Psalm 90 ~ Establish

Psalm 90

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.


You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.

8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!


14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!



Harry Truman, the true man who established Israel, spoke wisely. He said, "The Buck Stops Here." Establishing an important Biblical Truth. God is in Charge.


Isaiah, who met God, said no one is like God and we are not righteous.And we take a lot of time deciding what is righteousness instead of letting God be in charge. Jesus told us Life has troubles. Jesus also said He would overcome our troubles.

We are not called just to be partakers of His Comfort. We are called to be providers of a soul where we place Fun, Hope, Goodness, Joy, Love, Peace and Patience would Want to Dwell. And when we do not grow weary of pulling up our strength today - to do good attitudes, words, actions - then we will not grow weary of doing good. We repent when we are all that and must realize He is God. His Righteousness is what we want to dwell in.

Ecclesiastes tells us about seasons. And see seasons of the earth are equivalent to life's pattern,  then see earth rests as a parallel to mankinds' lifespan. Truman Capote captured, wisely, an essence of one generation speaks to the next -  in  "Christmas Memory" - being a small boy relying upon an aging great aunt provided him strength in all seasons always. It is up to us to provide a harbor within ourselves for the Holy Spirit !


The truth of God is this - Father God is vast in goodness.

Yet if we only take His comfort and do not Give His Comfort, even God Almighty grows weary of doing good. Revelation mourns the loss of people gone forever from their own choices, but God says if we only rest in faith - even the demons believe and do not act in goodness and Joy.

Sand is pummeled and the most unlikely event is in this fire - Stained Glass is born. We have a choice to be His, on His Path believing God is good. Or just relying upon self.

Stained Glass - A process
~ Diligent work of framing our place in life to prepare Holiness to dwell. 
~ Seeing goodness
~ Cutting out words that gossip, hurt and do not encourage.
~ Create a haven for the Holy Spirit to bless us. Using our bodies to be obedient to His Word. In a time we are told this is pointless. Stained glass happens with diligent goals and planning.

HopePointe's Canon, Father Steven Saul provides hours of being the caring presence of Jesus Christ. He said one of the most fortifying ideas he has ever encountered is this thought. We must live as if we will not see our loved ones for much longer. And then suddenly the thought of the on-going difficulties is not a trial. God gives us today and we will trust Him that tomorrow His steadfast mercies will again renew tomorrow.

We do not serve a sleeping baal, we serve a God so loving - Father God sees us as ourselves and gives us to know He would draw us to Him. Jesus Christ is a shepherd to our rambling and wondering. Our shield and our hope. Jesus the Lord.


Father God,

We do not pray as an exercise, we pray knowing we have the attention and pray with Father God.

We are saved by grace through faith. And this is not our own doing; it is Your gift of God.

Help us Father God to build our lives to be a framework for You to dwell here in the Joy Jesus tells us is His. Establish us to live lives of Hope, Faith, Love. Cast out fear and bring in Love. Let Your Light shine and we will dwell with Jesus Christ.

We lift up with expectation, Joy, Love, Faith, Goodness, Purity and Your Righteousness - this prayer for You to bless our Loved Ones with All of You, Father God. And the people You have given us. For our Churches, work places, state and Nation. We ask Your Goodness and Mercy and look for Your Love.  Thank You Jesus, You pray today with us. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Colossians 1:24-2:7 ~ finding the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowlege teaches us about Jesus Christ and heart

Colossians 1:24-2:7

24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Colossians 2
1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 

2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 

5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 

Matthew 17:20
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.




Mustard seed and growing Mustard trees in Napa Valley
 

I'm not sure I want to suffer. This passage is difficult.

Paul tells us he exactly knew and was told his fate to run this race for Jesus. And this was difficult. He was not told this would be a quiet life. And Paul has a very good Idea about the fruit of His Work for Jesus Christ. Think about the vast number of places named Paul for this Paul, man of God. Especially where we know from Scripture where Paul spoke for Jesus. Many, many places are named St. Paul for his work.

And with that in mind, we can see that if Paul could see what his struggle, his race, his prayers, his belief would accomplish - then indeed, he would rejoice saying these present sufferings are not worth mentioning compared to the Glory of Jesus Christ.

For us, most suffering would be just plain and simple overcoming. The joy of sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away, and realizing all the overcoming has left an ability to sort the joy from the imperfect and find His Joy. 

I've lived past family suicide, family divorce, loss of two generations - expected, yet painful. And the birth and death my daughter Isabelle and various friendship, relationship suffering. And I find that in my 5th decade of life, one could see a slope of despair coming with more illness and old age and suffering - instead - I believe I will trust Jesus Christ to make my burdens livable and my blessings multiply. Seeing living parables, human examples today, of overcoming aging with joy in each day and Jesus.

We can pray like Paul.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Christians in Christ believe He hears prayers and all of life is not suffering. Believing Jesus changes circumstance and cares with us.

The Salt and the Light of becoming who He wants you to be. Realizing we all are different and giving HIM the place to work in all we love.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that
the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.


The Life of Jesus gives us all the Promises of God.
Is this pie in the sky by and by?
For some people, yes. Even Hebrews 11 lists miracle and astonishing God over and over. We would miss out on the adventure and quest for life if we say this eternal life begins over there. When we look each day for His Treasure and Blessings - we will find them.

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,

1 John 4:9
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

We discover again each day was we want to please God, that we do please God by wanting to. Father God builds the universe, we please Him with faith. 

Our universe building skills are remarkably wobbly even to the top - the presidential debates dwindle into arguing one law over thousands of others. And if we should have stayed home and employed 'do not render evil for evil' and build up our schools, roads, highways and lowered university costs. And then we talk about if we would as a nation shoot down Russian Airplanes.  Not even the Leaders of the Free World wanna bes are consistent with their could do's from month to month and hindsight. So I'd say with complete freedom - we please God with faith and not getting weary of good deeds.

Instead of wobbling over yesterday, we daily, again, discover the path. God says, Jesus says, Paul says - we all struggle.  And we celebrate the times when life is providing peace and joy. Not failing to give thanks. 

Father God, no doubt, has given us Jesus to be righteous and worthy, to have His face shine upon us. 

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters.


With His Grace, we can say to Father God with complete confidence in Jesus Christ

Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

You saved Your son and Your children from bondage of slavery, harm and the harm of giving our lives to weak servitude of serving foreign gods in Egypt. By the use of Your miracles.

So many times You have astonished many people with planting redemption, renewal and victory. You clear the ground for these things when we do not even know this.

Even mountains are created by You, and You prayed on top of mountains, seeing further than us in these difficulties and we long to rest in Your abilities, Love, comfort and branches. Your vision not only sees the great horizon ahead, but why all of this happens and You work this to good. You Move those Mountains and we will all witness Your Glory.

Let Your hand rest on the mankind at your right hand, with Jesus, the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.

We will not turn away from You; Your Will is good even in difficulties, revive us, and we will call on your name. Jesus, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 4:46-54 ~ The man believed the Word that Jesus spoke to him

John 4:46-54

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you [plural] see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.


51 As he was going down, his servants [bondservants] met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Belief - when we see the signs God is at work. What would be better than to hear Jesus say that your child would live?

God might say believing Him.

The man who always believed Father God. David records asking the Lord what he should do. What is striking about David is, he does what the LORD says he should do. Because, more importantly, David believed God and acted in faith. 

Galatians 3:6
just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”

God has always believed His Timing is exact. We probably should too.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

As the book of Proverbs was written before we could see from the sky to the earth. And Solomon and David probably did not see confluence of water and yet wrote of this.

25 years after the oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska thousands of gallons of oil and sea life were still damaged. In the Gulf of Mexico, the spill seemed that the ocean had cleaned itself? We thank You, Father God.


Matthew 9:28
When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”


Mark 5:30
And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”


Mark 9:23
All things are possible to him who believes
 

 

Father God,
You are in Heaven. Jesus has given You just cause for a new Heaven. And because Jesus Lives, we have a vastly different earth, renewed 2,000 years ago. Father, You alone are Holy.

Thy Kingdom come. Let us remember again in the Holy Spirit, we have access in the Name of Jesus to the Throne of Father God Almighty over All. Let us be grateful again God is Good, His Will is good.

