Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Revelation 8:1-13
1When the Lamb ripped off the seventh seal, Heaven fell quiet--complete silence for about half an hour.
Blowing the Trumpets
2I saw the Seven Angels who are always in readiness before God handed seven trumpets. 3Then another Angel, carrying a gold censer, came and stood at the Altar. He was given a great quantity of incense so that he could offer up the prayers of all the holy people of God on the Golden Altar before the Throne. 4Smoke billowed up from the incense-laced prayers of the holy ones, rose before God from the hand of the Angel.
5Then the Angel filled the censer with fire from the Altar and heaved it to earth. It set off thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake.
6The Seven Angels with the trumpets got ready to blow them. 7At the first trumpet blast, hail and fire mixed with blood were dumped on earth. A third of the earth was scorched, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass--burned to a crisp.
8The second Angel trumpeted. Something like a huge mountain blazing with fire was flung into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9a third of the living sea creatures died, and a third of the ships sank.
10The third Angel trumpeted. A huge Star, blazing like a torch, fell from Heaven, wiping out a third of the rivers and a third of the springs. 11The Star's name was Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from the poisoned water.
12The fourth Angel trumpeted. A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were hit, blacked out by a third, both day and night in one-third blackout.
13I looked hard; I heard a lone eagle, flying through Middle-Heaven, crying out ominously, "Doom! Doom! Doom to everyone left on earth! There are three more Angels about to blow their trumpets. Doom is on its way!"
Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
As I read this today all I keep seeing is 1/3rd , 1/3rd , 1/3rd over and over again, it immediately took my thought to a significant 3rd in the OT. 1/3rd of the angelic hosts in rebellion to God fallen to earth. Then I thought how 1/3rd of 100 is 33.33…..Jesus was 33 when He died to save the world and turn around the effect of the rebellion of those who’d fallen to earth in their defiance of God. This was not the 1/3rd that He brought redemption to, but the effect of their sin on the earth that He’d come to reverse, the opportunity for change, eternal change, where all opportunity had been taken away by the defiance of the 1/3rd . I am thinking of how the 1/3rd is angelic in nature, they were messengers of God, servants of the Most High, yet defied Him. Their defiance was cast out of heaven to earth and the earth became a place of judgment, a place of chaos, the chaos of the effect of defiance to the Almighty. Heaven and earth had to be made separate, there was a big gap, a chasm.
God made people to save the chaos with His presence, yet they also defied, so He sent His Son to save and bridge that heaven and earth gap.
All of the judgments listed here I see as effects that the “fall” has had and is continuing to have on earth. Weather unrest, disease, tragedy, hunger, thirst and eternal darkness came over a 1/3rd , a 1/3rd, a 1/3rd ….This is a curse, effects of a curse stemming from pride and rebellion. Jesus came to reverse the curse. Gal 3:13 ( 3-1/3rds ???) Are we joined with the prideful rebellion or the crucified redemption?
How did Jesus reverse this curse and is effects on man? He died, He gave- His life, He was nailed to a tree. He did not rise up with an angelic army, 2/3rd of a host of heaven, or even natural men on horses arrayed for battle, He laid down His life for any who would receive Him, any who would believe in His freely given sacrifice.
Those of us who receive this forgiveness of our indebtedness to God, do we pray for the earth to be saved? Do we lay down our lives that they will be? Do we gather with others for this same purpose? The angels took out the incense, collected the prayers. I’ve read scriptures that say one will send 1000 running and two compounded together will have the power in Christ to send 10,000 running away, how many would a whole local church full of agreeing people accomplish? One body of Christ on a tree, crucified was enough to bring the offer of salvation to the world. What would one living body of Christ be able to do? He arose from death’s grip and told men to follow Him, be Him in earth.
If the measure of prayers, unified ones for the world, would make a difference on how much judgment comes to people, what should one do? What if? What if the time of judgment came to the people of earth and the prayers of those who gather with the mind and heart for mercy were collected and weighed against the judgment to see which was more powerful, the cry and called for mercy or the cry of the eternal realm for justice, if weighed would one outweigh the other, would the prayers be considered and the judgment be executed accordingly?
Jesus was one man. Are we that man, not alone but together? It’s easy to be one man alone, but can one be one man together with others? Can even one man agree with another, or do we all live and have our own way? If just two o us can agree we can have what we pray, what about 3 or 4 or 400? That is sweet.
Ever read scriptures where it says, He measured , he sent the angel and he measured? And measured and measured? What is being measured?.....Think about it. Unity? That is expressed as anointing oil, Prayer? That is expressed as incense. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Oh God have mercy and save , through us, use us, help us to be in place and equipped for Your use. Save this world oh God.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Today's DB/Lena's Journalin' to Psalm 141 ++
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Psalm 141:1-10
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
3 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and keep my lips sealed.
4 Don't let me lust for evil things; don't let me participate in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do evil.
5 Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they reprove me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it.
But I am in constant prayer against the wicked and their deeds.
6 When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, they will listen to my words and find them pleasing.
7 Even as a farmer breaks up the soil and brings up rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial.
8 I look to you for help, O Sovereign LORD. You are my refuge; don't let them kill me.
9 Keep me out of the traps they have set for me, out of the snares of those who do evil.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own snares, but let me escape.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
To me this Psalm is about changing our relationship with God from being of the casual nature we start with to growing towards greater intimacy It’s where He goes from winning us by showing His love towards us and showering us with that love and it’s benefits, to bringing us to a place where we have the opportunity to reciprocate it by obedience. He started out as our Savior, rescuer, now He is our Master, our Lord, our everything
In growth comes discipleship or discipline. When one is disciplined what do they do and how do they respond? It is according to their understanding and guidance, it has to do with age and maturity. When we are children we may despise any offer for instruction from another, but when we get older we actually welcome it and ask for it. Isn’t that funny how that works? We become wise, desiring to be trained and taught. We want to grow and learn when we get older, it is a sign one is maturing, when they receive from other’s experiences. If we rise up in rebellion, saying to ourselves, “he can’t tell me what to do”, or “who do they think they are”, or “I can do it myself”, we miss out on the avoidance of misery and pain.
A more mature believer listens to instruction, goes through the changes of how hard it is to take someone else’s opinion and consider it and they adjust, they can strain out the flesh of the one giving the advise and take the rest before God with the intent of doing the word. They go as far as to discipline themselves into new behaviors.
I remember when I first started to grow up this way, I wanted to speak up and defend myself all of the time, but I clearly heard God’s spirit calling me to grow up and I almost had to glue my mouth shut at times. I was so opinionated and would speak my mind at any time, usually in conflict and debate of another’s opinions. I felt the Lord telling me to listen more and speak less. I always had something to say, so that was hard. Then to listen to another person who might be wrong was hard especially when I thought my way was better. The Lord was telling me it’s about honoring Him by honoring people. As I made room for another’s opinion to be expressed I’d learn to hear God’s voice when He spoke something foreign to me. It broke open my understanding, to be willing to hear other things than what was in my own head voice. The discipline was to become receptive to God’s voice that may at some point contradict my natural mind’s thoughts.
I love this guy’s prayers, “Lord, help me do this. Help me make You Lord”! It’s hard, I need help to not just be me, demand what I want and consider anyone else’s thoughts above my own.
If we are not continuously around other believers we are a child left to himself, Proverbs speaks of that child… being with the imperfect Body of Christ is good for all of us, we grow one another up in ways we’d never grow if left alone to our own ways and opinions.
The incense can only be made and burned in a situation where there’s more than just me involved. It is a compound of many fragrances mixed together, it is a mixture of sorts, where more than one individual fragrance is brought into the same place and their fragrances combine to make a new fragrance that cannot ever stand alone.
Have you ever gone into Bath & Body Works or a candle shop or something with good scents and been overcome with the scent of the store and asked the clerk which scent you are smelling? Then you buy one, go home and light it or whatever and it is NOT the same. Why is it not the same? The scent we so desired in the store was the combination of all of the scents in the store and unless we buy the store we cannot have that at home. This is the same with the body of Christ, we compliment one another and we can never duplicate the presence and scent of God’s spirit that is ignited as when we gather together. It is the enemy’s plan for people to be separated from God and His people, he likes when we just do church at home or whatever. He’s got a foothold on pride and complacency there and there’s never a challenge to self life, which was meant to be given into the mixture of the scents of the Body.
