John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there.
Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
- Jesus is Proclaiming and Giving Blessings.
- There is a life crucial message of the interweaving within conflict, trouble and blessing. We find in Psalm 131. To live with Peace. Faith and Love.
- We rejoice to see Jesus have Joy in Life as He told us. Even Moses wanted Joy in Life.
- We are seeing how far, how wide, how Deep the Word of God Travels - which is pretty amazing really.
Matthew's Gospel, 26th Chapter, remembers more from where Matthew was sitting. In intense discussions, we all remember different aspects:
12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will also be told din memory of her.”
Jesus has Blessed her brother Lazarus. With His Word. With His Action. With Life. With His Time. And in doing so - there will be conflict. Where God is - hearts are revealed.
And no matter what happens - God's Plan, His Good Plan will Prevail.
John 11
44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Lazarus is "Unbound and Very Blessed"
The Study of Waves
When waves are studied, the details point at ripples, form waves and waves travel hundreds and thousands of miles even crossing the world and reaching new continents.
2 Corinthians 9:11-15
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.
Luke 6:38
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
Lazarus is unbound, set to go forth and - Blessed - - his sister will be remembered by her kindness, and she will be remembered as Joy to Jesus wherever the Gospel is Proclaimed.
Waves in life are going to arrive. Really we want to have the Faith to have Love and be in His Unshaken Kingdom.
God The Almighty knows how to Interweave to Goodness.
Exodus 1
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
Joseph and all of his brothers became so numerous. Jacob was a ripple. A Blessing. The Conflict of Life and intersection with God.
What a Ripple Effect of Blessing.
Exodus 12:37
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James knew he was not always a Blessing to Jesus.
And James knew Jesus was and is always a Blessing to James, His Brothers and the people of God forever.
Mary Rejoiced to find herself in Favor with God.
And then we find Mary is flawed. Her heart held the treasure of seeing God's favor. Mary's life reflects the work God gives mankind - to believe in the One God sent us in Jesus. God's favor is not always found perfectly in Mary's life. Yet God is pleased with her heart. And when we find God knows her heart will hurt - God has made a path as clearly as He did through the Red Sea.
Blessing and Trouble
Jesus told us we will all see trouble in this world. And Rejoice Jesus overcomes.
We always study how Overcoming is to occur.
We will fight the Good Fight - even St Augustine found the need to reassure us the small parts we do for Jesus - Jesus multiplies like the loaves and fish. Heaven has the Parable of Yeast flowing. My Grandmother Anita lived a quiet life and I dreamed a few years ago Anita returned to me and said - whatever small part God gives us to do - today - we Please God to try to Please God. Some days the ability to Please God will be large, some days small - we just Please our God, our Father, God of Love to give Him our heart and try today.
God is God the Almighty
We fight the Good Fight with prayer, with expectation of God's Goodness, the seeing and finding interweaving of hard circumstances and Blessings to see God multiply Blessings. Because - the Battle belongs to God. God calls this, His Holy Spirit - Comforter.
And they did go forth with the Blessing of Jesus. Unbound and in freedom.
French history records, like John, Lazarus and his sisters lived in a cave seeing the beautiful water. And a local Church records Lazarus was regarded as a Bishop and his sisters lived lives pleasing to God as well. There is a burial place for Lazarus and the Church records a second tomb for Lazarus. Then a third tomb with a Catholic Cathedral moving Lazarus to Spain, to be placed in a Cathedral Altar. Within the last 50 years, the altar was opened. Human dust and fragments were found from over half a millennium since moving the tomb. And a note was found saying, "Here is Lazarus, friend to Jesus."
Abba,
Thank You, Your Mercies Renew. Look in me, the soul You have given me, our Promise of Eternity in Jesus Christ. And help me each day - for You to find in me, "Friend to Jesus." John calls this Beloved of God. Each day, help my life be Joy to You.
Help us to always see our Blessings. And Build upon Your Willing Blessings.
We all have Seasons in our own lives to astonish ourselves.
At the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus.
In my fifties, I am finding my mother to be passing away. My husband to have a terminal diagnosis with three damaged brain lobes. Another family member has reported confusion in advancing age. Causing us to have phone calls across the country with our sons weeping.
We will have a season of travel to family members. A prayer for safe travels.
What has the Body of Christ shown to us? The Holy Spirit.
Comfort. Comforter. Love. Blessings of Care and Love. The Joy of Worship. God is so much more than we can be. His Beloved Light the world.
We are finding like the Michael Smith song, "This is How I Fight My Battles!"
The Comfort God, You have Given. Comfort. Joy. Comfort. To go to Church. To hear of healing from a Stroke. To be prayed for in Church suddenly with embrace and Love.
To be taken to Church lunch by dear friends of twenty years. The comfort of rolling out who you are and your cares and to be Upheld in Love. To remember this prayer history:
Joy in Jesus Christ!
This powerful Prayer History among Friends. Our infant daughter passed during Hurricane Ike. Our friends prayed and we experienced no damage to our home. Even though we had a tornado in the back yard and trees fell. This summer I lost a Large tree - no damage. This summer my friend Dee lost two giant trees and no damage. This Prayer Lives in God's Heart. We prayed for an agnostic cancer of the mouth - very serious - and got back an email to keep praying. No one else was praying. This man was healed as he was scheduled at MD Anderson and surgery was cancelled. An 89 year old Priest with heart failure, in bed never to leave the county again, was prayed for. They traveled to Texas for Thanksgiving with us and Fr Bill walks two miles a day again. We prayed for Elliott and his family. His Blood and Bone Cancer is 20% curable. He is out early from his bone marrow transplant. Zero cancer in the numbers. Why? Simply because Jesus loves the prayers of Faith. Jesus is God.
The Comfort of God's Beloved.
I went for a walk today and my neighbor has added me to her 3 o'clock prayer schedule specifically for those with ill people. For Healing to be found all over the world. We pray together in our homes. The Comfort is Continual. Her husband was yanked back from staff infection facing death in his suddenly attacked heart. He Lives and continues to heal. She believes Jesus. And I have found Holy Spirit Comfort in these Prayers. Wow.
Jim - we will place on our prayer list to be healed from a skin tumor on his shoulder - for a good Biopsy report.
More Prayers Asked.
We will add our sibling, who is a private person, and has found a tumor near his ear with prior serious, serious skin cancer. Remembering we prayed for Edward's incredibly aggressive ear skin cancer and it was completely taken away (quickly surgically and with prayer) from the appearance in two weeks to ear take over - Stopped. 2016.
My eye laser Yag in Late March with a cataract in my second eye found. Speedy surgery and quick recovery, we pray.
And every day we will pray for the 3 members of our family who are private and wish to be prayed for brain disease.
Believing Jesus is Working. Father God is Working. Jesus the exact Nature of God's Willingness. To see today as Given. For more Heaven upon earth in Your Good Will.
Thanksgiving. Giving Thanks. We fight the good fight. You, Father God, have Won the Battle. Peace in Jesus Christ. Hope. Freedom. Comfort. Healing. God of Love. God of Encouragement.
The Blessing of seeing the Light of Jesus Christ in those around us. Thank You. God.
Thank You Father for those so encouraged as to Pray. Pray out loud, Prayer lists and silent Prayer.
For this Nation, Trusting in You. Real Faith.
For the answered prayers we see in International News. All around the world, The Body of Christ is Praying. Blessings of Prayers. Blessings from Jesus. Gifted Church of His.
Jesus, Abba, Holy Spirit, in Your Love and Mercy, we thank You and cover those we Love in Jesus.
Thank Jesus. Amen.
Journey with Jesus - is Life.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †