Exodus 3:1-12 ~ the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire

Exodus 3:1-12 (English Standard Version)

1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

~ the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire

People react differently to the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus recognized the awe, amazement and worship from the followers who understood, He said:

Matthew 13:16
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Moses recognized how large the challenge and how small he was. Isaiah saw it differently:

Isaiah 6:5
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

And Isaiah 6:8
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

No matter what the reaction, the Lord’s plan is put into place. The bush is fragile, but the fire does not consume it.

Father God uses fire in the New Testament as well:

Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

Just as Moses could not believe because of the enormity of the accomplishment, or like the analogy of the burning fragile bush, he wondered for his own safety. Jesus provides for the fragile.

John 20:29
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Acts 13:36-42
"For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

" 'Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

that you would never believe,

even if someone told you.

<><

Exodus 1:8-21 ~ king of Egypt called for the midwives. He asked them, "Why have you done this?"

The site of Pithom, as identified by Naville, is to the east of Wadi Tumilat, south-west of Ismaïlia. Here was formerly a group of granite statues representing Ramesses II, two inscriptions naming Pr-Itm (the city in the reading today Pithom and Rameses), storehouses and bricks made without straw. Further excavation revealed, Tell el-Maskhuta dates only to the end of the 7th B.C. century, and may have been built by Pharaoh Necho II, possibly.

Exodus 1:8-21 (God’s Word Translation)

8 Then a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph, began to rule in Egypt. 9 He said to his people, "There are too many Israelites, and they are stronger than we are. 10 We have to outsmart them, or they'll increase in number. Then, if war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country." 11 So the Egyptians put slave drivers in charge of them in order to oppress them through forced labor. They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they increased in number and spread out. The Egyptians couldn't stand them any longer. 13 So they forced the Israelites to work hard as slaves. 14 They made their lives bitter with back-breaking work in mortar and bricks and every kind of work in the fields. All the jobs the Egyptians gave them were brutally hard.

15 Then the king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth, look at the child when you deliver it. If it's a boy, kill it, but if it's a girl, let it live." 17 However, the midwives feared God and didn't obey the king of Egypt's orders. They let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. He asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?" 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are so healthy that they have their babies before a midwife arrives." 20 God was good to the midwives. So the people increased in number and became very strong. 21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

~ 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. He asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"

We looked at Acts 16, the newly forming church Paul and his followers encounter two different Spirits.

Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

In this one verse of Exodus, we see two Spirits. A world leader, blessed with all the world has to offer, is reduced to namelessness in the Bible, because he lives in a spirit of fear. Fearful his worldly blessings will cease, he opts for murder of the innocent and helpless. Shiphrah and Puah survive their encounter with Pharoah, because their actions say they live in a Spirit of Hope.

Otto Frank (who survived the Holocaust, while his family and daughter, Anne Frank, did not) rejoices with Miep and Jan Gies’ in their baby son Paul in 1951. Miep and Jan Gies hid the Frank family and fed them during the Holocaust.


<><

Acts 16:1-21 ~ the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy

Acts 16:1-21 (Today's New International Version)

1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

Two separate spirits are spoken of in Acts 16. The Spirit of Jesus didn't let Paul and his companions enter Bythnia, where they were headed, where they were trying to go with the best intensions. The Spirit of Jesus didn't let them go forward to preach the Good News. Then Paul stopped another spirit proclaiming Paul and the others as bringing the way to salvation from the Most High God. It seems to contradict, doesn't it? The Spirit of Jesus stopped them from spreading the Good News in Bythnia and then they stopped a spirit proclaiming in Macedonia.

Father God's wisdom is greater than our own. Jesus knew they were needed in Macedonia and He redirected them. Paul became annoyed by the constant shouting, the repeating banter of the spirit. It wasn't helpful, just causing chaos instead of order.

That's opposite what Paul learned about Timothy from the believers, Paul didn't hear proclamation's repeated over and over, he learned more about Timothy.

Galatians 5:19-25

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

<><

Matthew 6:26 ~ your Father feeds them

For the loved pets, we wish to remember, gather with our other treasure in heaven.

For Spenser, who never traveled to the beach, but is missed. Age 13, when he ran to the Lord.

Do Pets Go To Heaven? Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Scriptures never say heaven is only for humans.

Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

God’s covenant with Noah included both people and animals (Genesis 9:9-11). However, that covenant was not one of eternal life, but that He would not again destroy the earth with a flood.

