Isaiah 61 ~ Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

Oak of Mamre old view, near Hebron, Palestine. Created by De Bar, published 1882

Historic Photo of the tree in Hebron, Oak of Mamre. Circa 1865.  For many, many years the Oak acorns were prorogationed from the old Oak.


Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners^[blind]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

A long time ago, we had a home in our neighborhood, a colonial with blue shutters and shake wooden roof. Above the house was an amazing giant of an American Elm. The great tree was almost a Sequoia with a base of at least a six foot diameter. It made the house have a hidden and majestic quality. The neighbors agreed it was a delight to see when you turned into the main street. One day there was a ferocious roar and a team worked for two days to cut down the tree. The new owner of the house proclaimed the healthy tree to be too big and dangerous. One of the cutters told him the tree was older than the Declaration of Independence, it was a shame the tree had not been in the Dallas Arboretum.

The owner was amazed the neighbors were not pleased. He said he had to protect the shake roof. Unfortunately for him, a huge wind came up and destroyed the roof later in the year and the insurance would not pay to replace the shake roof. He was rather horrified and said he'd bought the house for the unusual roof. If the tree had been there to shelter the roof.....



 to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

Now this is a true analogy. Stories in the Scriptures repeat and repeat. Abraham traveled a long way to dwell in the land promised to him.  After a long journey, these Oaks were an oasis, and called the Oaks of Mamre

Genesis 13:18
So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD.


Genesis 18:1
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.

Genesis 12:3
"I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

How long did Abraham and his children look forward to the Oaks of Mamre being home? And what happened to this blessing?

Genesis 35:27
Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.

Isaiah knew of Abraham's Mamre Oaks. The Oaks of Righteousness. Because for millenniums Oaks were reseeded to keep Abraham's Oak Grove going. Hebron, the city of Sarah and Abraham is also known for their venerated graves.  The Tomb of the Patriarchs, in Hebron.

God rejoices in HIS creation. The Cedars built the Temple.

Psalm 29:5
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

Psalm 80:10
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.



Psalm 104:16
The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

Queen Victoria planted this area of the forest and built the wall.

Isaiah also gives us a theme for the city in which he dwells, Jerusalem.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

David worked for 22 year without any apparent vision of success other than an anointing of God. Upon Saul's death, a concubine's son was crowned. And still David believed. Upon being crowned later, David, of the Tribe of Judah, decided to move the capital from Shiloh to Jerusalem. All the way back to Joshua, who succeeded Moses, the Tribe of Judah had been unable to claim the area around Jerusalem. This is why Jerusalem is called the City of David.

 The Temple of the LORD was entirely covered with gold.



Isaiah knew of these blessings through Hezekiah, who inherited the promises of David (if you look at the genealogy of Jesus, you will see Jesus claims both Hezekiah and Abraham). Hezekiah had a very practical father, King Ahaz. Ahaz was busy in his reign directing nature worship on the hills. All very poetic to be sure. Howeever Ahaz was hoping for the Temple, with the great trees, and then gold over the entire Temple, to be forgotten and broken into bits to keep the Assyrian army at bay. Hezekiah started with this practicality, and later listened to Isaiah to have the greatest reign in Israel after Solomon. His people were the only, in all of the Old or New Testament, who flocked to give to the LORD until they were asked to quit giving.


I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

Father God, we ask to participate in the blessing you gave Abraham. We ask to be blessed and to be a blessing in return. When life gives us cursing, give us the power to discern if we are to rebuke that evil will flee or to wait patiently upon You. Give us the ability to be peacemakers and the ability to turn and depart. Let us remember to see with Your eyes mercy and Love. We thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ, healing the broken hearted, a crown of beauty, joy and the ability to have a heart for praise. Help us to grow into Oaks of Righteousness, bringing further Good News of the Love You give us. We would like to be the people You have blessed. In the Highest Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.





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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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