Sunday, December 31, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' to Deuteronomy 11 Today

We have tasted and we have seen the goodness of God in the land of the living. Now think about it. Even if everyday was sheer misery for us in this life now and it was hard to find any “blessings”, God has been good. He sent His Son, to become a man as we are, suffer greatly for our sins, as a scapegoat for us, one who took our places in the punishment we owed God Himself; He did it because of love, willingly. He laid down His own blessed life as a Son on the Throne of God’s power, authority, dominion and glory. God did that so we who would believe in, rely on, and serve Him now, would be with Him forever in the “place” called eternity, which begins when we do, and continues on forever.
This life is literally a vapor, whatever happens here is a puff of wind. The only significant thing is whether we believed, received, and lived for Him here and how many others did we lead towards Him. The rest - the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the backs and forths, the pain or sorrow, or joy, will quickly pass away. The goodness we’ve seen is the greatness of the very feat of God, who came to earth in the form of His Son Jesus. This is all the goodness we need.
We who have revelation, have seen this. It is greater than the parting of the Red Sea! It is greater than any wilderness experience. Jesus Christ the Savior of the World, the Lover of God and man! A miracle has happened, Christ can come live inside of human beings in the form of the spirit of God who takes what was eternally dead and makes it eternally alive! Wow! God is Good. If we never taste of any natural goodness at all, we can see this and it can lead us to obey Him all of our days as a human being.
Now listen though, those who’s loving response is obedience to Him, have a promise for blessing. Many times there is no blessing, because there is no obedience. Obeying one’s self is not obeying God. Obeying what we believe or desire to be God, is also not going to be blessed.
Living long is essential to the obedient- There will be more time to exemplify His love and show a hurting world His praise, demonstrated through righteous obedience. There is more time for the obedient ones to be who they are in Christ around a myriad of others. There is more opportunity for that proven, tested and tried person to show others what is truly important and real.
Please be careful when you read of idolatry as you read a Bible passage. Don’t be so quick to skip over its red flag. An idol is anything that comes first in ranks of priority above God! Any person can be an idol unto themselves. If what I want to do, comes first place above what God wants me to do, that’s idolatry. If any other person in my life takes first place above what God wants me to do, if I spend a heap of time on them, and spend none on Him or His work, I’m serving an idol. If my work, my physical and mental labors take first place above God, I’ve made an idol.
Why would God so bless those who obey? Why would He want them to expect and insist upon their blessings, like long life, abundance without toil, etc? Because of His work. One needs to be healthy to live long well and still have enough of them to do His work. If I go to work, toil in painstaking agony and produce very little, I’ll probably have very little to give if any for what He’s desired me to give to my world, in the form of representation of Him. If working to eat is easy, I’ll have a lot leftover and will share my food etc, thus creating and environments for family and the further demonstration of Him.
Notice when we put work first as an idol, we serve it more and we toil more and have misery. If we feel ourselves toiling, we may want to ask – “Lord, have I put anything else above You?”
This is such a great rundown of How to live this way even while doing necessary things in life. While we do those necessary things (like cleaning house, mowing grass, etc) we speak of the Lord, we include our family members in the help with us and we speak of Him again. Day and night while we do the work we need to do, we demonstrate Him in the work, we speak of Him in the work, We honor Him by working well in the work. He is glorified and He has first place. We do the work as unto Him, we won’t do it instead of Him.
We get to choose blessing or curse. God gave us that right. Be very careful not to blame God for curses. This is immaturity. Maturity takes blame, realizes the mistakes we make are from choices we make, and to change the outcome we learn from the mistaken choice we made, and go on living differently, listening to the Lord, giving Him first place in every decision, obeying Him in the first place.
It is always good to have checkpoints in our daily walk. Honesty evaluations. Am I obeying God? Am I doing what He wants, what He said. Do I love Him more than any other thing I’m involved in? Do I love who He loves on purpose? If I do, I will not offend, or be so easily offended. I must be care-ful to obey. That means I need to purpose to do it, be willing to have it checked on, knowing I’m doing it right, the way He has stated and be willing to change whatever will bring me into further obedient action as a representative of Him.

The Rock Church Of Daytona Beach's Daily Bread Reading for Today- Deuteronomy 11

1 "You must love the LORD your God and obey all his requirements, laws, regulations, and commands. 2 Listen! I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the LORD your God or seen his greatness and awesome power. 3 They weren't there to see the miraculous signs and wonders he performed in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land. 4 They didn't see what the LORD did to the armies of Egypt and to their horses and chariots – how he drowned them in the Red Sea F26 as they were chasing you, and how he has kept them devastated to this very day! 5 They didn't see how the LORD cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here. 6 They weren't there to see what he did to Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, a descendant of Reuben) when the earth opened up and swallowed them, along with their households and tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7 But you have seen all the LORD's mighty deeds with your own eyes!

8 "Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and occupy the land you are about to enter. 9 If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants – a land flowing with milk and honey! 10 For the land you are about to enter and occupy is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you planted your seed and dug out irrigation ditches with your foot as in a vegetable garden. 11 It is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain – 12 a land that the LORD your God cares for. He watches over it day after day throughout the year! 13 "If you carefully obey all the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and soul, and if you worship him, 14 then he will send the rains in their proper seasons so you can harvest crops of grain, grapes for wine, and olives for oil. 15 He will give you lush pastureland for your cattle to graze in, and you yourselves will have plenty to eat. 16 "But do not let your heart turn away from the LORD to worship other gods. 17 If you do, the LORD's anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and your harvests will fail. Then you will quickly die in that good land the LORD is now giving you.

18 So commit yourselves completely to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors. 22 "Be careful to obey all the commands I give you; show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and clinging to him. 23 Then the LORD will drive out all the nations in your land, though they are much greater and stronger than you. 24 Wherever you set your feet, the land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. F27 25 No one will be able to stand against you, for the LORD your God will send fear and dread ahead of you, as he promised you, wherever you go in the whole land.

26 "Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! 27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. 28 You will receive a curse if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn from his way by worshiping foreign gods. 29 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land to possess it, you must pronounce a blessing from Mount Gerizim and a curse from Mount Ebal. 30 (These two mountains are west of the Jordan River in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley, F28 near the town of Gilgal. They are located toward the west, not far from the oaks of Moreh.) 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to occupy the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you are living in that land, 32 you must be careful to obey all the laws and regulations I am giving you today.


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FOOTNOTES:
F26: Hebrew sea of reeds.
F27: Hebrew to the western sea.
F28: Hebrew the Arabah.


The New Living Translation

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' Today to Hebrews 4

This is Big Giant; people seeking venture, all out for the venture for peace. Rest and peace. Because of the misery we are tired, worn out, we have done a whole lifetime of our own laboring and living out the consequences of paying for our own sin and bad choices or trying again and again to be or do good, etc., Many even speak of death as being some sort of relief, and it can be. Be careful though, for without Christ it would be the very beginning of torments, total and eternal unrest. Even grave markers say, “rest in peace”, but the only true and eternal peace is authored in our service to our Maker.
God’s rest is not what we’ve related rest to be, it is so much more. We need to allow God to define His words to our spirits and go beyond our mind’s-eye view. His rest is when we do His work. When we live for His work in the earth. He is at rest then. We enter into His rest. We cease from our own push and shove to “get ahead” if there is any “ahead”. Most of the time our own labors result in what is likened to running in place or being in a hamster cage on a rodent wheel. We go no where and accomplish very little.
When I say very little, I don’t mean there’s no accomplishment. I mean eternal accomplishment is the only true accomplishment. All else will pass away as soon as we do, most we have worked for will go to the dump and be burned. What is eternal is what is worth living and working for, it is where we spend our lives on what really counts.
Who is disobedient to God? Let’s not skip over this one too quickly. Many times when the word says something such as this we tend to point a righteous finger at who we perceive to be heathen. The word is 80% of the time speaking to Christians, not heathen, or those who don’t even know God. Anyone who disobeys God, as the people of Israel did, will fall….Israel is the church! It is NOT the heathen. The word today is speaking about people who consider themselves righteous!
Love obeys. Obedience is the greatest expression of love. Love does the will of others. Love says, I do have a will, but I choose to do the will of another because I really love. I do what hurts me, rather than hurting myself. I take hurt upon myself, rather than allow someone else to be hurt by me. I’m not self preserving. I’m others protecting, to keep them in and heading towards the will of their Father.
What is the last thing you felt the Holy Spirit tell you to do? De-junk and simplify your life? Be kind to someone specific? Be committed to a church body and its work, no matter how inconvenient it may be for you? Did He ask you to pray more, read more, lay down some things you like to do for what He’d have you replace it with? Has he been trying to tell you what to do at every turn? Did you ever pray, “Lord lead me”? Has he been trying to?
We have opportunities to obey God in these things and put weight behind our words to Him, such as, “I love you Lord”.
Remember Lord is Master. Lord is King. Lord gets His way, if He is Lord. If He’s not, someone is, it may very well be you. Even if only in your mind or heart, it may be.
Ya know even if you do not believe or embrace these teachings, they will be required of you. It’d be better to set ourselves inside of them than to disregard them and have a hefty bill to pay when we stand before God later on.
One day, could be today for each of us, every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The Rock Church's Daily Bread Reading for Today

Hebrews 4:1 God's promise of entering his place of rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to get there. 2 For this Good News – that God has prepared a place of rest – has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn't believe what God told them. F20 3 For only we who believe can enter his place of rest. As for those who didn't believe, God said, "In my anger I made a vow: 'They will never enter my place of rest,'" F21 even though his place of rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because the Scriptures mention the seventh day, saying, "On the seventh day God rested from all his work." F22 5 But in the other passage God said, "They will never enter my place of rest." F23 6 So God's rest is there for people to enter. But those who formerly heard the Good News failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his place of rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David a long time later in the words already quoted: "Today you must listen to his voice. Don't harden your hearts against him." F24 8 This new place of rest was not the land of Canaan, where Joshua led them. If it had been, God would not have spoken later about another day of rest. 9 So there is a special rest F25 still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.
11 Let us do our best to enter that place of rest. For anyone who disobeys God, as the people of Israel did, will fall. 12 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. 13 Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done. 14 That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.
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FOOTNOTES:
F20: Some manuscripts read they didn't share the faith of those who listened [to God].
F21: Ps 95:11.
F22: Gen 2:2.
F23: Ps 95:11.
F24: Ps 95:7-8.
F25: Or Sabbath rest.


The New Living Translation

Friday, December 29, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' Today to Hebrews 3

Let’s address the falsehood of “Once saved, always saved”, today.
Let’s go back to the original scripture most salvation prayers come from. Romans 10:9-10. 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Beware, for the word “confess” here is much more than we would think in present day United States-ese.
It means to adhere to (until the end). Stick with it, stay. A word uttered by a living voice, word embodied (meaning the way we know it was spoken is we see the action that tells us of the word). We add weight to it by living it out, which validates it in us. We maintain its usefulness and value.
The passage also says, confess “Jesus is Lord”, not merely acknowledge Him as Savior.
It means you choose to live as though He is Your Master, and you are the servant. Live as though you are inside of a committed relationship with Him, forever, a relationship that never ends, a never exiting relationship, where there’s mentally and physically no way out, with no desire to ever be anywhere else.
If we live this way, we will be saved!
God was angry with them…why? They did not uphold their end. They did not uphold the covenant promise of commitment to Him forever. They acted in love with themselves or with others.
They did Not enter in to the rest! They disobeyed.
Disobedience is the exact enemy of love. Rebellion is an enemy of commitment. When one makes commitment with another, they take on the enemies of the other. Rebellion and disobedience are God’s mortal enemies. If we are His and in covenant with Him, they have also now become our enemies. We cannot bed down with the enemies of our lover/friend. If we do, we betray our lover. This makes God mad. Mad enough to nullify our own promise made to Him to stay with Him forever. We are the ones who do that. He stays, forever. We choose to fellowship Him or others. It is our choice. If we choose to live for and with God’s enemies that is spiritual adultery.
Adulterers were judged severely, because God wants us to see how serious it is to break covenant. Adulterers were stoned, signifying death of a covenant with eternal damnation to follow lest one repent, meaning – turn back to the covenant.
This is a daily covenant. I renew it by action everyday. Today I hear and heed His voice. Today I live for Him, hating His enemies enough to not live with or eat with or sleep with them, no matter what.
I love right, I hate wrong, as God defines it, and my relationship with God grows in love. Rooted and grounded.

The Rock Church of Daytona's Beach's Daily Bread passage for Today Hebrews 3

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God F16 and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's Messenger and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully and was entrusted with God's entire house. 3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a fine house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4 For every house has a builder, but God is the one who made everything. 5 Moses was certainly faithful in God's house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God's household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, "Today you must listen to his voice. 8 Don't harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested God's patience in the wilderness. 9 There your ancestors tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. 10 So I was angry with them, and I said, 'Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.' 11 So in my anger I made a vow: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'" F17 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. F18 Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 But never forget the warning: "Today you must listen to his voice. Don't harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled." F19 16 And who were those people who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Weren't they the ones Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he vowed that they would never enter his place of rest? He was speaking to those who disobeyed him. 19 So we see that they were not allowed to enter his rest because of their unbelief.


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FOOTNOTES:
F16: Greek And so, holy brothers.
F17: Ps 95:7-11.
F18: Greek brothers.
F19: Ps 95:7-8.


The New Living Translation

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' to Hebrews 2 _ See previous Post for Scripture passage

We are “crusaders” of the word of God, protectors of our own faith in our Lord. It is easy to have the word of God stolen from us, just read any newspaper or watch TV, or go to the mall.
Jesus said if we understand the Sower Principle we’ll get everything else He said. A main point in that parable was that an enemy is out there and is after stealing whatever it is God has offered us. Jesus identified the enemy as one who steals (the word), kills (your faith in the word) and destroys (your love relationship with God!).
Those who are soldiers, military people, know exactly what to do with enemy forces. The kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it (with their God) by force.
This Christian journey we walk out is not a passive trek in life, an optional activity. You’re either all in or all out. Jesus said if not for Me, against Me. ½ a heart is no heart at all. Even God’s enemy knows this and so plays on it, offering his own opportunities for compromise, complacency and passivity.
Shake it up and wake up oh soldier of the King! When you accepted Him (that has its own definition to be made clearer), you dove in to the purposes of God. You engaged in warfare of the spirit-kind.
How can we be indifferent? If indifferent, then one is still undecided, if undecided, then don’t count on kingdom reinforcements. God is a covenant God who looks for covenant exchanges. An exchange of names, an exchange of garments, an exchange of rings, an exchange of weaponry, etc. A life for a life. He paid for us to own us, if we allow it.
It is oh so easy to drift away from any message delivered to us. We must grow up and realize each and every message given is not a free message; it was paid for with life force, with blood. It is quite disrespectful to disregard words from God and His messengers as though they are take it or leave it options.
What are we doing with words we’ve heard recently? Doers are blessed in what they do. Hearers only are under a cloud of deception. If they do not move quickly to obey, they will stay deceived and every word they further hear and do not do, will not benefit them or the kingdom work in their lives and in the earth.
We are obligated as a bond-slave is obligated, because we want to be. We know we must be lest we die (perish) at the hand of the very enemy of God and of our souls.
Man has an assignment, just as angles do.
What is man? He is made in the very image and likeness of God the Father, Son & Spirit. He is responsible to His Creator for the assignment given him here. God said to man-kind, “rule”. That was/is a command, as in army command. Bond-servants hear and do commands, Sons rise up and heed the voice of their Father because they understand the generational portion of their purpose well served here.
You gave him authority over all things. Yes that was Jesus, and Jesus lives in us who have made an exchange of His name. He was the firstborn of many, many brethren. We’re those brethren he birthed if we believe, receive and live Him.
If He suffered and died for the world of unsaved people, what should those who come after Him also do? I’m not speaking specifically of physical death, but death to the self life. Things like self ambition, self exaltation, self rights, etc. need to be addressed, considered. Are we, His followers willing to taste the death of self life for everyone in our world?
THROUGH the suffering…God made Him a perfect leader. If you want to be great in God’s kingdom it means becoming a servant of all. Are we as servants fit to lead others into salvation? Only if we die to self do we lead righteously.
Jesus says, Here I am with those who choose eternal life in vivid form. Here I am with a reproduction of Myself in the earth. That is the victory, that other humans would allow God to live in them and do as He showed them to, now.
Only through dying (for us daily to self life) He (we) broke the power of the d’evil. If we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s seed and heir to that promise of God being in the earth in multiple form.
Are we descendants of Abraham and of Christ? Our daily life (or willingness to make freewill sacrifices) show it as truth to us or not.

TRC's Daily Bread Reading for Today Heb 2

1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3 What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on F9 to us by those who heard him speak, 4 and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.

5 And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6 For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, "What is man that you should think of him, and the son of man F10 that you should care for him? 7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels, and you crowned him with glory and honor. F11 8 You gave him authority over all things." F12 Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world.

10 And it was only right that God – who made everything and for whom everything was made – should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. 11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. F13 12 For he said to God, "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. F14 I will praise you among all your people." 13 He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am – together with the children God has given me." F15

14 Because God's children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. 16 We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.


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FOOTNOTES:
F9: Or and confirmed.
F10: Or Son of Man.
F11: Some manuscripts add You put him in charge of everything you made.
F12: Ps 8:4-6.
F13: Greek his brothers; also in 2:17.
F14: Greek my brothers. Ps 22:22.
F15: Isa 8:17-18.


The New Living Translation

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin to Hebrews 1

“Through the Son”- that means there’s a reason the promises do not stop there. They start there, go on from there. “Through” means from one to another dependant upon another. It’s a reference point. God in heaven, Son on earth for a time for those on earth to continue as He is and was an example of.
Where is He now and why? He came from God to earth for a purpose and left going back to God for a purpose and with a purpose. We have to get it, and live it, as reproducible models for those who will see and believe after us, when we go on later also.
Do you realize you are an eternal spirit being? You were with God. Even if only an idea in His heart we were with Him where He is in eternity. We also came to earth for a time as Jesus did, with a purpose. If we know and engage in that purpose, God is glorified THROUGH us. If we never know, we perish for not knowing. We’ve got to know HIM #1 and in Him we will find our purpose. After we leave our posts here we’ll also be with Him (if we received Jesus), seated with Him where He is in the eternal life realm. Those who do not know Him or will not know Him will eternally be separated from Him at that time, eternally dead without Christ.
Angels are messengers of the message of the One way to eternal life in Him forever.
We do not worship the messengers, we worship who they point to. We are also messengers if we so choose to carry Him to our world, which is our co-mission while we are here.
Yes, Angels are messengers. Ever hear, “He’s such an angel”? This just means he’s used by God, and for God, to do something THROUGH him. Are you a messenger? A conduit? A vessel of and for the honor of His name and His work while you are here on earth? Just as Jesus came for a purpose, so did we. We have purpose, and it is not our own purposes we are here to fulfill, or have God fulfill for us. It is His great purposes we serve in whatever time frame we are here to do the work He sent us to do. That’s what the importance or tragedy of a lifespan is about.
Some day we each hope to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter the (true) joy of the Lord”, eternally.
Are you a messenger? A friend, or maybe a son of God? To His sons He speaks differently. How He speaks and what He is allotted to say to us shows who we are at what point in growth. There’s always room for further improvement, further maturity and growth.
Do you love what’s right and hate what’s wrong? Lemme explain in a detail so you won’t miss any of the meaning. Loving what is right would be loving who and what He loves. Hating what’s wrong means I despise even the appearance of evil so much that I WILL NOT participate in it, even in secret. It does not mean I can see clearly and point out a myriad of the faults of others. It means I don’t misjudge, I love the unlovely on purpose, I’m flexible. If I think one way and I’m corrected I change my thought-life. It means if I have a chance to be greedy I won’t. I choose what’s right for me. If the speed limit sign says max 70, I max 70. I do, because I choose to, because I love Him enough to set up self governors around my own life and follow them as though they were His very own voice speaking. I don’t have to be told what to do by someone else. I’m not rebellious against authority. I love what is right, authority is set up around me to help me choose right. When I could say an evil against someone I won’t, on purpose. The d’evil would love for us to think loving right means we see evil all around and won’t be friends with people who choose it.
Oh my Lord, forgive us of shallow thinking and help us lead them into your godly circle by our inviting and loving example, help us show them our holy life! (the reason I wrote d’evil that way is to show d’ = god of, evil = evil. Devil = god of evil, cool huh?)
Whenever I meet someone I believe it is a Divine appointment, because I’ve asked God to bring people across my pathway that need Him. When they meet me, I believe if they and I become friends they will begin to be surrounded with a bubble of sorts, a bubble of grace to be led to Christ. I believe the angelic messengers will begin to guard them, keep them, and surround them, for they are engaged in a destiny (root word - destination) to receive Christ. If they do not believe or receive Him I have seen many a time before that very bubble of grace lift after awhile. The Holy Spirit is gentle, He knocks, He prods gently. If humans reject Him He leaves them and so do the angelic messengers, they go on to another assignment.
Whenever we meet someone and begin to pray for them I never worry that they’ll die when in that grace time, ever. I believe their life is preserved with purpose for the purpose of receiving Christ. Once they do receive Christ, then they can engage themselves in the governing of His word and fellowship, which brings them into a whole new level of protection and the preservation of purpose. Once they are saved they are now very valuable as kingdom messengers who will lead others to Him.

TRC's Daily Bread Reading for Today Hebrews 1

1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. 3 The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.
4 This shows that God's Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is far greater than their names. 5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. F1 " And again God said, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son." F2 6 And then, when he presented his honored F3 Son to the world, God said, "Let all the angels of God worship him." F4 7 God calls his angels "messengers swift as the wind, and servants made of flaming fire." F5 8 But to his Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in righteousness. 9 You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else." F6 10 And, "Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 Even they will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. 12 You will roll them up like an old coat. They will fade away like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will never grow old." F7 13 And God never said to an angel, as he did to his Son, "Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet." F8 14 But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.
FOOTNOTES:
F1: Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7.
F2: 2 Sam 7:14.
F3: Greek firstborn.
F4: Deut 32:43.
F5: Ps 104:4.
F6: Ps 45:6-7.
F7: Ps 102:25-27.
F8: Ps 110:1.
The New Living Translation

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Lena's Journalin' to Matthew 12 Today

On the Sabbath, that’s the day of God’s will being done by someone other than Himself. It is His kingdom work and will being done on earth as is in heaven. Notice there was a symbolic gesture of work, harvesting. When we are harvesting we are involved in God’s rest, because we are doing His will. We’ve stopped whatever it is we do and we harvest His field. The field is the world; the field is the Lord’s. He is the Lord of the harvest.
It says His disciples were hungry, symbolically we could say they were hungry to work. Ya know if you don’t work you don’t _____, right? So they were hungry and their hunger was leading them to work, but not for themselves, for God. When we work for God’s wishes our needs and wishes come true. This is a sowing and reaping principle. For one to engage in His work shows that person trusts Him to supply their own food as needed.
I’m gonna bring out some practicality on this.
If we work for money, and work, work, work to get more and more money, never thinking of God’s work being left undone, except to feel bad that we have no time for it, or to say we are way too tired from working for ourselves to do any of what we believe He’s asked of us, the bottom line is we are not in faith, we do not trust Him. Remember we cannot say we trust Him and do something else contrary to the action of that trust.
I have to work. Yes you do. God requires that a man work and support his household. It is the responsible thing to do, but the number one work to be done is God’s work. That we are responsible to also. If an man does not work (for God’s the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom on earth) that man is empty. He has no spiritual substance. He has no spirit life in Him, he’s dead to the things of God, he doesn’t eat, and the worst of the tragedy is God’s will is incomplete, and we’re the responsible ones to its accomplishment.
Well if I work for the establishment of God’s kingdom, when will I get money?
Boy that’s a valid question. Ya know how the earth belongs to the Lord and all of the fullness or increase of the earth is His? Ya know how the fields are His, for He is the Lord of the harvest, right? Ya know how when you’ve grown up a bit you go to work, and you go to college to get a better job to work at? When you go in for counsel you are asked what career FIELD you’d be interested in pursuing. Where do you think they got that lingo??? It is God language. Those who have ears to hear and eyes to see can see that whatever we do and whatever money we make is allotted from the Lord. Money is not meant to enslave us, it was meant to serve us as we serve Him.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto you. Seek first. That means His work is first priority in everything we do to make money. When we work any job in any and every field it is a place God has set us in to be an influencer over people who can be influenced by watching the character of our lives day in and day out. It does not matter where we work, or what we do. It matters who we are, where we work. While I work I make friends who will see me everyday, who will watch and prove the Christ in me. They’ll see and get to know the real me and they’ll be able to tell others of my following of Christ, if I’m really a Christian. I’ll make friends that I can bring into deeper relationship with my natural and spiritual family and with Christ. I’ll be in a regular place where I’ll build trust in my lifestyle and be able to be a beacon of light shining in whatever darkness there is in someone else’s life.
I don’t skip church for work. I may have to re-arrange a few times or days, but I have to assemble with the body to become stronger in the character I’ll be portraying and I must be in the presence of God first, it is like my kingdom OJT time. Since working for God is my #1position, I cannot miss that. I cannot skip what is the most important. What I make first priority is what shows God and others what is really important to me. I cannot say He is important and work instead. That’s hypocrisy. Let me tell you too, it will be greatly tested especially when you first get hired on a new job. Is it worth risking the job to serve Christ? Yes is the answer. If we trust God and display His work as most important He’ll honor us for it and we’ll get a better job.
People often wonder why they got saved and God is not blessing or supplying for them abundance. #1 He did not say when you get saved you get rich naturally speaking, but priority has everything to do with the windows of heave opening on us or not. God does bless us the more important Hse is to us the more we are blessed, our blessings are far beyond where money is concerned.
We must also realize in order to truly be freed from any area of bondage we have to obey God. If say we will obey Him in order to be freed but we do not continue in that obedient action, we deceive ourselves, the enemy has his way and we get overcome with bondages again, which become strongholds we begin to be accustomed to living with, we acclimate and cope with what is rather than venturing out into what could be overcome through simply obedient action. Obedience is THE fruit of a love relationship. It goes a long ways with love, with faith, with deliverance, with healing, with comfort and joy, etc. It fulfills so many promises. It is the epitome of love fulfilled and so covers oh so many mistakes. It does not hide them it obliterates them through its power-filled washings.

TRC's Daily Bread Reading Matthew 12

Matthew 12
1 At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off heads of wheat and eating the grain. 2 Some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Your disciples shouldn't be doing that! It's against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath." 3 But Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what King David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and they ate the special bread reserved for the priests alone. That was breaking the law, too. 5 And haven't you ever read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7 But you would not have condemned those who aren't guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.' F67 8 For I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath." 9 Then he went over to the synagogue, 10 where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day?" (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) 11 And he answered, "If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. 12 And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then he said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal, just like the other one.
14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting and discussed plans for killing Jesus. 15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. He left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to say who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: 18 "Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with him. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not fight or shout; he will not raise his voice in public. 20 He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory. 21 And his name will be the hope of all the world." F68
22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed. "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?" they wondered out loud. 24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, F69 the prince of demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A city or home divided against itself is doomed. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by the prince of demons, F70 what about your own followers? They cast out demons, too, so they will judge you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 Let me illustrate this. You can't enter a strong man's house and rob him without first tying him up. Only then can his house be robbed! F71 30 Anyone who isn't helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. 31 "Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven – except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who blasphemes against me, the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. 33 "A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned."
38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove that you are from God." 39 But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now someone greater than Jonah is here – and you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba F72 will also rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And now someone greater than Solomon is here – and you refuse to listen to him. 43 "When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation."
46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers were outside, wanting to talk with him. 47 Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you." 48 Jesus asked, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "These are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"
FOOTNOTES:
F67: Hos 6:6.
F68: Isa 42:1-4.
F69: Greek Beelzeboul.
F70: Greek by Beelzeboul.
F71: Or One cannot rob Satan's kingdom without first tying him up. Only then can his demons be cast out.
F72: Greek The queen of the south.
The New Living Translation

Monday, December 25, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' Today to Lev 23

A Holy Convocation, is what KJV says – Summons. That means – command.
Oh how we love commands, and we should love them, for they are safety parameters drawn around us to guard and protect us from evil, its influence, and harm. I’m so thankful for the lines drawn. They show us where to go to have great success. They give us direction, that we’d not have to grope in darkness. They leave us with barely any questions.
Excuses create a whole mound of unsolicited questions that only distract us from knowing the true will of God. It is not the soul or the body who love the commands of God; it is our spirit man, our saved man who wants to keep His salvation until the end. We train and discipline our soul and body to love and follow the commands of God.
We had a special speaker Sunday, a member of our congregation. He made an awesome statement saying, we believe God gave us a job, then we use it as an excuse to not come to church or Bible Study or gather and enter into Christian fellowship. Wow. The command says rest, from your own labor. This week how much did we engage in His labors? That means doing on purpose, boldly what God wanted.
In addition to Sunday morning church service, the Lord has set up more boundary lines to guide us straightaway in to truth. He is amazing. It is amazing how He leads us. He knows what we need before we do. He knows how much fuel we need for the journey ahead. Why do you think He exhorts us to stay as full as possible, and be involved in His word and work more than our involvement in other things in life? He is God And sees what is ahead for us. If He says, “Hey, Let’s go this way this week.” It is so the time to go that way. As you go, in fellowship go ahead and ask why, but don’t stay put asking why before you decide to obey Him and move on His prompting words. He knows.
Bread without yeast. The word without an uprising of rebellion! The word is to be untainted by our own opinion of what we think we really should or should not do. If we love God, we’ll obey Him and that includes a tremendous amount of trust to develop. No trust is ever developed by not moving out in some action of faith.
Whenever we have success in an obedient venture, pride will try to overcome as it offers to us the idea of our own ability to succeed. The Tithe solidifies our trust and covenant relationship with God. The more we increase the more we give. The more success, the more glory, the more offering, the more establishment of the covenant. The tithe squelches out pride as an uprising, it disallows it to have any part in the wondrous glory of God. His glory cannot be shared with another, and we His covenant people are made one with Him through the act of the covenant demonstration of the tithe. It shows we are one and no one else can take what is His away. The success is from Him, the increase is from Him, the bounty is from Him, etc.
Why is the word so detailed about how we offer to God what He desires? There are so many reasons. One is that it causes to see our great need for help to be made righteous, because it is impossible to be right without the acceptance through faith in Jesus shed blood. Another is that in each and every thing we do at each and every time, we need to depend on His spirit inside of us, alive in us, to work in and through us.
Without His Helper we can not do much well. The minute detail become encompassing- exactly. It does not leave a whole lot of room for any else. If our lives are truly given over to God and the participation in His life’s purposes, what else is there? What else are we living for? If we live for everything else and only give a small portion to God, then why do we expect so much from Him in the area of care and blessing?
We are in a covenant relationship. Relationships are reciprocal in nature. It is give give, not give and take. God’s principles are based on sowing and reaping. What we sow we can absolutely expect to reap. If we’ve not sown it is foolishness to expect a harvest blessing of what we do not and do not have plans to give.
Why is fire involved in sacrifice? Fire changes the state of anything. It makes one thing another thing with no resemblance of the former thing. It also purifies what is long lasting. It makes it better and stronger than it was before. But for trash and waste, it takes it away.
Festival of Shelters - a place to stay, a place to dwell. It shows someone is camping out for a reason. They move out of the normal routine of day to day living, they live a new way in a new place, concentrated on the simplicity of the new thing. Their needs are met so they don’t have an abundance of things holding them to the earth, a tent is sufficient in that they can move quickly whenever God says move. They don’t have reasons or lots of excuses to not do whatever it is God says. God is taking us all to this place to live in this place beginning here, but lasting forever.

Christmas LOVE 2 U

Dear Ones,
This Christmas is SO different to me. At forst I thought it had to do with being like 80 something degrees in FL!!!BUT it isn't that.
My heart is continuiously overwhelmed with Love for you and God's best for you and you families.
I am so seeing that the commercialism is a huge distraction to the greatest gift ever announced. I want to disconnect from it, yet connect with the people it gathers. Does that make sense?
I don't even desire natural gifts (though diamonds are nice!)- maybe it has just taken me 43 years of Christmasses to get - that people are the most important treasures of all!
i am so in Love with Jesus and with the potential I see for more of Him in each of us! I stand amazed everyday at how He loves us, has extended Himself towards us and how He keeps drawing imperfect people closer each day. I'm amazed at how He works with me when I make a ton of mistakes and He gives me the gift of life long friendsships anyway. The biggest anmazement I have right now is watching our kids grow up into Godly aduts. I so wonder how that has happened when I raised them and I'm so undeservibg of who they are.
Dear God I'm a mess, better to be a mess for Jesus than for the what's up in the world.
I hope the Lord messes up your world for Him too in 2007!
May it be like heaven for you.
With a great amount of love! Lena B

Merry Christmas to YOU TRC's Daily Bread Reading Lev 23

Leviticus 23 Merry Christ-mas!
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Give the Israelites instructions regarding the LORD's appointed festivals, the days when all of you will be summoned to worship me. 3 You may work for six days each week, but on the seventh day all work must come to a complete stop. It is the LORD's Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day to assemble for worship. It must be observed wherever you live.
4 In addition to the Sabbath, the LORD has established festivals, the holy occasions to be observed at the proper time each year. 5 "First comes the LORD's Passover, which begins at twilight on its appointed day in early spring. F51 6 Then the day after the Passover celebration, F52 the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins. This festival to the LORD continues for seven days, and during that time all the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their regular work and gather for a sacred assembly. 8 On each of the next seven days, the people must present an offering to the LORD by fire. On the seventh day, the people must again stop all their regular work to hold a sacred assembly." 9 Then the LORD told Moses 10 to give these instructions to the Israelites: "When you arrive in the land I am giving you and you harvest your first crops, bring the priest some grain from the first portion of your grain harvest. 11 On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the LORD so it may be accepted on your behalf. 12 That same day you must sacrifice a year-old male lamb with no physical defects as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. 13 A grain offering must accompany it consisting of three quarts F53 of choice flour mixed with olive oil. It will be an offering given to the LORD by fire, and it will be very pleasing to him. Along with this sacrifice, you must also offer one quart F54 of wine as a drink offering. 14 Do not eat any bread or roasted grain or fresh kernels on that day until after you have brought this offering to your God. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live.
15 "From the day after the Sabbath, the day the bundle of grain was lifted up as an offering, count off seven weeks. 16 Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later, and bring an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the LORD as an offering. These loaves must be baked from three quarts of choice flour that contains yeast. They will be an offering to the LORD from the first of your crops. 18 Along with this bread, present seven one-year-old lambs with no physical defects, one bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the LORD. These whole burnt offerings, together with the accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings, will be given to the LORD by fire and will be pleasing to him. 19 Then you must offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering. 20 "The priest will lift up these offerings before the LORD, together with the loaves representing the first of your later crops. These offerings are holy to the LORD and will belong to the priests. 21 That same day, you must stop all your regular work and gather for a sacred assembly. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live. 22 "When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I, the LORD, am your God."
23 The LORD told Moses 24 to give these instructions to the Israelites: "On the appointed day in early autumn, F55 you are to celebrate a day of complete rest. All your work must stop on that day. You will call the people to a sacred assembly – the Festival of Trumpets – with loud blasts from a trumpet. 25 You must do no regular work on that day. Instead, you are to present offerings to the LORD by fire." 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 27 "Remember that the Day of Atonement is to be celebrated on the ninth day after the Festival of Trumpets. F56 On that day you must humble yourselves, gather for a sacred assembly, and present offerings to the LORD by fire. 28 Do no work during that entire day because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement will be made for you before the LORD your God, and payment will be made for your sins. 29 Anyone who does not spend that day in humility will be cut off from the community. 30 And I will destroy anyone among you who does any kind of work on that day. 31 You must do no work at all! This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live. 32 This will be a Sabbath day of total rest for you, and on that day you must humble yourselves. This time of rest and fasting will begin the evening before the Day of Atonement F57 and extend until evening of that day."
33 And the LORD said to Moses, 34 "Tell the Israelites to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifth day after the Day of Atonement. F58 This festival to the LORD will last for seven days. 35 It will begin with a sacred assembly on the first day, and all your regular work must stop. 36 On each of the seven festival days, you must present offerings to the LORD by fire. On the eighth day, you must gather again for a sacred assembly and present another offering to the LORD by fire. This will be a solemn closing assembly, and no regular work may be done that day. 37 "These are the LORD's appointed annual festivals. Celebrate them by gathering in sacred assemblies to present all the various offerings to the LORD by fire – whole burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrificial meals and drink offerings – each on its proper day. 38 These festivals must be observed in addition to the LORD's regular Sabbath days. And these offerings must be given in addition to your personal gifts, the offerings you make to accompany your vows, and any freewill offerings that you present to the LORD. 39 "Now, on the first day of the Festival of Shelters, F59 after you have harvested all the produce of the land, you will begin to celebrate this seven-day festival to the LORD. Remember that the first day and closing eighth day of the festival will be days of total rest. 40 On the first day, gather fruit from citrus trees, F60 and collect palm fronds and other leafy branches and willows that grow by the streams. Then rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You must observe this seven-day festival to the LORD every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be kept by all future generations. 42 During the seven festival days, all of you who are Israelites by birth must live in shelters. 43 This will remind each new generation of Israelites that their ancestors had to live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God." 44 So Moses gave these instructions regarding the annual festivals of the LORD to the Israelites.
________________________________________
FOOTNOTES:
F51: Hebrew on the fourteenth day of the first month. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurs in late March or early April.
F52: Hebrew On the fifteenth day of the same month.
F53: Hebrew 2/10 of an ephah [3.6 liters]; also in 23:17.
F54: Hebrew 1/4 of a hin [1 liter].
F55: Hebrew On the first day of the seventh month. This day of the Hebrew lunar calendar occurs in September or early October.
F56: Hebrew on the tenth day of the seventh month; see 23:24 and the note there.
F57: Hebrew the evening of the ninth day of the month; see 23:24, 27 and the notes there.
F58: Hebrew on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; see 23:24, 27 and the notes there.
F59: Hebrew on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; see 23:24 and the note there.
F60: Or fruit from majestic trees. The New Living Translation

Sunday, December 24, 2006

TRC's Daily Bread for Today - Christmas Eve - Isaiah 65

1 The LORD says, "People who never before inquired about me are now asking about me. I am being found by people who were not looking for me. To them I have said, 'I am here!' 2 "I opened my arms to my own people all day long, but they have rebelled. They follow their own evil paths and thoughts. 3 All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on the rooftops of their homes. 4 At night they go out among the graves and secret places to worship evil spirits. They also eat pork and other forbidden foods. 5 Yet they say to each other, 'Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!' They are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away. 6 "Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them – 7 both for their own sins and for those of their ancestors," says the LORD. "For they also burned incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills. I will pay them back in full!

8 "But I will not destroy them all," says the LORD. "For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone will say, 'Don't throw them all away – there are some good grapes there!'), so I will not destroy all Israel. For I still have true servants there. 9 I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel F132 and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will inherit it and serve me there. 10 For my people who have searched for me, the plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks, and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds.

11 "But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD and his Temple and worship the gods of Fate and Destiny, 12 I will 'destine' you to the sword. All of you will bow before the executioner, for when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen. You deliberately sinned – before my very eyes – and chose to do what you know I despise." 13 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "You will starve, but my servants will eat. You will be thirsty, but they will drink. You will be sad and ashamed, but they will rejoice. 14 You will cry in sorrow and despair, while my servants sing for joy. 15 Your name will be a curse word among my people, for the Sovereign LORD will destroy you and call his true servants by another name. 16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days.

17 "Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth – so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. 18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more. 20 "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! 21 In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. 22 It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. 23 They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. 24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! 25 The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!"


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FOOTNOTES:
F132: Hebrew remnant of Jacob.


The New Living Translation

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' for Today w/ Eph 4

I with Paul today BEG you. Dear God I beg you - Live a life worthy of your calling!
We are all called by God to win the lost. We are all called to represent Christ in this earth for as long as we are alive, physically speaking. We are all called to be trees of righteousness and have healing leaves to feed nations and deliver peoples.
I pray, live as though you know it, run after that calling. It does not matter if you are a Pastor, leader etc. You are a Christian. People are looking at your life with a microscope. Let them look deep inside and see the awesome purposeful work of God, as you passionately pursue Him.
I think we have heard so many things defined as mere rules, that we may have missed a great point. Is what I am doing with this or that person, or where I’m going, or what I say or what I’m seeking offensive to the presence of God?
Paul exhorted for understanding, concerning the sin or fornication - don’t join your body with a harlot, (for your physical person, the house of your eternal spirit person, belongs to God and therefore is God’s property while you are on earth, the body which is a vessel of honor, the house of The Lordship of Christ in living form); Don’t use that body to offend God. Would God sleep with someone outside of a covenantally committed relationship? Would God get His own satisfaction? Would He use someone to satisfy His own physical, lustful needs? Think about it. We are like Christ, we say we are Christians. What is Christ in us doing today and why? Where is He being taken today? What is He meditating on, what are His plans in us?
If I believe I belong to God and am an ambassador and representative of God, and I really believe that this is my Divine call, I will walk every step of my life as though it is so.
The fruit of the spirit is worth posting on every wall, in order for the brain to take a hold of it as a life’s goal and pursuit, for inside of it is the very character of Christ we wish to display. (Gal 5:22)
Be ONE with Him, His will and with one another, which shows our pursuit of oneness with Him.
Christ came to the earth and left Earthians with purpose that He’d demonstrated by example. He left the Holy Spirit with us so we could be as Jesus was. Christians are those who have allowed Him to live on in them. He left, but He left His spirit, any who receive of His spirit, can become as Him in the earth to carry on who He was and why He came, except in a more magnificent way, because He was one man, single. If we all receive Him now, we are many, multitudes of Him in the earth. THAT is fulfillment of purpose, to be more of Him. It is the original Genesis mandate. Be fruitful (filled with the character of God’s own spirit nature), multiply, replenish, fill, subdue/rule.
God meant for one man to become many sons. One woman to become many daughters, one Jesus to become many Christians. A truly humble person sees that and does something each and everyday about it.
Live NO longer as the ungodly…..
THAT is such a huge venture in our current culture. It is a call of God. It is a command. One must accept its commission as their own and then open up the eyes to Not be as the Babylonian call of worldliness deems. If they’ve closed their minds and hardened their hearts we have to open our minds and soften our hearts on purpose. We cannot let the “chips” fall as they may. We cannot serve God if it works out today or go to church if I’m not too tired, or read the Bible if I don’t have anything else to do. That is run over Christianity. It will be brought to nothing very quickly. We are engaged in the army of God. We are soldiers of the King, the Most High God. We arise each morning as keepers of the faith. We take what He has given us, the opportunities He’s given us, with zealous, fervent action, we go after them, disallowing any distraction or thievery. We’re all in and we’re forceful for this faith of our Lord. We’re kingdom men and women who know what belongs to our Father and will keep it, violent in spirit.
We cannot give ourselves over to anything or anyone but God. We war against what offends Him inside of our personal lives. If lust arises, it is taken personally as an offense to the God who is in us and we purposefully nullify its power by non-participation, and the replacement of unconditional love. We replace the ways and tendencies of our old person with righteous thoughts, which we know takes diligence. We diligently become a new man, by discipline, study, fellowship and following after Him and His.
What if I’m just this way? You’re not just that way, that’s a lie, you are made new in Christ. You have new opportunities each and everyday. Everyday is a day for change, for godly character to be formed and priorities to be changed. Decisions steer this course. We seek wisdom and make God-led decisions filled with purpose and for purpose.

Eph 4 TRC's DB reading for Today!

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. 4 We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5 There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. 7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, "When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." F5 9 Notice that it says "he ascended." This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live. F6 10 The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe. 11 He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, 13 until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

17 With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly F7 do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. 20 But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22 throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness – righteous, holy, and true. 25 So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth" F8 because we belong to each other. 26 And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you." F9 Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. 28 If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.


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FOOTNOTES:
F5: Ps 68:18.
F6: Or to the lowest parts of the earth.
F7: Greek Gentiles.
F8: Zech 8:16.
F9: Ps 4:4.


The New Living Translation

with Neh 8

What does it mean for the people to assemble together as one person? As one person? How can anyone assemble with others as one? Isn’t that like a mystery? Doesn’t it mess with your English grammar and your independent American spirit justa little bit?
Be honest, when was the last time you were able to assemble with another person, or two or three or four or more and agree enough to even be at the same place at the same time doing the same thing for the same reason? The more people involved, that seems to be harder to attain, agreement and unity are a venture.
They are a venture, and a worthwhile one at that. The supernatural power of God shows up when we unify under His banner. We want supernatural miracles etc. God wants unity, there’s a covenant trade off and no negotiations are necessary. If we engage in what He is already doing we’re there, where heaven and earth meet together in agreement.
How many of us are in a place where when we do not understand the words God is using to gather us in unity with, we can ask someone or go listen to teachers regularly or will study for further understanding?
Do you realize understanding does not just come, we set ourselves up for it, we seek it and it comes, we go after it as though it is important to us, and it comes. The biggest way it comes is through the following in relationship with a person who is older and stronger than we are in faith. These people sought understanding by being there under Nehemiah’s following. By being there, assembling, they engaged. God would show up at this type of engagement big time.
If being there, in that seeking place with others is not important, why’d God give us the understanding? Understanding comes for those who have a purpose to know. They aren’t getting it for more information, they’re getting it for the purpose of further use. Those who want to know will. Understanding comes to the hungry and thirsty.
What happens to you when you hear truth? Do you change and rejoice that you were once off and now are corrected by the truth? Or does the enemy use condemnation to keep you from moving forward? Does he use guilt to keep you in the same old place with no growth or change? I’s demonic to wallow in self pity or guilt or condemnation. God is a mover. He shows us stuff to change so we will and go on from here and do something big, like engaging in His purposes.
Ya know how it is awesomely amazing for God to dwell in us, (Emmanuel)? God so desires a people who will love His house, love His will, love His plans, purposes, and people. His heart’s desire is for men and women and children to never ever leave His presence, take His presence wherever they go, and to go where He needs them to, willingly.
There’s such a huge difference in God living in us, blessing us and us living to bless Him. There’s a huge difference in us doing things asking God’s blessings on whatever we do and us asking God what He’d like for us to do, being willing to change our own plans to go do it and in that blessing His work.
One is self-centered Christianity, where God is like our servant-friend, the other is I realize I am His bond-slave for life! This is what His Divine Strength is about. I need His power, strength and ability to do His will, not more of mine!

Friday, December 22, 2006

TRC's Daily Bread Reading for Today!

Nehemiah 8
1 all the people assembled together as one person at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey. 2 So on October 8 F42 Ezra the priest brought the scroll of the law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. 3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people paid close attention to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet. 6 Then Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people chanted, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands toward heaven. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7 Now the Levites – Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah – instructed the people who were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God." All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law. 10 And Nehemiah F43 continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" 11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, "Hush! Don't weep! For this is a sacred day." 12 So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God's words and understood them.
13 On October 9 F44 the family leaders and the priests and Levites met with Ezra to go over the law in greater detail. 14 As they studied the law, they discovered that the LORD had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month. F45 15 He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and especially in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and fig trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as it was prescribed in the law. 16 So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God's Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate. 17 So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters for the seven days of the festival, and everyone was filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated this way since the days of Joshua son of Nun. 18 Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on October 15 F46 they held a solemn assembly, as the law of Moses required.
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FOOTNOTES:
F42: Hebrew on the first day of the seventh month, of the Hebrew calendar. This event occurred on October 8, 445 B.C.; also see note on 1:1.
F43: Hebrew he.
F44: Hebrew On the second day, of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. This event occurred on October 9, 445 B.C.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.
F45: Hebrew in the seventh month. This month of the Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs in September and October. See Lev 23:39-43.
F46: Hebrew on the eighth day, of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. This event occurred on October 15, 445 B.C.; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' Today to Ps 149

Do you know why God has His people congregate? In congregations there is that potential of unity. Unity is a powerful force, either for good or evil. Either way it is a power-filled force. Force is a word to describe congregation. Force as in military force. The Strong’s says, “a company, an organized body, assembled for a purpose, such as in warfare for invasion.”
Sing His praises in the assembly…that is the way God wars against evil, by His people unified together under His banner of praise. Praise confuses the enemy forces. When we praise he cannot figure out how we’d not fight against him with our own strength, and rather than fight, choose to praise!
Wow! We choose to praise, because we know when we do he will fight for us, before us. Those who show up to praise say, “I want You Oh God to fight for me”! My fighting, struggling days are over, my praising, trusting, relying, days have begun. Now Do Your work Oh God using me, as I praise Thee!
Those who understand this don’t often miss assembly meetings. They know the more of them assembled, the more power released to fight and win against God’s enemies. They have to be there to praise all together, to see the salvation of the Lord in a big way! There’s no other important place to be.
I really believe the more exuberant we are in praise, the more we are freed from self-reliance and self-defense, the more we dance, clap, spin, and shout, the more we show God how reliant we are in trusting Him!
Let’s define - humility, humble, meek. Going to the Hebrew let’s see the definitions We must dig deeply into what the Lord has said to us. He crowns or beatifies the humble…”beautify” means, He is made to look good through us being good! He is glorified through our actions. It’s more about how He looks than how we will look, we look better because we exalted Him! We could’ve exalted ourselves, but we exalted Him instead. We choose to make Him look good by our godly examples lived outwardly on purpose. We expose ourselves inside out to the world to scrutinize us on purpose that we’d be vulnerable to His will before we do our own desires. We think of the benefits of others before we go after our own satisfaction. This is what humility is about. It’s about laying down one’s own desires and plans for the consideration of others. It is saying I don’t have to be right or have the winning opinion. I will allot myself a different view. I’m open to a new way of thinking. I’m pliable, moldable in the King’s hands, because I chose to be His subject.
The humble does the will of another. Says, there may be a different way to look at this whole deal, and I don’t need to argue my own way into it or out of it. I trust God to right my wrongs and the possibility of the wrongs of others.
I’d rather silence my own flesh, weaken myself, be afflicted than to afflict others, put others down, rise up in rebellion against the very character of God. I say about myself what God says about me. I agree with God. That’s true humility, agreeing with God and His will, no matter what I think about it.
Humility binds up self government, self rule and allows God to have His way in a human person. This is a huge tool in God’s hands in the taking of kingdom territory.

TRC's Daily Bread Reading for Today

Psalm 149
1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem,[a] exult in your King.
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
and a sharp sword in their hands—
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with shackles
and their leaders with iron chains,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes:

Psalm 149:2 Hebrew Zion.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' with 1 John 4 Today

There is warfare “out there” in the spirit realm; the warfare is for the allegiances of the sons and daughters of men. It takes a renewal of the mind to not see life through the world’s viewpoint, and to not listen to its opinionated view!
That really takes purposeful daily diligence. Without discipline, and a change of the programming of the mind and heart, one cannot be separated unto God. We must choose separation and holiness; we must choose His ways above whatever ways we’ve become accustomed to.
I hear so many people who follow Christ say that they have no time to participate in the things of God beyond a once or twice a week activity or commitment.
That is dangerous to our Christian faith-walk. There is no way anyone can grow up in the spirit and become aware of God’s will and plan for us to execute in the earth, if we do not engage as soldiers with a whole heart and replace who we were before with new life activity, new commitments, new thoughts and actions!
We cannot be joined to Christ and the world. It is impossible. In choosing, if we choose the world above God at all God steps back and lets us have it. He says to us, you’ve chosen and what you’ve chosen is not Me.
He is such the gentleman, He lets us choose our own way. He woos us, He draws us, but it is I who has to come by believing in who He really is. When I really believe it, I change my lifestyle, my commitments, my extracurricular activities - so to speak! Any other choice is based on deception and lies, for Jesus is THE WAY, the TRUTH, and The LIFE. No one can find the answers they need, or ever fulfill any purposes, without surrender to His ways, which are marvelous.
We’ll all surrender to Him one day, that day may as well be today, when we have time to live for Him as ambassadors and representatives in this world.
How and why do we do these things? Like make hard changes, become compliant, surrender to God and to one another, do it another way than our own way, and walk in another direction , etc?
It is a one word answer- LOVE!
Love is the motivator, the revelation, the hope, the action. It is love, for God is love. Why would I love anyone, everyone no matter their deserving factor? Why would I get close to those who’ve been known to hurt me? Why? Love gives, love extends itself at its own sake and willingly offers self sacrifice.
If we love God we love who He loves, no matter what they do or do not do, or how they do or do not act.
How do we show we have this great love of God in us? We extend, we sacrifice on purpose and with purpose, we learn, we teach, we’re bold, we act. We care about who God cares about.
Has anyone ever seen, Father- Son and Spirit all together at one time as One? There is a way to see God, in the image and likeness of Him, which resides in an unperfected people, who are becoming Him day to day. If and when we love, we’ll see Him there in that love, in that oneness and unity.
It takes a tremendous amount of trust to extend oneself and love someone who may turn and hurt you, or who will do it again and again and again not seeming to care for your feelings or needs. God loves us exactly that way. Those blows may as well have been given by us, for every time we do not heed His voice we are rejecting Him.
Our pastor quoting form Paul’s epistle says, I may have been through a few things and I may have been hurt, but you have not injured me at all. That sounds almost thick-skinned, but it really is softhearted and Open-hearted. It is saying that pain may be necessary to save a lost and dying world, but it can’t and won’t be able to take us or keep us from the love of God which we’ve found in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Remember the word “confession” actually means stick with like glue, as to not ever be unstuck…If we “confess” Jesus as the Son of God, God lives in us and we in God…
If we pay our “love dues” by living this way from day to day, ever growing up into the mature love of Christ we’ll have nothing to pay on judgment day, we’ll have satisfied our debt of gratitude to Our Lord, with a life of love-service to Christ! That day will just be another day totally in love with Him.
Love gives, love forgives (gives for others when they can’t or won’t give), love extends, love sacrifices, love acts, love is alive, fervent in spirit for the things of God.
Love God – Love people; the two greatest commands. If one loves all of the other commands will be fulfilled! When I love you I won’t steal from you or lie to you, or hurt you or harm you or those you love. I fulfill the law of God, because of the greatness of the love of God in operation in me.

TRC's Daily Bread Reading for Today

1 John 4
Discerning False Prophets
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet[a] acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Loving One Another
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[b] because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister,[c] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.[d]

Footnotes:

1 John 4:2 Greek If a spirit; similarly in 4:3.
1 John 4:19 Greek We love. Other manuscripts read We love God; still others read We love him.
1 John 4:20 Greek hates his brother.
1 John 4:21 Greek The one who loves God must also love his brother.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' w/ Eph 6 Today try #2

“Clothes” are significant of coverings. “Coverings” are not just woven cloth with patterns that are cut in various fashionable shapes to enhance one’s body type and add variety to the enhancement of body features from day to day.
There is a great significance whenever the Bible mentions coverings or clothes or armor. It is telling us we have to be covered in the spirit, for in the spirit world there is warfare. The spiritual clothing we wear lends us each with a mark, of who’s we are. Whose we are is very significant of who’s help we get or do not get in the spiritual warfare!
What are you dressed with today?
Each evening we change clothes as we retire for the night, and each morning we choose our day attire also. If we have a special occasion, we wear another type of clothing. Each situation brings its own need pertaining to covering. Sports activity suggests a certain type of covering, swimming, running, and tennis playing all deem a certain type of clothing for their activity.
There is appropriate dress, and inappropriate dress. It would not be appropriate to wear a formal gown when horseback riding, or have a swimsuit on, if a soldier.
Did you know in the spirit we are either covered or uncovered? The best attire we could wear is that which the Lord has provided each of us. What He has provided is put on us by us. We are big enough to dress ourselves. This “armor” we wear, if we so choose, is a uniform of sorts that causes us to look just like He does, if we’ll put it on. So if we wear this “God-uniform” each day, the enemy does not see us, but he sees God!
There are coverings that can only be put on through submission and trust in Him. No one (who does not see into the spirit realm) really wants to be told what to do, nor is he so happy being required to submit, but those who see as God sees and understand covering in the spirit, will never choose to go out uncovered, or stay in uncovered, for that matter.
The covering that is placed on us through submission is very important as it covers the most vital central system of the body, the head. If the head is not covered in the day of battle, it is subject to injury and that could easily affect the rest of the whole body.
This scripture passage addresses the heads first, beginning with the youngest of the flock of God’s interest and love, children. We must read this as spiritual and natural children. When we obey the scripture, our heads are covered in the day of battle. When our head is covered, the responsibility and accountability before God for our safety and security moves up to the one who cover us, through our submission. The covering of Children is found in obedience to parents, the covering of women’s are found in submitting to men, and the covering pf men and their responsibility before God, is found in loving the wife and nurturing and admonishing their children, and in their own submission to Jesus as Lord and Master, who leads them to lead others well.
Every time the scripture asks us to willingly place ourselves under authority or to stand covering another with agape love, we are being held responsible by God to both be covered and to cover, for His glory. One cannot cover or even give account to or for himself, he must be submitted to another above his own head.

Lena's Discipleship Journalin' to Eph 6 Today

“Clothes” are significant of coverings. “Coverings” are not just woven cloth with patterns that are cut in various fashionable shapes to enhance one’s body type and add variety to the enhancement of body features from day to day.
There is a great significance whenever the Bible mentions coverings or clothes or armor. It is telling us we have to be covered in the spirit, for in the spirit world there is warfare. The spiritual clothing we wear lends us each with a mark, of who’s we are. Whose we are is very significant of who’s help we get or do not get in the spiritual warfare!
What are you dressed with today?
Each evening we change clothes as we retire for the night, and each morning we choose our day attire also. If we have a special occasion, we wear another type of clothing. Each situation brings its own need pertaining to covering. Sports activity suggests a certain type of covering, swimming, running, and tennis playing all deem a certain type of clothing for their activity.
There is appropriate dress, and inappropriate dress. It would not be appropriate to wear a formal gown when horseback riding, or have a swimsuit on, if a soldier.
Did you know in the spirit we are either covered or uncovered? The best attire we could wear is that which the Lord has provided each of us. What He has provided is put on us by us. We are big enough to dress ourselves. This “armor” we wear, if we so choose, is a uniform of sorts that causes us to look just like He does, if we’ll put it on. So if we wear this “God-uniform” each day, the enemy does not see us, but he sees God!
There are coverings that can only be put on through submission and trust in Him. No one (who does not see into the spirit realm) really wants to be told what to do, nor is he so happy being required to submit, but those who see as God sees and understand covering in the spirit, will never choose to go out uncovered, or stay in uncovered, for that matter.
The covering that is placed on us through submission is very important as it covers the most vital central system of the body, the head. If the head is not covered in the day of battle, it is subject to injury and that could easily affect the rest of the whole body.
This scripture passage addresses the heads first, beginning with the youngest of the flock of God’s interest and love, children. We must read this as spiritual and natural children. When we obey the scripture, our heads are covered in the day of battle. When our head is covered, the responsibility and accountability before God for our safety and security moves up to the one who cover us, through our submission. The covering of Children is found in obedience to parents, the covering of women’s are found in submitting to men, and the covering pf men and their responsibility before God, is found in loving the wife and nurturing and admonishing their children, and in their own submission to Jesus as Lord and Master, who leads them to lead others well.
Every time the scripture asks us to willingly place ourselves under authority or to stand covering another with agape love, we are being held responsible by God to both be covered and to cover, for His glory. One cannot cover or even give account to or for himself, he must be submitted to another above his own head.