KING....

KING...

Matthew 27 recounts the crucifixion of Christ...

The sign posted above his head read, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS”

The question it generates is, “is He King of my life?”....

Does He have preeminence...is He the paramount chief...supreme authority....

He has all that and so much more...but, do I really acknowledge that...or is he just out there ruling and I don’t think about it ....

God asks Job, “ where you when... “ in Job 38-39..as LORD,

He is LORD, KING... and it behooves me to acknowledge that reality in every moment, every thing...

He alone saves...loves with unquenchable love...he alone sees my soul, heart and mind with clarity...he knows my every thought, heartache, joy, action...nothing is hidden...how can He not be King...

Thank YOU...words cannot describe the deep abiding thankfulness of Your kingship...so yes...YOU are KING ....

“King, noun 

Definition of king 

1

A

: a male monarch of a major territorial unit

especially : one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life

b

: a paramount chief

2

capitalized : GOD, CHRIST

… to worship the King, the Lord of hosts …

— Zechariah 14:16 (Revised Standard Version)

3

: one that holds a preeminentposition”Merriam- Webster

Dictionary

Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - King. King, [N] [E] "a chief ruler, one invested with supreme authority over a nation, tribe or country."

Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - King

King[N][S]

is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited. There were thirty-one kings in Canaan ( Joshua 12:9Joshua 12:24), whom Joshua subdued. Adonibezek subdued seventy kings ( Judges 1:7). In the New Testament the Roman emperor is spoken of as a king ( 1 Peter 2:131 Peter 2:17); and Herod Antipas, who was only a tetrarch, is also called a king ( Matthew 14:9; Mark 6:22).

This title is applied to God ( 1 Timothy 1:17), and to Christ, the Son of God ( 1 Timothy 6:151 Timothy 6:16; Matthew 27:11). The people of God are also called "kings" ( Daniel 7:22Daniel 7:27; Matthew 19:28; Revelation 1:6, etc.). Death is called the "king of terrors" ( Job 18:14).

Jehovah was the sole King of the Jewish nation ( 1 Samuel 8:7; Isaiah 33:22). But there came a time in the history of that people when a king was demanded, that they might be like other nations ( 1 Samuel 8:5). The prophet Samuel remonstrated with them, but the people cried out, "Nay, but we will have a king over us." The misconduct of Samuel's sons was the immediate cause of this demand.

The Hebrew kings did not rule in their own right, nor in name of the people who had chosen them, but partly as servants and partly as representatives of Jehovah, the true King of Israel ( 1 Samuel 10:1). The limits of the king's power were prescribed ( 1 Samuel 10:25). The officers of his court were, (1) the recorder or remembrancer ( 2 Samuel 8:16; 1 Kings 4:3); (2) the scribe ( 2 Samuel 8:17; 20:25); (3) the officer over the house, the chief steward ( Isaiah 22:15); (4) the "king's friend," a confidential companion ( 1 Kings 4:5); (5) the keeper of the wardrobe ( 2 Kings 22:14); (6) captain of the bodyguard ( 2 Samuel 20:23); (7) officers over the king's treasures, etc. ( 1 Chronicles 27:25-31); (8) commander-in-chief of the army ( 1 Chronicles 27:34); (9) the royal counsellor ( 1 Chronicles 27:32; 2Sam 16:20-23).

Falls....

Falls...

I have had the privilege of having four falls this year...I love fall...

 the temperature, the colors, the beauty, the crispness, the scents of pumpkin and fall spices, gathering, harvest...teaching my youngest grandchildren to stomp those crisp, dried leaves as we take walks in the woods...Abundance of squirrels running to and fro gathering their food for winter, balancing on electrical wires high above the streets with their tiny feet...mulled cider, egg nog, pumpkin pies...lots of birthdays...

It always reminds me of my favorite weddings that I had the privilege, again, of doing the flowers, of coordinating...friends...

I am glad for the seasons that God so graciously created for us..each with its purpose of rest, renewal, rebirth, planting, harvest....our lives have these seasons as well...we have seasons of rest, growth and renewal, planting, harvest...looking back we can see them more clearly than sometimes in the midst of them...

As I head into winter this year, the coldness settles around with ice, snow and that penetrating chill...I am thankful for the four falls...they have warmed my soul for memories in the winter...giving me pictures to remember, with which to keep warm, the hugs, the walks, the love...

Thank YOU...You give so abundantly...readying us for the advent season...a time of birth and celebration...

I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.

Leviticus 26:4 

then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.

Deuteronomy 11:14 

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

Psalm 104:19

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

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’

Jeremiah 5:24 

Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Acts 14:17 

Giving...

Giving ....

It is December....my mailbox is flooded with letters, cards, notes for good causes...reaching out for funds in the biggest giving time of the year...some I have never heard of while others are familiar names and places...lists of needs, wants and desires...some really fit with the list from the following scriptures...

1. Food
2. Drink
3. Shelter
4. Clothing
5. Prisoners

There are some real needs all over the world and right next door...

And there are some fake letters as well, sorry to say...

We each have the opportunity to search our hearts and respond accordingly....what is the Spirit trying to tell us about our place in giving?

Who would He have for us particularly to share our abundance with?

In our land of abundance, our life style of much, to whom has He impressed us to give and share?

Those many pieces of mail, which ones come to the top for a response?

There are local missions who need food to give out, places in the world whose food food supply has been disrupted for various reasons...

There are places that don’t have water close at hand...

There are places where people are sheltered in tents, make shift covering due to storms, war, etc..

There are places where clothing is scare..

There are places in the world where people are held captive, either in spirit or physically...

Pray, asking for wisdom, where can I help, where does God want me to help?... a little can go a long way...as with the loaves and fishes that were given by a boy to feed thousands with Jesus’ blessing...

Thank YOU for the opportunity to give...help me with discernment in making those choices ...You have given so much...use me as a tool to bless others...

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was clothing thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46 

Tearing down...building up...

Tearing down....building up...

When I was Israel this past spring, we saw layers upon layers of civilizations. The tour guide would point out this group of people’s buildings, topped by another at the many of the archeological digging sites....canaanites, Byzantine, the Crusades, the Israelites, the Muslim, etc...they each had their own style, but were massive, slave built cities...mosaics, huge columns, unique bath houses, marble, granite, stones that weighed tons...

We viewed buildings and walls that were made from stones which showed different carvings, signifying that they reused other previous cultures’ stones in their building programs...

When I was reading Matthew 24, I was reminded of this tour again...

“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.””
Matthew 24:1-2

Matthew goes on to tell of the end times to his disciples...but, I could not help but think of those stones being thrown down...destruction again and again...over the centuries since he spoke...to modern times as new buildings are being built on top of the older...even while digging is going on below the surface and underneath present structures...digging to find Biblical towns...

I don't know about you, but I am constantly being renewed/rebuilt, that day by day transformation....reusing some of the old, digging out the past, building new into my life...through the Word...the Holy Spirit... cleaning out my life...re-examining...

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16 

I know Jesus was speaking of the end times...but, He is speaking to me as well...watching, waiting, being faithful in the plans He has made for me, being found ready...at the end...whenever that will be...



Matthew 24 is well worth the read...as we enter this Christmas season...what needs watching...how can I be faithful...how can my heart be ready...

Thank YOU....You came, You lived among us...You renew...You rebuild...You save...


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Woe, woe, woe....

Woe, woe, woe...

What chapter to read on thanksgiving day...woe, woe, woe....

My key verse from this...

12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

am I exalting myself in any manner?

Do I place heavy burdens on others by my attitude?

Do I neglect the important-justice, mercy and faithfulness-for the lesser things?

Do I only look on outside appearances and neglect the heart?

What condemning statements...forgive me for ever being a “Pharisee”...

Let my heart be cleansed by the Word of your mouth...let faithfulness, love, mercy, justice reign instead...

Thank YOU that you are the Forgiver, the Teacher, the Cleanser, the Redeemer...

Matthew 23-

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 

18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! 

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. 

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Usable...

Usable.....

I read a prayer this am ...”Lord, grant me the strength to say no to the things I must and yes to the things I should, that You may find me usable in Your hand, a vessel fit for the Master’s use”

https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/timothy/fit-to-be-used

It happen to coincide with a class for membership class I am currently taking...

Having been a church member of one body or another for as long as I can remember, this has been a wonderful review of church doctrine...basic beliefs of Christianity that this local  body adheres to...oh, yes I had submitted my letter of transfer, but we still go through the class, which has been great...

But, I want to be usable...and to really participate fully in this local body,  I need to be a member just as I had been one previously in another geographical area...

Oh, I can be usable in the universal body of Christ...but, there is something about the intimacy of the “localness”...to write one’s name down as part of a local  body...to be known, cared for locally...admitting your local loyalty and be connected with local familiar people...to be more usable locally...to share history with this group as I have previously with others...

I  have been missing that belonging...the closeness that membership affords...moving around since my husband’s passing...even though I was attending, even teaching/facilitating small group studies, participating in functions of local churches where I have lived since his passing...

We were always involved in leadership, staff, teaching as a couple and  individually...at the heart of a body...but, when he passed, things changed, I changed, circumstances changed...suddenly I was a widow, I moved away from the local area where we served for so long...thrust into a new role...still usable, but differently...a new path from my perspective, but, not a surprise to God...

I want that usefulness, that openness to be usable in my new locale, usability in the body...a vessel clean, ready for whatever filling He has planned, maybe a new role, or a continuation of the past...hence the membership class...

Thank YOU for a place to belong...to be usable...to be used for Your glory in the body You have placed me...

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7 

....he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

2 Timothy 2:21b

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:11-13,15-16 

Thanksgiving Proclamation....

General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

The small leader read this last night as a reminder what our United States thanksgiving started as...thanksgiving...

We are reminded of the same in scripture...to give praises and thanks in all circumstances...the abundance and the little...the hard and the easy...even in desperate situations...contentment in all circumstances...God is with us...He is in control...

That is sometimes hard to fathom when all looks bleak...when the world seems out of control...life seems out of control...but, He knows the beginnings and the endings...He knows each of our frames and the number of hairs on our heads...our hearts...

Thank YOU...

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:1-5