The fourth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. Again, it reveals some equality between people and animals, but makes no statement regarding animals going to heaven

Psalm 148:5-6
Let everything he has made give praise to him. For he issues his command, and they came into being; he established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked.

Animals and man will be in harmony (Isaiah 11:1-9).

Isaiah 11
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

The passage in Romans 8:18-25 certainly does include animals as part of “the creation.”

Elijah was picked up from heaven by horses, this was told to Elijah before it occurred and Elisha saw it happen. The Lord could have sent anything to convey Elijah to heaven, but the horses came from heaven and the Lord sent them.

2 Kings 2:
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"

The four winds sent from heaven are on horses. The four winds are written of in Daniel, Zechariah and Revelations 7.

Zechariah 6:
2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.


A good man cares for his animals
No one but Jesus can be called good.

Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

Luke 18:18-19
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

1 Corinthians 9:9, Deuteronomy 25:4

For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You Shall Not Muzzle The Ox While He Is Threshing " God is concerned about oxen, isn't He, He's not too busy.

We are not told implicitly, but heaven has been told to us in verses in the bible and the verses seem to hold God’s love spreading to animals in His eternal kingdom.

Father God, You sent horses from heaven to earth for Elijah. We wish You would gather our loved animals into Your kingdom. Your love never fails. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

<><

Genesis 18:16-33 ~ Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

Abraham (in the front left) entertains 3 Angels. Painted by Aert de Gelder, 1645-1727, was one of Rembrandt's last pupils and considered the best.

Genesis 18:16-33

Then the men set out from there, and they looked towards Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’ 20 Then the Lord said, ‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.’

22 So the men turned from there, and went towards Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’ 26 And the Lord said, ‘If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’ 27 Abraham answered, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?’ And he said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.’ 29 Again he spoke to him, ‘Suppose forty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of forty I will not do it.’ 30 Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.’ He answered, ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ 31 He said, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.’ 32 Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’ 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

~ 23Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

Why wasn't Abraham turned into a pillar of salt for questioning the Lord?
Father God tells us. The Lord’s plan for Abraham is to keep the way of the Lord. If Abraham had kept his mouth shut and let God Almighty go forward, his nephew Lot would have died.

My niece is being trained as a paramedic. She was in a large crowd of people at a rodeo and the bull goarded the rider. She could tell from the stands the accident was extremely serious. Brooke became alarmed because in the huge crowd, no one was going to help the rider. She ran down through the stands, asking for someone to help him. No one replied. The people hired to be the medical attendants had not shown up for the evening.

Brooke jumped over the rails, spoke with the man to stay conscious, not to look down and pressed her shirt into the gaping wound in his abdomen. At that point, Brooke had to direct a bystander to call 911. No one in the auditorium had called and the 911 operator said help was 10 to 15 minutes away.

Much later at the hospital, the man found out from the hospital staff, who’d heard from the paramedics arriving from the 911 call, that without Brooke’s help, he would have surely died.

For the crowd, they’d paid for rodeo entertainment and no one even lifted their cell phone to help the injured man. Not everyone speaks up. Not everyone speaks up.

Abraham was willing to speak up to the Lord for his nephew. The Lord was teaching Abraham about loving his neighbor as himself. Abraham did.

Galatians 3:6

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

James 2: 22-24

22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Romans 4: 1.18-21

1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

<><

Acts 3:1-10 ~ he asked

Act 3:1-10 (Revised Standard Version)

[1]
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

[2] And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple.

[3] Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.
[4] And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, "Look at us."
[5] And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them.
[6] But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
[7] And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
[8] And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
[9] And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
[10] and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

~ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he (the man lame from birth) asked for alms.

When we ask God for the desire of our prayer, do we need to pray ‘correctly’?

This man, who was lame, spent every day at the gate called Beautiful at the temple of God. He wasn’t sitting near the Pool of Siloam waiting for a miracle, he wasn’t being carried on a pallet by friends to see Jesus, and instead he was trying to earn a living by begging from the Jews going to the Temple. He didn’t pursue Jesus.

Luke 6:19
and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Apparently, the lame man missed hearing the good news from Jesus and missed the biblical era proclaiming the lame would walk. But he was expecting Paul and John to answer his request for alms.

Many people think the lame man had never entered the Temple to worship God because of his disability, but only priests weren’t allowed to be blemished in any way. As long as the man had followed ritual cleansing, he would be allowed to worship in the Temple (I looked it up). This man knew about worship and he knew giving was a large part of Jewish responsibility. He was more interested in the here and now practicality, more than possibility of God’s spiritual or physical presence. But he was interested in asking people following God for help.

Unlike the woman grasping Jesus’ garment in faith to be made well, not like the people in the gospels who cried out for more faith to be healed; the man begging at the gate was healed only because he had need. We do not receive healing because we are worthy, but because we are needy. In great mercy, the will and love of Father God reached out and came to the man going about his daily ‘work’ at the temple.

The lame man was living what Paul wrote about in the eighth chapter of Romans:

Romans 8:26,27
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

The lame man ran straight to the temple to walking and leaping and praising God. Jesus tells us about what he knew of the formerly lame man’s heart:

Luke 17:15-17
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

<><

Isaiah 52 ~ He redeems

Does God heal the brokenhearted? And can God restore a broken life?

Rising out of the ruins: Notre Dame Cathedral, Île de la Cité of Paris, built in 1163-1345.

In 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged features of the cathedral, considering them idolatrous.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason, and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being. During this time, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered. The statues of biblical kings of Judah (erroneously thought to be kings of France) were beheaded.

A restoration program was initiated in 1845.

In 1871, during the period of the Paris Commune, the cathedral was nearly set alight: some records suggest that the rebels even went so far as to set fire to a mound of chairs within the building.

Before Notre Dame was built, ruins exist, even today on the site: The Crypte Archéologique de Notre-Dame is an atmospheric time capsule which explores the lives and artifacts of the tribes and civilizations that dwelt in Paris long ago. Here are located the telling remains of a house from Lutèce, the precursor to Paris. There are numerous Gallo-Roman artifacts, which provide a fascinating insight into the lives of the mighty Roman Empire and how they lived in Paris.


Isaiah Chapter 52 (New American Bible)

1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your glorious garments, O Jerusalem, holy city. No longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you.

2 Shake off the dust, ascend to the throne, Jerusalem; Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion!

3 For thus says the LORD: You were sold for nothing, and without money you shall be redeemed.

4 Thus says the Lord GOD: To Egypt in the beginning my people went down, to sojourn there; Assyria, too, oppressed them for naught.

5 But now, what am I to do here? says the LORD. My people have been taken away without redress; their rulers make a boast of it, says the LORD; all the day my name is constantly reviled.

6 Therefore on that day my people shall know my renown, that it is I who have foretold it. Here I am!

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, Announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, "Your God is King!"

8 Hark! Your watchmen raise a cry, together they shout for joy. For they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion.

9 Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.

10 The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.

11 Depart, depart, come forth from there, touch nothing unclean! Out from there! Purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.

12 Yet not in fearful haste will you come out, nor leave in headlong flight, For the LORD comes before you, and your rear guard is the God of Israel.

13 See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.

14 Even as many were amazed at him - so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals -

15 So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.

Does God heal the brokenhearted? And can God restore a broken life?

9 Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.

Psalm 147
1 Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

Isaiah 53:5
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 61:3,4
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

Matthew 11:28-30
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Luke 4:18 (New International Version)

18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed

<><

Genesis 17:9-10, 15-22 ~ Isaac [He Laughs]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. I have heard your request about Ishmael.

Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael, both had interesting names. Ishmael - God Hears and Isaac - Laughter.

Genesis 17:9-10, 15-22 (God’s Word Translation)

9 God also said to Abraham, "You and your descendants in generations to come are to be faithful to my promise. 10 This is how you are to be faithful to my promise: Every male among you is to be circumcised.

15 God said to Abraham, "Don't call your wife by the name Sarai anymore. Instead, her name is Sarah [Princess]. 16 I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become a mother of nations, and kings will come from her." 17 Immediately, Abraham bowed with his face touching the ground. He laughed as he thought to himself, "Can a son be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, have a child?" 18 Then Abraham said to God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?" 19 God replied, "No! Your wife Sarah will give you a son, and you will name him Isaac [ He Laughs ]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. 20 I have heard your request about Ishmael. Yes, I will bless him, make him fertile, and increase the number of his descendants. He will be the father of 12 princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But I will make my promise to Isaac. Sarah will give birth to him at this time next year." 22 When God finished speaking with Abraham, he left him.


~ Isaac [He Laughs]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. I have heard your request about Ishmael. Yes, I will bless him

A fantastic opportunity to look at this richly blessed Scripture. This blessing could be looked at for a week or more with all the different directions this amazing blessing could take us. So many ways to look at the story of Abraham and the promises God has given to him. Scripture for Today attempts to look at one side each day, or we’d be here for paragraphs and paragraphs.

You’d think if you were given the opportunity to talk to God about your life, you’d ‘Sit Up Straight.’ Abraham has thrown himself face forward to avoid God seeing him laugh. This from the wise, old man who named his only child (at that time) Ishmael – God Hears.

Abraham has placed God in a box. Something we can all relate to. A box - many of us own - and it is tightly sealed like a Tupperware box labeled “How I Can Understand God, in My Own Limitations.” Sometimes Psalm 93 puzzles me - then I remember why God is compared to a flood. I remember standing beside Niagara Falls.

Yesterday, in Scripture for Today, Sarai screams at Abram let God judge between her and Abram for Abram impregnating Hagar with Ishmael – forgetting entirely other actual, living people, are involved. Today, Abraham bargains with God to forget about this funny little notion of Sarah’s son. From Abraham’s little ‘Tupperware’ box of understanding God, Abraham will laugh at God’s pronouncement and will, in fact, counsel the Living God.

Does God react? He does. He continues to be the Almighty fulfilling His mighty plans. Psalm 2 records God does laugh. C.S. Lewis reminds the readers of the Narnia series many times, “Remember, Aslan is not a tame lion.”

Fortunately or not, Abraham understands only a shadow of what God is saying. God isn’t angry, it is a time of blessings.

<><

Genesis 16:1-2, 15,16 ~ the angel of the Lord found

El Roi - God Sees

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Genesis 16:1-12

1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [God hears]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.

12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."

Genesis 16:15-16

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Everyone can identify being in a less than good situation, everyone can understand wanting to flee away from it. But Hagar comes back having felt and been found by the goodness of God, being understood and loved. Hagar returns knowing a promise from God and understanding the path will be difficult. God gives her the strength to fufill her purpose.

A lot of the people in the old Testament are kings, queens, judges and prophets. But Hagar is a maid. The Lord sees fit to promise Hagar, just as Abram was promised, her descendants will be too numerous to count. Abram might have wanted a legacy, a son, but Hagar must have felt very alone being a maid from another country. God hears her misery, he doesn't just judge between Sarai & Abram, but sees further and with more compassion. Hagar feels God is trustworthy and she can return without the hopelessness she left with.

Slavery isn't always about being put in shackles and locked up, it is being in a situation without the ability to change or go forward. With God all things are possible, and Hagar is told to stay in the same situation; this is what God wants for her. Glorious promises are made for Hagar and God asks her to just continue, but with hope and the new knowledge of the love and compassion in God for her.

Colossians 3: 10

put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

1 Corinthians 7:17-23

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

<><

Psalm 15:2-5 ~ speaks truth from his heart

Psalm 15: 2-5

2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

<><

Acts 6:1-15 ~ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6


In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.


~ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.


Recently, I was wondering about prayer. A lot is in the bible on prayer, but last night two passages were brought to my attention and here they are:

Psalm 8
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [or God]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 115
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.

and then:

9 O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14 May the LORD make you increase,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.

Prayer is the conversation we have with Father God. He asks us to be constant in prayer and He wants that communication. Father God always wants you to remember He is here for you, a loving Father. He is not far away and condemning, but loving and wanting to bless us.

<><

1 Corinthians 1:1-17 ~ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

St. Paul painted by Doménikos Theotokópoulos. Doménikos always signed his whole name, but known by his nickname The Greek or El Greco - characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual he belongs to no conventional school. Painted in 1604, found today in the City Art Museum, St Louis. Paul holds a letter, but is carrying a sword or a cross, you decide.

1 Corinthians 1:1-7 Bible in Basic English

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give praise to my God for you at all times, because of the grace of God which has been given to you in Christ Jesus; So that in him you have wealth in all things, in word and in knowledge of every sort; even as the witness of the Christ has been made certain among you: So that having every grace you are living in the hope of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ


My father once said something to me that every occasionally I think of and, more recently, the Christian book club in our church read a book about; what if God wanted the apostle John to live until Jesus returned, what would it be like - to be able, in this life, to meet an actual apostle of Jesus Christ?

What would Paul say to us today? What would it be like to receive a letter in the mail from Paul? This letter begins to tell us what Paul would say to you, a child of God, adopted by Jesus.

Paul would let you know, right away, where he stands; Paul works for Jesus Christ’ purpose. He’d write to you, to tell you, God has called you to be a saint. Only because God has personally chosen you. But you aren’t called to be a lonely saint; just as Paul has Sosthenes, his friend, (who is as close to him as a brother) you will have others who join you to give honor to Jesus Christ.

