May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children.

Jeremiah 23:7-8

7“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where hea had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”


What are we to say that is hopeful?

Jeremiah points out earnestly wanting to know Scriptures - as we are - is a sign of hope. 

When we admit we are not perfect people and need Jesus to be our righteousness. There is hope. When we see people have changed denominations looking for the Scripture to be preached as an Authoritative Word of God - this is wonderful and this is - This Generation.

Think about this as an idea - if we put all of this to a popular vote. 92% of Congress professes Jesus is Lord. What Changes we could bring to please God. Pray! Why doesn't more effective change happen. Good question. If you could secretly poll the brain of all the congress people - they would all like more positive changes to bring the lasting hope of God to the People of the United States.  They just don't want to be the squeaky geek to lead the charge. Looks ineffective. It's risky to stand up like that in front of your colleagues. Pray for us all to have personal courage. Because really there are good people willing. If they had the Shepherd to pull them together.

Lord Jesus is willing - help us to be willing. In His precious name. Amen.

Our country, has more adoptions per 100 births than any other country on earth. People want to love children. God tells us in the Gospel - this is a good and godly aspect.

When we say that marriage does matter. Loyalty and vows. Covenant is rare, but marriage is covenant. You are rarely asked in Church to stand up and vow your life before God. We put the interests of our Word and Promise to God as something needed. That is important! This is very basic structure to our framework of our existence as a People. People who need God.

We need to make sure we are the generation that doesn't shrug away what the Word of God says. Even as we understand that the Law of Jesus is Spirit to worship in our heart knowing what He says is Love. The Spirit of God is for Peace. The Spirit of God makes a Path to bring forward the way He gave each of us with His Plan and Gifts.

God likes Billy Graham. He has seen the last Chapter and knew it was going to turn out ok. 

Let's turn out ok, ourselves, and bring this chapter to a Higher Path for Him. Love is going to be a peacemaker and a blessing for those who call upon Jesus, believe in their hearts and profess with their mouths. Jesus will be our righteousness. Jesus help us take our lives and others to a Higher Path.

Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul

Amos 5:15
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

1 Peter 3:21
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

We went to a funeral today of an amazing man who lived to be 89 years old. The Sermon was excellent. The Minister was a High School friend of my husband's. A Very Good Sermon. Yet the Sermon was truly this :

This man lived doing amazing deeds because he recognized with awe and wonder the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Isaiah 32
But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.


This man lived knowing Father God profoundly changed his life. In miraculous ways. He lived saying Noble men make noble plans. Noble actions are called for in noble plans. Noble plans make noble men.

His sons stood up to give witness to their father's faith, which he called upon to instill in his sons. They spoke and my brother in law spoke of a life lived nobly. The Scriptural point they saw in their father was incorporated into the next Hymn. The entire funeral pointed out that by Scripture we move forward in God.

Faith creates Hope, creates Love, makes a Life pleasing to God.

I do not think I have ever seen witness to more faith. His wife of 62 years showed in her loss, in her hope of the Great Reunion, in her steadfast convictions - Jesus is our destination.


Father God, We give You great and profound thanks to have lived today seeing this family demonstrate the families of faith in our Nation. And ask Your blessing upon them and ask You, Father God, bless the families of this Nation to continue to be blessed by You and rise up to have another Great Awakening of the Holy Spirit for Your Glory. In Jesus the Lord. Amen.

 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 127 ~ Builds the House

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.


It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.


Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.


Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children[ of one's youth.


Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.


His Mercies Renew Each Day. Whew, Tomorrow has arrived again.

My Daddy had a sign in his office that said, "If you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember your objective was to drain the swamp."


Objectives are important. 
When you get to the place where I have been, where everyone annoys you because they can't reach their higher level, then what you have forgotten is this: God is the Journey and God Did move the Children of Israel across the Red Sea and the Ipuwer Document found by the Pyramids, in the Netherlands Museum, is exactly as God says He is.
And God let's people have a journey and does not fly them to the destination. (Om, that is called Passing on.)



Destination. Journey. Love the people who want to be part of your life. Real relationships. Avoid the people who want merely your money. Avoid the people who parent or friend you merely to correct you. Build the unique journey and the unique Person using the talents and gifts God had given you. And this is exactly the point of the next paragraph of my goals - where you have goals too...


My life is unique. I tell stories of real things that happen to me and it's hard to believe, yet true. I write this blog, we have 7 unique million readers. And, not unusually, people do not want to talk much about this.

