Unto Nebraska, Go Racing. Run your race to win.
Matthew 1
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Different mornings - different speeds.
We have a constant.
Just as Matthew 1 begins to renew Genesis 1, God's Plan is working.
We have a constant.
Every day we have a long line of family, God's Plan and the will to go forth into God's Plan.
We have a constant.
Each day the sun rises, we have gravity and responsibilities. Sometimes forgetting the Promise of God's Plan.
One of the most fascinating Studies I ever went to in God's Plan was Dr. Judith and Rev. Francis MacNutts series on Believing God Can Do All Things.
Our family friend was healed by Jesus Christ going to every seminar the couple gave on healing. In our class, we were the only ones praying for a man with 2nd time horribly aggressive mouth cancer. Jesus healed him. We prayed for a priest dying at age 89 of heart failure unable to get out of bed. His congregation was praying for him, but this motivated class prayed for him and at age 90 he was flying to see his children, going to the grocery store and walking 2 miles - I'm going to say this motivated class added to the Jesus prayers. A man with gangrene for the 2nd time was healed before his next day doctor visit.
One of the unique things about the class, we knew each other and it was not for time to discuss the family, the future and instead was for finding the Joy of God and God's Plan.
For all of us, to keep the God Plan rolling - we have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Wonder of God. Live, active, working today.
And with all of life, God does say this prayer is not in His Plan right now. When we prayed for Edward, one of the men so enthusiastic said glumly, "All we can do is pray here and support you here."
Why is that a bad thing? The work of mankind is to Believe God.
Edward and I were talking to a Minister, we have known for more years than seem possible. He said I'm not sure I did enough. I'm not sure I changed lives. I'm not sure I see The Acts of the Apostles happening. Yet he doesn't see quitting. He sees funerals and quiet lives go peacefully into the Light. Not into the good --- night.
St. Augustine was asked what will we do with knowing Jesus? I knew a man who had been a leader of his Church and he said when I look at my life - I care for elderly parents, a family member who is ill. I attend Church. I believe. I go to meetings. I do good works, but I don't make a huge stir and can't help others change their lives. It's all pretty small really.
I've seen people who are movers and shakers in the Christian Church wonder about aging. And Effectiveness. And have good memories of magnificent miracles. And mull sometimes how they did this day-to-day. I've seen very responsible people fear God will think their life's work was a donut... hole. I've seen effective people go up and down in the scale of effectiveness and wonder about burn out.
My son Alexander and I were discussing why life can be disappointing with people you'd think were amazing. I settled down for a long discussion. Alexander made the traditional shrug gesture with both hands over his breakfast and said, "People try this and then they try that. They wonder about immediate results. Wait for interim results. And become just discouraged and try good ideas, bad ideas and then make mistakes. It's about human wonder." I said to my son. "That is the Einstein answer Jesus would give. I'm so impressed." Alexander was pleased and I was thrilled.
Don't you love when Paul tells us from the Holy Spirit and St. Augustine agrees?
Changed lives. Matthew 1 is a Chapter on changed lives. Like St. Augustine - walking in the footsteps of generations. Regular life. And then Jesus enters and we wait with all of Creation to find the Sons of God revealed.
St. Augustine began eternal life with ... a changed life. And Augustine looked at all of us wanting to pull The Acts of the Apostles into every day and every morning, every car drive, every lunch, dinner and evening upon all those we love and care for.
St. Augustine said a quote we can all hold on to.....
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
The Bible is Living and Active. Literally true. In Theory true. In Practice True. In Allegory true. In analogy True. True in our past. True in our today. True in our tomorrow. True in Archaeology. True for people we love unborn. True for the generations of our family to be met as lives after our own in Heaven. In the application we understand to fit in the verse we know is fitting. In the practice of this small part is for tomorrow. And we discover this is true.
So St. Augustine thought about the 'real' race. Getting back in the saddle. Endurance. The steadfast race. The literal race we were God given strength to accomplish. Not just discussing our thoughts on the lofty Bible in safe environmental units.
The race where people vomit. Where people smell. People cry. People have heart attacks and avoid talking to each other and talk to themselves. A real race. A race where the sun rises and we see the light hit the trees knowing others are resting. A race where the gentle breeze is a sudden Gift of God. A race where a kind word is a gift of Salvation and water is Living. A race when encouragement sets the wind at your back and your soul has light. A race where repeat words drone in your ears and you wonder why you have to listen. A race where the finish line is a lot further than you thought. A race that is in Hawaii and no one told you is up the side of the mountain only for hours. A race where you know you can't finish and suddenly there is a real and earnest sign Victory has Arrived!!!
A race where you had no idea you were bringing Matthew 1 and God wants them to arrive with you. Wot. Veelar Children Bicycle Trailer Jogging Stroller Combo 2 in 1 Red/Blue seating for 24.
Best of luck!!! NOW, THIS IS THE RACE.
So we've almost all of us seen God works Wonders and Miracles. He Does.
St. Augustine said. This. When we really and truly take care of the People God has given us. For our lives. For this time. For our lives. For today. For our lives. When we pour God's love in our hearts with great earnest gulps and do what we can for others to know the Incredible Father GOD. The real Father Love of "Don't Quit Now, God is Absolutely for you. Always. He even remembers in 3rd Grade when you pulled for Rossi and stood up in front of all of them>"
When we help those we Love to understand the Magnitude of God wants to save the world and He remembers you and Loves you, "when you connected in Confirmation Class in 5th grade to please your grandmother and you cried because you met real Jesus." The part you repeated as you died that day and we were told you were seen beside the Shining waters of Heaven." And we knew to rejoice because Father God really got you and held you rested and safe. Because all of His Promises are true.
And in this life of reading Leviticus and hearing words that repeat, we find Joy and God of Love and God of Encouragement is the exact nature of Jesus Christ. Putting out His arms open wide and saying with Paul and Augustine:
Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.
~ Saint Augustine
We feed ourselves to Worship Father God and place ourselves in His Worship.
When we deliberately place ourselves in starvation we find this:
Freedom as an opportunity bite and devour one another, consumed with humans and human conditions. Freedom used for sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies of HBO, and things like these. Conceited, provoking and envying each other.
And when we are soaking ourselves in Strength we find this ~ in ourselves and in those helping us:
The Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Not against the Law nor looking at it. Wanting to be in step with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
And truthfully, in looking at how small our capabilities are, we must believe St. Augustine saying God's Salvation and the encouragement He renews in us, daily, in His mercies, is of God Himself. God gives us this: Himself, Works of God, His Word, His Wonder, His Fellowship to keep us in the saddle. The Journey Home. Where God our Father will run to us coming Home.
Abba, Father,
We Bless You for what You have given us to encourage us. People dearly held to You. The Renewal of Your Holy Spirit each day. The help near and far. Prayer. Your Helper.
We thank You for Your Blessings of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
Praying for more Heaven on earth. Covering the Nations by the people of faith knowing the Power of Scripture to ask as Jesus said for more Heaven on earth. Enfolding this Nation to keep the Light of mankind as our focus of trust.
Empowering those we Love to find Your Holy Spirit renewing us daily. Strengthening us in our cares to be held up by You, our Father God. Filling us with Your Love.
Alleluia in Jesus Christ. Alleluia. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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