Weddings…

 Weddings

There are so many weddings this summer and fall for some of my family to attend… all those friends and family who are reaching marriageable age…( another 2-3 years, there will be a plethora of baby showers😊)…

I was reading “Jesus Always” by Sarah Young this morning and she was writing about the brides getting ready for their weddings…how much prep work there is to do…

 When you think that Christians as Christ’s bride, are we doing as much prep work? Are we excited each day thinking of the groom?Are we getting ready as much as an earthly bride does? Checking off our lists…

The thing is , He is preparing for us, a feast, an eternal home with joy, even a wedding garment…are we as joyful in our preparations? Are we growing everyday to be more conformed to His image…are we waiting, keeping our lamps burning for his appearance? Are we ready to sing and praise?

What thoughts…it puts a smile on my face…just thinking about that concept…that reality…

Isaiah 62:5 As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice over you.

Matthew 25: 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Revelations 19:7 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.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9 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.”

Thank YOU…

Bridal music…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaTQ5-XfMM&list=PLjWbcvsmNv07czv1lNufh3Sb2OroNIi_l&index=1&pp=iAQB8AUB

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pccyrZ0Wp_4&list=RDpccyrZ0Wp_4&start_radio=1&pp=ygUWY2hyaXN0aWFuIGJyaWRhbCBtdXNpY6AHAQ%3D%3D

What is right…

 What is right…

Elections are always a source of news…who will run, who will not run…what are their beliefs, what are their backgrounds, what do they stand for…etc…and while this is important as we want people who do the right things…

What is our personal stand? What is our reputation, what do we stand for? Who do we stand for? 

These questions guide our everyday lives, personal, business, family…what are we known for? 

I have asked these questions when looking for a church body, a neighborhood, a business…you can find  the demographics of neighborhoods that are safe or not…you can look up a business to see their ratings by others or even a product to see if it works well or not…

What ratings would we get? Where do we stand???

Exodus 18:9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”

1 Peter 2:2Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us….. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 

1 Peter 3: 3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Esther 9: 4 Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces…

1 Timothy3:7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Thank YOU…

Well done…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZu7mfYS_VY&list=RDlZu7mfYS_VY&start_radio=1

What about him?….

 What about him?….

Comparisons…ugh…they rob us of our joy…when we see others living their lives and it is different from what we think we should be doing, acquiring, etc…there we sit, wondering why they get to do that and we don’t….

Maybe you haven’t done that…look at others and wonder why…why do they have it so good…or I really want what they have, etc…

Toddlers do it, a lot of social media is based on it, adults do it…

Lack of contentment with what we have..and we see it in Peter in these verses….”Lord, what about him?”…

Jesus said in no uncertain terms, it really wasn’t Peter’s business…

We are to do what we are called to do and don’t worry about what others are doing…don’t compare…be available to our calling…

Thank YOU….

John 21:19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 

23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

2 Corinthians 10:13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. 

Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Exodus 20: 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

I will follow…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFna4pEF7M8

https://vividmaps.com/apostles/

https://bibleask.org/how-did-the-twelve-disciples-die/i

Thank YOU…comfort verses…

 

Thank YOU….comfort verses…

Two years ago I was in a hospital bed after 4 or 5 abdominal surgeries and a doctor came in and said, “ I think we’ve finally  turned a corner”. Lying there, no hair, weak , in pain, I was glad to hear that …then the work started…rehab living for almost 4 months, open wounds to change every 3-4 days, beginning to walk again, exercise to build up again…first a wheelchair, then a walker, then steps on my own, holding onto the wall…slowly making progress, another surgery and home…I felt so blessed to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own shower, wear different  clothes…

God’s Word sustained me…family and friends didn’t forget me..

Thank YOU

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

“He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ASV).

We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).

“My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God” (Psalm 84:2 AMPC).

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3 NIV). 

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 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 good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalm 103:1-5 ESV).

I will comfort you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2r4mwab5O8

Building strength…

 

Building strength …

Trying to build back some strength, I have been trying to walk early every morning, slowing increasing my steps from 2…two years ago…this is the second time to work on this project…this time I added a class at the local Y specifically for cancer patients…

Most of the time it is silent outside except the birds and an occasional car..

This morning I listened this selection of songs…a nice beat to walk 

To, but more important soul touching songs ….

Thank YOU…

Morning songs for meditation…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=kS0VgDaIS6Y&ra=m

Blessings on each of your steps…

Words..

 Words….

It is interesting that the book of John begins with the Word…the Word was God…not just words on paper….

John ends his book with books of words about Jesus…the world cannot hold all the books about Jesus in everything he did…we are still writing books about Jesus or about his Word…

No matter how many times we read His Word, a new lesson is learned, so we read it over and over…again and again…wanting to be conformed to his Word…learning more about the Christian 

Iife…no other book that I have read do I want to continue to read it over and over again….

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it……

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 21:24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Romans 15: 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Acts 17: 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

2 Timothy 3: 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Thank YOU…

Forever faithful…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-D0KzJy_mE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_books

https://publishingstate.com/history-of-libraries/2025/

Breathe…

 

Breathed…

The thunder started this morning and went on and on…it was a slow moving storm…usually they blow through quickly and then are finished, this one could heard from a long way off both coming and going…a soft rain this time, the smell of wet dry summer grass…the sky turning a brilliant gold  as the sun was trying to appear in the east…

 I love the smell after the storm…sage in high desert of Nevada/Oregon/Idaho, fir in Oregon, pine in the  camps at which we have been, the Redwoods, the ocean…smells ….breathing….a gift from God…

Genesis 2: . 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

John 20: 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 

2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

With God’s breath, he gave us life, then truth, His holy Word….

Thank YOU…

Breathe…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1O4anyhAjc