Psalm 147:12-20 ~ melts them

 

Psalm 147:12-20

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13 For He strengthens the bars of your gates;

He blesses your children within you.

14 He makes peace in your borders;

He fills you with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sends out His command to the earth;

His word runs swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool;

he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.

17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;

who can stand before His cold?

18 He sends out His Word, and melts them;

He makes His wind blow and the waters flow.

19 He declares His Word to Jacob,

His statutes and rules [just decrees] to Israel.

20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know His rules [just decrees].

Praise the Lord!

This Psalm is perfect for the Hope of a: This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life 

and It's Going to Be Alright, knowing we want to work in God's plan.

Almighty God, Abba, Heavenly Father, 

We live in Thee. 
We put out our hands to do the good works You've already planned for us. 

Lead us in Your paths; encourage us,

 let the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our heart 

be always pleasing to You. 

In Your Mercy,

Grow the seed of our faith, to become a mighty tree. 

Put out Your growing branches, 

to give us shelter & we will share in Your goodness, 

fellowship and rest. 

Give us eyes of faith, 

to see the hope of Your promises; 

the eagerness, like a child, 

to see them brought forth. 

In our Heart,

Help us to know we are flowers of the field

You are the Father giving Eternal Life,

Help us to Love

To not be angry, sorrow or have bitterness.

Instead, to have Joy and find You Plan

to Heal and Bring Us

Together.

To trust You 

and find Give us This Day

Strengthen our souls, 

let our lives reflect Your Light and Your Love. 

In the Highest name of Jesus Christ, 

we pray. 

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 103:6-13 ~ The Lord

 

Psalm 103:6-13

6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Matthew. Jesus called all of his disciples in this manner. Follow me. And they rose and followed Him. What did they have in common, these disciples: poor fishermen, rich fishermen, Rome-loving tax collectors doing Rome's work and pocketing money with a nod at Roman power, a zealot- hungry for a war against Rome, and a thief who would become a traitor?

This is an important question, why would all of these people put aside their lives and follow Jesus? Consider Nathanael or Zacchaeus - climbed a tree to see Jesus. His life was full, he had all he needed. Zacchaeus was seeking, he wanted someone to see him for who he really was and love him. Jesus saw Zacchaeus and knew him, loved him, didn't label him and invited him to be a friend and follower of Christ Jesus. 

Zacchaeus didn't even hesitate - his soul had been called, his life changed, his soul loved.

Pharisees. The Pharisees, by the 9th chapter of Matthew, are not comfortable asking Jesus and they ask the disciples to justify Jesus' actions. Why? Several reasons, Jesus is amazing to them. They see the authority, the miracles, the Words & the people following Jesus. The Spiritual Fruits are Astonishing.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.

The Pharisees are interested by the disciples. Why? This is not purely hypocritical, this is the Wisdom of the Old Testament. Proverbs tells us to be wise in our companions, Psalms tells us to not be with the crooked of heart. The Law is about purification and sanctification. The Pharisees want to see if this Wonder Worker is real.

Ecclesiasticus, The Book of Sirach 6:6-17 ~ (New American Bible)

6 Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant.
7 When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him
8 For one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress.
9 Another is a friend who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame.
10 Another is a friend, a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes.
11 When things go well, he is your other self, and lords it over your servants;
12 But if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you.
13 Keep away from your enemies; be on your guard with your friends.
14 A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure.
15 A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth.
16 A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds;
17 For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.

These heartfelt examinations are, of course, true for the Pharisees like Nicodemus or Gamaliel, seeking God. The Word of God tells us to examine spiritual matters and guard our heart.

Matthew 24:38-44

For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

When Jesus described the end, He was not just speaking of the end of the world. He was telling us we live our lives as if it will continue indefinitely. So caught up in work, entertainment, our relationships - we sometimes miss the good portion.

Who will be saved?

With God all things are possible.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Matthew 21:33-46 ~ marvelous in His eyes

 

Matthew 21:33-46

 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 

36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 

39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they held Him to be a prophet.

