Proverbs 31:10-30 ~ a woman who fears (yar - reverently worship) the LORD is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:10-30

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.



Father God,

Bless the mothers of all ages. And seasons.

The Grandmothers who are working hard to raise Grandchildren. The encouragement of David's Family line telling us generational difficulties can be loved away. Abijah. In three short years, Abijah, by believing and saying "God is with us as our leader" effectively reunites David's Kingdom. His great-grandson. The future is to be seen with hope.

God Bless all women seeking Jesus as Lord. And the people around them to encourage and embolden and love.

We pray for All of God's Families and People.

Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus is still working and so is His Father.

Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

2 Thessalonians 2 ~ Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together

 

 

2 Thessalonians 2

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, [and sisters v 13, 15] 2  Do not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way.

For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness [sin] is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5

 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

If we were going to write a TV show, we would want the levels to be so much deeper than so many programs on TV.

Father God says we all have sinned. This is the trouble we all know surrounding our generation and within us. The Levels of Goodness and the levels of Selfies.

David knew this generation as well.

Psalm 118
10 All the ungodly encompass me
in the name of the Lord, I will repel them.

They hem me in, they hem me in on every side:
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.

 
And who was this to David? These were the people the anointed one of God
was surrounded with -  as David wanted to drain the swamp and get to the blessings of God.

David was like Jesus Christ, he welcomed all. Even the good ones who stood far off waiting for the comfortable time to join the band wagon. The anointed band wagon.

There is another level again to 2 Thessalonians 2. 

Illness. Cancer, Mortal Illness.

Political upheaval.

Depression and despair to watch the new report only the grim portions of life. 

What approaches and we wish would not.


David gave us a Standard. Solomon did as well.

Song of Solomon 2:4

His Banner Over Me Is Love.

See the directions Father God has given us in the Holy Spirit. This is a serious commentary
for serious times. Times we all should consider as we are all on the same journey Home however many decades apart.


Do not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way.

Jesus had a phrase for this, He said, "Days will come."

I Corinthians 13 says knowledge will pass us by, and what remains is Love.
Believing God is for us. Holding on. Looking each day to find what God gives us is sufficient, what blessing has arrived.

What would cause a strong delusion? For those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Pharaoh encountered this. We must all realize with gladness, in all circumstances, there is something to give thanks about. God is in our souls, causing us to know God is the One in Control.

Give our prayers with constancy and look for the gratitude.

Solomon said Blessing and Woe are from God. Denial is the River of the Exodus, but we are not to stay there.

Jesus arrived with willingness. Going into the fray. Charging in. Every day. Our Hero.

Trouble causes the field to narrow. Redefine. Jesus saw His Disciples 72 in number fall away in Trouble. Jesus saw the field narrow again. Joses, Mary, John stood at the Cross with Him. Jesus is telling us life does this.

A crisis occurred in the day of Jesus.

Luke 13
"4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

The Wild Winds of Life will howl. There is no doubt.

We now have the tools of overcoming, enduring, and finding not just the umbrella to grip with a death grip, but to find out how to learn to ride the waves of real life. Learn to head into the wind, spray, fear, trauma and peace.
 


Look what Father God is providing:

 Thessoloncia Ossios David - Acts House Church from the 4th Century 

Sanctuary in God.

1..Not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be

2..God chose you as the first fruits to be saved,
through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

God is not lukewarm in His Love.

Thessalonians is ripe with First Fruit of God.

1 Thessalonians 2
19 After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 You are indeed our glory and our joy.

Jesus is Love.

3. Denial of truth is this: Exalting our ideas above God. Placing our thoughts and our desires above God. Not seeing the events of our lives are His. That He has made us. We are His. We are the sheep who want the verdant pastures of Father God. The Plan and Will of God are good. Suppressing real emotion to be fake to the Lord God. Doing the Process, the time consuming process of the Father with the Prodigal. With God. Expecting His Mercy.

4. Give Thanks. This is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Have Pleasure in Righteousness. Be the one who sees the Good. Surf the Waves. Find the Joy Jesus had in John 14, 15, 16.

5. Stand Firm. God is for us.

6. God is going to reveal Himself. He called you through His Gospel. Stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught.




Father God,

This is today. Medicine has advanced. Technology provides a bridge to people decades past.
Phones create direction in paths to be made straight.

We lift our Faces to You. You are our Good Father.

Now!

May our Lord Jesus Christ - Himself!
AND God our Father!

HE Loves us
and gives us
eternal Life
comfort and good hope
through grace,

Let us Draw up to You Father God for You comfort of your Jearts
We ask You
establish us, Jesus the Lord, and the Ones we Love -
in every good work and word.

Lord Jesus, Father God, Holy Spirit - we Expect You.

Jesus Christ IS Our Alleluia.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

2 Chronicles 13 ~ Abijah grew mighty.

2 Chronicles 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

Rehoboam was afraid and struck a false pose of sufficiency.

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

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

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

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

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



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

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

1 Thessalonians 2 ~ Just

The Boxtops - The Letter

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


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

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

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




Luke begins His 4th Chapter like this:

Luke 4

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit

Now we know what drew Luke to Love Jesus Christ!

Luke records the immeasurable Grace of Jesus.

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


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

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

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

1 Thessalonians 2

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

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

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

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

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




Father God,

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


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

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

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

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 81 ~ I delivered you

Psalm 81

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

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

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

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

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

The Ascension.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The movie The Passion of the Christ.

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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


John 14

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


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





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

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


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

The Ascension.

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

And being asked Jesus said:

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


Words to live by.

Rise. Let us go from ...here.

Father God,

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

Help me. I want to be like that too.

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

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

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †