Psalm 16 ~ I wil praise the Lord,I will praise the Lord, who counsels me

Psalm 16

1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

David says in Psalm 16, he spent time with the LORD in the evenings. Different than 10 Commandments asking us to Honor the LORD on one day of the week. And David tells us the benefit of this time.

Refuge
Security
A heart filling with Praise
Seeing a way forward
Refusal to be shaken
Making the heart glad
Positive speech
Not feeling abandoned
The path of life
Joy

We know David didn't always feel like this from the Psalms he wrote with the Holy Spirit. Yet we know David strongly experienced this. 22 years he struggled, after Samuel anointed him. David's faith and his way forward provide us with understanding.Placing our faith upon the LORD. As this Psalm tells us. Honoring the LORD.

We are in North Carolina this week for some R&R. And this blog, as always, providing a worship and a touchstone to the LORD.

<><

>

Psalm 130 ~ with You there is forgiveness

Psalm 130

Listen - click for new tab

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities!

"Morning Has Broken" a Christian hymn by English author Eleanor Farjeon, published in 1931, using the Gaelic tune "Bunessan" (tune also used as "Child in the Manger").

My family always plays this beautiful song at our weddings and christenings. Last Sunday, my family gathered together to celebrate with my husband and me - a 25th Anniversary Holiday Weekend; at Church, a God-incidence, this song was played. What a blessing to hear it! It was my dad's favorite song. He died after divorcing my mother just before their 25th anniversary. Decades of one of the most loving marriages was abandoned. He did, as so many fathers do in divorce, he deserted his children. Making poor choices, choices we wouldn't have wanted him to make, ending his own life in 1993. His last note to us said he was looking forward to God's mercy and dwelling with us in heaven. For us, it is quite emotional, reminds us of so many good memories of a lovely man who had an alcohol addiction. A man Jesus loves.

Divorce, infidelity, broken families, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Al Anon are things people bring when they seek the comfort of God. God's open door policy is come as you really are.

"Morning has Broken", Chorfassung; this one sounds more like our ceremonies:




Celtic Carillon, Scotland's national hand-bell ensemble, Morning Has Broken in Dunblane Cathedral


What is Psalm 130? It's twin Psalm would be Psalm 67 or

Numbers 6:24-27
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Psalm 32:1
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.


Psalm 67
Listen - click for new tab

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!


<><

Matthew 10:16-23 ~ you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 10:16-23

 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, ¹⁸  and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰  For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹  Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ²²  and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  

²³ When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

How often we hear people say they don't want to be a Christian because God might call them to move to China or some place and be a missionary. What they are really saying is that suffering is to be avoided.

When Hallelujah, because anyone who'd raise their hand to suffer is very unusual. I feel depressed just reading the parts of Corinthians about suffering. I once heard a woman on a Christian radio literally weep, not in weakness, but in agony about being a missionary to a very despondent, forlorn area of the world. And her husband was very happy to be there. Well, she and her husband were not being wise. If there was a need there, they are saying God could not find another person. We are not Jesus, but I tell you what, we should all pray for that woman who did suffer and did hard work. And for the area of the world it was. 

(The woman was wise to tell is how it was with her, the Church found someone excited to go there. As a result of the radio broadcast. Her husband was wise to let her speak her heart.) 

We will all face times and situations that we'd prefer not to be there. Sometimes we are called to do the hard work. And stay. And other times it is time to do like the passage says and "move to the next." But isn't the last part of the passage important!!!! 

It says do not stay in times of anxiety. It says they will fade and there will be another opportunity. And then,  a very important thing. The most important thing. Salvation. It is Jesus who comes. We are not the salvation, we work to help salvation. To the best of our limited ability. Salvation comes from God. 

All this passage builds up. In the end, God's work is God's. We do what we can. It is exactly what it says on a memorial tablet for John Wesley and his brother, Charles Wesley, in their father's English Church. "God's work goes on, it is his workmen who go home." Or close enough. 

Moses did not lead us into the Promised Land. David didn't stay King forever. David did not build the first Temple. It is God's work - Jesus did the part we need. We rely upon Him.  We were saying in Bible Study - we all wish Moses did. We wish David did. God is telling us - the pressure is off of us. It is God's work. 

We do exactly what we can. We will look to be innocent, as possible, and we look to be wise in thinking how we speak. And when we cannot accomplish salvation for others;  we know we are in charge of only what God brings to us.

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:16

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

<><

Matthew 13 ~ Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

Matthew 13

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15 For this people's heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

There seem to be two things in life. The way people perceive us and the way it is. Jesus was seen as a carpenter's son. Not really the Son of David. It would be interesting to ask Joseph how that felt to him. There is a portion of the Scripture I cannot find. It is the prophetic word telling us what it would be like in the Judean portion of Israel during the days of Jesus Christ - it was a time when people had what they needed to survive. A donkey, a cow, a house like others, adequate. And tremendous political pressure. A king not of the davidic line.

An adequate life with pressure - doesn't always feel fulfilling.

And we have the Parable about seeds. What are we doing with our faith and hope. Where do we want to be placed in the living Word and how we want ourselves.... to be doing. Sure we see - hey - I see so and so there. It really is about how I react to them. The kindness I can bring to them.

The parable of the weeds - the way life is. Planned. Mary wanted Jesus to come home. His brothers wanted HIM to stir up trouble and then come home. Jesus gave them time to sort it out. They did end up carrying Jesus' word as His disciples. And probably like the end of the Gospel of John - imperfectly. Like the way Peter and Paul got along - bumpily at times. 

Imagine - Mary, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas - going home after Jesus told the whole crowd - "you are my mother, brothers - if you do the will of God." At that point, they were loving Jesus based upon the memories of their love for each other. I imagine they thought it was the end of the relationship for -  a while.  Because they weren't weeds, they did not prepare to never speak again and stick to it.

And our weeds - parables. Puzzles. We have to figure out - today am I the wheat or the weed. And re-adjust. Asking for help from Jesus Christ the LORD. Getting back on the path God wants for us to be lights. Setting boundaries, hoping for others. Asking God to govern us. The wisdom to do what He wants. And the kindness in us to want to do it.

Like our knowledge of the Church of Ephesus.  Redeemed. Bargaining. Corrupting. Ending. Quitting. and then Redemption. Like the martyrs and cowards of Rome. Fighting. Fleeing. Planting again.  It is up to us to not to be plowed under. A good analogy for all of this wheat and weeds. Knowing John lived in peace. Luke lived in peace. Even in that day. Timothy lived in peace. And went out with his boots on as an old man. 

We tend to want to flee from doing God's word. We think we'll end up abused like the run away disciples. Forgetting they ran away. John and Luke and Timothy - ended up well. They lived the hard part. Paul and Peter wouldn't say they got the short end of the stick. 

Running away and living with it - that is the hard part. So many of the men I saw divorce their wives to be happier - died from it within a few short years. It diminishes the capacity to truly love ourselves.

Each day, putting out our hands to do what GOD wants. Putting aside being the most important feelings on the planet. Growing up. Sticking to what is right. Asking not to be disregarded. Loving ourselves. As we love others. Forgiving and being forgiven.


<><

Jeremiah 1:1-10 ~ pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant

Jeremiah 1:1-10

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord.”

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to break down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”



Isaiah 42:1
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.


Numbers 23:26
But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?”

1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Peter 2:15
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.


1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;


Numbers 27:5
So Moses brought their case before the LORD

Romans 12:2
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.


1 Timothy 2
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus


Proverbs 6:23
For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life


Proverbs 16:2
All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.



1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.


Mark 4:22
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and ...
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is
concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ... 


<><

Matthew 10:1-7 ~ These twelve Jesus sent out

Painting of Jesus by James Tissot

Matthew 10:1-7

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. ²  The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

⁵  These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Jesus had such a small amount of time in His ministry. And He sent out His disciples. He knew they would hide and be fearful at His death saying: 

Mark 14:27

"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

Jesus knew so many impossible things about people. Their names, their marital status, if they prayed under a tree. He knew they'd squabble in the last Chapter of John. 

And Jesus needed no one to tell Him what was in man. 

He called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

God uses imperfect people to do His will.  Millenniums ago. And today.

