Palm 71 ~ O God, be not far from me

Psalm 71

1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame!

2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me, and save me!

3 Be to me a rock of refuge,

to which I may continually come;

you have given the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

you are he who took me from my mother's womb.

My praise is continually of you.

7 I have been as a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

forsake me not when my strength is spent.

10 For my enemies speak concerning me;

those who watch for my life consult together

11 and say, “God has forsaken him;

pursue and seize him,

for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, be not far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me!

13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

with scorn and disgrace may they be covered

who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually

and will praise you yet more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

of your deeds of salvation all the day,

for their number is past my knowledge.

16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;

I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18 So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

19 Your righteousness, O God,

reaches the high heavens.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?

20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.

21 You will increase my greatness

and comfort me again.

22 I will also praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy,

when I sing praises to you;

my soul also, which you have redeemed.

24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

for they have been put to shame and disappointed

who sought to do me hurt.

We have a choice every day, to be grateful or to feel God has forsaken us. Forget the question of the full or empty cup.God's Storehouse is never empty, however this is life. We use our hands, we walk, we see, we hear. Each day gives us the opportunity to be blessed and a blessing or we can be disappointed.  

We should do as Mary and choose the better portion. Not to Judge, use harsh words over and over. Solomon told us, the day of calamity and the day of blessing are from the same Loving Hand. Psalm 23 says Goodness and Mercy follow us.

We can expect trouble and renewal, comfort, redemption. And in being blessed, we are a blessing to others. Make music in our hearts even when we are silent. 
We will be brought up again. 



Here is an example of Trouble, with God sweeping in for redemption. Wading through circumstance to find the cream.

2 Kings 11:2-21

 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. ³ And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

4 But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king's son. 5 And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king's house 6 ( another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.[c] 7 And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, 8 shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

9 The captains did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the Lord. 11 And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king. 12 Then he brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 14 And when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses' entrance to the king's house, and there she was put to death.

17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord's people, and also between the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord. 19 And he took the captains, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the gate of the guards to the king's house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king's house.

21  Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.

2 Kings 12

  In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.


Jehoash saw many difficulties in his life, yet God raised him up.  And GOD did not forget His promises to David's line. The Children of God. 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †


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1 John 2 ~ when He appears

Kissing the Face of God, painted by Morgan Weistling

1 John 2  ~ (Today's New International Version)

1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Those who say, "I know him," but do not do what he commands are liars, and the truth is not in them. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

9 Those who claim to be in the light but hate a fellow believer are still in the darkness. 10 Those who love their fellow believers live in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But those who hate a fellow believer are in the darkness and walk around in the darkness; they do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

12 I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
because you have overcome the evil one.

14 I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Messiah. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

Luke 2
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”

A Jewish family celebrating Seder, time of Jesus Christ,
Jesus had 4 brothers. James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. This can be found in Matthew 13:55. Looking also in Matthew 13:56, we know that Jesus also has sisters

When Jesus was manifest in the flesh, what did his family do to abide in Him? Here is the Son of God, in His youth found favor both with God and man.

Remember Jesus declared only God is good, so... no family issues there... except... the rest of the family is only human.

John 7:1-5, Jesus' brothers want Him to see some trouble
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

 

Matthew 12:46-50, after Jesus declared the ruling people of the temple to be vile and evil, His brothers want the trouble to die down
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Mark 6:3, Jesus biblically records how his brothers think of Him
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
 
This is Jesus loving His brother in clear light. He understands the situation, not whitewashing it. So 1 Corinthians 13 tells us love conquers all, why did Jesus give Mary as a son to his disciple John? Wasn't Jesus being less than loving to assume His brothers would do a poor job with Mary? Jesus knew who would be busy with what.





Acts and the later books in the Scriptures tell us about Jesus' brothers after the Resurrection. James,  author of the book of James, Josephus describes him as the brother of Jesus called the Christ. Judas, brother of Christ, is the author Jude.

1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul tells us of Jesus' brothers
Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas [Peter]?

Hebrews 2:10-12, Jesus speaks of us as His brothers, but also His own brothers
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,
"I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

 

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Matthew 6:24 ~ Love

Two young men have a conversation.


The Fish arrive plentifully. The net is tearing.
Peter Said OH My gawwwwd. Look away from me you amazing Man God. I'm just a SINNER and that was like Scary and Overwhelming and um WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, that's a lot of fish and You did that I always wanted to do that and THAT'S SCARY did you know I WANTED TO DO THAT oh man people would FREAK oh i dont know ok maybe for a little while IM ON RECORD SAYING IM A SINNER dont zap me ok

So Peter was actually in business. Successfully, one might add.

According to Dr. Seuss, there are times when the wind doesn't sale. Yes. Sale. And one will ponder and think.

It's important for the sale not come loose from the moorings and whip you around. Because. Sometimes it's a sale and sometimes it's a sail. Proper things. Proper perspectives.

A little bit like Mary Poppins, and I loved that book series. One must seek a firm discipline, with a loving heart, for one's self. Oh the places we allow ourselves to go. When tut, tut, it looks like rain.

Ok. Back to adult things and being grounded.

Peter said something we can all relate to when we encounter God and How Vast He IS. As if Jesus had embraced Peter as a Father when the fish were pulled in and the net tore.


God is so vast - He gets us.

Psalm 39:13
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.

Oh Jobbbbb

Job 7:19
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?

Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken


So much for the hug.
God doesn't require our Starship to get there.
He just wants your extra time and your kiss.

Hearts matter with God. And you look around and a lot of congregations are in their 60's.
The problem with the youth today, was written by... Plato.

The Gates of Heaven are - open. They never close.

That's My GOD - Do You Know Him?




So Peter was working. And some days, life has you ponder.

What in the world was Jesus Saying...

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."


You know when you are working and you have two sons and you need your business to produce the funds and summer is grinding to a halt. That Matthew 6:24 can seem pretty sweaty around the collar. And don't monasteries have good air conditioning with ivory towers?

Jesus spoke of one Tower. Yes. Yes, He did.


Luke 13:3-5
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

And that Tower fell from wind.

God has a very quotable quote about wind.

John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.


We recently looked up biblical quotes about wind. Wind is calm, storm, destructive and usually soothing.

The Spirit of the quote about God and Mammon is the priority. What would we do to have the mammon. God doesn't call us all to be priests but HE does call us to be living stones building up this Body. My twenty something sons don't relish Church. A sad thing to their mom. But Jesus said that God is the vineyard owner who doesn't mind that the Path is taken late in the day.

Jesus waited upon His brothers! And Prayer requests are good ideas.Sometimes the simple ones are great.

Oh Lord God. Jesus the Lord. Please. Amen!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

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Revelation 2 ~ Balaam

Revelation 2

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faitheven in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29

 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation is serious. And everyone knew what Isaiah said and interpreted that correctly. Except the mistaken ones include - all the readers of Isaiah - including the magi. Knock,Knock Herod, we want to see the Prince.

And some people say Revelation is a drug or hallucination experience. Except Isaiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. They echo going to see this God experience.

And if you start at Revelation Chapter 1, you see - John passed out.

I think you almost have to have what John had to approach Revelation.

Let's start with the obvious. There are Churches when Jesus is going to return! That Is Good News and half of the population is going right away. Jesus said so.

Daniel sees quite a lot and Daniel tells us Angels are present in regions. John tells us they are present in Churches.


Revelation 5:11
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands

Who said that we would have a guardian angel? Jesus.

Matthew 18:10
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven"

The Bible really has to be examined to find information on angels.Angels are not everywhere in the Word of God.

Colossians 2:18
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind

John absolutely does not qualify in Colossians 2:18, he is living in a cave. But when we get to the point where we are discussing angels - we have to understand. We are above our station in life.

2 Chronicles 20:15
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's."

Balaam is a key word in this Chapter. Balaam was a prophet who really wanted to be in power and in knowledge. Remember with me, Balaam wanted so badly to change God's mind and curse the Children of the Exile and yet Balaam knew he could not speak Words God would not honor and God would honor the Children of Israel. He went back to the money and told King Balak; informing the king on how to get the Israelites to "curse themselves" by enticing them. Numbers 31.This isn't unusual really! Abraham was going to "fix" up God's Word. And when Abraham broke this, Abraham wanted God to fix this. God generally is upfront and works on His own time.

The message is - let God solve God's Will and Word. When we work for God, we have to TRUST Him. We've seen in our time, people decided in the 60's God's Church was for Social Reform. Works instead of Love. We always are seeking a balance to please Him.

Messing around with something far greater than we are tells us, John knew what he was doing when he passed out.

John was about to point fingers.  Pointing a biblical finger is intense, as well as death.

Revelation can be read in several ways. One, Jesus has to be the center. Or the Light that guides us.

More likely than not - Revelation is telling you, the reader, what your personal downfalls can be as you get to the point where we are weary, older or ill. Revelation is relevant to your life as guidance for yourself. 

For your own life - Confessing the sins of others is pointless.

Sometimes not even realizing where you are. It's helpful the Light of God shines in believers; We can read the Passage and pray to Him for help in areas of weakness.


Revelation can be a road map. A personal road map. If something rings a bell, time to look at what we have made into our Church, our idol.

What is interesting God always uses parables of our lives to understand the flavor of His message.

John is actually saying, because this was explained to him as his life stories, the beginning downfalls of Churches John witnessed, and read letters about, will repeat.

Epistles of the New Testament admonish their readers to "guard what has been entrusted to you" (1 Timothy 6:20) and to "contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

The problems of the early Church bring down the Church again. This time the doctrine is so weak, the liturgy so repetitive, no one has the energy or the Relationship with Jesus to try again. Actually, when you look at Church history for 2 millenniums, you see this is a pendulum that grows tired. And renews again.

Nicolaitans - followers of Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the Apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. Some of the Churches were like Balaam, they were purely involved for the power and money of influence. Other Churches fell into existing to spite the Jews, offer offense, practice immorality. Motives beyond the worship of Jesus Christ.

When you read the New Testament, you see the Churches are struggling.

Churches exist to worship God. His Love overflows and spills beyond the doors.

During the Jew-led Bar Kochba revolt in 135 A.D. leaders began to persecute Jewish Christians. Soon after the revolt ALL racial Jews (whether they practiced Judaism or whether they were Jewish converts to Christianity) were forbidden, by the Romans, to live in Jerusalem. This left the Church in the city governed by Gentiles. Around this same time Jewish Christians began to be branded as heretics. Without the presence of Jews who had converted to Christianity and who knew the Old Testament, the Jerusalem church began to weaken doctrinally. Divisions of Faith. Labeling. God used this time to move His Church away from Jerusalem. The pendulum was moving.

Now that is Jesus. Teaching John by his own experiences. When Samson's parents were completely confused, they cried out to the Angel Messenger to return. And God Wonderfully did. John was to explain the end of the growing Church. The downfall of the world.



And truly. Revelation will occur. Probably, like Isaiah, we will not see Revelation unfold - until it does. However this is a useful tool for those who have the ears and are willing to hear. Jesus likes to say - he who has ears - be willing to hear.

Luke 18:1-8
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”



Father God, help us each day, to be centered on You.  Bless and strengthen the Angels of Christ Honoring Churches who believe Your Word. And Bless the Angels of these Regions. And Nations. Offer us, please,  a life of challenges, rewards and opportunities for you. In Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

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Mark 6:47-56 ~ people recognized Jesus

Mark 6:47-56

Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Jesus had an interesting robe. We always picture Him in flowing white sheets. But No.

His robe was useful. Fluid. A knitted single piece, starting at the top and continuing until the robe was finished. Someone was thinking a lot of Jesus to make this garment. The knitter was making the statement that Jesus started from the Top and worked down.

Jesus worked like this -

Isaiah 42

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.


His disciples were afraid. In a turbulent time - fear was present about Death - ghosts and being abandoned by Jesus suddenly. Jesus did not sit down and lecture the disciples about fear in the lack of salvation.

Fear is not a method Jesus uses for His works. Usually people are afraid just from encountering God and finding Him so wide and long and high. God is Vast.

Jesus healed and touched. Jesus understood people want to be shown, starting in their thinking, comforting them from their "top" to the hem of His garment.

1 John 4:17
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

John spoke of the Man he knew and walked with, as Love.

John 13:35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.


Father God, help us to do as Jesus would do. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

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