Psalm 50 ~ The heavens declare His righteousness, for God himself is Judge!

Psalm 50

1 The Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah

7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.

8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

So, who does this Psalm of judgment apply towards? One of the Christian blogs I was reading says it applies towards the Christian Churches striving for worldly approval, as they bypass the Scriptures like this one - of judgment. This is the Psalm before David's great profession of sin, Psalm 51. The Lord must have been speaking of David, acting as righteous king of Israel, as he hoped to get away with murder and adultery.

Does it apply to David, apple of the Lord's eye? Partially. It applies to you and to me. This psalm urges us to remember, we do not fool the Lord. We do not make ourselves. Just as we joyfully say every good gift is from the Lord, we cannot give Him a gift He did not give us. We are saved by the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth. The One we turn to in our day of trouble, He is the deliverer.

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

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Exodus 17:1-16 ~ Moses held up his hand

Moses, painted by Rosencruz Sumera. The painting is interesting to see we are influenced by the media, even when it is from 1956 Cecil B. DeMille' s movie "The 10 Commandments." Cecil DeMille chose Charlton Heston because of his uncanny similarity to Michelangelo's Horned Moses. Many artists depicted Moses with horns over a confusion between Hebrew words; Hebrew phrase "karnu panav" קרנו פניו. The root קרן may be read as either "horn" or "ray", as in "ray of light".

Exodus 17

1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling], because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne [A slight change would yield upon the banner] of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

~ Moses held up his hand

Moses is a servant of God and, like we do, becomes tired. This isn't just about the power of God, but explains Jesus wasn't left as a man, though God, to become the victorious Messiah King defeating the Romans & the enemies of Israel. Jesus didn't just come to give Israel exalted nation status, but to remind us about the most important battle being death. Jesus came to save the Children of God. His hand does not grow tired. God, who judges righteously, did not come to divide people by boundaries, but to forgive His enemies and offer to all His Kingdom.

Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

God's Son isn't a victorious king like the kings listed in books Chronicles or Kings, He is the Messiah. Jesus doesn't say the Temple will remain forever, He says man is God's temple.

The Exodus provides meaning for us today. In this life we are on a journey as wayfarers, the Bible likes the word sojourners. It is temporary, sometimes we hunger and sometimes we thirst. We do not know what will assail us next. God did not give us a Spirit of fear, but of Power. He lifts His hand to provide for us Today. He gives us the Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life and Living Water. He not only provided for the Children of Israel , but He lifts His hand for us today and in the paradise to come.

Blessed be our Father, He goes before us and gives us a Rock to stand on.



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Genesis 15 ~ what wilt thou give me

Genesis 15 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

[1]
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."


[2] But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?"
[3] And Abram said, "Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir."
[4] And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir."
[5] And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
[6] And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.
[7]
And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you this land to possess."


[8] But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?"
[9] He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
[10] And he brought him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
[11] And when birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
[12]
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and lo, a dread and great darkness fell upon him.


[13] Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years;
[14] but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
[15] As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
[16] And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
[17]
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.



~ give me


Genesis 28:20,21
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God

Numbers 18:8
Then the LORD said to Aaron, "I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion and regular share.

Judges 6:17
Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.

Samuel 14:41-44,52
⁴¹ Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. ⁴² Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."
So Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?"

⁴⁴ Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

(The army persuaded Saul not to follow his promise to the Lord.)

⁵² All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines


1 Samuel 2:3-6
³ Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find."

⁴ But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women."

⁵ David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!" ⁶ So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

2 Samuel 22:35-37

³⁵ He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶ You give me your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.

³⁷ You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

2 Chronicles 1:9-11

⁹ Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

¹¹ God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king

Job 21:1,2
Then Job replied:

² "Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Proverbs 30:8
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Hosea 13:9-11

⁹ "You are destroyed, O Israel,
because you are against me, against your helper.

¹⁰ Where is your king, that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
'Give me a king and princes'?

¹¹ So in my anger I gave you a king,
and in my wrath I took him away.

Matthew 26:15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.

Luke 15:12,20
12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.'
(God runs to us)
²⁰So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.


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Exodus 12 ~ wish to celebrate the Passover of the Lord

Exodus 12 ~ (New American Bible)

1-11 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs. None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD.

12-13 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first--born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt-I, the LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.

14-16 "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. From the very first day you shall have your houses clear of all leaven. Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a sacred assembly, and likewise on the seventh. On these days you shall not do any sort of work, except to prepare the food that everyone needs.

17-20 "Keep, then, this custom of the unleavened bread. Since it was on this very day that I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt, you must celebrate this day throughout your generations as a perpetual institution. From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of this month you shall eat unleavened bread. For seven days no leaven may be found in your houses. Anyone, be he a resident alien or a native, who eats leavened food shall be cut off from the community of Israel. Nothing leavened may you eat; wherever you dwell you may eat only unleavened bread."

21-23 Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter them as Passover victims. Then take a bunch of hyssop, and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, sprinkle the lintel and the two doorposts with this blood. But none of you shall go outdoors until morning. For the LORD will go by, striking down the Egyptians. Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.

24-28 "You shall observe this as a perpetual ordinance for yourselves and your descendants. Thus, you must also observe this rite when you have entered the land which the LORD will give you as he promised. When your children ask you, 'What does this rite of yours mean?' Youu shall reply, 'This is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when he struck down the Egyptians, he spared our houses.'" Then the people bowed down in worship, and the Israelites went and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

29-31 At midnight the LORD slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh on the throne to the first-born of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the first-born of the animals. Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was loud wailing throughout Egypt, for there was not a house without its dead. During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Leave my people at once, you and the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you said.

32 Take your flocks, too, and your herds, as you demanded, and be gone; and you will be doing me a favor."

33-36 The Egyptians likewise urged the people on, to hasten their departure from the land; they thought that otherwise they would all die. The people, therefore, took their dough before it was leavened, in their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks on their shoulders. The Israelites did as Moses had commanded: they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The LORD indeed had made the Egyptians so well-disposed toward the people that they let them have whatever they asked for. Thus did they despoil the Egyptians.

37-39 The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the children. A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them, besides their livestock, very numerous flocks and herds. Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened, they baked it into unleavened loaves. They had been rushed out of Egypt and had no opportunity even to prepare food for the journey.

40-42 The time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. At the end of four hundred and thirty years, all the hosts of the LORD left the land of Egypt on this very date. This was a night of vigil for the LORD, as he led them out of the land of Egypt; so on this same night all the Israelites must keep a vigil for the LORD throughout their generations.

43-45 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the Passover. No foreigner may partake of it. However, any slave who has been bought for money may partake of it, provided you have first circumcised him. But no transient alien or hired servant may partake of it.

46-47 It must be eaten in one and the same house; you may not take any of its flesh outside the house. You shall not break any of its bones. The whole community of Israel must keep this feast.

48 If any aliens living among you wish to celebrate the Passover of the LORD, all the males among them must first be circumcised, and then they may join in its observance just like the natives. But no man who is uncircumcised may partake of it. The law shall be the same for the resident alien as for the native."

50-51 All the Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.On that same day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt company by company.

Who was invited to the Passover? All who wanted to come & be sheltered in the Lord's hand. It wasn't come as you are, it was by the Lord's invitation and regulation.

Matthew 22:1-3
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁸ "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.

¹³ "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

¹⁴ "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

The nature of God is love. But He is Lord Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

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Genesis 39 ~ One such day, when Joseph

Genesis 39 ~ (New American Bible)

1 When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, a certain Egyptian (Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

2-6 But since the LORD was with him, Joseph got on very well and was assigned to the household of his Egyptian master.When his master saw that the LORD was with him and brought him success in whatever he did,he took a liking to Joseph and made him his personal attendant; he put him in charge of his household and entrusted to him all his possessions.From the moment that he put him in charge of his household and all his possessions, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; in fact, the LORD'S blessing was on everything he owned, both inside the house and out. Having left everything he owned in Joseph's charge, he gave no thought, with Joseph there, to anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strikingly handsome in countenance and body.

7 After a time, his master's wife began to look fondly at him and said, "Lie with me."

8-9 But he refused. "As long as I am here," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, but has entrusted to me all he owns. He wields no more authority in this house than I do, and he has withheld from me nothing but yourself, since you are his wife. How, then, could I commit so great a wrong and thus stand condemned before God?"

10 Although she tried to entice him day after day, he would not agree to lie beside her, or even stay near her.

11 One such day, when Joseph came into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were then in the house, she laid hold of him by his cloak, saying, "Lie with me!"

13-15 But leaving the cloak in her hand, he got away from her and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand as he fled outside, she screamed for her household servants and told them, "Look! my husband has brought in a Hebrew slave to make sport of us! He came in here to lie with me, but I cried out as loud as I could.When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran away outside."

16-18 She kept the cloak with her until his master came home.Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave whom you brought here broke in on me, to make sport of me. But when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and fled outside."

19-23 As soon as the master heard his wife's story about how his slave had treated her, he became enraged. He seized Joseph and threw him into the jail where the royal prisoners were confined. But even while he was in prison, the LORD remained with Joseph; he showed him kindness by making the chief jailer well-disposed toward him.The chief jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the jail, and everything that had to be done there was done under his management. The chief jailer did not concern himself with anything at all that was in Joseph's charge, since the LORD was with him and brought success to all he did.

One of my neighbors traveled with her husband all over the Middle East. She said something so interesting, she said there is so much poverty, several countries begin to look alike, it is mostly desert. But suddenly, in one area, there are white buildings & beauty. Then you know you are in Israel. Israel holds more patents, per person, than anywhere else on earth. God continues the story of Joseph, His Blessings, His Success to this day.

Just as Joseph had challenges, setbacks, situations to worry about, we are in the same Hands & we should trust.

Isaiah 41:10
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand


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Psalm 118 ~ The Lord's right hand

Psalm 118 ~

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
"His love endures forever."

³ Let the house of Aaron say:
"His love endures forever."

⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say:
"His love endures forever."

⁵ When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
he brought me into a spacious place.

⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can human beings do to me?

⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in human beings.

⁹ It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴ The LORD is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!

¹⁶ The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

¹⁷ I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.

²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;

²³ the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴ The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.

²⁷ The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Given that God is holy, righteous and not capable of anything but good, what can man expect from His hand?

Deuteronomy 5:15
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Joshua 4:23-24
For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

Samuel 5:10-12
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people." ¹¹ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people." For death had filled the city with panic; God's hand was very heavy on it.

1 Samuel 10:18
And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'


Psalm 48:10
Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.


Psalm 118
6 The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

Ecclesiastes 2:24
There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God

Isaiah 41:10
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:13
For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Mark 16:19
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Acts 7:55
But he (Stephen), full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

2 Corinthians 6:6,7
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left

1 Peter 3:22
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

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Romans 12:1-8 ~ renewal

Romans 12:1-8 (New Revised Standard Version)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Renewal, when does it occur? Sometimes it's rock bottom, then Renewal. Recently, the Christian community AND the media have been in a frenzy over the words that Haiti might have deserved the horrible earthquake as a judgement from God.

Has this ever occurred before? For man to question if tragedy is earned? OH yeah! This has happened before! Jesus answered this question twice, in one paragraph. I can't think of another time Jesus used 2 circumstances to answer 1 question.

Luke 13:1-5

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

When New Orleans was hit twice with Hurricanes, does it mean that God hated them? Does it mean Haitians should be punished for devil worship from men on August 14,1791. No, and I will tell you why:

Exodus 34:6
"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generations.

Is still true and Jesus gave us a New Covenant that God could call us forgiven.

