Comfort verses…22…Amos 9…

 Comfort verses….22…Amos 9…

Reading through the prophets in the Word is kind of a downer…there is so much rebellion and judgement for a rebellious people…there are great promises and ultimate victory as well…and there are sometimes when it is nice to read the last chapter for the happy ending…

Amos 9 has that happy ending…comforting…

 “In that day“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken wallsand restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edomite and all the nations that bear my name,”declares the Lord, who will do these things. 

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes.

New wine will drip from the mountains-and flow from all the hills,  and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.

“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.

They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;they will make gardens and eat their fruit. 

I will plant Israel in their own land,never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,”says the Lord your God.

Amos.9.11-15

 I found out I need another surgery this coming week…after last summer, I thought I had had enough, but no….so looking at the comfort verses again…

A few…the victory…

 “To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit” (Jonah 2:6 NIV).

 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Num.6.24-26

 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,for by the Lord upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old,yet I have not seen the righteous forsakenor his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously,and his children become a blessing.

Ps.37.23-26

Jesus, my healer…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IJoUkOoKp1s

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Sing to God a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth! (Isaiah 42:9-10 NIV)

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14 NIV).

 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;for you will forget the shame of your youth,and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband,the Lord of hosts is his name;and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,the God of the whole earth he is called.

Isa.54.4-5

Thank YOU….

Restore and redeem…

 

Restore and redeem…

Hosea 3 is a very short little chapter…but it packs a pinch of information…Hosea buying back his wife from someone or slavery…Israel’s exile, restoration, and coming back to the Lord…at some period of time…

It reminded me of the Book of Romans and believers slavery, redemption…our gift of eternal life with Christ…

I am so glad God repeats his love, his redemption over and over again through out the Bible…He loves us so much…

Thank YOU…

 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 

(The price Hosea paid for his wife was significant.The reason for the payment was because she probably had become the legal property of another man or because she was being redeemed from service as a cult prostitute.

As for the price Hosea paid for his wife, the amount seems to correspond to the price paid for a slave according to the law of the goring ox: “If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver” (Exodus 21:32).According to Leviticus 27:4, thirty shekels of silver was also the value of a woman when calculating the fulfillment of a vow.

Since Hosea paid half of the price in silver and half in grain, it is possible that he did not have enough silver to pay the price asked for his wife, thus he paid half of the price in silver and half of the price in kind.According to Powell, the price paid by Hosea “suggests that the underlying homer had 10 parts and the letech (sic) 5, i.e., 15 ephah, and that 1 ephah = 1 shekel.”Thus, 1 homer was equal to 10 shekels.Since Hosea only had 15 shekels of silver, he also gave a homer and a lethech of barley, which was the equivalent to the 15 shekels of silver which he lacked.)

https://claudemariottini.com/2009/03/05/how-much-did-hosea-pay-for-his-wife-2/

Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” 

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. 

Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. 

They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

Hos.3.1-5

 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 

I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. 

Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom.6.15-23

Bring me back…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPBy61yrpEI

Adultery….

 Adultery…

Back when I was taking seminary classes, one course was on problems you would face in ministry…there was a whole list of them…I wrote about pornography in a blog awhile back…adultery was another…

And it came into my office several times…women whose husbands had wandered, walked away…some marriages made a come back while others were shattered…shattering wives, husbands, children…distrust, unhappiness unforgiveness, a myriad of other emotions and hurts…effecting generations…the tears, the anger…just the memories of those times makes me cry…I rejoiced with the reconciliations, but there was always an underlying feeling of “will this last?”…

The book of Hosea has that same feeling…Hosea, whose name means “salvation “ is called by God to speak and not only to speak but to live out the words that God gives him…a picture of God whose loves his people even when they turn their back on Him….an eternal story that is as good today as it was hundreds of years ago…God’s love, redemption from sin…consequences, but love…

 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”

Hos.1.1-2

I love that the scriptures do not white wash real life…even the hard places…real life, real people, real problems, with a real solution…

Thank YOU…

“Do you know the saving power of God, now offered to us through His Son, Jesus? If so, as a redeemed child of God, have you offered “redemption” or forgiveness to those in your life who were once under your judgment? Not only does the book of Hosea provide an example of God’s love to a people who have left God behind, but it also shows us what forgiveness and restoration look like in a close relationship. The book of Hosea illustrates that no one is beyond the offer of our forgiveness because no one sits outside God’s offer of forgiveness. Certainly, God brings judgment on those who turn from Him, but Hosea’s powerful act of restoration within his own marriage set the bar high for those of us seeking godliness in our lives.”

https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-minor-prophets/hosea

Heart that forgives…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUV5T9JIJZ0

Bible verses and scriptures for Memorial Day…

 Bible verses and scriptures for Memorial Day…from 

Biblestudytools.com

Thank you all who have served and are serving …

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Josh.1.9

 The Lord gives strength to his people;the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Ps.29.11

 We wait in hope for the Lord;he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice,for we trust in his holy name.

Ps.33.20-21

 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most Highwill rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

Ps.91.1-3

  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John.14.27

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John.15.13

 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom.8.38-39

 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

1Cor.16.13

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2Cor.9.8

 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Eph.6.11-18

Thank YOU….

Memorial Day Tribute…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-ZCvBct6lA

Beneath the flag…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcfKy3a9YY

 

Psalm 25…

 Psalm 25….

Since today is the 25, I thought about Psalm 25….so much “meat”….

(Parentheses are mine.)

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/psalms/25.htm

 Psalm 25:1

A Psalm of David. Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.

Do I lift up my soul - His soul was cast down, and by prayer and faith he endeavours to lift it up to God.

( 72 psalms speak of enemies…my study Bible reminds me that people are not the only enemy..money, lust, temptations are our enemy as well…Satan being the worst… 

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. 

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 

Fight the good fight of the faith. 

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

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

1Tim.6.11,1Tim.6.12,2Tim.2.22)

Psalm 25:2

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

I trust in thee - I depend upon thy infinite goodness and mercy for my support and salvation.

Let me not be ashamed - Hide my iniquity, and forgive my guilt.

( When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.

Isa.43.2)

Psalm 25:3

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Let none that wait on thee be ashamed - Though he had burden enough of his own, he felt for others in similar circumstances, and became an intercessor in their behalf.

Transgress without cause - Perhaps בוגדים bogedim may here mean idolatrous persons. "Let not them that wait upon and worship thee be ashamed: but they shall be ashamed who vainly worship, or trust in false gods." See Malachi 2:11-16. The Chaldeans have evil entreated us, and oppressed us: they trust in their idols, let them see the vanity of their idolatry…

( Our soul waits for the Lord;he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him,because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,even as we hope in you.

Ps.33.20-22)

Psalm 25:4

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Show me thy ways - The psalmist wishes to know God's way, to be taught his path, and to be led into his truth. He cannot discern this way unless God show it; he cannot learn the path unless God teach it; and he cannot walk in God's truth unless God lead him: and even then, unless God continue to teach, he shall never fully learn the lessons of his salvation; therefore he adds, "Lead me in thy truth, and teach me;" Psalm 25:5.

That he may get this showing, teaching, and leading, he comes to God, as the "God of his salvation;" and that he may not lose his labor, he "waits on him all the day." Many lose the benefit of their earnest prayers, because they do not persevere in them. They pray for a time; get remiss or discouraged; restrain prayer; and thus lose all that was already wrought for and in them.

( Lead me in the path of your commandments,for I delight in it. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Ps.119.35,Ps.119.105

 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Jas.1.5-8

Am I serious about really wanting to know God’s ways?)

Psalm 25:5

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

On thee do I wait - This is the line in which ו vau, the sixth letter in the order of the alphabet, is lost; for the line begins with א aleph, אותך othecha, "on thee." But four of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. have ואותך veothecha, "And upon thee." This restores the lost ו vau, which signifies "and." The Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Arabic, Ethiopic, and Anglo-Saxon, preserve it.

Psalm 25:6

Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving-kindness - The word רחמים rachamim, means the commiseration that a man feels in his bowels at the sight of distress. The second word, חסדים chasadim, signifies those kindnesses which are the offspring of a profusion of benevolence.

They have been ever of old - Thou wert ever wont to display thyself as a ceaseless fountain of good to all thy creatures.

( But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Titus.3.4-6)

Psalm 25:7

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

Remember not the sins of my youth - Those which I have committed through inconsiderateness, and heat of passion.

According to thy mercy - As it is worthy of thy mercy to act according to the measure, the greatness, and general practice of thy mercy; so give me an abundant pardon, a plentiful salvation.

For thy goodness' sake - Goodness is the nature of God; mercy flows from that goodness.

 (Bless the Lord, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with goodso that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Ps.103.2-5)

Psalm 25:8

Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Good and upright is the Lord - He is good in his nature, and righteous in his conduct.

Therefore will he teach sinners - Because he is good, he will teach sinners, though they deserve nothing but destruction: and because he is right, he will teach them the true way.

( I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Ps.32.8)

Psalm 25:9

The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

The meek will he guide - ענוים anavim, the poor, the distressed; he will lead in judgment - he will direct them in their cause, and bring it to a happy issue, for he will show them the way in which they should go.

( But the meek will inherit the land-and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Ps.37.11)

Psalm 25:10

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

All the paths of the Lord - ארחות orchoth signifies the tracks or ruts made by the wheels of wagons by often passing over the same ground. Mercy and truth are the paths in which God constantly walks in reference to the children of men; and so frequently does he show them mercy, and so frequently does he fulfill his truth that his paths are earnestly discerned. How frequent, how deeply indented, and how multiplied are those tracks to every family and individual! Wherever we go, we see that God's mercy and truth have been there by the deep tracks they have left behind them. But he is more abundantly merciful to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies; i.e. those who are conformed, not only to the letter, but to the spirit of his pure religion.

( And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

2John.1.6)

Psalm 25:11

For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon - I have sinned; I need mercy; there is no reason why thou shouldst show it, but what thou drawest from the goodness of thy own nature.

( If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1John.1.9)

Psalm 25:12

What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

That feareth the Lord - Who has a proper apprehension of his holiness, justice, and truth; and who, at the same time, sees himself a fallen spirit, and a transgressor of God's holy law, and consequently under the curse. That is the person that truly and reverently fears God.

Him shall he teach - Such a person has a teachable spirit.

The way that he shall choose - The way that in the course of Providence he has chosen, as the way in which he is to gain things honest in the sight of all men; God will bless him in it, and give him as much earthly prosperity as may be useful to his soul in his secular vocation.

( But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

Ps.33.18)

Psalm 25:13

His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

His soul shall dwell at ease - בטוב תלין betob talin, "shall lodge in goodness;" this is the marginal reading in our version; and is preferable to that in the text.

His seed shall inherit - His posterity shall be blessed. For them many prayers have been sent up to God by their pious fathers; and God has registered these prayers in their behalf.

Psalm 25:14

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

The secret of the Lord is with them - טוד sod, the secret assembly of the Lord is with them that fear him; many of them have a Church in their own house.

He will show them his covenant - He will let them see how great blessings he has provided for them that love him. Some refer this to the covenant of redemption by Christ Jesus.

Psalm 25:15

Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord - All my expectation is from him alone. If I get at any time entangled, he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Psalm 25:16

Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.

Turn thee unto me - Probably the prayer of the poor captives in Bablyon, which is continued through this and the remaining verses.

( Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;in your great mercy turn to me. 

Do not hide your face from your servant;answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. 

Come near and rescue me;deliver me because of my foes.

Ps.69.16-18)

Psalm 25:17

The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

The troubles of may heart are enlarged - The evils of our captive state, instead of lessening, seem to multiply, and each to be extended.

( one thing leads to another and another)

Psalm 25:18

Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

Look upon mine affliction - See my distressed condition, and thy eye will affect thy heart.

Forgive all my sins - My sins are the cause of all my sufferings; forgive these.

This is the verse which should begin with the letter ק koph; but, instead of it, we have ר resh both here, where it should not be, and in the next verse where it should be. Dr. Kennicott reads קומה kumah, "arise," and Houbigant, קצר ketsar, "cut short." The word which began with ק koph has been long lost out of the verse, as every version seems to have read that which now stands in the Hebrew text.

 (It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”

 2Sam.16.12)

Psalm 25:19

Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Consider mine enemies - Look upon them, and thou wilt see how impossible it is that I should be able to resist and overcome them. They are many, they hate me, and their hatred drives them to acts of cruelty against me.

( Lord, how many are my foes!How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me,“God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me,my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

  Ps.3.1-3)

Psalm 25:20

O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

O keep my soul - Save me from sin, and keep me alive.

Let me not be ashamed - He ends as he began; see Psalm 25:2 : "Let me not be confounded, for I put my trust in thee."

( Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;save your servant who trusts in you.You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord,for I call to you all day long.

Ps.86.2-3

Psalm 25:21

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.

Let integrity and uprightness - I wish to have a perfect heart, and an upright life. This seems to be the meaning of these two words.

 (Because of my integrity you uphold meand set me in your presence forever.

Ps.41.12)

Psalm 25:22

Deliver Israel, oh God, from all their troubles…

( He himself will redeem Israelfrom all their sins.

Ps.130.8)

Psalm 25 song…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-9ZpEuUhSVc&pp=ygUNcHNhbG0gMjUgc29uZw%3D%3D

 Thank You troops for all you do…

I was reading about some of the American Japanese during World War Two…in context to many who remained  faithful through the brutality that they faced just because they were Japanese…

 I know I have said this before…but will repeat it again…

My father was in high school in central California when the war was raging…farm kids, town kids, all races, sizes and shapes, rich, poor…he told the story of coming to school one day and all of the Japanese students were missing…he cried every time he told that story…his friends, classmates were gone and sent away to the interment camps…most he never saw again…

We face Memorial Day celebrations this weekend…we thank  those who serve with faithfulness, courage…those who serve both God and country…

Thank YOU…

 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!     

The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” 

I will not die but live,and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 

The Lord has chastened me severely,but he has not given me over to death. 

Open for me the gates of the righteous;I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 

This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me;you have become my salvation.

Ps.118.1521

 Our help is in the name of the Lord,the Maker of heaven and earth.

Ps.124.8

 We wait in hope for the Lord;he is our help and our shield. 

In him our hearts rejoice,for we trust in his holy name. 

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,even as we put our hope in you.

Ps.33.20-22

 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the Lord,the Maker of heaven and earth.

Ps.121.1-2

World War II Japanese American Incarceration: Mass Removal and Incarceration | National Archives

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/injustice-japanese-americans-internment-camps-resonates-strongly-180961422/

https://www.uidaho.edu/class/anthrolab/collections/aacc/research/kooskia

https://time.com/6209972/japanese-americans-fought-world-war-ii-history/

Plus so much more…

The battle hymn of the republic…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy6AOGRsR80

Thinking about Jonah…

 Thinking about Jonah….

I woke up thinking about Jonah, four small chapters about a man who was called by God to do a specific task, tried to run from God, thrown overboard from a ship, caught by a whale, spit out by the whale, finally obeyed God’s call, then was angry because the people heeded God’s warning…is he human or what????

“It’s easy to hold high ideals when we aren’t tested. It’s when we are tested that they count…that’s the measure of a person”…Rachel Druten…

Or the saying about what do we do in “secret”…when others aren’t watching…are we a Christian then as well as in public?

One of the articles said…”God has no problem  removing you from your comfort one”…I am sure many of us can attest to that…and so much more….

Jonah may be a small book, but it has big lessons…these are some readings…all so good…I know many convicted my heart…and I had to remember Jonah was not put into the Word by mistake about a rebellious man…

Plus, we see God’s amazing salvation through repentance…his amazing love …

Thank YOU…

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2Tim.3.16-17

Amazing Grace…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-4NFvI5U9w

https://becomingchristians.com/2019/11/24/13-best-lessons-we-can-learn-from-jonah/

https://thinkaboutsuchthings.com/life-lessons-jonah/

https://biblical-christianity.com/life-lessons-from-jonah

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/explore-the-bible/3-hard-learned-lessons-from-the-book-of-jonah.html

A work in progress…bitterness…

 

A work in progress….Bitterness….

…..

As much as I would like to say that my husband and I had the perfect marriage, I cannot in all truth say that…we were two individuals, he the baby of the family-me the only…he outgoing-me reticent….he the procrastinator-me the let’s get this thing done…he the extrovert-me the introvert….etc…etc….etc…we talked and prayed through so many things over the years…we didn’t always agree…and when he made decisions I didn’t agree with, I was angry, resentful and bitter…and that bitterness ate at my soul and our marriage until it was resolved…

These memories came to forefront again as I read Jonah 4…bitterness, anger…and we don’t know if Jonah resolved that with God or not…the book leaves us hanging…Jonah was a work in progress just like everyone else…God had the last say…as He always does…His mercy, grace shows  through…

Thank YOU…

“Bitterness

Exhibiting intense animosity

: harshly reproachful

: marked by cynicism and rancor,” Merriam-Webster.com

“What does the Bible say about bitterness? Bitterness is defined as anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly. It is synonymous with resentment and envy. “ Bible study tools…

 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Jonah.4.1-11 

 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”

Acts.8.23

 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Col.3.8

 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Eccl.7.9

 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Eph.4.26-27

 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Mark.11.25

Even from the cross, Jesus forgave …mercy…

 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Luke.23.34

 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1John.1.5-9

Forgiveness…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9J6xOT3Ldw

Go…

 Go….

One of my photo memories that showed  up this morning was one of my favorites of my husband…we were in Asia working with teens in a high school, just practicing English using parables from the Word…each day we each, along with 10 others, had classes of 15-20 teens who  wanted more English practice…what fun…we did activities with them, they in turn took us out for lunch, to the zoo, to their temple, walk abouts…they asked questions and we in turn asked questions…talked and talked…

My husband and I walked a lot as well…when not preparing for the next sessions…this picture was an elementary school class which we met…the teacher approached and asked for we would talk to her students as well…they were learning English too. So whenever we were out and about, the people would approach to talk…we never got to talk directly about God, because we were forbidden to bring him up, but they could ask questions of us…

We met early morning street venders, purchased fresh food, signing for whatever we needed…late afternoon venders, watched fresh bread makers , fruit and vegetable farmers, school supply sellers, clothing-new and used, building support….for most, we were the first Americans they had ever seen…

Reading about Jonah traversing the city of Nineveh, it must have been similar, talking to people along the way…proclaiming God by deeds and actions, Words, for him…spreading the Good News…people realizing their need for change…

As word reached the king, he made a proclamation as well for change…

We were able to eat lunch with one of the officials, the superintendent of the schools…what a an honor that he bestowed upon us…

Everyone knew why we were there, the unspoken “secret” of spreading the Good news…we won’t know until heaven what kind of ground the seed of the Word fell upon…not like Nineveh’s reaction…

Thank YOU for the opportunity to go and tell…

  Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Jonah.3.1-3a

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isa.6.8

 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I set you apart;I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. 

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Jer.1.4-10

 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matt.28.18-20

People Need The Lord - Steve Green [With Lyrics]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_i93ysKZeR4

It’s the pit…

 It’s the pits…

Pits, wells, cisterns, dens, tombs, jails…..praise…

This past  week  I have  talked to many who are going  there a “pit” time…those times when we feel like we are down in the “dumps, the pit of desperation “…sometimes it is hard to even look up to the light…

Here’s Jonah, thrown overboard, only to be caught by a whale for three days…and what does he say, …”but You, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit…”

What better words to say or hear…, You, Lord my God”

 He said:“In my distress I called to the Lord,and he answered me.From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths,into the very heart of the seas,and the currents swirled about me;all your waves and breakersswept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight;yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me,the deep surrounded me;seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down;the earth beneath barred me in forever.

But you, Lord my God,brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away,I remembered you, Lord,and my prayer rose to you,to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise,will sacrifice to you.What I have vowed I will make good.I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”Jonah.2.2-9

Looking through the Word, there were many who experienced the

“Pit”…who gave praise to their Lord…

Here’s Joseph, thrown into the pit by jealous brothers…experiencing family separation for years, thrown into jail, falsely accused…but, finally saying, “God meant it for good”…and was revered enough to have  his bones carried to the promise land when  the Israelites journeyed in the desert for 40 years…

 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 

Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

Gen.37.21-24

Or Job…tested and tried, by Satan, “friends”…

 God has delivered me from going down to the pit,and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’ “God does all these things to a person—twice, even three times— to turn them back from the pit,that the light of life may shine on them.

Job.33.28-30

Or David, anointed king, but spit upon, harassed, chased, the object of a killer, lost friend, grief, sinner, …only to elevated to the lineage of the World’s Saviour..

 I will exalt you, Lord,for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help,and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;you spared me from going down to the pit.

Ps.30.1-3

 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire;he set my feet on a rockand gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Ps.40.2-3

 Praise the Lord, my soul,and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sin and  heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit-and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Ps.103.2-5

Or Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, thrown into a pit to starve, saved to proclaim the truth..

 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Jer.38.6,Jer.38.10,Jer.38.11-13

Or Daniel…thrown into the lions den by jealous leaders…only to be at peace and show the king that God was real, a savior …

  So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in him

Dan.6.16,Dan.6.19-23

Or Paul, over and over, jailed, flogged, persecuted…for his testimony of Jesus as Saviour…who counted it all gain for the sake of the Cross of Christ…

 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Acts.16.22-31

And the most important “pit”…the empty tomb…

Christ was beaten, crucified, buried and rose again…He took our “pit,  our burden, our sin”…and we don’t have to live in that pit anymore…by believing in the Lord Jesus …we are saved… 

 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! 

Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Luke.23.50-54, Luke.24.1-7

Thank YOU…

The love of God…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnvmKoLWUU

Because it’s wickedness has come to me….

 Because its wickedness has come to me….

Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Isaiah wrote during the time of the Kings after the split of Israel and Judah….following Solomon’s reign…

“ they began collecting their prophecies and writing them under God’s direction…they continued to preach about world wide significance of God’s work as they looked forward to the future spiritual kingdom. God would use Israel’s moral and spiritual decline to prepare the way of the Messiah’s coming. Because the kingdom and military power of Israel was stripped away, many people would be ready to turn to the Good  News that Jesus would bring.” Bible notes… 

(Doesn’t this sound like modern times?)

500 hundred plus miles….across deserts, arid miles of going somewhere that you don’t want to go to…dragging your feet in the sand, in anger, saying, “but, God!”….obedience isn’t always easy…facing the enemy, a wicked, wicked, heartless people… why me?….why them?….Jonah ….

I wonder if he thought about Noah…God destroyed the world because of their wickedness…couldn’t He do that instead of saving it…or Lot with Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroyed those cities..…did he really have to send him to such a wicked place…was God in His sovereignty going to have mercy on Nineveh…?

Maybe if I run away, going as far as I can, He will change his mind…but, no, not going to happen ….

David wrote, long before Jonah…

     the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,that they are but a breath.

Ps.94.11

 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. 

You search out my path and my lying downand are acquainted with all my ways. 

Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 

You hem me in, behind and before,and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;it is high; I cannot attain it. 

Where shall I go from your Spirit?Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 

If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me. 

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day,for darkness is as light with you.

Ps.139.2-12

We can’t get away from God…he gives us breath…Words of his heart…why fight it or Him?

Thank YOU….

Oh no, you never let go…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRWDwIQFR1k

Kings, prophets and wedding…

 Kings, prophets and weddings…

What a combination…

Starting to read through the prophets, long with the various kings of Judah and Israel, I get lost in the timing of where each fit together…so I look at charts to get a time frame…I know it will never completely stick in my mind, but, it helps temporarily…

But, I was  also thinking of June, summer weddings, flowers , etc…

Weddings, floral design, planning were a fun part of my life…spending time with bridal couples, envisioning and planning their weddings was great fun…loss of sleep, stress which were also part of the equation wasn’t so fun…but, the good times made up for…the months, weeks leading up to the wedding were exciting, most of the time, joyous…a new adventure for a newly forming household, chapter in the lives of these precious people…

Beginning to read through the Old Testament prophets isn’t so fun, there  are dire consequences,warnings, horrible/graphic pictures…few rosy portrayals of wicked people…

One of the hard truths of weddings, is that not all of them lead to successful life and happiness…it is heartbreaking to hear of and know that there are divorces, breakups within months, years of that once happy wedding …pain of people’s hurts, disappointments alter the ceremony’s promises…consequences of past decisions, unresolved pain, etc…erupt into explosive events….

As in the prophets, we experience the hardness of life…

But, there are promises to unfold at some God chosen time for those who put their trust in Him…hidden nuggets of future unparalleled life ….

Yes, there are consequences of turning from God, but, there are promises in turning  to Him…He keeps his…a wedding like no other …

Thank YOU…

 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come,and his bride has made herself ready. 

Fine linen, bright and clean,was given her to wear.”(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” 

And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Rev.19.7-9

When God made you…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sxpM1d1wxes&pp=ygUXQ2hyaXN0aWFuIHdlZGRpbmcgc29uZ3M%3D

Gruesome prophecy and consequences….

 Gruesome prophecy and consequences….

The Bible isn’t necessarily a g rated book…not by a long shot…

There are bad , evil things, events, problems, prophecies, people..as well as great wonderful people, promises, amazing events…

Sometimes we tend to just want  the good and skip the grizzly gruesome stuff…I know I do…I want the peace and prosperity, the wonderful promises, the good people…but the isn’t the balance of the Word…there is good with the bad…the battles with the triumphs…all there for teaching and reproof for our faith growing times…

Reading to my husband in his dying days, I read the Psalms…I wanted comfort…but, even as David wrote of God’s comfort, he wrote of hard times…times we may not understand…times we my not want…I am glad He goes with me….

Thank YOU…

  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.

Isa.43.2

 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Rom.5.1-5, Rom.5.8,Rom.5.11

 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

2Cor.1.7

 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Jas.5.7,Jas.5.10-11

Prophecy and fulfillment….

 The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 

They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. 

They will leave you no grain, new wine or olive oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. 

They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you. Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you. 

Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. 

The most gentle and sensitive woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. 

For in her dire need she intends to eat them secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities.

Deut.28.49-57

 Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?”She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.” When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”

2Kgs.6.24-31

Time….

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nNjvUjwRm1o&pp=ygUEVGltZQ%3D%3D

Comfort food….

 

comfort food

: food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental, Merriam-Webster online….


food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being….Oxford online…

Comfort verses….21….

There are just times when only comfort “food” fills the void….

Several  places say those foods with high caloric content, sugars…associated with home cooking, childhood… sentimental, nostalgic…food we eat when sad or worried, give a sense of emotional well-being, positive memories….help deal with stress, anxiety, bring,  joy.. .triggers a feel good emotion, contentment…

“Lots of online definitions “….

Comfort for the soul comes from the Word…a few for today…

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4 NKJV).

“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves” (Zephaniah 3:17a NIV).

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV).

“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (Luke 7:13 NIV).

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV).

 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

John.10.28-29

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18 NIV). 

“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV).

Thank YOU…

Bless the Lord….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

Godly contentment…

 Godly contentment….

We were studying 2 Samuel 7, a pivotal chapter…God’s promises to David that affect all of history…

David loved the Lord so much, he wanted to build a house for God…he had one of his own and wanted to honor God with His own…not that you can contain God in a house built by man…

But God basically said, “ I am okay with no temple built by you…I have another plan…I have a plan for your family that extends forever….”

There is so much more to this chapter…but, it just hit me about contentment again…And God’s plans…David was to be content with what God planned for him…just as we are are…

There are times in distress or even great happiness or hardship, I want my own plans…but, I have to be content with what God’s plans are for me…He is in control, he knows all, sees all, is everywhere, etc…the God of comfort, care, provision, compassion, etc…and He knows my frame-he made it…

God told Jeremiah…

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jer.29.11-13

Paul tells the Corinthians…the Philippians…Timothy…the Galations…

 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2Cor.12.10

 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Phil.4.11

 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

1Tim.6.6,8

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Gal.5.22-26

Or to the Hebrew Christians…

 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,“The Lord is my helper;I will not fear;what can man do to me?”

Heb.13.5-6

Thank YOU…

Contentment…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkG2rrE0PW0

Out of the mouth of babes…

 “Out of the mouths of babes…”

This saying comes from Psalm 8:2…we say it when a child or young person says something profound, wise or even funny…

David said it in psalms and Jesus brought up the saying in the New Testament….

Reading about the Israelite servant girl to Naaman’s wife in 2 Kings 5…she said something profound as well…her belief in a prophet, Elisha, whom she believed could heal this mighty commander of the enemy army. Even though she was a slave girl, probably captured when the armies raided one another, there must have been some trust between them…and she was able to speak up…bring truth the Naaman’s household…and because her words, that commander become a believer in God…a young girl brought words to change their lives…” out of the mouth of babes”…

It is sooooo important to give our children the Word…they take it in simply…they believe simply…

Thank YOU…

 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies,to silence the foe and the avenger.

Ps.8.2

 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,“‘From the lips of children and infantsyou, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

Matt.21.16

 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 

So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.”

2Kgs.5.2-4

  Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. 

He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” 

The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” 

And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 

But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

2Kgs.5.15-18

 For you, O Lord, are my hope,my trust, O Lord, from my 

 O God, from my youth you have taught me,and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

Ps.71.5,Ps.71.17

 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 

But the Lord said to me,“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them,for I am with you to deliver you,declares the Lord.”

Jer.1.6-8

 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Dan.1.17

 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

1Tim.4.12

 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Matt.19.13-15

Psalm 8….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPSv8vredVs

https://www.gotquestions.org/out-of-the-mouth-of-babes.html

Better water…

 Better water….

The other day, I was drinking water out of a purchased water bottle and someone commented, “you know that company fills their bottle with recycled water, don’t you?”…

(I didn’t research it later to find out if that was true of not…)

But in various homes I have lived in , many had a water filtering systems of one kind or another to take care of various types of water, and even now, my refrigerator has a filter system as part of its mechanism….

One of my friends use to work with various countries with their desalination projects…filtering sea water to make it potable drinking water…

When we went to Jericho, we saw the spring of water…when you looked across the plain below to the Dead Sea…the fields were still fruitful from those springs…”Elisha’s Springs”…

We have come a long way from Moses…

 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

Exod.15.22-25a

Elisha…

 The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”

“Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “

This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 

And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

2Kgs.2.19-22

Jesus…

 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John.2.6-11

James…

 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

Jas.3.11

The best water….

 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

John.4.13-14, 26

 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. 

On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Rev.22.1-2

 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Rev.21.6

We still need that life giving water..that only Jesus gives…

Thank YOU…

(Sorry, my dog is whining…sure enough his water dish was empty…he needs water , too)

 Living water…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q82lV1X4kQY

Spring up, oh well… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OWlD0mMKU

Old westerns…

   Old westerns…

In my real early years, we lived on ranches, some  a bit remote and others near to some civilization…we finally got a tv when I was in 3 rd grade…the genre of the time was westerns and musicals…there may have been more, but, we got what we got just because of where we were living…as my father was a cowboy, working on ranches, we watched a lot of  westerns and we watched musicals because my mother was a music teacher at the time…

It seemed like the theme was good versus evil somewhere in the script…the big greedy rancher wanting the poor honest farmer’s land next door…and of course a love story intertwined somehow…the theme really hasn’t changed over the millennia…

So reading about Ahab and Naboth…

Naboth, the farmer next door, and Ahab, the rich greedy king…greed, jealousy, trickery, murder, lies, intrigue….consequences and even some repentance…

 There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife.

1Kgs.21.25

We still have these kings, these poor farmers, honest people, greedy people…evil versus good…the story goes on until God puts a stop to it…and he promises to do that…

We still have to  choose whom we will be, whom we will serve…

Thank YOU…

1Kings 21:1-29

Abide…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO3ZSrbPLcE

Thinning 2025….

 Thinning 2025…

It is time to thin peaches again at my house, my little trees…I think every flower was pollinated, thanks to warm days and the gift of bees…and a providing God…

So I take a little bucket out for a while each day and thin the peaches…

I have to say this is emotionally hard for me to do…every one of those baby peaches has such potential…they could be tasty fruit when ripened…but, with so many, they break the branches or whole limbs and eventually kill the tree…not good…so I have to pare them down to produce the best fruit…

God gives the growth…

Yesterday, God brought to mind Gideon with all of his army…and how God pared it down to 300 men from thirty-two thousand….and those with minimal war supplies… 

God fought for them…God gave the victory…

 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. 

The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 

The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” 

So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 

Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 

The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others….

Judg.7.1-8a

And then, I thought of our Gardener…God…how he prunes, provides…care for each one us…I wonder if it pains him to prune us to bear more fruit…even though he knows the outcome is so much better…He make things good…

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. 

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 

Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 

This is my command: Love each other.

John.15.1-17

 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Heb.12.11

Thank YOU…

God help me…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_pgGgHVxPg

Influencer…

 

Influencer…

The other night I watched a movie about a person who was a fashion influencer …you know, one who idolizes the world, fashions, selfies, self importance, pleasures of the world, the must-haves and shares with it via social media…(I didn’t know that)…although tv ads, Facebook ads, etc. influence our everyday lives…from deodorant to cars to fashion to perfume to________.

But, back to movie…this influencer, through a series of life events, prayers of her parents, God’s grace found a much more satisfying, life changing way of influencing…showing God’s love to others, kindness, care, compassion…her life was changed…and those around her were blessed as well…

“A true influencer is how you positively affect others…”

The whole Bible is full of influencers…both for the good and the bad…we meet people everyday whom  we influence and who influence us…we read about influencers….the list goes on…those whose lives effect the neighborhood, the states, the nation, the world…those whose lives we venerate, tolerate or  despise…

God calls us to himself…to be a light for Him, to show mercy, kindness, compassion, self control, forgiveness, grace…to walk worthy…

Thank YOU….

  Therefore this is what the Lord says:“If you repent, I will restore you-that you may serve me;if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,you will be my spokesman.

Let this people turn to you,but you must not turn to them.

Jer.15.19

 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Col.1.9-12

 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

1Thess.2.11-13

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Gal.5.22-26

I know a name…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wJKiOEdUsk

Cloaks….

 Cloaks…

It seems like there have been several major Christian organizations, churches that have changed hands these last few years…some successful and others not so much….the founders have aged out, retired and have wanted to hand over the mantle to the next generation…this is hard in some instances….different vision, new Technology, different lifestyles…a multitude of changes…even though they serve the same God…

It happens in families as one generation passes the baton to the next…or government, businesses, etc…change…updating…

I thought of several whose leaders “threw” their cloaks on their successors as Elijah did to Elisha…we give the leadership to another…we take off our “comfort, protection “ and hand it over…we desire a garment  of praise over  despair…we are given a robe of righteousness/salvation to meet the Lord….

Thank YOU….

 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

1Kgs.19.19

 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 

Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. 

Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

2Kgs.2.11-13

 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,and the helmet of salvation on his head;he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

Isa.59.17

 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed me-to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,the oil of joy instead of mourning,and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,a planting of the Lordfor the display of his splendor.

Isa.61.1-3

 I delight greatly in the Lord;my soul rejoices in my God.For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isa.61.10

 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Matt.21.7-8

….In biblical literature, the cloak, also referred to as a mantle or outer garment, holds significant symbolic meaning. It is often associated with authority, identity, and transformation. The cloak serves as a powerful metaphor for various spiritual truths and divine actions throughout the Scriptures…..throughout the Bible, the cloak serves as a multifaceted symbol, representing authority, protection, identity, humility, and divine justice. Its presence in various narratives underscores the profound spiritual truths conveyed through this simple yet powerful garment.

 https://biblehub.com/topical/s/symbolism_of_the_cloak.htm

 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 

Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” 

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark.10.48,Mark.10.49,Mark.10.50,Mark.10.52

 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.

Acts.12.8.  

His robe……(this is old….)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaQo6k412ug

Reciprocal prayer…

 Reciprocal prayer….

Last night I had the privilege of attending a potluck at a church that one of my daughters attend….it was just a plain, everyday potluck…those with an abundance of food, fellowship…(the meats were amazing, done on an outdoor commercial smoker)….

But, to me, it was like walking on hallowed ground…many I have known through my family for 10+ years, many  were new faces…many walked with my daughter and family through the death of her father, my husband …she was able to reciprocate with walking some through deaths on their families…this church lost their vibrant pastor to Covid…they grieved together, leaning in to Jesus…many, who saw Jesus in them are newer to the fellowship…

they prayed for a new pastor, a shepherd to come…

This last year, they prayed for me, someone a few didn’t even know, but saw the pain that my family was going through because of my pain…

One by one as we wandered through evening , many said, “ oh, you are the one we prayed for, sooo glad to see you.”  And I could say, “thank you “ over and over again…” then I could say, I prayed for you, too…for healing and a new pastor…whom I met…

Reciprocal prayers…

Another one, we could sit share ambush moments of grief…one of the meats cooking was linguica, a Portuguese meat I had often as a child…the last time I had had it was with my father, who passed away 12 years ago…she had lost her father as well these past years…

Reciprocal fellowship…

We get lists of prayer requests, but most of time we don’t get to see the answers, but when we do, it is like feeling God’s touch…a quickening of the Holy Spirit giving us joy…a peace that He is in control and cares deeply, compassionately … 

and to top off the evening, as I was driving home , I drove by my church and the reader board said, “Prayer changes things”…

What a confirmation….

Thank YOU…

Don’t stop praying…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpbZqMJ-B44

A blog from last year…

“Others are worth your time in prayer….….

 

I am sitting, waiting to go home…I left July 5 and barely remember that as I was so ill.  I got to go home for about 4 hours about a month ago, take a nap, sort mail…and then back to rehab and finally back to hospital for repair….

no matter the day of the week the whole time, I heard from someone who prayed for me…I was worth their time…that is more humbling than I can imagine…and more convicting as well…

 

Granted the prayers could have been answered with a resounding “no” as well, but for this time, they weren’t…God has our days numbered as he say in Psalms.

 

Anyway, every time, I thought about going home, I cried, because I was so humbled, so thankful that people took time to pray for me…I was worth their time…which turns into…”others are worth our time to pray for them”…so simple, yet so profound…

God answers prayer…

 

When I put the word “pray” in the search section of my Bible program, it came up with over 300 references starting with Abraham praying…

 

 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children.

Gen.20.17

 

On through…

 

 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,and give ear to my cry;hold not your peace at my tears!For I am a sojourner with you,a guest, like all my fathers.

Ps.39.12

 

And on…to a few of my favorites …Jesus praying for us…He thought we are worth His prayers…John 17…

 

 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John.17.6,John.17.7,John.17.8,John.17.9,John.17.10,John.17.11,John.17.14,John.17.17,John.17.20,John.17.21,John.17.26

 

Through the rest of the New Testament, praying for one another…and even when we do t k ow how to pray…

 

 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Rom.8.26

 

 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

1Pet.4.7

 

Ending with…

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

3John.1.2

 

We may look around at those in the spotlight for various ministries, thinking we have little to give/offer to the kingdom, but we were worth Jesus’ prayers and his love, by his declaration…and if He says so, others are worth our time in prayer for them as well…He brings those into our lives who need prayer…

are we answering the call?????

 

Thank YOU…”

 

Talking to Jesus…

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXsxw1fRHMA

False versus true prophets

 False versus true prophets…

Reading about Elijah in 1 Kings, he pits himself those who follow the true God against the false prophets of Baal…on a mountain with two bulls, an alter, water, wood…the prophets of Baal calling on Baal all day with no response…Elijah calls upon God in a short request…

 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 

Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

1Kgs.18:36-39

My study Bible has an interesting comparison….not only for those people long ago, but applicable for today…

Who do we follow?

False prophets-

• worked for political purposes to benefit themselves…

• Held positions of great wealth…

• Gave false messages…

• Spoke only what the people wanted to hear….

True prophets-

*worked for spiritual purposes to serve .god and the people…

*owned little one nothing…

*spoke only true messages…

*spoke only what God told them to say—no matter how unpopular….

This reminded me of Timothy’s words…

 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. 

Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2Tim.3.1-7

Or Peter…

 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”2Pet.2.1,2Pet.2.2,2Pet.2.3,2Pet.2.17-19

Elijah’s story is not just for the ancients, it resonates to our lives…

whom do we serve?

Thank YOU…

I serve a risen Savior…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTmSa5dhtYM 

God keeps his promises…

 God keeps his promises…

There are promises throughout the whole Bible…just thought it was interesting these few in chapter…unique that God kept Elijah safe using ravens, and sending him into the territory where Jezebel, the wicked queen,  came from and kept him safe in enemy territory…we don’t know how God works sometimes, but, He is there for us…in unique ways…

 1…In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

1Kgs.16.34

 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:“At the cost of his firstborn son-he will lay its foundations;at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

Josh.6.26

2… Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

1Kgs.17.1

  After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”

1Kgs.18.1

3…. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

1Kgs.17.2-6

4…. Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. 

He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. 

So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

1Kgs.17.7-11, .17.14-16

5….  For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isa.9.6-7

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matt.1.22-23

6… For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John.3.16-17

Thank YOU….

These are days of Elijah…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9LnzJnpjQ