Jeremiah 7:23-28
Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded My people:
Listen
to My Voice
Then I will be your God
and
you shall be My people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not,
nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and
turned their backs, not their faces,
to Me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly
all my servants
the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed Me
nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the Voice of the LORD,
its God
Or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
The Word Itself
is banished from their speech.
I ought unceasingly to give thanks to God who often pardoned my folly and my carelessness, and on more than one occasion spared His great wrath on me, who was chosen to be His helper and who was slow to do as was shown me and as the Spirit suggested.
Saint Patrick,
Confessio, translated from Latin
We read the Scriptures and find stiffening a neck is a terrible thing. What is this actually telling us? How often have you stiffened your neck? When we speak of posture, we are told not to watch our feet. Today, we are told not to look down at our phones and computers. We speak of keeping our chin up.
Is this what the Lord is telling us about a stiffened neck? I would say this isn't it.
Literally, the only time I stiffen my neck is about the time my Standard Poodles are hurling themselves on me. I would vastly rather not be knocked down in exuberance. Or knocked down at all.
If we look at the Parable of Ten Talents, we will find the answer.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 But his master answered him,
‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Ten Talents Parable is about stiffening a neck.
Nehemiah 9:16
They and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck
and
did not obey your commandments.
The man with only one talent wrote his own story about God's nature and what a meaningful life would be. He did not look up to see the Nature of The Lord God Almighty. The man with one talent did not want to know. Not taking a leap of faith or any risk. Go for the sure thing. He would take the hit, even a God sized, exhuberant hit, rather than risk what the world had demonstrated to him life is.
The most impressed Jesus tells us about in the Gospels is the Centurion who believed if Jesus spoke a Word, far, far away, the servant would be healed. The Centurion believed in the authority of God.
The men who lowered their friend, through a roof, to meet Jesus the Christ of God also received the Joy and Love Jesus gave them. They expected Jesus to do the impossible Good. Freely.
Isaiah 55
Who saw Heaven and the Robe of God
with His Angels
Come, everyone who is thirsty to the water, and you without silver, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver
and without cost!
God is not talking about the Cincinnati mob attack. The Lord is not talking about men who ask for violence to take the heir's vineyard, his inheritance. The Lord God Almighty is speaking of giving work to one another that makes life better. Improve the life around you for ALL. Be a Lightbringer. A Joy giver. Let goodness and mercy be your footprints from David, the apple of God's eye, Psalm 23. A good man lets even the Oxen, the hard workers, enjoy and be nourished each day.
Isaiah 41
17 The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs. 19 I will plant cedars in the wilderness, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will set cypresses in the desert, elms and boxwood
together.
Finding your blessings,
seek and find!
Abraham found
The Oaks of Mamre
A house with a porch in Nazareth…
Nazareth was not the Garden of Eden
Blessings have been found!
James,
having sat at the dinner table and the family fusses the Gospel assures us are real, knew Jesus his Brother and Mary his Mother. The Book of James, always, is interesting.
Works, obeying the Commandments. Not just going to a foreign land for a few days and doing good works. Obeying the Lord. Love one another. Do kindness with mercy and walk humbly with God. Not fancy words and wisdom, just kindly kindness. Walk is in the Word and describing to go further and journey with kindness.
Works are not indulgences, paying off our sins. Work is obeying the commandments of God. Love one another. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Love yourself. Love the others as yourself.
James 2
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
Stiffening the neck, knowing the right path isn't being taken. Willing to take on the disappointment, the disfavor, the rightful condemnation of God. So much so, prepared to take God's exhuberant hit.
Jeremiah 7:23-25
Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded My people:
Listen
to My Voice
Then I will be your God
and
you shall be My people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
We can look at the verses from Jeremiah 7 as being harsh, or we can see Jeremiah 7 as the Lord's Nature,
Ability and Authority of Love.
Mark 7:37
The crowd witnessing Jesus' healing of a deaf and mute man
is described as being
“astonished beyond measure”
and exclaiming,
“He has done all things well;
He even makes the deaf hear
and the dumb to speak!”
Abba, Father,
Unity
Steadfast Love
Loyalty
Faith
We remember
John Wesley said, “The Work of God
continues
His workers go home”
Coinciding
John Wesley never left the Anglican Church
and The Anglican Church
never left
The Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church
still considers
The Church of England
Anglicans as members.
One God,
One Plan
As we think of the Sacrifice
of Jesus Christ
His Love
as He Forgave
We realize
a Thousand Years
are a Day to You.
And Give You Thanks
for
our
Salvation.
God of Light
You are in all things
You are Light of the world
Light of mankind
Light of Heaven
In all Things, You Create
You have given us Jesus Christ
Holy is
the Highest Name
Above
all others
Your Kingdom come
Your Good Will be done
we pray for more
on earth
just as it is in Heaven.
Give us This Day
Our Daily Bread.
Jesus the Living Bread.
Forgive us our Trespasses
as
we forgive those
who Trespass
Against us.
Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from Evil.
For Thine
is the
Kingdom
and
the Power
and
the Glory.
We pray for
more
Heaven upon earth
in
Your Good Will.
To see more Heaven on earth
To look for more Heaven on earth
To proclaim, genuinely, more Heaven on earth
and
Sincerely,
to be and become
more Heaven on earth.
Dwell in us
Be our Help, Helper, Comfort, Comforter
Forgive us, please
and give us more
opportunities
to be a help and comfort to those surrounding us
Dwell in those we love
and
in Jesus Christ
we will finish well!
Forever!
Thank You
for hearing our prayers
In Your Grace
and Forgiveness
and Mercy, Father.
And in Jesus
This Hope.
Faith and Love
we will rise up
Believing Jesus.
Amen
WORLDWIDE
PEACE
PEACE
IN
Our
Amen in Jesus Christ
John 21
Thank you, Jesus our Lord Christ
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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