My Bible Blog

Thou Shalt Love the LORD

2012-01-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deut 6:4-5)

How do I love You, Father? What does it look like? I know man's answers, or some of them. They become work. How do You answer?

The Last Supper

2011-11-13T13:03:00.001-08:00

I have occasionally heard that the last supper was not a passover meal. But in Luke 22:15, Jesus says that it is:

"And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:"

The Greek word is pascha, which means passover.

So my belief has been, and is, that the last supper was a passover meal. If there are details which seem to confuse the issue, they are confusing only because of human misunderstanding of the text.

The Holy Spirit

2011-11-12T06:17:00.001-08:00

I have heard some teach that there is no separate Holy Spirit, but that He is identical with the Father. However, Jesus says this:

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:12-14 ESV my emphasis)

If the Holy Spirit does not speak on his own authority, then there is someone directing him what to say, and he is separate from the one who is directing him.

Jesus also did not speak or act on his own authority (John 5:19), so the director is the Father.

If the Holy Spirit takes what belongs to Jesus, then he is separate from Jesus.

Therefore, since the Holy Spirit is separate both from Jesus and the Father, He is an individual.

James 1:17 The Gifts of God

2011-08-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

I like to make things. I sew, crochet, and knit various useful and beautiful things. I make jewelry and photographs. I take pride in doing these things well, and am dissatisfied when something I am working on doesn't come out as I have envisioned.

I also enjoy being praised for what I have done. I am human in that! But God teaches a different attitude, one of thankfulness and humility. He pointed that out to me recently.

I had completed a knitted shawl in soft hand-painted wool. I was wrapped in it one morning recently, talking and praying with a good friend over the phone, and God showed me that I DID NOT MAKE IT ALONE. I did not raise the sheep, or sheer them. I didn't clean, spin, or dye the wool. I didn't just automatically know how to knit: my grandmother taught me when I was a young girl. I didn't design the pattern. You get the idea.

It is the same with "my" photography: I didn't create the light or the technology which makes photography possible. I didn't buy my camera, it was a gift from my husband. I didn't give myself the ability to see through the camera in order to make an image which others find pleasing. As my friend said when I shared this insight with her, I "just pushed the button."

So why am I so pleased when someone compliments me for something "I" have made? It can only be my fallen, human nature.

It is right to use what I have been given to the best of my ability, but it is wrong to take credit for what I have not done. God made the sheep, the grass they eat, the people who care for them. He made the light, the elements which are used to manufacture the camera, and the world from which its images come. He has given me gifts: people to teach me, eyes to see with, and a brain to process information. He deserves all the praise, not I.

Galatians 3 To Bring Us to Christ

2011-04-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

There are 39 books in the Old Testament.

A person could be beaten with not more than 40 lashes, and it came to be 40 stripes minus 1 (=39).

Deu 25:2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Deu 25:3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

The law (OT) is our tutor to bring us to Christ.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

One way we learn is by chastisement

Chastisement=stripes

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

So, it seems that the 39 books of the Old Testament are the "stripes" which chastise us and bring us to Christ...

1 Corinthians 15: He Is Risen!

2011-04-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

He is Risen, He is Risen, indeed!

It is a day of rejoicing. As Jesus said, "Rejoice!" (Mat 28:9) He has accomplished the work the Father sent Him to do, and has conquered sin and death. It is a great matter for joy.

But in my heart, I also grieve. I grieve for my brothers and sisters who say "Happy Easter," without realizing they are using the name of a pagan fertility goddess as a greeting. You see, "Easter" can be traced back to Astarte (Ashtoreth), the goddess to whom Asherah poles were dedicated and before whom the Israelites repeatedly polluted themselves and incurred the wrath of God. I grieve for these ignorant ones.

I grieve for my brothers and sisters who, knowing this, continue to use this name.

And most of all, I grieve for the institutions called churches, who claim to have and know the truth, who approve and teach pagan practices related to the worship of a fertility goddess, and claim that it is honoring to God and to Jesus Christ. It is a lie. They believe a lie, and they teach others to believe a lie. This is an abomination before God, and I grieve.

It is Firstfruits, rejoice! For Jesus is the firstfruits of them that sleep!
It is Resurrection Day, rejoice! For now is Christ risen from the grave!

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Never again will it be "easter" to me!

Psalm 22: The Crucifixion

2011-04-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

²O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

³But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

⁴Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

⁶But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

Mat 27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

⁹But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

¹³They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

¹⁹But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

²²I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

²³Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

²⁵My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

²⁶The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

²⁷All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

²⁸For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.

²⁹All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

³⁰A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

³¹They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The Red Sea

2011-04-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Red Sea crossing is a theme throughout the Bible which shows God's provision for and protection of His people. They crossed from death to life, because He made a way. But each of them had to decide to follow.

This is a picture of salvation for each person. You come to the end of what you know. Ahead is the sea, swelling and surging. Behind is the world and everything you have ever known. You are trembling, certain that you need to cross, but afraid. A voice inside you says, "Go on, I will help you." Do you turn away? Ahead is life, do you refuse it?

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

God has made a straight path for you. His name is Jesus. Cross over!

Numbers 9: The Second Passover

2011-03-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

Numbers 9:10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.

11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

The Passover was to be celebrated in the FIRST month, but Yahweh provided a second time to celebrate it for anyone who was unclean through touching a dead body or on a long journey. All the rules were the same, except it was in the SECOND month.

All who are Christ's are on a journey. We are not yet at home, but are sojourners in this world, waiting to arrive at the New Jerusalem. (Heb 11:13-16) Further, everyone has touched death by sinning (Rom 3:23 & 6:23). But although we have been far from God, and are unclean through our sin, Jesus has brought us near and cleansed us with His blood. So a time is coming when we will celebrate the Passover in the second month.

Christmas Prayer

2010-12-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Christmas, and although the Bible does not say in what month or on which day our Savior was born, we can all rejoice in the fact of His birth. I wish each of you who reads this a blessed day and year. May you be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and become more like Emmanuel, who is God with Us, each moment of your life.

Hallelujah!

2010-11-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

God bless each of you!

Mark 12 Render Unto God

2010-10-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Mar 12:14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
15) Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why make ye trial of me? bring me a denarius, that I may see it.
16) And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
17) And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him.

I'm sure many of you have read or heard this passage before; probably in the context of paying taxes. That is a valid lesson from the passage, but, as is usual with God's word, there is more. I want to point out something relating to "image and superscription" in verse 16.

Jesus asks whose image and superscription are on the coin He has been given, and He is told that they are Caesar's. Then in verse 17 He says, in effect, that the image and the writing on the coin indicate that it belongs to Caesar. (Did you ever think that the money in your pocket belongs to the ruler or government of your country? I suppose not, most people think it belongs to them...)

Going back to our passage, we read that Jesus also says that there are things which belong to God. What could that possibly mean?

The Bible will interpret itself, and the Holy Spirit will teach us correct understanding, so let's find out who or what carries God's image and writing, since that is what shows ownership here.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27) And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Ah-ha! MAN (male and female) was created in God's image! But what about writing? The coin had Caesar's image and writing...

In the Old Testament, God's words were written on stone, and there is no OT verse in which God says He has written anything on man. But in the New Testament we learn that the Gentiles, who were not given the written law, had something written on them:

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;

This is sometimes called natural law. What it means is that everyone, in every culture, has a knowledge of right and wrong: God's law written on their hearts.

So, going back to the passage in Mark, what are we to give to God? That which is made in His image and bears His writing. Our bodies are made in His image, and our hearts have His law written on them. We are His, and we are to give ourselves to Him.

Exodus 28: Pomegranates, Bells, and the High Priest

2010-09-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Exo 28:33 And beneath upon the hem of it [the robe for the high priest] thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
Exo 28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
Exo 28:35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

I was taught that every detail in the Bible is important, and it is true. I was also taught that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, speaks of Jesus in some way, even if it is not immediately obvious. This also is true.

Used by permission

One time, as I was reading the passage above, I wondered about the pomegranates and the bells. What did they represent? The bells I thought I understood, but why pomegranates? And why were they on the hem of the high priest's robe? Other people have wondered this before me, but I did not try to research my question by reading other people's answers. I asked God. I meditated on this for some time, thinking about the pomegranate fruit: a globe shape with a tough rind which surrounds hundreds of seeds. Each seed is covered with a little red juice, the seeds are in groups, and each group is both held together and separated from other groups by a flexible membrane. One day, God showed me the mystery of the pomegranate: The seeds represent individual Christians, covered by Jesus' blood. They are gathered into local churches, where they cling to and support one another. Each local church is part of the whole body of Christ, and the body is held together by the Holy Spirit.

I was awed by this revelation, and still am. What a wonderful picture God painted for us, and how marvelous that each high priest, as he performed intercession for the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement, was wearing a reminder of the Church which was to come! God is great!

But I dismissed the bells, and didn't ask God about them. I assumed I knew: I thought they must represent giving praise to God. Well, that may be true, but there is another beautiful picture here, which God showed me much later. Let me explain:

Verse 35 above says, "And it [the robe] shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not."

The High Priest [Aaron] was to wear this robe as he went into the Holy Place. Leviticus 16 records the regulations regarding this. If these rules were not correctly followed, he would die. And since he could only go in alone, the bells on his robe told those outside that the priest was alive and performing his duties before God.

How can the golden bells tell us something about Jesus? First, we must realize that gold, in scripture, represents divinity, and that the word translated 'bell' means something struck. So the golden bells represent Jesus, the Son of God, who was stricken for our sins and iniquities. Wow!

But wait, there's more: the bells were also a signal that the high priest was alive. With this thought, we can see that the bells represent the Spirit of God witnessing to Christians and seekers that Jesus, although He is not walking in a body on the earth, is ALIVE in Heaven performing his priestly duty of intercession before God for everyone who will come to Him. Wow!!

But wait, there's more: because we, as believers, are the Temple, and the Holy Spirit resides in us (1 Cor 3:16), the bells also represent each one of us, witnessing to the world that Jesus is ALIVE, and is standing before God making intercession for all who come to Him. Wow!!!

So in these three verses in the Old Testament, we find a picture of the church, and of Jesus' death and resurrection. I want to say WOW!!!! How about you?

Job 32:2 What's in a Name?

2010-09-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Many names in the Bible are strange to us. They look funny and they sound funny, but they have meaning. In the Old Testament, the names are usually Hebrew; they are transliterated, but not translated into English. That is why they seem strange. But it is worth taking the time to look up what they mean. Here is an example:

Job 32:2 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

Elihu, Barachel, Buz, Ram-- what do these names mean?
Looking in a Hebrew lexicon, we find that Elihu means "his God," Barachel means "God has blessed," Buz means "disrespect, contempt, despised, shamed," and Ram means "high."
Now we can put these together into one thought: "His God, God, has blessed the despised from on high."
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

So don't be concerned, you who are in Christ, whether you are thought foolish, weak, or common by those in the world. God is using you to bring those things to nothing through Jesus Christ. God is blessing you from on high, with the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption which is only to be had through His Son.

Galatians 4:4-5 Made Under the Law

2010-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Christians glibly state that Jesus came to save people from their sins, and that is true. But what does it mean? In verse 4, we are told that He was born under the law, and verse 5 says He came "to redeem them that were under the law."
--To what law is Paul referring? In the context of the Galatian letter, it seems to be Torah, the law which was given by God through Moses. Jesus was born under this law, that is what is referred to in verse 4. He was born a Jew. But there is another law more basic than Torah, which applies to everyone.

Jesus, when asked what the most important commandment was, summed up all of the Old Testament this way:

"Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

So if one does not love God and one's neighbor in this way all the time one has sinned, and is under the law spoken of in Galatians 4:5. Since no one can do this all the time, everyone has sinned, and "... the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:23) This is the other law--the law of sin and death.

The point is, we cannot do enough to make up for even one sin. But Jesus came to release us from doing work to try to be good enough for God. Keeping the law is a burden we cannot bear; it is too heavy. But Jesus kept the law, and paid the penalty we owe for not keeping it, for us. As soon as we realize that we can't, but Jesus did, we can relax and accept God's gift of life through Him. That was the purpose of His coming; to give us life.

Let His Remnant Come

2010-06-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

There is anguish among God's people. Grim predictions abound, centered in the Gulf and spreading outward to encompass the world. Many are having dreams showing coming turmoil; I have had one myself. In view of this, I am posting this vision a dear friend had, with her permission. This is no time for complacency or believing nothing will come of it. Possibly nothing will, but that is not the idea to act on; turn to Jesus before it is too late!

Let His Remnant Come

And in the midst of chaos and destruction
There shall stand a shining light
A light of peace, of hope, of love
A sanctuary for those who seek His Face

For those who cry out in the darkness
Let them turn their eyes to Christ
Let their sorrows and their anguish
Find solace in the comfort of His grace

For when the mountains crumble
And the earth shakes
When the seas turn red with blood
And the skies black with smoke

There shall be no turning back
There shall be no refuge from the storm
There shall be no other recourse
But there shall be Christ, victorious

Let His remnant come!

Comfort

2010-06-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

I like my ruts. They’re comfortable. I like clothes that fit easily for the same reason; comfort. I like chairs that have the right amount of stuffing and the right size seat, too. Comfort is nice.

But sometimes comfort is dull. You get dusty and creased from too much comfort. Maybe, like comfortable shoes, you’re almost worn out. That’s not so nice. Sometimes it’s better to leave what’s comfortable for the unknown, risking the possible discomfort that might result. Let me tell you what happened to me—

Thursday May 1st, 2008, was the National Day of Prayer. I walked about a mile from where I worked to participate. Some of you may have been there, also…Anyway, part of the schedule called for the people to break into small groups to pray for different areas of need in our country—government, emergency responders, the family, the church, the schools. Everyone joined the group they felt they were to be in, and I joined the group for the church. After a time I felt led to pray a confession of being too comfortable inside the walls of our church buildings. (Here is where you say ‘uh-oh!’) I didn’t think of it as a PERSONAL confession, you understand, but there you go. I was too comfortable, doing what I had been doing for a long time with little change and probably little impact in the kingdom of God.

Before I go on, you need to know that I had never felt much urge to go on a mission of any type. I liked that others were doing it, and I gave a little money sometimes to help, but I didn’t want to go, myself. It was out of my comfort zone!

The next day I went to work: I was a janitor at my church. A friend called during the day asking if I had time to pray, and when I am asked that I know I’m to say yes. So she came by, we talked a little, and I admitted to her that I wanted to go with a mission team to New Orleans to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This desire sort of came over me, and I was as surprised as anyone about it! So that was one of the subjects of our prayer.

That evening on the news was an article about how good everything was in New Orleans. Talk about timing! It gave me a natural opportunity to tell my husband that not everything was as they said, to which he said he knew, and to bring up my desire to go to help. I was amazed when he said, “OK, go.” I was beginning to get a glimpse of God working here…

That was Friday. Early on Sunday morning I was doing my devotional reading in 1 Chronicles. In chapter 28:6-21, King David commissions his son Solomon, telling him that he, David, has prepared everything necessary in order to build God’s temple: all the supplies, raw materials, and plans—everything. All Solomon has to do is build it. That’s when I really KNEW, rather than understood in my head, that if my Father in Heaven wants me as His child to do some work for Him, He provides everything needed to accomplish His will. So I wrote a card which is still in my Bible, telling God that I wanted to go and that I needed EVERYTHING: money, transportation, the timing, literally everything. Then I got ready and headed for church.

After I arrived, I realized that the next team was leaving the next morning, but I picked up a packet of information and forms, thinking that I would be ready for a future trip. I also spoke with the pastor’s wife, who was coordinating the team, and told her I wanted to go. She said that there was another trip planned for the fall, and I went home thinking about raising the money I would need.

After lunch, my husband went outside to do some work in the field, and I sat down to relax at the computer. Pretty soon, the phone rang, and the pastor’s wife asks me, and I quote, “Is tomorrow too soon?” Dumbfounded, I said I’d have to talk to my husband: he had agreed I could go, but he didn’t have any details to go on when he said it. So after asking a couple of questions I hung up, went out to where he was working, and asked, “Is tomorrow too soon?” He asked how much it would cost, and I said it was paid for. So he said OK again! I had 14 ½ hours to cover my work for the time I would be gone, notify others to whom I had prior commitments and find a replacement, pack, get some sleep, and be at the parking lot to catch my ride to the airport at 5 o’clock Monday morning. Monday evening I was in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tuesday morning I was working to help renovate a widow’s home, and beginning to understand what service is. It was a whirlwind, to say the least! But God was in charge, and I didn’t lack anything while I was gone: He provided everything.

So are you comfortable? Maybe a little creased and dusty? Wearing out? Maybe life has been sort of dull?…Confess that for what it is: sin. Make yourself available to God. Then watch out! You might be, as I was, a stone in His slingshot, aimed at a need. It may not be comfortable, but it is truly living—living in God’s will.

A Tidbit for You--Mordecai and Paul

2010-05-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

In the book of Esther, Mordecai, a descendant of Benjamin, adopted and raised Esther, who later became queen. "Mordecai" means "little man."

In the New Testament, Paul, a descendant of Benjamin, was given the ministry to the Gentiles who were adopted into God's family, the church, which is the bride of Christ. "Paul" means "little."

Matthew 24:26 Go Not Forth

2010-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

*Note that all emphasis in these scriptures is mine.*

Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

I have had an education in the application of this passage recently!

From time to time there have been "outpourings" of "the Holy Spirit" in various places, and people have flocked to see and experience them. But in this passage Jesus tells us not to do that, and many who have disregarded this instruction have found themselves in league with satan, deceived, thinking they were serving Jesus when they were not. Aside from not doing what Jesus said, which is always wrong, there are at least two errors in this.

The first error is a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit and His function: the Holy Spirit does not seek to put Himself forward, but ALWAYS points to Jesus, the Son of God:

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Holy Spirit is pictured as the helper, the comforter, the teacher, the guide. He does not make a show of Himself by scattering gold dust or feathers. He does not cause loss of self control in any way. These things are deceptions.

The second error is thinking that God is some PLACE. He created everything and is not constrained by locality or time. Going SOMEWHERE to be near Him is, at best, a waste of time and money. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, wherever you are:

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Psalms 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

So, you who want to know God, He is near you. You have only to go to Him in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to show the way, and read what He has said in the Bible. Seek Him in these ways, and He will be found by you without your going anywhere.

No Magic Words

2010-04-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Do you have Jesus? There are no magic words. In your heart, do you want Jesus?

Does He fill you? Do you want more of Him? Do you want His power in your life? Do you want to know Him, and the power of His resurrection? Are you willing to die? Are you ready to die? There are no magic words, no special days, no rituals, nothing. There is Jesus, and you. Do you want Him? Or do you want you: your things, your home, your friends, your family, your job?

Do you want Jesus? Are you ready to stand in rags before Him? No new dress, no hair dye, no make-up. Are you ready for Him to clothe you? Do you want Jesus?

Do you want what He wants? Can you accept His gifts? Can you see His signs? Can you see His death, His burial, His resurrection? Can you see relationships healed, bodies healed, souls healed? Not gold dust, not feathers, not holy laughter. He does not do those things. He does not need to. He is God. There are no magic words.

He will use any willing vessel: you, your neighbor, your mother, your father, your spouse, your child. Name any person you can think of, someone you admire, someone famous, who is not Jesus. That person cannot save you, heal you, heal your relationships, or give you what you need. That person can only, maybe, lead you to Jesus. Do you want Jesus? Be still. Don’t run. He is right beside you. You are in His presence right now.

I want Jesus. Do you?

Easter or Firstfruits?

2010-03-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! I’m so glad! Warmer temperatures, rain instead of snow and ice, sunshine, flowers—what a blessing! Spring is also the season when we make a point of remembering that Jesus died and was raised again that we might be saved from the penalty of our sins. We call this time of remembrance “Easter.”

“Easter.” That’s a strange name when you think about it. What does the word “Easter” have to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior? And for that matter, what do colored eggs and rabbits have to do with it, either? And who decides when we are supposed to celebrate it?

There are answers to these questions, answers that may bother you. They bothered me.

The Bible is very clear that Jesus was crucified on Passover: Matthew 26:17 says, for example “Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (NKJV) Matthew goes on to tell of the last supper and the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mark and Luke tell essentially the same story. Passover can occur on any day of the week, but it always occurs on the 14th of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish year, which is in spring. Why do we not celebrate Passover?

The answer is that, since the Nicene Council of 325 AD, the church has, in general, sought to distance itself from anything Jewish. Constantine, who led the council, called Jews "adversaries," "depraved," and "innately mad," and their way "evil." The Council declared it improper to follow their customs in regard to this celebration or to have anything in common with them. Constantine said this of the people whom God chose and from whom we have the Bible and Jesus our Savior. In order to accomplish this misguided goal, the Council decided on a formula by which the date for remembering the resurrection would be found, and they phrased it in such a way that the celebration would not fall on Passover even by accident. Does that sound wrong to you? It does to me.

What about that word, “easter?” My dictionary gives its etymology (that is, the roots of the word) as--A. Sax eastre, from another A.Sax. word that sounds a lot like easter, which was from the Old High German Ostara, a goddess of light or spring… Hmm, a name of a goddess is what we apply to the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior? I did a Google search of Ostara and found information shared by pagans and witches about celebrating spring, new growth, and fertility; about colored eggs and reproducing rabbits. It was more than I wanted to know!

God says in His word, in Exodus 23:13, “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.” (NKJV) And Joshua 23:7, the second part of the verse, says “… You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, [that is, the gods of the nations around them] nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them.” (NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but I must, from now on, refrain from speaking the name of that false god of spring. I repent that I have sinned in speaking it for years, and in teaching my children to speak it. I am thankful that God is faithful, when I repent, to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

So what shall I call this wonderful time when I celebrate that Jesus my Lord triumphed over death and rose from the grave? Passover? Well, I could, but Passover is when He died, not when He arose. Resurrection Day? My mother called it Resurrection Day…that might work.

Does God name the day? Yes, He does. He established the feast of Firstfruits. It was celebrated the day after the Sabbath after Passover, the first day of the week, which we call Sunday. In 1 Cor 15:20-23 we read: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” (NKJV) So Jesus rose from the dead on the feast of Firstfruits, and He is the firstfruits of those who sleep. Firstfruits. I like it. With God’s help, I will use it.

John 3:20 Science Catches Up with Jesus

2010-02-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

I just read a WebMD article which says what Jesus said: men who do evil seek darkness.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Here is the link:
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100219/darkness-spurs-dishonesty?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Hebrews 4:14, Our Great High Priest

2010-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

I understand that some Christians don't study the Old Testament, and believe it to be no longer valid. I disagree with that position. In fact, one of my passions is finding Jesus in the Old Testament. My most recent find is in the consecration of the High Priest.

Aaron, Moses' brother, was the first High Priest. He was chosen by God for the position, and his sons were chosen to do the job after him. In Leviticus 8 the ritual for Aaron's consecration is given to Moses by God. Here it is, in part:

Lev 8:10-12, 22-23 ¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

²²And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ²³And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.

What does that have to do with Jesus, you may be asking. Good question! After all, God says in the Hebrews verse that Jesus IS our High Priest, and that settles it! Yes, I agree, it does settle it. But there is confirmation in the Old Testament which can be seen when compared with events in Jesus' life.

In Lev 8:12 above, Moses poured anointing oil on Aaron's head to sanctify him. It was not just a little bit of oil, because in Psalm 133:2 we are told that the precious ointment ran over Aaron's beard and down to the hem of his robe. Was Jesus anointed in this way? Yes! Remember Mary, Martha and Lazarus's sister?

Mark 14:3, 6-9 ³And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
⁶And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. ⁷For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. ⁸She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. ⁹Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

We know this is the same woman, because the town is Bethany, Jesus is anointed by a woman, and because of these verses:

John 11:1-2 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ²(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

So Jesus was anointed with enough precious oil to cover his head and his feet. What about the blood of the sacrifice which was applied to Aaron's ear, thumb, and toe?

Mat 27:29-30 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! ³⁰And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

His head was bleeding from the beating and the thorns. His ears had blood on them. His own blood.
Someone innocent had to die to provide the blood. In Leviticus a ram died. But for Jesus' consecration, Jesus died.

Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

He had nails through his hands and his feet. His thumbs and big toes had blood on them. His own blood.
What a price he paid in order to be our Great High Priest! What suffering he endured in order to make intercession for us with His Father! There can be no greater demonstration of his love for us than this. All we can do is accept it with profound gratitude.

Romans 8:28 All for Good

2010-01-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Gen 50:19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gen 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

As I have shared before, I am a member of After God's Heart, a community Bible Study for women. We are currently making our way through Romans. In studying Romans 8:28, we were asked how God used something bad to produce something good in the Genesis passage. My answer was that God used Joseph's brothers' evil intent to provide for the salvation of their whole family.

As I was writing my answer the parallel in Jesus' life struck me: God used the evil intent of the rulers of the Jews, to whom He was related, to provide for the salvation of everyone in the nation. Further, God used the evil political system of the time to provide the same thing for everyone in the world.
There is only one condition placed upon receiving this provision: believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and say that you do. God will take it from there. What could be easier?

Hebrews 6:18-20 How to Fly

2009-12-25T05:53:00.000-08:00

Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. [my emphasis]

Another blogger, in her Christmas post, quoted a poem. One line caught my imagination. It said, in essence, that a kite flies because someone is tightly holding the other end of the string. I immediately thought of Jesus, and the hope I have in Him being the anchor of my soul. Jesus is holding my string, anchoring me to God. I can fly!

Hebrews 6:4-6 Impossible

2009-12-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Someone I care about put faith in Jesus once. I was present at the baptism. After a few years walking as a follower of Christ, however, they fulfilled Christ's prophecy, which He spoke to his disciples in Matthew 26:31b (NIV). He said, "...you will all fall away..." When we spoke about it, I was told that return was impossible, because it said so in "my" Bible. I know the Scripture referenced was Hebrews 6:4-6 (above).

Maybe you have had a similar experience. Maybe you think your loved one is forever lost, and are heartbroken because of it. I understand, and I say take hope! God is in charge. He started the work in the one you love, and He is responsible to finish it.

So what does this mean in Hebrews 6? It plainly says it is impossible to bring one who has fallen away to repentance. But we need to find out to whom it is impossible, to man or to God. To understand this, we need to look more deeply into God's Word.

Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Here in Matthew 19, Jesus Himself says that it is impossible for a rich man to save himself, but He affirms that with God all things are possible. This is repeated in Mar 10:27 "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." and Luke 18:27 "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Also, in Luke 1, after Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and the power of God, he ends by saying, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

So in Hebrews, it must mean that it is impossible for man to renew such a one to repentance. With God, all things are possible.

There is one more thing we need to know, and that is what is possible for us:

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

This means it is possible for us to intercede with God for our loved ones when we have faith and believe in Jesus, God's Son. This father confessed both his belief and his unbelief, and asked for help, and Jesus healed his son. He will do the same for you and for me, because He rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6b)

So take heart and intercede with God for those you love, then get out of the way and let Him work!

Galatians 5:16-18 Under the Law

2009-12-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

There is a lot of talk about whether Christians are under the law, and what place the law has in a Christian's life. Well, I want to share something from this passage which God just showed me.

In his letters, Paul talks a lot about the law. I won't try to go through all that here, it is a huge study. But in these verses, he concludes by saying if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law. This does not mean that Christians are never, ever accountable to God's law. It does mean that IF I, as a Christian, am being led by the Holy Spirit, THEN I am not under the law.
Conversely, if I, as a Christian, am being led by my sinful, fleshly desires, then I AM under the law, and the Holy Spirit uses it to convict me of my sin.

Genesis 3:15 Seed of the Woman

2009-11-30T05:56:00.000-08:00

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

It is Advent, when people all over the world anticipate the day we remember Jesus' birth. No one knows exactly which day He was born, and probably it was not in mid winter. But the day of His birth is not as important as the fact of His birth and the reason He was born. God knew from the beginning that a remedy for man's imperfection would be needed, and He planned for that remedy to be provided at what He knew would be the right time and the right place.

Genesis 3:15 is generally accepted as being the first prophecy in Scripture about the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. It says that He would be born of a woman, so He would be human. But He would be "her seed." This is an odd phrase because the seed is what is planted, and in the Bible refers to men, not women. The man inseminates the woman. Except here. This person would be born of a woman, but, since He was "her seed," he would NOT be the child of a man! Now think for a minute: if the Christ, who will bruise the enemy's head, is NOT the child of a man, but IS the child of a woman, how would that be known? The woman would have to be a virgin--if she was not, then her child could not be proved to be anyone other than a normally born human being.

So we see that here, right after imperfection, sin and death entered the creation, God's remedy was predicted: He would be human, but born of a virgin, and He would be the one to defeat the enemy.

Luke 5:29-32 & 6:1-5 Jesus Defends His Disciples

2009-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Luk 5:29-32 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Luk 6:1-5 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; 4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

In these two passages the scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus' disciples (not Him) about their actions. And instead of the disciples defending themselves, Jesus speaks for them. He is their advocate, their defense lawyer.
It is the same today. If you are Jesus' follower, if you are learning from Him and allowing Him to work in your life, He defends you.

Psalm 139:13 Covered

2009-11-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

^"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb."

"Thou hast possessed my reins"--God owns me and directs me. He made me (and you).
"Thou hast covered me"--He has woven me together and protected me (and you)
"in my mother's womb"--since conception.

This is such a warm comforting thought. I love it that God knows me so well and has such an intimate part in my being and life. He is truly my Father.

John 8:3-11 & Jeremiah 17:13 Written in the Earth

2009-11-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Joh 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

I love it when God shows me Jesus in the Old Testament! Here we have the well-known story from the gospel of John of the woman taken in adultery. She is brought to Jesus by her accusers who test Him by asking what should be done with her. Instead of answering, he writes in the dirt. What does that mean? Then as they press Him, He turns their question back on them, allowing that anyone among them who is sinless may throw the first stone. And He writes in the dirt some more.

Here is where Jeremiah comes in. It explains the writing in the dirt.

Jer 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

These accusers had forsaken God: the woman had been taken in the act of adultery, but where was the man? The law required that both be stoned (Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.) so both should have been brought. Those who brought her wanted to find some fault in Jesus, not do what was just.

But Jesus shamed and disappointed them. He made them remember their own sins, and while they were thinking, he wrote them in the earth. Scripture doesn't say, but I hope some of them repented.

Romans 4:24-25 Who Raised Him from the Dead?

2009-10-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

I have been participating in a study of Romans with After God's Heart, a community Bible Study for women. We are currently studying this passage, and the question was asked: "What do the following verses reveal about who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead?" These verses are given:

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

John 2:19-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

As I read these verses carefully, I realized that each of the persons of the trinity participated in the resurrection, and I wanted to share.

1 Samuel 16 Music and Spirits

2009-10-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

1Sa 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

David's music healed Saul of the distress caused by the evil spirit by making the evil spirit leave. I believe the music he played must have been pleasing to God.
I wonder if music displeasing to God would encourage evil spirits to come...

Luke 13:15 Freedom

2009-10-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

¹⁰And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
¹¹And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
¹²And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
¹³And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
¹⁴And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
¹⁵The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
¹⁶And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? (Luke 13:10-16, King James Version)

⁵And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? (Luke 14:5, King James Version)

These two passages are similar. I have quoted the whole story from Luke 13 to give the idea of both. There is much that could be said, but what I noticed were the animals. The ox was a clean animal; that is, it was acceptable for sacrifice. The donkey ("ass") was unclean; it was not acceptable for sacrifice. But they were both useful as working animals, and both needed regular care.

Jesus is making a point, or rather several points, in these healings and in His use of oxen and donkeys as examples. He shows that God will care for the Jew (ox/clean) and Gentile (donkey/unclean). He will set them free (loose them from their stalls/pull them from the pit). He will give them the Holy Spirit (water).

God will do this through His Son, Jesus, to all who believe.

John 21:20-22 Follow Me

2009-10-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Joh 21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

I have been struggling with my Christian walk lately. I have a confrontation with another Christian, and I struggle with going to church. I look around and see what others are doing, and I wonder,"What about me? How does this apply to me? Does God mean I am supposed to do that, too?"

For example, one of my cousins is a very godly man. He spent over 20 years in church, participating in church stuff, being a leader. Then God sent him out into the wilderness, as he put it, and suddenly he wasn't in church at all. And as he told me about this, I wondered "What about me?"

But I have to remember that what other Christians close to me need to do in order to be in God's will may not be what I need to do: His Will for me is for me, not necessarily for someone else. I need to do what Jesus told Peter to do: Follow Him.

When I shared this with my friend Pearl, she said:

No comparisons, no jealousy, no resentment, no striving, no unrest, no heartache, no anger, no frustration, no insecurity.

Just peace, perfect peace in the fact that He made Me the way He wanted me and Loves me more than I can think and imagine.

He loves me more than I can think and imagine. I must follow Him.

Luke 5:17-26 Who is He?

2009-10-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Luk 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

This is a familiar story; it is also related in Matthew 9:2-8 and Mark 2:1-12. What I see here is this: in verse 20, Jesus forgives the sick man his sins. In verse 21, the Pharisees, who knew the scripture, accused him in their hearts of blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. In verse 24, because He knew what they were thinking, Jesus proves His authority to forgive sins by healing the man's infirmity, as well.
The logical progression is this:

Jesus forgave sins
Only God can forgive sins
Jesus healed miraculously
Only God performs miracles (this is understood but not explicit in this text)
Therefore, Jesus is God

They were all amazed, filled with fear, and gave glory to God. So should we all.

Luke 25:25-31 A Promise Fulfilled

2009-10-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew [show] him my salvation.

Luk 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Luk 2:29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

The Bible is one book. It was written over more than a thousand years, by many human scribes, but it tells one story.

Psalm 91 speaks of the blessings that accompany one who stays in God's presence, and it ends with the verse above. Once as I was reading the passage in Luke which is cited above, I realized that, especially in verses 29 & 30, I was reading of the fulfillment of the promise in Psalm 91:16. That realization blessed me because I love finding events predicted in the Old Testament which are fulfilled in the New. I hope you are blessed, also.

Leviticus 25:9-13 Jubilee

2009-10-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 12 For it is the jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13 In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.

The Jubilee brought freedom and restoration. Debts were canceled, property which had been sold reverted to its original family, Hebrew slaves were released. This freedom and restoration began each fiftieth year on the day of atonement. It is a type of Jesus, who came to free us from bondage to sin and restore our former relationship to God at His first coming. It also looks to His second coming, when He will return to earth to claim it as His possession.

Leviticus 4:3 Sins of the High Priest

2009-10-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Lev 4:3 if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, ... (ASV)

The sins of the High Priest also fall on the people. It is a blessing that our High Priest, Jesus, never sinned!

Exodus 34:1-4 Stone Hewing

2009-10-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Exo 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.
Exo 34:4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Have you ever wondered why Moses had to cut the stones himself for God to re-write the Ten Commandments? God had done the whole job the first time, why didn't He do it all again? Well, I have wondered this, and I asked God why. This is what He showed me: The stone tablets represent our hearts. They have become hard, like stone, through sin. And the only way we can become right with Him is if we bring our hard hearts to Him in humility, admitting our sin. It is hard work, like chiseling stone, but it is the only way. Then, when we turn to Him in this way, He graciously gives us hearts of flesh instead of stone, and writes His law on our hearts, as He promised He would.

Exodus 20:24-25 Altar Building

2009-10-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Exo 20:24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

In verse 24 God instructs Moses to make an altar of earth. The Hebrew word translated "earth" is from the root adam which means "to show blood, be red, ruddy." Adam is also the root of the word translated "man" in Genesis. So when Paul, in Romans 12:1, says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." he is telling them, in essence, to make themselves into an altar of earth, to sacrifice their self-centeredness to God. And God, in Exodus, promises to bless them if they do.

Then in verse 25 God speaks of an altar of stone. The Hebrew word here is eben, which is nearly identical with the word for son, ben. This is an allusion to Jesus the Son (ben) of God, who is often represented by a stone or rock in Scripture. God is saying to us that if we trust in Jesus but try to change Him at all, chipping some off because we don't like it, or adding our work to His, then we have polluted it. We cannot be saved by our own work, but only by the work Jesus did during His death, burial, and resurrection.

Exodus 4:19-20 Take Them and Go

2009-10-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Exo 4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

This prefigures Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returning to Israel from Egypt:

Mat 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Genesis 28:11 Rest on the Rock

2009-10-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

Jacob put the stone, which represents Christ, at his head and rested. We are to do the same.

Genesis 28:12 Jacob's Ladder

2009-10-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

John 1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

When Jacob dreamed of the ladder to heaven, he dreamed of Jesus, whose sacrifice opened the way to heaven, and who controls everything the angels do.

Matthew 16:4 Seeking Signs

2009-10-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.." A similar passage is Luke 11:29-30: "And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation."

To whom was He speaking? The Sadducees and Pharisees who knew the Scripture thoroughly but refused to see Him for who He was: God's Son and the Messiah for whom they claimed to be waiting. They counted on their righteousness in the performance of the Torah to save them, yet they twisted it so it meant what they wanted. They were wicked and idolatrous, committing spiritual adultery and justifying it by their works.

So today: Modern Pharisees and Sadducees, people who claim to know Jesus, seek signs. They seek healing, prosperity, and miracles while still living the way they please and justifying themselves. But the only sign they will be given is that of Jonah: he was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale (great fish), then was vomited up to preach repentance to Nineveh. In like manner, Jesus came preaching repentance to us, and He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt 12:40) so we could be justified before God and spread the message of repentance and forgiveness to the world.

Do you seek signs from God? Do I? We must check ourselves! We may need to turn from our sin and seek His forgiveness instead!

Genesis 22:6 The Cross

2009-10-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Abraham laid the wood on Isaac his son, so (as a type of Christ)
Isaac carried his cross.

Genesis 12:3 Blessing

2009-10-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

"And I will bless them [plural] that bless thee, and curse him [singular] that curseth thee:."

Everyone is able to receive this blessing, the only condition is to bless the descendants of Abraham. He who curses is the adversary.

Genesis 4:1-7 Why ?

2009-10-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Why did God reject Cain's offering?
Verse 7 says, "Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." So God was saying that Cain had not done well. Although the timing or the content of Cain's offering (I have heard both given as explanations for its rejection) may be clues, the ultimate problem was in Cain's heart. God's rejection of the offering served to expose Cain's problem: he did not love his brother, Abel, but was jealous of him.