Paul says you have: love, you’re given forgiveness and peace, you can give forgiveness. Not from Paul, but given from Father God and Jesus.

Next, Paul says you are a new beginner in Jesus, so take things carefully.… Nope, this isn’t said at all. No. Paul says you are God’s, Paul is grateful for you. Paul says you live in the hope of Jesus’ gift of eternal life and eternal forgiveness, living faith, hope and love, living God’s purpose for you – you have all the spiritual gifts you need.

Paul tells you, you are a workman approved by God, you are God’s own child. When you don’t do something correctly, because you are human and need a Savior, God’s grace is coming to you.

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

2 Timothy 2:10-14
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

<><

Judges 2 ~ I will never break my covenant with you

Our Church, Hope Pointe, had a wonderful Pentecost Sunday last week. Many, many people experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in powerful ways. Marriages were renewed, physical pain was taken away - spiritual awakenings; people who had never felt the power of God before felt drawn closer to Him. And instead of just going home, there was fellowship, and a huge BBQ and covered dish lunch.

This Sunday, our sermon was about the nature of mankind after experiencing the overwhelming gracious love of Father God. In the Scripture, people meeting the messengers of Lord are frequently overcome. Mankind hasn’t changed much since the days of Moses and Joshua. How blessed we are to live in the time of Jesus’ blessings; we are like the words of the old hymn, “prone to wander – Lord I know it.” But in Jesus Christ, we overcome.

Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 28:20
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Judges 2 (English Standard Version)

1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. [Weepers] And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people has transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

<><

1 Peter 4:7-13 ~ rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed

1 Peter 4:7-13 (Today's New International Version)

7 be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 11 If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

<><

Psalm 135 ~ The Lord is great and our Lord is above all gods

Psalm 135 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise Him, O servants of the LORD,
2 You who stand in the house of the LORD,
In the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightnings for the rain,
Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 He smote the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and beast.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13 Your name, O LORD, is everlasting,
Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.
14 For the LORD will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
You who revere the LORD, bless the LORD.
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

~ For I know that the LORD is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.

Exodus 33:19
And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Exodus 34:6,7
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Psalm 16:2
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 104:31
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works -

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

Romans 8:20,21
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Luke 2:12-14

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

<><

Psalm 52 ~ for ever and ever

St. Botolph's Church, UK. Early English legends say the original church was founded by Botolph, in 654, with the source being the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, it is disputed. Archaeological records show a Norman church also existed on the location; a Norman stone pillar and a number of coffins from the period. The size of such a small church was inadequate for a booming town, in the 14th century, the church was built as a much larger building.

Psalm 52

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.

3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,

7 "Here now is the one
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.

9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.


People grow weary of hearing the church has been under the same management for 2,000 years. People get tired of the cliché ‘Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven’. People search and look for a way to make their lives prosperous, comfortable and to have meaning.

We’ve been taught, culturally, greed is good and gives us stability. We learned this in the 1980’s, the movie ‘Wallstreet’ proclaimed with gusto, “Greed is good!” If you look at this theologically, the temporal joys of here and now are the only joys. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

In the early 100s, Christianity was spreading rapidly, even under the threat of death. Temporal – no. In the 400s, Christianity was mainstream, but written history is scarce. About the 1000s, history is recorded and regarded less as myth and hearsay. Starvation was the largest reason of death, 1 in 3 until the late 1500s.

Using England as an example: in 1086, William the Conqueror gave England the first stability from invasion against foreign cultures. He created the Domesday Book, meaning accounting or reckoning, to find out what was prosperous for taxation. It’s the largest historical document supporting serfdom or feudalism. People were, literally, dying to become part of the circles supported by a castle. To be part of the workings of a lord prevented starvation. When timber castles were ruined, people built stone castles and tremendous effort was put into holding on to this community of the castle.

We watched a terrific documentary on the outcome of these castles and outcome of the generations of work. The timber castles were huge, with plenty of people living in them, they lasted about 150 years. Fire became a weapon of choice and stone castles were built in the same site or moved to higher ground, same community.

The castles, and the castle families, are the temporal part of the history. What remains today after 1,000 years, and after 1,200 years, are the churches. If you travel to the UK today, you can see a handful of the castles remaining, but 1,000 year old Churches are plentiful.

