2 Chronicles 13 ~ Abijah grew mighty.

2 Chronicles 13

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.* 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, 7 and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods. 

10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. 

We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. 

For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

* And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place. 2 Chronicles 12:16

David ruled the Kingdom of Israel. David's grandson Rehoboam was rejected by ten of the twelve Tribes of Israel during the disruption at Shechem, leaving only the Kingdom of Judah ruled by the Davidic line. Abijah, son of Rehoboam, grandson of Solomon, great-grandson of David lived c. 900 B.C. The Northern Kingdom (called Israel) fell to the Assyrian Empire c. 720 BC but the Kingdom of Judah survived until it was conquered in 586 BC by the Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar.(2 Kings 25:8-21). This event coincided with the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem and with the Babylonian Captivity.



Then Rehoboam has a son. Abijah. In three short years, Abijah, by believing and saying "God is with us as our leader" effectively reunites David's Kingdom.

Rehoboam was afraid and struck a false pose of sufficiency.

I adore Abijah's statement of faith. And remember Samuel's sons were passed over. And Eli's sons. Moses' sons were passed over. Joseph's sons were minor tribes. God will bless whom He will bless.

Abijah is more honest and says we must rely upon God. He goes much farther, like Hezekiah, holding off the Assyrian Empire.

And we must look at David's years, Abraham's years and Solomon's years to effectively determine each soul must decide for themselves their responsibility for their own words and actions. At a priority level to God first.

To read the Psalms is to see even a very blessed life has strife and sadness. God's work is carried on in the belief He must carry us. We look to Him for His mercy. The sufficiency of the day He gives us. Knowing each day has renewed mercies if we take the time to connect to God.

God calls us to see the imperfection in our Biblical leaders, in years of goodness and mistakes. To understand that our source is God. The one who is Good. Not for pride, but the instruction of necessity. Seeing people as high as the Kings of Israel - make mistakes. Seeing a Shepherd relying on God - will go far.



Father God be with us as our Leader we pray. David knew the concept of trusting You. I lift my eyes up to you, my help, Our help comes from the Lord. Praise God. You are the Maker of Heaven and earth. In the name of Jesus Amen! 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

1 Thessalonians 2 ~ Just

The Boxtops - The Letter

Our lives and our prayers are the Letters we write before we get to our Heavenly Home.
A Prodigal son writes our Father.


Luke, the Glorious Physician is to the Beloved of God: Our dear friend Luke, the doctor. For his loyalty to Paul doing the Work of God, Luke is recorded to have lived a long life and died in Greece.

Julius Africanus (c. 160-c. 240), writes Luke is unmarried, a native of Antioch, Antioch is mentioned in the Acts of The Disciples many, many times. . This states Luke was unmarried, that he wrote the Gospel, in Achaia, and that he died at the age of seventy-four in Bithynia, Luke is filled with the Holy Ghost.

Works of S. Julius Africanus: The "Chronicle" (Gk. Chronographiai) in five books, (covering the Creation to A.D. 221). This work combines the Bible and the secular (Roman and Greek) history. With special emphasis on chronology. Julius uses as sources: First the Bible, then Greek, Roman, and Jewish historians, especially Justus of Tiberias, who depends on Josephus. He is also influenced by the "Stromata" of Clement of Alexandria. As the first Christian attempt at a universal history, and as the source of all later Christian chronography, this work is of great importance.




Luke begins His 4th Chapter like this:

Luke 4

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit

Now we know what drew Luke to Love Jesus Christ!

Luke records the immeasurable Grace of Jesus.

Luke 7:47
"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”


Paul records why the world changed to bring Christianity as the World's Largest Number of Believers. For millenniums. Love.

John tells us of the Man he walked beside in awe and wonder:

This is the Letter Jesus Christ brings to you, His Beloved Child. God's tender care and His Love for you.

1 Thessalonians 2

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you.

Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God,
who calls you
into his kingdom and glory.

19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?

Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.




Father God,

Lord God Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and of earth,
in Whom all things are possible,
let us dwell in Goodness in Your Immeasurable Grace.


Jesus Christ, our Savior, God proclaims to our souls:
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.

Fill us with all good things to accomplish our souls as Your dwelling. Be the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. To Your Glory and teach us each day to draw Gratitude within this soul.

For Grace and Love, we lift up those we Love to You. For our Nation. The lives around the world calling upon Jesus. With faith, and good expectation of Your Great Love. We Proclaim the Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 81 ~ I delivered you

Psalm 81

Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a  rule^{[just decree]} of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a language I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.

7 In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

The Ascension.

This was ruined for me as a young believer. I saw too many ideas of what the Ascension looked like and felt uncomfortable. Orbit and necessity came to mind.

Then Off to College were I was recommended to take a class of Egyptian History and the Professor, who was said to be a Christian, said most of the Judeo-Christian History is just a jealous copy of the slaves for the Egyptian higher ups. Psalms were quoted. Lack of Exodus History was cited. Then the Ascension was debunked as being a Christ follows what the Pharaohs did for years.

You can't argue with a professor on the first day, but you can get up leave the class in the middle, drop the class and start to do your own learning and evaluation. This I did.

Turns out this battle has gone on for millenniums. It's easy to solve. Pharaohs = dead. Christ, Christian Church = Faith, Hope, Love = Alive.

We can cite The Ipuwer. We can cite Thutmose Tax Records. We can see Joseph EL on Pharaoh Monuments.

So Jesus rose. Why. I wondered for years and years. Dan Brown came a long and we found out why Jesus rose. Jesus did not get married. He did not sneak around with 11 Disciples and 72 Disciples  and His wife. No.  Instead, The Multitudes found Jesus in the wilderness and Jesus fed us and them abundantly.

The movie The Passion of the Christ.

Never has a more difficult movie been attempted or proclaimed and so difficult to see more than once. A dear friend said as he wept, "We could not, could not, see This. If we did not believe during Good Friday that Easter is Coming and Jesus Lives. Is Alive."

And Mel Gibson went on to flounder around and make a spectacle of a man who'd led a fairly amazingly, calm Hollywood life until after the film.

I can understand why. No one. No person. Nothing compares to Jesus.

No one is going to stand and be real and say "I'm just fine." Eventually dirt is going to come out and flaws, weaknesses and sins will arise. Because God says this is True of us all.

We could start naming every famous evangelical and their problems now. Or, let's for fun, dig up the Crusade - the brief period of History just exactly like Empire upheaval and overheaval and underheaval certainly happens regularly. Or we could say Peter and Paul did not always see eye to eye. Or Barnabas and Paul. Or that infidel John Mark, who went on to write books we call The Gospel According to Mark. We do see cohesion when Polycarp and Bishop Papias of Hierapolis both report the Beloved Disciple John actually really approved and liked and affirmed the four Gospels!





The point of the Ascension was pointed out to me. Finally. Last year. Dee and Sharon said, "Well the point of the Ascension is Jesus didn't run off to the Greek Dispersion. He said I will never leave nor forsake you. We know Jesus and where He is."

And we all know where Jesus went. He did not rise and leave everyone to flounder around.

Thanks so much to our Bishop and Canon Stephen Saul for bringing out John 14 today.


John 14

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”


The Story of Jesus' Promises to us make us more than Conquerors. Consider these pictures:





Luke 1:78
Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

Our desire to hold Jesus to us and the Joy of seeing Jesus restored.


Psalm 81 ~ I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.

The Ascension.

John 14
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

And being asked Jesus said:

John 14
I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.


Words to live by.

Rise. Let us go from ...here.

Father God,

Jesus waited for His Brothers. And in Seeing Jesus, they came to know His Love.

Help me. I want to be like that too.

In the Name of Jesus, please cover my thoughts, ways, words and walk to be pleasing to You. My Rock and My Redeemer.

My Jesus. My Savior. Nothing is above Jesus. The Highest of All. Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 70 ~ You are my help and my deliverer

Psalm 70

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2 Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”

4 May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!


Isaiah 14
For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord's land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.


When we look at the formation of the early Church, we see this began, where Jesus did not. In the 36 acres of the Temple, see The Book of Acts, Chapter 5

Acts 5:12-16

Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico ^[Porch] 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.


The Lord perfects the telling of His Story again and again. They were all healed.

Jesus departed to Heaven. He ascended into Heaven. Daniel told of Jesus' Ascension and His arrival to His Father.

Daniel 7
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus told us the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Jesus forgave His generation for His Cross and they lived until they were old. Jerusalem was destroyed at Jesus' natural death. The people Jesus healed stayed healed and even more were healed as the Holy Spirit began a new mission of the Lord God Almighty.

A man called John walked along side in Jesus in wonder, awe, fear and a place was struck inside John that would never allow John to separate from Jesus. John was so overcome with his eyes witnessing Jesus being proclaimed as Christ, Lord of All,  John never could find adequate words to describe what we blithely call the Transfiguration. When you have a quiet time, read the way this man called John wrote the first chapter of His Gospel. He is trying to find words to tell you of seeing Jesus as Divinity from this mountain he climbed with Jesus. John described Jesus and God very simply. God is Love.

