1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 ~ afflictions

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, ² and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, ³ that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. ⁴ For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. ⁵ For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

⁶ But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— ⁷ for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. ⁸ For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. ⁹ For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, ¹² and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³ so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.


My mother and I were watching "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the last couple of years and I looked at her in one of the front yard scenes and it dawned on me, this was my grandmother's neighborhood during the Great Depression. My mother agreed her Dallas neighborhood had been just like it.  My grandmother Anita had taught a Methodist Bible Sunday School for 42 years to a crowd of about 60 people. One of the grumples my grandmother had was, "I feel so Afflicted!"


This passage tells us about people. Affliction does not draw people. It is Love. Timothy knew God's love and was going towards that Love. To know we are earnestly cared for and thought of. It is what we are called to be; to Grow Up and Go Home. It is our delight, our place and God's will to love the people God gives us. 


Each day we put out our hands and say, "Father God. I cannot do this alone. I have no goodness other than You. I am grumpy and self-centered and put myself first. Help me, just in Your Goodness, to Strengthen my feeble hands, steady the knees that give way. To encourage the ones around us to care for one another.  Remembering when Moses' hands grew tired, friends took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. People who cared for Moses held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset."


Please pray for my husband who has had one diagnosis he liked and wasn't complete. He needs encouragement for another opinion. Your prayers would be appreciated. 




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Psalm 16 ~ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Psalm 16

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
     I have no good apart from you.”

³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.

⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.

⁵ The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
⁶  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷ I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸  I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
     or let your holy one see corruption.

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

We all have times in our lives when we feel we need Refuge. Solace. Comfort.

Looking at Scriptures, it is surprising to find the best known people in Scripture, really strong ones, are concerned with finding this refuge. Primarily, it is David seeking the refuge of God. Who wouldn't want to be David? I know I'd raise my hand to be David. Apple of God's eye, even today.  Isaiah did not endure a difficult life, yet sought this refuge. The Children of Israel, wandering in the desert, did not look for this refuge as much as the Psalmist.

David acknowledges the need for the LORD. No other refuge is Good.

Matthew 7:24-25
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Jesus believed this. And He took His disciples to Caesarea to hear Peter declare Him as LORD. Upon hearing worship from Peter, Jesus told His chosen about a Church - yet to be built. In words yet to be recorded. Spoken from His Mouth. Against a very present Roman Empire. This is how Jesus told them He planned to build: 

 Matthew 16:17-19 
 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 



Exodus 33:22 
and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 

Psalm 18:1-3 
I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 

Psalm 19:14 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 

Psalm 31:3 
For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me 


Isaiah 2:10 
Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty.


 Isaiah 26:4 
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. 


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Prayers are appreciated

Hello,

This week we've had the Estate for my cousin begin. We have family visiting and are working on art projects and gifts, so that is a blessing. My son graduates this week. So prayers for communication, and blessings of gratitude for God's provision are great. Edward sees the surgeon tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers,

Anne-Laurel



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Luke 6 ~ came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases

God is Good

In Wonder, sung by the Newsboys

Luke 6:17-19

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.



Jesus is still a hero today.  The Scripture passage does not say everyone who felt worthy and never had introspection showed up. It does not say the righteous only showed up. It does not say Jesus picked only the holy. The joy of Wonder. Jesus, choosing to be GOD, healed them all.  I don't know about you, but if I could do that - I sure would. We are all invited to go Home. Jesus gets to do this for all of His Chosen ones when they arrive at the 12 open gates of Heaven. 

The desire of this blogger to reach out not only to those blessed to believe in faith and have the blessing of:

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And also those who really don't know and have always wanted to know. When you look at this passage, it is incredible. Yet the historical records of the Talmud and Josephus, who was the Historian to three Roman Emperors and a General for Judea, says Jesus was killed for being a righteous man. Josephus goes on to say Jesus brother died for saying Jesus is LORD. Josephus notes several men claimed to be the Messiah, but their followers quickly dispersed after their leader died. Josephus says in wonder, the followers of Jesus continue. Jesus' own brothers then began to risk all to proclaim Jesus as LORD. Only 16 years after Jesus died in an obscure Roman province, a mere suburb of Syria, Judea, the name of JESUS began to worry the Roman Emperors for 400 years.

1 Corinthians 9:5 

Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

It was not in the best interest for peace and welfare to proclaim, in the Judean or Roman world, Jesus as LORD, yet that is one of the reasons Jesus gave His Mother to John. Jesus told us in the end of the Gospel of John, John would live to be old. His Mother would be safe with John. Knowing His Brothers would be out doing the will of God.  Believe in faith,

all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

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Matthew 5 ~ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

 

 

 

Matthew 5

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible   

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

¹⁴  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that  they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

¹⁷  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

²¹  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother^{[without cause]} will be liable to judgment; whoever insults ^{[a term of abuse]} his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶ Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Lust

²⁷  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Divorce

³¹  “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²  But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Retaliation

³⁸  “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴²  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

⁴³  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers,^{[brothers and sister]} what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It would seem reading Matthew 5, Jesus expects life to be difficult, people deceitful, and mercy something we will need to get by.  We are placed far down the path from the Holiness of GOD. 

I knew a very smart, brash, and fearful young boy. He was on the path to recovery from general abuse from the world. He was in 7th grade and a young girl on the bus to school discovered he was verbal, interesting and handsome. Enter in the trouble Jesus told us we could expect. Jealousy in the form of a spitter. Another young boy who resorted to the most awful expectorant he could spray on my son. Just because he wanted to spoil something sweet and precious.

And this expectorant would find Cal in the hallways, any place he could. And we consulted our Godly friends, and they are, and they advised it was past the forgiveness portion. Go for clocking the spitter in the nose and if an school suspension should result - then so be it. My elder son and the younger son practiced what a nose punch would look like. A moment of comedy erupted when the older son asked the younger son - how do you punch. Total shocked silence. Then laughter. You should know that. Cal raised his thin wrists. And made a very feeble motion.  Alexander showed him the direct, meaty wrist puuuunch. With the comment, "You know this."

How did it go? Cal defied the Godly friends, the Godly Mom and all the non-Matthew 5 advice. By giving mercy in the form of -  Grabbing the expectorant, looking him directly in the eye and pushing the expectorant boy back with a huge thunk into the lockers. God made sure it made a ferocious noise. The expectorant saw:

poor in spirit - abuse recoverer

mournful - the girl had lost interest

meek - took the abuse for a long time

pure in heart -wasn't cleaning the expectorant's face with the floor

persecuted for righteously learning to date 

The expectorant never looked my son in the eye again. Or spat at him. God loves that boy too.

Cal was the Salt that defied the Christian advice. The Light that looked dark in the face for its misdeeds. The Light that didn't tell us for years that he didn't really clock the spitter. 

But Cal did love the people who were enemies of the Matthew 5 advice. Knowing the rain advice was from people who were both just and unjust.

 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

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Matthew 23:23-26 ~ hypocrites

Jesus Teaching in the Temple, painted by James Tissot

Matthew 23:23-26

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible 

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

We've talked a lot about Jesus versus the religious elect. And John, the beloved disciple, reflected in his writings, with the Holy Spirit, especially in his later Biblical books; John believed evil had been allowed the power to destroy Jesus.

How do the actions of the religious elect persecuting Jesus act like the evil one? In Scriptures, twice, Satan goes to God for permission to harm Job. The evil one does not lie, but uses truth against Job as weapon. The evil one is perhaps jealous of the blessings spoken of - comfort - given by God. The devil used God's comforts and said they were self-indulgent. The evil one didn't have business with Job, the evil one made it his business.

Truth - sounds great. But what the devil lacked was mercy.

When we lack mercy in our words, in our actions. Then we err. Mercy is God's guide to a new and right Spirit within us.

Micah 6:8  
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

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Psalm 28 ~ The LORD is the strength of HIs people

originally published April 28, 2012

Psalm 28

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


1 To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you be silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.


3 Do not drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.


6 Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.


8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!


Be their shepherd and carry them forever. I had a conversation with a teenage boy, let’s call Charlie, who was conquering his addictions & made a pretty big impression on me. In our small community, it was fairly noticeable he changed from a private school to a public school in the middle of the year; being gregarious and popular, people learned fairly quickly Charlie had been discovered with drugs. Soft drugs, most people assume aren’t addictive, but Charlie received counseling for 14 months because he found it very difficult to quit.

 Some of the reasons, Charlie told me, he’d worked hard to quit - being completely robbed twice during wilder parties by his new “friends”. Not being accepted anymore by old friends, people he respected, like my son. He said one of the things he wanted to do, was to convince teenagers drugs are a slippery slope.

 Charlie said it was easier to quit using soft drugs than convince teenagers drugs weren’t the way to go. With his reputation, new druggies loved to come and tell Charlie about their new highs, Charlie tells them about the lying, the excuses, the spiral down drugs cause & they really didn’t want to hear. Charlie said he hadn’t convinced one person and wanted to know how to reach people better.

On Sunday, someone  at Church asked me to help them out of their a situation. This someone has a complicated life, more complicated than most people I know. I wrote to a few people and asked for help. I really feel pretty powerless to help.

Charlie and I are in the same situation, it is just difficult to help people. It is too large a job. God is in control. Difficulty and trouble can help us send prayer for the light to Him. I read a Max Lucado article on prayer, he reminds, God hears all of our prayers. Max Lucado’s words saying, “Father, the one you love is …. ill, worried, in need, lonely or whatever the situation requires” and Abba hears us. This touched me because it is true. We should help others, when we can’t, we still can, we can pray and the One who loves us will hear.



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Isaiah 11:6

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 2:4 

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 

Ezekiel 34:25 

"'I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety."

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Psalm 37 ~ the LORD laughs

Psalm 37
English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio 

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;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰ But the wicked will perish;
    the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

²¹ The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
    but the righteous is generous and gives;
²² for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³ The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
²⁴  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children begging for bread.
 
²⁶ He is ever lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

²⁷  Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you dwell forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
 
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land
    and dwell upon it forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
    and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹  The law of his God is in his heart;
    his steps do not slip.

³² The wicked watches for the righteous
    and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The Lord will not abandon him to his power
    or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

³⁴  Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

³⁵  I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
    spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
³⁶ But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
    though I sought him, he could not be found.

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7 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹  The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and delivers them;
     he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Chuck Swindall is doing Micah 6 this week on the radio. Today he made the convincing case of Christians so lukewarm in their faith that they are hearers of the word and not doers. Letting Grace be too cheap and not honored.  It is easy to become discouraged with the lack of diligent love in this life. And to look around and see how far we have fallen without a lot of hope the LORD would want to save us.  So many people playing life safely for their own interests. 

Yet we should have hope. The LORD is in charge of Salvation. We call upon HIS name, Jesus Christ the LORD and we shall have the Promises of God for us. What we would cringe over as evil and frightening, is not frightening to the LORD our GOD Almighty.  The LORD is not defeated in HIS Victory. 

Each day, we do what we can. We want to be the man of peace. 

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
  The Lord helps them and delivers them;
     he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Micah 6:8 
He has told you, O man, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 139:12
even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand.

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2 Timothy 4:6-18 
  English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

⁹ Do your best to come to me soon. ¹⁰ For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. ¹²  Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. ¹⁴  Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵ Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. ¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!  

¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.




Two vivid analogies. Water poured out and finished, not to be replaced. A race is one once. It is difficult to know which direction to go in some days.  

I had a time in life where decisions were to be made. With youthful glee I accepted like an arrow shot - an offer from my Texas A&M roommate, who was a graduate Veterinarian student, to help her feed the lioness Delilah. I loved all the "Born Free" movies. I looked forward all day to seeing Elsa. And as we got in the car, I found out all the 400 plus Vet students declined, only two would volunteer to feed Delilah. Delilah was being experimented upon to see if they could impregnate her artificially and then remove the embryo to see if it would freeze. So far, not. So I learned. Delilah was 350 lbs of angry. And my roommate saw in my face, now the situation was calling for a reverse of direction.
 
I did one of the most stupid things I've ever done. When we arrived at the Vet professor's home, Delilah was stealthily stalking in the cage, about 20" x 40", where she was deciding she Would eat the 3 labs who were probably young, but they were running back and forth  either annoying or playing with Delilah. The Vet student, who was other 'second', was visibly worried about the mayhem. She greeted us with, "The dogs escaped and I cannot get them back to the Professor's house and he isn't home." I asked if they played like this often. I was informed it was a bad thing when it happened. Then I was warmly congratulated by both Vet students on my bravery.  I knew I was getting in the cage. I was then informed, one always stood outside to call the Professor for help if there was trouble. They suggested we begin. And I said no. We were going to put the 3 of us to work and get the dogs out of the path until the lioness calmed down. It was greeted, with, "Good Plan."

That done, we waited for a time for Delilah to quit pacing. And my roommate turned to me and said, "She does weigh 350 pounds and if she knocks you down, you need to yell, 'NO, Delilah' and hit her in the eye. And say it forcefully."  I was then told. Delilah had not knocked anyone down, her teeth were filed evenly and she was de-clawed. Then my roommate smiled rather evilly and said her jaws were a powerful enough pressure to crack a skull. I don't think my friend liked the look I gave her.  At that point she sorta punched me in the arm and said, "Well." 

So. She graciously lets me go first. And Delilah ran to the other side of the cage. Whew. No. Delilah was picking up speed. I flew to my back as she hit and was surprised to find I was screaming and punching in the eye, with a very firm voice all that had been taught to me. I was alone in the cage with Delilah. Evidently Delilah decided almost immediately she was sorry. I fed Delilah and got to pet her. My t-shirt had the great marks of Lion Paws on it. My roommate never got in the cage that day. She was tearful and apologetic. And she let me know I got to touch Delilah more than she ever had.

So. Something young and foolish. Became something that from time to time sustains me. But I declined to return to Delilah. Although I really do love the Narnia books and movies.


So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
 

Psalm 7:2

lest they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me

Isaiah 11:6

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.

Deuteronomy 33:20

Of Gad he said, A blessing be on him who makes wide the limits of Gad: he takes his rest like a she-lion, taking for himself the arm and the crown of the head

Zechariah 13:9 
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Father God, it is You who sustains us in Your plans each day. Let's be grateful for survival. Give us the day. In the name of Jesus, who is the LORD my God. And yours. Amen.

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