Zephaniah 1 ~ For the day of the LORD is near

We love miracles. Miracles display faith, hope and love. However the first Christmas was strewn with something we are familiar with ... stress. No trumpets went off as Mary, heavily pregnant traveled by donkey, 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. No rose petals were thrown. No welcome was held in Bethlehem for her. This is Christmas. A lot of work.

These are Holy Days. People reflect on their life. This week I've spoken with two women who have lost children. The first woman was told by the hospital counselor she and her husband would never recover, to live life under the tragedy. This IS NOT Accurate. We believe in the Lord's Promises, we know our children will be as Isaiah says in the 49th Chapter, learning the hills and the highways of Heaven on the shoulders of the one given their care. Should a mother not remember her child, due, I guess to illness, the child is important to the LORD.

Tonight on the way to a party, we passed a huge accident scene and the officials were arriving. We never know what life has ahead of us. Losing a loved one, can make us nervous, but we lean and trust in the Lord, say a prayer and go on. To a party where we learn the serene woman next to us lost a son to a drunk driver. Gone, not forgotten, not forsaken, trusting God to care for the loved one until the glorious day God reunites us.

Shall we sulk or pout if we are not as happy in the happiest season. Pout if someone gives us their burdens. No. Mary did not have an easy Christmas. Joseph, Elizabeth and the mute priest Zechariah did not have an easy time of these miracles. A day of the Lord.

The Annunciation, painted by Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Road to Bethlehem, by Joseph Brickley

THE FAMILY TREE OF JOSIAH

JOSIAH
______________|______________
|	|
Jehoahaz	Jehoiakim
2 Kings 23:30	2 Kings 23:34,36
	_______|_______
	|	|
	Jehoiachin	Zedekiah

Jeremiah did not stand completely alone; The Book of Zephaniah, first chapter and first verse: “Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, (Hezekiah was a King of the Davidic Line) in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah” (1:1, NRSV). The authorshiop is lengthier than most and contains two features. The name Cushi, Zephaniah’s father, means ‘Ethiopian’. In Judah, genealogy was extremely important in the inclusion of God's covenant with Abraham and descendants, the author establishes his Hebrew lineage. Zephaniah does not shrink from condemning Cushites or Ethiopians. Zephaniah was a prophet during Josiah and warned of future events hoping to enact change to avoid calamity.


Zephaniah 1

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 “I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
and the fish of the sea,
and the rubble with the wicked.
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens,
those who bow down and swear to the Lord
and yet swear by Milcom,
6 those who have turned back from following the Lord,
who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

7 Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king's sons
and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
9 On that day I will punish
everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master's house
with violence and fraud.

10 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
For all the traders are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
who are complacent,
those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do ill.’
13 Their goods shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.”

14 The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.

17 I will bring distress on mankind,
so that they shall walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
In the fire of his jealousy,
all the earth shall be consumed;
for a full and sudden end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.


The Word of God is living and active, how will we relate to Zephaniah being part of the Christmas Season. Rather easily. Doing the Lord's work isn't all about acclaim, position and happiness.

Luke 2:19, 33-35
Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

When Christianity began to spread through the Roman Empire in 16 years, even without media, some of the repetitious complaints were,  how could we worship "a god" who was crucified. A criminal. A loser. A god who would let a son die. The answer is difficult and is for all of us.

God knew what was in the heart of mankind. Each year we celebrate, in good years and miserable years. God chose our condition to learn what exactly life was like for the poor, for the popular, for those in desperate need.

Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah and/or
King James Bible
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Romans 3:22
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are

( * Romans 10:13
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

 * Joel 2:32
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."

* Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

* Do these contradict or contain added information. No. God is telling us, belief is required when we cry out to Him. Crying out to HIM, is belief when we work on our salvation asking for mercy and love from God who is steadfast in love. This means crying out with a help intention and not a casual assist. )

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

(With the explanation
Ephesians 6:18
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication)


In this Season,  I would be very remiss if I didn't  say, I am not suffering. I lost a daughter at birth 4 years ago, and this is the season I have listened to others tell me about the place they have made in their heart for children in Heaven.  Reject this; suffering is permanent - Suffering is Not Permanent.  Believing in the Lord eases our burdens, daily.  Eases our burdens as we care for others. Remember what Jesus did for His Mother. Provision is made for those Jesus loved and had changed lives. Jesus is not recorded ~ once in the Scriptures saying,  you will never recover.


John 19:26
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son."

Luke 8:52
Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

Jesus knew all about life. And the Scriptures say:

Matthew 11:19
The Son of Man came eating and drinking

Luke 7:34
The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks

The Lord loves to be asked in faith. The first sign of Jesus as God, was His Mother, insisting HE make wine for a wedding. For the Glory of God, Jesus made wine.

Father God, each Christmas Season we rejoice You have come into the world as Light. As a child, leading us to peace. Let us remember You see us as we are and You choose to dwell among us as life, as the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Help us each day to recognize YOU and be a blessing for YOU. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.




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Genesis 20 ~ And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.”

Keeping the dream alive. Painted by Lars  Justinen.   Abraham and Sarah.

Genesis 20

From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.


~ the integrity of your heart

Is where God is most concerned.  Scriptures always point out  Jesus is Lord. Even the stories of Abraham, tell us Jesus is Lord. Jesus said this is so. And Scripture tells us people have flaws. Romans also points out all are flawed. 

John 8:58
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

This story has a parallel. Mary was the mother of sons and daughters.

Mark 6:3
Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

Matthew 12:46
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.

Matthew 13:56
Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

Luke 4:22
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

Jesus at the well speaking to a woman who had integrity in her heart. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. Jesus, the Pharisees see, has more disciples than John. Jesus understands popularity and numbers are not key to God and HIS plans. Jesus walks away to spend time alone.

John 4:3-6, 19-26

3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.




19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you — I am he.”



And very important, almost overlooked portion of Scriptures:


John 1:47-49
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”





John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 1:4,5
In Him was life, and that life was the Light of all mankind. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.



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Psalm 126 ~ Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.


Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


Zechariah 13:9b
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”


Ephesians 4:2
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love


1 Timothy 6:10-12
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Luke 24:47-49a
That repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

Advent is a time of expectation and preparation. We leave the year with Jesus choosing to live our lives and share our human condition. The life we have had, we reflect upon at Christmas. Without gratitude life looks pointless. Giving thanks is one of the few gifts we can give the LORD, gifts HE did not bestow upon us.


Luke 2:14

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Father God, Holy is Your name. Your will be done on this earth, as in Heaven. Be our peace. Let the message of God's saving grace pour Your Love on this life. The word YOU sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, Lord of all. In Jesus Christ, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to YOU, our rock and redeemer. "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Amen.

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Psalm 115 ~ The house of Israel trusts in the LORD, who is their help and shield.

 Psalm 115

1
 Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your faithfulness and love.
 2 
Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
3
Our God is in heaven; whatever God wills is done.
4
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5
They have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see.
6
They have ears but do not hear, noses but do not smell.
7
They have hands but do not feel, feet but do not walk, and no sound rises from their throats.
8
Their makers shall be like them, all who trust in them.
9
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD, who is their help and shield.
10
The house of Aaron trusts in the LORD, who is their help and shield.
11
Those who fear the LORD trust in the LORD, who is their help and shield.
12
The LORD remembers us and will bless us, will bless the house of Israel, will bless the house of Aaron,
13
Will bless those who fear the LORD, small and great alike.
14
May the LORD increase your number, you and your descendants.
15
May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
16
4 The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth is given to us.
17
The dead do not praise the LORD, all those gone down into silence.
18
It is we who bless the LORD, both now and forever. Hallelujah!

Christmas card of the Three Magi seeking and finding Jesus. Christianity is referred to as a religion, but instead it's a relationship and claims Jesus sent to us to give us eternal life:

Luke 11:5
Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7 "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.



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Isaiah 45:23 ~ 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.

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 65:25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.

Romans 14:11
It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"

Isaiah 45:23
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.

Philippians 2:10-11
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.


2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.


Psalm 133:3
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.


2 Thessalonians 2:16
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.


Ephesians 6:23
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


Jude 1:24-25
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.



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Psalm 40 ~ Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust

Revelation 5:5
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”


Psalm 40

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.
“Aslan?” said Mr, Beaver. “Why don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood, …”

“Is--is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and son of the great Emperor-beyond-the Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion--the Lion, the great Lion”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and that’s no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just silly”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. 

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”  

“Will the others see you too?" asked Lucy.
"Certainly not at first," said Aslan. "Later on, it depends."
"But they won’t believe me!" said Lucy.
"It doesn’t matter.


Isaiah 5:26-30
He will raise a signal for nations far away,
and whistle for them from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
27 None is weary, none stumbles,
none slumbers or sleeps,
not a waistband is loose,
not a sandal strap broken;
28 their arrows are sharp,
all their bows bent,
their horses' hoofs seem like flint,
and their wheels like the whirlwind.
29 Their roaring is like a lion,
like young lions they roar;
they growl and seize their prey;
they carry it off, and none can rescue.
30 They will growl over it on that day,
like the growling of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
behold, darkness and distress;
and the light is darkened by its clouds.



Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Hosea 13:4-8
But I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
5 It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
6 but when they had grazed, they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
7 So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.

Revelation 10:3
And called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.




“Great is the Lord!”

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Jude 1 ~ a servant of Jesus Christ

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us




Jude 1

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.


3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.


17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment^{[chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin]} stained by the flesh.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.


The Epistle of Jude is not a favorite book of the Bible these days. We so often do not like to hear God has opinions in His Creation. Who is Jude, people debate, this Jude claims to be the brother of James the Just. The brother of Jesus Christ. He is being modest in this declaration. His letter, written with the Holy Spirit, declares Jesus was the Savior of the Children of Israel 1300 or 1400 years before his Brother was born of Mary.

certain people have crept in unnoticed

Who is Jude speaking of? Well, at that time, probably the Mysteries of Mithras. This was a very popular religion during the push of the Roman Empire. Roman god worship was important and this combined some of the glory, majesty, dominion, and authority of Christianity into pagan god worship. Prostitution was part of Roman god worship.  Unusual sexual practices. This could be just as the disciple Paul saw in the slave girl proclaiming Paul worshiped the most Holy God.  Majesty pedaled as people pleasing.

Jude says we take the grace and forgiveness of the sacrifice of God's Only Son and let that be cheap, easy grace.

Jesus says through His brother, we are not to speak to sinners in contempt but with mercy. He does not say speak down, He says speak with offering to GOD our prayers. How does a Christian contend with ideas contrary to the Word? Do not confuse polite behavior with weakness. See verses 8 through 10.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

with the opposite explained as
grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

Not allowing the joy Paul had in living, and told us of in Philippians 2. "Seeing how it will go with me."

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:14-16
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Holding fast to what?

holding fast to the word...

John 1:4
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith



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Psalm 106:47 ~ gather us

Psalm 106:47
Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations,that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Given the amount of people traveling in Thanksgiving to go to be with loved ones ~ this is a very present thanks.


Proverbs 15:30
The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.


Matthew 11:15
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.


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

Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."



Psalm 65:12
The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy


Psalm 68:3
But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!


Psalm 92:4
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

Shout to the Lord - Hillsong



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Isaiah 33 ~ Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out.

1970s Christmas Tree

Everlasting Light, by the Black Keys. They single handedly save the 1970s Rock Genre. And we know our Everlasting Light is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Isaiah 33

Ah, you destroyer,
who yourself have not been destroyed,
you traitor,
whom none has betrayed!
When you have ceased to destroy,
you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.

2 O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
6 and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.

7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste;
the traveler ceases.
Covenants are broken;
cities are despised;
there is no regard for man.
9 The land mourns and languishes;
Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
“now I will lift myself up;
now I will be exalted.
11 You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:
“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
16 he will dwell on the heights;
his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

17 Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
they will see a land that stretches afar.
18 Your heart will muse on the terror:
“Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?
Where is he who counted the towers?”
19 You will see no more the insolent people,
the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
nor majestic ship can pass.
22 For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
the Lord is our king; he will save us.

23 Your cords hang loose;
they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
or keep the sail spread out.
Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
even the lame will take the prey.
24 And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;
the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.


Christmas Gift!

Trim your sails.
Trimming the sails on your sailboat allows you to make the most of the prevailing wind. An expedient thing in life. My Uncle Tate used to yell "Tack!" and then ... you duck.

My father, in his shining years, used to quote with a gleam," All you need is a tall ship and a star to sail her by."

Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

and this:

Ephesians 4:14
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming


Your cords hang loose;
they cannot hold the mast firm in its place


Psalm 103
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.


Tonight at our Daughters of the Holy Cross, our Anglican Church organization of service and praise, we talked about our Christmas Treasures. Memories. Lynn told, with a bit of mist, of being in the kitchen with her mother for Christmas memories being made for a lifetime. Never believing as a child, times would change and her mother would be gone. My mother-in-law told me of years spent with her tiny grandmother, her Uncle Sug and walks at Christmas and summer days, as we drove past her grandmother's house. Judy sighed and said, all gone. We build memories for the next generation to hold on to; many decades to come. Places of refuge. Acts of mercy and justice to hold on to.

I inherited my Grandmother Anita's pink depression glass goblets, about 12. And used them several times with lemonade for the boys and several happy occasions. We lived in a small house at the time and I placed them in tissue paper and newspaper and stored them in a decorative basket in our utility closet. One day soon there was a crash and the glasses had been emptied into the trash, thought to be garbage. Tears arrived. My grandmother was gone and so were her pink glasses of 60 plus years.

That Christmas we went to visit my elderly cousin Maxine. She always had a roaring fire in her living room gathered from wood around her gardens. And I told my mother, my boys and Maxine how the glasses had been lost. Maxine said, "I have a Christmas gift for you, please wait and I will get that, it will take a few minutes, I'm not sure where I put your gift." We waited, Mother and I drank hot tea and the boys bottles of Maxine's Coca Cola she loved. When Maxine returned she brought in a cardboard box and she handed me an exact, identical glass as my Grandmother's pattern. I held the glass in my hand, and looked at Maxine. She said, "Your grandmother bought an extra set that year and gave them to my mother for her Christmas Gift. I am pleased to give you Anita's glasses. A return of a beautiful gift to her granddaughter." Never has a granddaughter, or a cousin, been more touched and pleased. 




1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.


Ephesians 3

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 1so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 


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1 Timothy 5 ~ Let the church not be burdened

The Church as a bridge .  This one is in Webster, North Carolina.  


1 Timothy 5

5 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” 19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.


The Church. 2,000 years of opinions. Jesus said the Church would exist in Caesarea before the disciples had decided who Jesus was exactly. Church opulence causes anger. Lack of proper giving causes some Churches to resemble warehouses far from the workmanship people have willingly done for Churches for centuries. Church opulence judged by a world for 1500 years. When Henry VIII took the monasteries and wealthy Churches, sometimes even for their bricks, England was changed. The leading cause of death became starvation. The truth is the monks slept in small, barren cells and did their life's work producing food for the vicinity, cleaning the Church immaculately and making the Church ornate conveying GOD as KING.



The Church and Purity - no one associated with a Church rejoices in terrible events. Everyone applauds Pope Benedict for his work saying Jesus has agony for the ones who suffer.

Warehouse Churches - Does a family ask each other for their talents? Treating the Church as four walls is self-indulgent. Yes, some people see plain Churches as Holy. Were the walls painted by Church family. Is the landscaping forgotten or loved.

I heard a sermon on the radio saying every statistic says the evangelical movement is huge and so many people are attending and believing - the sermon went on to say - the evangelical movement in America today is 40 miles wide and 1/8 of an inch deep. The Minister said will we really live our convictions if tested. Martyrdom might be easier than living as if our lives and choices mattered to Him. We all must love and live out our lives for the glory of HIM.

Do not rebuke the Church, she is elderly. This Bride of Christ.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep

Encourage

Honor

A reputation for good works

Hope on God

Learn to show godliness

Self-indulgent is dead even while she lives

Command these things

Continues in supplications and prayers

Brought up children

Provide for relatives

Cared for the afflicted

Manage the household

Let the Church not be burdened. We love others as ourselves fulfilling the command to love one another. 



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