Our daily bread. Let us be proper Stewarts today. Realizing You are our Living Bread.

Forgive me my sins. Help me to forgive others their sins.

Lead me away from temptation.

Deliver me from evil.

For the Kingdom is Yours, The ability and Power are Yours, The Glory is Yours. 


In the Name of Jesus. I give You Thanks You cover those I pray for with Your Name, for Your Great Mercy. I thank You, You surround me knowing all my circumstances and hold them in Your hand. Thank You Father for today's good news and Your timing and comfort. Amen and Amen always in Jesus the Lord.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Mark 3:1-19 ~ He had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him

Mark 3:1-19

1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.


13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.

16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.





Here we have Mark 3 - Jesus has just begun His ministry - and Acts of God are being seen. Israel has been recorded for looking for just these healings and these miracles.

It was a completing and a re-awakening of a message - God's love was proving again - God does not dwell in human buildings - but in the up-building of us in Relationship to God. We belong to Father God in Jesus the Lord.


1 Kings 8:27-30

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

In the beginning of Jesus' ministry - it is like Genesis. God is about His creation.

Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day

Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

At the end of Jesus' earthly life ministry - it is like Revelation.


John 21
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”

God is about the up-building of you, Father God's Child. God is about nurturing us. Christmas is about Father God and His willingness to become part of us. Thank You, Jesus.


Father God, we delight in the solutions You put in us. Finding the Path You would have us walk in. Help us to do Your Good Plan for our lives with mercy and with joy and the verve of salt. In finding the persistence You have given us to see the Blessings of each day. In rock climbing, not really my thing, the smallest place to rest and gain strength is a place You have given to go further. I thank You, I am not called to rock climb but

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

In the name of Jesus, we lift up our prayer requests for the ones we love. The People God has given us and the Churches, work places, our states and Nation. The people far away, the most pressing prayer request and rest in Jesus the Lord. Let His Good Will be done. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Mark 1 ~ the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

And..........

Mark 1

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 

 
7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”


12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon 
casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

House of Andrew and Simon overlooking the fishing business and next door to the Synagogue

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

 
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.


35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 

41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight

Begins the Gospel of Mark. Very similar to Genesis One. Mark sees the arrival of Jesus as sweeping the planet in the same way Adam was new creation.

Think of how quiet the planet was during the time of Eve's Mitochondrial DNA. The noises were animals and the breeze in the trees.

And Mark sees the Salvation Jesus - is gathering from the entire countryside - as earth changing as Adam. Not a quiet Salvation.



When Jesus calls us to be HIS, HE is starting with a fresh canvas like the first yard in the photo. Jesus does not say, well, maybe not, your parent used drugs or was a mason.

Jesus does not say, well no, you didn't do that right - so out with you.

Just as Father GOD did not say to Adam, take the Garden of Eden and make this nice.

Father God said subdue the earth. Jesus said something similar. Jesus said He came for us to have Life Abundant. For most people this Christmas is like the other seasons. And we say, Life is pretty much the same. When would life be so large as subdue the earth and have Life this Abundant?

When we lift up our eyes to see the daily blessings. When we take our social media and we take a minute to pray for the concerns of other people. We have wrapped the globe in our prayers. And Father God loves to see us give His Word back to Him in awe of His Glory. Remember Father God told us Faith is usually unseen. 

Lately scientists have found Lightning is connected from sun flares to the magnetosphere surrounding the planet with energy that is all connected world wide, what if we think of our prayers like this and for the people we only read about in the news.

Then we have Life Abundant for lifting our cares over and other's Up.



Father God, we pray today for someone we know who has a great prayer concern. We wrap Your arms around them.  We place them in peace upon You.  We lift up someone we know far, far away and we pray the Loving arms of Your mercy covers them during this season of days You call Holy.

Father, Abba, we give Great Thanks knowing You are the Father of the Prodigal Son and You run to Your Beloved.

We ask You Good and Gracious Will be done on earth and in the 12 Open Gates of Heaven where clear water leads to Your Throne. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Fill earth and Heaven with Your Glory. In the name, the Highest Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †