Psalm 86 ~ For great is your steadfast love

Garden by Thomas Kinkade

Psalm 86

1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Because I am a human being, not a number bible searcher - I was married in 1986 - this Psalm always reminds me of marriage. Please remember I've been reading the Bible for decades and have used lots of memories to find & remember Bible verses. This Psalm is not the part of marriage created by lovely wedding planners, but regular life. Marriage, if you've been married for any amount of time you know, isn't just about the feeling between two people, but also the way two people encounter life events together. Sometimes life feels like a storm on the ocean with two people in a row boat.

The two people in this row boat have something secure to hang on to. They believe God is listening when they pray. They believe their small part in life matters. Even when that boat is a good place to be, they know life rocks the boat. They believe God is their answer. When difficulties come, they believe they will be continue to hope in God. Because He alone is God. In this life and the one to come.

May Father God, know I've received blessing in my marriage of 24 years, may He continue to hold all of the people together in marriage. Father, continue to provide Your Holy Spirit to all those in marriage. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

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Psalm 130 ~ my soul waits for the Lord

Psalm 130 ~ (New International Version)

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

² O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

³ If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

⁴ But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Psalm 130 is a great friend of mine in the Scriptures, it is a place I long for and love to read. Psalm 51 causes me to examine my soul for the unpleasantness I have within me. Psalm 130 is the joy of being forgiven.

Just as Jesus Himself declares He has carried our sins and placed them away from us, Psalm 130 urges us to rejoice and to let Him be our full redemption.

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Nehemiah 1 ~ whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev [November/December], in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, [fortified city] 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

This week we've looked at Psalm 116; God hears prayers willingly. The return from Babylon occurred over 3 sets of king's reigns, in other words, over time. Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes.

One improvement, then wait, then the next. Still an amazing, fantastic thing. Slaves, children of God, were returned from exile and were free people to worship their God.

The same Living God. The same willingness and joy to hear prayer, years ago and today.


Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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2 Peter 2 ~ for if God

2 Peter 2 - link for audio, 2 Peter 2

¹But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

⁴For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; ⁵if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; ⁶if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men ⁸(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. ¹⁰This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; ¹¹yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. ¹²But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

¹³They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. ¹⁴With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! ¹⁵They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

¹⁷These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. ¹⁸For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. ²⁰If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²²Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

It is not pleasing today, in the eyes of some, to present the whole of the Scriptures. All things can be abused. A love for a pleasing meal can become gluttony. We all know that the gift of physical, sexual love can be turned into something ugly. So is the prosperity gospel; the need to only look at Christian spiritual things that uplift us. Even God's love can be abused. Forgiveness ... for all selfish desires. It is the prosperity gospel, no cost to ourselves, our wants, "it's all good."

It's theologically interesting, today in some Christian circles, Paul is declared to be "not a disciple". Paul writes too many harsh things. Well... this is Peter. We know Peter to be a sinner, in trouble during Jesus' life and not entirely pleasing Jesus when Peter has to be asked 3 times if he loves Jesus, during Peter's forgiveness. Peter knew about sin. Peter made Paul angry of the rules of being Christian or Jew. Peter didn't live his live without squabbles.

Who else is harsh? Jude. Jude, the brother of Jesus, asks for purity. Who else demands God's ways alone and isn't soft on sin? Jesus. People gush today that only the gospels should be read. Jesus dealt with temptation, with self-righteous human beings, not by turning the other cheek. Jesus put aside His own desires and traveled God's ways. If we like the Gospels more... why is that? Jesus is the personification of His Father. But Jesus didn't travel his life only uplifting them, Jesus spoke of holiness, and it offended the religious. The people who knew and loved Jesus were not offended.



Matthew 11:6-17
" Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: " 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.


"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge
and you did not mourn.'

Blessed are You Lord Jesus. Your ways are holy, let us seek and listen to You.

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Psalm 116 ~ I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice & my pleas for mercy

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when [believed, indeed] I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my alarm,
“All mankind are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

I love the Lord, and how I love this Psalm. This Psalm is about a few of my favorite things, to pray and to be heard with love. God is genuinely interested in what I have to say. In prayer conversations that matter, wouldn't it require God's attention? Of course. We are told so often to pray, it would be misleading if we believed God listens without care.

Someone very dear to me endured and suffered through a divorce from a marriage that was happy for 2 decades. Very happy. She said in a Sunday School Bible Study she wasn't so much looking forward to happiness, but calm from being tossed in the waves of abandonment, poverty, loneliness and sole parenting. Almost all of us have times of tears and stumbling.

Many years ago, a shepherd boy had these same feelings. And after he was king, he remembered and these experiences led him to have compassion for his people. The lessons of endurance while depending on God, made him great. Even when he failed, as a child of God, to be a godly king, he remembered to rely upon God again. He was held in the apple of God's eye.

I love this Psalm, I like knowing when I feel frail or lonely, God hears and provides hope for this life. God is not looking for the strong and super-hero to love. God raises us up each day. We can look forward in hope to our prayers asking God to direct us, or give us strength, or build our faith as being pleasing in His sight. In the land of the living.

Thank you, Father God, You are always our hope. Thank You asking us for prayer, because You delight in our prayers. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Psalm 111 ~ Praise the Lord!

Psalm 111

1 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

 2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.     


4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.      

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.     

9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Redemption in Jesus Christ. Amen.



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Matt 16:13-20 ~ my heavenly Father revealed this to you

Matthew 16:13-20 ~ (New American Bible)

13
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
14
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
18
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
19
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
20
Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

I was in EYC, our youth group, with my future husband, when we were teenagers. Our minister, Father Clark, did at least 6 months of bible study & each study turned out to be a lesson on Baptism. In about the 5th month, as teenagers do, we began looking at each other stonily whenever the discussion turned to Baptism. Finally, it reached the point of silence. No one wanted to say change to our really great & good-at-youth-minister for his latest interest in Baptism. Being ever the talkative one, I finally said, "Please, no more Baptism lessons!"

Father Clark stopped in mid-sentence with his hand in the air and asked did we understand what Baptism meant, I replied, "Baptism is a visible sign," and the rest of us chirped, "of an inward and invisible conviction."

And guess what? It is.... exactly that. Infant Baptism - a tender soul welcomed into the body of Christ, you are now Christ's own forever.Water poured on the head? Just like the Lord said, streams of living water. Submersion? Just as John the Baptist did to Jesus and heard the Lord say this is His Beloved Son. Age of Consent? Jesus chose to stay in His Father's House.

What does all of this say in common? The Lord was recognized throughout the Gospels by many people in many circumstances. Some came to Him at night to avoid being seen as questioning or searching. Some came to Him in strength & told Him, His word was good enough. A Baptism is valid in the same manner. We recognize an inner need for Jesus, the need for the Father brought to our souls by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is this:

Matthew 3:16
immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him

Father God, we give You thanks for the gift of Your Son. He did not draw back, but already holy, pressed forward to do Your will. We thank You for the gift of Baptism, bringing us Your Holy Spirit.

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Matthew 5:17-19 ~ to fulfill them

Matthew 5:17-19 ~ (New American Bible)

17 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 119:52
I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them.

Why?

Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

We think of the law like the commercials on TV: the Texas Hammer Attorney hammers away at someone. Or we think of the law as the church woman on Saturday Night Live spreading negativity.

God sees His law differently. God sees His spoken word as the law. What does God speak? God speaks love. God wants His people to be blessed, to have hope, to have promise. Just like a good Father hopes for His children. God wants His children to be holy, as He is.

Mark 12:30-34

³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."

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

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."




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John 18:1-18 ~ I am

John 18:1-18 ~ (New International Version)

¹When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.

²Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

⁷Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

⁸"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." ⁹This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

¹¹Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

¹²Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him ¹³and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, ¹⁶but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

¹⁷"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
He replied, "I am not."

¹⁸It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Jesus correctly identifies Himself, while Peter does not. Jesus has told us before he is "I am".

Moses had thought upon God for many years and spent years wondered about Him, His name and his manner.

Exodus 3 tells about Moses meeting Father God and He tells Moses about Himself:

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."

⁵ "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." ⁶ Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

¹¹ But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

¹² And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

¹³ Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

¹⁴ God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

Jesus proclaimed Himself "I am", and told of His nature:

Mark 14:61,62
61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

⁶²"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

John 8:58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 10:14
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live"

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 15:1
¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Father, we give You glory. You are the way, the truth and the life.

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Hebrews 13 ~ Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever

This is my youngest son, we used to sing him the old song "Earth Angel" when he was a baby!

Hebrews 13

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” 

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 

11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us [you] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 I appeal to you, brothers, [brothers and sisters] hear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.

Amazing things … Paul believed and wrote about. He seems to think angels visit mankind even after Jesus Christ returned to Heaven. Paul believes the same things that happened to Abraham 2-3,000 years ago, with visiting angels, still occurs. 

Some of the most important points in this chapter - the promises of God toward those who have preached the Good News. Paul is saying we can recall God has rewarded those individuals who have believed, lived and preached the good news. And in my life, I can say I do remember the reward of those who have believed. Sometimes seriously unhappy things have occurred to those preaching the Good News, but not permanent things. Just as Hebrews tell us, they have not been permanently flattened:

Hebrews 11:32-40

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Proverbs 24:16
for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

Revelations 3:5
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

We are correct to pray for each other and our spiritual leaders. May Father God equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us [you] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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Psalm 16 ~ To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say:

Psalm 16

1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight. [To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say: ]

4 The sorrows of those who run after [who acquire] another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being [my glory] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Never mind that I sometimes have to remind myself, in church too, I am here to worship God, not think about myself. What joy to give the Lord worship, causing Him to say:

To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say: My glory rejoices.

How to please a FatherGod so vast? I bless the Lord, I give thanks. So little to please God who loves us so much.



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Mark 4:30-33 ~ branches

Mark 4:30-33

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

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Revelation 4 ~ worship Him

Map showing Patmos, near Turkey


Interior showing the stone bed used by John in the 4 meter cave.

Early mosaic of John writing Revelation, near the entrance of the cave.


Entrance to the Cave of the Apocalypse

View from the cave

Looking up at the entrance, The Cave of the Apocalypse on the island of Patmos. Patmos is part of Greece, located in The Aegean. Some time in 81 to 96 A.D., John was exiled to Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian, Eusebius records Christians were persecuted toward the end of Domitian's reign.

Here in the 4 meter Cave of the Apocalypse, John lived & slept on a stone bed. Historically, this is where Revelations is written. Critics of Revelation often feel that Revelation comes without Biblical background, which is not correct. Apocalypse is the Greek word for revealing or disclosure.

Revelation 4

1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings [voices or sounds] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

According to Church tradition, John was the only disciple to live to be old. What did Jesus say about this:

John 21:20-25
20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"

24This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

John, still according to Church tradition, survived unharmed Emperor Domitian literally throwing John into a boiling cauldron of oil. Domitian had no other way to put John away other than exile.

Unsurprisingly, God had use of John's long life and they wrote one of the most memorable books of the Bible, with the most glimpses of heaven. Small wonder heaven confuses us with the descriptions of such splendor.

Critics of Revelation believe John must have found wild mushrooms as he was having these visions. Nothing could be more wrong, these unusual details were also written thousands of years before Revelation met John's parchment. The prophets who also saw such splendor were: Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Isaiah and Jesus Himself.

Exodus 19:19-20
19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain.

Zechariah 4:2
And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.

Ezekiel 1:28
Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Isaiah 6:2-3
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

And one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Father God, the earth is full of Your glory. Help us each day to see the goodness of your many blessings, the glimpses You give us of heaven. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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John 11 ~ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place

Christ with Mary and Martha, painted by Henryk Siemiradzki, 1886

John 11

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, [Greek Didymus] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 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.”

45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking [seeking] for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

We know from what Mary and Martha said to Jesus, He had been in their prayers to come to Lazarus and heal him. Their prayers were very intense. Probably along the lines of "please, now." Hope was lost, Lazarus died. Grief and mourning had begun.

Jesus would have been much better off to appear in public to the two grief stricken sisters. He wouldn't have had to listen to their stories of need separately and they probably would have been even more polite, if disappointed, in Him. It would be just one announcement and a powerful display of God's power. More people for Jesus to see that day, more time to do more of His Father's work. After all, the needs of two people in this world, don't amount to a hill of beans. Or so it has been said.

Christians are always saying that it isn't a religion, it is a relationship. Just as Judas chided one of the sisters for pouring expensive, anointing, perfume on Jesus as a waste of money, today many people would see the extra time to comfort someone as a futile gesture when more could have been accomplished by directing His time better.

Jesus wasn't known for lengthy conversations (He was known to go on fishing trips and huge walkabouts where talks were recorded), but remember Jesus was - and is - about love and about relationships. Jesus could have just poured out God's glory on the deaf man in Tyre; zip - zap, on to the next miracle for the day, instead:

Mark 7:31-37
And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Father God, the next time we pray for "now", help us to remember Your will works all things together for good. In the name of Jesus Christ, the highest name You have given us. Amen.





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