Matthew 20 ~ first and last

Matthew 20

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. His most blessings oriented Words are found surrounding His Laws.

The Law isn't for grins. This is God putting forth "Love Thy Neighbor" as a courtesy. Keeping Peace. Encouraging Love and harmony in orderly conduct.


















Isaiah 45

Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. 

9"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands '? 10"Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?'

Every January, I get the "Januaryies."; It's the yin and yang. "Januaryies" are - Biblically - Luke 3. Christmas - the joy of giving joy. God brings us an Archangel. Twice. Miracles and jaw-dropping miracles. Shepherds see the Heavenly Host. This isn't even numbered. Then they behold the Christ Child. And so does Simeon.

Life intervenes. Luke 3. 

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas


The Christ Child arrives and the world continues in good and bad. In newness and in the established paths. Exactly the way Sam Walton was told Walmart was impossible. And so many little things that occur and life continues in the way life seems to continue. It's really... an act of faith to not allow every day to overcome the Wonders and Acts of God.

Luke 3 isn't really an Archangel situation.

Luke 3 is like Psalm 90. Moses has seen amazing, incredible Acts of God. And deals with starvation, thirst, mutiny, let down by Aaron, being government and gold calves.

To me, Luke 3, in these verses, is to see what is beautiful and gracious in life - slip away to the dreariness of 'this is the way the world works." And to see individuals lose their own personal shine from seeing Jesus. As Moses - he covered his face. I've heard this described as humanity holding on to pride, but perhaps Moses was weeping.

The point is to continue -

Into Luke 3 and to rejoice at the end of Psalm 90. And to get there - to get anywhere in the Scriptures - we have to have honesty. Sometimes a good cry. Sometimes a cry of verbal frustration and anger. Jesus told us be angry and do not act on sin. Ephesians 4:26.

David knew.

Psalm 4:4
Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed, search your heart and be still. Selah

Romans 12:9
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

Luke 3
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight

The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.


To find the Joy in The Joy of the Lord is my strength - we have to be able to put down bitterness over slander and malice. We have to cry out to find kindness and tenderness and forgiveness. Even when Lucy will continue to move the football, Charlie Brown. When the dog is abused. When neglect has an excuse and a reason. When death is arriving pretty slowly. And everyone is coping - everywhere. Alzheimer has some very unusual stories. Dementia too.

Faith, hope and Love.  To realize these are the joys of life. To know all seasons and all days have good with Joy and Love and all days have some sadness. We learn to live in the moments of Joy and Love and to decrease the strength, the time and the occurrence of sadness. But only with truth.

I had the most marvelous dream Jesus was coming to live with us in brand new, shiny rooms. Making all of us new. We decorated in His favorite colors - red and green. A quilt was found for the wall. And then spent the day in frustration. Joy arrived. Joy was worked for. Joy apparently left.

In fact, I have been grumpy, irritated, sniping and upset.

And when I told Edward - Edward said in comparisons to life God has provided - the hardships are small.  Sometimes to see this - you have to see Eternity. And other days to see this - all you simply have is gratitude in your heart.

To be able to speak to the frustrations - is a Blessing.

We have all heard believe in the Lord when the Sun doesn't shine. Psalm 90 proves the gravity and brevity of life. Rejoice in the Lord isn't the beaming of every golden day. Rejoice in the Lord is the belief that even if you are in your 90's, 9th decade of life, and have incredible back pain - God will hear you. He did for our uncle and the uncle healed in the belief that even at 90 years of age - water therapy and faith exist. Rejoice in the Lord is the belief God is still working. And we can have relief Father God named His Son Yeshua over Joshua holding the faith for 40 years.

It's impossible to believe. And yet we are told - our lives are mapped out as written in Psalm 139.
The Purpose of God is where we live - today. The Blessing we are today - is from God. The difficulties and heartbreaks are Psalm 139 too. Embrace the goodness, have patience with what is heart curdling. And find tomorrow we have endured and overcome again. God, our Father, is still working and Jesus as well.

Abba,

Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory.

And in this Truth, we ask for Your Blessings.

Praying more Heaven on earth
for ourselves and our cares.
For the ones we love in their eternal love and soul.
For this Nation.
For the Nations trusting in God.
For Your Beloved praying for more Heaven on earth.

More Peace, more Joy, more Love, more hope, more prosperity, more health. More Jesus Christ - Heal them all.

In the Powerful and Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

James 1 ~ Blessed in doing

Eugene Alexis Girardet - Flight into Egypt - Even the Holy Family moved into a New Year.

How did Mary and Joseph feel leaving Judah and entering Egypt?

James 1:20

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

This is James, the brother of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph - interesting to read the brother of Jesus speak of growing up across the dinner table from the Son of God.

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.


Evidently, Jesus traveled going to see people - for the benefit of God. Jesus was doer.

Getting the morning started with Hope and Goodness.


What do we do?
We take care of the people God has given us. As Mary and Joseph are doing.



Looking into the perfect law? The Law of Liberty? Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

James has witnessed Jesus for many years.

Jesus is quick to hear, slow to speak. Slow to become angry. Not meek and mild.  Jesus told us to be salt. Jesus was not perceiving Himself as Religious, but as pure and deliberate in the use of His Speech. Jesus is the Word with God. Never forgetting Who HE is. Blessing others in His Actions and pure Words.

Jesus is not boastful, using the Word of God as "It is Written" - not as "Religious Law" - using the Word of God to save the ones Jesus came to save - you and me.

Jesus saw Himself as a doer of God's plan - love in action. Loving Father God with all His Spirit.

Jesus' family did tease Jesus to go to the Festival and be boastful, but when Trouble came - they sought to bring Him home to them. Jesus is recorded as going home with His friends - disciples - to attend a wedding and see His Mother.

 


When we have challenges in life - we remember: 

The Exodus is the reminder - God cares very much about the lives of His Children on earth. Our Father God made a huge and sweeping statement - God longs for His Children to have Liberty. And Advantages.

We all can picture Israel as God's viewpoint, and yet God chose His Son to see this of the world. God's viewpoint is different than ours. 

God Loves us. God seeks for each of us to know - He created us to be individuals. God loves us that much to write this Letter to you - His Child - to have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

 


Father God, 

Help us to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ to us personally. To fully know this love that surpasses knowledge.



Today God calls us, the fullness of the earth and Heaven is His. He calls to us from Paradise - Today God's Begotten Son tells us He longs for our lives to be abundant. 

Today we open our hearts to hear His Voice.

Today we come to share our confidence in Jesus Christ. Today, Father God, You are the same as yesterday and tomorrow in Your Love and Steadfast Promises to those who call upon You.

Today, as the Lord wills, we ask He guide us in the right thing to do.

Knowing Tomorrow, we still rely upon You Father God.

And in expectation of Your Word - look for Your promises to us in Faith. 

Thank You, Father God, for James recording his love for His Brother - Jesus. 

We ask more Heaven on earth for ourselves, for our Loved ones, for the Nation and Nations Trusting in God. For all of God's Beloved asking Him for more Heaven

Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 90:12-17 ~ Let the favor of the Lord God be upon us

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
 ~ Michelangelo

2019 sees Michelangelo's true work of art beaming with divine perfection of new lighting and newly cleansed. St Paul's Basilica has housed Moses since 1545. The Moses stature received window light replacing a covered up window and directing light upon the marble Michelangelo himself chose. We don't have Moses' body, but Paul's remains are in the wall behind this altar of this amazing Church. The remains of Paul have been very analyzed and shown to be appropriate.

Nothing about the statue of Moses is typical. He is seated (as Jesus was to comfortably teach). However, Moses is stern and his face is direct. The statue of Moses is ready to spring to action, the muscles are tense and the veins apparent. His clothing is thick and durable for 40 years in the wilderness. Moses is intently seeing far away.

And interesting, the 1,200-year-old site of the newly (2nd) built Vatican and St. Paul's Basilica - didn't mind if Latin was incorrectly interpreted and kept the horns.

A New Thought for a New Year

The Scriptures go back to 100 B.C. for the Dead Sea Scroll to compare to the Old Testament and hold firm. Solid.

The New Testament is equally as solid and reliable for the 300 complete Chapters of Papyrus 46 from 90 or 110 A.D.

The variation comes from learning. The Journey. As we all gain experiences. Represented by the horns incorrectly interpreted in the Latin instead of "holiness" beams of light not meant to be horns. The rays of, perhaps, a Spiritual halo.

Time moved along and Scripture records King David and Solomon found Moses worthy of consideration as God was worshipped and learned from. Psalm 90 is Moses as recorded 700 years later.

To realize the Statue today is the best-recognized form of Moses and with the remains of Paul. To look at the points of Moses David and Solomon considered carefully:

Psalm 90

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. 

13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! 

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

15 Make us glad 

for as many days as you have afflicted us, 

and for as many years

 as we have seen evil. 

16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, 

and establish the work of our hands upon us; 

yes, establish the work of our hands!

Abba, Our Father,

You have brought us another year of Life. 

We wholeheartedly ask Your Blessings, Your Willing Blessings!

We live in Love, Peace and Prosperity being blessed with Your Mercy.

We would always ask as Jesus told His Brother, James, for a heart of wisdom.

For all of our days we would ask to Rejoice.

Speak the Word and we will Rejoice and be glad all our days.
For Your Gladness and Your Works, we ask for ourselves and our children. For Your Favor on us and those we Love.

In Your Willing Blessing, establish Your work in us each and every day!

Let the words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, and our works be
pleasing and joyous to You at all times.

Your Beloved Children around your good Creation, asking more Heaven on earth.
And for our Nation trusting in You as all Nations Trusting in You.

Speak Your Word, Abba, and we are Blessed, Blessed, Blessed.

In Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

Deuteronomy 6:4 ~ The Lord our God

Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

Romans 11:36

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Ephesians 4:6

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

When we say God is God of All ~ how far are we talking?

Ecclesiastes 3:21

Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

We will know as we read the Scriptures and know the Power of God.

Revelation 5:13

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea

Colossians 1:20

19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him

to reconcile to Himself all things,

whether things on earth or things in heaven

Matthew 10:29

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? 

And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

When the Holy Spirit led the Prophets to know Heaven, God's Kingdom - we find:

2 Kings 2:11
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

2 Kings 6:17
16“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Isaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together

Hosea 2:18
On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish bow and sword and weapons of war in the land, and will make them lie down in safety.

Revelation 18:13
cattle and sheep; horses and carriages

Matthew 19:26 

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37

For nothing will be impossible with God. 

John 1:3

3 All things were made through him, 

and without him was not anything made that was made.

Abba, Our Father,

We ask Your Blessings this Brand New Year of 2019.

All Blessings, we ask.

For All of our Loved Ones, we ask All of Your Blessings.

Lifting up all our cares for Your Everlasting Love.

Blessing All the Nations Trusting in You.

Blessing All of Your Beloved praying more Heaven upon all the earth.

In Jesus Christ, our All in All. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

Deuteronomy 33:13 ~ Blessed by the Lord

Abba,
We pray this Blessing of the nations trusting in You, be given to Your Beloved Children asking as Jesus said, more Heaven on earth doing Your Will. We ask in Jesus this Happy New Year Blessing for us and those we Love. In Jesus, Amen.

Deuteronomy 33:13
May his land be blessed by the LORD with the dew of heaven's bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

Jeremiah 31:3 ~ Everlasting Love

Photo by Jannelle Loewen, Fireworks Oaks Park

How shall we approach the LORD. Isaiah wondered.

Jeremiah 31:3 

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

Church at the Arbol de Tule, tree of Tule, Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?


Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him."


Abba,

We ask Your blessings. 

May Father God turn HIS face to us with compassion this last day of 2018. And we rejoice knowing Father God hears and answers. Thankful for the day and more and better to arrive.

Asking God to bless our Loved ones and our Nation Trusting in Him. For All of God's Beloved around the earth.

For Jesus blessing upon all His Children as we Pray The Lord's Prayer and ask more Heaven on earth.

 Thank You, Father God. Amen in Jesus Christ.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †