1 John 4 ~ we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us

 

Goal: Stay in the Lines. Get home.

1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.


7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, 

that 

God sent His only Son into the world, 

so that 

we might live through Him. 

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 

16 So we have come to know and to believe the Love that God has for us. 

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. 

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 

For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 

19 We love because He first loved us. 

20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Psalm 23

Surely goodness and mercy

are 

my footprints

all my days

And I find 1 John 4 accurate. Worthy. Trustworthy.

People will surprise you with goodness. People will let you down.

The people who Profess in their hearts and lives for Jesus Christ will go the extra mile. Or go more. And more. But usually when you know the heart of those who Love Jesus - you have goodness.

Make decisions affecting others - as a Christian - can be a challenge. But doing your best. With Jesus. Gives us the satisfaction of Joy, of Being Loved. Riding the waves with Honesty. Going to sleep at the end of the day - God promised to fill every iota. 

We can't do 3,000 pages of Scripture. We can do what we can do. God will do the God work.

Matthew 5:17-20

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. 
I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 

18 For I tell you truly, until Heaven and earth pass away, 

not a single jot, 

not a stroke of a pen, 

will disappear from the Law 

Until everything is accomplished. 

19 So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments

 and teaches others to do likewise 

will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; 

Whoever practices and teaches them 

will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven

Hebrews 1:3  

All things came into being through the Word, 

Who also upholds the universe 

by the Power of His Word

One of the Beauties of Optimistic Christianity - is really very profound.

I know people who had very terrible pain with age. 

Tendons, muscles, accident - wear and tear. One was a 90-year-old Uncle who believed water aerobics would help him. We prayed for him. The doctor told him - don't even consider improvement this will be endurance. He had a special chair to carry with him for back support. In two years of prayers, water aerobics - our Uncle announced he was entirely pain-free.

My back caused me agonies for about 5 years. I discovered back exercises and relaxed enough to have room for the Lord to heal me. That part of my back rarely bothers me, and I was told by an observer I had terrible arthritis and this would be my destiny. No, Thank God, it was not.

There is a vast difference in Optimistic Christianity. 

Even in Physical Pain - running high on the pain number chart.

I know my Aunt had terrible hip pain and was told in the last century to rest. She really was in pain. And she discovered aerobics in her 60s and found life was managed again.

I had a dream my Aunt Clarice went to Heaven.  

On earth, a person I met twice in Bible Study prayed for Aunt Clarice's hip to be healed. And I thought, I'm going to pray for this forever and it won't happen. I was 15. Went back to Bible Study and the young girl said, I know she is healed. Nope. And we went to see Clarice 2 or 3 years later and Clarice said I had a perfect day, and I knew you prayed for me. I felt absolutely awful. Really horrible. And time went by, I wish, so very deeply Clarice had told us about her perfect day thinking I had prayed for her. 

About 12 years later, I had the dream where I met Clarice, and she said, "Heaven IS ALL TRUE! ALL OF THIS! ALL!"  She said Jesus is behind you. Right now. He has your back. I asked Him you wouldn't have my hip pain. I think Jesus did agree. I took her hand and said, Thank you, I never have hip pain. And Clarice said, Now you don't. 

I spent 2018 in hip agony.  Sciatica. Cold water swimming helped me live again. And Thank God for Him. And for the grace of Clarice asking for His Help.  Thanks to the graciousness of God and Aunt Clarice. 

There is a vast difference in Optimistic Christianity.

 Even in Physical Pain - running high on the pain number chart.

I'm very, very, very happy to say Optimistic, Hopeful Christianity is a Bold and Alive Promise Today of Jesus Christ. When we believe we relax and are open to healing.

And the honesty to admit when we have harsh or cruel circumstance. The refreshing healing in being honest about pain in life.  We heal when we fully realize some of life is pain.  And the strength from honestly living the truth. We heal when we let our real selves see and feel what is obvious and true. 

Living Water of Jesus, available today. 

The Children of Israel did not fly across the Red Sea and they did not fly to the Promised Land. The Children of Israel walked. The Disciples walked a lot. Only once does Scripture report the ship arrived 'immediately.' Jesus told the father with his son, "Continued Prayer will fix this." Living Water is available today.

Abba, Father!

WE PRAY 

BLESSINGS 

Because every time, in Church,

we pray

"Be with us now, and in the hour of our passing"

You, Father,

answer

Prayer!

Thank You, Father.

WE PRAY

for

THE CHURCH

and

OUR NATION

To be 

the Voice

of LOVE

Joy, Peace, Patience,

Goodness,

Faithfulness,

gentleness

and

SELF CONTROL

And ask You

for appropriate leadership.

Let's pray

for the departure

of what

 is not good.

Both Church

and Nations

led by Jesus Christ and 

His Teachings

and Word. 

Working

and

Success

in Wholeness

and

Holiness

We Pray

Shining

The Light of Love Peace and Joy

upon

The Teachings of Jesus Christ.

God of Love

God of Encouragement

God of the Bible. 

All the Bible

in

Faith

Hope

and

LOVE

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You Jesus The Lord

† 

Matthew 25:31-46 ~ His Glorious

The Sycamore Fig trees of Israel and Africa 

have heart shaped leaves

grow to be 66 feet tall

have fruit year-round

Luke 19:1-10

 Jesus tells the tax collector Zacchaeus to, "Hurry and come down" 

From a Sycamore tree in Jericho.

John 1

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” 

Jesus answered him, 

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 

50 Jesus answered him, 

“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 

51 And He said to him, 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened, 

and the angels of God 

ascending and descending 

on 

The Son of Man.”

Believers have a warmth reading the description of God, seeing into our heart, and meeting Jesus in His Kingdom.

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His Glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 

Before Him will be gathered all the nations

and 

He will separate people one from another 

as a shepherd 

separates the sheep 

from the goats. 

33 And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, 

‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 

37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ 

40 And the King will answer them, 

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to One of the Least of these My Brothers, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will say to those on His left, 

‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 

44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 

45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to One of the Least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

And these verses remind us again of the ongoing discussion of the man asking to see a photo of Jesus standing at his hospital bed.  One of the helpers instead gave the man a photo of Jesus Himself in his hospital bed, reading the same book.

This passage is well known to most Christians. And very self-explanatory. 

People have said for millenniums, 

Christians are difficult to identify, they seem to act like everyone else.

Well, God probably knows this. 

The one portion I learned recently, sheep and goats tend to blend and are not very identifiable as they get to be teenagers and well-groomed adult sheep.  How will we tell the difference? 

Sheep keep their tails down, while goats always have their tails pointing straight up.

Goats

When we see cats and dogs do this tail indication, having a tail straight up says the animal is proud and determined. Leaving a trail for the scent to be found for mating and for the adversary who could well find and destroy the goat.  Goats can find their eating habits, and foraging, trap them in dense forestry or thorns.  Goats are far more likely to end up being destroyed by an adversary, eaten. And fight other goats very aggressively. Goats are known escape artists and more curious. Wandering. And again, more likely to meet their gory doom. Even as they protect themselves from one aggressor. 

Sheep have their tails down.

Which would indicate a more thinking concept of self-preservation. Sheep keep their food choices close to the ground.  Knowing that the food is close to the ground, the sheep can watch and eat. The sheep might wander off, lost in this thinking. And does not have the defensive nature even with adversaries. Sheep tend to fight other sheep.  Sheep are the farm animal of choice, usually, for wool and meat.

Psalm 23

Surely goodness and mercy

are my footprints

all my days

Abba, Father!

Dwell in me,

Dwell in us,

Dwell in those we Love,

Help us to seek You first.

And we will finish well, 

in Jesus Christ. 

Help us seek and find 

and bring,

to become,

 more Heaven

to this earth.

Thank You

for

our first grandbaby

Arriving this summer,

All Your Love

Blessings upon

this little one.

And in Jesus - This Hope.

Faith and Love - we will rise up Believing Jesus.

Thank You, Father.

Amen!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes, The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You, Jesus The Lord

† 

Psalm 30:5 ~ Joy

 

Psalm 30:5

For His anger is but for a moment, 

His favor is for life

 
Weeping 

may endure for a night, 

but 

Joy comes in the morning.

I was thinking about relationships, friendships, and the course of friendship.

 

In my life, having had times and seasons I led the parade and the party, the dinner club and the divine Bible Studies, leading to insight and fellowship, the youth ministry with pancakes, poker and pool swims.  And times of grieving and isolation.  Weeping and worry.

I volunteered for almost 4 years at Pro Life, and there the county psychologists met with their supervision. 

As we went into the coffee part of the building and meeting room, you could hear snippets of client situations the supervision knew well and good. Coaching on the psychologist's take and the supervisor who was well informed. It was cheery to hear how well the supervisor knew the clients of the discussion and the total driven care of well-being and healing. 

And Not as cheery was working side by side with the budding psychologists who went into their new career 'because.' These educated and newly employed, walked daily on the water of  "How-did-you-get-into-this-situation,- I'd-never. -I-plan-much-better-this! And-is-tedious-listening-to-your-trauma.-However,-I - la tea doe - will-offer-you-direction-you-almost-probably-won't-take."  

Psychologists deal with sorrow and repentance regularly. 

And so do Churches.  And Church calendars.  The difficulty we have today,  the goalposts of righteousness move from the end zone to the 50-yard line with arrogance and regularity. So much virtue regulation. And irregularities. And if we often hammer on repentance, it only sounds like construction hammers you distinctly tire of.

I strongly feel the craziness, crazies, of today, the bizarre language and double-speak meaning is from Parasitism. 

Relationships can become a car crash. Symbiotic. Trying to exist in close quarters when one person wants the entire space. Symbiotic is the involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.

Parasitism - a symbiotic relationship where one organism (parasite) lives on or inside another ( host), benefiting by deriving nutrients at the host's expense, often causing harm or death.

The idea of plague is, really is, Parasitism. 

Then. Hyperparasitism. Hyperparasitism occurs when a parasite is itself parasitized by another species. Instead of a simple two-level system (Parasite  Host), this creates a multi-trophic chain where a parasite feeds on another parasite, which in turn is feeding on a host. ..... ehem... "Horton Hears a Who."  Or Plague results because 

all the systems become a huge domino effect. 

When the nation has 2 friends. When everyone wants a home and marriage, but the birthrate falls. Rent and mortgage are the same cost. But you don't have a down payment. When your parents had as many college degrees as they wanted for what a car 'used to' cost. When Congress takes a vacation, walks out, screaming about problems from decades of discussion and no solution. And jams the airports, the hungry go hungry and tell us about what is FAIR.  As if, "Care" is the deal. 

When you call for a repair , and they tell you, they can't fix it, just get a new one. And you hear the trash is filled with washing machines.  But you owe half the cost of a new one to hear the diagnosis. You get a new refrigerator, and the person in the box store laughs, cars did cost this much, but now your refrigerator is going to run for 3 years. 

And this is... worldwide. Systems are falling into disorder. And the result is... Plague. Serfs equal slavery, equal no cleansing, equal no hope, equal Black Plague. 

When Churches advocate for Sin. Hell, yes, we are in the midst of Hyperparasitism.

Now, The Good News

God is God of Love

God of Encouragement

Help

Helper

Comfort

Comforter.

Romans 15:4

For whatever was written in former days 

was written for our instruction, 

that through endurance 

and 

through the encouragement of the Scriptures 

we might have 

Hope.

I sat in the middle of Completely Beautiful, Heavenly Church

led by the Rector of Good Faith.

Love Jesus, He Loves You as the Father does.

It was Lent. 2022. And the woman behind me almost cried when she heard it was Lent.  As the Church calendar called for repentance, she cried out in deep, real, emotion and said, "Haven't we had enough of constant sin speak?"  The woman behind us had all my total heart.  We had heard of every sin and every shame, shame, shame of the crazies.  We were in a Nation of suffering. And I was reminded that after World War II ended, many churches became empty because they did not cry out to the Living God for the miseries endured. It was just the Church calendar as usual.

Jesus calls us to, "FEED HIS SHEEP."

 

Jesus, The Christ of God. Who gave His Holy and Perfect Blood for us in a horrible and remorse filled Death, 

said He is, 

"I Am the Gate for the Sheep. 

Come in, I have pasture for you."

Now, let's look past the horrendous years we have endured. 

Not just the plague, the years when we know we all had begun to spin our wheels for all the upsets of dreams that fall into disagreement and dust. 

People began to routinely say to themselves, Look at the villains on, in, rolling around looking vastly tasty, —our entertainment. They are cool. They care for themselves and get money for nothing and chicks for free.  I have pain. I need substances. And we have the true substance rate of falling down in 1 of 3 people. 

And 2 friends.  

With the truth being, relationships vastly change every 5 years because change happens.  No more toddler parents. Now, child, at school, parents. No more single friends. Many weddings.  Then divorces. This job works. No more grandparents. Parents are no more. 

Faith. I did believe it. But the chips have fallen on the ground. Look at Bob, Sue, Mary suffering. And then Cad does so well. I think I believed. But this time, I am swinging all out for the home run. Me, finally. Me. Me. That felt good. That Jesus stuff is like wax on and wax off.  I'm James Bond. Om sorta. 

The problem with this, GIVING IT ALL AWAY  ---- it --- eats away at God giving a solution. 

To admire the earth as God's Good Creation. 

And believe earth can be the place His Will is done on earth, as in His Great Heaven.  

Why believe that?! You never really deserved His Blessing, might as well be James Bond! And reality will laugh,  aka reality bites,  and you are Austin Powers. Putz. 

It digs a hole, you fall in. And you gave the Greatness a God a fat kick. It thinks you are a hysterical ninny.  It really has a love of Karma. 

ANOTHER FINE THING to mention.

Repentance isn't the same prayer given routinely and the same time to say, Sorry.  

The song sounds like the horrendous song sung in the movie, "Friend Zone."

By the wonky pop star Samantha. "Forgiveness, is more than saying sorry. To forgive is divine. So let's have a glass of wine. And have make-up hmmm hmmm hmmm to the end of time, time, time, time, timmmmmmeee! Time."

Repentance is to say,

we know we are not all the time, God's best angel.  

We know we could be more diligent. Less us. More Jesus. 

We know we would like to please the Lord, but we do not.  And yet, we value, love, respect, admire, long for, the Goodness of The Lord God Almighty. 

And His Beloved Son to just help us to be with those who want to go there, with and when the saints go marching in. Where Jesus Reigns in Love, Joy and Righteousness. The Lord Dwelling and making His Life with ours with Hope and Abundant with Love.

Renew us, please, Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ's Love and Name for Lent to renew us in Your Love. Amen.

Luke 18: 1, 9-14

 Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought 

always to pray 

and not lose heart.

9 Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 

13 But the tax collector, 

standing far off, 

would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, 

but beat his breast, saying, 

‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, 

rather than the other. 

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Abba, Father!

Dwell in me,

Dwell in us,

Dwell in those we Love,

Help us to seek You first.

And we will finish well, 

in Jesus Christ. 

Help us seek and find 

and bring,

to become,

 more Heaven

to this earth.

Thank You

for

our first grandbaby

Arriving this summer,

All Your Love

Blessings upon

this little one.

And in Jesus - This Hope.

Faith and Love - we will rise up Believing Jesus.

Thank You, Father.

Amen!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes, The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You, Jesus The Lord

†