2 Chronicles 34:1-7 ~ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign

Naphtali, in their ruins all around - still there today.

2 Chronicles 34:1-7


Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, 7 he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Mark 10:15
Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.


Ephesians 3:11-12
This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

So many Kings in the Davidic Line before Jesus Christ

Consider the Kings before this 8 year old boy. David. Solomon. Jehoshaphat. Uzziah. Hezekiah. These were grown men. The others wobbled a bit more.

How would an 8 year old boy fulfill the Throne of David when grown men could not carry the responsibility. God knows something about people in real need calling upon Him in earnest. Josaih has seen a coup in the nation of Judah, his father was murdered. Josiah is calling upon HIM with all of his might.


Psalm 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Josiah is living David's Psalm, with the Holy Spirit, Psalm 26

1 Vindicate me, Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
and have not faltered.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

Josiah has been so diligent to please the LORD something quite unusual is going to happen to him. He will discover the Word of the Lord. Christians sometimes call this portion of Genesis the Big Bang Theory. Genesis states this more clearly and says His Word was "Let there be Light." John 1 says the Light came into the world.

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

14 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.

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.



During Josiah's 26th year the Word of the Lord is found:

2 Chronicles 34:18-21,22, 27-33

18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.

19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect.

27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king.

29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 

31 And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

32 Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 

33 And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.





<><

Romans 9 ~ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

Romans 9

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,^{[and sister]} my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons ^[children]  of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”


30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Truth, Sorrow, Anguish, Adoption, Glory, Injustice, Mercy, Compassion.

We can condense a lot of our opportunities, successes and failures into angles and labels called winner, loser. To be called people of God. To be counted among God's beloved. To be, behold, A Child of the LIVING GOD. Our Victory does not rest on changing angles of life. But the eternal, where true meaning is developed. In Him, we are always assured of the Victory.



What does that look like to be a Child of God?

Meet Noah. Famed for living in the ways of God. In the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He cursed his own grandson - Canaan, recovering from a hangover. What happened to Canaan. Abram settled in the land of Canaan.

Meet Deborah. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She had a can do attitude. And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Meet Barak. Barak the son of Abinoam, sought to have a woman beside him in battle. The Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. Behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

Meet Judah, who sold out his own brother. Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?" Had to apologize to the Vizor of Pharaoh. And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk."

Saint David, a man who believed God, never regained his first wife and put her away. Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually. David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.

Meet Isaac and Jacob.  Patriarchs. Not your best example of father/son.  A godly man who wanted to refuse his son, Jacob, a blessing. They lived to be old men, these patriarchs who dwelled in tents in their promised land.  Living hard lives, they believed to their death beds they were blessed indeed.



What did these people have being Children of the Living God?

They cried out to HIM, I have faith, help me to have more.

Mark 9:24, 27
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

In the face of a tumultuous crowd, failing disciples, coming down from the Mountaintop Transfiguration:

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 


Luke 17:6
And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.


<><

Isaiah 49:1-12 ~ Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people

Isaiah 49:1-12

Listen to me, O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says,
he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
The Restoration of Israel

8 Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They In a time of favor I have answered you;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,^{[from the sea]}
and these from the land of Syene.”

Abba,
Your Word is beautiful. Your Grace knows no bounds, Your Love is Limitless.

Your wind and Your Spirit reach out to us in our Soul. Your wind bends
to us and reaches us.

In Your time of favor, our hearts are open and our eyes see - You answer us.
In that day, Salvation touches us.

You keep us and establish us. And Your victory over death is a Covenant to us.

Jesus, Lord God, You are our Living Bread and in You, we neither hunger nor thirst.

You, Lord God, pity the very dust of Zion.

Springs of Living Water guide and lead us.

In that day, nations shall come to You and we will know the Your Mountains as
as Road and Your Ways as a High Way.

We give You Thanks and Glory. In the Highest Name above all, Jesus Christ the LORD. We pray. Amen




Psalm 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.


John 14:17
The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.



<><

Genesis 48 ~ he bowed himself with his face to the earth

Genesis 48

After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty ^{[El Shaddai]} appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude ^{[let them be like fish for multitude]} in the midst of the earth.”

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”

Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Genesis 41:46,38-40
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”


Attitudes of Gratitude. For the Vizier to Pharaoh. After the hardship of his life, Joseph and his father are able to say, "I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”

In perceiving the blessing they are able to bless:

So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”

Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Judges 13:19-20 Announcing the birth of Samson
So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

Joseph, triumphant did this before God:
Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.


1 Samuel 1:27-28
I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”


Luke 1:38
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Isaiah might have been in complete communion with God, seeing His Heaven. Mary, it is likely, knew the trouble ahead and was obedient. Paul looked at Jesus and said,"Depart from me, Oh Lord. I am a sinful man."

Romans 9:21
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?


Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
 
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding








<><

Isaiah 48:12-21 ~ Your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand

Isaiah 48:12-21

“Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand forth together.

14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen!
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
16 Draw near to me, hear this:
from the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
from the time it came to be I have been there.”
And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.

17 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
19 your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.”

20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;
say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split the rock and the water gushed out.

John 7:37
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."


The Lord did indeed make water flow from the rock many times. We are so very, very blessed to live in the grace of Jesus Christ the Lord. We dwell, unlike Moses, who spoke words in haste, in the grace of the Lamb.

After prayer and fasting for 21 days, many Churches of The Woodlands Christian Community gathered together to, for the first time, break bread together as Christians.

We stood together and confirmed to support one another and affirm one another. To act as One in the Body of Jesus Christ as Lord because this would please HIM.

Communion was offered in a variety of ways around the room. And Clark expressed the ease of receiving Communion or not. After hearing how the Body of Christ meets together to love on each other and strengthen each other, I'd say communion was taken by just about everyone. Because we are in communion together. It was a very blessed time.

I hope you have participated with us in your community or in your heart. I know I gave up sweets, went to two birthday parties and had birthday cake. No, not TMI, but an invitation to continue in a fast, gently, I will continue the Spirit of my fast for a while. Praying for our community and for our nation.




Let us profit as a Nation and a Community, let HIM leads us in the way we should go.

Let us paid attention to His commandments!

Let our peace be like a river,

Our righteousness like the waves of the sea;

Our offspring like the sand,

Our descendants like living bread;

Their name never be cut off or separated from HIM.

We ask in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.



<><

Titus 1:1-5 ~ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Titus 1:1-5


1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^{[before times eternal]} 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—


Before the ages, before times eternal, God HIMSELF was putting His plan in motion.

Jeremiah 1:4-5
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”


Psalm 139:16
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Titus was not called back to be with Paul, at his time of death.

Which is an important concept to us. God is God of Today. The events we live with each day are God's purpose for our lives.

Matthew 22:29 paraphrased
know the Scriptures and the power of God.

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

I have a dear friend who had a very sad situation with a grown child who could not be healthy. We all prayed for her. Her grown child got healthy, got married and began to live on her own. Other one had her favorite child, who lived across the continent, began to seek work and the move which would never take place, placed her grandchildren, previously seen once a year, into her daily life.

If we don't remember what to be grateful for, we exist badly. We become complacent instead of rejoicing in the Great Mercies He has bestowed in Steadfast Love.

Each day, if we remember to ask, He gives us something to do to bring His will done in this life. Sometimes, we are called to love ourselves. And other times to love others.

Francis of Assisi's Rule of 1221, Chapter XII on how the Franciscans should practice their preaching: "No brother should preach contrary to the form and regulations of the holy Church nor unless he has been permitted by his minister . . . All the Friars . . . should preach by their deeds."

In other words: "Preach the gospel; use words if necessary"

Paul's Letter to Timothy, a man he considered his son in the faith was also along these lines:

1 Timothy 3
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer[must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

We must never forget He is Love.

Isaiah 49:16
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.


2 John 1
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.


3 John 1
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers[siblings] came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.


The Purpose of Life is Grow Up and Go Home, To HIM.



<><

2 Timothy 4 ~ Do your best

2 Timothy 4


I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound ^[healthy] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.^[siblings]

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Paul is dying.

He has been told his time is up.

And being a public Christian he is going to make sure he puts a television smile on his face. As he stands up, he is going to gush - you like me, you really like me. And his adoring followers are going to sort through his papers and make sure he shines. If there is a hiccup, well, reach for the white out, the delete backspace.

The origins of "half full, half empty glass." Paul is looking around him in complete honesty.

Proverbs 16:13
Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.


in season and out of season - I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living

(This is the List

The men have left -
Demas (is mentioned as faithfully helping in Philippians 2), Crescens (pressures of the world crowded out this seed), Alexander the coppersmith (none of the 3 Alexanders Paul encountered helped him), Erastus (the city treasurer of Corinth was busy.)

Trophimus (was ill, Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple and created trouble for Paul).

Titus (Titus, my true child in a common faith) is mentioned 12 times in Scripture and has been called elsewhere.

Tychicus is mentioned twice as a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.( Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. )

Staying are-

Luke & Mark (We have heard of them!)

Prisca and Aquila have 6 mentions. ( Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them.)

Onesiphorus (May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.)

Eubulus is illusive with Pudens and Linus and Claudia.)

May it not be counted against them. I was rescued from the lion's mouth.


Philippians 3
9 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.


8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul went out in honesty and in forgiveness.

Acts 7:60
And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

2 Corinthians 5:19
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.




<><

Titus 2 ~ showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Titus 2


But as for you, teach what accords with sound ^{[and healthy, verses 2, 8 ]} doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.



The purpose of life ~ that elusive thing. Is rather an easy -  Mission Statement. The Purpose of LIFE is to grow up and go HOME to HIM.


We are always given an image of submission in halos and long robes. Jesus said to be salt and to be light. What is nicey nice about salt. And Light clarifies many situations.

Jesus Meek and Mild we sing. Jesus said He had a fire to cast. The Holy Spirit. We are supposed to grab and hold on to this:

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family ^{[patria is derived from the Greek for father, pater.]} in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.


This is all well and good and ^- if you are familiar with the Bible, we know this passage. This is a Very Important Concept. God loves us when we are small children and willful. God loves us if we were Buenos Dos Zapatoes (two goody shoes) in college. Stuck up in our youth. Bewildered. Worldly wise. Nerdy. Forgotten. Sought After. Middle aged. Weary. Upwardly driven. When God reaches out and tells us... you are the prodigal I RUN to; He means He fully and completely and totally and Creator of the Universe gets you. He LOVES you.

And no point, at no comma, at no flinch, does HE SAY - when - you clean up, HE is going to use your life as part of HIS plan. He is saying that to the depths of you, HE knows - you - HIS beloved.

Jeremiah 1:5a
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart

Psalm 33:15
He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

Deuteronomy 33:12
Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.

Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your sou


That rope, up there, the meaning - is:

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 11:29
for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.



 


<><