Matthew 13:44

The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, 

which a man found and covered up. 

Then in his joy he goes 

and sells all that he has 

and buys that field.

Matthew 13:47-50

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.

 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. 

The angels will come 

and separate the wicked from the righteous 

50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, 

where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 17:20-21

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, 

He answered them, “

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ 

For behold, 

the Kingdom of God is 

in the midst of you.”

Mark 4:30-32

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 seed you plant in the ground, 

yet when it is sown,

 it grows up and becomes larger 

than all the garden plants 

and forms large branches; 

so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."

John 15:4

Abide in me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,

 unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, 

unless you abide in me.

Abba, Father,

Father God, we abide in You. 

Knowing apart from You 

we have no good. 

You are the Vine, we are the branches. 

Father, please, each day grow us to be the people dear to You. 

Each day, provide us the path 

You would have us to travel and journey along. 

You are the Light of the World. 

Dwell in us, please, Father.

Dwell in those we Love.

Help us to seek You first.

In Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

To see

to bring

to be

more daily

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

on earth

as in Heaven

In Jesus Christ is 

Our Love, Joy and Hope.

Thank You for Jesus.

We ask this in the Highest Name You've given us;

 Jesus. 

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yay Lord Jesus 

John 14:23-27 ~ Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid †

John 14:23-27

 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word, 

and My Father will love him, 

and We will come to him and make Our Home with him. 

24 Whoever does not love Me does not keep My Words. 

And the Word that you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, 

whom the Father will send in My Name, 

He will teach you all things 

and bring to your remembrance 

all that I have said to you. 

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your hearts be troubled, 

neither let them be afraid. 

About 5 years ago, I was in a Bible Study for a few weeks about the Holy Spirit. And the room was filled with people I've known for 23 years. We studied all the passages about the Holy Spirit and one of the women said to me, later, I get tired of hearing about the Holy Spirit! I love Jesus, I know Jesus, I understand the Lord and His Love (she does!), but I don't get the Holy Spirit other than, He is one of the Holy Trinity. I'm tired of the elusiveness of this.

Why don't we put a few aspects of the Holy Spirit with our Father, Jesus and see if this isn't more readily available in our hearts.

We do understand and Love Jesus. And Jesus is not going to roll out of us like the movie "Ghostbusters" and the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. And if we know our souls have Jesus, then we know the Holy Spirit lives within us. Now, we know we have the Light of mankind, Light of the world, Light of nations and Light of Heaven.

Advocate, sighing within us when we can't pray. 

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. 

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, 

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us 

with groanings too deep for words.

1 Kings 19:12, 13

A fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; 

and after the fire a still small voice.

So it was, when Elijah heard it,

 that he wrapped his face in his mantle 

and went out and stood 

Gabriel announces how well he knows God, saying, 

"I stand in the presence of God."

When we are close to the Lord,

The Holy Spirit is stirring the waters within us.

Our soul sings within us.

Isaiah 6:2-4

Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: 

With two wings they covered their faces, 

with two they covered their feet, 

and with two they were flying. 

3And they were calling out to one another: 

“Holy, holy, holy 

is the LORD of Hosts; 

all the earth is full of His glory.” 

At the sound of their voices 

the doorposts and thresholds shook,

 and the temple was filled with smoke

Revelation 4:8

And each of the four living creatures had six wings

 and was covered with eyes all around and within. 

Day and night they never stop saying: 

"Holy, Holy, Holy, 

is the Lord God Almighty, 

who was and is and is to come!"

Psalm 72:19

And blessed be His glorious name forever; 

may all the earth 

be filled 

with His glory. 

Amen and Amen.

Abba, Father,

Dwell in us, please, Father.

Dwell in those we Love.

Help us to seek You first.

In Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

To see

to bring

to be

more daily

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

on earth

as in Heaven

In Jesus Christ is 

Our Love, Joy and Hope.

Thank You for Jesus.

To You, our Father, be the Glory

Amen and Alleluia

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yay Lord Jesus