Hebrews 11:1 ~ Faith

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance 

of things hoped for, 

the conviction of things 

not seen.

Luke 10

23 Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, 

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 

For I tell you 

that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see 

but did not see it, 

and to hear 

what you hear 

but did not hear it."

We all know this has been the roughest set of years many generations have seen. And we could personally count out our reasons.  

I've seen workers at my house mutiny against their longtime employer of 6 years. Creating their own social media sorrow and tools disappearing, as I closed the garage door. Then saw the employer weeping. Because the Southern Border hasn't changed lives to be easier or better. Seen an artist neighbor losing his career and his mind, go violent, plotting little plans, ruining his family and life.  And continue in the same sad set of mind guidelines, no longer really aware of the law and his futility, in front of a town government worker.

Families who act cruelly and do not repent, nor have joy. 1 out of 3 families report a crucial breakdown.

People who don't do their job, their responsibilities to the goodness of mankind and culture. Then sorrow for their own sadness and lack of goodness. Looking miserable. 

Social Media records this response to the sometimes heartbreaking times:

"Hard times create hard men, hard men create soft times, soft times create soft men, soft men create hard times. Luckily and Unfortunately, our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers created soft times. These softer times have created soft men."

What times are ahead?

The Books of Kings and Chronicles tell us. 

The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun. 

Look with faith. Good mankind, they are pushing to make new goodness emerge. Both on the Republican side and new voices heard from the Democrats. I would wonder... the goodness is from a new merging of Republicans and 1960 and 1970 Democrats, 2016 vocal Democrats. When equality looked less like homelessness and more like responsibility to one another for goodness and hope for a strong future for our children.

Let Goodness Return, in the Love so many have for Jesus Christ.

Look with Faith

Pray over the News

Pray over the weather reports

Romans 8:28 

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

 for those who are called 

according to

 His purpose.

Doubts will wriggle in, if we do not firmly grasp the Truth of the Grace of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

My American History Professor told 400 Texas A & M Students a German General gave up hope in the last days of World War II because the American, small, camp he saw had a made in the USA Birthday Cake. The Germans had run out of supplies, a non-working homeland for the no moral troops.  Yet, the birthday day cake explained what was happening.

Consider the working hard and stock market trends. Consider the votes before the National and State Congresses.  The tide is beginning to turn with open communication.

Keep looking to see the glimmer like the Birthday Cake. Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest of these is Love. Making families and futures secure for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ and the results feeding the Nation. We pray this repeats around the entire world, the Fullness of the Lord, His Good Creation.

Abba, Father God,

Our Abba, as we open our hands to You in Prayer. 

We consider by grace we have been saved through faith. 

And this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God.

Help us always to seek You First, Jesus Christ.

In this comfort and Love, help us be able to know

You will love and dwell with those we Love.

Having gifts, let us use them: in proportion to our faith. 

Even the Disciples had fear. 

Please pray for peace in families

 Please pray for peace during this time.

The statistics say 1 in 3 don't speak as parents and children.

 Father God. Peace within the family.

Dwell in us, Father,

Help us to seek You first,

We will finish well in Jesus Christ. 

We thank You for hearing our Prayers, Abba. 

We will ask for each day, each opportunity, each decision, every day 

- Father God who gives generously to all without reproach, 

we will ask for Wisdom and to see Your Willingness 

and it will be given to Your Beloved.

We pray this for our concerns, our lives, our hopes. We pray this over the people we love. The People You have given us. Healing, life, hearing, eyes, provision, opportunities. Hope, Joy, Love. Protection. And for this Nation to love You more. 

And for the Beloved of God - everywhere to have this of You, their Father.

Always, we want to Listen to Jesus.

Healing, balm, refresh, alleviate, remedy, cure,

Establish, 

rebuild, reconcile, regenerate,

Rejuvenate, conciliate,

mend, minister, recondition,

Joy and Peace with Love

Bless this Nation with mercy and tolerance, remembering the historic anger

 and ill-logic following Pandemics. 

The sweep of History shows Pandemics have recovery.

In Jesus Christ, let us put real hope in the revealing of His purpose for us. 

Rejoicing in all life is given through Jesus Christ. Trusting again. 

 Lord, Your mercy upon this land and 

Your people.

We pray Amazon puts back Amazon Smile,

philanthropy is needed today 

and this program

was wonderful. 

Many will feel the clip if Amazon Smile doesn't continue. 

Please Lord.

We are Blessed to seek You First. 

Blessed to be finding the High Way of Your Heaven today. 

Blessed to ask to see more Heaven upon earth. 

Blessed to have You as our Daily Bread. 

Blessed to ask to Live Love, Joy and Peace.

Blessed to pray in expectation of Your Love and Willingness. 

Blessed to say Thank You that during Holy Week, 

we have seen the Glimpse of Your Glory 

working to heal the fullness of the earth, Yours.

We have had problems in our neighborhood, 

acts of violence.

 Pray for peace, please. 

My mother's house had her AC fixed easily

with help from an old friend.

The lawn service wasn't mowing.

For Edward and me,

as we get this work accomplished together

and Good Health.

Recently, Thanks to the Lord

Edward, in his 6th Decade of life

has placed 2nd in Disc Golf

Texas State Champion for Doubles

playing against all age groups.

Wow!

In Jesus, we Live and ask this for those we Love. 

We pray for our own strength, 

Love and ask Jesus to cover this Nation, those who lead this Nation 

and all other nations in this good fight. 

The Light of mankind to shine with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lord, Amen.

REMEMBERING

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yay JESUS

Psalm 86 ~ Abounding in Steadfast Love and Faithfulness

Psalm 86

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.

Numbers 22, practically no one who knows Scripture is unaware of Balaam's Donkey and the Angel of the Lord. Balaam's writings from 1000 plus BC are written in a cave in Jordan. Balaam's sins and failures are recorded in the Bible and his victories. The Mercy of God to allow Balaam who was beating his Donkey, three times, to see an Angel of the Lord.

We love this Scripture. And to imagine the Grace of God to speak to His Balaam who was errant.  According to the New Testament, Balaam, like Ahab, did not change and grew far worse. And yet, the Mercy of God was available. With the Word of God, prophetic, not allowing the sin to go unchecked.

The Word of God records the faithful do have very unusual events happen in their lives. And, today, we can agree.  65% of praying people know God had given them answered prayer in their lives and call this answer a miracle.

12 I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

    and I will glorify Your Name forever.

How do we jump from Psalm 86 to a Donkey?

We all have a donkey portion of ourselves telling us what we could have done better. Sometimes the donkey portion isn't as wise as Balaam's Donkey. 

Prayer brings us back to Jesus and recenters us back on His Love and changes our hearts. 

One of the most important things we can do is remember a quote from Queen Elizabeth II, who was extremely faithful, with Her Father. Paraphrasing, she said, "So many times, someone is convinced their lives are dreadful, without any joy they had hoped for. What happens next will prove, the time before was indeed joyful. And, now, they only wish they could resume the time that was known to them as dreadful and, now, seems rather peachy keen."

Jesus would agree.

And would explain in a very short verse:

Luke 19:43

Easy to remember in Historical Events, hmm.

The Days will come upon you.

Jesus said this during the Triumphant Entry of Palm Sunday. Knowing... people who had known Jesus as Grace upon Grace during His Ministry were going to flood the Temple with up to 2 million people, according to Josephus food calculations in History, what a multitude IS.

Because... we want Jesus as the exact nature of His Father and be our Thy Kingdom of Heaven come, Thy Will be done on Heaven as on earth. Give us This Day.

By the First Easter Season, the loss of Jesus' daily ministry in the flesh, was mourned, very profoundly.

We would want to not have this happen to us in our lives. We could all raise our hands to allow us to skip the portion of our lives with pain and ask Jesus specifically - we would have the opportunity to skip the more painful portions of life.

And there is a way to have this happen - Gratitude.  About a week ago, I posted this photo:

A lot of the Posts, I preach to myself. I realized about 2 days later, I was instead waking up to pray for 3 pressing needs, assuring Our Father of the correct need. When I realized this error, I began instead to list my gratitude over this and that and pointed to the gratitudes I want My Father and Your Father, to see I know my blessings and my blessings are seen and appreciated. Making my prayer conversation more appropriate for His Joy.

Having Gratitude, will uplift the heart, mind and soul. A Grateful Heart is supremely less bitter and has us jump over the puddles of quicksand called remorse. With Joy, time and today offers more opportunities.

When I'm asked to be more like Jesus, I have to say, I pray to be more like Jesus, but end up being more like Thomas. And would sincerely, with all my heart, want to be more like John, the Disciple. Thomas offered to die with Jesus and then asked to see the proof that he had seen daily. Even Thomas creates more opportunities for Jesus, knowing all people fall short. I'm supremely blessed to be Beloved of God.

Abba, Father,

From the rising of the sun to its setting, 

the name of the Lord is to be Praised!

 Because of the tender mercy of our God, 

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light 

to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet

 into 

the way of peace. 

We pray for Peace

as a Nation

and as the world 

recovers from the loss of food

in Ukraine

and because of Pandemic Recovery

We pray for Peace

Victory over the warmonger

and the vengeful.

We'd like to see

Peace again in the Middle East

and for Ukraine

at the Border of the USA.

For Taiwan.

In the Highest Name of Jesus

we ask His Help.

Amen

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Thank you Jesus

John 18: 28-39 ~ The King of the Jews †

Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, 

transferred from the archaeological ruins of Pilate's Palace to the Vatican 

before 400 A.D.  

The stairs are the stone seen through the wood.

John 18:28-39

28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30 "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

31 Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."

"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34 "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

3 5"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"

Scala Sancta, Vatican, uncovered from the wooden coverings typically placed there.

To Pilate, this felt like he could lose standing with the Emperor. There was no Legion stationed in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate was only the rank of Equestrian, so he could not garrison a full legion under his command. Jerusalem was garrisoned by Cohors II Italica, it was only one Auxiliary cohort. Another, probably, at Caesarea.

Each of these auxiliary units would have been commanded by a tribune. There are 10 cohorts in a Legion and Judea had two cohorts.

Pilate had not wanted to go to Judea. 

Pilate would only be in Judea from 28 A.D. to 38 A.D. He wrote a famous letter to Claudius about Good Friday, referred to by historians of the day. Lost. 

The predecessor of Pilate....5th Governor of Judea

Valerius Gratus  4th Governor of Judea

He succeeded Annius Rufus in 15 and was replaced by Pontius Pilate in 26 or 28 A.D.

The government of Gratus, chiefly remarkable for many and frequent changes Gratus made in the appointment of the high-priesthood. Let that sink in.

He deposed Ananus, and substituted Ishmael ben Fabus, then Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith, and lastly Joseph Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus.

Pilate could have shoved this off on the High Priest. "

Ananias son of Nedebeus was a high priest who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, presided during the trials of the apostle Paul at Jerusalem. In Roman History, it's a fair assertion that Ananus of Roman History is Aramaic for Ananias. We could reconstruct a mental guess conversation, that did not take place.

Pilate would say to Ananias, he certainly looked comfortable being High Priest. And now it was time for Ananias to step forward and make his real employer, the Roman Empire, to become more comfortable and do what the High Priests have done, like Samuel, for centuries. To slay the unrighteous in their eyes. As Rome has done.

Pilate didn't want the backwaters of the suburb of their greater Roman Empire in Syria. Historians say the papers exist of his requests. And Pilate did make violence during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, during Holy Days. Pilate, constantly on the alert for insurrection.  Would have noticed events like Capernaum, all 3 thousand turning up the first day of Jesus' ministry. And then what Scriptures call the 'Large Crowd.' Still following Jesus to the widow of Nain's son being raised to life as Jesus merely touches the funeral bier. Which quickly became the "Great Crowd."

Yes, we can easily assert and find correct assumptions, Pilate knew from oral history as part of Israel, Messiah Claims cause death from Rome and from the History of both Israel and Judea.

 Instead, Pilate made a huge error, seeking his career and comfort. And he did this without planning. As if he didn't take the time to examine this huge mistake. We realize the lack of depth in Pilate. This was too easy.  If Pilate regretted what he was doing to the man who healed them all, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the leper, Pilate would have put as much thought as he did to the Holy Day murders by clubs, apparently by men dressed in Civilian clothes and later revealed as soldiers. Pilate saw the conclusion from the Great Crowd and the Large Crowd. And went with comfort and a jump to this decision.

Ascend.

Don't be Pilate. 

Jesus said He could call down 12 Legions of Angels. Stick with Jesus. His Angels arrive with memorable Style.

Abba, Yes, thank you, Father

For Jesus Christ

Messiah, Savior

of not the few

but of the world.

Draw us to You.

Oh, the places He would go. You uphold Life by Your Word.  A Beautiful Promise and Sure Truth. Life Forevermore in Jesus the Only Son of God. God is Truth.

Dwell in us

Dwell in the people we Love

Dwell in the people you have given us

Please, Father

Help us to seek You First

And we will finish well in Jesus Christ.

Jesus our Wonderful. Amen in Jesus Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yay Jesus