9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Lent is a time when we will listen to God. His Word to us. And we will hold the truth He gives us close to us. Not let God's Word slip away.
What I hear in a difficult time is to find gratitude. To seek in difficult times to see what God is doing. To pray for others. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reports Russian troops are shooting at a Nuclear Reactor. This is a difficult time.
To focus on the vines in winter, is to see something looking barren.
Amos 5
Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 “Fallen, no more to rise,
is the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with none to raise her up.”
3 For thus says the Lord God:
“The city that went out a thousand
shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out a hundred
shall have ten left
to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
5 but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 Seek the Lord and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 O you who turn justice to wormwood[a]
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you trample on[b] the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:
“In all the squares there shall be wailing,
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.
Let Justice Roll Down
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light,
19 as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Amos 5, above, first, is a partial chapter. God the Almighty upholds all the Universe with His Words. And in His might and mercy removes sin away from His Beloved, as far as the East is from the West.
Jesus takes the wrath away.
You would think frozen grapes would be a sign of
horror to the Vineyard. Instead, ice wine is very prized.
And the beautiful appearance of Autumn in
the Vineyard with the colors
would be dramatic and good.
Instead, the show is Winter
without a freeze, the fruit is not useable.
And the hard work of a cold winter,
leads to beautiful fruitfulness.
God places Lent just as the earth begins to leave the cold winter, like the cold of a tomb, the Sunlight returns and the Lord's Good Creation begins to bloom and grow.
And this is the time, in spring, when the vineyards are examined to see what is growing. What happened during the time of freezing. What survived.
What is vigorous. What fungus, what pests, what drought, what rain is going to happen. The Vineyard owners could be always in a state of concern.
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Lent is for finding our Fruitfulness with Jesus
John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser."
We are living in a time of change. Really. Usually if you look for Ash Wednesday, you are going to find grasshoppers and the chirp of crickets.
Typically, ignored, as if Ash Wednesday is something from another dimension. This year, Facebook and the news are filled with Ash Wednesday.
God is thrilled to find so many people wanting to participate in Ash Wednesday. Can't you picture the Almighty being as pleased as the day the Prodigal Son returned!
People who are distressed, have a hard time being talked to about ashes and dying. I hope if this is the first time, or the first time in a long time, to attend Ash Wednesday, you didn't feel left out and heart sore.
Probably those in the most distress wanted this:
Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
The next thing a distressed person does, is their mind wanders away from what surrounds them,
and have guilt to ignore the message of God in a time we want God's favor.
Jesus is the one Who said, He would not break a bruised reed. Jesus is the Manifest Word of God saying, Heaven is like a gracious tree, where all the birds of the forest may sit and be invited into the branches.
Jesus had to invite some. He said, "Let the children come unto me." Some stayed back. Some were pushed down. Jesus wanted them for Himself. Jesus wasn't picking for the baseball game, Jesus was taking souls with Him to Live forever.
Jesus Christ said, come unto Me, you who are weary, burdened, and I will give you rest. Home. The place the Father and the Prodigal Son run to meet one another.
If you are bothered by the ashes, think about this:
Isaiah 61:3
To grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise
instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord
that
He may be glorified.
Abraham and Sarah lived
in the Oaks of Mamre, in Hebron, Israel.
The tree has seedlings now, but the tree itself is long past ashes.
Abraham and Sarah live on.
The goodness of God has made a place for them.
Yet all their words and lives are alive, in the Word of God.
Jesus Christ.
The point of the ashes is profound. The season of rest before the glory of spring. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Being nurtured to bloom. To be fruitful in God. To be encouraged, even when worried to death and gone like Lazarus. Nurtured and made strong enough to believe.
The Good News. Believed by Daniel in 500 B.C. where we can find the Second Exodus in beautiful cuneiform found in the British Museum, word for word. 500 B.C., Believed by Ezekiel, taken in the second round up by Nebuchadnezzar II. Even as his wife died from the thousand-mile journey. Suddenly called by Nebuchadnezzar to be High Priest. And in his profound sorrow, to see the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. To understand the most profound and unforgettable sights and believe and know and live the Kingdom Message to the Glory of God.
The reason for the ashes. The Glory of God.
Ezekiel in the Thirty-Seventh Chapter
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you,
and you shall live,
and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Even on Ash Wednesday, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
In the years, seasons, we are profoundly moved toward Ash Wednesday, Jesus is Lord.
In the years, seasons, we want to go home and not think about ashes, Jesus is Lord.
In the years, seasons, we understand and become part of the rites, Jesus is Lord.
Ash Wednesday glorifies God, We find the aspect of God's Nature, to reach out and hold to our heart, we are filled and find the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God helps us fulfill God's plan for our lives.
And in His Presence, we are Comforted. And in this Love, our souls give God the glory.
Filled with the Wonder of God.
Abba, Father,
We do not know all You know.
We do not have the omnipotence for a complete prayer.
We can't surround every person
or every issue
to bring the healing we know Jesus does.
You are the Light of Heaven.
Jesus, You are the Light of Nations.
Jesus Christ,
Only Son of the Most High God,
You are the Light of mankind.
We have a heart for the difficulties
facing
our own lives,
the lives of those we love,
This Nation,
and Ukraine
and the plight of the Russians.
And in the hearts of mankind
You have delighted in,
we ask Jesus Christ
to be our Blessing,
Teacher,
Healer,
Lord of us all.
God of Love.
God of Encouragement.
We Thank You
for the Blessings
You give us daily.
And ask for You
to dwell in us
and provide
Grace and Mercy
for our trespasses.
Dwell in us
and we will see Jesus
Your Help to seek Your first
and we will finish well
In Jesus Christ
To heal us,
the Heal our Loved Ones,
to Heal the Nation,
To Bless Ukraine and Russians
with Peace.
Love.
Joy.
Jesus.
Amen in Your Son,
the Highest Name of Jesus,
Amen.
God reminds us
Blessing us with prayers for more Heaven on earth,
His Good Will be done.
To You, our Father, be the Glory
Our God is an Awesome God! Amen
and Alleluia
in Jesus Christ and His Glory!
Matthew 13:31,32
Jesus put before them another parable: “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field.
Although it is the smallest of all seeds,
yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree,
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We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has saved all who call upon His name and rely on Him for His Grace. The Scriptures are living & active and are for understanding the Lord Almighty. Biblical readings are chosen from the Ecumenical Christian Church and the Nicene Council, 325 A.D., approved Apocrypha. People remember not just from reading, but by sight and orally- an image has been added as well as audio readings. God tends to link the passages together with fascinates - this blogger, Anne-Laurel Gardere
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This blog is pretty simple, but for a reason. This blog isn't about agenda or me, it is for the joy and love to found by reading the Scriptures. Ultimately, it is you and the Lord.
The Scriptures are Father God's letter to you. He wanted you to know more, to know He loves you.
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Email registry at bottom.! “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Men “moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit carried men along, moving and guiding them as they wrote in their own words what God wanted them to say.
The Bible is unique; comprised of 80 separate books, & written over a period of thousands of years by more than 40 writers with one Author, spanning the centuries, different states of peace & war & different situations in life. The Bible answers the question: of who is God, who is man & what can their relationship can be. Although the Bible was written on perishable material and copied by hand for many centuries, its accuracy is not in doubt, proven by Dead Sea Scrolls and papyrus from 2,000 years. The Bible has survived persecution & criticism to be read with great interest in each generation.
The Bible gives witness to the greatness of the Creator. A loving Father concerned for all of his creation. With each verse of the bible witnessing to God is love and the multitude & vastness of His attributes. The Bible was written for you. <><
Reading Scripture helps us know God's Love. Every Bible verse is written for you. Jesus Christ is all mankind's Light. John 1!
Jesus is LORD. Read your Bible Daily. Scripture for Today. Reading the Scriptures helps us know God's love. Every verse of the Bible is written for you.
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