Why does God want to mix us all up together? Why does He do these things or request or require them? He is out to save the world and now that Jesus made the way, He needs the church to rise up as a many membered body, and appear. No one person can do this, a person left alone will be barely saved, and live enough to get by, but will barely have any treasure in heaven and will not have given the greatest gift in the whole world to God, the salvation of Souls!
Come, I was glad when they said to me – grow up, follow me, Jesus be Lord, let US go to the House of the Lord. Let’s GO. Let’s grow up. It is time, past time, but while we still have time we need to move on it.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Psalm 141:1-10
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
3 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and keep my lips sealed.
4 Don't let me lust for evil things; don't let me participate in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do evil.
5 Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they reprove me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it.
But I am in constant prayer against the wicked and their deeds.
6 When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, they will listen to my words and find them pleasing.
7 Even as a farmer breaks up the soil and brings up rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial.
8 I look to you for help, O Sovereign LORD. You are my refuge; don't let them kill me.
9 Keep me out of the traps they have set for me, out of the snares of those who do evil.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own snares, but let me escape.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
To me this Psalm is about changing our relationship with God from being of the casual nature we start with to growing towards greater intimacy It’s where He goes from winning us by showing His love towards us and showering us with that love and it’s benefits, to bringing us to a place where we have the opportunity to reciprocate it by obedience. He started out as our Savior, rescuer, now He is our Master, our Lord, our everything
In growth comes discipleship or discipline. When one is disciplined what do they do and how do they respond? It is according to their understanding and guidance, it has to do with age and maturity. When we are children we may despise any offer for instruction from another, but when we get older we actually welcome it and ask for it. Isn’t that funny how that works? We become wise, desiring to be trained and taught. We want to grow and learn when we get older, it is a sign one is maturing, when they receive from other’s experiences. If we rise up in rebellion, saying to ourselves, “he can’t tell me what to do”, or “who do they think they are”, or “I can do it myself”, we miss out on the avoidance of misery and pain.
A more mature believer listens to instruction, goes through the changes of how hard it is to take someone else’s opinion and consider it and they adjust, they can strain out the flesh of the one giving the advise and take the rest before God with the intent of doing the word. They go as far as to discipline themselves into new behaviors.
I remember when I first started to grow up this way, I wanted to speak up and defend myself all of the time, but I clearly heard God’s spirit calling me to grow up and I almost had to glue my mouth shut at times. I was so opinionated and would speak my mind at any time, usually in conflict and debate of another’s opinions. I felt the Lord telling me to listen more and speak less. I always had something to say, so that was hard. Then to listen to another person who might be wrong was hard especially when I thought my way was better. The Lord was telling me it’s about honoring Him by honoring people. As I made room for another’s opinion to be expressed I’d learn to hear God’s voice when He spoke something foreign to me. It broke open my understanding, to be willing to hear other things than what was in my own head voice. The discipline was to become receptive to God’s voice that may at some point contradict my natural mind’s thoughts.
I love this guy’s prayers, “Lord, help me do this. Help me make You Lord”! It’s hard, I need help to not just be me, demand what I want and consider anyone else’s thoughts above my own.
If we are not continuously around other believers we are a child left to himself, Proverbs speaks of that child… being with the imperfect Body of Christ is good for all of us, we grow one another up in ways we’d never grow if left alone to our own ways and opinions.
The incense can only be made and burned in a situation where there’s more than just me involved. It is a compound of many fragrances mixed together, it is a mixture of sorts, where more than one individual fragrance is brought into the same place and their fragrances combine to make a new fragrance that cannot ever stand alone.
Have you ever gone into Bath & Body Works or a candle shop or something with good scents and been overcome with the scent of the store and asked the clerk which scent you are smelling? Then you buy one, go home and light it or whatever and it is NOT the same. Why is it not the same? The scent we so desired in the store was the combination of all of the scents in the store and unless we buy the store we cannot have that at home. This is the same with the body of Christ, we compliment one another and we can never duplicate the presence and scent of God’s spirit that is ignited as when we gather together. It is the enemy’s plan for people to be separated from God and His people, he likes when we just do church at home or whatever. He’s got a foothold on pride and complacency there and there’s never a challenge to self life, which was meant to be given into the mixture of the scents of the Body.
Why does God want to mix us all up together? Why does He do these things or request or require them? He is out to save the world and now that Jesus made the way, He needs the church to rise up as a many membered body, and appear. No one person can do this, a person left alone will be barely saved, and live enough to get by, but will barely have any treasure in heaven and will not have given the greatest gift in the whole world to God, the salvation of Souls!
Come, I was glad when they said to me – grow up, follow me, Jesus be Lord, let US go to the House of the Lord. Let’s GO. Let’s grow up. It is time, past time, but while we still have time we need to move on it.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Lena's Journalin' to Rock Church's Daily Bread Readings for TODAY Eccl 10 ++
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20
1Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor.
2The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil. 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!
4If your boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
5There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake 6if they give foolish people great authority, and if they fail to give people of proven worth their rightful place of dignity. 7I have even seen servants riding like princes—and princes walking like servants.
8When you dig a well, you may fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. 9When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life.
10Since a dull ax requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
11It does no good to charm a snake after it has bitten you.
12It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but the speech of fools brings them to ruin.
13Since fools base their thoughts on foolish premises, their conclusions will be wicked madness.
14Foolish people claim to know all about the future and tell everyone the details! But who can really know what is going to happen?
15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks.
16Destruction is certain for the land whose king is a child F7 and whose leaders feast in the morning. 17Happy is the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders feast only to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
18Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot.
19A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of a rich man, either. A little bird may tell them what you have said.
FOOTNOTES:F7: Or whose king is a servant.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
Wisdom is knowledge applied. It’s one thing to see something, and another to know of it and a whole ‘nother thing to apply what one sees and knows, especially inside of one’s own life. Religion has become so self exalting in nature.
We have actually thought we are something when we see something, and that is good to see “evil”. How can one conquer what they do not see, correct? Yet seeing is only the first step. Let’s present an example. I see that impatience is not a good fruit and should become a goal to overcome. I see that Jane is impatient and should change, I see that Melanie is being impatient with her kids and shouldn’t be that way, I see that Amber is impatient when she drives and she really needs to grow up, right? I see all of that in my three friends and after awhile I feel the need as a Christian to tell them about their faults, because if I tell them they will be able to see the fault and do something about it. Maybe I’ll save them from being hated or something, maybe I can help them change in this area. In fact the impatience in them starts to bug me and I decide I’ve had about enough, all I can take, and I decide I may not be able to hang around them anymore unless they change. Now I really have to tell them about their “sin”, right?
I’m looking at the speck in their eyes and it’s really bugging me, in fact I think it is hindering them from being close to God. I feel compelled to judge them.
So I saw something, now I’m pretty righteous huh, because I can see, what I perceive others can’t, right?
I saw something for prayer’s sake, and for self examination’s sake. I saw, now do I know enough to examine my own life in that area deeply? Will I take and look in the mirror at the speck or log in my own eye that is reflective of this characteristic? Am I impatient in any way? Not just the ways I see displayed in them, but anyway? Once I examine myself what do I do with the information? Do I find God’s word for my fault, repent and live out change? THAT is wisdom, sight plus knowledge applied.
After I have proven this through the application of God’s word. I might through love want to go to my friend and teach what I learned to them, not merely what I see written about their ailment, but what I’ve lived. I’m the living word of God in the earth. I’m love in demonstration. My suggestion for other’s change is not because of judgment, but because of love. Love compels me to be change and show another how by living it out. Even better would be that I tell by my life and in being the demonstration of life to my three friends, being patient with them, they may ask me “how I do it?”
Quitting is the big American escape mentality. Why do we always think to quit everything that even resembles hardship? Our society is a divorce filled society, a covenant, contract breaking society. We must combat this in the spirit by living out covenant, by demonstrating unity and stick to it-iveness, no matter what. You go to a church they offend you, you leave. You go to work, they don’t do it your way, you leave, a store doesn’t serve you, you leave, the list is endless. We go on strike. We protest, we demand our way. Love gives. Period. Love does not take, demand, require etc. Love gives and receives, and if it doesn’t receive from the men it gives to (i.e. your boss, husband, children church etc) it looks to God to receive more of the love He has to give, to be able to give more and more of those who will take it.
Everyone loves an unselfish giver, everyone loves someone they can receive from over and over again. God also loves a cheerful giver. Love Give and God is love. Does love live in us? It’s increase and measure is shown and proven by how much we can or do give and where we refill our ability to give more from.
Who are our present day kings? The word says believers are kings and priests unto God. A king is identified by those who are served unselfishly by His giving life. One who gives becomes a king in the eyes of the receiver. So you’ve been given a job, is your boss the king? So you’ve been given a home and a family, is your spouse king? Or does it have to be gifts as you deem and desire? Does it have to be your way for you to bless and reciprocate service? Time for a fit check. This is what it means to die daily, take up your cross and follow Jesus. We allow God to look inside of us to change us inside and out by deliberate actions taken by us to live His words to us – daily.
Is the word sharpening your sword through my journalin’? If so you are changing and becoming as iron in God’s kingdom, His power is going to be able to use you to win spiritual battles against His enemies.
Do you love to go to God’s house to hear more of His word, to receive more of His power for further growth and change? Or do you avoid God’s house and His chosen people? This is a heart issue, the quitting mentality and it’s “fruit” alive in us. Let’s grow fruits of repentance and make things that were wrong right, lets go to the house of god with joy and work out the quirks. Let’s work out the quirks at work or at home.I didn’t say make it our way, but go in with a new attitude of proving love to a world who is waiting to see it displayed unconditionally. Hypocrisy? Squelch it out in me first. Love God, Love people. Be God to people. Love covers multitudes of sin, of shortcomings, of mistakes, of imperfections, of stinky flesh….
I was glad when they said let US go to the house of the Lord, this is where the practice sessions start. This is where we get the water to put out fires.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20
1Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor.
2The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil. 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!
4If your boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
5There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake 6if they give foolish people great authority, and if they fail to give people of proven worth their rightful place of dignity. 7I have even seen servants riding like princes—and princes walking like servants.
8When you dig a well, you may fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. 9When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life.
10Since a dull ax requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
11It does no good to charm a snake after it has bitten you.
12It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but the speech of fools brings them to ruin.
13Since fools base their thoughts on foolish premises, their conclusions will be wicked madness.
14Foolish people claim to know all about the future and tell everyone the details! But who can really know what is going to happen?
15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks.
16Destruction is certain for the land whose king is a child F7 and whose leaders feast in the morning. 17Happy is the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders feast only to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
18Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot.
19A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of a rich man, either. A little bird may tell them what you have said.
FOOTNOTES:F7: Or whose king is a servant.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
Wisdom is knowledge applied. It’s one thing to see something, and another to know of it and a whole ‘nother thing to apply what one sees and knows, especially inside of one’s own life. Religion has become so self exalting in nature.
We have actually thought we are something when we see something, and that is good to see “evil”. How can one conquer what they do not see, correct? Yet seeing is only the first step. Let’s present an example. I see that impatience is not a good fruit and should become a goal to overcome. I see that Jane is impatient and should change, I see that Melanie is being impatient with her kids and shouldn’t be that way, I see that Amber is impatient when she drives and she really needs to grow up, right? I see all of that in my three friends and after awhile I feel the need as a Christian to tell them about their faults, because if I tell them they will be able to see the fault and do something about it. Maybe I’ll save them from being hated or something, maybe I can help them change in this area. In fact the impatience in them starts to bug me and I decide I’ve had about enough, all I can take, and I decide I may not be able to hang around them anymore unless they change. Now I really have to tell them about their “sin”, right?
I’m looking at the speck in their eyes and it’s really bugging me, in fact I think it is hindering them from being close to God. I feel compelled to judge them.
So I saw something, now I’m pretty righteous huh, because I can see, what I perceive others can’t, right?
I saw something for prayer’s sake, and for self examination’s sake. I saw, now do I know enough to examine my own life in that area deeply? Will I take and look in the mirror at the speck or log in my own eye that is reflective of this characteristic? Am I impatient in any way? Not just the ways I see displayed in them, but anyway? Once I examine myself what do I do with the information? Do I find God’s word for my fault, repent and live out change? THAT is wisdom, sight plus knowledge applied.
After I have proven this through the application of God’s word. I might through love want to go to my friend and teach what I learned to them, not merely what I see written about their ailment, but what I’ve lived. I’m the living word of God in the earth. I’m love in demonstration. My suggestion for other’s change is not because of judgment, but because of love. Love compels me to be change and show another how by living it out. Even better would be that I tell by my life and in being the demonstration of life to my three friends, being patient with them, they may ask me “how I do it?”
Quitting is the big American escape mentality. Why do we always think to quit everything that even resembles hardship? Our society is a divorce filled society, a covenant, contract breaking society. We must combat this in the spirit by living out covenant, by demonstrating unity and stick to it-iveness, no matter what. You go to a church they offend you, you leave. You go to work, they don’t do it your way, you leave, a store doesn’t serve you, you leave, the list is endless. We go on strike. We protest, we demand our way. Love gives. Period. Love does not take, demand, require etc. Love gives and receives, and if it doesn’t receive from the men it gives to (i.e. your boss, husband, children church etc) it looks to God to receive more of the love He has to give, to be able to give more and more of those who will take it.
Everyone loves an unselfish giver, everyone loves someone they can receive from over and over again. God also loves a cheerful giver. Love Give and God is love. Does love live in us? It’s increase and measure is shown and proven by how much we can or do give and where we refill our ability to give more from.
Who are our present day kings? The word says believers are kings and priests unto God. A king is identified by those who are served unselfishly by His giving life. One who gives becomes a king in the eyes of the receiver. So you’ve been given a job, is your boss the king? So you’ve been given a home and a family, is your spouse king? Or does it have to be gifts as you deem and desire? Does it have to be your way for you to bless and reciprocate service? Time for a fit check. This is what it means to die daily, take up your cross and follow Jesus. We allow God to look inside of us to change us inside and out by deliberate actions taken by us to live His words to us – daily.
Is the word sharpening your sword through my journalin’? If so you are changing and becoming as iron in God’s kingdom, His power is going to be able to use you to win spiritual battles against His enemies.
Do you love to go to God’s house to hear more of His word, to receive more of His power for further growth and change? Or do you avoid God’s house and His chosen people? This is a heart issue, the quitting mentality and it’s “fruit” alive in us. Let’s grow fruits of repentance and make things that were wrong right, lets go to the house of god with joy and work out the quirks. Let’s work out the quirks at work or at home.I didn’t say make it our way, but go in with a new attitude of proving love to a world who is waiting to see it displayed unconditionally. Hypocrisy? Squelch it out in me first. Love God, Love people. Be God to people. Love covers multitudes of sin, of shortcomings, of mistakes, of imperfections, of stinky flesh….
I was glad when they said let US go to the house of the Lord, this is where the practice sessions start. This is where we get the water to put out fires.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Today's DB Exodus 37 ***** ++
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Exodus 37:1-29
Building the Ark
1Next Bezalel made the Ark out of acacia wood. It was 3 3/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high. F76 2It was overlaid with pure gold inside and out, and it had a molding of gold all the way around. 3Four gold rings were fastened to its four feet, two rings at each side. 4Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5He put the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
6Then, from pure gold, he made the Ark's cover—the place of atonement. It was 3 ¾ feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide. 7He made two figures of cherubim out of hammered gold and placed them at the two ends of the atonement cover. 8They were made so they were actually a part of the atonement cover—it was all one piece. 9The cherubim faced each other as they looked down on the atonement cover, and their wings were stretched out above the atonement cover to protect it.
Building the Table
10Then he made a table out of acacia wood, 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high. 11It was overlaid with pure gold, with a gold molding all around the edge. 12A rim about 3 inches F77 wide was attached along the edges of the table, and a gold molding ran around the rim. 13Then he cast four rings of gold and attached them to the four table legs 14next to the rim. These were made to hold the carrying poles in place. 15He made the carrying poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 16Next, using pure gold, he made the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers to be placed on the table. These utensils were to be used in pouring out drink offerings.
Building the Lampstand
17Then he made the lampstand, again using pure, hammered gold. Its base, center stem, lamp cups, blossoms, and buds were all of one piece. 18The lampstand had six branches, three going out from each side of the center stem. 19Each of the six branches held a cup shaped like an almond blossom, complete with buds and petals. 20The center stem of the lampstand was also decorated with four almond blossoms. 21One blossom was set beneath each pair of branches, where they extended from the center stem. 22The decorations and branches were all one piece with the stem, and they were hammered from pure gold. 23He also made the seven lamps, the lamp snuffers, and the trays, all of pure gold. 24The entire lampstand, along with its accessories, was made from seventy-five pounds F78 of pure gold.