The message of the Old Testament is the New Testament. The Story is Jesus Christ as Lord, with God's Word being fulfilled. God is great. 






Father God,

We give You Thanks for Your Beloved Son. You have given.

In our wildernesses of life, help us to find the straight path.
Help us to be like Joshua, level and centered.

Knowing We will see You.

We thank you for 1 Thessalonians 1 - Jesus frees us from the wrath to come.

No one can pay for salvation. We thank You for providing even Good works for us to walk in.

Opportunities to give. Opportunities to be grateful. Times of contentment, because we know to expect and trust in You. Our hearts and soul's hearth for You. Our Souls made for Your Fire and Your Holy Spirit.

We lift our cares to You. Thank You for Your answers.

In Jesus Christ. This is our Amen!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Matthew 13:47-58 ~ treasure what is new and what is old

Matthew 13:47-58

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.

48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”

52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”


53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

57 And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.





Joel 3:
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness



What shall shine?


Daniel 12
3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.



Romans 14
11 For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Isaiah 45
22 "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. 23"I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24 "They will say of Me, 'Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.' Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.

Philippians 2:10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Hebrews 6:13
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,



Father God,

Help us not to grow weary in doing good.

Now may You, Lord of peace, Himself give us peace at all times in every way.

The Lord be with us all.

Let love be genuine

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.

In the Name of Jesus we lift our cares to Him, He cares for us so.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Daniel 12:1-3 ~ those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

The Book of Life

Daniel 12:1-3 

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.



There are so many things to like about this brief few verses of Scripture.

We find we will have a wonderful hope in our future. And we find the wise shall shine Like the brightness of the sky above; Like the stars forever. And Yet not as a star. An important distinction. Mufasa speaks so soothingly, movingly and beautifully of the kings shining in the sky. Scripture could support that thought; today we know space is cold, quiet and empty. We do not secure an empty place, but a place of Love in His eternal Kingdom of beauty. And in reality, we know we do not see all the stars and to exist as a star is sight out of mind.


Daniel was taken in the second round up of Emperor Nebuchadnezzar II to Babylonian exile. And he did well.

How long did Daniel do the work of a slave, an exile and a court official?

Daniel 6:28
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.


2 Chronicles 36:23
"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the LORD their God be with them.'"

Daniel 1:21
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

This would seem to say that although we don't hear more of Daniel, he might have returned to Israel. He would have been old.





Daniel had to have had anger. He had a terrifying times seeing Jerusalem destroyed. Being thrown to the lions. Being dealt with as a slave.


Do you ask how to resist anger? As soon as you feel the slightest resentment, gather together your powers, not hastily or impetuously, but gently and seriously. For as in some law courts, the criers make more noise in their efforts to preserve quiet than those they seek to still, so, if we are impetuous in our attempts to restrain our anger, we cause greater discomposure in our hearts than before; and once thrown off its balance, the heart is no longer its own master. -- St. Francis de Sales



2 Corinthians 10
and take every thought captive to obey Christ

Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Being honest about anger.

James 1:19-20    Brother of Jesus
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

Proverbs 15:1  Solomon

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.




Deliverance and Salvation are works of the LORD GOD.

Even Archangels get irked. Thank God -  He is real and gives forth real Testimony.

David wrote Psalm 39
I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse. 3 My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue


Luke 1:18-20
Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."

The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words."

Father God gives us Free Will. Zechariah demonstrates the will of mankind and the ability, glory and power of God in 2 Corinthians 10. We need God. God does not need mankind to produce His Will.

What is sure is that even in all circumstances.
God is Working. Working towards His Good we lean towards.
Thank God the Word He shows us has so many details - we see God is for us. Telling us the truth.


1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,


Romans 10:12 
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


Romans 10:9
because, 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.

Luke 12:8 
I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.


God tells us many times Jesus lived joy here. He does not spell this out - He tells of of amazing wonder and we must think that through - although He does tell us a few times. And in real life - joy irritation and humor carry us forth in His Great Plan. God giving us patience to "Rise Above."

~ And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Father God to You, 
Help us to be in the Number when the Saints com marching in. 

When we have strong emotion and are not able. we can reach out to hold on to the Hem of Jesus.

Help those we love to be in that number . We ask to bring forth more light, in Jesus Christ the Lord - bless all of us unto the Nation and to all of mankind believing in Jesus.  Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †