Padre Island - where a Catholic priest brought his siblings' families with him to compete his tasks to God
Psalm 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Luke 12
8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
What does He requires of us?
Today, we are too "with it" to fear God. To truly comprehend God, we must understand His Authority.
John walked with Jesus, calling Jesus, God is Love. And then we understand, Perfect Love Casts Out Fear. God would never have us walk in fear, for He has given us a Spirit of Power, the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave us by cancelling our sin in His Sacrifice of Atonement. Joshua spoke of this in the balance God told him as he took upon himself the mantle of the failed Exodus. In Joy!
To do this path, we must speak with God and pray knowing He has set us on a course, like the way we want our kids to go to college. God is distant. And completely within us and completely in our thoughts. We are not far from God - ever. Nothing takes God's love from us.
Be refreshed in the Gospel's comprehension again. Refreshed, encouraged, renewed. John's first Chapter is glorious - and bland - as John tries to cover up the astounding Transfiguration - his explanations of God's Glory reverberate through the millenniums. No one has the ability to read this Chapter with a God inspired heart and come away the same.
And John takes what he has the talent to describe - covering the disciples fear, awe, questioning, lack of loyalty, loyalty and their sorrow - to the culmination of their approachability to God Himself. The last Chapter of John explains how closely they are attached to Jesus even in the squabbles. The Scriptures are Real. Relationship with the vast Father God of Ephesians 4 and all of the Bible, millenniums and His Good Creation.
God again covers us - He loves us first, And He doesn't leave or forsake us. A God who wants to save His world!
When you read the writing of Peter and Paul - they LOVED. Peter and Paul expected God. They expected that His message of Love would be respected and carried beyond their lives. They held up God and knew that His Work would go forth. They were not desperate. I'm sure they looked worried when towns descended upon their work. Empowered and equipped + to try again tomorrow.
When you really study how Love works - there is awe.
When you look at John ending His Gospel. Probably Mary was sitting with John, the Gospel ends by saying Jesus was so complex and so many things surrounded Jesus that the Gospels can't contain them all.
The fullness of Christ Jesus.
And these personal miracles grew. And more people showed up. People began to see the dead were raised. Jesus was creating an atmosphere of belief. He wasn't requiring them to believe what they couldn't understand. This is why the Mediterranean Ocean from one side to the next was rocked to the core in 16 years.Why a persecuting Empire went another 200 years after almost collapse from 300 years of persecution, to hope. Christianity propped up and propelled the Roman Empire.
Life changes with Jesus.
Luke 18
The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
That's a great reminders for those bringing the Gospel forth. We need that lesson - like I do - today.
Father God, in all the tasks we would do for You, bless us to persevere, endure and thrive. We ask Your blessings - In Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Thank You, Jesus Christ Our LORD!
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
<><
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment