John 2 ~ You have kept the good wine until now +++

 

Jesus is doing what we want our Savior to be doing! He is visiting His Family. Jesus is going to a Celebration of  Life, Love, Marrriage.

John 2

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus is traveling the 16.5 miles between Cana, near Nazareth and he is planning on bringing His Mother and brothers back to Capernaum for a vacation. The journey is part of the celebration and vacation.

 

2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”


David had so very many flaws. And still David is chosen, Jesus is chosen to be a Son of David. David had virtues, he had a deep and abiding faith in Father God. David was obedient to God and God saw this as part of David's faith. Jesus demonstrated all His Life, His obedience to His Father. Baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.

Luke 2
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Mary had worked to be a seamless family, acknowledged twice in the Gospels working to be part of Nazareth. Mary in wisdom knew Jesus was obedient to Father God and prayers were miraculous.

First Century Wine Jar from Jerusalem

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 

 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 

11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.




Jesus spoke of wine 20 times in the Gospels. And Vineyards 20 times. Jesus chose His first step of His journey to be a Celebration of Life. He was not going to let His Mother down or the bride and groom. Jesus was displaying not only a fruitful, joyous life, but Love, Peace, Comfort, Encouragement, Diligence and Joy, real Joy. Life is crammed into ever aspect.

John, the disciple who lived until the 2nd Century, is telling first and foremost what John was eye witness to in the Ministry of Jesus, Son of God.


Philippians 4:5
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

John 16
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 17
and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Psalm 104:15
wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.

The Gifts Jesus bring us are:
~ Gentleness and Moderation
~ Joy, a Merry Heart
~Approval from God
~A Conversation in Relationship with asking and receiving and being filled with Joy.
~Knowing Jesus has Joy in His Creation.
~Jesus in our hearts gladdens us, makes us shine, causes His Face to Shine upon us, Lifting His Face in Smile, and
~ Jesus - sustains our Hearts with His Word alone.

 

 



 





12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

 
 
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 


The Temple was 36 acres.
From entrance to the very back, the Roman Stola, the building Herod built, to accommodate the money changers and the tradesmen. John is clearly telling us Jesus is not a meek and mild pleaser of mankind. Jesus is King. Jesus has Authority. He drove these people out of 36 acres. Usually a residential block is 3 acres. A man with a whip, with Temple Guards, a force to be reckoned with, is not going to do this. There is a Force of God at Work.

John is telling us this about Jesus in the first Chapters of John's Gospel.


14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen.

And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”

17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The Disciples say zeal. Fervor. This Temple belongs to Jesus King of Kings. Was always built for Jesus.

This is the first Generation to Know the Name of Jesus.

Isaiah 30 

Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
 
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones.



We learn about this Act and Wonder of Jesus as God.
The Name of God wondered even in Numbers 6, the Blessing of Aaron is know Known.

Jesus is burning with anger, and perhaps the Cloud that filled the Temple was at work with Jesus.
Something this Generation understands from the Photos of the Hubble Telescope.

Jesus spoke Fury. This Tongue caused the heart to reveal the Devouring Fire of God.
Jesus Spoke from His Breath an overflowing stream.
His Words have impact to the wrong doers like hair upon their neck reveals Truth.
Jesus is capable to sift all the Nations of Israel to Rome about destruction, they knew.

Jesus is singing. Probably that the Lord God of Israel is One. Jesus has joy seeing the wrong doers flee.
He is as strong as Mount Sinai, yielding the Law of God. Jesus is as Strong as Mount Moriah the Rock of Israel, Holding up the Foundations of the Temple.

God has made the Voice of Jesus the Lord so strong He is Loud as the Trumpets the Children of Israel say are deafening. The Loudest Sound they had ever heard in their world.  The Blow of His arm is Strong and Yet the WORD OF GOD  Reigns. 

Amen.

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.



Matthew 7
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.





22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

2 million people flooded into Time Square when World War II was won.

Josephus recorded the food Passover required and the sacrifices - the total of People pouring in for Passover equals between 2.5 million and 3 million people. These people knew Jesus. Knew Jesus someday recorded in the Sanhedrin Counsel records still available and housed in Scotland. This Judea was controlled by Romans, a suburb of Syria. These are not uneducated people. And Jesus is shown to be King of the Jews. The History of the Works of God is available.

My generation was told the Census of Augustus was a myth. Pontius Pilate was a myth. This Generation has unfolded astonishing, profound, moving proof that millenniums later, God Almighty is still showing us in His Deeds God's Word is fully accurate.  This generation is the recipient of these archaeological proofs:

Pontius Pilate evidence is found twice in Israel and in the records of Rome.
The Census of Augustus is discovered.

The entire Hittite Empire was said to be a myth. The Hittite Library was found intact and completely parallel the Scriptures God tells us He is Truth.

A pottery shard in the hometown of Goliath tells of the battle between David and Goliath. Perfect time dating.

The Palace of King David is found by a second generation Professor of Archaeology in Israel, from reading the description from Scripture. In the jail of David, according to Jeremiah being there with Baruch helping him, the seal of Baruch is found from being lost in 597 B.C.

The Babylonian Chronicles were ordered by Nebuchadnezzar II, the Exiles wrote of their days. The History of the Bible entirely parallels that of God's Word to us. Many, many people gave their lives that we might have the Bible in our hand today. They believed in faith God called and charged them to Journey with Father God.

The History Channel did an hour long television program on the Exodus and the evidence of the Plagues found. The Ipuwer Document, found at the base of a huge pyramid, even tells of the slaves being asked to leave loaded with Egyptian gold and crossing over the Red Sea by unexplained Weather that kills the pharaoh and his army. Thutmose III records in his tax records Joseph, Yahweh's servant and the creation of Goshen. Joseph is carved in the base of his huge statue. God could have flown the Children of Israel to Israel by His Word alone. Today and always - God is interested in what we do with - the journey. Just exactly as Jesus traveling by foot 16 miles to a wedding and another 16 miles with his family and Mother to vacation by the Sea of Galilee in beautiful, adult hometown of Jesus, Capernaum.

You have kept the good wine until now
All of these finds happened in our life time. Telling us God is revealing Himself to us.







Father God,

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in You, Father God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.

By faith, we see the world called into existence by Your Word.

Belief continues to catch our notice.


Noah became intimate with You, God. By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result caused his family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world.


By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to Your God call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.

By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.


People of Faith, saw way off in the distance, People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true Home. We see why You, God, are so proud of them, and has a Kingdom waiting for them.

By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.

By an act of faith, Jacob blessed all of his sons on his deathbed and blessed each of Joseph’s sons in turn, blessing them with God’s blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.

By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.


By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.

By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.

By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.

There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.


Father God, bless those we Love with the diligence of Your Steadfast Love this Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness will fill lives and souls. Bless the people You have given us. We ask for this Love to Reawaken the Joy of this Nation in You and this Light and Glory increase as Elisha to all the People of the World calling in Faith upon Jesus the Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 1 ~ that Jesus might be revealed

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 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.


3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good


6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.


Witness. John, the Disciple who stayed, is recording not opinion, instead eye witness.

1 John 1:1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.




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. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.



John never felt he had been released from telling about Seeing Jesus become Light on top of the mountain. Seeing Moses, Elijah and Hearing Father God. John's life changed, he knew he was not pursuing a place in a Heavenly Kingdom, but walking with God. John would not leave Jesus. John fully understood exactly who Jesus was. Love.

One aspect of God. This is the Light people report seeing upon returning from death. The reality is Light itself is from God.


Mark 9
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 on earth could bleach them.4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.


Jesus was becoming Light and wanted to be recognized only His Chifton was made to become Light, to look upon Love..



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.


Paul knew exactly the same witness of Jesus from the Road to Emmaus

1 Timothy 3

He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.

These men of God, knew this by faith, seeing forward.




The Holy Spirit was revealing hearts. John the Baptist was held high in his worship.

Jesus understood saying
Luke 19:40
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."


15 (John bore witness about him, 
and cried out, 
“This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 

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

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.




9 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 

23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Jesus was not going to turn people away.

Luke 9:50
"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

Matthew 12:20
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.



29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 

32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.


Come and see -
The Bible is presenting us with so many archaeological finds, my generation began in ignorance. We were taught the Census of Augustus and Pontius Pilate were a myth. The Hittite Empire was a myth, until their entire library was uncovered to completely parallel the Bible as actual history. We have even found in this generation, David and Goliath on pottery of the correct age in Goliath's home town. The Palace of King David located from reading the Scripture. The seal of Baruch, the servant of Jeremiah found in the Bible in King David's prison exactly as Jeremiah wrote of Baruch helping Jeremiah in that exact place in 757 B.C. The Babylonian Chronicles exactly agree. The History Channel tells us of the Plagues of the Exodus are found. And the Ipuwer Papyrus tells us this is also true. The Tax rolls of Thutmose III tell of Joseph and Goshen.











40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).


The Rock that kept Peter's bones intact is 80 feet below the altar of the Vatican.

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”

 Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”






This is the exact living Word explanation, Father God knows our hearts.




Father God,

Always help our soul to be a warm hearth for Your Holy Spirit to dwell.

We will place steadfast love and justice in our souls
- being a joyous place of music.

Relying upon Jesus to be our righteousness and His gift to make
us blameless in the sight of God.

Jesus will be our integrity of heart within our souls.
We will cling to the Mercy and Grace of Jesus, Son of God.

We will speak truthfully and with mercy.
Placing a haughty look and arrogant heart far from our earnest
reverence of You, Father God.

Father God promises He will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that we may dwell with Him.

We will put deceit and lies far from us in Jesus Christ.

And our eyes will behold Jesus in His Heavenly City.

We will be diligent in our prayers to Bless the People we Love
and the People You have given us. Amen in the Highest Name of Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children.

Jeremiah 23:7-8

7“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where hea had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”


What are we to say that is hopeful?

Jeremiah points out earnestly wanting to know Scriptures - as we are - is a sign of hope. 

When we admit we are not perfect people and need Jesus to be our righteousness. There is hope. When we see people have changed denominations looking for the Scripture to be preached as an Authoritative Word of God - this is wonderful and this is - This Generation.

Think about this as an idea - if we put all of this to a popular vote. 92% of Congress professes Jesus is Lord. What Changes we could bring to please God. Pray! Why doesn't more effective change happen. Good question. If you could secretly poll the brain of all the congress people - they would all like more positive changes to bring the lasting hope of God to the People of the United States.  They just don't want to be the squeaky geek to lead the charge. Looks ineffective. It's risky to stand up like that in front of your colleagues. Pray for us all to have personal courage. Because really there are good people willing. If they had the Shepherd to pull them together.

Lord Jesus is willing - help us to be willing. In His precious name. Amen.

Our country, has more adoptions per 100 births than any other country on earth. People want to love children. God tells us in the Gospel - this is a good and godly aspect.

When we say that marriage does matter. Loyalty and vows. Covenant is rare, but marriage is covenant. You are rarely asked in Church to stand up and vow your life before God. We put the interests of our Word and Promise to God as something needed. That is important! This is very basic structure to our framework of our existence as a People. People who need God.

We need to make sure we are the generation that doesn't shrug away what the Word of God says. Even as we understand that the Law of Jesus is Spirit to worship in our heart knowing what He says is Love. The Spirit of God is for Peace. The Spirit of God makes a Path to bring forward the way He gave each of us with His Plan and Gifts.

God likes Billy Graham. He has seen the last Chapter and knew it was going to turn out ok. 

Let's turn out ok, ourselves, and bring this chapter to a Higher Path for Him. Love is going to be a peacemaker and a blessing for those who call upon Jesus, believe in their hearts and profess with their mouths. Jesus will be our righteousness. Jesus help us take our lives and others to a Higher Path.

Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul

Amos 5:15
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

1 Peter 3:21
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

We went to a funeral today of an amazing man who lived to be 89 years old. The Sermon was excellent. The Minister was a High School friend of my husband's. A Very Good Sermon. Yet the Sermon was truly this :

This man lived doing amazing deeds because he recognized with awe and wonder the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Isaiah 32
But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.


This man lived knowing Father God profoundly changed his life. In miraculous ways. He lived saying Noble men make noble plans. Noble actions are called for in noble plans. Noble plans make noble men.

His sons stood up to give witness to their father's faith, which he called upon to instill in his sons. They spoke and my brother in law spoke of a life lived nobly. The Scriptural point they saw in their father was incorporated into the next Hymn. The entire funeral pointed out that by Scripture we move forward in God.

Faith creates Hope, creates Love, makes a Life pleasing to God.

I do not think I have ever seen witness to more faith. His wife of 62 years showed in her loss, in her hope of the Great Reunion, in her steadfast convictions - Jesus is our destination.


Father God, We give You great and profound thanks to have lived today seeing this family demonstrate the families of faith in our Nation. And ask Your blessing upon them and ask You, Father God, bless the families of this Nation to continue to be blessed by You and rise up to have another Great Awakening of the Holy Spirit for Your Glory. In Jesus the Lord. Amen.

 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 127 ~ Builds the House

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.


It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.


Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.


Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children[ of one's youth.


Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.


His Mercies Renew Each Day. Whew, Tomorrow has arrived again.

My Daddy had a sign in his office that said, "If you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember your objective was to drain the swamp."


Objectives are important. 
When you get to the place where I have been, where everyone annoys you because they can't reach their higher level, then what you have forgotten is this: God is the Journey and God Did move the Children of Israel across the Red Sea and the Ipuwer Document found by the Pyramids, in the Netherlands Museum, is exactly as God says He is.
And God let's people have a journey and does not fly them to the destination. (Om, that is called Passing on.)



Destination. Journey. Love the people who want to be part of your life. Real relationships. Avoid the people who want merely your money. Avoid the people who parent or friend you merely to correct you. Build the unique journey and the unique Person using the talents and gifts God had given you. And this is exactly the point of the next paragraph of my goals - where you have goals too...


My life is unique. I tell stories of real things that happen to me and it's hard to believe, yet true. I write this blog, we have 7 unique million readers. And, not unusually, people do not want to talk much about this.

Now the person I have learned a lot from is Rev. Bill Hybels. He has taken the time to examine life the way this generation is and find real meaning and not just remain in coasting phase.

Coasting. Something to think about later in the Post.

This generation has something new going on. My grandmother's life moved from no telephone, covered wagon visits to her grandmother on what we would call trails and she lived to see super highways. Super highway? She stood in front of a color television to see a man walk on the moon.

Goals. We are all on the same journey. We will pass on - Home. Scriptures say We Will See Jesus. I loved Robert Schuller, but only later in his life - he stood up and said, "I am a seeker Minister. Sure what I am teaching is Kindergarten Christianity but once you believe Jesus is Lord, you are saved." I love that. You see mankind is saved if we profess Jesus is Lord. Even if sometimes we fail. Because GOD is Love. And God created the universe.

Jesus goes where man does not.And because so much of mankind is actually not poisoning the Halloween candy and does get on the six o'clock news to say, after dire occurrence, "I Prayed and JESUS Helped me."



Now the truth is. A lot of people stop at, "Jesus is Lord."
And that is ok.


If.
You have 1 talent.

Now if you have more to give, then maybe you need more tools for a better journey.

 




Let me tell you about a few people I admire and love.

One is Cindy. She brought her husband to Jesus. Loved him and fought with him and got into marriage chemical soup and in the struggle to live - he found Jesus Christ and found he has more than one talent and wants the tools for the journey and wants to give, lift up his head and see where the winds of Jesus Christ are going to take him. So much so they fell for their grandchildren, did incredible number of babysit/love hours and raised young men for Jesus. Which turned their live together parents into Jesus lovers. This is What St. Augustine said, the leader of the early incredibly growing Church said real Christians who Love Jesus is about.

Now St. Augustine was like the brothers of Jesus, he had to have time and space to sin to fall to wonder to grow to wonder to love to see Jesus is Lord.

Now take Jan. She is an unique talented person. Bringing in her friend and her bf to Church. This is growth.




 


St. Augustine and Bill Hybels have seen and looked at this generation, which now thinks Robert Schuller "I'm pretty blessed to believe Jesus" lookingggggg-good is very passe.







What do St. Augustine and Rev Bill Hybels see changes the world?

We cannot hope to be Billy Graham, St. Peter or St. Paul. Why? The truth is the Holy Spirit completely is.
Is. All this salvation is not a credit to St. Peter, St. Paul or Billy Graham.


We are all going to Jesus and all salvation is only a credit to ... Father God.







I have been blessed to have a teenager weep buckets for an hour to see his soul open to Jesus Christ. When you truly know Jesus, your world is opened and changed.

I have been blessed to explain why a bartender, a person without parents found Church to be annoying and Scripture annoying. I could do this because Father God equipped me with a life of family alcoholics to see, alcoholics matter vastly to Jesus Christ. I could see exactly where this bartender was coming from with Jesus Christ love. And I was blessed again to see Birth. Birth of a soul seeing Jesus completely.

I was blessed to see a four year old do this too.

Now the triumph here is not me, but really is Jesus placing his dearly loved people to make the walls of earth to Heaven fall to nothing. Make the adventure, (when you don't get grumpy and rude like me) really pretty amazing.








Bill Hybels is having an amazing life. He is this large, large Church Pastor and got it allllll going on. But only when he is in the box. The pulpit. In real life, he goes to parties and soft ball games and gets on airplanes and people Do Not Want a Lecture About Jesus. And they do not come to his Church to hear him. Church goers find a Church and they come, but Bill Hybels realized that he did not bring in people to his Church.

Bill Hybels like St Augustine, like me, wondered om - am I doing my journey ok?


And Bill decided to try. And he found precious little success. He met one man and decided this one man was awesome. Awesome. And this man said, sure, just don't give me the Jesus stuff. After a year, Bill finally found a way to save the man simply by crying out at the God given moment, "I need you to go to Heaven with me and I'm dragging you to Jesus. I know that I know that I know I'm going to Heaven and it just won't be good enough to be there without you. You have to Love Jesus too. PLEASE." Changed that man's world. Love was present. Jesus grew both men in amazing ways.


St. Augustine said that if the Holy Spirit is not repeating the Book of Acts of the Apostles then God is saying that we must take our lives and the people God has given them and love them into, in God given ways to see the real and awesome and amazing Jesus. This requires one ingredient. Real Love.


Just like my friend who loved, fought, hair raising marriage chemical soup - to Find Jesus.


One of my Most Favorite People on the PLANET found Jesus and was saved and we heard him speak of his salvation as he died, because his beloved Grandmother said to him, "Find Jesus now, because seriously, to our core, I am going to Heaven and you need to love Jesus to because if you don't come to Heaven with me, how can this be Heaven. FIND JESUS." And he did.






Now why should we have Jesus?
Our lives and our adventures expand to Heaven to discover the intricacies of Scripture.
Every turn life offers is covered in a trillion different real situations of Scripture.
My phone rings, and this plays 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.  

The truth is if you are putting God first, and see life - the good and the bad - in His Hands that we are today able to expand past the walls to bringing tired days on home to Him. To help with this and the next day we are ready to "Play Ball" again. The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. And I want the people I 
love
to have that Joy, that Heaven, that Strength today. I just need to get over what mountains I think need to move and deal with what He truly gives me for today.



Thank You, Father God for the Joy You provide. When I am not a joy provider, You are.
I will trust in God and let Him be God.

Help my life to bless those I love and the people You have given me. And as You
save the world in Jesus Christ. You expand this prayer from my life, to the city, the state,
the Nation, to the Nations, Bringing the fullness of Father God the world
can rejoice in and see His Love is the Most Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Dignity,
Self Control, Encouragement, Steadfast Miracle we should all want to share in profound Paths blazing to His Glory.

In the Highest Name of Jesus. Amen.

P.S. Father God,
We Thank You for putting Your Light into mankind. Edward wallet was not to be found during the Tournament. Where people are playing from all over Texas. It was found by an unknown woman who gave that to one of the players, who looked for someone from Houston, was given to a couple, who gave us the wallet - travelers remember - and the wallet was found intact. We give You Thanks that Dee and Wayne were the only people who got to fly non-rev today to Denver. They were the only ones allowed on the flight and will be attending a family funeral.  Thank You Jesus for the Christians. Amen.

Jesus The Lord

Jesus The Lord

Jesus The Lord

Amen!

2 Timothy 2:14-26 ~ Gentleness

2 Timothy 2:14-26

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and charge them before God ^{[the Lord]} not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, ^{[one approved after being tested]} a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.


¹⁹ But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

²⁰ Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 

²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.


 ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

 ²⁴ And the Lord's servant ^{[bondservant]} must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 

Matthew 23:23

the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced

We can take all of our denomination differences. We may look at King James Version or the English Standard Version and stake our claim. 

Or we can say - God is Love. Jesus never quoted the added Chapter and Verse. He merely said, "It is written." Jesus gave us ideals and He lived them. Mercy with Truth over all else. Every day. His Father's ideals and He gave His life for them. For us. Beyond that..... we must say to ourselves each day - cast the first stone. And our attitudes and words must reflect the ideals of Jesus. And the mercy of Jesus.


Romans 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

  Varengeville Against the Sunlight - (Wings of Morning.) Painted By Claude Monet. 

Father God,

At the end of a long day, eating out and seeing one person cry a few times. A grown man almost cry. A widower chew out a waitress, another waitress come over and try to be patient and then unload on the widower. Seeing the widower rejoice at not being handled with kid gloves.

Makes you glad to say, 'I'm not God, Thank God.'

For all the trouble in the world, we say, "Jesus, Thank God, You are God." On the days you get sets of phone calls, truly please no one and a long time family friend passes on, with all day exercise and tournament. Too many agendas to please and far from home. Terminal illness and tiredness. Jesus is Still God and He can handle all the World. Amen. Amen. Amen.

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