Hello…

 

Hello, I am new to the area…what’s going on?  Why are all these people lining the road waving those palm fronds? Who is the man riding that donkey? Singing “Hosanna”?

 (A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”Matt. 21:8-11)

Don’t you know, haven’t you heard of this man, Jesus?

No, what is so special about him?

The people around me start telling me about all he had done…raised a dead man, healed someone’s daughter, healed some blind men, taught crowds, fed five thousand plus people with a small boy’s lunch…said he was from God…and on and on, so many things that could have filled many books…

These people were joyous that he was by them…maybe if they touched his robe the sick could be healed like the woman they knew of… but they raised their branches and sang with the others…

I found myself watching him…his smile lit the day…the colt carried him as if he was no burden…his peaceful countenance among so many was hard to miss…

I needed to find out more about while I visited this town…who was he…did he really do all  these people reported…where was he from…what was his name?

I think I will follow and find out….do my business quickly and look into this man whom these people revere…

Hosanna…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsAbyS3HiJU

 Psalm 145:8-13….God is good…

8..The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  

(But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 

Psalm 86:15

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

Exodus 34:6

The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.

Numbers 14:18)

9..The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.  

( For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5)

10..All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.  

( The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

Praise God in the great congregation;
    praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.

Psalm 68:26)

11..They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 

12..so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  

(Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done

Psalm 105:1)

13..Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. 

(Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen

1Tim 1:17

and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Pe. 1:11)

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness

Gal 5:22 

 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Joshua 21:45

Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Psalm 23:6

Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

Psalm 25:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.

Psalm 86:5

 Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

Psalm 106:1

Thank YOU…

God is good…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC6dN8cN52s

Psalm 145:1-7

 A psalm of praise.  145:1-7

Of David.  

Great, good, giver….

I was reading some commentaries about Psalm 145… they divided the psalm into three parts…the greatness of God, the goodness of God and the givingness of God…so the following verses are about the greatness of God with a few extra verses…

1..I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  

(I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.psalm 30:1

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.Psalm 34:1

Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. Psalm 5:2

2..Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  

(From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.  I will ever praise you.

Psalm 71:6)

3..Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  

(He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.

Job 5:9

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.

 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out! 

Romans 11:33)

4..One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.  

(The living, the living—they praise you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children
    about your faithfulness.

Is.38:19)

5..They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  

(Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
    that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 119:27)

6..They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.  

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power
    that your enemies cringe before you.

Psalm 66:3

 I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
    Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Deut. 32:3

7..They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  

(I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—Is. 63:7

 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Psalm 51:14

It is easy to  fly on by the greatness and go right to what we want from Him…I am so guilty of that…when we realize that without Him, there would be nothing…He is the breath we take, His word spoke everything into being…and just everything…He indeed is great…

Thank YOU…

How great thou art…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf6C0L_7-CA

 August, 2012….

These verses are dated in my Bible…

I had just moved, boxes all over…I was by myself, a widow since April…it was really hitting me that my husband wasn’t going to drive into the driveway in his red truck, walk in the door, tell me about his day, listen to me about mine, sit down for dinner or visit with friends…

But, I felt lowly, in the midst of trouble…in the need of God’s comfort…the bubble that seems to surround many after the death of a loved one was slowly dissipating, reality was hitting…tears came easily, anger sometimes, denial sometimes…I was setting up a new home for myself not the two of us anymore…I didn’t know what stretched ahead..this was a new chapter that I hadn’t read yet…

Now, here I am 14 years later…I still need God’s comfort, His love and He has been there through the new chapters, the twists and turns. 

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.  

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.  

The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:6-8

Thank YOU….

Comforts you…

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

The bees finally returned…

My fruit trees stated blooming last week, earlier than normal…everyday I would go out to check on them but there was no bees,no butterflies, no insects flying around for pollination…I was getting a bit anxious( not supposed to do that, be thankful instead), so I put it down…

God has a plan…

Yesterday, the trees were humming with bees, more blossoms have opened…so God’s timing was just what he planned…

It is interesting in Genesis that the fruit bearing trees are created a couple of days before all the “living creatures “…did the trees not bloom until after the creatures came  or did God take care of them that first time around… who knows, but, God had a plan…then and now ….

I know these are little things, but so important for food production, the timing has to be just right…our farmers need that perfect timing to feed the world…

Thank YOU….

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind. ” 

And it was so.  

God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along in the ground according to their kinds.  And God saw that it was good.

A Time for Everything There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

Ecc. 3:1

In His time…

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3A5-89pY9s 

Search me….

 Search me…

I don’t k ow about anyone else…but I find myself puzzled by my behavior as Paul describes in the Book of Romans…

 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Rom.7.15-20

I was reminded of the Romans passage as I read the last two verses in Psalm 139…

Search me…

Know my heart….

Test me…

Know my anxious thoughts…

Any offensive way in me?….

Lead me in the way everlasting….

Psalm 139:23-24 (not all the words)…

David must have been feeling the same as Paul…centuries before and I am still fighting the same battle now….worry, anxious thoughts, offensive ways…..wanting God to cleanse…to lead….

It is part of our world, our nature…but, Jesus paid the price…

Every time I do these things, it is like another pounding of a nail at the cross…the pain…the agony…

 let God weigh me in honest scales…..

Job.31.6a

 Test me, Lord, and try me,examine my heart and my mind;

Ps.26.2

 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind,……

Jer.11.20a

 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phil.4.8

 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me.

Ps.5.8

 Teach me to do your will,for you are my God;may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Ps.143.10

 The Lord detests the way of the wicked,

but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

Prov.15.9

 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1John.2.16,1John.2.17

Thank YOU…

Create in me a clean heart…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Hk3WFUMvo

Search me…(used this earlier this week, still a good message)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzcqWMM1VA0

Thoughts…

  

Thoughts….

We come to “thoughts” in verses 17 and 18 of Psalm 139…so I found a few verses about “thoughts”, both man’s and God’s…quite the difference…something to “think” about….

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

Ps.139.17-18

 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Ps.10.4

 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psal.13.2

 Many, Lord my God,are the wonders you have done,the things you planned for us.

None can compare with you;were I to speak and tell of your deeds,they would be too many to declare.

Ps.40.5

 How great are your works, Lord,how profound your thoughts!

Ps.92.5

 You know when I sit and when I rise;you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Ps.139.2

 Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Ps.139.23

 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

Prov.4.26

 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,but the folly of fools is deception.

Prov.14.8

 The wicked put up a bold front,but the upright give thought to their ways.

Prov.21.29

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “

As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isa.55.8-9

 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

Hag.1.5

 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

1Cor.2.11

 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2Cor.10.5

 For the word of God is alive and active. 

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Heb.4.12

Thank YOU….

Your ways are higher than mine….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LDm8xB5ipQ