1 Corinthians 1:27


Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

<><

Matthew 9:18-26 ~ And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion

Matthew 9:18-26

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”  

¹⁹ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰ And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 

²³ And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went through all that district.

So many people say the Gospels were written in the 4th century by oral history. Which is in conflict with Paul writing of the Temple sacrifices being done as he wrote. The Christian bishop, Papias of Hierapolis, about 100–140 AD, wrote: "Matthew collected sayings of Jesus." Matthew identifies himself as a Tax Collector in this Chapter.


Jesus had 3 years to wow the crowd. When we get to the 9th Chapter of Matthew, Jesus had called the first set of disciples together, Matthew had not been part of the group called together in the 4th Chapter. The 8th Chapter lists 4 miracles. Jesus had been speaking with crowds of people who gathered to hear Him. This is the way Matthew arranges his introduction of Jesus ministry.

It would seem that Jesus, with His exact ideas of what is going to occur would have asked Matthew right away. Instead, Matthew is given time. Just like John the Baptist. John the Baptist tells us he did not know Jesus. He didn't grow up with his cousin. He had time to grow into understanding Jesus. In the middle of being given the idea Jesus did not march along with a perfect day planner, let's remember Jesus rowed back and forth over the Sea of Galilee sometimes several times in one day. If you were God, wouldn't you want to arrange people so you didn't have to row or sail back and forth?

It is another example of God making time for the give and take in life. Jesus has done 4 amazing miracles and, of course, everyone treats Him with respect. It makes sense. No, we are still the people God has to contend with. Still the grumblers in the desert asking for God to do more. People laughed at Jesus. Not with Him. Elijah would have called down fire. If you'll remember, the disciples asked Jesus to do this on one occasion. And Jesus, being God, said no, He had other plans.

Back to the Day Planner thought. In the middle of working with the ruler, Jesus heals. So. There is a 5th miracle and the people still don't like it. And don't trust Him.

How does Jesus feel being pressed in all the time? We see an example. 

When Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,  he said, “Go away."
 
He is kind enough to give a reason. We don't know Jesus' tone. The people leave after being put out.  We can assume the synagogue ruler was in charge of getting them out of the way. You can imagine the ruler wasn't too fussed about moving the laughers out of the way because he'd just seen Jesus heal. Not a huge decision of politically correct thought going on there.

Jesus deliberately chose to step away from being God. He was there in the spoken Word of creation and saw things we only hope to see in Heaven. He didn't say, "Let me chase the people and not let the sun go down on my anger." He allowed time for obedience and quiet. He saw order and privately settled the matter with the people.

We hold maxims because we remember them. We readily remember 'don't let the sun go down on your anger'. 'Turn the other cheek'. And we hold them to be the immediate Biblical answer. Yet sometimes turning the other cheek is exactly what the evil one would want. Sometimes we have to employ "Rebuke the devil and he will flee from you."  Exactly like, if people are not going to reason with you, why provoke another fight by saying there is a time limit.

It doesn't mean that if you can peacefully settle something, not to do so. There is a Biblical thought saying do not with hold from your neighbor what you can do for him today. 


Proverbs 3:28
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you

We see people have different points of view. Jesus says she is sleeping. The people with the daughter - see death.  They are really saying the same thing. Jesus is talking about the sleep of death, yet comforting the father - who is bursting with hope. Jesus is being honest, but He is being discrete. Jesus really is primarily interested in working with the people of hope.

We love the idea of a Loving God. Because it means - we get to do what we want and be forgiven. Here is another example of "Go away." The people laughing could have been allowed to stay and "Enjoy the Show." It even makes sense Jesus would have looked at His Day Planner and His wristwatch and said, "And now......" Instead, for the rest of their lives, they knew they'd been allowed, and even asked by Jesus, to step aside. Why?

Romans 4:20-25
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³ But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵  who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Jesus told the scoffers to move out of His path. 

He spoke on the subject another time as well. 


Luke 17:17-19
 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Do you remember another commotion?

John 21:21-24
 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” ²³ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
 
²⁴ This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Luke stayed with Paul until the end. There was a huge blessing. Luke lived a fairly peaceful life and lived to be old. So did John. Both Luke and John saw 'commotion' but the blessing was, they wanted to be part of the healing instead of the drama.

I love the Zacchaeus story. It is ours, in the Beloved of Jesus Christ. Get out of the crowd to seek Jesus. Come down out of the tree - or ivory tower - because we are called to do so. Make the decision to be obedient to Jesus. And make sure our light does not embarrass Him.
Zacchaeus was embarrassed and pointed out, but his effort was for God. 

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?"

Luke 19:5
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”


2 Corinthians 12:2-4   
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. ³ And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴ and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.


To get into the Promised Land, Joshua had to decide.

 Joshua 24:14-16
Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.


The Scriptures are written for you. A message of Love explaining the nature of God.




<><

Luke 23:26-31 ~ a great multitude of the people

Today in Jerusalem, this is a model of the 2nd Temple with a close-up of Solomon's Porch.






Luke 23:26-31

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio   
       

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.              

28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”      
         

A good question, surely, when we are 2 millenniums past Jesus giving us all of God's promises and changing Heaven forever.

And how often I pictured Jesus dying like "Godspell" with just a few sympathizers. Here we read, the truth, a great multitude of people Mourned for Jesus. These are the people in the Book of Acts who filled the Temple.  They are referred to as a multitude again.    

Acts 2:6       
And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.  

Acts 5:12 -15      
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.           

Joel 3:14 

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

People will forever disagree if the day is all at once, or like the people who come back from near death experiences - immediately. Time belongs to God. It is His invention. I suppose He can use time any way He wants. We, who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, will find out what time is all about in Heaven when we get there. 

What does the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, say about the time when the wood becomes dry?   
 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel ^{[2nd Chapter of Joel]}:  
 

¹⁷  “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,          
and your young men shall see visions,          
and your old men shall dream dreams;    
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants        
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,  and they shall prophesy.      
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above        
and signs on the earth below,                    
 blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;   
²⁰  the sun shall be turned to darkness        
and the moon to blood,        
before the day of the Lord comes,     
the great and magnificent day.

  ²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’  
 

Thank You, Jesus Christ Our LORD.

  I've been thinking this weekend about my son's friend Cory's funeral.  He died in Iraq and people turned out for his funeral lining 6 miles of road from the Church to the Interstate. And I knew Cory had 6 really good friends. People wanted to honor the valiant, Christian, Hometown 19 year old. The stood on the overpasses with firetrucks and ladders extended with the flag hanging. Traffic on the interstate - the other side - was halted. It was amazing. I prayed for Cory not to depart this life without seeing what was done for him. Volunteering for that mission. His mom is Christian Child Minister for her Church. I believe he is the only man I've known who died for this country.

He was an excellent young man, encouraging delinquents of the neighborhood to stop setting fire to their fences and play hide and seek they called 'Commandos'. Organizing an intervention for a very young boy, from the country, not to go in the woods & hurt what that boy called "critters." Changed the life of that boy. I really prayed fervently this glory would be revealed to Cory, as my son & I drove the 6 miles behind the hurst. I felt assuredly Cory could see it all. The day Cal told me Cory had gone behind his parent's wishes (and I hear them on that completely) and enlisted, I saw a cloud, as Cal spoke, in the shape of a star.

 

The Media largely ignored the amazing funeral. The war wasn't in the agenda at the time. Only our Hometown News and the Local Blog published the photos. 

Later, Cory's neighbors dedicated a flag, a flag pole and flower bed with a brass plaque to him, it is the park behind their house. And as I stood with the hundred or so people, their Scottish pastor said he knew Cory wasn't there today, he'd asked God and received that answer and Knew in his being the knowledge was from God. Cory Lives in Paradise. And I knew with the Pastor, it was so. And it dawned me - this isn't your average thing people used to say at Memorial Services from my childhood. Times are changing. The crowd of 100 people knew what the Pastor was saying was true.

My Pastor Clark also hears from God. I hear from God when I read the Bible.

Planned Obsolescence is one of the signs for the passage below. My washer and dryer are about 3 years old and need to be fixed. Our furnace, stove, water heater (had just broken & not flooded the house), sinks, toilets and faucets from our 1953 first cottage were all functioning in 1999 when we sold our home. My husband's 1921 childhood home had the same thing.  "We have the technology." The booklets from the 1953 appliances showed pride and hope in the drawings and the descriptions. People wanted to produce a good product.  

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

 Did you see the "End of Days" movie? It is about the passage above. My husband and I watched it; we were absolutely horror struck about the presence of evil not being stopped by holiness.  I don't believe there is another movie like it, Praise God.   

Hebrews 1:1-3   
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

 We voted with our feet when the Church where my husband & I were baptized as infants, met as teenagers, started saying in the Bible Studies, and later the pulpit; Paul did not know the Holy Spirit and we could disregard what he wrote 2,000 years ago. Do you know his Books, inspired by the Holy Spirit, speak of Temple sacrifices continuing to be done. The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. People still build monuments in areas they know Paul preached. Paul gave his life for his LORD. There is no greater love.   

2 Peter 3:2-4 
That you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 



The people who dwelled and lived with Jesus could not do other than preach Him and live for Him and die for HIM. Jesus Christ did not die in obscurity. Even Josephus, wily general, befriending Herodian kings and Roman Emperors proclaimed this to be AMAZING. Several times, he was interested enough to find out what was going on with the Jesus situation and he wrote his amazement. 16 years after Jesus died, Roman Emperors where putting people to death for Jesus and this continued for 400 years. They could not stop Jesus.

In January of 2011, people went mildly Cuban Missile Crisis over the animal die backs. Google searches became primarily about questions about the end of the world. Our media, which gives military secrets away like M&Ms started not publishing pertinent information like Vietnam having a massive cattle die off (one of the plagues began this way). 

So the question would be: Are we there yet?  We can have the complete and total assurance Jesus knows in His Eternal Kingdom when this will occur. Jesus lives in Paradise and continues to pray for us.  Any one who tells you they know for sure is knocked in the head.  Yet Jesus told us we would know like seeing a fig come into leaf. I love things that grow and this is - A Very Good Analogy. Why? Fig leaves are huge. Jesus had a good sense of humor.

And the answer to the question is: the Church proclaiming & adjusting to the world's values & today's standards is shrinking. And a huge majority of people loyally pray and believe. And then do exactly what they want to suit themselves. = Sign. We have a young generation who learns Church values from Saturday Night Live's Church Lady. And they believe it.

We are a crass culture. Yet people cry out for God. And He hears them. Eventually this will be all for show and He will come for His Beloved.  We are seeing signs of the end. We see the Church culture huddle together proclaiming more about what is wrong than the LOVE and actions a people who love GOD should do.  My best guess would be about 500 years. I pray for my family to be with the LORD in complete wholeness before we experience the horror of the last days.  

Proclaim the Gospel. Jesus said He is the LIGHT of the World.  It is by the Word of GOD we exist. And Thank YOU Father God.  Willing to LOVE us when we are crass and not holy. On Your mercy, each day we give YOU tremendous thanks. You are a God of Love.

 

<><

2 Corinthians 10 ~ I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!

2 Corinthians 10

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Fascinating statement of Paul's ~ he contends with strength versus meekness. We don't think of Paul, facing down the crowds and be adept at it - as being meek and gentle.

And I don't think of Jesus as meek. Contending constantly with the religious pressing in on HIM from each angle. I think of HIM being strong and compassionate. Yet Jesus was always speaking with people, saying not to tell. Taking them aside to heal. Healing the deaf man in a private way someone deaf would understand.

What is God looking for?  Gratitude. Wanting to walk the path He gives us. It is pretty simple. We don't have to always understand the path others have. We don't always have to understand our own path. We are supposed to go down the path Father God gives us and be grateful. If we wander off of the path we are created for, God gives us new gifts - in seeking Him, and in forgiveness and we start down the adjusted path. The path we climb back on - in HIS righteousness. 

And because He is God. Creator of the Universe, The Almighty. True God of True God. True Light of True Light. We can only accomplish His will and His Plan. Even those who fight against HIM.

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves

Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

<><