The Churches were, at first, round tower churches which were beautiful and fairly simple; built with local materials. Later, as the community prospered, the Church became amazing buildings men spent their lives putting their time and talent into. But the Church wasn’t just a building, the communities created by this fellowship became secure enough to move out of patrolled walls. The Churches made the communities grow and remain today.

We hear all the time about the failures of the body of Christ called Church. We are taught the failures in grade school, high school and college. We see them in comedy, in movies and in people truly hurt by the Church, but how often do we have the opportunity to take time realizing the hope and joy given to us by the community created by Jesus called Church? A large part of the compassion and hope allowing mankind to take the time and care to have the effort to educate others, came from a desire to give the love of Christ. The printing press was created to bring the Scripture forward into knowledge and love.

Feudalism is gone. Castles are mostly gone. Churches remain, some are being pulled down and sold bit by bit. The family farms are diminished. The corporations don't remain. The love of the Lord is a pendulum, on a downswing. Yet the faith (I believe!), the hope (He means me!) and the Love (all there ever was and will be - towards me!) leads nations and multitudes the Scriptures tell us will praise Him in Eternity. As Handel's Messiah tells us... Forever and Ever..... Hallelujah!

<><

Acts 6:8-15 ~ before the Sanhedrin

Acts 6:8-15 (New International Version)

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Have you ever tried to find an image of Stephen with the face of an angel? If you find one that is reasonable, let me know. The early church didn’t have to guess what angels looked like, they knew. Angels surrounded the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the 40 days Jesus walked on earth after the resurrection.

Maybe Stephen’s face was radiant like Moses in the presence of God; Stephen was seeing God. Or was Stephen’s face strong like the Angel of the Lord, who wrestled with Jacob? It’s part of conversation to say a child has the face of an angel, is this the innocence angels project?

What did the people see when they saw Stephen? We can’t see with our eyes, but Father God wanted you and me to know, to understand, what they saw in Stephen: He was one of the first seven Christian deacons, of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom. Stephen - a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6).

In the book of Acts, following the gospels of Jesus Christ, Stephen was known for doing “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” That’s a great statement in the book of Acts. We, as Christians today, have days of knowing discouragement; events do not always give us the immediate victory. We wonder where God is when we aren’t winning the victory. Stephen did not have to win all the battles to have fought the good fight and found favor with God.

Stephen knew that day, in front of the Sanhedrin, wasn’t going to be a personal victory; he found strength to have faith. The light of Christ was going to continue to shine.

Stephen continued to look and see God.

Acts 7: 59
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

The light of Jesus Christ continued to shine.

Acts 7:58
Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

<><

Psalm 134 ~ Come, bless the Lord

Psalm 134

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

Every single person on earth wants blessings from the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11:25-27
25 No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse- 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

Jesus told us He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Look at the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

In the Old Testament, there are a lot of blessings! Look at Genesis. Deuteronomy, one of Moses’ books giving the law (and is so avoided as a bible study) is an overwhelming outpouring of God’s blessings. The Old Testament blessings speak of prosperity, overcoming worldly difficulties and being blessed to be part of Israel – the promised land.

In the New Testament, one word is used more than any other when describing God’s blessing to people. This word, makarios, means “blessed.” It’s used 44 times in the New Testament, mostly as descriptions of righteous behavior or characteristics God considers desirable. The blessings of the Sermon on the Mount encourage us when circumstances are difficult; God is with us.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 should be our guide for our Christian living in this world:

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

<><

John 17:20-26 ~ You love them even as You love Me

Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.


John 17:20-26

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Just as the Trinity is God, who is one; the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, tells us God loves us even as He loves Jesus, His Son.

Psalm 51:11
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Matthew 3:11
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one (Jesus) who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Matthew 12:32
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 28:19
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

Mark 13:11
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:22
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Acts 2:1-3
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

Acts 8:15-17
When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


<><

Psalm 6 ~ The Lord has heard

Christian pilgrims carry the cross in the Holy Land.

Psalm 6

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?

4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.


Philippians 4:6
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

God promises us He cares for our needs in all situations. He promises us to forgive us for our sins. We only have to ask for His mercy, forgiveness and call upon His name.

<><

1 John 1 ~ God is light, in Him is no darkness at all

The Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as the St John's fragment. The front is lines from the Gospel of John 18:31–33, and the back contains lines from verses 37–38. The papyrus was found in Egypt. Recently dated again, the oldest date is 125 AD, not the late part of the 2nd century, as previously thought. During the apostle John's lifetime. Housed at John Rylands University Library, Manchester, UK.

1 John 1

Suggestion for today’s reading - Listen

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.


<><