1 Timothy 3:14-16 ~ believed in throughout the world

1 Timothy 3:14-16

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:

He was revealed in flesh,
vindicated in spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory

~He was revealed in the flesh

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

~vindicated in the spirit

John 1:-17
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

~seen by angels

Luke 2:8-14
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."

~proclaimed among Gentiles

Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

~believed in throughout the world

Revelation 21:22-27

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.

~ taken up in glory

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

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1 Corinthians 13 ~ face to face

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love!

Today, we had a discussion about Christian Fiction Books. I've read about 6 years of Christian Fiction Books, and I found them, at first, a little alarming. Wow, what better Christians and more saintly than I. Then interesting, wow, I thought I can learn. Then I decided, comfortably, it was dull. Okay, some I've remembered and treasured.

I read about a child who was learning about the Bible and was reading Genesis. She was asked by her priest what she thought. She said they seem to be a lot of friends and she liked that part. Friends, the priest asked? Yes, she explained, everyone 'knew' everyone else.

This ties together the point I'm trying to make. The Bible isn't Pollyana - sweetness, it's about real difficulties, real selfishness, real sin, inadvertant sin and incredible love and forgiveness. The Scriptures are about the power of love being squashed down " by trouble, persecution, the cares, the pleasures, the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things."
One of the greatest love stories in my life is my paternal grandmother. This isn't a Hallmark card or movie. One of my favorite movies has a scene, the main character goes back 20 years to high school, the most meaningful scene, she goes to see her living grandparents. Tears me up, tears me up. What a priviledge.

My grandmother has 4 great-grandchildren. 3 are named after her. My husband loves to recall my Mississippi Grandmother and her beautiful, gentle voice and aristocratic talk and ways. Such a gentle woman, believing life should be accomplished with a lot of Christian ethics. Her penmanship going back to being educated in small town, where penmanship was important. Having wonderful supportive, loving parents. Her love for her house - being one of the few not burned down "in the War of Northern Aggression." The Waaaaaarrrr of Noooorthrn Aggggresssionnnn, say it with me, there is no twang in this. (My history teacher, Mr. Wagner, loved to have me repeat this in Pennsylvania!)

Grandmother was born in the Mississippi Delta, in the era of Eudora Weldy, and she never belonged to or joined the popular racist club. She adored Veelma, her maid, for over 30 years. Veelma was the underprivileged, unacknowledged, illegitimate, half black, daughter of one of Oxford's doctors. She and grandmother stood and swept, yet all of Grandmother's old antebellum house looked a lot like Miss Haversham's, minus the wedding cake.

Her perfect childhood, her grandmothers she loved - living with her parents, her father's affluence, her loved remembered, discussed childhood home, her brothers she loved, her sister who annoyed her, her father saving from her from her mother's wrath when she ruined the car bumper and Pop secretly paid for the $16 ruined bumper. Falling in love with her brother's roommate from College; meeting the most handsome man in the world and marrying the man you can't live without. He was from a family with another fine house. He writes his aunt Hattie to say he is giving up alcohol to marry her. 

Alcoholism can take many years to sink you down. Alcoholism and alcoholic families have several courses; beat it, join it, enable it or leave it. Grandmother, being the gentle soul she was, joined it. We had a Thanksgiving one year, she became angered - this from the most dignified, gentle loving woman in the world - and took off her wig and threw it on the table & thundered about her new marriage (my grandfather had been dead for 15 years) to her new husband, an Episcopal priest. Robin Williams would say we were pretty Southern Episcopalian.

So.

This being said. When the great Chapter of Love is read or said, I never forget my Grandmother. When I grow old, I want to be the example of love she was to us. She found in us, absolute delight. Every time we saw her, she made sure to say, "I love you and I am so proud of you." Sincerity rang out. Sometimes she did without, to make sure we had something she wanted to give us. Grandmother knew we were parented, so she didn't parent us; she asked us what we thought and she would honestly discuss it. 

Grandmother wanted to know what interested us and she never encouraged us to be lawyers or doctors. Grandmother was interested in friendships and boyfriends. Her message was to forgive unkindness and to always remember the people the people who have been kind and loving to you and never to push them down. My Grandmother paid for my college education when my father scorned it. Grandmother was always astonished I had a job and flew all over the country. We grinned about it a lot.

At our Rehearsal Dinner, my Grandmother began her blessing of my marriage by saying she was, "As old as God". Really, Grandmother's love was a dress rehearsal for God's love.

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Luke 17:5-10 ~ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Luke 17:5-10


5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Lamentations 3:19-26
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.


I love conversation. Give me a good Christian Scripture discussion and I'm enthralled. Much Less enthused when the discussion is the bitterness of unbelief. But with Love, Scripture conversation is wonderful. Combining with life being led with verve for HIM, and we are on the Way.

The beginning of our faith, the cornerstone IS the free gift of salvation Jesus gave us. The work He gives us is faith, believing God is who He is and what He says is True. Forgiveness being another core. The most amazing aspect of thriving Christianity is the gasp of forgiveness. Love covers a multitude of sins. The early Church is encouragement to go farther in Him.



Faith, servant heart, waiting quietly upon the Lord. And comparing this to the Gospel on servitude toiling all day, serving the meal and getting very little thanks. We have to look at the prayer for Jabez. I'm for the Prayer of Jabez, "Lord bless me by enlarging my field, and let me have no pain, and I will turn by blessings back upon You."

And no more is written of Jabez.

Faith - the day of blessing, the day of adversity is from the same Source.

Our strongest, biggest prayers are the most pleasing to Him. Jesus Himself recognized power, position, privilege and personal responsibility.

Matthew 19
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Peter, himself, had one of the finest houses in Capernaum. Jesus knew this about Peter! God does not separate us out until the chaff separates from the wheat. He came to save the World, knowing the cares of the world are faith chokers. Blocking us from the Light, lighting all of mankind.

Adversity, adversity is a learning tool. We learn installing an oven in 1,200 parts. Putting in floor joists. Working a home to perfection to sell it, doing that again, and again to establish a family home. We become a working knowledge with hope. Our daily bread - is like manna - daily. And the circle to give back stretches us more.

Adversity. Faith. Trusting God knows our heart. Our pain. Sufferings. And we can say to Him one of the most important aspects of Working to Believe God  -  Your will be done. Not in giving up, shrugging shoulders, but the servant going a little further. Dad, Father God, I trust You. I have aspirations, hope, needs, but I know You are my port. You slept in the storm. Knowing the winds blow and we don't always see where, but You do. In Jesus, Amen.

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

God is our Port. Our refuge. We trust HIM with our deepest desires. God knows ..... anyway. When we ask in faith, we are answered. No. Yes. Maybe. Maybe later. He is - always - going to say have faith. Faith the Way is forward and the Truth will be learning. And the Life, sometimes head before heart. However the soul asking with hope,faith, love is where HIS Heart is.

And the wind in the sail, stirring hope is that - all things - With God, all things are possible.

Your Will be Done.

Give us the Day.

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Psalm 19 ~ reviving the soul

Psalm 19


The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech,and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words;their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth,and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,and like a strong man runs its course with joy.


Its rising is from the end of the heavens,and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat.


The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.


More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honeyand drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?


Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,and innocent of great transgression.


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

My mom said age is an exaggeration of personality. We had a High School Reunion of old friends. And people arrive as they will. Some are busy far away and life perks along like a cup of coffee. Others felt too shy to come.

Generous people, Amy and her husband, opened her grandfather's amazing Camp for us. Now, if you don't speak Yankee like Edward doesn't - you ask the Wonderful Master Gardener - where Camp is and is it located on a Public Park Map. We were amazingly blessed and enriched by the Gardener I failed to get his name from who appeared on a hike and led us for an hour explaining what you can eat, how to call in a host of birds, and suddenly you have and understanding Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.


Well, this man has the K n a c k.

It was purely, simply, marvelously a gift of God. Thank you, Master Builder,Master Gardener, leader of tours in Benezette, PA. Found out he is a cousin to our friend Sally Guloine and is Mark Turner.

So we had to explain to Edward that a Camp is a private weekend retreat. Our Cameron County Pennsylvania boast these camps from miles away because the beauty here is so great that - well, its a funny, little story. But we were sitting in a Subway sandwich shop and they had a great forest of Pennsylvania photo mural. And Edward saw me mesmerized by this beautiful mural of ferns lining the floor of a dapple covered tree canopy. And actually misty eyed. And Edward's comment snapped me out of my revery. He said he hated those murals. WHAT. "Yep bonified hated it when they photoshop.... Heaven."

I have at times realized I'm not good at conveying thoughts to words. EDWARD, That's PENNSYLVANIA!! And due to financial constraints we did not get there until 2005. And my sons, well one of them, wept when he had to leave Margaret and Father Bill's Farm. I hated it that Cal could not come with us. Hated it. Hated that.

So... we went to Amy's Camp for the Reunion. And Amy's Grandfather built... a camp for "Veranda". A camp for "Southern Living" and her seven brothers and sisters have build this wood shed with a windsock that should be in movies. And a front porch the bull dog puppy could hardly bear to leave. And the incredible drive way stretches on and on with these non-lethal, I just learned, Hemlock pines that must be just about first generation pines. Aaaaaaamazing.

And... how did we arrive. Well lemme tell you, a seven hour reunion for 30 year past High Schoolers is an awesome thing. But finally, you find out that 30 years have past and you look at the people who haven't been part of the circle for some time. And you see who is congenially sitting and enjoying other people enjoy themselves. And you are looking at some saints.

Why don't they do that? Put Saint badges on people who are the people enjoying the other people and are the support. Even the guy watching the football game is the support.

Bear with me ya'll this is about appreciation.

So I gushed southern style that .."they just allll looooook jussst the saaame!" And the song of the south, baby, it that in that gracious fakeness there is Truth.

And back to the topic sentence. We are all the same. Jaw droppingly so. If you'd stuck me on an airplane next to these fine people I would have figured it out. Who told us you were born with a personality.

Amy has family. Man that woman has family. And she mothers and warms and laughs and feeds more family. AWESOME!!

Phil - man they need you. The COUNTRY needs you. Phil will work from July to PEAK SEASON (that's a compliment PHIL) to move and shake an event. And he is FATHERING this group. And if you are stuck at your locally ignored, precious campy jewel hotel the Buttonwood Inn, (named after a local tree) - - Phil and his wife Kim will go get you in their pristine truck and you will find the absolute back, back, back roads to bump over. They are the kind of people you and let them drive away with your handbag and not worry about your handbag! These people Outta run the county or the state. Good people.


Now Janice has this talent that faded. She had a ping pong life and her WARM LOVING Heart got caught up in the absolute hell of husband world we all know exists. Coincidentally enough, my High School Best Friend, who owns major real estate in my heart for eternity and I had awesome phone calls at key times in life. Yep, I know where Janice buries her bodies. And Janice, has a talent for raw honesty that will have you roll on the floor. Yep. Janice got careered. And engineered. And she came about full circle. We sat in a smokey bar, man I hate that, and she told me about what it's like to have your roosters come home and you look at your life. At the end of the evening she was back to the old Janice coo as she described the people in her life. Janice, no one else can coo like you do. The exact way she used to kiss Bryan, aww my baby Bryan.

Now LIFE, has actually improved Janice. Which can only be a God thing. Janice was once described in High School as being the friendliest puppy in the County. But Janice had not yet been baptized in the crik, yes the crik. Now when you talk to Janice she is puzzled to describe a man who didn't like the book "The Shack." You have to have to tell Janice, well, the person you are describing is a hater. And then she has to absorb the idea. And Janice, with all that engineering career, can take that bull by the horns and, now, understand not all people are as fundamentally good at taking a problem and solving the problem while being a loving person. (Phil take Janice when you run the country or county.)

Kelley has all the love she ever exuded. Her family she grew up with has passed on to Home. And Kelley is bring Light House to the Blind dogs to improving life. And children in the Library up to a new and more loving existence. Her husband clearly thinks Kelley rocks. Because Kelley does. Taking the love her family had and giving back to the world around her. Kelley is like the Blues Brothers - she is on a mission from God. Building her life.

June is like the others, her personality is much the same. Her innate intelligence and ability to offer order to the lives around her stems from her compassion. She wants others to experience her peace. She moves towards helping others almost intuitively. She will start conversations easily about the the thought processes of HER Tolkien. And I can tell you from speaking with a physician friend of mine, the next phase of this conversation is going quantum physics, which is mindly (cough cough) out of my rhelm. Unless you want to discuss Jesus moves the boat immediately across the Sea of Tiberius. Then I`m good for about ten more minutes.

Linda radiates the peace of the Spirit. When she is telling you about bundling up against the extreme cold of Lake Eerie, she might as well be telling you she knows something extremely enduring about knowing Jesus is her core. Her fulfillment in knowing she has a Home port. Shelter from the storm.

Carolyn has a joy inside her. Granting her the ability to see life as interesting, engaging and filled with humor and a going into the fray with verve. She and her husband connect like right and left hands. Carolyn is going to make old, old age look easy. And she is going to be in demand with her grand kids - as one in touch lady.

Julie still has her undiminished inner glow. The ability to move gently and quickly.Her genuine smile rarely quits!! Kim still is not on the A for Anderson side of the room, but she is still beautiful with amazing Pre~Raphaelite hair.

The pen is tired, but the soul revived. Many thanks Lord for your willingness to pour out a blessing!

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Letters to Him

So as a young adult, you start out and let's say you have a stern Dad. We could use the analogy of your dad being like Clint Eastwood in the movie, "Grand Torino". And you get calls from your priest, Father Janovich, he tells you as a good adult child, you would be advised to contact your dad - how often - daily, weekly, bi-weekly? No, you are informed by Father Janovich, that you are to be in constant contact.

That's a tall order, but Father Janovich says, constant contact is required. That's going to be uphill work. Why? Walt Kowalski is opinionated. His opinions are brought about by years of living. His cantankerous set ways work for him. And he's not going to let you take the t-bird out for a spin. Because basically, it's not fun, fun, fun and Daddy's never going to let you take the t-bird. Because having Walt Kowalkski as a dad, your dad is always gettin' wise to you now.

Conversations are going to not be for exchanging the soft, warm portions of the heart often, because the heart is set in stone.

Jesus told us, when we understand Jesus, we see the Father. Our Father runs to us returning prodigals. He literally runs to welcome us back. Jesus gave us prime examples of this when He was perfectly willing to help out a Roman Centurion.

Matthew 8
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.


This just isn't very Walt Kowalkski oriented. This Father is ALL about seeing Him with confidence.

Hi Dad! You are Wonderful! I know You love to help me and You are always there for me. I can remember a few times. Right. Like that time. Right, that was... well, You know. When You help me, things seem to turn out better when we talk and work together. You know what I like about talking with You, it's rarely Your way or the lowway. You reach out to me when my faith sinks. You sit with me when I'm surrounded by people who want to accuse me. You forgive me, when I'm not there for You. And You give me chances to make up that mistake. Thanks, Dad. So much.

You tell me when to flee, you tell me when to be silent, you tell me - get over yourself. Let it go. Forgive. The best air we can gulp down is that breathe of forgiveness. Sometimes, Dad, I need Your wisdom and help to decide if flight is best. I need Your salvation to really get away.

Dad, I know You have all the insight and wisdom to give me. And, Dad, you do that because I'm Your's. I share Your name and You have that covered. Thank You, Dad, for being mine and making me Yours. Amen.

Praying the Lord's Prayer is not about kneeling on the cold, hard floor of a Cathedral. To a God with all the answers carved in a Stone Book of Life, unwilling to walk the hardships of life. The people who walked beside Jesus, the Man, in wonder, saw Him put His hands in mud to heal. They saw Him reach out and touch leprosy. Jesus even healed the mother-in-law's of a male friend.

Now, let's return to the Book the Bible tells us in Psalm 139, and other places too, called His Book of Life.

I Timothy tells us Scripture is created as He breathes out. The Commandments - those are written in stone. His Book of Life, is firm but He is the Father who runs to us.

Prayer is just not about ~ oh please, please, but He won't listen. He's too Big. When we say to Him - please Speak the Word, we really also say - but You are Dad. And I'm going to let You help me with this prayer.

Cmon. Why the Heck would we think He wants to hear ~ oh please, please. Whether we dress That up in austerity. Or if we just wallow in whimpy, whiney woo. He Wants US to have FAITH in HIM.

Remember when 2011 January opened to all the weird animal and bird die offs? Google went WILD from people asking if this was the end of the world. God tells us about people willing to scream about, "This is the Big One!" The truth is, we don't know for sure. Except Jesus told us when He returns He is questioning whether there is faith on the earth. Today, an extraordinary amount of people believe Jesus is the Son of God and HE wants to hear our prayers. That...is a very good sign He is still wanting to Save the Entire World.

Letters from Him

Just as the story of Kings of Israel is our story, so is the Book of Revelation. Individually, we all have an invitation to leave the planet. And meet our Maker. The idea of prayer revolves around this and this ~ are you going to meet the cold Judge? Our Living God says families live on Heaven and Earth. We are going to meet our Father - who runs to meet us - to have conversation in the Garden. He tells us this, as His Story opens, in Genesis.


John 14 ~ Conversation in the Garden with HIM, Jesus tells us

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

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Psalm 34: 9-14 ~ Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

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Psalm 34: 9-14

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.


The stories of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah are our stories. And in the middle of the Kingdoms and towards the end, life has a lot of work and many opinions and options. Yet the direction saving the Kings, the Kingdoms, the people swept in events is to worship Him corporately and in His Word. Seeing good, turning away from voluntarily handing Him our messes to clean up and to truly trust Him.

Hezekiah was King. No one doubted that. And Hezekiah found from time to time that his good life was lacking. Hezekiah was as prosperous as Solomon. With fewer blemishes. I sometimes wonder why we fuss so over Moses and Solomon. Joshua swept up a mess, surely we understand working with the events life gives us with Trust and Effort.

Hezekiah had all kinds of bad advice from his environmental upbringing. His generational sin was.... heavy. And Hezekiah said to his late father's memory, sure you wanted me to strip the Temple of Gold and hand that to the Assyrians, but really when I got to the point of that abomination - that felt wrong for me. And we realize Hezekiah had help from golden Isaiah. Well... um notice with me Isaiah had three other Kings that Isaiah was learning the ropes with. Wow. Like we learn as we get older how things work. And older people have some wisdom.

Well. Sometimes. Because we see a lot of the Kings ran after perceived power and other pursuits of 'wisdom'.

Hezekiah had time to make mistakes and recover.

Now also notice being King has perks. And some really awful exposure. And this. None of us is immune to judgement, we all feel like we lack in some circumstances. We grow weak with the same circles we think and trod. We grow Spiritually hungry and don't perceive that need clearly. We feel the love of LIFE has left. Give us the Day! Has Fled without Hope for many good days.

God asks us what decision will we make when we are tried again. Because the truth is Isaiah was working with his fourth King when Hezekiah came along. Isaiah isn't recorded as being "generational -sins- flop- for- Hezekiah's- daddy." (Yet we could make a case for that, but we like Isaiah and give him the nod instead of the magnifying glass.)

God asks us what we will do with our beliefs, our efforts. What King do you pick for your life? Yes, of course the answer is Jesus. In reality, we cannot ever do what Jesus did, because we are not HIM. He was without sin, to forgive our sins.

 Are you .....

... are you the right side or the left side? Because unlike Joshua, sometimes we don't get to pick the middle! Of course we are supposed to be balanced, but not all bicycles have the same training wheels in true circumstances. A lot depends on where your alligators are placed. And which metaphor do you like?

In the end, we get to be just like Hezekiah who felt like his nice life was about to be invaded, stamped out, rubbed raw, and you just didn't get the fair shake afforded to that dratted Solomon.

Why did Hezekiah prevail? He did something every day... He went out and thundered to the guy next to him about the LORD. Muscular Christianity to the extreme. Nope. The Scriptures record he wept, cried, complained, plotted, thought it out again, fretted, fussed, WHILE HEZEKIAH WAS PRAYING. And he put papers before the Lord and said... what am I to do. Sometimes, even rarely, Hezekiah decided to hush and wait upon the LORD. Because even kings get picked on by other kings. Perils of life.

In the end the Kings that prevailed did this...

Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

We get so backward over this. Kings of Israel wanted to stuff HIM behind a curtain. Even David did this. People who understand God believe what we say when we say The Kingdom, The Power and The Glory are Yours.

And Hezekiah went forth Thundering Witnesses to this... No. Instead Hezekiah did this...

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Hezekiah spoke to the Lord, and of the Lord, rather quietly, but used his words, and his actions to reveal his belief that God would work with Hezekiah. And the Word of God says, He does this routinely when we place our trust in HIM.


God help me to be one too. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

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Galatians 2 ~ But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

Galatians 2

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.


11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.


"The Knights Templar & the Protestant Reformation" states when Stanley Jones, a missionary, met with Mahatma Gandhi, Stanley Jones asked Gandhi, "Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"

Gandhi replied: "Oh, I don't reject Christ. I love Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ."

Well, Mahatma Gandhi has hit upon a truth expressed in the last Chapter of the Gospel of John. In The Book of Acts, Chapter One. And in this Word of God. All these people are Flawed. All the people of the Bible are flawed.

But Mr. Gandhi has failed to extrapolate. The British left India without a war. It takes two to tango. We call it cowardice to fight people who don't fight back, but that's done quite a lot.

God says in the Gospels, people are a hassle. He just isn't of the opinion you throw them out. That Forgiveness is Divine. And Paul dealt with these matters not in a turn the other cheek fashion, he addressed his concerns. Now just Maybe, he was so vocal that God decided Paul should move. God gave us a brain to be congenial and be like Hezekiah, King of Israel, who knew when to button up his mouth.

Mr. Gandhi knew personal sacrifice. And fasting. Jesus agreed and said, "When we fast." Recently, I met a woman who decided not to abort her baby upon finding anger from the father of the baby, because her mom fasted for two days, promising assistance as well.

God says in Matthew 22, The Kingdom of Heaven is like a King who prepared a Wedding Banquet for His Son.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’

The Body of Christ welcomes all who would would want to come to be part of the banquet of His Name, His Kingdom and His Blessings.


How are we justified?

justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified

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