John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Before Abraham Jesus Is
Proverbs 8
I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and
delighting in mankind.
For the first few years of my life, for four years we had a living room wall, practically all glass, that overlooked the Mediterranean and Nice, France. And a decade later, we lived for four years in the beautiful hills/mountains of Cameron County, Pennsylvania and saw some massive snow. Lived for 4 years in College Station in the plains of Central Texas. 17 years later we returned to the Teton mountains of Wyoming and saw Yellowstone's wonders of God's creation. What does all this say?
There is nothing on earth that is as large as an ocean.
To stand and view the ocean is to understand the scope of our lives.
There is no one on earth who could create the ocean. Even today, if you've crossed the ocean in a rough sea, you realize how insignificant life, even a team of people, can be working to cross the ocean in a large ship.
Look at this massive storm. And we see some of the creation we read about in Genesis and again in the Chapters of Noah.
And in this we will find some who will see an absent God. This is not so. God gave us Jesus who just bluntly said in this life there will be trouble.
Why isn't this Heaven on earth? If you could give life for eternity as God, why wouldn't you, as a deity, want to see what a soul would do to present this soul to the Father?
I'd offered this news to different people and some are disgusted. We can't be sun and the warmth and the rain and the answer. God alone makes people grow. We can harm people by telling them they have failed. The Bible tells us the Fullness of God is far wiser. Jesus waited even on His own Brothers and sisters, who seemed to be clueless. People say things like a loving God would not create harm or hell. We never were promised a rose garden through life. And if you take the time to read the wild Storm of Revelation - you encounter a God who mourns the loss of the ones who would never love Heaven. Would never love the goodness of God. Who would want to rule something else. There is sadness for the one who would never love and is never coming to eternity. The Parables of loss by the ones who would not attend the Feast of God called as an analogy - a wedding.
Why would we see this Hurricane as less than another feat of Life.
We have been reading the Prayer Requests of earnest Christians who are the Beloved of God.
God is so very, very close to all of us.
Today asking the parents in Heaven to know, the Grace and Power of Jesus, that the very grown child they loved, grew up more wisely than the parents saw in their life time. Love known. Forgiveness known. Earnest family child to parent - love coming to fulfillment. Let the circle be unbroken - by and by Lord by and by. For the next younger generation, to be healed and find the joy of having a household of marriage and children. What a loving, loving prayer and a circle. Beautiful. So Beautiful. So of Jesus. Jesus would Love to tell these parents this Good News in Heaven. You know this with me.
My husband, who went to Social Security when it is so unpleasant to face mortality and illness to get disability. And he said he wanted to sit quietly and not pray. Until the card for a girl child, with her name, we won't forget. She has had 4 concussions this year and is afraid. Has given up her sport, is in pain. Her mother is in pain. And this my husband said with tears, he'd pray for.
For the prayer card of the woman who says her children need prayer and for herself. They have lost and grieve terribly their beloved father and husband. The massive grief.
Prayers for adult children to be saved in college. For Jesus. Two of these prayer cards.
Prayers from the adult children in college for the parent left behind to have Love. Not to be lonely or alone. Blessings of companionship, friendship and love.
Prayers for spouses to support their spouse's work - to be joy to that spouse.
Prayers for teachers who are supposed to be silent about their faith - to be seen as Lights of Jesus.
Some of these prayers are Hurricanes to these people, Beloved of God's.
This Hurricane - we will all live a Hurricane sometime. And when we get there - we want the seeds we sow - to be the blossoms of an adult Child many years later saying, "Jesus tell my parents - I see they did this right. I see now. I hope what they gave me - my children will have. Tell them I see now. Ask them to see me as young. Ask them to see me today as grateful and loving."
Hurricanes in life are told to us by Jesus. Once He called this, "Days will come." And in this storm, Jesus says we can plant seeds to last generations.
Jesus is going to calm the storm.
Jesus is going to calm the storm.
Jesus is going to calm the storm.
Isaiah 6:3
And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
They called upon Jesus they were perishing. Jesus saves them. Jesus overcomes the world.
Abba, our Abba,
We pray for Jesus to be with us as we confidently approach You, Abba. We pray for an increase of the Holy Spirit.
Abba, lifting up people in a Hurricane of life. People broadcasting from the storm. Especially the people in cars facing this Hurricane. For these prayers. For these dear souls asking for others to know Your assurance.
For the Gospel presented in these prayers. The Truth - I'm ok I know Jesus - help the others who are lost.
Mark 4
2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed...
36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid?"
Abba, we know Your Love. Even the wind and the sea obey Jesus. You are our Hope and Future. You are Good.
In You, we trust our Loved ones. The people You gave us.
The cares we have. The cares we share with our people. The cares of all who pray knowing prayer continues all over this planet today.
The cares of our Nation, believing You love us. We will trust You and see Your Love.
In Jesus. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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