Now the person I have learned a lot from is Rev. Bill Hybels. He has taken the time to examine life the way this generation is and find real meaning and not just remain in coasting phase.

Coasting. Something to think about later in the Post.

This generation has something new going on. My grandmother's life moved from no telephone, covered wagon visits to her grandmother on what we would call trails and she lived to see super highways. Super highway? She stood in front of a color television to see a man walk on the moon.

Goals. We are all on the same journey. We will pass on - Home. Scriptures say We Will See Jesus. I loved Robert Schuller, but only later in his life - he stood up and said, "I am a seeker Minister. Sure what I am teaching is Kindergarten Christianity but once you believe Jesus is Lord, you are saved." I love that. You see mankind is saved if we profess Jesus is Lord. Even if sometimes we fail. Because GOD is Love. And God created the universe.

Jesus goes where man does not.And because so much of mankind is actually not poisoning the Halloween candy and does get on the six o'clock news to say, after dire occurrence, "I Prayed and JESUS Helped me."



Now the truth is. A lot of people stop at, "Jesus is Lord."
And that is ok.


If.
You have 1 talent.

Now if you have more to give, then maybe you need more tools for a better journey.

 




Let me tell you about a few people I admire and love.

One is Cindy. She brought her husband to Jesus. Loved him and fought with him and got into marriage chemical soup and in the struggle to live - he found Jesus Christ and found he has more than one talent and wants the tools for the journey and wants to give, lift up his head and see where the winds of Jesus Christ are going to take him. So much so they fell for their grandchildren, did incredible number of babysit/love hours and raised young men for Jesus. Which turned their live together parents into Jesus lovers. This is What St. Augustine said, the leader of the early incredibly growing Church said real Christians who Love Jesus is about.

Now St. Augustine was like the brothers of Jesus, he had to have time and space to sin to fall to wonder to grow to wonder to love to see Jesus is Lord.

Now take Jan. She is an unique talented person. Bringing in her friend and her bf to Church. This is growth.




 


St. Augustine and Bill Hybels have seen and looked at this generation, which now thinks Robert Schuller "I'm pretty blessed to believe Jesus" lookingggggg-good is very passe.







What do St. Augustine and Rev Bill Hybels see changes the world?

We cannot hope to be Billy Graham, St. Peter or St. Paul. Why? The truth is the Holy Spirit completely is.
Is. All this salvation is not a credit to St. Peter, St. Paul or Billy Graham.


We are all going to Jesus and all salvation is only a credit to ... Father God.







I have been blessed to have a teenager weep buckets for an hour to see his soul open to Jesus Christ. When you truly know Jesus, your world is opened and changed.

I have been blessed to explain why a bartender, a person without parents found Church to be annoying and Scripture annoying. I could do this because Father God equipped me with a life of family alcoholics to see, alcoholics matter vastly to Jesus Christ. I could see exactly where this bartender was coming from with Jesus Christ love. And I was blessed again to see Birth. Birth of a soul seeing Jesus completely.

I was blessed to see a four year old do this too.

Now the triumph here is not me, but really is Jesus placing his dearly loved people to make the walls of earth to Heaven fall to nothing. Make the adventure, (when you don't get grumpy and rude like me) really pretty amazing.








Bill Hybels is having an amazing life. He is this large, large Church Pastor and got it allllll going on. But only when he is in the box. The pulpit. In real life, he goes to parties and soft ball games and gets on airplanes and people Do Not Want a Lecture About Jesus. And they do not come to his Church to hear him. Church goers find a Church and they come, but Bill Hybels realized that he did not bring in people to his Church.

Bill Hybels like St Augustine, like me, wondered om - am I doing my journey ok?


And Bill decided to try. And he found precious little success. He met one man and decided this one man was awesome. Awesome. And this man said, sure, just don't give me the Jesus stuff. After a year, Bill finally found a way to save the man simply by crying out at the God given moment, "I need you to go to Heaven with me and I'm dragging you to Jesus. I know that I know that I know I'm going to Heaven and it just won't be good enough to be there without you. You have to Love Jesus too. PLEASE." Changed that man's world. Love was present. Jesus grew both men in amazing ways.


St. Augustine said that if the Holy Spirit is not repeating the Book of Acts of the Apostles then God is saying that we must take our lives and the people God has given them and love them into, in God given ways to see the real and awesome and amazing Jesus. This requires one ingredient. Real Love.


Just like my friend who loved, fought, hair raising marriage chemical soup - to Find Jesus.


One of my Most Favorite People on the PLANET found Jesus and was saved and we heard him speak of his salvation as he died, because his beloved Grandmother said to him, "Find Jesus now, because seriously, to our core, I am going to Heaven and you need to love Jesus to because if you don't come to Heaven with me, how can this be Heaven. FIND JESUS." And he did.






Now why should we have Jesus?
Our lives and our adventures expand to Heaven to discover the intricacies of Scripture.
Every turn life offers is covered in a trillion different real situations of Scripture.
My phone rings, and this plays 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.  

The truth is if you are putting God first, and see life - the good and the bad - in His Hands that we are today able to expand past the walls to bringing tired days on home to Him. To help with this and the next day we are ready to "Play Ball" again. The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. And I want the people I 
love
to have that Joy, that Heaven, that Strength today. I just need to get over what mountains I think need to move and deal with what He truly gives me for today.



Thank You, Father God for the Joy You provide. When I am not a joy provider, You are.
I will trust in God and let Him be God.

Help my life to bless those I love and the people You have given me. And as You
save the world in Jesus Christ. You expand this prayer from my life, to the city, the state,
the Nation, to the Nations, Bringing the fullness of Father God the world
can rejoice in and see His Love is the Most Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Dignity,
Self Control, Encouragement, Steadfast Miracle we should all want to share in profound Paths blazing to His Glory.

In the Highest Name of Jesus. Amen.

P.S. Father God,
We Thank You for putting Your Light into mankind. Edward wallet was not to be found during the Tournament. Where people are playing from all over Texas. It was found by an unknown woman who gave that to one of the players, who looked for someone from Houston, was given to a couple, who gave us the wallet - travelers remember - and the wallet was found intact. We give You Thanks that Dee and Wayne were the only people who got to fly non-rev today to Denver. They were the only ones allowed on the flight and will be attending a family funeral.  Thank You Jesus for the Christians. Amen.

Jesus The Lord

Jesus The Lord

Jesus The Lord

Amen!

2 Timothy 2:14-26 ~ Gentleness

2 Timothy 2:14-26

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and charge them before God ^{[the Lord]} not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, ^{[one approved after being tested]} a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.


¹⁹ But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

²⁰ Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 

²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.


 ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

 ²⁴ And the Lord's servant ^{[bondservant]} must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 

Matthew 23:23

the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced

We can take all of our denomination differences. We may look at King James Version or the English Standard Version and stake our claim. 

Or we can say - God is Love. Jesus never quoted the added Chapter and Verse. He merely said, "It is written." Jesus gave us ideals and He lived them. Mercy with Truth over all else. Every day. His Father's ideals and He gave His life for them. For us. Beyond that..... we must say to ourselves each day - cast the first stone. And our attitudes and words must reflect the ideals of Jesus. And the mercy of Jesus.


Romans 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

  Varengeville Against the Sunlight - (Wings of Morning.) Painted By Claude Monet. 

Father God,

At the end of a long day, eating out and seeing one person cry a few times. A grown man almost cry. A widower chew out a waitress, another waitress come over and try to be patient and then unload on the widower. Seeing the widower rejoice at not being handled with kid gloves.

Makes you glad to say, 'I'm not God, Thank God.'

For all the trouble in the world, we say, "Jesus, Thank God, You are God." On the days you get sets of phone calls, truly please no one and a long time family friend passes on, with all day exercise and tournament. Too many agendas to please and far from home. Terminal illness and tiredness. Jesus is Still God and He can handle all the World. Amen. Amen. Amen.

<><

Luke 7:1-17 ~ As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

The Son is going to come up - tomorrow - bet your bottom dollar on Tomorrow.

How is it possible that we love the Centurion, Jesus was pleased and astonished with, and do not know his name?'

Consider the second paragraph, this Widow of Nain, we need her name. This is a pivotal part of the ministry of Jesus, a huge crowd knew her, knew her son and Jesus proves the dead come to life. Makes sense, Jesus needed to put proof before them of Jesus' upcoming Easter Victory over death.

Luke 7:1-10

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

The Pillar reads the Son of Alphaeus, the son of Zebedee, the son of John. Of Course.

Jesus took up Capernaum as His adult Hometown. What happened to the name of the Centurion who built the Synagogue where we find a Pillar with the name Zebedee - as in Mark 10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee. The Synagogue is newer than the Centurion built. But the ability to say - related - is spot on accurate.

The answer is clear. Peter's house went on to become a House Church. Told by the Graffiti on the walls. This "HISTORY" did not pause. Here are the photos from the 1960's of Peter's Beautiful House where his mother-in-law was healed and served Jesus dinner:

What happened to the humble Centurion's name?

Micah 6

“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

9 The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:
“Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!



Indeed two millenniums have covered over the name of the Centurion who Pleased Jesus with his Faith. God has wrought this. Do we have a doubt that God has his name upon His Hand? We Believe.

I'd venture a guess from two thousand years ago, the Centurion asked that God alone was important and remember him because the Centurion knew what is crucial. Because walking humbly with God, the narrow path, where we live with God - is the relationship we need.

God is Love.

Father God, bring on the Son for us all and remember especially the ones we love and like and You have given us. In Jesus we have the glory to ask in expectation. Amen

Luke 7:11-17 ~ The dead man sat up and began to talk

Luke 7:11-17

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain.

And his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still.

 He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 

This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

"That is - impossible". If you heard that story from a person at work, if you were in a hurry and they were telling you, you might be very, very frank.

And your day progresses busily - yet the co-worker comes back and says,"Look here is Stan and he saw this too. With his own eyes." Stan glowingly tells the same impossible story.  Well, they have never, ever told you a story like this, but they look too gleeful. Could be a scam. (Hey, Stan, Got him!) You are now busy and uncertain and annoyed, " Ok, wow, thanks - "you reply and you say, "I am very, very busy."

And the deadline is met, but you missed.............

Actually, in Oklahoma a teen-age boy was brain dead from a head on collision.  the machines and the doctors and the family knew to be dead for hours - he had checked he was an organ donor. The medical people came in with the tools - to break his skin - he had Rigor mortis. And the tech screamed because this teenager clamped her hand and said, "No." He had just his mom there? No, his extended family. The whole small town in Oklahoma prayed for this teen - who recovered. Every Church in town asked for prayer.

Man makes "miraculous" recovery from brain death after ...
www.catholicnewsagency.com › News › US
Catholic News Agency
Mar 27, 2008 - ... Liturgical Calendar · Liturgy · Mary · Politics · Pope Francis · Prayers ... Oklahoma authorities were informed of his death, while friends and family were ... Forty-eight days after being declared dead, Dunlap returned home, where Dan Coffin presented him with the pocketknife that proved he was still alive.

And the woman in New Jersey who had cancer and died. She was turning black with Rigor mortis when she was wheeled into the hospital morgue. Fortunately a heart attack had finished her off. You can't find her on Google now either. Or her oncologist. But she was perfectly well even after the nurse described how her whole body turned black and stiff as her skin died and she held on. And she dreamed Jesus said, "I will heal you." And He did. She was perfect. Way, way, way back in 2010.

Mom prays, dead son comes back to life - USA Today
www.usatoday.com/story/news/...prays-son.../22883985/

USA Today
Feb 4, 2015 - A Missouri mother is saying the power of prayer brought her son back to life after he was dead for 45 minutes. But, the teen didn't just survive, his brain is normal ...

Meet 'Lazarus tot' whose heart stopped for 1 hour - Today.com
www.today.com/.../meet-lazarus-tot-whose-heart-stopped-hour/
Sep 17, 2010 - Gore Otteson, 2, was underwater for 25 minutes, but he's OK today.

Wadena, Minnesota in July 2009. Every wall remaining from an F4 Tornado- had a Cross on the wall.

What if you had been alive and attended the real and factual funeral of that widow and her only living son? And you spoke of this your entire life - telling people Jesus Christ the Lord didn't even touch that living young man or use His Hands - He merely touched the bier from afar and spoke - to make Life.

And all your life you've rejoiced Jesus Christ has defeated death.

Suddenly

Life can change. Multitudes came to mourn Jesus as He died. Multitudes came to say we Know Jesus Lives. And people will say in their lives exactly as Martha did to Jesus - "Where were You when we needed You?" The reply is always the same through the millenniums. Jesus is on God's Plan. He has not wavered.

We cry out like the Psalms David and Solomon chose and Asaph wrote:

Psalm 74
1 O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the nation you purchased long ago,
the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins

These days do not surprise Jesus:

Luke 17:22
Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it."

I lost my daughter. My daughter had been my plan from about the time I realized I could have children of my own some day. This was utterly devastating to me. I have lost my dad - Daddy - twice. I have lost people when the wild winds of life - rage and howl.

The choice - we can surely be like Job's wife - cuss God and die.

Or we can be honest, struggle through the times far from good and read Elijah. Who knew what it was to stand up, take a stand and feel as if you'd like to die later. And Elijah discovered the still voice of God compels us to love ourselves, to Hope in God and struggle to fight the Good Fight to the Gates of Heaven. Elijah ended well.

David fought the good fight and ended well. Nathan helped.

Solomon, it's rather unknown, spent many years in the high places begging God to do things Solomon's way and eventually Solomon rediscovered God has a Plan and Solomon ended well.

Hezekiah fought the good fight - and ended well.

Jeremiah fought the good fight - and ended well.

John fought the good fight and - ended well.

Titus fought the good fight - and ended well.

Luke fought the good fight and ended well.

Mark fought the good fight and ended well. Abraham,.. Isaac... Jacob... JESUS!

Give us this day.


Mark 12:27
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 



 

Isaiah was a visitor of Almight Father God's Eternal Kingdom unto His Throne. Isaiah 49 tells us there are Highways, Hills and Nations. God tells us in Revelation of His Love of Color. Nations and Nations in Heaven.

The Creator of Heaven and Earth are the Same. The Earth displays His Majesty in New Zealand and across China

Not all roads in Heaven need gravity

Father God, in Your Scriptures and in Your Power every one of us will bow at the Name of Jesus.
Jesus, You appeared in the Power of the Grace of God offering Salvation to us all. In every Nation. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Jesus tells us Your eternal Kingdom is Paradise. And this is Your free gift to us.

Father, You want all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Faith calls us to Trust in You.

You have planned eternal life, we will know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

We have a hope in You, there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. Father God will render to each one of us according to patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, You will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given higher than Jesus.

We pray that as we face eternity we have told with great effect the name of Jesus - that our families in Heaven not only include our blood families - but include the nobility - the true nobility is those who look to Father God knowing He Loves us and will be for us in Jesus Christ. For all nations and may God bless the peaceful and the Nations who call upon Him. For healing and for guidance we ask in Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Judges 14 ~ What is stronger than a lion?

Judges 14

Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. ² Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” ³ But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
 

⁴ His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

⁵ Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. ⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson's eyes.

⁸ After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ⁹ He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.

¹⁰ His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. ¹¹ As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. ¹² And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, ¹³ but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” ¹⁴ And he said to them,

“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”

And in three days they could not solve the riddle.

¹⁵ On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?” ¹⁶  

And Samson's wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?”  

¹⁷ She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. ¹⁸ And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,

“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”

And he said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”

¹⁹ And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house.  

²⁰ And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

I wrote a Bible Study.Let's look at the time of Judges, it helps to establish the framework.

Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We always ask, was Jesus a Republican, a Socialist, what form of government would Jesus prefer? When God established Israel, He preferred self-government. Unfortunately, man being man turns self-government into the cafeteria plan. Which means then we need a government. And then people disagree and there is war and social upheaval, unions, insurance, house payments.... not the Garden of Eden.

Why didn't Samson's parents spank him when he was a child? From God's perspective - maybe they did. Or maybe they treated him like God's own wonder child. The point that is repulsive in Samson and explains a lot of why the world still works like this - everyone partially believes they are right. 

They just are doing their level best. And compared to God and His Holiness - it falls far short. What happened next and always happens? God's plan. When we've left our eyes open for so long and we've seen the evil and the good - what happens? God's plan. The evil produce God's plan, the good produce God's plan. It's just than when the pendulum swings to the selfish, sinful, evil - what ever word you use for wrong - portion of the pendulum - everything becomes confusing and unclear.

So - what does Samson mean for us today. We are not God. We do our best to be His Child, His Servant. In each of our large actions, our small actions we do what we can. When we fall short, we pray for grace. When the people around us are doing - get her for me, tearing animals to pieces, jumping in the cage with lioness named Delilah, living unclean habits they aren't aware of, providing thirty companions to be with him, bribing/enticing others, hate for love, love for hate, giving riddles that cannot be solved - what can we do???

Jump out of the way!! If you saw someone jumping off of cliff - would you Do it? NO!

And here is another good one - the little frog sat in the water so long - he didn't notice the warm water was heating up, he was being boiled to become frog leg lunch. LOOK OUT!!

Colossians 1:3
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you

Psalm 141:5
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 

Father God, 

 Help us each day to see what You would have us do. Help us to help others in a humble manner. Help us to help ourselves, loving ourselves as You would have us to, in diligence and hope. 

We were Not built to be here forever. Help us to remember the goal - to grow and to go Home. To You. In the name of Jesus Christ. Let us rest in You and Hope in You. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †