Mark 12:28-34 ~ The Kingdom of God.

Mark 12:28-34

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Jesus knew and spoke of the Hand of God ~  Blessing and woe. We see evidence written down before the Temple was destroyed by Titus. Scripture went forth while this looked all was standard day to day.

Matthew 24:2

And Jesus spoke of His Church long before His Church was born.

Matthew 16:18  

January 31st 

We all love a  very fine sermon today on overcoming, surviving, doing the earnest integrity of self responsibility in our actions to Father God. And in His Time, finding our lives hold meaningful Love, Joy, Peace to God and to us.

We have been looking at The Book of Ruth.

Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Solomon shows in his life he has truly listened to David. David records his family history. Solomon tells us Blessing and Woe are from the same Hand of God. Nothing is too hard for God. We steadfastly trust God sees us through hard times and will be with us in good times.

Naomi tells us she is bitter. Call her Mara, bitterness.

The Scriptures tell us of a word very similar to Mara, bitterness.

Genesis 22:14
 Abraham called the name of that place Mar-Yah Will Provide. As it is said to this day, "On Mar-Yah's mountain, it will be provided."

The Temple of Jerusalem sits on Mount Moriah
מריא מריא/MarYah is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew יהוה/YHWH . MarYah is literally “Master YHWH”



What do the examples of Ruth and Naomi tell us of overcoming?

~ Believing God is Sovereign. Nothing is too hard for Father God.
To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength
Naomi believed this. Ruth saw her example. And determined this was her life as well.

~ To see His Word as a Lamp for our feet.
Loving ourselves. Naomi took a wise look at her life and decided leaving a famine struck land was best. There was no nourishment for her here. Not really a safe thing to do, leave starving and walk to Israel. This, Naomi decided, was her next step. Regardless of her embarrassment to return with a bitter life to her hometown.

~ Love your neighbor as yourself.
Naomi told Ruth, go where safety is, go to your people. Ruth knew her people did not worship a Living God. She would see Naomi safely to her people who knew Father God.

~ Naomi and Ruth continued to love Father God by telling their circumstances in a forthright, straight path manner. They trusted God would not ask them to make their difficulties better to bluff about the seriousness.

God was seeing them out of their troubles, by their facing the truth of their circumstances. There was no spin on their situation. Some people would walk away. Naomi and Ruth surely knew this to be a certainty. Jesus promised us we would see trouble in the world.


We overcome the world by believing God that faith leads us to His Promises unseen. When we know The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, we are living His Promises for Eternity - Today. We walk, as Naomi and Ruth did - in faith with Jesus. Being humble.


If Jacob had quit believing God would care for him in Genesis 42 and 43, like so many people quit believing God in difficult times, he would not have completed all of his God given quest for Life. Jacob would not have Spiritually Grown from living in truth - finding Joseph - living forgiveness of his sons. Deciding upon Blessings and remaining in the idea of Blessings. Surely God forgave Moses for not completing the task. Instead, this time, Jacob relied upon God to be merciful and found many portions of life are fulfilled when we lean on God in our belief. Jacob's sons wrestled with life to come to the decision to go forth. They weighed what life and their guilt and sins cost them. And continued in His path.

Romans 8
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.


The quest, lives ~ Ruth, Naomi, Jacob and his sons were called to do this:

37 in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Father God,
 Give me the heart and the wisdom to walk the Plan and Path You have for me in Jesus Christ.  With Your Love I will make my soul a gracious place for You to dwell. Help me to help the people I love to do the same. Let me continue to expect Your Goodness for the People You have given me.

We lift up all the prayer concerns given to us to You, Father God.

We lift up our lives, our Churches, Neighborhoods, Communities, Work Places, City, States, Nation, and The People of the World calling upon You. We look to You in optimism. Let the Glory of God, fill our hearts and lives. We thank You for Your Grace in Salvation and Your Goodness and Mercy. Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 91 ~ He will deliver you

Psalm 91

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

 

3
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

 


7
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

 

9
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge
10
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

 

11
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.



14
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.


15
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.


16
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Lamps from the time of Jesus Christ.

Get your lamp burning now
Goodness and Godly behavior is not wasted.

Habakkuk 2:1
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me.



1 Timothy 6:6-7
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

John 14:13
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.



Father God,
Help us each day to choose the good. Help us to use the gifts and talents You have given us to run our race to win. Jesus please help our hearts and souls to have you as the foundation.

We lift up the one's we Love. Their needs and concerns to only draw them closer to the Love, Joy, Comfort of You, Abba.

We pray for the Nation, Churches and Families to feel Your Goodness Alive and at work in and around them. Amen Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Mark 9:1-28, 36,49-50 ~ Jesus only +

Mark 9:1-28, 36,49-50


1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one [no cloth refiner] on earth could bleach them. 

4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.


 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; [my beloved] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

 


9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.

 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 

12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

 



14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 

16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 

17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 

19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 

20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

 And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 


23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 



24 Immediately the father of the child cried out [with tears] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 

25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 

26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 

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





 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” [with fasting]


36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”


49 For everyone will be salted with fire.  50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”



Salt and Light. Sounds like a good potato chip. Kind of friendly.

When we think of someone being salty, we think of someone being larger than life. Loud, exuberant. Auntie Mame, Popeye.

Then again when we think of Biblical salt, there is Lot's wife looking back and becoming a pillar of salt.... not a desirable state.

Salt and pop culture go hand and hand. Salt looses it's flavor when exposed to the air. It becomes stale, tasteless and isn't even good fertilizer or pesticide. What we become when we soak in pop culture without a discerning heart.

Salt wasn't unavailable at any time in Israel. Without salt, one could die in the desert of Judea without some travel planning and having some salt. Without salt, food is flavorless. 

No one would want to eat salt by itself. No one enjoys having religious talk, religious ideas crammed down their throat.


Let's look at Jesus asking the father of the boy ill with a demon, “How long has this been happening to him?” Recently, in another reading for Scripture for Today Blogspot, we talked about Jesus not being recorded as being a huge conversationalist. Yet Jesus is Love. Jesus is not looking for data. Jesus is not looking for a long debate with the father. 

Jesus is making contact with this man. Jesus is not browbeating him, He is opening up the conversation. Jesus is hip deep in an emotional experience Himself, returning to the grind of all too human disciples. Jesus is taking time with someone looking to Him. Jesus is opening up the man's choices in his thoughts of God. Jesus is being Himself, there aren't any basketball moves where the hips have to be watched to understand where He is going. 


Jesus is getting to the point. Jesus teaches us to live at peace with one another in this whole passage.

Read the passage once more, 
Jesus is teaching us salt and light - to live at peace with one another. 
Jesus did not live in a peaceful world and His words were not always soothing. 
Jesus shows us how life suddenly changes and deal with the emotional shifts with helping others while staying calm.
Jesus is always in a teaching mode. The teachable moments arrive for Him. 
Just  like Psalm 23, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Jesus forgave everyone from the cross; goodness and mercy was not always given to Jesus, but goodness and mercy were the grace upon grace He gave us.




 This profoundly makes a difference in my life.
Profoundly.

Habakkuk 2:1
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me.

My husband has 3 damaged by injury and allergy to anesthetic brain lobes. This is a terminal diagnosis. We pray with seeing great effect that his soul will feed his mind. We pray he will depart to Father God on the day God has chosen in health and in peace. And sometimes the illness rears up and lack of logic happens and is painful and frightening. Not making sense. Hurtful words or hopelessness. Filters gone.

And life continues to roll past. The mighty forces of life.

I think of Jesus dealing with His own death, with Spiritual Forces that are Huge and Comforting, with the fear accompanying something large and different from every day. And being asked to let go of being Jesus and do His Father's work and to forget the Blessings of the Glory of Seeing Abba and Elijah and Moses and deal with fear, uncertainty, life, the father who is in agony for his child and the child's needs.

Jesus gathered the Holy Spirit and gave comfort. This is who I want to be near and be like.
He is Jesus. The Lord God Almighty. My Jesus. My Father God. My Holy Spirit.







Forgiveness with teachable moments are the way forward.

Blessed be the children of God, Jesus.  You want to save the world.

Help us to be Your creation of salt and light. Protect us from the root of bitterness within us when goodness and mercy do not come our way in life.

Help Edward's soul to feed his mind. To bring health until the day written in Your Book of Life. Help his family to help Edward each day.  Thank you for those who help. Jesus Christ Bless them.

Help our words be seasoned with the salt of Your Healing and Your wisdom. We always ask for Your help. In the name of Jesus. The highest name of Jesus, Abba. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Genesis 42 ~ Put him in My Hands, and I will bring him back to you

Genesis 42

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”


35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”



Jacob was having a day.

Proverbs 24:10
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

The Vizier of Egypt had his son, starvation had landed in Israel, and they were now in the possession of stolen wealth.

Trouble.
Without faith, this looks like a good time to keel over.

I read a sad article today called "Maybe I’m Actually Not a Christian After All." Stunned me so I read other articles to bring this dear lamb back. Brought tears to my eyes. And I realized this is a Christian, he is just tired of seeing the news splashes of all the hoopla and the drama in life.

We have to realize something about Gandhi. He said I like your Christ, I just don't think your Christians look look like Christ. I loved all that I have heard people discuss about Gandhi. However I'd point out it takes two two to make peace. Christians made peace - this was a joint venture.

I was overwhelmed to learn if we look through all of Paul's Biblical Works, we astonishing love.
Telling us of Jesus' love.

no one else like him
show genuine concern for your welfare
interests of Jesus Christ
Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger
For he longs for all of you and is distressed because
God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow
more eager to send him
may be glad and I may have less anxiety
welcome him in the Lord with great joy
honor people
Jesus risked His Life

This isn't about liking how people treat us. This is about being like Psalm 23 - goodness and mercy are the wake we leave. Who did this? David to human frailties.


Galatians 6
9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

If we go by the events of life, the popularity with the Pharaoh of Egypt - we will always be pushed. Jesus told us we will have waves in life. The New Testament attests to the problems of life in dramatic ways.


For yesterday, today and tomorrow - these Words of God Stand.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.


For Jacob and his family, the corner of darkness was about to lift for the rest of their lives. The circumstances looked very dire. Jacob's faith changed their lives.

Habakkuk 2:14
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.



Our Father, Who art in Heaven
Holy is Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth, just as in Heaven.
Give us this day,
Thy daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, the Glory.
Forever and ever. Amen


Father in Jesus,
We lift up families to find love, joy, peace, and comfort in You. For our loved ones to know the comfort of Your Love. We pray for the people You have given us. For our Nation, States, Cities, Communities to be Lifted in You to that the World will see give us the day.

For us to see Thy Kingdom, Your Power and Your Glory to be faith, hope and Love. Strengthening us all. In Jesus we pray. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †