Comfort verses…17…

 Comfort verses….17…

My comfort verses are in no particular order…they just come and I add to my list…but each one speaks to my soul…I may need that compassion that the Samaritan gave…or just to sit down with Jesus…or courage to face another day, doctor visit, event, etc…or hope…or refuge from whatever is happening,,,etc…

The Holy Spirit speaks truth through the Word…things we need to hear,  comfort , conviction, love….just at the right moment…

Thank YOU…

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where [the wounded, half-dead man] was. And when he saw him, he had compassion” (Luke 10:33 NKJV).

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20 NIV).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19a NIV).

“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7 NLT).

 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV).  

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:1-2 NIV).

 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies. 

The cords of death encompassed me;the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me;the snares of death confronted me. 

In my distress I called upon the Lord;to my God I cried for help.From his temple he heard my voice,and my cry to him reached his ears. 

For it is you who light my lamp;the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

Ps.18:2-6, 28

Psalm 18, the Psalms project…

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

Stiff necked

 

Stiff necked…

Oh dear…did this hit home….literally and figuratively…

I was at a spine pain doctor yesterday…stiff neck…she explained all that has happened, was happening, will happen…with a stiff neck, physically…no surgery available for this, keep moving, pain killers, do specific exercises, was born with this but age focuses on it….

The Word speaks of stiff-necked people throughout….pay attention, listen, remember…it is by Gods grace we have his blessings, not our stiffneckedness…His righteousness, not our own…His blessing, not our works…

Thank YOU…

 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 

Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 

And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” 

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deut.6.4-9,Deut.6.12,Deut.6.18,Deut.6.25,Deut.9.6

 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Ps.7.17

 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long;they celebrate your righteousness.

Ps.89.14-16

 The Lord has made his salvation knownand revealed his righteousness to the nations.

Ps.98.2

 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Prov.21.21

 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Rom.1.17

 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Rom.3:22-26

 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Phil.3.9-1

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Eph.2.8-10

Saved by grace…

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

Stiff

Balm..

 Balm….

I was reading in Deuteronomy this week, and it mentioned Gilead, so of course my mind bounced to the song, “there is a balm in Gilead”…the. I couldn’t get it out of my mind…

What’s a balm…why Gilead?…

I quickly realized that I have been using a “balm” for months, years, just not called that…we used udder balm when milking  cows or goats in years past…a thick lotion to keep our hands from drying out as well as the udders from doing the same… 

I use lotions made from shea butter, tallow,  beeswax, frankincense, joba oil, coconut oil, olive oil, goats milk, etc, etc.,etc…with various healing properties in each one…some for dryness, others for pain, still others for antibiotics…balms ..

The ones from Gilead were made from a rosin from a type of tree that grows in that area…known for  its medicinal uses…balms were mentioned in the Bible as part of things traded, part of the wares bought and sold…ancient physicians made and used it…

But, later, it also symbolized the balm of Christ…only He can heal our souls…while the balms may heal the outward body, Jesus heals the heart…

Thank YOU…

There is a  balm in Gilead..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN9JALQRMb0

https://www.gotquestions.org/land-of-Gilead.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/balm-of-Gilead.html

Comfort verses..16..

 Comfort verses…16…

Last year’s plans for me were entirely not on “my” schedule …

Things change so quickly by a simple doctor visit, a test result, a fall in the parking lot…a whole new language learning experience/vocabulary…new faces, new doctors, etc., etc., etc.,…things I never knew I needed to learn…

But, along with all the earthly lessons, I learned more about the care of Jesus…more about his loving arms, His army of prayer warriors, His comfort…his promises…

Thank YOU…

Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18 NIV).

“Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” 

Psalm 55:22 

 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble;I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy himand show him my salvation.”

Ps.91.14-16

“So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided” (Genesis 22:14 NIV).

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).

 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Isa.30.20-21

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV)

His grace will carry you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaqd4-5mhcc

The Forge….

 The Forge….

forge, noun—

: a furnace or a shop with its furnace where metal is heated and wrought

forge, verb—

forged; forging

: to form (something, such as metal) by heating and hammering

forged pieces of iron into hooks

: to form (metal) by a mechanical or hydraulic press with or without heat

Our church showed the movie, The Forge, recently…had heard it was good and I was not disappointed…well worth the watch and then contemplation…”what do I need to be doing?”…several themes for audience to think about…

As we move through life, we do encounter times of “forming”, being put to the test, times when we fell like another train is coming instead of a light at the end of the tunnel…or that there is no end of trials…Paul speaks of it, Peter speaks of it, Jesus speaks of it…building our character…building our faith…

Thank YOU…

 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Rom.5.3-5

 Remember your word to your servant,for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this:Your promise preserves my life.

Ps.119.49-50

 He was despised and rejected by mankind,a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

 Like one from whom people hide their faceshe was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 

Surely he took up our painand bore our suffering,yet we considered him punished by God,stricken by him, and afflicted.

Isa.53.3-4

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

1Pet. 1:3-12

Joni…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9ztsfGfRM

Tested by fire…

https://www.gotquestions.org/tested-by-fire.html

Reviews….

 Reviews….

Lately I have been getting pictures of what I was doing with pictures on “this “ day over the years..or reviews of pictures I have taken in the past or pictures I took and saved 4, 10, 15 years ago…for instance, in, 2011, I was sorting through all my albums, making books for each of my children, my father, my husband, my parents, my husband’s  parents…photos of each of our Year’s end collages…I had photos all over the floor in one room, sorting, sorting…then scanning them all into the computer into files to make books…

For me it was one of the “obedient “ times.  I was so convicted that I had to do this job, that I had to do it…not knowing that the following Christmas was to be our last Christmas with my husband , followed the next year by my father…

Reading in the Deuteronomy, it feels  like a review as well…Moses is reviewing what has happened,  who He is, what God has done, how he led them, what He promised, what He will do, what the people are to do, etc…

Just as going through my photos reminded me of times past, God’s faithfulness to our family through thick and thin times….I needed that reminder in the months and years ahead…God’s people needed that review as well…

Thank YOU….

 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. 

Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” 

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 

Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 

He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 

And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. 

You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. 

Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 

But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are. 

The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. 

Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 

After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 

The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. 

You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. 

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

Deut.4.9-31,Deut.4.35, 39

Firm Foundation…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9xzWoTGkKg

Fight for you….

 Fight for you….

Reading Deuteronomy 1:30 brought me to tears as I read it this morning…the reminder that God cares enough to fight our battles for us is just overwhelming…we are sometimes overwhelmed with burdens, pain…you name it and He is right there to carry us through…he doesn’t promise an easy life, but he promises to walk with us, carry us around times…

Thank YOU….

 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exod.14.14

 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

Deut.1.30-31

 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

Deut.3.22

 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Deut.20.4

 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Jer.1.19

 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Rom.8.26-27

 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.     

He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,     

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil,for you are with me;your rod and your staff,they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows. 

Surely your goodness and love will follow meall the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…

Ps.23.1-6

Psalm 23…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q25xEFyTHFY

God fights for me…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezG-ZNQXfE