Ephesians 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

When God, who is slow to anger, takes vengeance, He does not take it twice; it is not needed. (Just as New Orleans had 2 hurricanes, the Haitian earthquake had serious aftershocks.)

Nahum 1:9
What do you plot against the LORD?
He will make a complete end;
trouble will not rise up a second time.

The Exodus, a major event, occurred because God pitied the Children of Israel & their dire circumstances. There was dire poverty in New Orleans, generations of some of the most cruel poverty our country has seen, dire poverty in Haiti. In the Exodus, Children of Israel died, were homeless, and they were afraid.

Instead of seeing this as cruel judgement of God, it is the call to recognize the need for renewal. In circumstances this dire, it is a call! Did you know the meals for all of the people moved to the stadium in Houston, as victims of Hurricane Katrina, were fed for weeks, not by the government, but by the Christian Churches of Houston? This is a call for faith; ministry; teaching; exhortation; generosity; leadership, diligence; compassion, in cheerfulness of faith, hope and love to bring us forward. God is Love.

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Psalm 37:1-18 ~ the Lord knows

Psalm 37:1-18 ~

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;

~ the Lord knows

Luke 18:35

³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

³⁸ He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

³⁹ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see," he replied. ⁴² Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." ⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Jesus recognized Zacchaeus & Zacchaeus' needs without being asked. In John 1, Nathanael recognized Jesus as the Son of God because Jesus knew Nathanael praying under the tree. Jesus could see a blind man in front of him & know his needs, but he wanted the man to ask. Jesus is part of our thoughts, but he specifically wants to be asked. Prayer isn't just thinking, but prayer is a specific conversation with Father God. Jesus loves to be part of us, part of our lives, Jesus didn't take the credit for healing the blind man, he assures the man his desire, his faith, is part of the healing.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

The Lord is for us, He waits patiently for us and includes us in the conversation, and in the victory.

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Psalm 144 ~ may there be no cry of distress in our streets

Luke 10:2
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Psalm 144

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples ~ 1 under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

My favorite bible commentary is Matthew Henry. His faith was tried over & over in life; his wife died, his in-laws found him another wife, his children died one by one, his siblings died and he raised his own nieces and nephews. They were raised to know the Lord, & they loved their aunt and Uncle Matthew dearly. His own childhood was a miracle of survival, being a premature infant led to poor childhood health. His father was a minister who had been forced out by laws enacted by Parliament during the time of English Civil War. His commentary is given the term practical, but the beauty and poetry of his interpretation will never be repeated. Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary was first published in 1710 and has never been out of print.


Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible:
"Psalm 144:1-8 When men become eminent for things as to which they have had few advantages, they should be more deeply sensible that God has been their Teacher. Happy those to whom the Lord gives that noblest victory, conquest and dominion over their own spirits. A prayer for further mercy is fitly begun with a thanksgiving for former mercy. There was a special power of God, inclining the people of Israel to be subject to David; it was typical of the bringing souls into subjection to the Lord Jesus. Man's days have little substance, considering how many thoughts and cares of a never-dying soul are employed about a poor dying body. Man's life is as a shadow that passes away. In their highest earthly exaltation, believers will recollect how mean, sinful, and vile they are in themselves; thus they will be preserved from self-importance and presumption. God's time to help his people is, when they are sinking, and all other helps fail.

144:9-15 Fresh favours call for fresh returns of thanks; we must praise God for the mercies we hope for by his promise, as well as those we have received by his providence. To be saved from the hurtful sword, or from wasting sickness, without deliverance from the dominion of sin and the wrath to come, is but a small advantage. The public prosperity David desired for his people, is stated. It adds much to the comfort and happiness of parents in this world, to see their children likely to do well. To see them as plants, not as weeds, not as thorns; to see them as plants growing, not withered and blasted; to see them likely to bring forth fruit unto God in their day; to see them in their youth growing strong in the Spirit. Plenty is to be desired, that we may be thankful to God, generous to our friends, and charitable to the poor; otherwise, what profit is it to have our garners full? Also, uninterrupted peace. War brings abundance of mischiefs, whether it be to attack others or to defend ourselves. And in proportion as we do not adhere to the worship and service of God, we cease to be a happy people. The subjects of the Saviour, the Son of David, share the blessings of his authority and victories, and are happy because they have the Lord for their God."

~

For all of the hardships Matthew Henry knew, it would be said, truthfully, he did share the blessings and victories the Lord gave him to share. Matthew Henry was beautifully happy, like Paul finding peace in hardship, because the Lord Is always his God.

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Psalm 15 ~ does what is right

Psalm 15

1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person 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.

How difficult it would be to follow Psalm 15, written by David, perfectly. These are the godly attributes of living in community: Not being selfish. Not exaggerating or changing a few words to make the situation "more understandable". Not putting our own feelings as "leader of the universe". Not deciding the wicked, cruel, sharp tongued are more interesting or lead to being safer, more highly placed, in the community. Honoring the good at heart. Not being double standard or two-faced in the midst of working through a situation. Not putting effort into helping someone for the reward. Not joining the crowd to hurt the innocent.

If we ask ourselves how did David do with all of these things, we would have to say he was pressed and pressured in life to sometimes give into selfishness or sin. So what made the Lord so pleased with David? Enough to give David the promise that his descendant would always sit on the throne, given to him by God?

When David was confronted with his own wrong, he confessed it was wrong. He didn't shrug his shoulders and say it fits in with the day or the gray. David told the Lord he was sorry and he meant it. The Lord must have decided David did truly repent.

What does the Lord say about taking the High Road:

Isaiah 49:10-12
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.

11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.

12 See, they will come from afar—
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Sinim. "


Jeremiah 31:20-22
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,"
declares the LORD.

21 "Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.
Return, O Virgin Israel,
return to your towns."

These shall dwell with the Lord.

(Archaeologists discovered, in 2005, St. Paul was buried in his Basilica in Rome, you can read about He who does these things shall never be moved in Scripture-for-today.blogspot.com)

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Mark 2:18-22 ~ new wine into new wineskins

Mark 2:18-22 ~ (Today's New International Version)

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"

¹⁹ Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

²¹ "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If they do, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And people do not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."

We are in the age of learning, how wonderful to have the internet. I love being on Facebook and having a friend of friend become my FB friend. Across the continent, I learn about Charles Spurgeon in nano seconds. Charles Spurgeon loved this passage Isaiah 45:22, as his favorite.

This fits in so well with today's reading, we are going to pull from the 25 verses of Isaiah 45:

Isaiah 45:

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,

⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

⁹ "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?


²² "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth; for I am God,
and there is no other.


New wine - being changed by Jesus, seeing our lives as a gift from God and for God, not just another salmon swimming upstream without hope and going through the daily work. Old wine - what is valued, mellowed, cherished. What is Jesus telling us? We cannot change, cannot save ourselves. We cannot do it ourselves. With God all things are possible. Every day, we take our old wine - the things we value, the things the world expects, old hurts, the things that concern us. And we put them before God - the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Then we see the blessings and we thank Him.

Blessed be God, who creates light out of darkness.

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus, not controlled by the old values, but placing ourselves in front of Father God as His children.

Isaiah 45:

¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek me in vain.'
I, the LORD, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.

²⁰ "Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.

²¹ Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD ?
And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.

²² "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.

²³ By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.

²⁴ They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone
are righteousness and strength.' "
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.

²⁵ But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel
will be found righteous and will exult.

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Psalm 114 ~ His dominion

The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed

Psalm 114

1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

Known as the Cathedral of Basil the Blessed, a Russian Orthodox Cathedral, it is the geometric center of Moscow since the 14th century. Built by Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), it contains eight side churches arranged around the ninth, the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated Basil - Fool for Christ. Basil lived:

Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD,
he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

Basil was an apprentice shoemaker in Moscow, but became a shoplifter. He gave to the poor to shame the miserly and help those in need. He rebuked Ivan the Terrible for not paying attention in church, and for his violent behaviour towards the innocent. Most of the time, admonishing anyone with name "the Terrible" wasn’t such a good idea, but apparently Ivan had a soft spot for the holy fool (as Basil was also known) and ordered a church to be built in his name after Basil died. When Basil died on August 2, 1557, Ivan the Terrible himself acted as pallbearer and carried his coffin to the cemetery.

Basil must have met with timing only sent by the Lord, because the rest of Ivan the Terrible's reign was marked by a violent spiral downward. Basil's life was remembered as a servant of Jesus Christ and inspired many, including Ivan the Terrible's son. Basil's life, giving to the poor, may have inspired the legends of Robin Hood 100 to 200 years later. Ivan the Terrible's son, Feodor commissioned more towers to be built, 30 years later, around Basil's grave and the Cathedral that became known as Basil's Cathedral.

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Matthew 18 ~ If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble

Matthew 18 ~ (Today's New International Version)

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2 He called a little child, whom he placed among them. 3 And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes a humble place—becoming like this child—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

6 "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

10-11 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

15 "If a brother or sister sins, go and point out the fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

18 "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart."

Legalization was the topic of conversation recently. Government looking for ways to support the good things government does with a shrinking economy; the suggestion was ending the war on drugs by having more California type Marijuana Permitted Coffee Type Places to have more taxable dollars, less crime, more money and fund something already going around. After all, reasoning went, marijuana is just Hemp and grows naturally. So does Hemlock. If you have a glass of hard liquor, you are going to have it out of your system in a matter of hours, Marijuana lasts 28 days.

"A 1988 University of Alaska survey showed that the state's teenagers used marijuana at more than twice the national average for their age group.

Alaska's Failed Legalization Experiment
In 1975, Alaskans could legally possess marijuana...until they opted to re-criminalize the drug. Alaska's Supreme Court held that under their State Constitution an adult could possess marijuana for personal consumption in the home.

The court's ruling became a green light for marijuana use. A 1988 University of Alaska survey showed that the state's teenagers used marijuana at more than twice the national average for their age group. The report also showed a frequency of marijuana use that suggested it wasn't experimental, but a well incorporated practice for teens.

Fed up with this dangerous experiment, Alaska's residents voted in 1990 to re-criminalize possession of marijuana. But 15 years of legalization left its mark-increased drug use by a generation of our youth."

If you look at Amsterdam and the effects around Needle Park, in 2010, you would find yourself followed down the streets by the black market drug pushers. These characters don't take 'no' for an answer, they will follow people for city blocks. Legalization has led to an increase in drug consumption. This has led to an increase in drug seekers and a continuing problem for the countries surrounding Holland when the tourist are leaving. And curbing the AIDs epidemic? It has resulted in a 2% decline. Cannabis consumption among Dutch teenagers has increased.

Legalization for prostitution has the same result. It is a gift to the pimps, traffickers and the sex industry. Legalization/decriminalization of prostitution does not control the sex industry. It expands it. Legalization increases propensity, more illegal activities, street prostitution and increases child prostitution. It provides fewer choices open to women.

People tend to make up their minds more emotionally than logically on issues, it is important to see what facts are available from real life situations. Do not cause your brother to stumble.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-7 ~ matters

1 Corinthians 7:1-7 (New Revised Standard Version)

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is well for a man not to touch a woman." But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

The Bible has long been viewed by non-bible readers as anti-sex. In these days of lots of sex and lots of media & movie sex, it might seem odd that the husband and wife are encouraged to remember their conjugal rights and duties. How encouraging for the Scriptures to point out that God (who invented this!) says absolutely this is part of marriage! And sexual intimacy should be encouraged and not deprived! This is one of the readings that needs an Amen at the end of the reading.

Amen!

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