Nehemiah 9 ~ The Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

Nehemiah 9

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said,

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden[c] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

Isaiah 58:8
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Zechariah 2:5
And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.

Luke 19:38
saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

NOTES ON THE PLAN OF THE TEMPLE
FROM THE TALMUD AND OTHER JEWISH AUTHORITIES.
PAGE 368,17 The gate of Nicanor which opened into the Court of Israel from the Court of the Women. It is called "the higher gate" (2 Kings xv. 35) and the "new gate" (Jer. xxxvi. 10). The ascent to it was fifteen steps. Each step was half a cubit high and half a cubit broad.

The Southern Steps outside of Temple Mount, there is some thought the fifteen long steps may have been one of the locations where pilgrims sang the fifteen Psalms of Ascent (120 to 134) as they went up to worship. Could possibly have been for pilgrimage festivals. Truly the Psalm of Ascent would have been by the Treasury and in front of the Nicanor Gate These excavations begun by Benjamin Mazar in 1968 were the largest earth-moving archaeological projects in Israel.

There is a very good reason the existing Southern Steps were not the real worship.

This is the warning stone placed in the partition wall of the Herodian temple at Jerusalem. Far beyond the Southern Steps, was the soreg wall designed to partition access for worship preserved for the Israelites, and separated access from the gentile. Numbers 1:51: “and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death“. The wall or “soreg” was described as being 3 cubits high by Josephus. Along the top of this wall at regular intervals were placed stones. Interspaced was lattice-work or “a reticulated fence of sticks” ten hand-breadths high (7) which was perforated by 12 gates. The photographed stone was discovered by Clermont and Ganneau in 1871 at the northwestern corner of the graveyard abutting the Temple Mount wall. The court styled ”hieron” or sacred is referred to in John 2:15 and Acts 21:28,29 and was the issue of the dispute with Paul that he had brought gentiles into the very sacred area of the Temple itself.

The Romans permitted the Jewish authorities to carry out the death penalty for this offense, even if the offender were a Roman citizen. The engraved block of limestone was discovered in Jerusalem in 1871. It's dimensions are about 22 inches high by 33 inches long. Each letter was nearly 1 1/2 inches high and originally painted with red ink against the white limestone.

I suggest to you, these were the people rejoicing to be in their rebuilt Temple were again rather cavalier about their amazing restoration from God. And those sins were cast behind them in their hearts... ascents were being thought of more locally.

Nehemiah 13
10 I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. 11 So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?”

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.

17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

The Samaritans were cast out as unholy without lineage references.

23 In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.

In this Temple, the Ark of the Covenant had not returned from being hidden by Jeremiah.

God had told Isaiah a new branch of David would rebuild for Him. Isaiah had seen Nehemiah 13 as well.

Isaiah 14:13-
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’

The King of Babylon gave David's son, King Jehoiachin a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon and gave him a regular daily allowance all the days of his life. 2 Kings 25:27-30

Israel fulfilled Jeremiah 22:30, God states Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah) or his offspring will not prosper, for none of his offspring will sit on throne of David and rule over Judah.

King Zerubbabel, listed first in returning exile sons, does not regain David's throne. How God felt during this?

Psalm 24:2-4

2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.


1 Peter 2

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Isaiah 53:11
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Acts 1:9-11
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Ezekiel 10:4
And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.

Timothy 3:16
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 

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Ephesians 3:17-19 ~ grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Lightning - Extremely Low Frequency and Very Low Frequency

Nova did a Very interesting program today, 11/20/2013, on new discoveries of Extremely Low Frequency and Very Low  Frequency Lightning. 

Scripture records Lightning as the Voice of God.

(Frequency Lightning ELF/VLF lightning was found going back to the 1800's, when telegraph lines were established. The first operators reported hearing bizarre sounds described as clicks and tweeks, increasingly loud on days of lightning, these probably were just 'sferics' picked up by telegraph lines, basically acting like an antenna.)

Now lets cut to the chase. (After pointing out Hollywood has already used these images sometimes called Sprites or Elves Lightning on NOVA - you've seen these images used in the "War of the Worlds" space invasion lightning - which I just frankly consider to be too creepy to display those photos used in 2005 - However, the good news is really this lighting bounces up, down, up, down. Whew.)

Okay. The bottom line. Scientists see a lot of these in the Colorado Rockies and found this moved spontaneously creating ELF/VLF energy in the magnetosphere, like chorus waves (again named for its sound if played as an audio file, resembling a chorus of birds).

Also referred to as Schmann's responder. Or vertical lines on spectrograms are radio atmospherics, or `sferics', originating from lightning strikes. This sounds very complicated, but the bottom line is that lightning through these instruments -could be heard anywhere in the world. The discovery lightning touches and pulls and arcs the electronic particles that make up our atmosphere. In Colorado, the lighting arcs to the antenna in Rhode Island and on around the world.

Let me repeat this. The discovery is sunbeams from our sun to the magnetosphere to the ionosphere through the atmosphere to the earth - were we mostly live - is connected by one set of electrical particles. That is one system. When one bolt of lightning strikes, we now can trace the electricity moving through the whole system. Making us understand more why the Aurora Borealis forms. Creating scientific excitement on the Aurora Borealis storm that in seconds destroyed Quebec's entire electrical network for nine hours in 1989.

This discover is so new, science hasn't sorted out what names they all agree to label this information. Are these red sprites, blue jets, white sprites, elves, Extremely Low Frequency and Very Low Frequency Lightning, Schmann's responder, spectrograms are radio atmospherics, or `sferics'. This is so new, the phrases trip over each other.

Now.

Let's relate that to the first pope (the one we hear was illiterate, but archaeology reveals otherwise, as well as...Gospel Scripture) stating an important scientific statement:

2 Peter 3:8
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Striking a new meaning to an important Scriptural phrase.

Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

Now, we could all hummm and say 'om', but we are not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to quote some Word of God and then sort.

Romans 1

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

The Circles He gives us are holy. Whole.

My cousin once gave me the wonderful analogy - Gravity is the Law. Rain, streams, ocean and rain are the Spirit of God. The systems of God creating order...

1 Corinthians 14
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

40 But all things should be done decently and in order. 

When the Temple wa built, Solomon put the placement of the Temple Mount - First.

All Hebrew altars were built to face the rising sun. When

Just as we see the Psalms sung as Ascents, The Priests climbed stairs and the attributes of Him were sung in worship. We see music ebbs and flows. ELF/VLF energy like chorus waves (again named for its sound if played as an audio file, resembling a chorus of birds). Schmann's responder or vertical lines on spectrograms are radio atmospherics, or `sferics', originating from lightning strikes, 
which could be heard
 anywhere in the world.

Ascents are seen more clearly now.
The Word of God is recorded as being deafening to the Children of Israel.
The Loudest noise they had ever heard...Bang. Big. One.
As those altars pointed to the sun's Light.
Where God saw His Creation as Good.
And He still wants to save the world.
Where wise men still seek Him.


John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.


Proverbs 8

Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.

“And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,
but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”

Worship with awe. In Majesty, He connected circles from the the deep!

Job 26:10
He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

To the skies above. The Heavens declare the glory of God.

Proclaiming to us ~

1 Corinthians 12
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

Bringing warmth to the only truly eternal part - warmth of the soul...

1 John 2:8
Yet, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.


Ephesians 3

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may 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, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge
—that you may be filled
to the measure of all...
the fullness of God.

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(P.S. Notice with me, how beautifully yesterday's passage fits with TODAY. This is only planned by the Holy Spirit. Infrequent would be the word for how often I watch tv. So the timeliness of this is His timing. And noticed only after edited this morning.!!!)

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Matthew 6 ~ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6


“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets ^[+], as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,^{[temptation can also mean testing.]}
but deliver us from the evil one.
^{[Some late manuscripts add,  for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]}

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^[generous] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[stingy], your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We face a tough crowd when we discuss Matthew.  More people begin reading the New Testament, making Matthew the most widely read book in all the world. In fact, it's said, "Matthew - the most important book of all Christendom."


Jesus sat down to speak this. Intimacy meets who you really are. When you read this, read this as His conversational answer to your prayer. Frequently while thinking, I draw a cartoon speaking circle around these thoughts and add Him in conversationally. He is there always.

Aren't you touched with the intimacy of the chapter. The reality of the Scriptures. Each day has its troubles. Don't worry so much. Find the sufficiency of what He brings. We have to do this with effort.

Effort. Jesus said here intentions are important. Jesus sat with this crowd. Be comfortable, be with God. There is no hair shirt. No austere precipice. Jesus is comfortable with His people. This part we are reading, Matthew arranged this talk into three Chapters. More than likely the people sat with Jesus, and Matthew records the conclusion we can relate to - the people recorded feeling awe at Jesus.

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


Isaiah 28:9-10
Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

I hope I'm conveying the picture. Jesus lives, moves and dwells with us.

Revelation 4

‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

 God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega,  Shepherd of our souls, would name you, choose you and want your attention, your love. The joy of knowing, He is there with you. Effort, the effort to please Him. The God who would sit with us to teach us - is pleased with us just to seek Him. Like a Father is pleased when His children lean to Him.


Motivations - God did not give us Matthew 6 as a rule, He gave this as Spirit. There are times to speak when this encourages others. Probably you knew that!

Worry less. Entertain problem solving. God inspires us when we have a need, knowing to think within the boundaries a loving Father would give us, is part of His Plan. Give us the Day. Daily bread. Living Bread.  In Seeking to please the Lord, we do. Fairly simple idea.

Emmanuel- God with us. Hallelujah. Hallelu Yah. Yah is short for Yahweh. Daddy. Holy 'Father'. Let your will be done. Amen. So be it. All men, let His Will be done.



[+] Verse 2

The Court in front of the Temple. These steps had 13 Contribution Steps. This ended where Women could enter the Temple. Jesus witnessed the poor widow but her coins here. The trumpets made noise to "show" alms and prevent theft. The inner area of the Temple contained three courts. The easternmost court was the Court of the Women, and it contained the Temple treasury where people donated their money Mark 12:41-44.

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Matthew 3 ~ see verse 10

Matthew 3

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”


Jesus. God's Son. To baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit - choosing to walk among us in life - this Savior could be very direct.

I was so impressed with "Writing from the Hip"'s List what Jesus Said To Do:

Worship the Lord and serve him only. Mt 4:10
Repent. Mt 4:17
Follow me. Mt 4:19
Shine your light before me and do good deeds. Mt 5:16
Your righteousness must surpass the Pharisees Mt 5:20
Settle matters quickly. Mt 5:25
Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow from you. Mt 5:42.
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Mt 5:44
Give to the needy. Mt 6:2
Pray. Mt 6:5
Forgive people who sin against you. Mt. 6:14 & 18:35
Fast from food once in awhile. Mt 6:16
Treat people the way you’d like to be treated. Mt 7:12
Enter through the narrow gate. Mt 7:13
Do God’s will. Mt 7:21
Acknowledge Jesus before men. Mt 10:32
Honor your father and mother. Mt 15:4 & 19:19
Be humble. Mt 18:4
Confront the person you have a conflict with. Mt 18:15
Love your neighbor as yourself. Mt 19:19 & 22:39
Serve everyone. Mt 20:26-28 & 23:11
Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Mt 22:37
Feed, clothes, visit and invite in the poor and needy. Mt 25:35
Make disciples and baptize them. Mt 28:19


Let's go out and do that. And step Two. And Three.




The comments were great and well worth repeating:

Ralph said...

What a great list. And you're so right - read it and follow it is the key. Then we wouldn't get caught up in the 'shall not' list. Aaron did a great job putting that list together.
Ralph



Evil Twin's Wife said...

I knew all this before, but had lost sight of it. I need to be more mindful of this and try to follow faithfully.


srp said...

I think #22 and #13 are all you need... the rest result from those two.


Cliff said...

Yes indeed he is a keeper. Thanks for sharing the list. There are many there that need to be carried on note cards.


Jennie said...

Gonna get it tatooed to my forearm. ;)


Scarlet Ily said...

What a list! You know, Jesus has been knocking at my door all week. It's one thing after another, and now this...your inspirational post. I think it's a sign! :)


jennifer said...

This was a GOOD list. It would make for a great Bible study.


Janell said...

Wonderful list - and very insightful! This is defintely Spiritual Food for productive thought. I agree that your new youth pastor is definitely a keeper.

kenju said...

A wonderful list - and one that I need to print and keep handy!


Rachel said...

Amen to that!! Your Youth Pastor is definitely a keeper!!
This is a great list!

11:39 AM
groovyoldlady said...

I remember once hearing, "If we'd just get busy doing the dos, we'd be too busy to do the don'ts!"


srp said...

Where are you? I am missing your famous "true" stories that always leave me with a smile on my face!???


jennifer said...

Let it be said that if the Dust Bunny Hostage considered giving up blogging, Paul Nichols encouraged her to keep it up. I've enjoyed your Facebook messages, reminding me that I AM a blogger :)

I hope that your Christmas was Merry and Bright and that you are blessed in the New Year.


jdjaws said...

Concentrating on the To Do list from Jesus is something I hope to do better each day.


Cliff said...

Happy New Year Paul and G.
Had he not forgotten to say it, Jesus would have said, "Verily I say unto you, if you have a blog, and blog readers keep returning to your site, it is indeed a blessing to them to feed them." "Or at least throw them a crumb once in a while." And everyone said...


Pastor.Dhas said...

VERY NICE LIST TODAY IT HELPS ME LOT . I WAS PREPARING MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY. YOUR LIST TOUCHED MY HEART HOW LONG LIST I LEFT OR FORGET TO DO.

I WILL PRAY THE LORD TO HELP ME TO DO.

THANKING YOU

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Mark 12 ~ Jesus asked

Mark 12

1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

6 "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 "But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven't you read this passage of Scripture:
" 'The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;

11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes' ?"

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn't we?"

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

And they were amazed at him.

18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

24 Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The 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. 33 To 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."

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet." '
37 David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"
The large crowd listened to him with delight.

38 As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."




The Title is really rather a "Where is Waldo" question.

We all have fruit describing ourselves to each other. So many times we don't listen to each other. Did you see what Jesus asked?






Why do people quit going to Bible Studies and going to Church. We all have Ecclesiastes 3 - a time and a season. We all need to search ourselves and in community events be able to pray for our difficulties and prayer opportunities with honesty, with privacy, with verve to bounce along.

And outside of our faith communities - to listen to what people say about Jesus. Here Jesus was asking - fully already informed of the asker's heart - "Why are you trying to trap me?" He asked.

We learn about our faith walks in our belief and disbelief in the claims of Jesus and His Word. We live in a world where discernment is needed. Not judgement so much, Jesus has the authority for that. And you know, He just never wrote in Scripture that HE would need help with Judgement....

Turn to your Word of God and find where it says - judge thy neighbor. Now the Word does say share Jesus and His Love. With advice for dealing with fools and with forgiveness. And cruelty. And evil. What is confusing is - which topic to pick - reprove earnestly - turn the other cheek (Jesus had humor and sometimes He meant walk away - King Hezekiah did) rebuke the devil - forgive as you have been forgiven- let Love cover a multitude of sin - forgive seven time seventy and when asked earnestly to forgive do - don't cast pearls before swine.

How will you pick how to know what to do - Give Justice with mercy, walk humbly with God. Fight the good fight. Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest of these is Love. God is Love.

The question isn't so mystical. The answer is to listen to what the person says, lives, and does. To truly observe someone. There are key points. The point isn't to use someone - it is to minister to their needs. And to have them understand what life looks like to rely upon Him.

God tells us to cry out for wisdom, to ask, and that will be given. However, we first have to be curious enough beyond ourselves to see the direction. We are told in Romans Chapter One, we are given the truth in our souls, what we have to say about Jesus tells a lot about the condition of the soul. Not even this is entirely a maxim we can truly rest upon. We sometimes have an excellent soul in journey condition. Or importantly, the maturity of the journey and the condition our current events exist in. Which we will have to admit depends on how shaken the waters our lives float upon. It's really fairly easy to be at ease and proclaim spiritual maturity.

There are so many variables in discernment. However Jesus makes an excellent point here - what we have to say about Jesus and the opinion tells us the stability of the Rock.

Jesus was doing something in this passage we should listen to - He was listening. 

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