to God.
May we yield to the Holy Spirit even and especially in a whisper, listening close…
Let’s get back on the field, it’s the 4th quarter…
4th Quarter – 2nd Kings 1-2 NIV
Elijah needs no “Hail Mary” football toss – Elijah is instructed by the Lord to keep running the ball – which you may know runs out the clock on the other team…
Elijah had a continuous mission to show the others who worshiped the false gods that the One True God was the ONLY God.. and even if others were worshiping – or wanting to worship false gods like Baal – again and again, Elijah was clearly gifted with responses that came from God’s Power. The fire of God fell from heaven and consumed more than just altars and sacrifices now – it consumed Elijah’s enemies too.
SO – here is the last game play in this earthly superbowl of Elijah –
ELIJAH PASSED THE BALL – NOT TAKING CONTINUED GLORY FOR HIMSELF – knowing he was a team player: ELIJAH PASSED THE BALL TO ELISHA – ANOTHER PROPHET –
Here is the scripture: As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
Yeah – God’s power was still on the field… and Elisha continued God’s work – Elisha even had a second experience of seeing God’s chariots of fire – the Angel Armies – later on the servant prophet Elisha would pray for another servant to see: “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
YES – we too have angel armies all around us – they are fighting for us in today’s world – fighting an invisible-to-us fight in the heavenly realms – remember that God is with you and He IS fighting for you!
FOREVER OVERTIME !!!!
SO WHAT ABOUT THE END OF THIS GAME? IT WAS A SUPER SPECTACULAR SUPERBOWL RIGHT?
BUT ELIJAH WAS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN – HE DIDN’T DIE BUT GOT RELOCATED – GOD SENT ELIJAH INTO FOREVER OVERTIME!!!
Let us rework the song lyrics now – “FLY ELIJAH FLY!!! God has won this Victory…”
‘So in conclusion to my sermon of a prophet man who stayed in the game with God’s grace and mercy – encouraging us that we can do this too!
And it is written in the scriptures that Elijah is the messenger for Jesus to come – it is
Overtime for Elijah – and we do see him again – a special guest appearance in the transfiguration of Jesus – from Matthew 17 – Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
And all of them saw a bright cloud covering, and heard a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” – WOW –
Jesus said: “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him” – the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. John the Baptist like Elijah was calling for people to repent – to ask forgiveness for going astray – and that is us too – Jesus asks us to believe in Him – in the power of God – to worship the Almighty…
So please pray with me:
Lord, it is not a victory lap that Elijah is having in heaven but still working the sidelines of earth inside the real workings of Heaven. As Elijah is in overtime – may we also be in our bonus time – the real life experiences of living for God and keeping moving up the field… May we know that there are sometimes turnovers and intentional grounding of strenuous times of life – but God has got this – and we will overcome with His help = with His angels tending to us too. May we, Lord, Trust and obey You – AMEN
It’s the prediction of a snow storm that gets SOME of us EXCITED. A friend was looking forward to 5-8 inches fresh powder for skiing, I just like the clean look of snow and the excuse of inside relaxing tonight, as the next few weekends I will be busy outside of the house.
I am of course excited for the big game tomorrow, which I plan to enjoy on a couch at home. Our biggest concern, and I bless you the same, would be WHAT to eat rather than IF we can eat. May we all be blessed with place and provision.
A big IF exists for food insecure folks, especially kids in tough situations. A family filled with love can still have empty bellies. Our church is running a food drive collection for non-perishables. Provisions are blessings to share. And if shared with us, may we beam the Light of the Lord going forth, paying it forward… God provided, provides, will provide. God is the ultimate power before, now, and in the future.
Food was not an issue yesterday at my work tailgating fun party… Whew, so much food… Comradery abounded too in sharing… I was so full that I didn’t even mind the later separate evening fundraising event I went to after, a puppy bowl charity with work friends, had run out of food, well practically run out for the last of us. I did get an apple cider donut, that was more than enough. The chef said it was more that people were taking big helpings, but I digress (and digest). Honestly I am still full this next day from work, but I gleaned some chicken wings, in the fridge, and chocolate cake leftovers. That’s not gleaning of course, just seeing leftovers not going to waste, yeah. Yeah blessed. I’m warmed in heart more than you know for the joys we find in workplace families, we have to kindle those too.
Gleaning is the biblical benefit given to many poor, food insecure, folks working in the fields, to collect leftovers from the first round of harvest so that they too could eat. It was God-commanded and realized in the time of Ruth, who gleaned even as a foreigner Moabite in the area of Bethlehem with her Israelite (Judah-born) mother-in-law Naomi who returned from painful hardships of losing husband and sons. Naomi was bitter at the painful life she felt the Lord had dealt her, but even her situation was worked back into both the storyline of God’s chosen people as well as Jesus’s birth line family tree. Naomi saw the faith rekindle in her, gleaned hope.
Ruth gleaned grain. And in so feeding the people, God regained a remnant of holy spirit-seeded-lineage people to keep the prophesy alive that the Messiah would come through “David’s house”. The HOPE planted was cultivated by trusting God, Yahweh.
The “Sight and Sound” video of RUTH, which I just watched and highly recommend, was as part of an easy $8.99 monthly subscription (or $5 one-time) showing online: https://www.sight-sound.tv/browse I plan to watch them all in my downtime for resting in this winter. The musical scenes of angst and of truly divine HOPE. Hope for more than a meal, for a satisfaction of soul. And that’s what Ruth realized, and that spilled over to Naomi. The people remembered that God provides.
A joy of provisions shared to others by Boaz was also joy received by the Lord’s provisions of PURPOSE to Boaz. Such JOY is given by God to experience the gift of giving. Boaz is overwhelmed with the blessings God gives in return. Likewise the Lord rejoices with His children returning to Him. God’s greatest gift is Jesus’s salvation to bring us back to Him. All who hunger FOR HIM are satisfied IN HIM.
There is no one on earth, nor food or provisions, that we should put in front of us, distracting us from our Redeemer, Jesus the Bread of Life.
Be SOUL satisfied.
Amen
—
The story of Ruth, Boaz and Naomi in the Word of the Lord FULFILLING THE SOUL SATISFYINGLY: Jesus is our Guardian Redeemer
“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
—
Psalm 107 NKJV by David in Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons – Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.
Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.
He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth.
Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord
I uncovered a tiny devotion book I’ve held on to, “Windows towards God”, which I say “found me” 10 years ago. I feel like the Holy Spirit left it there for me. Now I don’t read it often but I treasure the little reminders of my big-memory faith journey items. “Windows towards God”… The writings are very short and to the point, yet tell wonderful stories that really connect you with how faith comes to us to strengthen us…
I think most of these stories ring true no matter what generation, this book is 75 years old, that must remind us that God’s Word is ETERNAL.
Not all devotions hit you just right all the time, but the tiny devotion I read today reminds us of how GRATEFUL we can be for the sunshine – not just the light but the hope – not just the physical sunshine and warmth but the OUTLOOK for it. Seek it out.
The sun is obscured too much during darkness, the little devotion says, but the sunshine comes through… And the sunshine comes through the cracks for the people struggling with health issues, physical and emotional crisis, and downtrodden times… There’s an internal light just trying to reach to us as well as break out of us, because remember, the darkness has not overcome the LIGHT.
I remember my friend telling a story where it was pitch black camping and they gave each camper just a birthday candle, the tiniest of lights, yet so intense. Therefore we also must be hopeful and follow HIS LIGHT. The smallest of hope is the biggest brightest part of our lives.
A favorite thing I heard this week: “If we say that ‘we’re hanging on by a thread’, it needs to be coming from the hem of Jesus’s robe.” Jesus IS our LIGHT. May we always LOOK and see Him when all else is confusingly dark, black as night, or when we truly are face down in suffering. Let the Lord lift our eyes, our countenance and our hope.
Amen…
Look for the sunshine through the cracks… and the LIGHT within.
Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent SIGNIFICANT – EVIDENT – God is amazing and we can be RELIANT upon Him.
During our recent camping trip, the amazing growth of one of our girl scouts was so evident – a wonder and amazement – really a miracle in God’s many miracles every day – and in some HUGE ways… How better to show faith than to trust God and praise God and rely on God.
She was born with issues – from liver issues – so sick for years and her family was on the search for a living liver donor – but her condition was so grave that she was upgraded on the donor list and at a tender age of 4, she got a life saving liver transplant – wow – searching and searching our prayers while God provided one – and then one day before leaving the hospital, the liver failed – actually liver transplant replacements usually fail from the connections of the blood vessels to the recipient from the stress of transplant. And another liver was available – she thrived – not without issues – and forever on anti-rejection medicine and dealing with common issues for that – but thriving… THRIVING, STAYING-ALIVE-ING, and with more energy than ever.
Truly an example of where we know God has intervened in this topsy turvy world we live in… How else to describe the power and energy to move forward than to rely on God. He is all that we need.
In a writing from a few years ago, I wrote that God is Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent and SIGNIFICANT. God is our All in All – and here is the poem I wrote those many years ago to praise Him – to say that we can proceed thru today with our faith and by our faith.
Thank You Lord for taking care of our little BIG scout!
AMEN
Efficient Sufficient Proficient Magnificent
What wisdom can I bring to the understanding of how God IS SIGNIFICANT?
MY EXPERIENCE that:
His Word is Efficient.
His Way Proficient.
His Works Sufficient.
His Wholeness Magnificent.
He shares succinctly to today. We can’t and won’t know enough in our own questioning, BUT we COULD be satisfied, if just for today, only through our faith.
In faith:
Wise men walked.
Wandering men wondered.
Willing hearts heard.
Wonder-filled men worshiped.
Willingly would we?
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
His Word is Efficient
“For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand — I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” Isaiah 51:15-16
His Way is Sufficient
“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” Isaiah 50:10
His Works are Proficient
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10
His Wholeness is Magnificent.
“To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” Isaiah 54:9-13
My friend and I took photos of each other sitting on the bench, looking out at the water, pondering life… but honestly it was just the briefest of pauses, not even a minute each. Looking at the photos now gives us the time to ponder the moment and the lack of mayhem just then, but we quickly moved on as we were walking around the small lake with the scout campers.
We pondered just that moment that we got to sit, we could see the marvelous glory of God’s creations, sky, clouds, trees, water, creatures, sunshine, even mud (snow certainly had melted off there). We each ponder differently, but surely the instant we groaned in a sigh of relief was a prayer of praise that we made it there – the whole THERE – there as in: we got to camp, we got outside, we were alive, and ESPECIALLY with the acknowledgement of BEING BLESSED.
THANK YOU LORD FOR BLESSINGS AND FOR US KNOWING THAT YOU ARE THE ONE GIVING BLESSINGS.
It was the briefest of sitting down and oh what perfect bench support for our backs, that’s what we chatted about on the bench, that support, we both needed it with bad backs and with sleeping on floor mats. We both needed it, the SUPPORT of life, better backs to live better, and God’s backing to live best.
… all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be…
That’s ponder worthy: God has our back. God loves us to hold us close.
Thank you Lord, for blessings known and unknown. May I ponder YOU all the days of my life.
Amen
Psalm 139:13-18 NIV
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.
Well – 10 years – wow… How could I not send this at midnight – both because I can’t sleep yet at scout camping tonight AND for the wonderful 10 year anniversary of my awakening – wow – blessed – and a blessing to share it with you folks.
Fittingly I am up writing – yes just like the times 10 years ago where I had to write out my awakening at 2am – but these days it’s more normal at 5am… Well, tonight, up is a good thing because this weekend is camping – and Saturday morning I am HOPEFULLY sleeping at camp…
Chances are that it will be raining – and that is OK – because my whole awakening at the beginning I considered my “Christmas Flood” – and now life is my “Christ Flood Flow” – of living each day in His Living Water… wow…
SO – for this 10 years anniversary I am going to post both writings from that day – Feb 1st 2015 – see it was 6 weeks of awakening from Dec 2014 then Jan/Feb 2015, and then the day of KNOWING that I was 100% with Jesus. I could not and would not step back – no turning back no turning back…
YEAH, 100% with Jesus – this was not from someone asking or telling – but between me and the Lord – surveying my heart and soul and my mind – getting me in ALIGNMENT after a “Christmas Flood” of God interventions.
So Feb 1st – I am sharing two writings – Ripple and The Rising – from 2015…. yeah… Blessed to have the archive of my awakening at my fingertips…
Thank you for being part of my continued journey with Jesus…
Amen
——————————
Note these were entered and numbered AFTER about a year of writing once I figured out how/where to place them – in a blog.
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor [PJ] alluded to it [my awakening] in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service 😉 haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like He did into mine.
“Ripple in still water…”
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup is full may it be again. Let it be known there is a fountain, That was not made by the hands of men”
————-
“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
——————————-
Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
an email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace…I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
—-
From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor
Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
My goal in this spiritual journey was to find peace for my conflicted brain and heart and then later on I thought that at least I would at least find my spiritual voice to lead the many church groups I am in charge of… but this ripple effect of seeing faith is the nicest present…
A great ripple of my faith journey is the hearing of the ripple effect into other people’s faith journeys – three directly told me today – a couple yesterday – people who are being more dedicated to their own prayers – people who are reading into things and praising more… even our pastor alluded to it in both his sermons (didn’t hurt I was sitting smack dab in front of him in the second service haha).
Maybe even more felt this ripple effect – and I certainly got the direct eye contact of some people as I walked the halls of church today – I felt this ripple effect – and I didn’t feel it boastfully – but humbly…
(AND later in church I was running (yes running in church) in my new balance sneakers after a Sunday schooler – who decided he didn’t want to be there – he bolted all the way to fellowship hall… ugh… thankfully it was God’s timing for me to catch him – to rein him in. He was previously my kindergarten Sunday school student and that knowledge of him, and people in general, is INVALUABLE – if you can read the clues you can intercept…. you have to have open eyes to the clues… just like you have to praise or else the rocks will praise.)
So I pause now to remember and reflect that our faith journeys have to be ours – ours alone with God – yes with the help of others – but everyone has a different road… I pray my ripple effect is really to help people learn to praise – I have to praise God for this journey and everyone has to praise on their own – you have to praise all the time – good or bad you praise!
The song “Ripples” struck me yesterday – not even knowing what the title was – I was perusing a new old Grateful Dead album ) – “Ripples” still resonates with me today – because I know God needs to make the ripples (with no pebble tossed by man) and I pray that God ripples into my friends’ faiths like he did into mine.
Lord, may our cups be filled…
“Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men”
————-
“Ripple”
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone
Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow
You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who’s to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home
——————————-
Numbered #53
The Rising, 01FEB 2015
An email chain with my pastor whom I had not told until one week before this – that I was in this amazing journey – and he said he could tell… cool…
From: debbie Date: Sun, Feb 1, Subject: RE: thanks for great sermon To: Pastor Oh… I need to mention that I got a little lost on my way from the restaurant to my women’s retreat friend’s house… which brought me to road near the 911 garden of reflection… I had never stopped… but of course felt compelled to… I went and held onto the steel girder and prayed for those lost and for peace… I thought about the 3000 people Peter converted with one sermon all those years ago, and remembered it was 3000 people lost on 911… I prayed that they were found that day.
I picked up one of those plastic coins caught on the sculpture… turned it over… it was John 3:16… on Superbowl Sunday… my first time accepting 100%
Smiles…
On Feb 1, 2015 9:27 PM, “Pastor wrote: Thanks! The Spirit used you to inspire me.
—-
From: debbie Date: 02/01
To: Pastor Subject: thanks for great sermon
that was a great sermon and “H” said she knew you were talking about me in the first service and I KNEW you were talking about me in the second service – I liked how you said something like – “just going to go with it…” and I thought you were very strong in your message… I was just smiling all the way through… 🙂
Post email note – I added these links after the email chain:
Sting, one of my favorite artists performed a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, with his song “The Rising” – here are the links to Sting’s song and the original and live versions by Bruce – it is a tribute to a firefighter rising to the sky to the world trade center fires and then rising to heaven in that tragic day… was so on my mind the day I finally committed from 99.44% to 100% in my belief of Jesus that day at the 911 garden of reflection….
My hip and back physical therapy has been instructional, corrective, and strengthening. I need them all. If I don’t work them and strengthen, I go downhill.
ALIGNMENT!
I surely have less pain, more mobility when my hip is in ALIGNMENT, and the now old tear can heal. This is after I only slightly injured my hamstring, 3 months ago now, in a UNIQUE way of catching myself from falling. So, when I am OUT OF ALIGNMENT, from an anterior rotation of the hip with muscles and ligament damage that don’t keep it in check, then there is PAIN. Yes, out of ALIGNMENT, is what I can slip slowly into, during the week by normal life wear and tear, or enter out of ALIGNMENT quickly by mistakes, like falling. I can tell by the uncomfortable nature of sitting and walking. It’s not bad pain, but nips you, in the butt, if not “nipped in the bud”, prevented by ALIGNMENT!
FITTINGLY, my last book to read and write about of the Old Testament section of the Bible, a many years process to walk with the Lord, is Malachi, the scripture is all about ALIGNMENT with God.
Malachi reminds, like all the Bible does, to pray and listen, trust God, and actively live Godly lives.
We are to make a sacrifice of praise now, like a favorite Paul Balouche worship song, we are to also make a sacrifice of the “me me me” attitude.
We do not make a sacrifice of unblemished lambs but now we make PRAISE for the Sacrificed Unblemished Lamb of Jesus, ransomed for you and me, for our sins, for grace and mercy to be back in God’s Forever.
AND The Book of Malachi has much to teach about ALIGNMENT, and especially LOVE. For God’s Love is His motivation and means.
We are to LOVE the ALIGNMENT! And we are to love God and love one another as KEEPING IN ALIGNMENT WITH GOD, WHO IS LOVE.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…
Yes, and when OUT OF ALIGNMENT, things go bad… That is us in REAL LIFE WEAR AND TEAR, or by our quick mistakes that result from our lack of focus and exercise efforts… and that’s reminiscent of the wandering and wondering of peoples (Israelites and Judah-ites old and new testaments) and those in corruption as detailed in Malachi.
Really, we are human, all of us go off the rail or fall asleep in our faith at times. When I am feeling better in my hip, I slack off on my exercises, it is natural for us. I (we) get complacent. Same is often true with paying attention to God. We get lacking in our focus, we run ahead or slow down too much, and we stop the most crucial aspect of faith (and physical therapy): it is in the STRENGTHENING!!!
We are to stay calm, collected, and in ALIGNMENT with God.
We are to remember to keep the faith, be strong from the Lord in especially our weaknesses. We are to keep in ALIGNMENT, and especially “when the going gets tough”, not lose focus. The beginning of wisdom is to get wisdom and have the awesome fearful awareness of God being ALMIGHTY.
The Refiner’s fire purifies and the result is a stronger purer faith…
But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings…
One last message I got from reading though the whole old testament and new testament, is that we know how this story ends, in a new beginning, in glory. Therefore I (we) in tough times, in the heat of the frying pan of life, have no right to fly off the handle. Yes, act, but not without consulting God.
God wins, Jesus has already overcome.
Amen
—
Malachi 1-4 NKJV
Polluted Offerings to God
The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
Israel Beloved of God
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”
Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
Polluted Offerings
“A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
“You offer defiled food on My altar,.but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
“But now entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” says the Lord of hosts. “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the Lord of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts.
“But you profane it, In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord. “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, and takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished – For I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations.
Corrupt Priests
“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.
“Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it. Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord of hosts. “My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me and was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.
“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law.”
Treachery of Infidelity
Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers? Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned The Lord’s holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god. May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob The man who does this, being awake and aware, Yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”
You have wearied the Lord with your words; Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them,” Or, “Where is the God of justice?”
The Coming Messenger
“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.
“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years. And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien – Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’
Do Not Rob God
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.
The People Complain Harshly
“Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’ ”
A Book of Remembrance
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
The Great Day of God
“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts.
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
I am SO excited, I’m reading in the last of the old testament. Zechariah’s prophesy surely is awesome. I can see tomorrow too, I’ll read Malachi then, then with gospels begin again. And that’s the end or beginning, or BOTH.
Is it fitting for joy seeing the end, or satisfaction that I accomplished a challenge to myself that I started years ago now? With Genesis 1? It’s more of a satisfaction of soul, that I’ve invested and ingested the Living Water of the Word into myself from the eyes to the brain so that I can meet it with the Word Living inside me, Jesus, on the flow from the soul to the heart. Now these flows come together. Light in the darkness, Foundness in the Lostness, Healing in the Brokenness, Hope in the Battle. KNOWN IN THE UNKNOWN.
And I’ve learned not just of the past but of the future, that Jesus WILL come again, and there will forever be Light. “Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the Lord – neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.”
So, it is not just Jerusalem and the Holy City affected, it’s all of us. If we can hold on, not just to the reading of the chapters to the end, but hold on till the end of night, the end of worry, the end of war, the end of all things that corrupt into worthlessness. If we can HOLD ON, we WILL see the GOODNESS of the Lord in person, Face to Face.
AMEN, thanks Zechariah for holding on and sharing the knowledge of the Lord returning.
Amen
—
Zechariah 14 NKJV
The Day of the Lord
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, The houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.
It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the Lord – neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be – “The Lord is one,” And His name one.
All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand; Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
The Nations Worship the King
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
Oh, it’s the amazing prophesy of Zechariah to speak of Jesus, yes, hundreds of years before He came to earth. There are stories presented in prophet Zechariah to understand that Jesus our Savior works to champion the underdog, the downtrodden, the slave, and all sheep with need of a shepherd. Jesus understood and understands where there is oppression, He can be the guiding LIGHT, for this world is fraught with pitfalls. We are delivered by Him to the hope away from these hassles.
When this last half of Zechariah’s chapters of scripture speaks of people using people wrongly, Jesus rails against that. When this scripture speaks of bad shepherds, bad kings, people who are using people, Jesus rails against all of that. And this Zechariah scripture set truly speaks of the blindness of generations who don’t recognize the need to take care of others over themselves, let alone follow Jesus’s example.
And HOW will God be recognized? Yes, by those studying the prophesies and ALSO by the sheep themselves following Jesus, with an ability to recognize the old Covanent is broken (the people won’t humble themselves), but the new Covanent comes (Jesus who allows Himself to be ransomed, killed, and raised for the forgiveness of sins, the rescue of those who look to Him).
It’s not hard to see the prophesy parts now, in the reading of chapters 11-13, now that many have been fulfilled, all from the rejection, the 30 pieces of silver, to the piercing of the Lord. And now, a true faith practice will be for us to BELIEVE in the future prophesy of Jesus coming again, and to keep the faith that the Lord has all under control.
Keep looking for Jesus and serve others by explaining the hope. Our new Jerusalem Kingdom, for us to live forever with him, will be God’s best delivery yet.
Amen
They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’
—
Zechariah, which is “a wild ride” of Scripture, as called by the Bible Project video, details this Messiah and messianic kingdom in chapters 11-on
—
Zechariah 11:4-13 NKJV
Prophecy of the Shepherds
Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”
So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock. I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then I said, “I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter” – that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
And the Lord said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.
“Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm And against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”
The Coming Deliverance of Judah
The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
“The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mourning for the Pierced One
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Idolatry Cut Off
“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
“It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
“And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
The Shepherd Savior
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”
It’s not lost on me that at this end of the week is Feb 1st, my 10 year anniversary of KNOWING I had awakened to know, accept, and never turn back from believing in Jesus as the Son of God, as my Lord and Savior, 100%. 10 years, ah just starting this journey, but wow how the Lord has sustained me!
This life with Jesus for each of us is both the pinnacle and just the beginning. The continued part of walking with Jesus is the TRUST, the calling Him LORD, and then the FOLLOWING. Yes, we are SAVED, and now we SAVOR that hope and understanding. May we also STRENGTHEN to allow God to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit given to us.
What a gift to catch up of Jesus’s Story! Ah, 9-11, those numbers speak of rescue and help, the code for emergency calls, and emergency rescues. The September 2001 9-11 to connect to my awakening, is with the 9-11 garden locally, as it was there, in reflection, standing touching the steel beam monument memorial, at the middle end of an all encompassing day, that only God knew and planned for me to be with Him. It was in that moment both a respite of reflection and a moment of me lost then found. AND I knew it!!! I knew my mental shift made a difference FOREVER for Forever, and all the difference now. The thought of God’s reach to reach out to each of us, and I awoke bundled and bouncing in our Fisherman’s Net. Saved.
So “9-11” to show up in numbers this week is meaningful to me for reflection upon the connectiveness of God’s journey to ours to mine. Nine through eleven, 9-11, is like the next chapters in Zechariah of my journey reading and writing thru the whole bible. It’s been a long journey, so worth it. It’s a garden of life we live in. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
In Zechariah, the people are returning from exile. Aren’t we too? We are, returning to worship of the Lord forever by the shepherding of the Lord.
I think specifically that reading the Old Testament is like watching Jesus’s Home Movies, Him saying: “See my birth gets mentioned there!”, “See how Our Father had mercy there?”, “See how we warned people there, saved people there, set the stage for the prophets?”, and “From prophesy then we stuck the landing as if the world was really twirling like a figure skater, but we had it all under control. ” … hypothetical speaking of course…
Jesus’s Home Movies fly off the page in 9-11 Zechariah, as he tells how these wandering Israelites and Judah-ites fit into the future – and how He kept the remnant going:
“Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah…”
“From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler.”
“See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Yes! What do we do know, knowing both the Lord and SOME of His backstory? TO LIVE in appreciation of the journey. Accept God’s grace and mercy as marching orders for each day, and take in His strengthening for the journey ahead.
“I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord.
Amen
—
Zechariah 9-11:4
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies
A prophecy:
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus – for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord – and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful. Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire. Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch.
The Coming of Zion’s King
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword.
The Lord Will Appear
Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.
The Lord Will Care for Judah
Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle. From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler. Together they will be like warriors in battle trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.
“I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before.Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord.
Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” – that should be the ever-repeating statement of our lives. To plan some is good, but mostly prepare for something rather than worry about it, like travel and projects and especially illnesses and family situations. And rather than worry now, let tomorrow worry about itself and do the actual activities of the day in the day they occur. Live in the presence and present as God is with us and cross the bridges WITH Jesus in lead, step by step.
“DO NOT FEAR” – the best three words – from the Lord to His people. TO US.
This means take each day as it comes, deal with it, be fair in it, be worshipping Gid for how He has supported us this far! And will in the future.
That even means, the future new city we will dwell in, the newest of life WITH God, as is laid out BY God. And in our worship, we will see the opportunity to build the next opportunities to share, just as the builders in Zechariah’s time rebuilt worship in the temple of Jerusalem.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
The amazing walk with Jesus now won’t just stop, we can continue walking and working.
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
May we appreciate and approach the day and our project and plans with joy that the Lord has our best interests in His Plan… one step at a time.
Amen
—
Zechariah 8 NKJV
Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’
“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ Says the Lord of hosts.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid For the house of the Lord of hosts, That the temple might be built. For before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew – I will cause the remnant of this people To possess all these. And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I would not relent, So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ Says the Lord.”
Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, And seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.” Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ “
So did you notice yesterday 1/25 was one month since Christmas?
Yeah Christmas, ancient history mentally now, so strange how we focus forward forgetting. Yes Christmas, so last year and feels like eons ago, yet simultaneously feels so recent, like was ONLY one month ago, like I still have candy leftovers etc. Yeah…
New Year’s was only 3 weeks ago. How about New Year’s and those resolutions? Still keeping faithful to them? Or mmmm…. game FOOD football season is upon us, how are we on health resolutions?
Maybe the best not resolution but restoration is to listen to God better, walk more closely. The people of Zechariah’s time perhaps wanted to act more devoted, but actually got trapped in rituals including fasting. God spoke to Zechariah and told them instead to tap into and feel more strengthened by God to REALLY be devoted.
The translations vary, but this statement question by God is truly pleading: “during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me – for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?”
Yes, God wants obedience over fasting or ritual worship. God wants to walk with us, us with Him, not fit into our plans but us into His. The exiled Israelites and Judah-ites of Babylon Captivity had not kept their eyes on the Lord.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’
May we try to simply let Him take the lead. Where He goes, let us follow. And may we simply be His.
That is both a resolution and a restoration.
Amen
—
Zechariah 7 NKJV
Obedience Better than Fasting
Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the Lord, and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”
Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me – for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”
Disobedience Resulted in Captivity
Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so theycalled out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
By God’s spirit I was fine, and my envisionment of treating myself later with ice cream helped, that’s how I got through the MRI chamber entrapment. Oh, tough, but doable. Nice breeze, nice time to rest, best view of lights above looking like sky with tree blossoms. But no music, sad, that might have helped, like in my previous MRI 7 years ago. So 20 minutes STUCK in the tube challenged me twice – pelvic hip scan then lumbar scan – for the pesky hamstring pull. It’s good to have good quality medical care and my socks said it all: “Without the Lab, Your Only Guessing.” Yes, we/I need real data for my health.
And then, oh no, the fear of coughing, YIKES. You know when you try to stifle a cough and you try to focus on NOT coughing and you can’t help it. TOUGH. I only interrupted twice, had the squishy ball pump to signal needing to pause, and the technician was forgiving.
I got through it... Yeah… Now, if I had had these visions of Zechariah, I probably would have been quite distracted and puzzling in my 20 minute moments, and then some, WOW… Zerubbabel of Judah rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem in the 500’s BC and is listed in the genealogy of Jesus, and (according to a quick google search and AI algorithms) scholars and non-scholars alike realize that any building up of Jerusalem, Judah-ites and Israelites, allows for Jesus physically and spiritually to come as Messiah, then and again. The prophecy detailed here goes with a plea that Jesus won’t come until the appointments time – depending upon the dedication of these exiled Judah-ites and Israelites back to God. WOW!
It’s OK if these are puzzling images, that’s why God sent angels to explain to Zechariah, about Joshua and Zerubbabel (examples of listening to God and of Jesus, coming and recoming, of building and rebuilding). We can’t understand everything by ourselves – we can’t move mountains without God – NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT.
But God Bless It. God Bless It, we can understand Jesus is Lord!
Amen
—
The Bible Project video helps here:
—
Zechariah 4-6 NKJV
Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees
Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘NOTBY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” [also translated: “God Bless It! God Bless It!”]
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”
The Flying Scroll
I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll. He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”
And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.’”
The Woman in a Basket
Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”
I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”
Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.
Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”
Four Chariots
I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”
The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”
When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.
Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.”
A Crown for Joshua
The word of the Lord came to me: “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.”
Now, this is a great chapter. A great vision by prophet Zechariah of high priest Joshua, who is said to be wearing dirty clothes, with Satan next to him, but God responds that Joshua is a burning stick snatched from the fire, awesome… I’d like God to say that of me, wouldn’t you?
Snatched from the fire.
Prophet Zechariah is motivating the return of the people who’ve been exiled in Babylon, now rebuilding Jerusalem, God’s chosen place. It’s time for the people to listen.
The vision of Zechariah of Joshua brings in great symbolism: fire-burned to saved, dirty to clean, sinful to saved, walking in obedience, the Lord’s house and court, and the best line “I will bring my servant, the Branch ” (ah yes, Jesus, Who speaks of Himself as the Vine in the new testament), and speaking of the removal of sin… ah yes salvation…
Joshua also is a name symbolizing Jesus, from Joshua with Moses, to this Joshua, the names Joshua and Jesus, from the same root, both mean “the one who saves” and “the Lord is salvation”…
When we think of ourselves, may we realize that we are snatched from the fire when we call Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We can’t get out of the fire ourselves but be snatched by God, we can’t change our dirty sins but we can be covered over by Jesus’s recovering, saved as seen clean.
And the Lord says to Satan: “NOT this one…” So grateful…
Snatched from the Fire. Covered in Glory.
Amen
—
Zechariah 3 NIV
Clean Garments for the High Priest
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.
The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
“‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
“‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
“‘For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
“Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
Red horses? Myrtle trees? Horns? Angels? What an interesting chapter!!! Zechariah, not John the Baptist’s father, but a previous Zechariah, 500 years prior… A Prophet placed with purpose.
God speaks to His Prophets through angels and directly. God, we know from previous writers, has been pleading with people, His People exiled up to Babylon, imploring them to trust Him, repent their evil ways, and come back to worship. They were told they would return to Jerusalem and now this time has come. The old testament is fill with TESTAMENTS of those who saw destruction by outside powers, yet promises and fulfilments by God, and yet the people still made delays of paying attention to God…. oh, if only the people would be listening… (even especially now)…
God said there were people used to punish and cause harshness, but they went too far, evil overtook… but this won’t last…
Prophets Prophets Prophets, this whole last section of the Bible is filled with Prophets, prophesy and predictions – with proof of God being in charge. AND the book of Zechariah speaks again of JESUS coming in the flesh to dwell among them AND how Judah and Jerusalem are hotbeds of activities with God…. they still are!!!
Let us take these readings to the current day, and realize it takes time to get through to people, yet God doesn’t quit. We now have volume after volume to understand how human humans are… Let us apply grace and mercy, yet explain that we have been directed to forgive by God Almighty… be a witness with our actions and words…
Be a LIGHT, as we DO know Jesus and how He came and will come again!
Let us keep an eye on the sky!
“The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.”
Amen
—
Zechariah 1-2
New King James Version
A Call to Repentance
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.
“Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers?
“So they returned and said: ‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ”
Vision of the Horses
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”
And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”
The Lord Will Comfort Zion
Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?”
And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped—but with evil intent.”
‘Therefore thus says the Lord: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’
“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
Vision of the Horns
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”
So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. And I said, “What are these coming to do?”
So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Vision of the Measuring Line
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?”
And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”
And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations
“Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
There’s a special movie (replaying on Netflix) that I enjoy replaying and replaying segments, “Monuments Men”, 2014 with George Clooney, Bill Murray, John Goodman. This movie is about finding and restoration of art and possessions in World War II, it has amazing experiences for those portrayed. I appreciate the experiences are only 90 to 100 years ago, but we don’t hear about these things much anymore, there is much to reach and teach younger generations. There’s a remnant left to rediscover. The story is true with some movie magic thrown in. It seems war movies like this could teach so much about valuing treasures and especially people. It’s clearly, sadly, a broken world then and now…
The last part of prophet Haggai is God’s reminder to the priests of the era that God’s people are defiled by not having a temple and examples of dedication and sacrifice. The people need true repentance. The people are essentially not living in remembrance of the times the temple was built, 500 years prior by Solomon, and of how God blessed them and will bless them again when they show dedication. These people live 500 years before Jesus comes. They are the remnant that God has remembered and wants.
This is also a lesson for us to return to God, to be building our lives on the Rock, the firm foundation of Jesus, and the knowledge that He came and will come again. The dedication of the temple is of our lives to Him. The new temple also to come is for the healing of the nations. God will bring a remnant of His Promised people back, and bless them. He will bless ALL who turn to Him and repent. Of course the ultimate blessing will be extraction from the brokenness of the world into God’s Kingdom.
This short book Haggai contains a lot of good treasured knowledge about God and His Plan – with warnings about not listening, similar to the warnings given to Solomon by God at the start of the temple building 500 years prior: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” From 2nd Chronicles
May we continue to remember the repentance to God for not listening and following and trusting and ask for restoration.
Amen
The 5 minute Bible Project video on YouTube is really good at explaining this chapter in time:
—–
Haggai 2:10-23
Blessings for a Defiled People
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”
The priests answered, “No.”
Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring
The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
“‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
—-
From 2 Chronicles 7:11-22
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.
And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?
And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.
There’s a GREAT speech from Martin Luther King Jr, detailing many reasons for loving your enemies, as Jesus commands. Here is an excerpt – about Love:
“Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies…”
Sure they hype the weather, but do we embrace weather READINESS? Blankets and boots, salt and shovels, warm gear? Can you get Subarus excited for snow? WELL, YES! But it’s not the inanimate object getting excited, it’s US excited or at least implored to get prepared… WE CAN GET READY.
PREPARE – that’s for everything – plans and backup plans are good. Worrying about them is not. If we prepare anything, we should prepare our mindsets, how about we plan to follow what God plans. (Including His Plan for our future and even the second coming of the Lord). You know, too much hype is not good for anything or anyone. Weather anticipation or anything that brings us to a fevered level of anxiety. Instead, let’s PREPARE – prepare our snow shovels, prepare our cupboards, prepare our game plan, prepared our hearts.
Game plan? We hype sports, sure, but the teams actually prepare for the games. I’m happy my childhood favorite team inched one game closer to superbowl contention… There are hopeful fans painting their bellies and faces right now preparing for the Sunday games. There is real hope there for the die-hard fans, not just hype. And there are fair-weather fans jumping on the bandwagon, preparing watch parties to have fun… It is good to prepare – my friend prepared her house for a party and everyone appreciated it.
And one mention recently of preparing, this warmed my heart!!! I was SO EXCITED when my shorts-wearing kid took out sweatpants at the last moment in the car just before entering the ice hockey arena! Proud mom moment!!! Pants!! Pre-prepared pants!
So, our Bible lesson from Haggai is a life lesson too – have we prepared for the Lord? In any and all circumstances, are we ready to praise and listen? Haggai sent a message from God to rebuild, work, listen: “… now be strong… Be strong and work. For I am with you… And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.”
The Lord told them to restore their faith and restore His Temple (destroyed in Jerusalem, rebuilding in a few hundred years before Jesus) – prepare for the Lord to be present in the temple and we could also see and read between the lines for the coming of Jesus. . . GOD’S GLORY IS OF JESUS COMING (AND RE-COMING) to the temple directly and to EACH of our temples. We must make room for Jesus inside our temples, clean it up and prepare our hearts.
So, we do thank the Lord for the opportunity to prepare. No hype needed, however the chaos in the world and the loosening of the control of evil is ever around us, and we need to strengthen our contenance and hearts. And the Lord Himself will shake the heavens and the earth, “once again”, therefore we must prepare for His Almighty Power…
Prepare to watch the Lord (and the weather)…
Prepare.
Amen
—
Haggai 2:1-9
And on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
I could have called this devotion: the cat been PROMISED that I clean out Christmas decorations and RESTORE more room in the windows!!!! She needs her space RESTORED!!!
Time to REBUILD.
Of course best time is spent in REBUILDING FAITH.
So, as per Prophet Haggai, we are learning about RESTORING PEOPLE’S FAITH AND REBUILDING GOD’S HOUSE! This is a chapter of the Bible timeline we rarely hear much about, the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem after so much exile and destruction. It was worth it!!! And this was the now rebuilding that would last into the Roman era.
“I am with you,” declares the Lord.
In our perusal through the old testament prophets, it’s been a rough road for the people of Israel and Judah, exiled and then allowed to return to their temple area (original building by Solomon hundreds of years earlier) but they didn’t restore the temple first, they restored their own houses first… And, as the Lord reminded them, they only scraped by…
The Lord then sent the prophet Haggai to remind them: “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Let us absorb this message – it us SO IMPORTANT to take care to RESTORE. Restore one’s health, one’s attitude, one’s prospects, BUT FIRST RESTORE YOUR REACHING OUT TO GOD. Restore the praise in your life. Restore the devotion and prayer life and yes, even your schedule for communicating with God directly… That’s the RESTORE message here…
Take this “midwinter break”, to decompress, allow downtime in order to gear up for “up time” – RESTORE faith and fellowship and fuel up… mostly, serve the Lord in Your FIRST resort not last…
There is a time to rest (but don’t over-indulge) then take a time to rebuild… And like God’s lesson to Haggai to tell the people, don’t neglect the Lord because God can bless you even more to abundance when you listen to His Plan first….
Our 1st and best restoration? Listening to God!!!
Amen
—
Haggai 1-2:8 NIV
A Call to Build the House of the Lord
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
THEN the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
The Promised Glory of the New House
In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
“Motrin ain’t THAT strong.”… The man at karaoke jokingly said last night about his toothache. He said he was tired and in pain from an extensive dental procedure, sat in his truck at home, almost called it a day, but came to this small church gathering anyway, a fun Christian karaoke event (that no less than 3 people told me about). He didn’t sing this time but felt compelled to stand up and witness that THE LORD FOUND STRENGTH INSIDE HIM to be there, and while listening (and singing along from the pews), his pain was gone, he knew it was the Lord. Cool…
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
I also could have rolled home and stayed in, the snow is not an excuse for me, but these cold nights are SO easy to blame for us not going anywhere. However I have a coat, gloves, a subaru, and a friend who invited me, to this Christian karaoke in a tiny cute church, my first time. I didn’t know how it would go, I would have sung, but everybody was lined up ready to sing and with such enthusiasm. Next time I will pick a song in advance… Even one particular first timer up to sing, who was nervous, had a friend to go with her, fittingly she sang Amazing Grace, and we all sang along, knowing and feeling that. The Lord says: something good is about to happen, yeah I sang along with that old-time show stopper… I marveled at everybody’s great voice, I knew I was hearing their strength in the Spirit, and saw the Lord’s Righteousness walking upright as they walked up to sing praise… How sweet the sound of spirit praise… pitch perfect praise…
Do we remember that the Lord will take care of us? Reduce our pain or push us into purpose? Will we really HOLD ON, and wait for the Lord? God has given us examples after examples to preserve, even in the worst attacks of the enemies, or the most annoying pain of living. I know this from living, and I know this from reading…
The last part of the writings of the prophet Zephaniah is true to the whole bible message that God will dig us out of the pit, rescue us from enemies, reward us for listening and worshipping, and just plain keep us on our toes to follow His Plan for us…
Let us be sheltered in Him on that upcoming day of His judgement.
If we’ve done something wrong, we should repent. If we are not listening, we should listen. If we doubt then we should believe. If we are going great, we should praise God’s faithfulness. If we just don’t know what to do, let us listen to God’s calling. Pray…
I really remember the song that brought me excitement for “something good is about to happen”… It’s an old classic I could tell, sung with a revival type energy… We may or may not be realizing we need revival, but trust that we do… All people and nations need to remember God will judge folks in His Time, and if we are too cushy and complacent then our enemies are around us as worldliness trappings and cushioned living to prevent us from adventuring out in His Strength…
Let us listen to these once again reminders to shelter in the Lord, not our own temporary dwelling… draw strength from His righteousness and let God deal with the mess around us, and we walk ahead WITH THE LORD to better things…
Something good is about to happen. That might just be God sheltering us, allowing us to sing His Praise or making us stand up to be seen. Don’t worry, just like karaoke, He will give us the words and WORD!!!
Amen….
—
Please read below – Zephaniah is speaking to all the oppressors in the divided kingdom time, and the elite of Judah and Jerusalem as well… don’t get so cushy in complacency… FOLLOW GOD AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!!!
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
…
The Lord their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes.
…
“The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”
…
“At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.
“Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
—-
Zephaniah 2-3 NIV
Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations – Judah Summoned to Repent
Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Philistia
Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. Woe to you who live by the sea, you Kerethite people; the word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. He says, “I will destroy you, and none will be left.” The land by the sea will become pastures having wells for shepherds and pens for flocks. That land will belong to the remnant of the people of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The Lord their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes.
Moab and Ammon
“I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah – a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”
This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty. The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands.
Cush
“You Cushites, too, will be slain by my sword.”
Assyria
He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed. This is the city of revelry that lived in safety. She said to herself, “I am the one! And there is none besides me.” What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists.
Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
“I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them – all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.
Restoration of Israel’s Remnant
“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”
Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
“I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.
Please pray for a woman whom I don’t know, the pain and defiance on her face, WOW, she was standing with 2 arm brace type canes in awful pain just entering physical therapy and there was no interaction you could have with her, with the exception that stated she HAD to talk to our physical therapist. I tried to offer her a chair and the PT aide tried to offer her the heat pack, but she stood solid in seriousness unparalleled defiant focus. I still see her face this next morning. Prayers and mercy were my thoughts rather than being put off that I could not interact to distract.
PRAYERS were and are our last resort and FIRST resort, only to be supercede by PRAISE to God that we DO have Him to pray to, for His intercession and mercy. Praying without ceasing is urged to get us through the day, even in our wordless groans. Hopefully those prayers are not always for our pain, but also for good reasons and for each decision we make. Thank God for His forgiveness in those bad decisions we also might make in missteps.
Grace is God’s example to us, we ask forgiveness and Jesus says we must GIVE forgiveness too. Grace given to those suffering in pain without choice must be unparalleled in God’s Hands. God must and is definitely and defiantly and decidedly going to still love those who can not utter praise at the moment. We should too, no matter how awkward or upsetting. When we forgive, it takes the weight off our shoulders. Forgiveness takes a God-sized task off our burdened shoulders weighing us down. Jesus said let me carry that. We really can give up things and people and situations to God for His judgement, and be grateful for His mercy on us. Remember, God goes before us and knows the valley of shadows we encounter, SO KEEP MOVING.
And please pray for MANY friends (and all those we don’t know) who are going through tough times, thanks. I know a few choice scriptures:
1) The Lord put this verse in front of me, on a bracelet: Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.
2)James 1:2-12 which came to mind in a conversation yesterday for someone a mess:
Trials and Temptations: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. …. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation–since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. … Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
3) and the thought that followed- no matter how good we are, amassing treasure in heaven over earth, we WILL cast our crowns down to the feet of the Lord, when we see Him. May we be in spirit, like John, and praise God, for we can approach but never gain His Worthiness of PRAISE. This is Revelation 4 given to John: The Throne in Heaven – After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.””
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
4) a favorite: Psalm 23 KJV
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
This story I just watched on PBS video was interesting, helping illustrate how Los Angeles came to be… and the hardships of the regions that lost their diverted water to grow LA… to have overgrown capacity etc… interesting… The tragedies of today are in line with tragedies of the past… Life is fragile and yet the Lord helps us persevere. The Lord set us up for depending upon Him.
“Flood in the Desert | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS” on YouTube
And we have to remember that all over the world, people push the boundaries of living. Some by choice, some by default… look at the pros and cons of living in the fertile valley of a volcano… you just never know… and it’s not just the landscape, it’s the water, and whoever controls the water controls the situations, impacts the political forces, and the struggles of the withouts… THIS WAS AND IS NOT NEW, as I remember a teacher stating this when I was in school… Sure, watch money run the world, but watch WATER MAINTENANCE control the livelihoods of people.
We see over and over the world that water is primary need and a hot commodity… Thank God for the rain, when it comes, to fill local reservoirs for our resources… we had a mini drought this year in the east, can’t even imagine the droughts of the west.
We think of the harshness of our time, the wars and rumors of wars, and all these hardships Jesus warned about… the directve is to “look up, our salvation is near…”
Yes, keep the faith… the Living Water is coming back soon…
Amen
—
Matthew 24:3-
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
—
I recommend history lessons – sadly history of past aggressive building up of land and diverting water, this story, published a year ago, is super interesting…
Just as I’m starting to write this 7am, I’m watching a utility truck outside my house.The sign on the truck door indicates that they are the people who are climbing the electricity poles and inspecting them, as I know there are replacements being installed.
There are four guys and i’m watching them and surely a set routine protocol, prepping their stuff. One guy also has his coffee and I noticed one guy is not wearing gloves in this snowy morning… After I write this out, probably go bring him some instant hand warmers. I’m blessed in Infrastructure of heat, shelter, electricity and water – may we never take them for granted.
The utility folks have gear and supplies, in carts and backpacks ready to climb, very prepared. And In wake of the news of the devastating wildfires this week in California, I’m sure that those firefighters were surely prepared. Very prepared but lacking crucial water. The article I read spoke of the epic proportions of this fire, not just one demanding all the water. Plus all the sprinkler systems, let alone hydrants, that were activated all at once drained the water pressure fast as well. It was epic critical collapse of systems overtaken. Many prayers. Many prayers in rebuilding too…
The Living Water of Jesus never runs dry. His comfort, His power, His presence., consistent and immediate and immeasurable. The scriptures state God never changes, love never fails, and He is ever present. Even when we take God for granted, He doesn’t change and He is supplied unending with our reach to Him. Remember, we don’t have to reach back, because we can reach FORWARD. God is everywhere.
Jesus not only volunteered to be pressed into service, the Holy Spirit follows us and leads us TO Jesus. We are to be directed embers of His love warming a situation and partakers even splashers into His Holy Living Water. His Hope unending and life motivating. He builds His Kingdom with His infrastructure of faith in us.
Let us move through our day, no matter what, and praise both the infrastructure as well as freshness of faith in us. God wants the good spread of the kingdom of heaven, and He will build and rebuild.
Keep moving… Keep growing…
Amen
—
PS – the guy grabbed his gloves… it’s been a lot of prep! So it is with God too.
—
Luke 13:18-21 (God bless the infrastructure of the Kingdom of God)
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
It was remarkable to overhear, a God-fearing piece of advice given to the man next to me at physical therapy, practicing on the stairs. The PT repeated their sage advice to knee-replacement folks: “go up to heaven with the good and down to ‘you know where’ with the bad.” In other words, lead with good knee going up, putting your full weight on the trusty one longer. The opposite for down, the bad knee/leg leads down. (because the good knee can save it). Interesting.
Nifty advice – for knees and faith. Let us try to be good, put our weight on good motions, and trust one going up. Trust ONE going up, ah that’s where a devotion comes in – because if our knees or needs are out of whack or not, we will be kneeling in awe of God, Who has the righteousness, not us, we need a TRUSTY ONE to bring us to Heaven – Jesus our Savior.
Of course my mom’s advice rings in my head: “HOLD THE RAIL” for when climbing or descending the stairs – and surely we could take the MOST secure steps holding Jesus’s Hand.
In thinking of the very descriptive scenario of Old Testament prophet Habakkuk’s pleadings with God, while the exiled Israelites were under duress by the Assyrians oppressing them, and then knowing his supplications with God’s answers, we can see the decisiveness and fierceness of heaven and hell. Hell IS so awful and away from God and His mercy, we DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE. Instead let us GO WITH GOD.
Habakkuk asks:
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
God answers: be patient, you will see, woe to evil, “but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”
So, the knees on stairs are a cute way of thinking about PT, and people for heaven and hell, but it’s righteousness and faithfulness which bring us up. Yes, good deeds and good knees give us a better life and help us each step of the way, true. But on bad knees and even good we know we can not get up to God’s level on our own righteousness, we need the Lord.
Not deeds but faith indeed.
And what about those “guilty people, whose own strength is their god” ? Heaven and hell will deal with them, we don’t have to take on judgment. And remember there is no joy in people going to hell. God takes no joy in punishment, none. These words from Habakkuk’s prophesy predict the scene at end times, mentioned in book of Revelation: “The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.”
May we all see the staircase and hold the rail. May we all know the Lord and be grateful. May we drink from the good cup of Jesus and not one of wrath.
Have God-fearing knees and bow in awe.
Amen
—
Habakkuk 1, 2, 3 (NIV)
The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer
“Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?
I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.
The Lord’s Answer
Then the Lord replied:
“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness – indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
Habakkuk’s Prayer
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed – but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.
Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.
Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.
I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
If there’s one thing that has gone unexplained this Christmas, for me, it is the appearance of what I could say is way too many christmas penguins!!! I have no explanation, but I have visualized more penguins this year, than ever. But it’s probably because I know I have a heightened awareness of noticing them. I don’t necessarily like this (nothing against regular penguins, mind you), I don’t like it because it reminds me of a falsehood planted by a movie “When Santa Claus Comes to Town”, showing one penguin “Topper” to work with Santa at Santa’s workshop – but it’s the wrong attribute of the North Pole, penguins are only at the South Pole (and remarkable animals they are) – it is the carried away portion of interpretation I don’t like, for no good reason. And I DO know that this is ALL SILLY and there’s plenty of Santa Christmas unexpected and unexplained – and SILLY. I mean I have no problems with other Santa misconceptions, I’m not sure why these penguins BUG ME this year specifically, except that my last resort (should have been my first resort) is to connect my situation of visualization with a spiritual perspective and I write what it COULD mean in a devotion… It’s all personal because I have to process verbally in some format..
(Hilarity aside, I do NOT want to collect penguins, so nobody send me one… And I already have a few.)
I started asking this morning: “Lord, let’s close this chapter away this year, ok?”, before I undecorate, let me know what I should write, process, penguin away. I know that there is a lesson in unexplained penguins with a yet connected Christmas experience – this is of a foreigner – so perhaps for my writing and certainly there’s lots in the pondering to explain in the real Christmas story of You without even placing it on a certain date that got introduced thousand plus years ago as a calendar feast day… Perhaps we can be reminded that as beautiful as this earth is, we are foreigners here. As beautiful as Christmas scenes are, You came in not with flashing lights and neon, but humbled as a baby, You were and still are viewed too as foreign and even radical in love, to so many who don’t know You, do not understood You.
Christmas unexplained became Easter realized for so many, including us in faith.
Lord, You are not of this world, but connected fully to it’s people, and creatures, and creations. You Lord, remind us to work in place, be Your hands and feet in our little corner of the earth, at Christmas and always. Ah… our mindset also must shift to not be afraid to humbly move away from comfort and into the foxholes of life, move into mission and movement. Take the baby of our Christmas faith and raise it up in foreign territory, like Joseph and Mary going to Egypt, and back, protecting the Jesus in our personal perspective and care.
I’m not ready to put away Christmas decorations yet, we only just now got some snow and the tucked away feeling that I allow myself for January (but not February because that finds me ready for winter camping with scouts and polar plunges etc)… but for now I will stay in and ponder christmas unexplained and process what can be processed with the explanation that as homey as we make it here in our houses or this earth, it’s still not our home.
Work in the world, like Jesus, but stay away from the trappings…
Let us waddle like a penguin in danger and away from it (like this ice this morning), walk like a penguin and yet fly in faith with Jesus to wherever we need to go, explained or not…
Christmas unexplained is faith realized…
Amen
—-
Paul’s exhortation to fellow Jesus believers in those early days:
Hebrews 13:1-2, 5-NIV
Concluding Exhortations
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
…
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
—
John 8:12-30
Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”
Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”
Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”
“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Dispute Over Who Jesus Is
Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
“Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
With today’s or any day’s weather it’s smart to watch the radar, and the traffic cams. Seems wise to know when to go or not. Have supplies in the car too. TRAVEL SMART.
Travel Smart, Listen Wisely, Follow Humbly.
It’s Epiphany! The arrival of the kings to Jesus and well they traveled SMART, not just because they were watching where the caravan animals stepped, but because they were educated and read the radar of the skies, following what they learned about a king of the Jewish people being born out of Judah, and traveled smart listened wisely to the angels on the way home too, avoiding Herod, who had evil intentions.
The wise men were “divinely warned” and were humble in following – they went to worship and give gifts – they traveled however long was required, watching the start, following it, and took the long route when necessary.
Joseph also traveled smart and listened wisely and followed humbly, the family escaped Herod by going to Egypt, they traveled and then returned. It was both for safety as well as fulfilled prophesy.
Matthew the author of the book also followed humbly, he followed Jesus as a disciple, followed humbly in giving up his known life for one of piety, study, exploration and exposition into what it meant to be a new Christian. He knew to follow and Jesus knew to pick Matthew.
Jesus traveled smart and listened wisely and followed humbly. Jesus as God had much to know about the people He would encounter, He conversed continually with His Father God, and He directed the Holy Spirit of God to be instilled in us as a living word. Jesus followed humbly in fulfilling scriptures and bringing salvation by divine destiny, desire and duty.
May we follow too.
Travel Smart, Listen Wisely, Follow Humbly.
Amen
—-
Matthew 2:1-15
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Flight into Egypt
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.
It’s 2025, 3 days in… Thank God it’s Friday – that sentiment is great and the relief of whatever this relief is, going into a weekend, is palatable. Thank God it’s Friday is a known in a world of unknowns, especially 3 days in what we think is a new fresh year… yet already there’s been tragedies and continuing wars, fear and fear mongering hype, and hype for everything including the weather… the hype there comes deeper than the snow…
Deeper than snow or hype is evil, and we have seen enough this year alone, it’s sad that we deal with a broken world and there’s not going to be solid relief until Jesus returns (I urge “any cloud now” as we pray “Lord return quickly”) and because Jesus will put the devil out of business permanently, once and for all. We DO need to know Jesus already commanded Satan to backdown and we have to call upon Jesus to keep moving. We have hope day to day in Peace that people are trying to forge, us too – that’s where we also should be the peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers“, Jesus said, “for they shall be called children of God.” Most of all we need to be the children the Lord calls us to be.
And that’s where, in this new year, we can find our strength, in Jesus as PRINCE OF PEACE. Jesus, as Lord, understands us and the efforts to be peacemakers, especially urging us to see further than the now. We know of future peace and can apply that ourselves mentally for His sake. Like a blessing of new years, or any day off, or a Friday on a Friday, we can apply a peace mission as an overlay each day and keep moving forward.
Finding peace as a mission is not an impossible task like pushing an elephant up the stairs or bending spoons as a magic trick, both of which are mentioned in a great song by REM, “The Great Beyond” – singing about looking for answers in the great beyond, whatever the lyricist thought that is or was. The “trick” of living is not in mastering tricks or ease of living as much as it is in living in ease with knowing God’s in charge. We might be in a milieu of a messy world now, which hasn’t been non-messy ever since the Garden of Eden, but we can pause to pursue the peace inside, our peace which a PEACEMAKER made that for us, HolySpirit-style, and that is by Jesus Himself. Jesus IS a child of God, Who is God Himself. We must hold on to Him.
The Great Beyond has nothing compared to looking at JESUS’S FACE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US – better yet is feeling His arms wrapped around us.
I’ll listen to the song of the Great Beyond – but for this year, I will cling to Jesus in the Great Inside. Jesus put His peace protectively inside. The Great Inside. 2025…
Amen
—
Hebrews KJV chapter about Jesus, 10:20-25, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
I did learn that this is technically a Jubilee Year! Every 25 years celebrated. A year of mercy and forgiveness. The video I saw was for the Vatican Christmas eve. The continuity of forgiveness as the pope rolled through the door.
Yes, it’s still Christmas in Spirit and I picked up my ceramics project of painting the Nativity scene, nice and shiny now. Love the love.
Calendar Christmas and Jubilee and Easter are continuity of the Messiah making His Way to us. AND it’s the way of the forgiveness that Micah the prophet saw: But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
MICAH CONTINUES: Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.
GOD IS CONSISTENT AND REALLY FORGIVENESS IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE. YES!
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.
Thank You Lord for the NEW YEAR, a JUBILEE year reminder for giving forgiveness, and the CONSISTENT NEVER-ENDING YOU!
Trust. Forgiveness. Abundance. Goodness. Peace. A Path Forward.
Those are the continual themes for the last week of readings in the Jesus Calling daily devotional – which I didn’t read until now because I didn’t take the time. Time flies, right? It’s already next year! Yeah! Thank God for extended Christmas spirits and Christmas refrigerators too, because there’s even so much christmas food that has to WAIT until we have time to eat it! So, it’s not hard to imagine that it is tough to process the end of the year at the end of the year or the beginning of the next!
NEW YEAR 2025 is already here! So, yes, THANK YOU LORD, for FAITH in TRUST, FORGIVENESS, GOODNESS, PEACE, ABUNDANCE and a PATH FORWARD. These are consistent themes for us NOW and in the future. Let us look to the Lord to fulfill our relationship with Him and others AND trust in the Lord in the times of trials, of which 2025 surely will have.
It’s impossible to not feel both relief and sadness of the Christmas stuff that isn’t so important a week later. It really shows us that like the uneaten ugh calories, we need to toss the falsehood that may have creeped into Christmas and get back to the strong sustenance, the protein of provision of the Lord’s coming, His Daily Bread.
Thank You Lord for the new year and the consistent never ending You!
It’s that early morning CAT wake up, drives me nuts, but I’m certain it’s not the cat’s fault, it’s ANGEL ARMIES surely, up correcting the situation I’m dreaming about and the cat is the pawn to actually jump on my bed and get ready to bite me awake. Then sits peacefully. Really. Not lying, it HAS to be angel armies. And it’s OK, because it was truly a non-productive dream, I had written stuff in the dream but dreaming that I was frustrated that I didn’t write down awake and it was gone (but I was dreaming about dreaming) and then I was dreaming gardening and food leftovers and being shamed for the waste. I still see the lady’s face, the mushrooms were still good enough but I composted them, ahhh but I know that was NOT a productive dream. And that’s when the cat came out loudly waking me up… 430am, new years eve. And no I don’t have any plans to stay up later, but it’s best that I consult both the cat and the angel armies for that too.
What is good to reflect upon at the end of the year? Not my woes, not my no-go’s. Reflection upon God’s blessings and the releasing of those fruitless frustrations – yes, that’s to be reflected and appreciated. Since I am 55, I have seen 56 new years, and to have a whole next year, Lord willing, that is a blessing in itself. One day at a time.
How about a year to wait on this cat?
Lord willing.
How about a year to spend more time with family? And friends?
Lord willing.
How about a year to spend more time with the Lord?
Lord requested!
How about a year to stress less and smile more?
Lord commanded.
How about a year to get healthier?
Lord please help.
How about a year to roll things off the back more?
Lord-enabled!
What would you do with another year? I know what we should do, we should TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME!
A quick google to find the right scripture, shows AI algorithms that find top picks: Jesus says it in Matthew, and the Psalms say it, and recently I was telling a Jewish friend to not over worry, remember that manna that God provided and DON’T be hankering for any quail. What God provides is both good and sufficient. Even Jesus at the manger was surely provided for, look at the crowded scene of my mom’s nativity.
Jesus? All he needed was provided too. I’m sure He did not worry at that moment. Took Himself as a babe to be in the most vulnerable position, and yet knew the plan going in, speaking of relief of “it is finished” for His numbered days.
So, in Psalm 90, Moses prayed a prayer for us, asking the Lord to direct us, appreciating our God is SOVEREIGN, ALMIGHTY and PURPOSEFUL. Jesus also gave us a prayer for daily doses of HIM, and to not worry…
Really, I will appreciate (even these early morning wakeups), to know Lord that You are in charge and You want us to be productive for You! And appreciative. May we number our days and make the most of them!
Amen (and can someone get this cat some manna?)
Amen and Happy New Year early!
2025 will be fine, one day at a time.
—
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death – they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.
We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.
—
Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-34
Prayer
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Fasting
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Do Not Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
It’s both a privilege and a need for vacation downtime. It’s not just a change of scenery that helps, but a change of one’s frame of mind in the same scenery, because a staycation even for one day can be so productive mentally for yourself. I’m planning half-days vacation to finish off the year. I’ll probably start my Christmas cards and various projects and just BE.
I enjoyed Christmas here and time up home too, and enjoyed that which was focused on family (work family too) and merriment – and church family and being in a spirit of giving. (Still giving leftovers too)… With new year upon us, and resolutions, it’s an important time to give up the most convoluted stress we hold: OUR EXPECTATIONS. God does remind us to take and live one day at a time, so expectations are our sinful stealing the future away to our own desires. Let us let the Lord lead and fulfill the time instead. God’s got this.
Nicely Christmas becomes (hopefully) a refocus on time with God, because God took the time to be with us, coming to earth. God didn’t just wait for the fulfilment of time to be with us, He made it, meaning He fulfilled it.
So let us take time with God, don’t just wait for it, but make it. Make time you take to be His.
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Clearly God-dedication times are more mentally productive than anything else. Moments or months are best made by consulting the Lord.
When I take morning time to read and infuse scripture pertaining to my life and/or expounding upon how it pertains to all of us, or a few, it’s a mission of the moment. And absorbing scripture is a personal journey because in sticky situations, when prayed about, one will often be given direction by the scriptures.
God can move mountains, yet it doesn’t mean the instant resolution of problems. So often, like the serenity prayer, one will TRY to discern the things that you can change and those you can’t and the wisdom to know the difference. Best of course to PUT IT ALL in God’s Hands and see what He Hands back and what He doesn’t. We can’t do anything without God. REMEMBER, HE WORKS IN A WAY WELL ABOVE OUR WAYS.
So, in moments before this year’s closes, do not fret over the lost time or over-engineer the future, just BE. Just be in His Time for you. He MADE time and set aside time, we can too.
Walk with the Lord, decompress and all the rest. The Lord always has TIME for us.
Amen
—
Isaiah 55:8-12
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
It’s a great day for a walk. The weather is warm for this time of year. I made a trek to the cemeteries near home. Instead of greenery decorations, I decided to leave some gingerbread cookies… It was a great trip up home and now I’m driving back. Saw fabulous family. Christmas is all about making spirits bright!!! Christmas is Jesus being most humble.
And a walk in the cemetery was nice to remember my grandparents, my aunts uncles cousins… And there it is remembering spirits bright!
Imagine walking with Jesus in His day and now. Jesus walked A LOT, sometimes rode in a boat, and occasionally for purpose He rode an animal. Certainly we know He walked in religious duty to Jerusalem and back, and He walked into the wilderness occasionally for prayer and purpose. Even Jesus, fully God, checked in with God the Father Almighty.
The scriptures tell us: Proverbs 21:3
“To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice” and the infamous important Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
How can we walk closer with Jesus, closing out 2024 into 2025? Trying to not judge others, not judge our past too harshly either, and determine our best approach to the future. Make Spirits BRIGHT! . How about walking consulting the Lord? When we share love we are sharing the Lord. Let us ask Him the best Way in His Way. Walk in His Hand, not stopping either when He is pulling us, not feeling embarrassed when He is carrying us. Just be at HIS pace. Blessed.
And learn from history as we know many did not walk with Jesus. (Like some of Micah’s time.) Let us be His.
Today, tomorrow, 2024, 2025, forever.
Amen
—
Micah 6:1-8
The Lord’s Case Against Israel
Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.
“Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.
“My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God
It’s still Christmas for people, for those still celebrating and for those who wait for loved ones delayed in visiting, or are in the hospital. The tree will hold, the fridge will preserve, the date on the calendar means little compared to the celebration stage. Just like every holiday, it is the celebrating that is a state of mind over everything. It’s the REALNESS of the SAVIOR over the symbolism, the CONNECTION over the commercialism of convenience. (And why would precious gifts go 50% off based on a date anyway if they were THAT important in life.) Let us choose Christmas cheer over gifts this time of year.
What’s real Christmas? Jesus arriving! Jesus arriving to fulfill prophesy (as written in Micah 5), be the babe of humble means from Bethlehem in lowly Judah, AND to be wonderful counselor, Jesus to be Mighty King of the ultimate Kingdom, AND to rule as KING upon His return on earth, AND to be acknowledged as KING of our hearts all the days in between… Real Christmas becomes Real Easter… Real Easter becomes a wait to see Jesus return from the heavens… “and He will be our peace…”
What about the Israelites and all the scattered Jewish people? Jesus Messiah will come back for Gentiles and Jews. Micah 5 states about a Savior: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Micah educates all that Jewish people will be scattered, but remain loyal to Israel: The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples – AND – lifted up in triumph over your enemies. This is not just ancient history but future prophesy. And with God’s “anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me”,God will surely demonstrate His Almighty Power.
So Jesus keeps Christmas Spirit alive and we worship God for His Greatness, celebrating Jesus for His Mission, and stay tuned to the HolySpirit for directions on giving credit where credit is due: God from ancient old is still current and will reign again on earth. Jesus wants to reign in our hearts forever.
We know it as prophesy AND now TRUTH.
CHRISTMAS continues for those still learning about Jesus. Easter comes for saving all. And Jesus comes again to put all evil down forever.
Amen
—
Micah 5 NIV
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.
The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.
“In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots. I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells. I will destroy your idols and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands. I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles when I demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
The coming of the Lord at Christmas is such a big deal, in history and in everything, that the story of His people, and the prophesies of WHY He was coming (and will come again), is written down to be retold over and over… Micah in chapter 5 verse 2 gives the location of Bethlehem as Jesus’s birth, and the stories of Isaiah (a contemporary prophet) and of others persisted over the years to tell of the Messiah. Even when there were no new prophets, in a quiet period of new reminders, the cared for writings read and reread kept the Word alive and there are SO MANY prophets like writer Micah. Micah spoke FOR the Lord, to the common people.
Despite the abuses of power (much of these old testament chapters have spoken of broken people, fallible rulers), Jesus, a true Lord and King, was prophesied to be coming for His people Israel AND to be a LIGHT to the Gentiles too.
Micah covered the history of the wandering and the trials of broken people in broken split kingdom times (see chapters 1-3). Micah spoke against the nations who attacked Israel, and spoke concerning Jacob’s people getting delivered by God Himself. It was a continuous hope in the future. Micah 2 states: “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. TheOne who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.”
And Micah 4:4-5 speaks about the people from Jacob, the Israelites, being chosen: But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God Forever and ever.
Amen
LET US ALL REMEMBER THAT WE WILL WALK IN THE NAME OF THE LORD FOREVER!!!!
Amen and Merry Christmas – continue walking!!!
—
Micah 4 NIV
The Mountain of the Lord
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
Zion’s Future Triumph
“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever. And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in your midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor. Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, You shall dwell in the field, And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the Lord will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.
Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, “Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion.” But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
“Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hooves bronze; You shall beat in pieces many peoples; I will consecrate their gain to the Lord, And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.”
I was just about to be at the “Dancing through Life” part of the movie, and yet I had an exit plan, meeting the roadside assistance tire repair person outside the theater, and plans to come back in, as I had already chatted with the ticket taker. Plus we took out the spare tire from the trunk in preparation, before going into the movie, and I had already told the tow people that I was in the movie. Seamless plan. Worked out great, had a plan, they knew the drill, so even on Christmas Day in the cold, it was like “Dancing through Life”… all OK… On the donut spare tire now, taking to the shop later today (it was a nasty pothole just before the theater and thankfully we have tire insurance, that plus roadside AAA is so convenient, pays off in emotional calmness for situations). Blessed.
And later now, I was thinking how I (we) escaped into movie land, knowing both the whole storyline in advance AND I certainly will see this movie version again to fill in the missed scenes. It was fine, escaping life for a moment in the movie and also capping off a great day of Christmas home-body joy. Dinner was prepped, eaten and stowed away in the fridge… Good food good people good day, a satisfaction of a finished Christmas prep too. Check Christmas pressure off my list, DONE. So, FLAT TIRE? A mere minor blip in the day. A slow decompression of a leaking tire like my breathing relaxing…. But a tire? Convenient chaos? It’s like knowing the movie in advance that you can anticipate the scary bits and be OK. So, an adventure of teaching today (my youngest’s car, his education), convenient as we both have the day off and an oil change scheduled, hmmm pre-convenient, hmmmm…).
Life has flat tires, but our emotional comfortable confidence to keep moving forward is OK. Insurance pays it forward. Life experiences prepare us. We will be OK. Keep moving.
Let me SWITCH to a separate thought and situation, an unexpected jolt I got 2 days before Christmas, I had learned of an unfortunate passing of a church friend in October, just heard of it now, so strange not to be in the loop then, so thetefore I can not process it now, but will. I was not in the mix of it, oblivious, and another friend, whom I also had not seen in months at my old church, was shocked that I didn’t know. But most there didn’t know until later either. We are curious how she passed, what happened with her cat, of which she sent me a cute fall photo where the cat adopted the table centerpiece. Cute. Our “aged” friend was in “decent enough” health just a week and couple days before she passed, when I had seen her last. So on that day we had gone to a renovated nature trail space, and I mentioned I was going to another friend’s church festival just after, a friend who had suddenly died earlier that year. Hmmm… it was a text message conversation after the nature walk, so I knew the last time I saw her, and it was not unusual for us to not chat for stretches of time. I don’t know her family well either, no connection there. Hmmmm…. (God bless her family, surely in shock.)
In processing hindsight, I’m glad that my friend was in a GOOD PLACE WITH THE LORD and she had an EXIT STRATEGY of TRUSTING THE LORD for all the next steps of LIFE, no matter our ages. A month away from a milestone birthday, she surely had thought about it, even if surely the quickness of it was not in her foresight. What about her stuff? Well, she won’t worry about it now, new life “with her Jesus”. (Prayers for her family for sure, and yet my friend is set in Jesus’s arms).
We know that the Lord is not just “LIFE INSURANCE” – saving us forever – He is also “ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE” – comforting us along the way – paving and paying ahead too. We can stay calm.
It’s like that backlit EXIT sign at the theater, there’s a plan to get out, there’s a world out there to ignore for a moment, an hour, a day – And there’s JOY on earth knowing Jesus came to make the Way AND show the Way.
In the movie I was watching, the wizard was no wizard, he had NO exit strategy nor ability to get the characters through the movie chaos. But OUR LORD??? Not only does He know the EXIT STRATEGY, He IS the EXIT STRATEGY, and Jesus IS the road to travel on too, every step.
Not “follow the yellow-brick road” but “FOLLOW THE JESUS-LAID ROAD” – that should be our life song.
EXIT STRATEGY? Check that off the Christmas list!
DONE
Thank you Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
Amen
(Praying for you all to have had a peaceful Christmas appreciating Christ.)
A blessing of Christmas is to realize we made it to Christmas, actually it was coming whether we were ready or not. Now, let us be praying for Christmas realization in everyone’s hearts, with Christmas commotion and commodity now to be calmed, if just for a moment. There is no power that could separate us from the love of Christ and the calming He gives us, if we tap into this peace and see His Work within our hearts. Therefore soak in the Savior over every situation.
Recently I saw the glow of the Spirit in the glow of the face of a sweet young lady portraying Mary at a Living Nativity, she BEAMED! The cautious Joseph watched on… The scene a JOY in the middle of chaos as there was a swirl of family chitchatting, kids exuberant in running around, and animals all around. It was a sight to see, but mostly a moment of peace in chaos to know Christmas is Christ coming for you and me, for all.
When Jesus came, it WAS chaos and confusing scenes in the land, times of upheaval and strife. But the few paying attention to the prophets were to know there would be a Messiah, the Lord above all, to be born in Bethlehem. Micah tells of the judgment of the people, but the Savior too, stating Jesus is to be known: AND THIS ONE SHALL BE PEACE.
Peace is a personal journey – let us all know a peace that comes from Jesus and shine this knowledge and contentment of our forever, if just for a moment, if just in a smile.
Merry Christmas!
For now He shall be GREAT To the ends of the earth; AND THIS ONE SHALL BE PEACE.
AMEN
—
Micah 5:1-5, old testament, prophet states: The Messiah Will Be Born at Bethlehem
Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
The Coming Messiah
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me THE ONE TO BE RULER in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Therefore He shall give them up,Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And HE SHALL STAND AND FEED HIS FLOCK In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And THEY SHALL ABIDE, For now He shall be GREAT To the ends of the earth; AND THIS ONE SHALL BE PEACE.
Recently I was helping a friend get her tree out of the garage, heavy but we were simply rolling it then carrying it by grabbing the white wrapped sheet. Two people easier than one and we got it done. I held the front and she held the back. Then as we stood it up (the weighted tree stand already attracted), we immediately started sliding the white sheet and lifted it up off the top. We had motions of knowing what to do and just then I had a Flashback – I had a Flashback – but not to my history but to ancient history that my soul connected to – I realized we were doing the reverse wrap of what Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramathia we’re doing. They wrapped up the body of Jesus after death, and we were unwrapping this tree of Christmas, breathing life into the Christmas season and situation of the moment, and sighing of accomplishment. We both could be weary of the Christmas prep OR we could be strengthened by the mission of Christ. The completion of burial was but a pause before the JOY of Jesus Forever – the unwrapping of Christmas in our own special way was a forever moment in advance. This surely rang true in my soul as we were friends not just of this earth, but faith friends forever by the power of the Lord. We were in the midst of the Lord in His work of preparation.
From where and when Jesus was laid to rest, we know He rose. And from where He went into Heaven, we know He will comeagain. Our hearts do prepare Him room now by the HolySpirit, our hearts now open up a vintage soul of knowledge as the Lord has set all of eternity in us, and our hearts can find His peace. Now known, our eyes must be those that SHINE that TRUTH. Our hands to motion in His mission. Our vintage eyes hold a mystery of the Lord unveiled in our souls. What a wonderful Christmas gift He gives us, knowing Him. Immanuel, God with us.
So let us prepare Him room by unwrapping the trees, the gifts, but especially our souls for us and for others to know His Love. Let that Love shine…
Merry Christmas eve…
May we be prepared in our hearts, above all else.
Amen
—
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecc3:11
John 1:4-5
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 19:38-42
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
Luke 1:49-55
And Mary said:
“…For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
1Peter 3:15-22
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
Oh we’re getting down to the wire, and I started placing the ornaments on the tree, it seemed the right timing to start. I put Christmas movies on as well, to help my energy, I need Jesus to Jumpstart my battery. However I was starting to grumble to myself, I was complaining at Christmas, I’m sure it’s common, and there is a natural frustration in the preparation, this time of year. Terrible to say but true. And it IS WORK to pull Christmas decorations presents cards food, etc, all together, isn’t it?! and is it appreciated? etc etc? Hmmm…
Grumble Grumpy Grrrr…
And then…. I saw the reminder word: “JOY”, a JOY ornament engraved on a wood piece…
That’s the ornament sensation that snapped me back to remembering the JOY of Christmas, and it’s not about grumbling. Where’s my JOY? Jesus, help, geeze. I DID have a good day already, so why am/was I grumbling?!!! I did get time for this right now, but the “why didn’t I get help?” creeped in… well, I just then got help: HolySpirit conviction against complaining and a Jesus Jumpstart of JOY. JOY is the focus and the benefit of the season, so JOY has got to be a RETRAINING word, giving us (me) and a better focus on the deep meaning of Chrisrmas being Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
J.O.Y. can remind us of our priorities:
Jesus
Others
Yourself, in that order. You are last, Jesus is first.
And for Jesus? JOY is a fruit of the spirit given to those who open their hearts to heaven, their focus to growing, their branches to bringing forth God’s fruit.
And yes, my mental shift started, acceptance wise, not just because I like ornaments on my tree too, but that others in my house DO really appreciate it all coming together, any potential visitors would love to see the tree and ornaments. So, in this early decorating, when I found the star that was buried in the ornaments and placed it on the top of the tree I finally got the attention and agreement with the placements position. (And then people in the house started helping, whew…)
Yes, I got the star straight, and I got my priorities re-straight – to think of Jesus is to know He sacrificed and went the extra mile. To think of others is to especially know you can go the extra mile. And yourself? To think of yourself is to remember that you’re going to have forever to sit down and relax, so keep moving now.
And when you think of yourself and forever? Who brings that to you now? Jesus.
We are in the home stretch, so rest well, and rehydrate and rejoice, and re-JOY again and again.
Thank you Holy Spirit for the Jesus JOY reminder!
Amen
PS, later I found the magnet I thought I lost in a pocket, but there it was on my fridge and I misses it – it says: “PRAY HARDEST WHEN IT IS HARDEST TO PRAY” – YES!!!
And like a Christmas tree with hundreds of decorations and plenty of branches to decorate, let us remember that in ourselves there are many places to bear fruit. Jesus, the Vine, said we are the branches, so let’s keep keeping them open for the Lord to hang fruit! The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL. Galatians 5:22-23
Jesus will find many nooks and crannies to fill. Don’t expect these from the world, but in yourself as Jesus builds your faith in Him and life to live in God’s love. Especially Lord, please give us of Your JOY!!! Jesus could say J.O.Y. stands for “Jumpstarts, Oh Yeah…”
The laboring of Love, sweeter than anything, tolerant of hot situations, and surely God is in the mix all the time. Love Wins.
Perhaps we are not done with our Christmas prep, I’m surely not. I’m certainly not done with work stuff before setting that aside for a few days vacation. I’m reminding myself that I need to stop prep for Christmas to simply BE in Christmas, for example that the party I attended is actually mentally attended by me IN a Christmas Spirit, IN a jolly mood, IN JOY. And not just needing to collapse on their couch.
Then again, Mary and Joseph were laboring in their day just about now, Mary for sure about to give birth, the innkeepers were laboring busy, the Maji at some point started prep, and as for the gifts – someone labored hard to get them ready to prepare or purchase, and perhaps we all should tip our postal workers and delivery drivers just a little more for their back-breaking work.
Cookies – I attended a very unique if not the best cookie party concept ever – with friends just bringing dough and baking there, and sharing and eating… so just a little prep led then to a chatty fun bake-off… and what amazement to me were there were no duplicates.
The laboring of love, sweeter than cookies, tolerant of hot oven touches, and surely in the mix all the time.
The laboring (for anything) one could have is different when done together, it’s truly “many hands make light work”. And this is true of everything, work work included, and including decorating the tree, which my friend I visited gave me the privilege of placing the angel on. Beautiful. Not laboring there even if I was stretching to reach.
So what’s the labor of getting through day to day that plagues us with stress when we go it alone? What’s the deal with hard to get our selves organized or motivated? We are stuck in the go it alone mentality. BUT are we? NOPE! We HAVE THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WITH US ALWAYS. Maybe we have stretching to do, like my reaching up to put the angel on the tree, but if we tap into real angel realms of warriors, they can help us!
Jesus may have waited for being born on earth, BUT Him as God already was laboring in LOVE, already fully God. Mary waited for Him too, laboring in love. So it’s OK for us to wait AND labor right now, (just rest your legs more), and appreciate Christmas IN the labor too.
And Rest in LOVE too, because the laboring of God IS in love and for us to know to rely upon Him.
Jesus the Son, God the Father, Holy Spirit the advocate, Three in One, never change like shifting shadows of time. ALL OF GOD IS WITH US ALWAYS, not away or elusive, but surely right here to help. So close, God is allowing and helping every breath.
Ok, making cookies are checked off the list, eating is ongoing, but the sweetness of Christmas? FOREVER…
I didn’t know the snow would stick, it’s BEAUTIFUL!!! Just enough to be pretty, will probably melt later, won’t stick around for a white Christmas, but technically I can say we have snow! It’s even on the winter solstice!
It was sort of predicted, without the hype this time around! I had just gotten my “SNOWBARU” car decorations on, a new wreath this year with big flakes when the real stuff came, unexpectedly, and I appreciated it melting on a busy Christmas-time preparation day. Still much to do…
Expectation and appreciation for a White as Snow situation was unfolding in a manger in Bethlehem, in the Christmas gift of Christ. Isaiah forecasted this, he predicted in prophesy, and became a scribe of the Lord’s special message, for a Savior would come, Who would cleanse the sins of all “WHITE AS SNOW”…
Reading Isaiah, it is clear the earth’s people would take a while to respond, as the prophets told of Jesus coming, but only a few saw the light through the hundreds of years passing… Only a few knew to look. It’s so clear now IN the LIGHT, but for those who walk in darkness still, we pray they see. It’s still a long winter, so much to do before spring. If only we can see the preparation time as purposeful.
Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow”
So, in an AMAZING Way, the Lord brings as CHRISTMAS SNOW – His mercy and grace to last forever – to forgive us – to bring us into His fold. Jesus was prophesied to come to earth and shepherd us, although His physical body melted as snow, pain and sorrow in a short 33years before crucifixion, HE ROSE and rehydrated our lives with His Living Water, and separated our sin far away from us. WASHED CLEAN. Christmas, Easter and Forever.
A gift of a Savior is SALVATION FOREVER. Thank you Isaiah for your forecast. Thank You Lord for the snow, and You as our GIFT.
Now that is perfect Christmas preparation…
Amen
—
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 51:1-6 NKJV
The Lord Comforts Zion
“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”
For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
“Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.
I had the privilege of joining the girl scouts for some Christmas caroling and cookies and cocoa… Yes Rudolph is a favorite, and so cute was the suggestion to sing rocking around the christmas tree. My friends are amazing with all that they do as moms and teachers and ALSO leaders to scouts, like hundreds of scouts over the years…
I was very pleased to sing: “Joy to the World”!!! AND… Well I didn’t know this (and thank God for Wikipedia), but Joy to the World is NOT a Christmas song, but a highly published poem, mentioning in its lyrics NOT the first coming of Christ, but the SECOND! Oh!!!
OH!!!! Not even ho ho ho, not Christmas. But oh oh oh!!!
So please do give it a listen. And feel the JOY in ANTICIPATION that will be coming, anytime now, when Jesus returns! What a WONDERFUL and FOREVER Christ GIFT that will be!!! That’s truly Joy to the World, to have Jesus start our forever.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. OH OH OH, That’s the full circle with Jesus, the Word from the beginning, then upon Christmas, He Came, and Easter, He Rose, and His Second Coming, He “Proves” the Nations – judging them, seeing them bow down, AND He gives believers forgiveness and that is the equity given to all.
Now that’s a Wonder of HIS LOVE!!!
AMEN
AMEN
AMEN
—
This is from wikipedia:
Lyrics of
“Joy to the World” has four verses, although the third verse is occasionally omitted. [FYI – That third verse connects to the curse of Adam having to toil the ground, Genesis 3]
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
—
This is what Wikipedia says:
“Joy to the World” was written by English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts, based on a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts’ collection The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian State and Worship. The paraphrase is Watts’ Christological interpretation. Consequently, he does not emphasize with equal weight the various themes of Psalm 98. In first and second stanzas, Watts writes of heaven and earth rejoicing at the coming of the King. Watts did not write this hymn as a Christmas carol, as the lyrics do not reflect the Virgin birth of Jesus, but rather Christ’s Second Coming. Stanza three, an interlude that alludes to Genesis 3:17–19 rather than to the psalm text, speaks of Christ’s blessings extending victoriously over the realm of sin. The cheerful repetition of the phrase “far as the curse is found” has caused this stanza to be omitted from some hymnals. But the line makes joyful sense when understood from the New Testament eyes through which Watts interprets the psalm. Stanza four celebrates Christ’s rule over the nations.” The nations are called to celebrate because God’s faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world.
—
Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn – shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
—
Genesis 3:17-18 KJV
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
I felt the gumption to do some necessary cleaning before work. Wow, it needed it, all that cluttering stuff which blocks me from a clear floor and easy movement. Dangerous!
Importantly I picked up a loose scripture card. It must have fell out for me along the way – Oh, on The Way… Funny pun, Lord. In cleaning, I noticed that my hip didn’t hurt so much, my many sessions of physical therapy are paying off (yes, $ per session equates for more lifetime of strength – it is worth it), plus the people are wonderful, REALLY WONDERFUL. I’ve been feeling the strength and strengthening of my legs and hips AND faith. THANK GOD!! If I say that an injury could be turned into a blessing, it’s like saying (not jokingly): “Lord, Are You Pulling My Leg!?!” – like I can’t believe You have me going through this, yet, Lord, You say: “Find the silver lining, find the blessings of perseverance in the storm.”(yeah see scripture of James, counting blessings from trials). Well, the Lord IS NOT pulling my leg in joking but I CAN say that actually the physical therapists ARE PULLING my left leg, yes pun intended here, they found with my “minor” tear in the hamstring during a twisting motion injury, that one leg slips up SHORTER with a hip rotation (posterior I think), and they rotate and PULL me back to alignment. Mind you, this is not major pain but of that slightly annoying nature. So no joking, pulling the leg is a good thing!
And what was that scripture card? That I picked up with minimal effort and less pain just now? Well, of course the Word is here to STRENGTHEN us. We need to pick up the clues. Well amazingly, the card REALLY read: “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Paul encourages the Philippians and encourages us.
If we have a tough time in anything, let us hold onto the hope of not seeing but knowing internal faith that we will make it through, even STRONGER on the flip side. And let us remember this advice from Paul: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.“
Yes…
Yes… Jesus Overcame Sin and Death and Will Overcome the rest of our situations too… Let the Lord pull your leg or prod you or push you. Most of all, Let the Lord STRENGTHEN you.
What a difference a year makes! Just a recheck at the doctor right now, for my youngest, and no worries here, got a GREAT result! I am camped out, our 630am appointment. Last year was nerve wracking a bit, our regular eye doctor, a professor himself, identified a non-issue tiny cyst, surely just that, but wanted it checked anyway. So a year ago we cautiously awaited the tests and eventual great news of yes, just a benign little natural cyst. Now, a year later, a recheck and like camping in the waiting room, it’s a PROCESS, tons of people here, a four hour staged set of exams and consultation. It is know a known, what a difference a year makes, no worries and grateful for good medical insurance and doctors and health care, yeah!
What a difference a quick year makes, continued marching into the future… and WHAT A DIFFERENCE 10 YEARS MAKES!!! 10 YEARS now of my Spiritual Awakening season in life, when the Lord appointed the time to knock my socks off in a Christmas Flood, rolled STRIKES knocking down my disbelief system, and flooded my dry soil, causing me to think my head was exploding and causing me to write out my whole awakening. Wow, 10 years. 10 years, over 2000 writings now…
It’s not just a time to stop and marvel, even though I do sometimes, it’s a KEEP MOVING and PRAISING season for me, for a reminder of all our faith lives…
I do praise God’s grace and mercy and love in our lives, peace in pur purpose
I did not know then, for why I wrote this piece – but obviously now, the Lord was telling me to prepare my soul and brain for rain… the new reign of Jesus in me… this was a crucial start of my flood of awakening!
I wrote this and a diatribe before and a Lego Christianity piece after, and I then hid them in my car, hid all my first couple dozen writings in my car. I thought I was going crazy…
I don’t hide them anymore… and I cherish the years of being able to know to reach for the Lord.
Thanks Lord for my Christmas Flood Dec2014 – Feb2015, 10 years ago now! I posted into a blog one year later… I’m now over 2000 blogs with over 100 followers online.
CHRISTMAS FLOOD, 17DEC2014
This is my pivotal first piece to process what I didn’t know what was coming to me – a monumental earth-shattering life change – but it came… like a FLOOD
Christmas Flood, 17DEC
Christmas is like a flood of spiritual emotion, not a light or sustained soaking rain that allows the parched ground to slowly open up and absorb the much needed rain. Christmas is like that short downpour deluge of flooding rain, where only some water gets to the plants and the rest runs off into the gutters or low points. Like in modern construction, we (our spiritual souls) need to set aside flood plains, safe drainage areas so that the spiritual seeds that we have planted all year long aren’t washed away … that the parched spiritual soul is not choked by flood waters. So we can nurture, patiently, our delicate growing belief that God works in our lives every day.
We need sustaining rainfall. We pray for rain, yet do we prepare for it? In the movie “Facing the Giants”, the coach of a “bad news bears”-like football team is finding the need for an emotional awakening (as well as improved football skills) both for his team and himself. A colleague relates to him the story of the two farmers in a drought…two farmers looked to God for rain, but only one prepared for it, so which fields receive the much needed rain? The gist of the quote from the movie is:
“I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain. And both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?” Well, the one prepared his fields for it. Which one are you? Mr. Bridges (the older advisor) continued. “God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”
“Which one are you? God will send the rain when He is ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”
Christmas finds us year after year flooded with buckets of wasted non-nourishing rain, excessive tinsel-covered giant hailstones and mud mud mud clogging and blocking our spiritual path…. If only we set up rain collection barrels to collect the deluge of Christmas excess rain to save some for watering our souls after the new year, to use all winter until we get to the next soaking rains of Easter, the greens of spring, the rebirth thru resurrection.
How can we prepare for rain? How can we dig trenches for excess while welcoming the much needed spiritual lift that comes with a baby in a manger. How can we? Pray. Pray for guidance. Pray for peace and clarity in your heart. Pray for the calming presence of God. And prepare. Prepare for the arrival for both spiritual and non-spiritual abundance. While you need to appreciate and delineate between the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and that of the showy, wing-flapping commotion caused by angels dragging your soul to the cradle…while you need to appreciate and delineate between your heart bursting with Christmas joy (think Dr Seuss’ Grinch’s heart growing “three sizes that day”) and your head saying ‘slowdown, wait, don’t get swept away with emotion’ ….
Either way, you need to prepare your fields for rain.
I love the little reminder that pops up on Facebook with an image of the Nativity and the statement that “The first Christmas was pretty simple. It’s okay if yours is too.” This significant statement both allows us to not be overwhelmed with elaborate, but also to remember what makes Christmas Christmas, and that is the Christmas Christ Child. Keep Christmas simple but don’t minimize the importance.
Christmas is spiritually complex as well as simple easy, in that Jesus did all the work, Mary labored in birth and Joseph labored in traveling and shepherding and Jesus labored in making it all come to fruition – human pain in and out of this world and God-level pain in the lamb being slain.
My pre-christmas weekend was filled with decorating and decorations, mine (got my tree lights on plus swept the empty boxes out of the living room as my “village” is now set up), and seeing the decorations of others especially helping a friend sell lots of treasures, plus seeing neighbors’ lights and etc…. I loved seeing the creches, new and old, as reminder of the real reason of the season… And I decompressed one moment in the sunshine Saturday, untangling mixed strands of golden plastic garland that called to me while I rested my feet sitting in a porch rocking chair.
UNTANGLED!!!
Isn’t that our Christmas prep in a handful – TANGLED and then UNTANGLED or put back away still tangled for next year. Let us try to untangle it all. That’s our mental challenge for Christmas: a mixture simple beauty with the glitter of unsimple reality. It’s the hype that gets us – There is hype of the weather and you realize it’s only rain. There is hype of the news, yet if you shut off your viewing of the media blitz, you can live in the moment more clearly than living in fear. Then there is hype of the Christmas Season, ALL TANGLED WITH BUSY!!! Life TANGLING what JESUS ALREADY UNTANGLED.
Jesus untangled the evil puzzle well before time on this earth began. The real meaning of Christmas is to give Jesus the opening on earth to crush evil, “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”, and to now await His return. Jesus won, Jesus wins. We could celebrate in awe of the power and sorrow of the need for Jesus. And yet let us live in spiritual soothing, live in joy and live in a victorious mentality. Not our victory but His, yet the spoils we enjoy are eternal life. Not that’s the present to unwrap! JOY in knowing our home is heaven! Imagine THAT tree of life!
Keep Christmas special and simple by remembering the JOY equating thinking of JESUS, then OTHERS, before Yourself. J.O.Y.
J Jesus
O thers
Y ourself
That’s keeping Christmas simply but NOT MinimizingLY.
Isn’t it funny when you overhear a conversation? Whether you’re supposed to hear it or they wanted you to hear it or they didn’t care if you heard it… It’s like being on the train and any conversation you have you have to realize other people hear… maybe we should talk about forgiveness more than griping, just a thought…
Well, the phrase I heard was: “I don’t know them from Adam.” Hmmm…. Agreed. We don’t know most people, or how they got from Adam or much about them. True. But in overhearing that statement, whether the person wanted me to hear it or not, they obviously didn’t know me from Adam either and how I would interpret any conversation from them. And for me, I write, I process, I read a room, I interpret. (And often we need to forgive even before we hear.)
One can say “l don’t know you from Adam”, but I’d have to respond with saying: “But you do know Adam, RIGHT?” … YEAH, If you knew Adam, you would know attributes of each person. It’s humans being broken, people having confusion, sometimes having moments of preservation sometimes warranted, sometimes greed, and people who hide their insecurities and wrongs. Knowing Adam means that we should know that people can be influenced by evil influences and lose track of how much God loves them. And you would feel God’s pain at the lack of peace. Surely we know God is Peace and He wants to be known.
If you knew Adam, you would also know that he would know the brokenness in families and culture, especially with Adam being father to Cain and Abel, one family filled with jealousy and seemingly got to the breaking point. Adam would see one rule follower and one who didn’t obey or didn’t understand the sacrifices necessary. One would likely feel compassion for the complications Adam lived with, especially banished from the garden of provisions, now having to toil harder.
That’s how we can look at people. And know without knowing.
That’s how we can have compassion, sometimes tough love, and sometimes just walking away. Forgiveness is key.
And how about that second Adam? Do you know the second Adam? Not the replacement model but the Restoration Role? We know the second Adam as Jesus. Recovery, Restoration, Really Ready, Real, Righteous, Redeemer. REACHING TEACHING LOVING. Jesus came to do all these things and He also came SO we would know Him and His servanthood, and know the path TO the Father is through Him. Jesus came and God wanted Him to be known as the Savior, the Sacrifice, and gift of the Spirit of God into each of us from before the world was formed.
We do know Adam and THANK GOD, we DO know Jesus. It’s important to know people are people. We have to be careful and at the same time, WE HAVE TO LOVE. We have to often steer clear and we have to sacrifice and walk into situations. Serving the Lord means sticky situations with humans like Adam, but clean consciousness of working with them in Living Water washed hopes.
At any rate, make sure we introduce the Jesus we know to the Adam’s we know… INCLUDING OURSELVES. Because certainly we do know Adam and have met him endless times. AND Prayerfully we do know Jesus and how to apply Jesus to a situation. Remember, Jesus already saved, God already won, so we are finishing out our time on earth here, picking up His process to peace, until Jesus comes again.
Amen and Peace
—
Isaiah knew these folks of darkness, all from the separation doing of the devil: ch8:20-22
Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”
Isaiah knew of the HOPE: ch9:6-7
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called:
WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
It was just nice to have someone else plan the work party events, that’s how I adapted to an event choice that I thought at first was a bit iffy for the crew [and what a great crew we have]. Well, I was wrong about the iffy, we were grateful to have had a good time with great people. And we invited some of the former members of the department as well.
So yeah, I originally thought “well I didn’t NEED yet another trinket nor mug from a ceramics painting event”, and I don’t, but I was GRATEFUL to see on the top shelf of ONE I really COULD add to my Christmas collection, inside and out, and so I painted Mary and Joseph holding Jesus.
Ah, the Christmas scene is one envisioned much better than I could paint, and yet Isn’t that true where we put our own colors upon the opportunity of life. And therefore, and since the piece was just within our budgeted level, I embraced it and started painting 88 fleshtone, 13 basic brown, 35 bright blue, and prevailing purple to represent royalty in the Lord, even as a babe, in which scripture tells us Jesus was plain and unremarkable in appearance. I was grateful to have no embarrassment in expressing faith at work, especially with us having a multi-faith ERG employee resource group now at work, SO I gleefully painted and remarked how nice it was to simply sit and paint and relax. Ahhhh…
Embracing the Faith, gifted of the Lord, Who embraced us before we were even born.
Immanuel is “God With Us” and the scriptures remind us that God with us is also now: “GOD WITHIN US”. I enjoy the image portrayal of the ceramic showing the surround of Joseph around Mary around Jesus. It is the inside glow and greatness, for which I did attach earthly golden and deep purple colors to. It will show vividly after the ceramic has gone through the fire.
Isn’t that us too? Our spirit shines brighter after going through the fire. Faith is kindled and cools our furnace fiasco, our unquenchable burn through life. God gives direction from within, Holy Spirit flames and Living Water become steam to keep moving us like a locomotive, simmering like a cup of tea, and in awe of quiet peace in our souls like a sweet moment of a baby, a mom, a dad.
Now, we envision this scene from a little bit of clay, but really the simplest of portraits would not capture our hearts image. Isaiah said Jesus would be plain: “There is no beauty that we should desire Him” – so isn’t it most remarkable what our souls see over earthly eyes.
God With Us is Now God Within Us. Can not have a better view than that.
” A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Amen
—
Matthew 1:20-25 NKJV… behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
—
Isaiah 53 NKJV
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked – But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
—
Luke 2:25-35 NKJV
Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
The weather was so horrible yesterday for driving, and with all my errands plus commute, I clocked my time in the car in hours. When I got home, I was happy to be home. Living on a hill, I simply ignore everything going on outside. An occasional wind gust caught my attention otherwise I was not thinking about it, yes in a zoom call and then watching a TV show which is outside reaching me, otherwise IN is IN. Oblivious to the outside, until I laid down for bed and over my head out the window, I saw the moon beaming… The storm had passed and I was reminded of looking out. But quickly was asleep.
This is when I realized that my day, our experiences, are like being INSIDE the belly of the whale. Like Jonah do we have insight from being INSIDE the whale? Yes, I was protected inside the belly of the whale of my house, earlier surely protected in my subaru with great tires and traction, protected in my building looking out, and protected in my own mind with knowledge that God is in control. Even the zoom conversation of the crazy news did not deter me from knowing God certainly knows what is going on… (really we must be watchful but not frozen in fear)... When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord…
Oh – fear frozen? Jonah was not frozen but stuck, yeah. Was he fearful? Well yeah! Jonah must have been, but in his many days of adventure, I bet he thought about God being in control, I’m sure he remembered that terrible ship tossing and turning, and being in the water with no hope there. So, was Jonah grateful for the whale?
I don’t know about bellies of whales, but I wonder if Jonah had opportunity to listen for the whale coming up to the surface for breathing. Maybe that sound was like me seeing the moonbeam, a sign of hope in the darkness.
How often we are in the belly of the whale?!!! Rescued but still in danger, transportation in scary surroundings but not yet there. With hope but still seeing hellish times around us. Closing the door to ignore outside, only to see the outside invade our minds… Thinking we need a bigger whale, with breathing room. We have One = our lives realizing God is in control.
Yes, we are in a whale of a delivery from sin and death to salvation. This whale gives us the moment to say Lord, please rescue me.
When we feel like the walls of the whale and gastric juices are going to destroy us, remember it was the Lord who SAVED Jonah and brought him to his appointed duties THROUGH the awfulness of the mix. Remember, we too are still in this crazy life and times mix, listening for that breathing hope… And are we clinging now to the whale or wanting to be regurgitated into our days to get us to see the people God wants us to see, to do His work, which might be delivering a message of warning or of deliverance.
Was Jonah grateful for the whale or the whole rescue from his fear and from his disobedience? Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. Well, in hindsight YES! Was Jonah thankful for seeing the light after his time in darkness? In hindsight yes, and surely in the moment. In foresight perhaps too, because despite surviving the ship tossing and despite surviving the whale adventure, Jonah STILL had to do the original tough job up in dangerous Nineveh.
Don’t we have a ‘whale of a tale’ of how God pulled us out of the sea, but maybe we are still in this whale? Or maybe we have realized that regurgitation and now, we are IN our dangerous Ninevah, speaking of the SALVATION of God, of the KNOWING of Heavenly Hope.
If we have a whale of a tale, of warning or hope, it is certainly that we should have HOPE, AND THEN SHARE THAT HOPE.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Amen
—
Jonah’s Prayer and God’s Answer
Jonah 2 NKJV
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said:
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me.
“Out of the belly of Sheol [Hell] l I cried, And You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.
“Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”
So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Quite unusual to remember dreams, yet NOT unusual to have a vivid dream, one that woke me up. I dreamt for some reason that I was a new professor going to give a lecture, on PHYSICS, wow, like high-school level or college, yet the kids were little kids and the fellow professors came too, to evaluate me. Weird. The lecture hall was humongous and old and lots of noisy stuff was going on, like people were wandering in and out. And then I shut the doors and started the lesson energetically. The lesson was to be about potential energy. And?
Well, I started in a way to grab attention in the chaos, started with a light hearted comedic routine, a conversation about someone having potential… They could potentially do this or that… And I was just about to grab my transparencies and start the lecture officially, talking about potential energy, when I woke up.
HMMM…
Isn’t that the truth? When we wake up, we put our personal potential energy and potentially EVERYTHING we have to use.
What will we do today???!!! The potential is endless.
This interestingly, does relate to the next chapter as I’m reading and writing through the Old Testament – and what a blessing to stumble upon an old favorite – Jonah – and to get new INSIGHTS (and I don’t just mean looking from inside the whale).
INSIGHT IS FOUND LOOKING INSIDE YOUR LIFE, HEART, and HOPE in relation to these scriptures.
And the Lord, day to day, has insight into our own motivation, and fear, and that is where we start with Jonah, his fear. The Lord wanted him to go to a place he didn’t want to go and do the work of the Lord that he didn’t want to do, even so much to tell the people on the ship that he was running away from God. We do know that we can’t run away from the Lord. And He will remind us to count upon Him.
I have a friend who’s always saying that she’s gonna go to H.E. double toothpicks and not to Heaven. And that does pertain to Jonah, because the Lord does want us to be with Him, shepherded so much that we don’t get there by our works, only by His pull, His whale of a plan. Christmas-time is also perfect for discussing HOW the Lord came into the world for His mission, a mission to SAVE. Jesus accepted and fulfilled the mission, because the Lord does NOT want us to go to H.E. double toothpicks. Jesus came to the world to free us from the whale of woe, and bring us to Heaven. And that is our potential EVERYTHING, Jesus leading the way.
There’s lots of exciting things in the story of Jonah and there are movies and books and whales of tales (and tails). Jonah, even though he was a prophet, did not want to go preach at Ninevah, the city that was corrupt and scary. He jumped on the boat in the other direction and the storm raised by the Lord made the whole ship fearful. Here’s the part that I somehow breezed over in all my many readings of these chapters, (thus the reason to reread and get new insights), the sailors cast lots to identify Jonah as the cause. Cast Lots! The Lord surely stacked the deck against Jonah hiding, the Lord has the potential EVERYTHING to make ANYTHING go His Way, from lots (chance tickets) to storms, to people, to evil itself all working towards the purposes of the Lord.
Potential Everything… for Jonah, God got him to fess up, jump overboard to save the ship, get swallowed up in a whale for protection and direction and contemplation, because God knew He wanted Jonah for this job.
Potential Everything… for us to!!! God wants us to participate in the basics to the extravagant to the everything, in life. First the basic: BELIEVE. Next the potential: LISTEN. And of course the EVERYTHING: FOLLOW God’s Lead.
Jonah teaches that God will give us the motivation-moving whale too! Jonah shows that our faith will IMPACT other’s faith. Our willingness to BELIEVE and LISTEN and FOLLOW IS the Bible teaching that our lives can demonstrate. Don’t need to let others cast lots to find you, be BOLD in your potential energy to SHINE the Light, and then keep moving.
And apologize too for missteps – we are all prone to them – hopefully they don’t rock the boat too much. Jonah apologized, and made the proper correction at that point. And if we are in a storm, we need to cling to the Lord for calming it.
Well, lots of potential EVERYTHING to learn from the story of Jonah.
May we all see the light for when the whale’s mouth opens and spits us out into today’s POTENTIAL EVERYTHING adventure.
Amen
—
Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the Lord
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
Jonah’s Prayer
Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
It’s that busy time of year entering the holidays and actually being in them without having done practically anything. I have eaten so many Christmas cookies from others, but my preps are crumbles in comparison.
And as for myself? Taking care of myself? Seems both selfish and sanity-necessary. That was the conversation between me and my physical therapist (still stretching this partial hamstring tear) and the lady stretching on the table next to me. Physical therapy, 2 hours twice a week is “me time”… funny but true, and we pay for it too.
I mentally said that in this season, something has got to give. Probably we all think that level between giving up and going forward. Like transporting the decorations to my office, but they sit in the box. Like needing to work on stuff and take vacation. It’s like giving into anxiety versus redirecting energy. It’s a rut we keep digging deeper into and not building stairs instead.
We do need to mentally say: this will happen and this won’t. And it does take something like a hamstring tear (or fill-in your issue here) to stop and work on yourself. Physically and mentally.
Mentally, however, I think (know) what “has to give” IS my STUBBORN head trying to DO this whole life thing ON MY OWN. No, I don’t mean just getting Christmas prep done, I mean mentally I need to RELY ON THE LORD 100%. That’s the rift that’s worse than a minor hamstring pull or losing a whole leg, that’s a rift of our will from HIS WILL, and from His guidance and abilities. God DOES know best, why do we struggle in being blind to it. If I complain about my rift compared to His? Hmmmm….
That’s the something that has to give, my (our) lack of consulting the Lord in advance, in the moment, in the struggle, in the JOY, in the EVERYTHING. And our “give” has to be giving back in PRAISE first. And then everything will follow.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, including the ones we have not yet realized were from Him.
I have experienced God placing me, pausing me, pushing me. Haven’t you? I have. I have received and been relieved, so why would I not expect Him to hear my call? I guess, I must know that in giving up my gripes, my mental mouth will quiet and I will hear His voice instead.
Something Has Got to Give? That would be kicking out my stubbornness, my will, my wants. Something Has Got to Give? Give in? My ears to listen. Give out? My praise for Him. Give? Myself.
10 years today I wrote a diatribe venting of my faith, and I realized then in part and realize now that it was me in unbelief with a higher distribution than me in faith. I needed to give 200% to God (that really 1100% as 100% of me with 1000% Jesus), remembering that God’s got this even if we don’t know or understand everything. WHY SHOULD WE? God’s ways are above ours. We need to listen to Him, and obey.
An abundant life is abundance from Him, and abundant listening and obeying from us.
Let us give God the DEVOTION over the “doing this all myself” attitude.
Thank you Lord.
Amen—
An Invitation to Abundant Life
ISAIAH 55
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you – The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
The video of the Bible Project is a good summary of the book of Obadiah and of understanding how God set up a complicated but consistent God’s Plan, His Sovereign Ways, His Judgment of all, and how Jesus did and will uncomplicate the worst of complications by defeating the evil that goes against God. God’s ways are MUCH higher than our ways.
Video of Obadiah explained here:
One complication we know is of within our families – and small scale complications feels big scale in small units. Nation against nation is big and complicated too, especially when we know people within them who are friends and even family. To God, all people are family, and it’s all been complicated from the start. Adam’s children Cain and Abel, then the history of the lineage of Israel’s Jacob from his brother Esau is life being complicated and sticky. This continued in Jacob and Esau’s descendants Israel and Edom folks, where Edom took advantage of Israel being captured by Babylon. God promised judgement on any nation against Israel, and that’s a huge conversation that can still be discussed to this day. God’s family dynamics are just as (much more) complicated than ours!
However what’s even bigger in God’s power and realm, is His Plan to get us past all the problems. And the end of Obadiah speaks to this
“The pride of your heart has deceived you” – this pertains to all of us and we could judge situations and others, and God could and will judge us. This is yet another reason for us to praise the gift of grace in Jesus. Not just what we get from Jesus, now, but what we already got – we got God’s plan planned out, our job is to follow through in faith. We also get the mercy for not being punished as we could be. And what we WILL get, is to watch all nations bow down to God one day, and all evil fall, knees down, to be humbled before the Lord who will destroy evil once and for all. (See the book of Revelation.)
Life will get worse before it will get better, so hold onto the hope which is holding on to you.
And family dynamics? Best to grin and bear it, in the holidays and always. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Love never fails.
Amen
Obadiah
New King James Version
The Coming Judgment on Edom
The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,“Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):
“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.
“If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night— Oh, how you will be cut off!— Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, Would they not have left some gleanings?
“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it.
“Will I not in that day,” says the Lord, “Even destroy the wise men from Edom, And understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau May be cut off by slaughter.
Edom Mistreated His Brother
“For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side— In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem— Even you were as one of them.
“But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; Nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction In the day of their calamity, Nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained In the day of distress.
“For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been.
Israel’s Final Triumph
“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.
The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South. Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Contemplating Christmas is the shift of the season… my taking a half day off on Friday helped me move into Christmas mode… (plus wearing my Santa pants for comfort and warmth…)
The best inspiration? FRECKLES…
Seeing the FRECKLES of the sweet little girl’s face was seeing the CUTENESS of the season. I was at a Friday night girl scout party helping with the crafts, in charge of the hot glue gun, PERFECT for my skillet and my non-afraid finger burning. I am experienced in that by choice, hot glue guns over white glue are to crafts what the electric sewing machine is to a needle. Faster.
The FACES of the scouts, yeah 150 plus for a rocking dance, cookie, craft event, a service unit MEGA holiday event, were a reminder of the SWEETNESS of children. The beauty of seeing how God made us in His Image is seeing fresh faces. The faces of asking, trusting, and thoughtful crafting minds were the highlight of the evening, better than the Christmas cookies (which were SO GOOD), better than the event I just had left, a tree lighting out in the cold with Santa on his fire truck, BETTER than sitting on my couch contemplating Christmas containers in preparation… (Don’t worry, it will all get done somehow)…
Christmas is best prepared in the heart. Christmas is best shared in the hope. Christmas is KNOWING the LIGHT of the season and SHINING alongside… it’s not necessary to get in the flashy part of Christmas, just the spiritual part.
My Christmas prep includes visiting holiday houses, music programs, etc. And yet helping is better than watching. And those freckles? I was a freckled faced kid too, in sweetness we can help guide the next generation to know sweetness in the Christmas season.
Isn’t Christmas seeing the image of hope in the children? It was surely the hope of Jesus to see people believe in the desire of God, the King of Glory, to come directly to earth to be God with us, Immanuel.
So, here’s a reminder that you and your own face can help make Christmas bright, so get out there and SHINE… A SHINING face is the HEART of God beaming through the rest of life’s ups and downs… Don’t cloud Christmas, let it reign.
Keep Christmas special. Christmas is for children at heart, of all ages.
Amen
—
Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.
They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.
Allow me some time to reminisce that it is ten years ago that the Lord was making me “aware of the need to share” – and Facebook was and is a great sharing tool, but it had to blossom into blogs that I could write to order my thoughts and move onto my day. Writing is Journaling. Blogging is exploding. Faith is For Faith’s sake, wherever the Lord’s pulling you.
I certainly did not know, 10 years ago, of our HolySpirit gearing up to EXPLODE in my mind, when the Lord would say “GO”! There’s lots of writing about His Wow, and of methodical teaching me scripture, and lots of processing in between. I knew 2000 writings ago that I was forced into faith sharing electronically to SAY 100% Jesus, I believe in You now… (I’ve even written about that Feb 1, 2015)…
WELL, 10 years ago, I was at my beloved Christmas family band dinner and concert. We had moved to the area 13 years prior (so 23 years now) moved away from family. It was tough and the church embraced us sweetly. The Christmas band concert was a jump start to my Christmas being the first Sunday of December. My first one, 2002, I sobbed crying in the back because my 1 yr old daughter was improving from a bout with RSV and my family was not going to drive home up north. Sobbed and sobbed but this Christmas dinner became my dinner of faith family.
Fast forward… a blessing in the pain…
And DINNER? YUM! Ham, pineapple stuffing, and those little round potatoes from a can in butter and parsley. My kids love them, still buy the cans. (And thanks to the rice pudding angel too, yum…)
At dinner that evening I heard “Come to the Cradle” – “come and find peace” – the Michael Card song for perhaps the first time – this song and singing became my awakening montage – recorded – surely listening 1000 times that season as our worship leader, my now friend, sang it so sweet and in a calling way to really “come and find peace“… In HolySpirit fashion, our sound manager handed me a cd copy of the concert afterwards so I could make recordings for shut ins. Who knew my own faith was shut in TRAPPED in my ego, pride, busyness and ignorance. That was about to change. OH YEAH…
Ten years ago, I can ALSO see and feel the moment of our discussion (probably one of the first, as our contemporary worship leader was fairly new and I didn’t go to those praise band services after traditional service, especially since I was busy in Sunday school), talking about something faith related in the doorway to the dinner and our pastor beckoning him to come eat, but him holding up a “one moment” gesture as he sensed a faith conversation that was immediately important. It was weeks later that it was crucial for me to seek his input to my head explosive in a faith awakening I never saw coming. Real. Really real… GOD. No one else but God.
There’s 10 years of stories and WRITING especially those that first 2 months Dec 2014 – Feb 2015 (with writings that I retroactively posted into blogs after I realized God wouldn’t let me NOT write). So 10 years later, my broken record to some, that I am STILL celebrating the Lord’s victory of awakeningly “putting my head on straight”. Gratefully, my heart was already ready to receive my King… “Every heart prepare Him room.” is what I wrote on that Facebook post on Christmas band concert/dinner day. Yes, the Lord was “in the room” that day and started rearranging the furniture to make MUCH MUCH MORE room in mine!
Thank You Lord!
(Thanks for reading my ramblings)
Here is my Facebook page post, 10 years ago today, and screenshots. The Nativity I placed on my lawn today is a welcome sight to my heart AND mind ready to behold – AMEN:
Dec 7, 2014
“When they say on airplanes: “put your oxygen mask on first before you help others with theirs” – well this also pertains to me and Christmas – i energize and prepare myself for Christmas so that i can spread the joy the rest of the month. An annual tradition at my church fills me with joy – the wonderful Christmas Band Dinner and Concert – this means dinner with a church family who have embraced me and our family in the last 13 years we have been here. It includes not only the moving brass and woodwind ensemble but my favorite sing-a-longs… it feels oh so good to sing the carols no matter how awful i sound!
i have given up that notion of waiting until the end of the month for christmas – and I am allowing myself the whole month of December for Christmas – four whole weeks to share the love of the Christmas season – from teaching sunday school to seeing the lights to being part of the living nativity – eating pineapple stuffing to laughing while doing dishes – i am so blessed to have my church family! Every heart prepare Him room.”
A beautiful prayer gathering I attended last night and our host brought true reminders to “Advent AGAIN” – yes – to pray for a new meaning or revelation or rekindling and certainly a new surrender of anything blocking our view of Jesus our Savior.
To ADVENT fresh and new is something the Holy Spirit always wants, and “Advent-ing” the NEWNESS is the Lord’s Way to approach each day, let alone each year. Advent-ing new as a gifted clue…
I saw this beautiful nested nestled wooden Nativity scene of Joseph surrounding Mary surrounding baby Jesus, precious and true. Advent-ing again, my insight saw Jesus being born within each of us. I have now known this born again as coming from within for almost 10 years now awakened. A marvel to me.
Yes, Jesus placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit God Himself. Jesus, the Word, created everything through God, as the Light that can never be overcome (as our host brought the book of John scriptures to surrender and surround our thoughts in).
I also felt in this wooden Nativity portrayal of Joseph and Mary and Jesus as an Advent-ing-again INSIGHT of the unique portrayal of Adam and Eve people (as if they came from the same origin being from one piece core of wood), having the blessings of beginning the Re-Beginning New Beginning of Jesus and the new Covanent of God with the people (us) beginning salvation inside from within.
Another insight was of Jesus being the vine and us the branches, as surely this wooden set was carved from a tree branch. We need only to just look within, during this Advent Christmas and always, to find new good reconnection to our Lord.
We may surround ourselves or we can be overtaken by the Christmas rush. We may notice a new ornament, too much glitter, but if we stop looking out to look inside, we can see something new that has been newly revealed.
Let us ADVENT a NEW BEGINNING today, and carry that LIGHT with us always.
Amen
–
John 1:1-5 KJV[NIV]
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended [or overcome] it not.
—
From Psalm 1 NIV
Blessed is the one…
* whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
* who meditates on his law day and night.
*That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither…
—
John 15:1-11 NIV
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.“
I’m shocked that Christmas is coming so fast… yeah, they warned us with a late Thanksgiving, but geez it’s 3 weeks away to Christmas Day. I only got rid of the Halloween candy recently and that was in WARM weather in comparison to the chill now…
It’s not the calendar, but the chill in the air that does help me usher in the feeling of December and that of the Christmas Spectacular almost side show busy. But it’s the reason meaning of Christmas which is captivating. And so, slowly, I have begun another thin precious book (“Why the Nativity” by David Jeremiah who wrote “Answers about Heaven “), about answering questions about the Nativity, not the building but the ENTRY of HEAVENLY HEALING, that comes with JESUS as a BABY. Christmas completed.
I must remind us that Christmas doesn’t start at Christmas. The precariousness that we know of a baby being born in a manger is so unique that it demonstrates ALL THE MORE of God being in charge and giving charge of a baby to a family He picked to shepherd the great Shepherd.
This little book, “Why the Nativity”, inexpensive on ebay, is priceless in the reminder that God sees the fullness of time and our place in it, our moving time is but a small yet crucial placement for Him in us. The book reminds that the prophets were placed to guide us in both knowing what will happen and knowing WHO is happening. God is happened, happening, will happen – because God never changes and always exists. The end is not an end but a beginning we can’t fathom.
Do we have to fear the future? No, God is already there. Just keep moving like that donkey delivered Mary, and carry the LIGHT of the Christmas Spirit always, no matter the date…
Keep John 8:12 in mind:
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
My friend is reducing the volume of her estate to move out of state (please keep her in prayer). She is reducing her items plus that of her mother’s and others. She has shepherded their belongings and their memories so well. She has enjoyed these items, but knows the next chapter is so important with her grandkids, and those are the times and new chapters where they will develop special new memories together. Any book chapter page is flat, but a memory heart chapter is multidimensional with depth and love.
Recently she preciously gave me one beautiful ornament containing the Nativity scene. This ornament was her grandmother’s. I love vintage for sure, but it’s the subject matter that she and I share: a deep love of Jesus and the appreciation that we ourselves are shepherded. Jesus is our Lord and Savior, Jesus is King.
The shepherd on the ornament is clear, remarkably so. Kneeling, dressed, reverent. Shepherded by the angels to visit the baby, he will learn from his heart that this is no ordinary baby, this baby will and already did Shepherd our hearts, tending to the tender moments, shoring up the tough times, making a way where there was no way, and laying His body down for the sake of our salvation. We are shepherded by God and God is love.
We can be a part of shepherding in Christmas and Christ for others, as long as we ourselves be the sheep Shepherded by our Savior, listening for His Word, comfort, and correction. And for us to be Shepherded by the faith instilled in us, we can do hard things too.
This is tough, for her to move, and I cheeringly said: “the best vintage item your kids and grandkids want is you.” We all need to remember that the items are just items, even the ornaments, but Jesus is our All in All. Follow the Shepherd. Be a Flock on the move, then rest with Him at the gate.
Amen
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” An angel speaking to Mary. Luke 1:37
Jesus said: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:10-11, 14-18
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:20
It was a beautiful Living Nativity during the Rockettes Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.
The whole program was SPECTACULAR, and yet the Nativity scene I did not expect and that brought a tear to my eye, as I appreciated reverence and realness to the season. Yes, was beautiful to hear the scriptures and see these devout scenes, singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing in a public presentation, including an angel, Maji and camels and they spoke of gifts for a King, to be a Healer. The people clapped, I felt HOPE in that too, people hearing a message of HOPE.
Christmas in NYC is special, the crisp weather and colorful decorations (even if the main tree wasn’t yet lit until later this week, it WAS impressive to see). It’s ALL a sight to behold, but wow lots of people and at Bryant Park I was balking at the $5 apple cider donuts but realizing that location location location is what people are paying for, not just the donuts. And as we DO bite into the commercialism too much, and me seeing Santa’s on every bike-taxi plus 40 more on stage at Radio City, we puff Christmas into flossy candy strewn everywhere like tinsel…
An overload in stimulus has to be counteracted with good walking shoes and not trying to take it all in. Grateful I’ve been to NYC recently and this felt like I could just galk at everything and not be a super tourist indulging. So it’s OK if you simply take in that Christmas in New York City, or anywhere, as a display of a Christmas that is felt and enjoyed as a season of LOVE.
I sat in Radio City’s first floor section thinking about Annie in the 1980’s movie scene for the time they got to go to Radio City, and her amazement, which the place has amazed for almost 80 to 90 years. Vintage classic, I love the art deco, thinking of 40’s fancy ladies resting in the powder room’s comfy green chairs. This is the first time I’ve seen the Rockettes perform, although I’ve been on a couple on tours of the building previously. It was unmistakably amazing to see the Rockettes timing and sound of the tapping and especially that slow toy soldier domino effect of being knocked down and holding each other. Also, so cool was the color images in projection all throughout the theatre walls, THAT was unexpected and not anything you could appreciate fully unless you sat under it, even fake snow… There were drones in flight, and Santa shadows that moved in independence, and the fireworks and Santa’s sleigh that zoomed right off the stage into the sky. Spectacular.
We rode with friends into the city after lunch at a familiar place and then went back home via a train after a long day. I still remember the little things of the day, things to remember and things to forgive and forget. Isn’t that like Living IN a Nativity ourselves? Taking in the majesty of Jesus being born, then living out our days as Jesus would, noticing details, helping. Living IN the moment.
Living IN Nativity was seeing the smart little girl at lunch knowing her colors, especially PURPLE. Her parents didn’t mind her gibber-gabbering to me and I gave her my little plastic turtles that I fished out from my purse, she will have more fun with them than me. They reminded me of my friend who has a t-shirt with the phrase “I taught the turtles to sing” referring to God majesty in creating. And living in the moment was seeing an inquisitive little boy at the entrance of the theater trying to re-hook the ribbon separator, I realized that I could help him learn how it worked while we waited. When I see people whom I will never see again, I wonder if in Heaven we will run into each other.
And when we were hightail hiking down to the train, all needing the decompression we all did from an over-extravagent day, I appreciated reverence of the Living IN Nativity as I saw particular shops “randomly” next to each other display “free gift” and “Grace” Cafe… yes… It was a reminder to me to give forgiveness to scenes where I felt hassled and ask forgiveness for when I hassled the scene. For Jesus with living out of the Nativity scene gave us grace as a free gift.
Living IN Nativity is letting God fix things, but you watch the events unfold like the unbundled Christmas tree limbs falling down into place…
Living IN Nativity is being THANKFUL, reverent, real. Living IN Nativity is living in the moment, and being in timelessness of finding the LOVE of the season, in ALL seasons, gifted before tracking time ever began.
Living IN Nativity is LOVE!
Amen and Spectacular!
—
Luke 2: 8-14, KJV. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
I am blessed to be overloaded with Thanksgiving leftovers. What I don’t give away, I likely will bring to work so it doesn’t spoil and so I don’t eat too much pie… Overloaded is what we eat, and what we have, sometimes, and we SHOULD SHARE Then at other times, we have not enough, and oh so sad there are many that have much less, losing also hope. May we share where we can. Share our harvest gifts, including sharing the HOPE especially with Word of the Lord and His Promises fulfilled and still to come. May we share the fruits of the Spirit as well: Love, Peace, Joy, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
Enjoying Thanksgiving, I was so comforted in hearing the prayer of Linus during the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cartoon, who gave an account of the first Thanksgiving and the prayer that day: “Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: ‘We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice'”.
As I return to my Old Testament reading and writing in Amos closing up the chapters, the Lord was telling Amos to tell people to practice justice and to shape up! The Lord saw false idol worship and really bad cheating of the poor, falsifying the balances by deceit. Remember that the Lord Jesus came to the temple courts and overturned the money exchange and selling market cheating the poor. The poor were supposed to be allowed to buy inexpensive items for required sacrifice. Cheating of those with little was rampant. God NEVER likes to see people ignoring His command to share, to be fair, and to be aware.
On Thanksgiving, it’s a reminder to appreciate what we have and surely others have shared with us, like those American Indians helped the settlement survive. Farmers know the land.
Amos is a fig tree farmer called to be a prophet during the wayward times Israelites and Judah-ites who are in a divided kingdom. Amos gives the Lord’s warning and judgment on the cheating. With a tough-love approach, the Lord said: “I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” – WOW!
But here is the HOPE – Amos tells of a RESTORATION of the House of David – now there’s a great segue into Christmas – that the Hope is in the Lord to raise up the remnant of the fallen. To start a fresh seeding of the land: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper...”
So as we close this month of November, may we continue Thanksgiving with our hearts and actions (and some leftovers). May we especially thank God for the blessed Hope He planted in the days before our lives, all while planting and planning for us to know Him and His goodness. May we use our fruits of the spirit to keep showing others how we trust the Lord. Bear fruit for Him.
May we always be thankful.
Amen
—
Amos 8
Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
Amos 9
I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.
If I didn’t take in my poinsettia, it would have froze. It’s doing well transplanted… ah, transplant like Amos the prophet…
If you think we’ve HEARD THE STORY BEFORE – we have. Amos, a Fig Farmer, gives us the small MIGHTY fine print understanding of an era that God covers again and again in the old testament. And it FIGures, it’s probably no coincidence that Amos is a FIG FARMER called into be a prophet, where we now are seeing in scripture the consistent thought process for Israel being a FIG TREE that should have been blooming all along. It needed farmers in the prophets. Even told they were purposefully placed into captivity, and watch for signs. But no, the Israelites and Judah-ites knew of David’s Kingdom and the promise it was to be restored, (see the Psalm Sunday scene), but the rulers and their fellow folks couldn’t see to listen to God and BE FRUITFUL, even in dry spots of the nation’s life.
The season of the Lord’s coming “should” have been met with a blooming Israel to greet Him, but Jesus sees them not seeing, and an accursed fig tree, recorded in Matthew, represents the Israel not fruitful (scholars say this, this makes sense). God uprooted the complacency of Israel many times, and like carrying the Ark of the Covanent around in a prescribed way, they should have carried out the hope in a Messiah and all that the Lord asked.
A familiar king Jeroboam doesn’t listen to God, so God sends a messenger in a prophet, Amos. Even the prophets have to realize that God needs them to go, (just ask Jonah), so why a king can’t listen is because they don’t want to disturb their own status quo.
These stories are of a long line of not listeners, of sadly thinking our thinking is above God’s, of even ignoring His Way as if it didn’t exist or won’t happen. It’s not being fruitful in a dry spell.
God is Almighty, Go with God. Bear His Fruit. Be thankful. Even Jesus said ask God to tell the mountains to move and they will. We can be fruitful in listening to His Way.
Amaziah, not listening, was a priest of the divided kingdom section of Israel, and not happy to be told Israel was going into exile. Maybe Amos was like a worn out record of warning and against the status quo especially saying such within “the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amaziah was displeased and tried to turn away from the truth. So, Amos explained, he was clear that even He was pulled into service to speak God’s truth. And gave a frank account of God’s Plan. If the king (or priest) wasn’t listening to God, then they would not have given any encouragement for the people to. They were destined to be exiled, as matter of fact as it could be. It was them keeping the status quo of being selfish and not selfless to God’s plans.
Remember, or if you didn’t know, we are currently in exile ourselves from an Eden with God, and we certainly spread through the earth for God’s mission, and are told to bear His Fruit from His Living Water, and keep planting seeds. This is God’s Plan for us. If we are to go, then let’s go. If we are to bloom where planted then bloom for this time, then send forth fruit. Like Amos, we must be messengers, go FIGure…
Always may we Go with God, and keep blooming… stay warm (like the poinsettia) in His Love.
Amen
—
AMOS 7:10-17
Amos and Amaziah
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the Lord.
“You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
“Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
—
Mark 11
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts
The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”
Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
I thought many thoughts sorting antiques – mine my family’s and friends – family heirlooms yes and maybe – many thoughts including “what would I think” if I were watching someone look and touch or not value or donate and even toss my stuff. Would I care then, in Heaven, like I would now, if they didn’t match the usefulness to the stuff?
It is that saying: “So and so would be rolling over in their grave”… Really, we understand that concept, that they wouldn’t or don’t like what you are doing and it twists them when already dead… like redoing a musical piece of Beethoven would upset him. But really, then again, maybe not. Maybe worldliness washes away with death.
NOT rolling over – For if our deaths are LIFE AGAIN, life at rest AND blessedly LIFE WITH JESUS, then how would we NOT forgive earthly faux-paux’s which are nothing more than clearly clearing up what you don’t need. (And probably didn’t need half of it alive either – we are all like this, me too)…
Jesus said “you can’t take it with you”, especially because we DON’T NEED IT. I mean wouldn’t you react with JOY that someone might enjoy your stuff rather than it carry dust?
And for us to get upset WHILE WE ARE DEAD seems a waste of time. We will then be the dust then anyway (and not immediately the dust on the stuff left behind, unless you have detailed that for the crematorium and paid extra for dust distribution. LOL
(I digress… )
Surely, if we were seeing the FACE OF JESUS right now, in death, in restful death, of Him holding us in His arms, would we care who is holding, *or not holding*, our earthly stuff? Would we cause drama for earthly things? Would we turn from JESUS’S FACE to look at a Mr Peanut coin bank from 1970’s plastic palooza? NO!
NO!
(And maybe the thrift shops with our donations can reap the cash to help others)
Who’s holding our legacy too? Are we not broken people already marveling at other’s brokenness right now – but yet now, TRADE THAT THOUGHT for the HEALING that HEAVEN brings – and the HEALER Whom made/makes Heaven Harmonious.
Jesus, yes, Jesus loves us both in forgetting and in remembering. Surely with our loved ones and with their stuff, we can LOVE and be fair and be respectful AND NOT JUDGE. Jesus is Whom holds us from NOT rolling over in our graves – as we are held instead in His Graces. We are held forgivingly in His Love. No need to turn away from that!
So don’t remember the stuff over the person. Remember the love too. Remember the Lord in all, He gave His LIFE for Loves sake.
Don’t turn to look anywhere but at the LOVE.
Amen
Proverbs 23:4-5
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Psalm 48
Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me – those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them – the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough – so that they should live on forever and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.
People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.
This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed – and people praise you when you prosper – they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.
People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.
—
Ecclesiastes5:10-12
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.
—
1 Timothy 6:7-21 – a letter
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Final Charge to Timothy
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.
It’s a known – “watch the weather” – so I did – and it was more beautiful than scary. I do love snow, so while I really was on a mission to strategically get through it, I did stop occasionally to admire it. (And I packed winter gear for sure – boots and winter coat were donned!!!)
The journey started at 40 then 37 degrees then 33 for a while, 32 just a moment, then down the mountains 33, 37, 40…. rain-snow-rain. So I had fall – winter – fall seasons, and because it was almost 70 last week, forsythia flowers were blooming up at mom’s – spring sprung twice as a surprise each of these recently warm years… I thought how great the northeast has stockpiles of salt deposits – how fittingly convenient… salt melts snow….
The hills surrounding got 4 to 12 inches of snow, but the valley got rain, lots that the minor gorge creek at the bottom of the road was pouring down in volume.
The trip through mountain elevation caused me to see up to 8 inches of big fluffy snow at one point, but I didn’t stop for that photo, because the roads were really good, salted, and there was a gap of precipitation, and the height of day is when my Dad always preferred me to get through the mountains. I was subaru-safe and slowed down. It is nice to be up home this weekend, pre Thanksgiving moments with my mom, brother, and today planning work at my aunt’s farmhouse (only 4 inches snow there)… it’s normal to keep going in snow…
The snow sandwiched in the middle of my seasons did get me thinking of Christmas, it seemed not out of place then in the moment, otherwise I am so NOT ready to switch my palette of life of browns and yellows, faded red oranges to WAY TOO BRIGHT red and green, not until after Thanksgiving. So right now preferred browns and yellows in my sights added in white. Christmas is coming, but savor THIS season first, whatever the temperature.
However slow or fast this Christmas season comes, it’s not a delay of understanding the REAL SEASON SENSATION – that is of course the story of Jesus coming – advent starts soon. Well 9 months before Jesus’s birth we are also clued into a preparation story, mary with Jesus is prepared by Elizabeth and cousin John the Baptist, and dad Zachariah having to wait to get his voice back. Ah, many a waiting story…. In Zachariah’s account in Luke, is like spring inside fall (forsythia not overrun with snow) reading about Jesus Savior as hope, in the song of Zachariah, Luke 1:67-75, we see a people who saw the glimpse of the new within the old season. We savor THIS Savior season.
So yes, we can glimpse this season shift in Luke’s gospel account, the crucial connection between old and new testaments but one long journey for Jesus and David’s line…
It’s like snow in my fall, spring in my step, and the real WARM UP to the season!
Zechariah’s Song
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us – to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
—
THEN SPEAKING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST v76-80
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said.
I know these next chapters of Amos are so important, as the whole of scripture is… So to understand better, I once again recommend the animated story board retelling videos on YouTube – a starting board from which to dive in….
And these images in Amos 7 are of a vision of the destruction of wayward Israel, offsprings of Jacob and his tribes, with locusts and fire – but Amos, a fig tree farmer turned prophesy preventer, calls out to the Lord as is to say ‘Don’t ruin us completely’: “How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” Yes, Amos was making the realization of the need to be saved as a people from their wayward ways, they were words the Lord was wanting to hear… Amos saw AMAZING Almosts then spoke of the Spiritual Save!
God relented these acts of locusts and fire, but He was as True to His Word as the plumb line was to the earth – God was going to correct their waywardness, crumbling faith devotion, with exile and rebuilding.
Rebuilding! This was the crumble before the correction… Soon to ve written is the rise from the ashes of a Savior (see chapter 9 ahead)… Jesus was and is and will be the Savior of AMAZING AMENS!
AMEN
—
Amos 7
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
“The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”
Amos and Amaziah
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their native land.’”
Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say, “‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
“Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
If there’s a set of sins SO OFTEN called out in scripture, they would clearly be including complacency, settling into living without gratitude. This is what Amos is warning the people of Israel about, and warning all of us. Don’t be complacent and lack praise.
We think of evil sins like murder and yet there’s sins of omission like apathy, living not caring even if you do know other’s plight. More turn our back sins like Charles Dickens wrote in “A Christmas Carol”, showing Scrooge horrified at children under the robe of ‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’ – the big booming voice: “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”
All these sins all fall under not being aware of how we drift away from awareness. Apathy feeds itself, and complacent behavior is just that, complacent.
God wants attention. God wants us to understand what is bothering Him about how we (ancients descendants of Jacob and all of us now) don’t praise for what we DO have.
Amos foretold the exiles forced by fierce neighbors in the time of the divided kingdoms. (Amos tells us now that we are running out of time to pay attention.) Amos warns the day of complacent ways will come to an abrupt end – For the Lord has given the command – and if we can acknowledge that prophets like Amos spoke truth of what was going to happen, then we must recognize that the future prophecies will also come true.
Best we can do (in addition to PAY ATTENTION and PRAY) is PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW…
Praise God for the new day to keep looking and working for Him.
Amen.
—
Amos 6 NIV
Woe to the Complacent
Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours? You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You ou dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.” If ten people are left in one house, they too will die. And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
For the Lord has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.
Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness – you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”
For the Lord God Almighty declares, “I will stir up a nation against you, Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”
I looked up to the sky (well actually the ceiling as I was inside) as I was PRAISING GOD for some good data in the lab, PROGRESS. And it hit me, just Holy Spirit fashion just then, seeing the fire alarm label, it said POTTER. Hmmmm… our Heavenly Father Potter. Hmmmm…
Yes, for this lab work, it’s been quite the process for FINDING THE TIME, bigger chunks of time, to do the lengthy steps. It’s not that the work is hard, but it has to be precise, and it really needs time – uninterrupted time. OH, TIME… Oh that’s what a Potter needs, to work us with TIME. Lord, You do know that we need Your help and molding.
And then I thought it funny when the graphical output of some of my data had 2 humps in the unmistakable reminder of a TV cartoon monster from Bugs Bunny – so funny – I saw the orange hairy monster instantly in my head. Our brains and memories are so marvelous. I mentioned this to my coworker of the same vintage and she said “the one with the sneakers?” YEAH!
The monster wasn’t scary to Bugs Bunny and Bugs always had an ulterior motivation of distraction that fueled his actions, like pretending to give this monster a spa treatment day just for distraction… Why this all screamed in my head I don’t know…
What was I talking about? Oh yes, the fire alarm, THE POTTER, oh yes THE FATHER, OH YES THE PRAISING! But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
And what about ‘the pottery of us’??? Of me??? Was I being tested to see if I could find that level of asking for help? Was I just in a place to be place-held for Your purposes, Lord, unknown and known? What step is this in my life as clay? As formed? As drying and getting stronger, or fired in the kiln ready for decoration… ??? Hmmmm…. The fire alarm was quiet, but the scripture reference blasted into my head all weekend, even seeing other references. The Potter.
Hmmm… if my brain thinks randomly with cartoon characters, then surely I need the scriptures even more to refocus me… And then even more I must believe God’s non-random signal is simply to know that: I am HIS. WE ARE HIS. And keep keepin’ on…
Oh, MOLD ME, Lord, and please do let me see the finished product someday with Jesus leading the Way, His Way.
This clay and Potter scripture from Isaiah (excerpts 64:4-9 below) does speak VOLUMES of who God is, and the blessings of us being molded, BEING SAVED, being attended to because of God’s Righteousness. And it speaks of a people Israel who failed to follow God, and it speaks of ALL of us needing to return to God as Lord.
May we return and capture our thoughts into Your clay too, Lord, help mold our steps today.
Amen
—
For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned – In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.
.
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. …
.
But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
.
Do not be furious, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look – we all are Your people!
“You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
Some of the best assurances and warnings of the strength of the Almighty Lord is to understand His tough love policy for those who stray. It is still and always will be love because God is love. A squishy pushover love it is NOT, because God has enough power to destroy and correct what He made on the largest stage, and save, in the smallest behind the scenes moment. Therefore we must be tapped into the love of healing and knowledge of good and evil.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land – the Lord is his name.
Surely, the wayward chosen people of Israelites and Judah-ites were needing the reminder of compliance, as Amos the prophet gave. And so are we – to be reminded to stay devoted. The saved remnant of folks, from the tribes of Jacob, were described like a burning stick snatched from the fire, saved just in time.
We now in life still fraught with society going every which way, should be thankful for we are in the boat with Jesus and able to say: “Lord, douse me with your LIVING WATER”…
God’s love never fails and unlike unfaithfulness waywardness which relies on crumbling human-invented paths, “those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground”, God’s love and God’s ability is the STRENGTH of the whole SYSTEM. God’s righteousness and God’s justice will root out evil at the time of the harvest. Therefore let us be in the system of good, of devotion, of love, and share the fruitfulness from our watered souls, living as God’s love ‘through us’, not just ‘to us’.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Let us all keep living and loving. Pray to walk with the God Who is with us.
Amen
—
Amos 4:11 – Amos 5:17
“You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name.
A Lament and Call to Repentance
Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:
“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.”
This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left; your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.”
This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba.For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Seek the Lord and live,
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land – the Lord is his name.
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin. There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.
When you wake up from a dream, weird wacky or scary dream,
Remember that at night you’re being taken care of by God’s Dream-Correcting Team.
.
When the weirdness of dreams all blows away like dust,
Remember that IN GOD WE TRUST
.
For the themes and things that dreams work on, minor stuff can now blow away like fluff.
And the major thought things are best handled by God – God reminds: “I AM ENOUGH!”
.
GOD TAKES CARE OF IT ALL, There is no thought to tough,
God says “I know the hard stuff.”
.
And if our thoughts are trouble for all, let’s redirect them to be captives of Christ, remembering scripture by Paul.
Take to Jesus because of God’s Power, Jesus is WILLFULLY forgiving us, forgiving all.
Just give Jesus a call.
.
His Love and His Grace covers all.
.
Amen
.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians 2nd, 10:3-5
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
It’s gratitude, not attitude, the Lord God Almighty wants compliance over complaining. Listening over lame excuses. We should be thankful for we do know God’s thoughts in His scriptures. We do know what mercy is. And we should know that without God’s mercy and grace, we would not be running this race. Really, how many times do we know this already, but God wants us to know Him intimately, really know, Him. Intimate not ignorant.
He is truly reminding us to be ready to know Him one day at His judgment throne, but really to know Him as ALMIGHTY ALREADY.
Israel’s people in the wayward days and years, hundreds of years, as re-told by Amos, prophet during the divided kingdom years, called out the obvious – the people would actively sin but make the sin offering sacrifices as rote duty, then go back sinning and worshipping other gods. They were arrogant, not ignorant. They knew better. They did not act better. Their history included prophesy of a Savior in David’s line, a rescuer and ruler. So paying attention to the real and realness of God is required.
We should know this too. We should keep God in our undivided devotion. Does this mean we don’t live? No, contrary, it means we live ACTIVELY and live actually more ABUNDANTLY, knowing our job is to LIVE and LOVE, so we love VIGOROUSLY and with VITALITY and PURPOSE.
Best phrases in the Bible include this one, told to the troubled souls: “PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD!”… Well, surely our Savior in Jesus calls our names and saves.
Yes, Amos knew we and others needed this truth for reminding us of God’s power. “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY IS HIS NAME.”
Don’t confuse the knowing of God’s thoughts with freedom to forget them.
I’ve seen arrogance as a play and a ploy, but it IS being in God’s service I will enjoy.
Amen, and thank You Lord for forgiveness in Jesus. Thank You Lord for showing us the Way. Love over listlessness. Shepherding over sleep-walking. Home over hassle or hustle. . Waking us for Walking. Forgiveness For Forevermore. Again and Amen
Amos 4 Israel Has Not Returned to God Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord. “Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings – boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY IS HIS NAME.
…attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings… Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life... Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
It was the very end of the multi-division presentation at work when they talked about the survey results that you may see and interpret within your group (small or site-wide) and they urged people to act upon them without getting upset if they were general or specific comments that seemed negative. We always need to be correct in our work ethics, but INSTEAD of the negative implications of getting upset, consider these comments as OPPORTUNITIES for growth. Yes. The best acronym I heard – QTIP – “Quit Taking It Personally”… yes..
When we don’t think about situations and how we are personally affected, we are then able to think more broadly in helping. When we don’t ‘get our noses bent out of shape’, we can keep moving and be less shaken. And if it’s just a venting session, don’t you get steamed too…
I connected this QTIP “cute-tip” about not letting things bug you, not taking things personally, with a scripture right away – ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it’… from wise Solomon.
TRUE, as your heart can sway and overspill, can corrupt your mind allowing it to get carried away, causing even more angst.
A QTIP is USEFUL – I use them to grease my sewing machine. Useful for hygiene yes, as well as cleaning up little things, as a decorating tool paintbrush for improvement, and ELEGANTLY MADE and clean if we don’t let them overspill the clean container.
Our hearts are needed that way too, USEFUL, could paint a picture of our lives, ELEGANT and hard-working, CLEAN if we keep them that way. And yet they are indescribable as fragile and strong at the same time.
In the wisdom of Solomon, GET WISDOM, and guard your heart… use the wisdom to ‘live long and prosper’…
And QTIP.
Amen
—
Proverbs 4:18-27
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
—
Proverbs 4:5-13
“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
I held the Bible pages in an actual physical Bible and thought to myself, I am amazed how I have read and written through almost all of the Old Testament, after the New Testament, now 10 years nearly since my awakening. There are such slim pages left, and amazing for I seem to be on track for finishing reading and writing at the 10 year mark. And then what? Do it again… read, write, absorb, teach… Really the sharing is about our readiness for heaven – both immediately and ultimately – do we know Jesus to know He is the One taking us there? I hope the world knows Jesus as Lord and Savior before they kneel as conquered…
I thought, I think, I know that, well, these are TOUGH chapters at the end of the Old Testament WOW! It’s again and again old bits of TOUGH times prophecy in Amos, in the middle of the rough years of a divided kingdom – tough reading meaning text AGAIN about harshness on wayward Israel and Judah – and YET ISN’T THAT TRUE – isn’t that like end times of the tough understanding their situation in the world without the Messiah yet, without Jesus walking in it, without what they saw would be final restoration of the Kingdom. Think of the angst and hopes of Simeon to see the deliverer before he died…
And so, there is info to learn in the Old Testament – I know we are not to breeze over these even if tough, knowing the New Testament is soon in my/our agenda, no. In reading the prophets, Amos especially, these are NOT tiny chapters of thoughts by prophet Amos even if tiny in pages. This reading is a WHOLE bunch of learning – of God’s Way with His people.
And for us today, this tough reading is reflective of the tough now, knowing Jesus came, but we are sitting in a broken world holding onto the hope of looking for the Lord’s final return. The fire is refining before the finish. Jesus come quickly.
Then in the middle of the tough passages, I saw assurance: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” YES – God reveals what He is doing – we simply must listen and follow.
It’s these words of comfort we are to learn from these chapters. We are not going to be successful in insulating us from the evil – likewise we are not going to fix a world to save it – but instead need to have Jesus come to reign in it, then move to a new city kingdom heaven, in the time appointed.
Meanwhile, our time is to learn and live best. We must dig in – dig into chapters – dig into learning – dig into living in a broken world as not a bunker but above it as an opportunity to keep our eyes on our Shepherd Jesus. As the Lord punishes the enemies of His people, He will knock down the evil once and for all, in that day of reckoning. He will also judge the goats from the sheep – those who said they would help and didn’t vs those who listened and DID help.
So, as Amos speaks of God’s punishment for His own people gone astray (Judah-ites and Israelites of the time), whoa to those now who hunker down, bunker down, in the world with protectiveness of possessions like those thinking the world will save them – rather than step out into the world with the armor of God. We must keep moving.
DON’T let the world’s trappings swallow you as a lion does – “as a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
Keep walking my friends, light of foot and light in the eyes, share hope, we are A(l)mos(t) there.
Amen
—
AMOS 1-3, NIV
The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa – the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
He said:“The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.”
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord.
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not relent. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses. I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines are dead,” says the Sovereign Lord.
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not relent. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire on the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses.”
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with a sword and slaughtered the women of the land, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked, I will send fire on Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. Her king will go into exile, he and his officials together,” says the Lord.
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king, I will send fire on Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him,” says the Lord.
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.
“Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites.
“I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
“Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing? Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy? Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.”
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”
This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”
“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
“On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord.
It is a blessing to know that there are those who help – who lay down their lives to help – and we salute Veterans’ Day thanking those who served – we cherish Armistice Day grateful for a stop to fighting in World War One – and (new to me) learn about St. Martin’s Day and his gift of half his cloak in a cold winter to a beggar with none.
This is the season of thankfulness, of helping, of harvest and of fruits and vegetables that last – if kept in cool temperatures – like squash and apples – seeds and nuts… This is the season of cooler temps and today (first time in over a month) there is rain – beautiful rain – and perfect season setting…
The story of St Marin (from Wikipedia) says that ‘Martin of Tours (died 397) was a Roman soldier who was baptized as an adult and became a bishop in Gaul. He is best known for the tale whereby he cut his cloak in half with his sword, to give half to a beggar who was dressed in only rags in the depth of winter. That night Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing the half-cloak.’
Jesus is our hero and our martyr and our helper and our priest above all priests – above all angels – above all saints. Jesus IS God – and this act of helping one person is the act of helping Jesus – as Jesus said Himself, like the song lyric: ‘whatever you do for the least of my brothers – that you do unto me’…
And with my aptly-found printout of the Lost Son Parable from Luke 15, we remember that God as the Father to His wayward children – He is always looking for us to come home.
And so today – we remember – we remember the helpers – like the soldiers and the peace keepers – we remember those who remember us and share with us – and we remember the ultimate remembering: THAT GOD LOVED US FIRST.
God loved us so much to help us.
Thank you Jesus.
Amen
—-
The Sheep and the Goats – Matthew 25:31-46 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
On the back door of the tractor trailer in front of me the other night, during stop and go traffic, was some dust writing, a clean clearing of a smear in the corner. Written was “MATTHEW 6:13″… I followed for a while, tried unsuccessfully to capture a good reflecting image. Later I looked up Matthew 6:13 as soon as I safely could… It was a sign for sure, really all scripture is a good sign to pay attention – yeah – all scripture is good for teaching and reminding.
This one especially Matthew 6:13: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Ahhhh… good scripture and a prayer, these phrases spoken by Jesus that are captured in Matthew are for teaching the prayer of all prayers – the Lord’s Prayer. And a plea for us to not be in temptation, including the temptation to go it alone without our anchor of the Lord, our wave calmer. And there is a praise of the Lord’s Almighty Glory.
YES – Matthew is the gospel of identity for new followers of Jesus at the time and for all of us now, and therefore so much great advice in how to live.
Let us know the stability and strength of the Lord. Let us kneel in admiration, asking forgiveness, accepting mercy and His Grace. Let us pray His prayer. Let us keep truckin’ along.
Amen
—-
Jesus said:
“therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
—
Matthew 6
New King James Version
Jesus speaking:
Do Good to Please God
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
The Model Prayer
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!…”
“… the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.”
“But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion.”
The battles of the Lord are His to fight and He will win and cause judgement – whoa for us to be judged, but we will be and with judgement comes correction. The Lord will judge the nations and the peoples, He also had and has plans to heal them, allowing His people to prosper. It’s quite the battle first however. Scriptures of Joel and Isaiah remind us to BE HIS. His time of judgement will come.
Swords And Spears into or from plowshares and pruning hooks – Joel 3 speaks of awakening nations to get ready for battle, and Isaiah 2 speaks of turning battles into peace by letting God do the fighting and the judging. There will be both. God’s people will be protected and a roar of battle will be intense. God’s roar against false idols to prevail, just as He will prevail against the distractions and the evil today. There are SO MANY reminders to pay attention to the Lord – He has prevailed and He will prevail for His People. We MUST be focused upon Him.
Amen and Amen
Lord Jesus come quickly.
.
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols He shall utterly abolish. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
.
“He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people…”
.
“Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.”
.
“For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up – And it shall be brought low…”
.
Amen and Amen
Lord Jesus come quickly.
—-
Joel 2
God Judges the Nations
“For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
“Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions. Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.
“Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the Lord has spoken.”
Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord.
“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow – For their wickedness is great.”
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
God Blesses His People
And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias.
“Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion.”
—-
Isaiah 2
The Future House of God
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
The Day of the Lord
O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord. For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners. Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. People bow down, And each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them.
Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
For the day of the Lord of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up – And it shall be brought low – Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan; Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up; Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall; Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The Lord alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats, To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?
( I purposefully have not looked at election results this morning until I could send this devotion out – written in my head last night – God wins my vote above all – Thank You Jesus)
The closeness of the call – “Battlegrounds are too early to call” – that is the statement on the top of the news channels election night – just after the polls were closing – and even when some people were still in line. These battlegrounds are the grounds which have seen too much bickering and mudslinging – not enough ground to house all that mud. We don’t even have rain to make mud – it is all just dust – blinding dust – choking and bad. The closeness of the call is just that – a call in which you discern it is close enough to realness to make a prediction. everyone just wants it called correctly.
Close calls – some are so lifesaving – like “almost” in a car accident – a close call. “Almost” a deer running in front of your car. “Almost” missing a deadline but not.
Close calls – some are soul-soothing – like a distant relationship perhaps between a child or a parent – and just a phone call makes it “close” as in bringing someone mentally closer to you and when you hear their voice – that erases distance. Now add video calls and meetings and we are as close as we think we are. Wow – and so soul-soothing.
Close calls – one might be the “close” same spelling but different word – as in “closing call” – the “closing call” says – last chance. And here is another “closing call” – which would be a “closure call” – when my father-in-law was struggling and about to pass away and we were waiting for his youngest son who was in army duties and trying to rush home – and someone said to just find a phone and call home – and that call and just hearing his son’s voice was as close as close could be for that moment – and the closure of that call was immediate – and my father-in-law passed away just then…
Close calls – some are soul-saving – as in we know Who to call in need – we call Jesus.
WE CALL “JESUS” – we lift our hand as Peter did in the sinking feeling – and Jesus was right there – IMMEDIATELY. He was as close as a call – but even closer because Jesus was ALREADY at His side. In a predicament that would have you/me/we crying out – calling – making a call – well the closeness of THAT call – of that reaching out and up – is not even needing to pick up the phone but to open up one’s heart – Jesus is already here with us.
Jesus and His vastness and His forgiveness and His closeness is already instilled inside of us. Peter did not have to wait to have the rescue – the rescue was immediate. We don’t have to wait either – it is not going to be a close call of almost caught – it is going to be CAUGHT, rescued, SAVED.
IMMEDIATELY JESUS REACHES – even before you fall.
If in elections “Battlegrounds are too early to call” – then don’t make life a battleground – instead rely, submit, surrender, hope in Jesus and feel the truth that the battle is done – Jesus has won. This would not be a call in which you discern it is “close enough” to realness to make a prediction call, like an election, because Jesus has MADE a selection – Jesus selected to save YOU.
Jesus has won – that is truth and He IS our close call. Rely on Jesus.
Jesus is the call for ALL.
Amen
—-
Matthew 14:22-33 NIV
Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
What a way to be an ENCOURAGER today!!!! Worked as a water table volunteer at the marathon…
At the start of the 5 hour shift, I raked empty cups towards the trash and out of the way of the runners getting water. Then served water with a hoop and holler as we were mile 24, just 2 miles away from the finish. After we finished at mile 24, I was humbled and energized at the 25 mile point with that water crew to do the macarena and electric slide in encouraging the runners who were after the sweep team, so no medal, but still going to finish. It was encouraging to see the young student volunteers. It was a blessing to yell my heart out.
ESPECIALLY cool that most the runners had their names on their shirts!!! Fabulous.. we can’t all run, but we can be cup fillers! Spirit cups! I had no idea most would have names on their shirts. Catching a glimpse of faces, smiles, etc was really good. 5000 volunteers, 50000 runners.
Cool…Fun…Blessed…
I was inspired by the helpers who came to the sides of the walkers… And as for the t-shirts, they spoke volumes in supporting causes, people, life. Again, the names were great, it was SO personal. We could yell their actual names and if there was no name just cheer “you got this”. Or teams like “Fred’s Team” or Team Italia… Many easy names and some not so easy, I didn’t want to mispronounce, that’s important and you had to appreciate one shirt which said “Mari not Mary” – we all like to be known as us, our unique selves don’t we, proper spelling and annunciation.
Thank God, God knows us, not just our names but everything… Yes, God knows both the earthly given name and a new name reserved for them in Heaven. Some people think they have to throw the “Hail Mary” to get to Heaven, but Jesus is already making them a spot at the dinner table. Jesus, call our names!!!
Jesus knows the name to call each person. Jesus said to John in Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
We have a marathon of life, we need to listen to Jesus calling and calming, take His Water to our use. Surely we can hear our name in His Spirit. We can know He knows us. And perk up a bit or a lot when called.
It wasn’t just the bite of the cat when she thought I was ignoring her and running away this morning, I really wasn’t, I also actually DREAMED about her nip on my elbow, waking me up, and knew the reminder to get back to Joel the prophet, and my reading and writing. I am now in the last slim sections of the old testament, prophets abound with advanced advice. It is given with an wrap up punch. Lots of history. But compared to forever, a small slice of situational severity.
Yeah, there’s something to be said completing the reading of the Bible, I’m ALMOST there, filling my knowledge gap in these 10 years into my awakening. It wasn’t about a Bible rapidness, devotions devoured, but devotion newly discovered. My journey and likely yours too, has been page by page prodding by the Lord to absorb knowledge of Him and how He expresses His love to us. I bet the timing to finish these chapters is no accident. It’s a decade of devotion writing. I am reminded that the Lord has been devoted to us from before He began the universe. Jesus already set to save. The harvest now holding on for collection.
No wonder with this much devotion from the Lord, He had and has lessons to teach, waywards to warn and regroup. The old testament plights are for those to beg to not go back there in waywardness.
I heard that Joel the prophet’s writing could be applied for many stages of the plight of the wayward Israelites and Judah-ites who weren’t devoted as they could be, then devoured by exile to Babylon, escape to Egypt, and all generations in wandering plight in the punishment of their wayward ways. There were constant reminders to follow God in prescribed sacrifice and devotion, the promise of prosperity, but their worship of false idols prevailed and distracted them.
We all need to focus on the gifts over the gripes.
Halloween 31OCT is today, there is surely more fun than fright. They have parades not plight. But pockets of false idols and evil creep in, like excessive sugar pouncing unsuspecting souls. There are moments we fail to pay attention to each other, an evil of self-indulgence. There are idol-worship times of “keeping up with the neighbors” getting bigger and bigger yard displays, Halloween AND Christmas. It is SO GOOD to have Thanksgiving with simple thankfulness in the middle.
So we know there are ignorant times where we forget to count our blessings, not remembering that the Lord does want us to FOCUS on the future WITH HIM, step by step now, one day, one moment at a time, and not get bogged down by today’s pressures. We forget about our fortunes and surely our forgiveness in the Lord and start to fight each other where we should be forging ahead for the sake of others yet to hear.
We need to be teaching preaching reaching at a faster pace than the locust can devour a crop of people behind us. The scripture reminder is of the losses, the scripture prophecy is for and of the day of the Lord coming back too. Rend your hearts, see His sacrifice, know His Salvation.
Therefore let us stoke up the Holy Spirit fire of faith and keep going… Look for the Lord to lead the Way. Keep walking faster than those locusts.
Amen
“Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.“
Amen
—
Joel 1, Joel 2:1-13
The Locust Plague in Judah
The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
The Land Laid Waste
Hear this, you elders,
And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!
Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or even in the days of your fathers?
Tell your children about it,
Let your children tell their children,
And their children another generation.
What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.
Awake, you drunkards, and weep;
And wail, all you drinkers of wine,
Because of the new wine,
For it has been cut off from your mouth.
For a nation has come up against My land,
Strong, and without number;
His teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And he has the fangs of a fierce lion.
He has laid waste My vine,
And ruined My fig tree;
He has stripped it bare and thrown it away;
Its branches are made white.
Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth
For the husband of her youth.
The grain offering and the drink offering
Have been cut off from the house of the Lord;
The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord.
The field is wasted,
The land mourns;
For the grain is ruined,
The new wine is dried up,
The oil fails.
Be ashamed, you farmers,
Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley;
Because the harvest of the field has perished.
The vine has dried up,
And the fig tree has withered;
The pomegranate tree,
The palm tree also,
And the apple tree—
All the trees of the field are withered;
Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.
Mourning for the Land
Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;
Wail, you who minister before the altar;
Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
You who minister to my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
Into the house of the Lord your God,
And cry out to the Lord.
Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is at hand;
It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
Is not the food cut off before our eyes,
Joy and gladness from the house of our God?
The seed shrivels under the clods,
Storehouses are in shambles;
Barns are broken down,
For the grain has withered.
How the animals groan!
The herds of cattle are restless,
Because they have no pasture;
Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.
O Lord, to You I cry out;
For fire has devoured the open pastures,
And a flame has burned all the trees of the field.
The beasts of the field also cry out to You,
For the water brooks are dried up,
And fire has devoured the open pastures.
The Day of the Lord
Chapter 2
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand:
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
A people come, great and strong,
The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them,
Even for many successive generations.
A fire devours before them,
And behind them a flame burns;
The land is like the Garden of Eden before them,
And behind them a desolate wilderness;
Surely nothing shall escape them.
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like swift steeds, so they run.
With a noise like chariots
Over mountaintops they leap,
Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble,
Like a strong people set in battle array.
Before them the people writhe in pain;
All faces are drained of color.
They run like mighty men,
They climb the wall like men of war;
Every one marches in formation,
And they do not break ranks.
They do not push one another;
Every one marches in his own column.
Though they lunge between the weapons,
They are not cut down.
They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter at the windows like a thief.
The earth quakes before them,
The heavens tremble;
The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars diminish their brightness.
The Lord gives voice before His army,
For His camp is very great;
For strong is the One who executes His word.
For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible;
Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
It was a glimpse of my friend’s hair then stature then face that caught my eye at a recent town festival. We embraced immediately. Love that lady!!! and I feel love from her.
It did NOT matter that we had different color stickers on, acquired from opposite sides of the pavement pounder party pushers. We embraced and together perhaps not our stickers touched, but our souls did, as did our hearts. And we made quite the PURPLE PAIR.
Purple is red and blue – blue and red – PURPLE. Purple is the color of PEACE. Purple is the color of the royal prince of PEACE. Purple is the POWERFUL PEACE color for JESUS.
I’m glad that we can come together in purple. I’m blessed to know that we are together in Jesus.
Jesus said that someday we will all worship in spirit and in truth. We know from the Old Testament of many , many , many different lines of people and faiths and attitudes… we today are splintered light.
I pray we all see the light of Jesus.
Purple power to bring PEACE.
Amen
—
John 4:19-42
The [Samaritan] woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
The Whitened Harvest
And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The Savior of the World
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
“So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually.“
I’m stretching my left leg these days, it’s a small hamstring thing, it WILL get better I am assured. No worries. I tested my right leg in the same stretching exercises yesterday to see if it’s general old age or specific issue – but it’s specific, the right leg is fine. I’ve got the hamstring and also some hip pain, but it’s not something to stop walking, if anything I need to be walking more, good for every part of my body.
I joked that the Lord touched my hip, like Jacob, to get my attention. To both Jacob and me, we had to keep walking, be the “walking led” rather than “the walking dead”.
Jacob is so crucial in Bible history and fulfilling prophecy, he is the one whom God rename Israel, and his 12 sons, 12 tribes of Israel brought forth the tribe families. Sure, they were much trouble too, from the Joseph situation down the well, to the continued lack of following the Lord. Many times corrected and still in need of rescue.
Hosea spoke of Jacob in the prophet-way of their people needing directions and correction. Spoke of Jacob struggling (touching his brother’s heal, finding how to steal a birthright, and in getting the wife he wanted) and spoke concerning Jacob struggling until he found God. And then these words of Jacob getting his spouse: “Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.”
Wow, doesn’t that sound like Jesus too? Serving for tending sheep (us), searching for a wife (us the church as His Bride), a time in Egypt, and a preservation (Jacob and sons by Joseph’s generosity and forgiveness and US as Gentiles and Israelites saved by Jesus fulfillment of prophesy)… wow…
Yes, old testament Hosea wrote of the time and the struggles. We can read in the salvation and the Savior… we can know to reach for God rather than struggle.
Thank You Lord for us being YOUR “walking led”… Keep walking my friends.
Amen
—
Hosea 12
“Ephraim feeds on the wind,
And pursues the east wind;
He daily increases lies and desolation.
Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians,
And oil is carried to Egypt.
“The Lord also brings a charge against Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
According to his deeds He will recompense him.
He took his brother by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he struggled with God.
Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in Bethel,
And there He spoke to us—
That is, the Lord God of hosts.
The Lord is His memorable name.
So you, by the help of your God, return;
Observe mercy and justice,
And wait on your God continually.
“A cunning Canaanite!
Deceitful scales are in his hand;
He loves to oppress.
And Ephraim said,
‘Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors
They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’
“But I am the Lord your God,
Ever since the land of Egypt;
I will again make you dwell in tents,
As in the days of the appointed feast.
I have also spoken by the prophets,
And have multiplied visions;
I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”
Though Gilead has idols—
Surely they are vanity—
Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal,
Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
Jacob fled to the country of Syria;
Israel served for a spouse,
And for a wife he tended sheep.
By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
And by a prophet he was preserved.
Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly;
Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
All the days of the afflicted are evil,But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
It’s not just food for the stomach, there’s food for the soul and a hungry heart to be satisfied. A merry heart heads Proverbs as well as the Lord’s wisdom. Us living on what God feeds us is a delight and good. A merry heart has a continual feast – what a blessing!
I have travelled up to my alma mater to speak to the students and faculty and friends about my career journey success and how they can embark on their careers… blessed to share!!!
I believe in the sentiment Proverb: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred.” – to scale back the excess. So this and to go feel the love… so to have herbs AND beef in a local flair sandwich was satisfying to the stomach as was the conversation to the soul…
I know all the activities today will be satisfying to the soul too… so excited to speak with everyone.
Last night I stood up on the hill in fair darkness and saw the milky way a bit. I know it is there, and when it is darker in the light pollution, the lights in the sky are brightest and the stars so numerous… light in the dark. That’s us looking for God in our hearts – Light in the dark where we shut out the light pollution which is like evil blocking our view…
Keep a clear view. Know God’s words and work for today. If: “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.” – THEN I PRAY WE LOOK FOR GOD IN OUR LIVES – we hunger to LISTEN AND HEED. Slow the foolishness feeding frenzy and get to a quiet place. The more we look, the more we know. The more we hear, the more satisfied our souls.
AMEN
…
Proverbs 15:13-18, 21-33
13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
. . .
21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
22 Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from hell below.
25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.
27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones healthy.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
It was really special to be home for a short day and have dinner with my family. It’s nothing like having your own family around your birthday time. It’s authentic and it feels so good.
The talk at the table was about the Fall foliage and how it is different this year and they have not lost their leaves yet, and the colors are muted. But when I drove through the mountains, those colors were vibrant.
People like to look for authentic seasons. I think this eighty degrees is very strange for october. It looks like fall, but it doesn’t feel like fall.
The books at the booksale could have keep me busy shopping for days. I had just a short time and found a few things. Mostly I just enjoyed looking. I did not pick up any of these assorted books about Jesus (in the photo)- but got some Bibles, Red Letter Bibles. That’s where Jesus’s words are highlighted. And I thought to myself it’s wonderful to write about Jesus, I certainly do, however I want to read DIRECTLY from Jesus… Somebody else’s interpretation may not be authentic to me. We need to read and know TRUTH.
Authentic… That’s the best…
Our PERSPECTIVE… it changes like the fall foliage, about how you envision where you are from, and where you see yourself in time. But Jesus? That’s an authentic relationship to give us HIS perspective.
It’s a GOOD day for a GOOD day… a new day. The poets agree, the prophets agree, the people agree… And GOD? God MADE it a NEW day.
I shut down my computer after work yesterday and walked into a short vacation, a mental and physical one, with part of this quote (displayed at work) fresh on my mind:
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oh yeah!
And the sunrise in the mountains today on vacation, it was worth the chill walking… It’s a new fresh good day.
What makes it good? All good things are from God. Well, we are reminded of God being with us all the time. That is Good, that is God. God wants only good for us!(sometimes we need tough love but it’s love all God to bring the good out of it.)
The new-to-me person at work saw my bracelet of the scripture: “I can do all things through Christ”, and surely he did not hesitate to tell me God was with me, with us. God is good. All the time, even when we forget.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Let us not forget about this being a fresh new day, a moment of peace, a sunrise sweet, a day begun. A day born but even better, we are born into TRUTH, of our blessings through Jesus. God wanted and WANTS to call us the GOOD of His morning.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Today there’s places to go, talking to do, rest to take, hope to hold, and nightfall again to come. Yet constant in our days is the newness and the Lord.
GOD IS GOOD… let us walk with Him, He already walks with us.
Amen
James 1:17-18 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
I thought I am SO busy I don’t know if I have time to write this morning but the Lord showed me something on the floor in the clutter of the room, but for a moment I thought it was one of my dollar store stickers that said: “FAITH does not make it easy – FAITH makes it POSSIBLE”… Amen to that and then some. Amen to not easy. Amen to FAITH making things work, and work together for His purposes. We can believe in this message. We can believe God will ALREADY and ALWAYS be with us. (and especially since He Holy Spirit used but a swirl in my vision for something that was NOT that sticker – wow)
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37 KJV… This was the angel Gabriel talking about Jesus to fulfill a plan for forever. If God can work out the WHOLE plan in advance and see it succeed, He can work on our plans now, as we faithfully try to align with Him. We project tough things into this trust statement if we trust God’s Word, which we should. We should also remember FAITH is believing in things and direction unseen. We got to give it to God…
Mary and Elizabeth would bear sons of great importance… Jesus and John the Baptist… surely God can help us with the little and big things today and always…. let us apply FAITH. Jesus IS the Possible – Trust God for everything possible.
Amen
—
Luke 1:26-38 NIV
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
Thank God I have an option for Physical Therapy – I can’t wait to stretch my muscles, I’m not sure what would damage and what is good for my hamstring pull and I have not been babying it much, healing on the go. It takes time. It’s not an alignment issue but an attachment one. That attachment restores alignment.
I can’t complain, it will heal but need Physical Therapy to help to know which way to go. I’m looking forward to that. I joke a little bit of God touching Jacob’s hip as he struggled with God, and got Jacob’s attention. I was grumbling some last week about discomfort then drove by a one-legged man, oh, stop my grumbling… Similarly knowing past damage to my shoulder is completely healed – and so last week when I walked by a man with one arm, it was like seeing a child with one arm while mine was on the mend years ago, I again told myself to stop grumbling… Start stretching…
I see in my reading about grumbling forgetful people who lived into generations of grumbling, and God knows they would have been better to count blessings and stretch. I feel like I have been reading a broken record in these chapters of Hosea, about Israel northern kingdom called Ephraim, the son of amazing Joseph, with the dreamcoat and amazing story going to Egypt and giving life-saving food for his brothers, father Jacob in a famine, and giving forgiveness to brothers who abandoned him. This now next few generations repeats the grumbling and eventually healing: Idolatry, abandonment, restoration. It’s both an attachment and alignment issue. They choose idols over God.
Hosea writes of the long drift. “Ephraim” the son of Joseph’s name, is used for identifying the northern kingdom of Israel which drifted. With Judah not far behind, “Judah” (a brother of Joseph) being the identifier for the southern split kingdom. After Solomon’s line, it all fractured and yet a small remnant remained for God’s purpose of bringing Jesus through the line of David who came from the line of Jacob, renamed Israel for the people of God.
Maybe these people didn’t have the hip pain like Jacob to remind them to rely upon God, worship Him. Maybe our aches and pains are that too, not God inflicted but used for a God-convicted focused view to remember to rely upon Him. REATTACHMENT and RESTORATION.
WE ALL NEED OUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST IN JESUS… STRETCH US LORD, STRETCH OUT LOVE.
AMEN
—-
Hosea 4 and 5 NKJV
God’s Charge Against Israel
Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
“The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery.
“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
“Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’— “For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the Lord will let them forage Like a lamb in open country.
“Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone. Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah
“Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor. The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, Though I rebuke them all. I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled.
“They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the Lord. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them.
“With their flocks and herds They shall go to seek the Lord, But they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, For they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.
“Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, ‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’ Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure.
“The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by human precept. Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, And to the house of Judah like rottenness.
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
Pearls of Wisdom – and Treasure in Plain Sight – Sermon 13OCT
Matthew 13 scripture:
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure – “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price – “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Dragnet – “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age.
————-
I put on my 16th birthday gift from my Dad – a string of pearls – I love pearls and I love the concept of pearls as nature-made gems – even those forced – as a bead or something could be seeded – but regardless these are special stones – unique and treasured.
I have many favorite memories as a child – one of them is so vivid to me – but only snippets – I am sure my imagination has morphed my memories – but this one is from being at SeaWorld in Florida – late 70’s early 80’s – we took so many trips as kids with my parents – sometimes twice a year driving to Florida – until our teenage years – it was nice to have that time together – and I still love to travel – see other sites… Disney and SeaWorld were “inexpensive” then – and we almost always stayed at relatives houses – that was fun too… love trips… learning by living…
On this occasion we were in SeaWorld and there were swimmers diving for pearls – for the oysters – in a glass encased pool – like mermaids or just divers – and they would watch for your direction as you told them what oyster to pick – you never knew what you would get and even if you would get a pearl. Oh – my Dad loved gemstones – he was a banker and he saw the monetary value, yes, but he especially saw the beauty of them. So I can remember him excited, picking out an oyster – and I got to pick one too – we all did – and one of us – I don’t remember who – got a pink pearl – wow – special and more rare – and I remember us waiting in line with other people so anxiously awaiting to see what their oyster contained… would it be the rarest of the black pearls? – or would it simply be empty?… hmmm…
The other part of the memory is that we had to then decide what we did with that pearl – just take it for the nominal price of the dive? Or have it mounted in a necklace? Of course, these were the days that I remember the tourist traps of gift shops and everything under the sun in plastic – but this was a real precious item – yet was the treasure of the pearl better if it were displayed or if you kept it hidden in a bag and forgotten…
Looking for the real treasure!
The parables – these are treasured stories – a mechanism for Jesus to teach, that we have a treasure in Heaven to be desired. Yes, Jesus as our treasure and Jesus reminding our treasure is in Heaven. We are to remember Him and what He did for us in coming to forgive our sins and make it possible thru Him to be His Treasure in Heaven.
We not to DISPLAY Jesus as what He did for us as a string of pearls of our purchase – He was the one who purchased this Way. And we search ways to not find ourselves flauntingly DISPLAY JESUS, but to PORTRAY Jesus as a Way of Life. Portray and Emulate Jesus – be His and teach others.
Jesus first had to teach the Way – and imagine the lessons people were motivated to hear – the crowds that followed him – either as hope – or a sideshow attraction – or a prophet – or a healer – or the ones who went after him as they saw Him as a blasphemer…
And these parables – were a vehicle to perk ears open – to understand Jesus more – why He came to earth – why He loves us so much – and these parables are back to school moments – and this one parable intrigued me as the shortest – Pearls – in a set of 3 parables – I love how God loves numbers and 3 is a special number isn’t it? – they say we remember things in 3’s – and we are to know of course Three in One – God Jesus and the Holy Spirit – three. So the scriptures were read this morning – and I want to reiterate them here –
(The Parables of the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Dragnet)
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
AH – so Heaven is worth it! God’s great price to have us in it… A treasure…
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
AH – finding a very special pearl is worth it. This reminds me of the lost sheep – another parable – how finding the one lost sheep is worth it…
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.”
AH – not all will go to Heaven – the good made good by Jesus we know – but the bad, hmmm… this reminds me of scripture prophecy of Jesus returning to gather us – one taken to heaven and the other left (The Great Disappearance)…
AH – but let us get back to the PEARL of wisdom about that PEARL – it is simple enough – HEAVEN IS A TREASURE – God looking for a treasure in us and we looking for a treasure in God – in being with Him forever – the prophets spoke so often: like in Jeremiah 32:38-40 “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them…”
I want us to think of a person new to these concepts, sitting in the crowd just listening – maybe a child there who is just now learning who God is – CURIOSITY – and then let us think about whole multitudes of people who were NOT there but then heard the stories of the stories – perhaps from the few disciples who travelled with Jesus place to place – or perhaps years later.
The Pearl – the shortest of these parables – just hear about the pearl – the treasure – the price… The child may comprehend and new ears later get ahold of Jesus as the answer to the question… like we always ask in the children’s message… Isn’t it good to have One Word – Jesus!
AND on the flip side I also want to think of maybe an OLD-TIMER there – one who knew the stories of old back to Adam and Eve – there would be one coming to be the Savior and especially this person to know the prophecies – And this “old timer” may not have put all the pieces together at that point – they would have either heard or heard years later – remember these bible chapters were written soon after and up to 60 years after Jesus arose and ascended to Heaven. The “old timer” would have to have the Holy Spirit to understand this gift from God – to hear Jesus as the Way the Truth and the Life…
I am not an old timer – maybe I am now – I myself have been enjoying the prophets Ezekiel and Hosea and their descriptions of how the people of the time would be best to follow God and follow His laws… That is a history that cannot be ignored – that God was faithful even when the people weren’t – And can we even imagine God’s feelings for His children of Israel, those of the time and now – wandering – following God then abandoning the Lord and the Law of Moses – again and again. Imagine now the HOPE of God for His children to return to looking towards Him… and bringing back them/us/His children for a price, forgiving and forever-ing the relationship. A NEW COVANENT – a pain process that turned into purpose – a pearl which now shines – for the beauty shows up in the LIGHT.
For Jesus as a teacher – this section is making people ponder and take hold of something that will open their ears when God chooses to open their ears – we know Jesus is talking to a specific audience – those who write and those who teach: Jews with a NEW IDENTITY – JEWS who take Christ as the fulfillment of the Law:
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
WHOA – this is truly deep and we all must move deeper into the Word. Old and new to treasure… ah – the scribes can bring out the stories of the new – that Jesus walked the earth – AND the stories of the old – the faithfulness of God to an unfaithful but chosen people…
And there is one more section of TREASURED scripture – to talk about – the treasure open to one who looks for SEEING IT IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT – Treasure realized… Jesus was sorry for the people who did not realize – those in His hometown in the days he went back – I am not saying that later they didn’t get it – because we know of many people “got it later” – people who shunned then embraced that Him as the Christ – the Lord. How many of those “pearls of wisdom” nestled in their brains and then maybe later on they remembered – like James Jesus’s brother… or were taught and Holy Spirit came to them – some even had a “road to Damascus” experience, like Paul.
SO Jesus hidden in plain sight rejected at Nazareth. Matthew continued:
53-58 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue – they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” [So obviously they saw the works]
Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
[I aways wonder “what things” – were they distracted by the earthly treasures and not seeing the heavenly One?]
“So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
I love how Jesus’s brothers and sisters are mentioned – and I love knowing that James – his brother – became so devoted and wrote a tremendous scripture book in the book of James…
And I appreciate that people who rejected Him originally and those still who reject, can, after a Holy Spirit helping of education, can take Him then into their hearts – they could take Him as Lord and Savior – because they surely went “BACK TO THE BOOKS” – they THEN connected the dots of everything that happened and happened for a reason…
I don’t have my pearl from SeaWorld – but I also put on these earrings of fresh water pearls – they are different – and long – shiny yes but not the same as salt water pearls – and also a gift from my Dad. And thinking of both saltwater pearls and fresh water pearls as old and new treasures – I am reminded of how Jesus came for Jew and Gentile alike – The followers like Peter and Paul would understand this later we learn this in the book of Acts – the Holy Spirit chose the people – of all kinds – to accept this treasure…
I want us to ALSO think about pearls and how they are made – pearls are made from irritation – a piece of sand or foreign object inserted into the oyster – and then layers of calcium carbonate are adhered to the object and the pearl is created by the oyster itself – that the treasure – like the treasure of Heaven is taking a sinful person and making them beautiful and whole and covered with the blood of Jesus and now appearing new and unblemished and pleasing to God Almighty.
Heaven on earth itself is the ability for us to know the value of Heaven – and act now like we will there – be thankful, gracious, forgiving, and whole… Pearls may be formed from the Pain but that pain is now precious… Pearls get polished but not like a rock – they are carefully polished – and pearls are naturally going to vary in their brightness, their shine… Isn’t that us too? We are to be the SHINE of God to be the treasure of God – understanding His treasure in heaven thru Jesus.
So – our back to school short take home message can be just that Heaven and getting there is a treasure… Jesus is the ANSWER.
Jesus came to save us – to teach us the Way – and to demonstrate how to live – this is again and again mentioned in scripture – what do we do with our knowledge and how do we live?
And in our old wisdom – let us remember these words of Paul to the church in Corinth 1Cor 2 snippets: “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
“… as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
And “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” – And: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” – we have the mind of Christ.”
May we hold onto the small pearls of wisdom AND the big treasure of knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus and live to Portray Him – not just display Him…
—–
Won’t you pray with me:
Lord – we treasure these times to learn that You taught – that You came to all Jew and Gentile – old and young – simply spiritual and to break down the complex complications… may we simply know you as the answer – Jesus… Lord, You are so precious to us – may we worship you in spirit and truth and learn more and more of your work for us here on earth.
I ate an oatmeal raisin cookie yesterday, was so good, was left at my work kitchen counter in a bag of half a dozen. Yum. And it reminded me of the days at work that we had less and shared more, especially our time and comradery as a whole group and not a pocket here or there. This moment was late on a Friday and I was hanging signs for the festive fall “do something different” week we are planning for some old time fun, from dress up to wackiness and of course costumes on the day of 10/31… I hope we are bringing old-fashioned joy and the spark of spirit into work. I hope people participate! I try to remind folks that now “these are the good ole days” for our future.
Clinging to “it used to be this way” should not prevent us from “let’s try this new thing”… Most of all, we long-timers must be aware of how fast thing move and how changes are inevitable – don’t cling to the world – cling to God and His Hope.
If I have the hope of rekindling the feelings of old, I can’t even imagine God’s feelings for His children of Israel, those of the time of writing in Hosea, the prophet, and of the whole of His children to return to looking towards Him, like a return of the commitment between a husband and wife, where the husband already knew before marriage (portrayed in the Hosea 1-2 scenarios) of the unfaithfulness that wife would have. This is Hosea portrayed as the Lord, on purpose for the writing and teaching, as a faithful one bringing her back for a price, forgiving and forever-ing the relationship.
Look, the pagan worship gave raisin cakes, such an unusual tidbit to point out, but surely God will give (and did give) the whole vineyard! God gave it and then took it back at great price. I didn’t read the scholars, I just like sitting in my mind and fingers writing with the idea of Jesus, the vine being God’s payment to buy us back from sin and death as a price unfathomable. Jesus the Vine, us the branches, God the Vinedresser trimming and making stronger – and the fruit that is fresh and alive always coming from His growth of spiritual fruit on us.
And now is still of course the time to think about the FUTURE goodness, God-promised goodness, the goodness of His Name, the realness of His Truth, the Wholeness of realizing the Oneness with God. We should stay loyal to God in these growingly “later” days.
The children of Israel, and us too, a blessing to turn from the world and refocus upon Him, upon what we can do, how we can live. A focus to focus on Him.
A raisin cookie or raisin cake? Nothing compares to the fruitful life with the Lord.
Amen
—
Hosea 3 NKJV
Israel Will Return to God
Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.
Surely living knowing God’s Love and Devotion to God because of God’s Devotion to us, with us, for us. Trusting God is from seeing and believing in His Faithfulness – and from thousands of years of unfaithfulness by people, God STILL wants not just a civil relationship but a SACRED one. He looks to us as a bride for a husband and more than that, in Hosea the prophet’s writing, a husband taking back a very adulterous wife, a people who worshipped fake made up Gods with the real stuff God gave them. GOD HAS MERCY IN ORDER TO RESTORE THEN RESTART THE RELATIONSHIP.
God IS Love. When people (us too) have love that is misdirected, squandered elsewhere, and start chasing after second best that is a falsehood and does not even exist, that is not devotion. The meaning of life is devotion to the Life-Giver not the life style.
I was watching cats yesterday morning, they are more comfortable with me now after a week and two cats came up for pets even, the reserved one only came for the food, she and they are devoted to their owner more than me, good, and yet interesting as they share thankfulness, but you know their loyalty is reserved. The dog at my neighbors, I went to see yesterday evening, was at first apprehensive until he heard my voice and when I saw him recognizing me, I even got a tail wag. Immediately I let him outside to do his business. He had refused to acknowledge another neighbor earlier in the day, shaking and too freaked out to trust, he was not comfortable for someone he didn’t know well. I fed him and waited around to give company, the dog however immediately was pining for his owners, glued to the windows, loyal, wanting, waiting. And oh the political canvasser knocking on the door got an earful! Protective, knowledgeable, devoted. Imagine if we were to be that devoted to God and shook off anyone and anything that was not our real devotion.
God Almighty provides. A people provided for in old testament times, you would expect, would be the people to acknowledge that He DOES provide. And God asks this. Yet they (and we) get distracted and lose touch. And Hosea’s writing about the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel and Judah worshiping Baal, a false god, could ALSO mean all our unfaithfulness to what we cling to besides the One True God. We thank things and people before God, whereas we should thank God for people, provisions, and hope.
When fear begets falseness, steady devotion keeps us connected. Wisdom helps us wait on God, and be wandering less than we would if we did not already know God provides.
And we DO know God provides.
Devotion is a way of life, devotion with meaning, let us acknowledge and recognize God’s blessings and correction. Devotion, a way of life, because God stays devoted to us.
Amen
“… In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.”
—
Hosea 2 NKJV – The Lord’s Love for His Unfaithful People
Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ And to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’
God’s Unfaithful People – “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, And her adulteries from between her breasts; Lest I strip her naked And expose her, as in the day she was born, And make her like a wilderness, And set her like a dry land, And slay her with thirst.
“I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry. For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.’
“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths. She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now.’ For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold — Which they prepared for Baal.
“Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new wine in its season, And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to cover her nakedness. Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, And no one shall deliver her from My hand. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths — All her appointed feasts.
“And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, of which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me.’ So I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field shall eat them. I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry. And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot,” says the Lord.
God’s Mercy on His People
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
“And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.
“It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer,” says the Lord;
“I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”
It’s not that I wanted to find a “connection” (disconnection) between my doctor visit and the the rift of Israel from God in divided kingdom times of the old testament, but I did.
As I stopped myself from falling last week, I caught myself, putting full force body weight upon my left leg, felt a small but real pop. It hurt and made it initially hard to bend or squat, yet it felt increasingly better over the weekend, it didn’t slow me down too much and I did take it “easier” plus massive ibuprofen. When engaged in conversation or thought, I didn’t notice it at all.
When I arrived at the doctors office Monday, I purposefully had not taken any morning ibuprofen so that I might gauge my status. The orthopedic doctor was excellent in diagnosis even without a scan. Hamstring pull, attachment tendon small tear, not full, and completely heal-able with physical therapy. It was when I rolled to my stomach on the table and tried to lift my left leg up in back, like a superman pose, that it wouldn’t lift. It was very telltale for the diagnosis, I could lift my right but could not engage my left leg to behave normal. No lift. A rift. (And somewhere in this adventure there is a gift, to be determined) …
Ah, Hosea, the prophet of Israel to teach via demonstration, God chose Him to talk about that RIFT between the long bickering non-listening people of the divided kingdoms and God. Ah Hosea… In what could have been a good life, this was the time of northern and southern kingdoms Israel and Judah knowing separation by rift – after Solomon’s son’s line fractured communities – times of separation from God by rift of not worshipping Him. Like a wandering on the map like in Moses’s time, this was fully a Spiritual wandering that included bad kings who did not lead their people in devotion to the One true God. The RIFT was real. God knew He would have to heal and how. God bless the repair.
I was totally engaged with the doctor’s diagnosis for my RIFT, and grateful he was teaching an intern so I could also learn, and I heard the small talk of “hamstring” which I already knew I at least minimally strained with a pulled muscle, soreness down the back of my leg. Not my back, not my hip, but my leg attachment to my pelvic bones. A specific moment of rift, a missing part of completeness that WILL be repaired and needs strength and stretching. I will be fine, thank God, even going back to my favorite PT people.
Rifts are to be dealt with. That’s another reason God sent the prophets, urging repairable reconnecting to God. Spiritual rifts require repair. God kept His line through King David alive for Jesus to come out of Bethlehem in the land of Judah. They and we needed/need Him.
Now we must know even with our injuries and illnesses and strife seemingly non-repairable-on-earth that there will be healing in Heaven as gifts of reconstruction. Like God calling us His, the children of God will come together. The people will rejoice again. Jesus our Savior saver. And like my leg will raise again, the spiritual rift needs a lift.
Come Jesus come.
Amen
—
Hosea 1
New King James Version
The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
The Family of Hosea
When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great [spiritual adultery] harlotry By departing from the Lord.”
So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the Lord said to him: “Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. It shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him: “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, But I will utterly take them away. Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, Will save them by the Lord their God, And will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, horses or horsemen.”
Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God.
The Restoration of Israel
“Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea,Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to passIn the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’ Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel!
Beach reading… Heaven… both being at the beach just for the afternoon and reading in this little book about Heaven, yeah. I love understanding more about Heaven – and how we will get there. make no assumptions about angels and know that Jesus IS the Way. “…and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
Angels. It’s something we don’t think about, Angel armies. Yes, we believe in an angel here and there intervening “if we’re lucky” – but all of scripture shows God’s workers are working everyday everywhere. If we can appreciate the companionship of a cat or dog, can we wrap our heads about the constant buffer zone of angels? … hmmm… I know there is a purpose in protecting people, we are God’s children.
I enjoy the summer and stretching it. 75 degrees in October for us is unusual and still ice cream weather. But my palate has now changed from key lime and toasted coconut which were my summer flavors to now Nutella ice cream, oh… yum… Autumn holding onto summer – this is the transition time to show us all seasons are beautiful. Every season has a flavor and space.
And I saw the Camp Meeting Ocean Grove tent cabins stripped down without their canopies, flowers, decorative pieces. If you saw one alone you would think it’s the size for lawnmowers and yet collectively and then when open, they collect people together for community. These beautiful things are from the late 1800s early 1900s and colorful and a statement of sturdy yet temporary, like us on earth..
The chapel near the big tabernacle is even older than the tabernacle and the doors were open so I walked in. The windows stood as a testament to faith of long gone souls moved on… The simple arrangement of pews and altar was quiet and yet I felt a reverberation echo of faith from the ones who still bring the Spirit here to worship. It’s a time capsule of what the angel armies helped the faithful build.
After some ice cream I took a powerful nap on the beach, resting a pulled leg hip muscle. Sat on the beach (yes there were about a hundred people in my sights) reading and listening to waves and eating a delicious takeout pork roll egg cheese sandwich (it’s a jersey thing). And as I promised myself in compromise, I parked my chair next to the charging station at the boardwalk pavilion. Back to the sun, summer in the past, work in the front.
Yes, I brought my laptop as I’m trying to write the missing sections of my presentation about my sabbatical, which is very elaborate and in teaching style, and no one is even asking me to do it, but I feel an intense drive to present it, 3 different presentations. Yeah. It’s my vehicle for encouragement, science style, to find the passion in the project and the learning and in using your skills. A woman walked by and commented at what a wonderful outdoor office I had – and yes I said it was a work presentation I was trying to finish – she said “may the sun set on your presentation that you finish it”… Nice.
Ah, angel armies – if we have the drive to work, and finish work, imagine that the angels have a never ending drive and ability. It’s not that we tempt God and His angels for protection (Jesus told us not to), but angel armies are a buffer zone for us to keep living to our fullest! And confidence builders to open new chapters and close the old ones too. Like the closing of the season, it finishes. Don’t worry, there will be new seasonal joys ahead…
Enjoy this next quarter rotation around the sun… Enjoy the fall season and the never ending season of angel armies protection. Don’t be afraid to finish what you started so that you can start something new.
Smile, God loves us.
Amen
Matthew scripture about Jesus and angels: and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.I find that we might all be more fulfilled when we have the blessing in finding a place for God to use us. I believe in the “Holy Spirit push pull and drop you into place”. I believe we can make immense impacts in serving. I believe in God’s ability to show each person their purposes by His gifts to them. I believe no gift is too small.
Every person is different, so each God-given-gift is uniquely different and purposeful expressed through them. Imagine a world of people who know this, share this, live in this – that would be Heaven on earth.
Some examples that just strike me include: Search and rescue people, teachers, counselors, support services, musicians, comedy folk, muscles for moving stuff, people with big trucks willing to help, animal care folks, food delivery, community servants, teachers, group leaders, medical teams, most everyone who helps, people with supportive smiles everywhere.
If you have any skills, then use any means to share them. And don’t grow weary, because it’s not about the thank you but the God view…
And weariness might take a toll, but each day is a fresh start. Don’t forget God made this day, keep going.
Keep going…
Amen
—
Galatians 6:1-10 NKJV
Bear and Share Burdens
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.
Be Generous and Do Good
Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
When one pulls a muscle, it’s like every cell, every muscle strand has to get fixed. One wouldn’t replace to repair the whole thing without complete surgery, it’s not like putting in a modular component like a new light bulb. Big swaths of tissue are interconnected, so even for the small repairs, it’s a gradual process as the body yields, repairs, reworks all while still in motion. Muscles working together help immensely and immediately the swelling prevents more injuries. Just like fevers fight for you in an immune system, so does everything. It’s good to take time to stop, reduce the spasms, and allow time to start deep healing. But don’t freeze in inactivity if working the system helps.
Praise be to God for healing.
When we come to realize we need Jesus in our life, it’s just like every mini moment has to get readjusted on the maximum scale and vice versa as every max issue is in Him, resolving like a miracle. First the spasms need to be reduced (Be Still), and then the problem has to be more visible (I am fearfully and wonderfully made), and then the peace comes to us (Immanuel, God with us). Jesus knows the intricate fixes or the whole replacement. He also will restore to even better when we are revived heavenly. Soulfully, now, we are new creations in Jesus. Restoration of the soul. Later, restoration of the flesh.
God will remake us, the Potter He is, into a “good enough” and then some, … Repairs by bandages, by coveralls, by blood overlay, by heavenly healing. And it’s not just us for us, it’s together all for His Bride, as the combined fellowship of believers, collectively called to work together.
You know when we fall in a trip of the footing, sometimes we catch ourselves but pull muscles. They say to stay limber and roll into a fall, be like you chose to roll… We aren’t gentle to ourselves like that, our minds worry about the things we carry and don’t want to spill over saving ourselves. Sometimes we do fall and face bruises. Emotions are bruised in embarrassment more than the muscles. But we must look at our lives in the Lord so MUCH MORE from His perspective than ours. When we as a human race fell from the faltering of Adam and Eve, God knew. God knew before time. God Who walked with them felt the pull away and the sorrow, Jesus from before times took on the pain, and the Holy Spirit swung into repair mode. If the pain and sacrifice (the lamb was slain) was in motion before we stepped onto the earth, who are we to not melt into His Healing now.Heavenly Healing Repair is awaiting, and so is today’s rest. Not idleness but movement within boundaries of us, and blessed continued repair to the people through Him.
Be Well, Be Willing, Be Strong.
Be believing in Him.
Amen
Luke 4:16-20
So Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
I’m not as sure-footed as I used to be. I would have enjoyed the challenge of the bold boulder field 10 even 5 years ago. But these are not smooth – these are challenging pointed rocks. The moment I stepped onto it, I decided it was better to crawl. Plus I didn’t have a great pocket for my phone in my pouch. I did have sturdy shoes on, good, and nestled my feet in. I stepped out into the field. It was worth it.
I realized this relates to us navigating life and Jesus holding tight and providing our rock solid foundation. We want to be good and sure-footed, but can’t always be, We are human. will make mistakes, knowing and even not knowing, we will guess, fail, sin. And faking a sinless life is pride, and pride is not to strive for. And knowingly being stuck between a rock and a hard place is just that, being stuck and needing a Savior save. Can’t ignore our missteps and footfalls, can’t even talk our way out to be back to a perfect we never were.
In life the challenge IS tough… we walk in broken boulders, broken rocks, earthly living. Repentance is asking for the repeal of the death sentence.Yes Jesus, the sure path is surely holding on to us. One Rock of Heaven HOLDS, not moving like earthly crumbles and craters.
I turned around to go back to the open path. At first I was just as nervous. But then I realized I really had come a long way. I took this photo. It’s not the path out but the path back. The path out I HAD prevailed, even though I had held onto the boulders and was so slow, I really did accomplish getting out there. So now, I was ready to trust and take it slow again. Go back in.
Yes, we do move and get places – may we put our trust where it should be. God gets the credit. And as for our sins and sideswiped lives? We HAVE to rely upon Jesus. It’s not ninety percent us and ten percent Him. It’s not ninety percent Him, ten percent us. Our repentance is our reliance upon Him, 100%.
Jesus is the One we need, He who is Worthy. His Rock. We can step carefully, hold tight, and often it’s actually best if we ask if He will carry us.
Amen
—-
Matthew 7:1-14 NIV
Judging Others
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
—
Luke 13:1-9 NIV
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
There’s so much going on. But we should head the words of God’s messengers:
BE STRONG NOW, BE STRONG.
Imagine thousands of years of strife, unknown and known. It’s interesting to think that Daniel, in his visions and dreams, was chosen to be a prophet and was then strengthened by a God who knows it’s tough to imagine the future, but God was showing that He Almighty had a process. So can we be strengthened too? God needs us up and running for his work and ours.
BE STRONG, BE STRONG
Jesus in the garden was strengthened by angels just before his arrest, God knows it’s tough – knowing that the process to peace included pain.
BE STRONG, BE STRONG
We have small challenges, large insurmountable issues, frightening thoughts for tomorrow let alone today (and we should always let today be today and let tomorrow worry about itself). God wants to bring us back to today and strengthen us – emotionally and physically too. Think of the task of the prophets who saw the turmoil day to day, lived in the wars of the time, and saw visions of wars to really end all war, and know they had to be strengthened. Us too. So take the Lord’s fortification and keep keepin’ on…
“Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
AMEN
—
Daniel 10:14-19 about a holy being from heaven explaining the vision, strengthening him.
Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”
So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
Yum, harvest time – grapes and corn, squash and greens, tomatoes too. Fruits of the season. Good Fruits. (And yum key lime pie too – perfect balance of sweet and tart)
We are to remember John the Baptist preparing the Way for Jesus, speaking about good fruit – spiritual good fruit. We can appreciate connections back to the scriptures and travails of their ancestors, teaching about the 12 tribes, Jacob’s descendants, Moses rescues, Abraham’s children, Noah’s sons, Adam’s lineage. A long line of God’s chosen people. John himself was son of a priest Zachariah, who was approached by God within the holy sanctuary. All the stepping stones were put into place.
Stepping stones were put into place,
especially as many weeds were in the mix of the wandering people. Jesus Himself was the seed of the woman, Eve, to crush the devil. Stepping stones keep the weeds down, and so did John the Baptist – helping remind the people of needed repentance, representative by baptism with water. John knew of the promise of God sending a Messiah, equal to God, ready to reset righteousness. Baptism by the Holy Spirit. Ready to Right the Repentant ones.
John prophesied of Jesus and said: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Winnowing is what Jesus did and will do, get the good seed and leave the rest behind. Good seed comes from good fruit. Winnowing the seeds in the harvest is preparing the grain for the next planting, in addition to getting the nutritious seed fraction stored up for feeding the people. Jesus Himself did both. It’s the balance of sweet and tart, saving cuts the sting of sin away…
John said: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance... The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Jesus spoke of His father the vine dresser, Himself as the vine for our branches. If God throws unproductive branches into the fire, Jesus IS the productive source for our souls to produce good fruit. Repentance brings us back to the open flow into our branches for proper growth.
Tis the harvest season now for our summer crops, it will be harvest of souls soon enough. We need to be Repentant and Restore and keep being fruitful.
Enjoy the season…
Amen
—-
Matthew 3 NIV
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
It’s not a puzzle we are required to learn, we don’t HAVE to figure out all of Daniel’s Visions to move forward, yet it is worth remembering is that even if the puzzling visions Daniel had were SO INTENSE, that God sent an angel, Gabriel, to help interpret them. God never leaves us in the dark, God IS the Light on the Subject. On and IN! “For you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”
There are marvelous interpretations and teachings of all Bible sections, for me, for us, in this old testament we surely need some. We blessedly often can get the main gist by Holy Spirit Help. My favorite cliff notes of the moment is the Bible Project video (link below). I also found a couple hundred teachings. But I hold off taking these teachings in until after I read the Word for myself… Most importantly, we are to remember that the Word pertains today just as much as then.
First half of Daniel 9 includes what we should be praying: Forgiveness for ourselves and our fellow folks, “that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” It’s not just a joy, but it feels a duty to crack.Open our own bibles and it’s an obligation and a necessity to pray for our fellow men and women, society, children, everyone.
Specifically, reading the second half of Daniel 9, v20 on, these dreams prophesied, this one “Seventy-Weeks”, what stands out is the word, theWord, the Holy One, ahhhh the Messiah. Scholars will tell you that seventy weeks prophecy from God calculates to almost 500 in God years. It doesn’t take a scholar to remember God does His own thing in His own time. The sets of prophesied scenarios are of past and future.
“And to anoint the Most Holy.” – Well we know that the Most Holy IS the Messiah. And scholars and wannabees of the day, and for those next years, prayed and prayed and prayed, like Simon and Anna in the temple when Jesus was brought in as a baby. A select few chosen by the Holy Spirit to understand and witness.
The cliffnotes version acknowledges scholarly debate, and reminds us that Jesus used Daniel’s Visions to teach as well, to speak of God as Sovereign and Almighty. And we should trust that we will be active parts in God’s Kingdom, especially with our prayers for all.
Let us keep listening and learning. We know that the Most Holy IS the Most Helpful.
Amen
Link to video:
Daniel 9
New King James Version
Daniel’s Prayer for the People
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.
“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
“O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
***
The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
“Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”
We are human, God is sovereign and SAVING. Our Lord is approachable and eager to take our burdens. We must be willing to ask for help and give up our worries that we aren’t worthy, because God says we are worthy because He is worthy. We don’t ride coat tails, we get His Grace and Mercy with the power of believing in Him – asking His correction and direction.
Daniel (an old testament prophet and exiled Israelite in Babylon, serving the exiled kings), prayed many times each day to align with God’s Will, even under threat of persecution.
We have both direction and a rescue in our Savior Jesus, Whom walked the earth to teach and fulfill prophecy. Jesus took the burdens and we walk mercifully in God’s Grace.
Apostle John wrote to encourage and warn to keep abiding in the Lord. The author of Hebrews reminds that Jesus PERFECTS us. “your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” John wrote for us to love our brothers and sisters as well. In this day and age we must not turn against against each other but rise to His level of forgiveness.
We need to abide in the Lord, worship and want. Not for finding a sacrifice, but realizing He IS our Savior, Saving Grace, and Shepherd.
Amen
—
Daniel 6:10-12
Now when Daniel learned that the decree [against worshipping any but the king Darius] had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
1 John 2:1-29
New International Version
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Reasons for Writing
I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
On Not Loving the World
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Warnings Against Denying the Son
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
God’s Children and Sin
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
Hebrews 10:5-7, 26-38
New King James Version
Christ’s Death Fulfills God’s Will
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”
…
The Just Live by Faith
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
‘to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.‘
I’ve never had a dream about the Ancient of Days, but if I did, I pray that I would remember to ask Him a few things while still in the vision/dream… then again, if we just trust the beginning and ending Alpha and Omega, we can try to trust each letter day of the Word in between.
Daniel is deep in writing details he even didn’tunderstand, deep in dream visions so intense he kept writing about them, sharing at some point, always tucking them away in his heart. He was surrounded by times of trouble and yet kept this comfort of God being in control in the front of his mind, and writing. This holy dream is extremely important to our now connecting prophesy of old and new testaments, Daniel had a vision of Jesus coming to save us all. Importantly the scene is to to show Sovereignty of God Almighty, Ancient of Days.
Beasts and power struggles, all real to him in real life AND in prophesy, if the battles of earth are complex then imagine Heaven! What we read in Daniel becomes scholar-necessary to be interpreted. Yet Daniel did the best thing – HE ASKED WHAT WAS HAPPENING. And there was an explanation: the beasts were of the earth. The Lord is the Lord. The beasts, powerful kingdoms of the earth rose and fell, one was different but they all were destroyed eventually.
‘But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
If this vision troubled Daniel, who survived many a persecution, but gave him food for thought in all his trials, we aught to learn from Daniel’s STRENGTH in any of these “closer and closer to last days”…
And keep teaching and keep knowing that the ANCIENT OF DAYS will be FOREVER… And we as His “saints-becoming”, as a friend pastor calls us, will inherit and survive to be in His everlasting kingdom…
I’m glad Daniel asked… we should ask too, and simply know: GOD IS FOREVER and in charge today…
Amen
—
Daniel 7 NKJV
Vision of the Four Beasts
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon [after Nebuchadnezzar], Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down thedream, telling the main facts.Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
“After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Vision of the Ancient of Days
“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow,and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him.A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.
“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
“I was watching in the night visions,And behold, One like the Son of Man,Coming with the clouds of heaven!He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel’s Visions Interpreted
“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
“He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders, in Heaven and on earth…”
The most praise we can give the Lord is to praise Him in the unknown, when in the pits (or perceiving ourselves in the pits but maybe we aren’t but feel like it), and when we know the world is stacked against us. Like God in the fire with us, protecting us, God is ready to lift us from the pits, even the worldliness that holds onto us. Just hold on, take time to praise, knees to bow then raise and keep walking, keep believing, keep keepin’ on.
Daniel’s story with the PIT with the LIONS is tremendous, and so is the moments just before, when he knew the trouble and praised God anyway.
Daniel lived in exile in a prescribed time away from Jerusalem, where the Israelites were to be captives. Yet Daniel was able to get into the palace, serving multiple kings, having the spirit of God on him, able to interpret dreams and God-written reality. Now the new king had it in for him, and a scheme devised to trap him in his own faith. They could not find any fault so they made a law that no one could worship any god except worship the king. [This being repeated in history over and over, causing Christians to go underground, as many are today. They say there are more Christians secretly worshipping then there are Christians who are openly worshipping in churches…] Well, Daniel went to his room as usual and praised in prayer to God Almighty. Daniel GAVE THANKS!
We must not let attacks keep us from doubting God, we must draw closer to Him, as He is always with us.
The king who made the decree didn’t realize and he was feeling HORRIBLE and wanted to deliver Daniel from this punishment but the advisers insisted… the king Darius even said directly to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then the king himself stayed up all night, ran to the pit the next morning… “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
AMAZING.
The king then made a decree “that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.”
AMAZING to see Daniel’s faith.
Super AMAZING to see God’s Protection and deliverance.
Daniel didn’t need a decree to AGREE, God is a Living God.
We can depend upon Him.
Amen!
—
Daniel 6
New King James Version
The Plot Against Daniel
It pleased Darius [king after Belshazzar after Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon] to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps [local governors], to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”
So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”
The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”
So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”
So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Daniel Saved from the Lions
Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Darius Honors God
And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
Then King Darius wrote:
‘To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.For He is the living God, And steadfast forever;His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wondersIn heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.‘
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
The cat wanted me AWAKE, “GET UP” her paw touched my arm, and wanted me in the daily routine, but she doesn’t have a calendar, it is the WEEKEND and I wanted to sleep… I won this round but not before that cat reached for my ankles to bite. She knows when I’m not going her way. Of course we have a very smart cat. I spend half the time wondering why the cat can’t cut me a break and the other half aching from the bite. I did get up half an hour later and treat her with wet cat food… spoiled but she’s worth it. I often think angels are guiding her to get me up to write, but why the disgruntled bite? Hmmm…
We can’t understand cat, let alone understand half the stuff going on in the world. We can’t understand what brokenness brings to crime, poverty, drug addiction, sadness. We can’t understand illness or early death. We can’t figure out all science even if studying it for years. We just are clueless and maybe gratefully so, for we can’t fix everything either.
One true Bible story is the originator of the phrase: “read the writing on the wall” and oh so many were trying to interpret it. In this story, Daniel was remembered as a dream interpretor and man filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Daniel was called upon by king Belshazzar, son of king Nebuchadnezzar who had that fall of his sanity and dignity last chapter because he didn’t respect God, Nebuchadnezzar repented but son Belshazzar totally disregarded God as well as God’s temple in Jerusalem, even using the holy cups for their party. Well, quite the unusual sighting, even one might say the most bizarre Bible stories, the FINGERS of a HAND appeared! They wrote words on a wall.
The king and the people got so obsessed with “what do the words say?”, needless to say that it’s strange for a hand to appear… how many times do we see the writing on the wall, but doubt it is for us let alone understand it… Well, for king Belshazzar it was NOT good news. Daniel was able to call out Belshazzar’s disobedience to God, even knowing and seeing his father’s experience, and Daniel told Belshazzar that his kingdom was in trouble and so was he. Belshazzar died that evening, was slain, had no respect, hit the end of his line.
It’s a story full of real advice: listen to God, know God is in charge (before we have to see the writing on the wall), be truthfully wanting to understand God’s Will, worship and revere the Lord, do what is respectful…
Yeah… (and get up to read and write when the cat (via angels) tell you to!)
And FYI – this passage again shows Daniel wasn’t in the service of the Lord for gain, only because he (we) all should serve God and God’s plans… Let us not wait for the writing on the wall, when the Word, now, is written down, we have it all… Thanks for the reminders Lord!!!
Amen
—
Daniel 5
New King James Version
Belshazzar’s Feast
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.
The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The Writing on the Wall Explained
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
“But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of each word.
MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;
TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar’s Fall
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
“Dust in the Wind”, the 1977 band Kansas sings, “all we are is dust in the wind.”… “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky…” Well, not even they do, but the earth and sky certainly have been around longer than people, and us, who are but traveling in the world, temporarily.
Prophet Daniel and others were in Babylon, where God promised they as an Israelite people would have a temporary stay in captivity. Must have FELT like forever, under a ruling kingdom with ever changing rulers, but even the rulers, like all old testament kings, came and went. (We should remember out times also will be temporary and like the weather, change soon enough. Dust in the wind, us too, we should live life fully meanwhile.)
Partially STRONG and partially brittle, that’s how Daniel described a kingdom in a dream by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was troubled and could not sleep. Daniel actually interpretted the dream without being told it, so had a DIVINE relationship and revelation by God’s actions.
Knowing this was being sent as a message from God. Daniel stated: “the God of Heaven will set up a KINGDOM that will NEVER BE DESTROYED, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself ENDURE FOREVER. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”
Wow! Daniel not only got out of a tough situation himself, but spoke of a Sovereign God Whose Kingdom will ENDURE FOREVER! Earthly kingdoms would come and go, but there is ONE of God’s Hands, made by God, to direct our devotion to. This was shared not just to settle down the king, but to show all the people (then and now) the HOPE of our ALREADY ALMIGHTY God, who formed us from that dust.
Let us make the most of the dust today, and rely upon the rock-solid God, Who reigns the Kingdom forever.
Amen
—
Daniel 2:39-49
“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
3 years ago I took the metro with my daughter to see the 911 memorial in the World Trade center complex. The new life there was undeniable, activities, people, life. And RESTORATION!
In addition to the Oculus – the new Freedom Tower – the Water Pools – my eyes gained joy in seeing the metal globe reinstalled and especially the “Survivor Tree” – a pear tree still alive, transported for recovery then replaced here at ground zero for living out its days fully – showing resilience and beauty.
Survive Thrive Be Alive
That’s a lesson from God’s grace and mercy and life call. When life knocks us down, we can rise from the crumble, put behind us the stumble, and squash the evil rumble. In God’s Power, Grace and Mercy we shall kneel humble, then in God’s Work we will rise to SHINE and LIVE, in the days He DOES give.
I pray all who passed away that 9-11 day to be given that grace and mercy, allowing God to replenish and replace their wholeness in His embrace.
And as for us still here, let us CONTINUE LIVING in thees seasons, be prepared in and out of season for we are to be PRESENT wherever we are, sharing in the days and moments gifted, and CONTINUE until we FINISH THIS RACE, in Mercy and Grace.
AMEN
“my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace”. Paul in Acts 20:24
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” Paul to Timothy, 2ndTim4:2
Suitable for back to school talk – back to focus – back to God…
God is known for so many good things, miracles and such – and just good living – Daniel’s story tells of, in chapter 1, that devotion to God is a really good thing to have – and this devotion is obedience and understanding that God’s rules and plans are good for us. Even God’s vegetables… really God is good.
Daniel and his friends are “recruited” really forced because this is the time of besiege of Jerusalem by Babylon – and Daniel and three others are being “trained” to serve in the King’s court – trained for 3 years – (that is unbelievable too – three years of what kind of training?) – but Daniel refuses to eat’s the kings table food (which was probably the best they could offer those days) – but God offered something better – and not just vegetables – He offered the wisdom to live. Daniel and his three other companions tapped into God’s wisdom.
First – after refusing to eat – the guard made a plea with Daniel – look I am only doing my job – help me out here – well Daniel made an agreement for a trial basis to test things out – and only 10 days ate under God’s purposes – and guess what – not just eating but exercising too and learning and what not… And they turned out to be the best of the best… and they didn’t have to be enchanters or magicians, just God’s people.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
Yes, it took three years and yes it took work and yes it took wisdom to learn – most importantly it took the dedication to God to live the life that He wanted them to live – and the rest was gravy – no I am not talking about vegetable gravy…
The good stuff God is known for is His dedication to those dedicated to Him. The wisdom to know – and the means to work – even under the oppressive circumstances.
I’m glad God is in control. Let’s listen to Him always.
Amen
—
Daniel 1
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
One in God, under God, with God, having peace with God. We all long for that peace and in Ezekiel, we are told the WHO brings it to us: a lineage that forms under King David and leads directly to Jesus. God both lays the groundwork and adds the prophecy, hundreds of years in advance. We know now that Jesus is our One King – but did these people? If we have so many now who don’t know – then throughout the ages, God has pointed to a One King to come to earth – but not an earthly king – a Heavenly One.
The logistics of Jesus’s lineage in the nation of Israel (and back to Abraham, Noah, Adam…), meant in advance, the Lord set aside re-mending of the people of Israel. And getting the people to be re-membering that the kingdom traced back to King David, and the lineage back to Jacob and his 12 sons – and further back.In a mini-version, God brought Jacob’s son Joseph back to his people, his brothers, his father – after the brothers abandoned him and left him to his own devices… God promised and promises peoples will return to Jerusalem (over and over again). And even when people abandon God, God does not abandon them: “for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them.“
Here is one of the best lines of the Old Testament: “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” And this is reinforced with the follow up line: “and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Perhaps in years of exile, the israelites whisked away to Babylon – or run away to Egypt – would have the time to think and ponder the lineage, the promises of God – and the writings of David in Psalms – and then the writing of Ezekiel in prophecy: David being a shepherd in mini proportions to our Great Shepherd – and a mini king to our One King – an earthly lord to The Lord.
Ezekiel writes of the Words from God of The Messiah – The Ultimate ‘Son of Man’…
We get to listen in to his insights – and now remember Jesus DID come – and will come again…
Amen
—
Ezekiel 37:15-28
One Nation Under One King
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
“When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’ Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
“‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”
It’s great to remember to “walk by faith and not by sight” – a scripture sign that I saw in Ocean Grove NJ last night, along with beautiful light too… The light of living well (and abundantly too)… JOY…
At the shore escape, I sat on the beach in the shade reading… reading about Heaven (great little book by David Jeremiah) and reading about Fanny Crosby, songwriter and child of God. Truly Fanny Crosby, blinded as an infant, gained spiritual sight in INSIGHT of the HEART to be a poet and hymnist of the mid to late 1800s, living in the LIGHT of Jesus’s Way. These people in this era experienced faith in revival in the cities and here at the shore. Fanny, like me, like us, can visit and live in the experiences of the waves of God’s Love more numerous and powerful than the ocean waves. Waves of the ocean and of love, like we experience in Grace and Mercy. We must let it wash over us to understand.
Fanny Crosby wrote in an early hymn lyric:
“More like Jesus would I be.
Let my savior dwell in me.
Fill my soul with Peace & Love.
Make me gentle as a Dove.
More like Jesus as I go.
Pilgrim, in this world below,
Poor in spirit I would be –
Let my Savior dwell in me.”
And isn’t that the central core of LIVING BY FAITH? Less of us and more of Him. To be poor in our spirit ourselves and let Jesus lead the way. AND WORSHIP THE LORD because He calls us too – and because our Sprit aches for acknowledging Jesus.
Less angst, more acceptance.
Less worldliness, more forever thinking.
LESS US, MORE HIM.
Less demanding, more giving.
Less profiting, more prophetic.
Less put-off, more praise, even in pain.
“Be Joyful in Hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Jesus praised His Father as we should… The praise of the Spirit dwelling in us is greater than anything we could produce. Let us take the moment to embrace the grace, and sing out God’s Glory in song and spirit. Let us let the Lord lead our day and way.
How do celebrities make money by just being celebrities? Showing up, smiling, talking maybe, collecting the checks. Nice life huh? The only expense is for security people.
Snoop Dogg and other famous celebrities are making 50 million at the Olympics. Snoop Dogg is earning $500,000 per day plus expenses. Wow, and I’m sure there are others thinking of the TV scenes – getting paid separately for their ideas FOR TV-play of Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. Anyone paying someone to look out of place might seem cruel – but not at $500,000 per day. Wow. That is laughing all the way to the bank. Even Steven Spielberg getting $20 million a movie has to produce a film himself and hire people to make his money, but Snoop Dogg? He is the celebrity of the moment (only NBC) now to Smile and Smile and Smile all the way to the bank…
I woke up with a novel idea mishmoshed into my head (novel to me) and it came as soon as it could organically synthesize in the most creative brain time that God gives. So – it is not from me but me in the right place – collecting the credit for ideas but God provided. It’s for work, and a Saturday 4 AM wake up is fine for an idea that is this helpful to me. It’s a gift from God to be helped, and we know all good things are from God. And maybe this idea won’t pan out, but the inspiration that He provided and can provide – giving something without asking, in a healing way for me, is like just showing up and collecting the paycheck. So imagine the blessing when we DO ask for help and then when we DO ask “what can I do for You today, Lord?”
Now, this also mean that we can ask when we DO need help, an idea, a way forward, out of a jam or just a fresh start. We can simply ask God for help and He can bring something normal or something novel, from the left field or the right field or His field, in inspiration to bring hope. Yes, and this builds a reliance upon Him. His ways are above our ways. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
My catch phrase these days is “creativity over cynicism”… and I believe that God provides that as a healing distraction until I can move forward.
As inspired writer Isaiah says, knowing that the Lord provides: “Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters” – He means come to Abundant Life… Smile and Collect God DIRECT!
Jesus Joy will always employ …
Amen
—
Isaiah 55
New King James Version
An Invitation to Abundant Life
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.
Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
“Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in You.” Psalm 56:3
It was probably the most human and Godly thing Jesus did, SLEEP. I’m sure He ate, we know He pained at the walk to the cross, got angry, wept tears… And the daily activity that both shows His humanness, getting tired, AND His Godliness, trusting God our Father had everything under control, was an ability and necessity to SLEEP.
In our VBS story of Jesus calming the waters, we play-acted with tarps as a boat and water, using some of the crew to run around and be the loud storm, and the other half the scared disciples trying to wake Jesus. Was it just thinking that the disciples were to trust things, Jesus slept through the storm – or was it Jesus was just SO TIRED and/or this was the only opportunity to rest? I wonder if it was a natural storm or one cooked up by the creator in chaos of the world to shake the situation.
We DO live in a broken world. For all it’s beautiful ways, there’s still brokenness – (and I’m not just talking about the fun breaking of water balloons, which we used again (now that’s a miracle invention!) as items in our parachute storm play) – but brokenness in our lives, attitudes, and lack of peace.. . Brokenness showed interestingly intensely to me yesterday admiring the pollen and sunflowers outside my house. The small bees were attacking each other, maybe stealing the pollen, it was aggressive and sad. There seemed to be enough pollen for them all, but the three bees just tugged at each other like the little kids fighting over a toy. Brokenness.
Well, I found some peace in sitting outside the camping tent (both prop and games storage tent) in between sessions. And that kind of peace is but a fraction of the peace that Jesus promises us- to trust in Him now – and to live in Him forever.
It’s a piece that storms will come up, but Jesus will wake up, command them to stop, even scold us for not trusting. If Jesus could trust BOTH the Plan (and the Play-out of it all happening) AND trust forever and a day of God’s Sovereignty and control, and still be human in a broken world, then we too can just rest a moment in peace.
Peace… get it, hold it, give it, love it.
Amen
PS – the blue jello snack they had was the best ever… I’d eat up that sweet water and sweet calm of Jesus anyday!
PPS – someone saw me inside after our outside games and said: you look like you have been thru the ringer out there in hot weather – but honestly it was shady enough, calm enough, and peace enough for me… Summer is for loving it!
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41 NIV
I Can Do All Things Through Christ – I appreciated this bracelet they gave out at my friend’s memorial, Philippians 4:13.
This was so true for how she lived her life – and a good reminder that we need to live through – we really CAN do all things we need to do through our Lord – and we can also MEET HIM. We certainly saw and met and loved knowing Jesus thru my friend, She was the most loving and caring to others – and yes the place was PACKED – in bright colors as her daughter requested.
Was nice to see so many people present and former members of this church too. I knew it would be like old home days and it was. Our former choir director played piano and a member sang “In the Garden”. We sang beautiful hymns from the hymnal and the new Pastor was so wonderful, eloquent and touching, comforted with great Bible lessons and passages. The flowers and ashes arrangement was beautiful.
Place was packed at lunch too – which was great, Big sandwich and fruit trays donated by her son’s work, plus desserts donated. And her daughter made her mom’s famous taco salad and rice pudding, YUM.
Everyone’s eyes spoke volumes of memories and love.
I can do all things through Christ: Especially share LOVE.
We know we will meet Christ in our heavenly life. I dreamt last night of end times because I had some conversations yesterday with people about heaven and not really knowing what heaven has in store – like “will we meet the people we didn’t like?” “will I be bored in heaven?” These seem so unlikely – we are to know heaven has healing… heaven has hope… I guess we will find out when we find out – so glad THESE friends will be there and we will start our new learning of everyone IN Christ – oh how we all will change!!! Oh what great reunions – looking forward to it even if I am in NO RUSH! Who will we meet first in Heaven? Has to be Jesus!
I can do all things through Christ: Especially KNOW His LOVE.
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Especially LIVE.
I can do all things through Christ: Especially share HIS LOVE.
I love the Olympics! Yet there’s one race longer and more consuming: our race of faith…
And a torch never to go out: “our God is a consuming fire.”…
A mountain we don’t climb but has come down to get us: “Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”…
A crowd unbelievable in number and roar of support: “an innumerable company of angels”…
God the Judge of all, calls us His children “to the spirits of just men made perfect“…
And our torch bearer of Holy Spirit…
and our driver, deliverer, pit crew, water-giver and pick up wagon if/when we crash in our race: Jesus “the Mediator of the new covenant”…
And along the journey of our race?
“Pursue peace with all people”…
In the games, we must show up in the right Olympic uniforms. In life? Pursue “holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…”
Don’t let yourself get in the way of the Way!
Amen
Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:12-29 NKJV
Renew Your Spiritual Vitality
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
The Glorious Company
For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Hear the Heavenly Voice
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
Is today a normal Friday? It sure feels like a Friday. It’s summer, I know that. It’s not Saturday yet, I sense that… but is there anything normal now?
What is consistent and constant about change in life is that life constantly changes – you feel change consistently.
Normal now is that there is no normal.
The new normal changes – like covid-era made some activities “the new normal” even if there really wasn’t an old normal, but we thought there was.
Normal for us is normally different than someone else’s normal.
I can normally say I now crave a normal even if do I want a change in what’s normally going on. And yet I want to define my own normal. And then, on top of that, I could use a vacation to get out of my normal routine.
I could use a vacation even if I wouldn’t want to lose my normal work schedule for something worse.
Perhaps it’s best we just thank the Lord for whatever we have wherever we are whenever we remember we have Him.
God is in control, focus on Him.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace.” Yes, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” one of my favorite praise/hymn songs. It is posted on my wall alongside two dollar store stickers of most important scriptures: Corinthians 13 of LOVE, “Love is patient – love never fails”, and James 5 of “Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (Amen to that in these not so normal normal times where change is constant)…
Wow, talk about a new normal when Jesus returns! Wow! Scholars may disagree the when, but remember Jesus Himself is ALSO waiting for God the Almighty’s Sign to MOVE. God does not change but we will see one on earth. That’s going to be a change which will bring about a new time then era called FOREVER. Can you imagine eternal? I can’t. I can’t wait even if I am in no rush. I’ll let God plan.
If we think we have tough times now (even when many of us have adapted to cushy existence) will we adapt to change? The change to life seemingly out of control is NOT happening BECAUSE GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN CONTROL.
The new times is of the same God who DOES NOT CHANGE. God is love and love is God, so our whole existence to experience LOVE IN GOD encompassing us, encourages us to STAY STEADY IN HIM. Exactly!!!
And our current existence needs to continually turn into a Jesus-focused force of not nature but NURTURE. “For the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace.”
That’s a normal thing to fail to wrap our heads around, FOREVER, but if we could just focus the EYES OF OUR HEARTS upon JESUS, we will get there.
Maybe this is my Friday normal, should be my everyday, knowing Jesus is already here. “Look full in His wonderful face!”
haha).
Debbie Upper 