Building the Incense Altar
25The incense altar was made of acacia wood. It was eighteen inches square and three feet high, with its corner horns made from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. 26He overlaid the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge. 27Two gold rings were placed on opposite sides, beneath the molding, to hold the carrying poles. 28The carrying poles were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold.
29Then he made the sacred oil, for anointing the priests, and the fragrant incense, using the techniques of the most skilled incense maker.
FOOTNOTES:F76: Hebrew 2 1/2 cubits [1.1 meters] long, 1 1/2 cubits [0.7 meters] wide, and 1 1/2 cubits high. In this chapter, the distance measures are calculated from the Hebrew cubit at a ratio of 18 inches or 45 centimeters per cubit. F77: Hebrew a handbreadth [8 centimeters]. F78: Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms].
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
An Ark is a container made for a specific purpose. Noah’s Ark was a place of refuge for the salvation of Noah’s family and the gathering of what would be able to reproduce after destruction hit earth.
Bezalel made the ark out of acacia wood…… Bezalel is a worker with a trade, a craftsman, one who carves for another, works the works of another. Who does he work for and what is he doing? He’s making, he’s carving, he’s crafting the ark. The place which will contain something of value. In this case, God’s presence. We are the ark. This craftsman is anyone who works for and with God to help form Christ in us so that we’d be able to contain the presence of God, presenting Him to a world which needs to be saved.
Acacia means scourged. Doesn’t that make you think of Jesus on His way to death on the cross? He was scourged. Scourge means to take on a punishment, being beaten (up) for the punished. Inflicting severe punishment, dreadful affliction and devastation, to whip and chastise.
Bezalel used acacia wood, wood is representative of an object of death, judgment executed upon the guilty. Remember this Bezalel is a messenger of God, a trainer in God’s hands. His mission to be accomplished. To make a container which will be able to be filled with the presence of God.
That container is us. Why the scourging? To bring what needs to be punished and disciplined into the subjection to the master of the containers.
Isn’t it so cool that He takes that stuff- suffering, guilt, punishment, me me me’s and helps it to become silent before God, overlaying it with a high value item which has also been altered into another form, liquefied to be molded around me? There He set heavenly hosts on top to cover and to protect the presence of God within me.
He made and set a table in the presence of God. If I am in Him, I am a table for the Lord’s presence to come to and eat and drink of my poured out life. If I pour my life out as an offering to Him, to the doing of His will, He’s actually nourished, fed, satisfied through me.
Light must be within, so that the presence of God may be seen by any who can come. If the lamps are not lit, there is no light there, there would be stumbling and a mess made of God’s presence. The light comes from the word of God mixed with the spirit of God, which gives us understanding of the word of God. When we have understanding of the word of God, we can do the word of God, doing the word of God brings forth the wisdom of God in a visible form that can be copied. This all stems from seeing light.
Only seeing the word of God is not enough to sustain the living word of God, only understanding the word of God is not enough to sustain and maintain the word of God, doing the word which is both seen, and understood, is what brings, sustains, maintains and grows the living word of God in His body.
Incense is smoke from what is burnt up. It’s the leftovers being consumed. All of You in all of me. What was me is becoming what is You. What a glorious scent before God when one gives one’s life to His work, over to the Bezalel’s in his life, set there by the desired work of God in each of us. What an awesome fragrance that makes when not only one of us is able to offer hard things of life and life’s changes to God, allowing them to be done away with for His kingdom, but a whole gathering of us do so, WOW- what a fragrance! WOW! Holy- Anointing- OIL, something that has been made pure enough to heal a hurt world. Something so refined it will change a world, save a world.
Ever feel crushed? By God? Good stuff may come forth, depending on your responses. If we butt against its work, we are goats, if we follow after it, we are sheep. Sheep are made for sacrifices unto God, given up for the sins of others. Isn’t that something that we’d get all cleaned up from the residues of our own sins only to be led to bear or take away the sins of others? Did not Jesus Christ Himself do this very thing? He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the sins of the whole world. Why would we do anything less if we are as He is in this world? Why are goats not sacrificed for sins? Ever ask yourself questions as these? Which are you/we today, a goat or a sheep or something else? We can be changed by His presence and His word.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Exodus 37:1-29
Building the Ark
1Next Bezalel made the Ark out of acacia wood. It was 3 3/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high. F76 2It was overlaid with pure gold inside and out, and it had a molding of gold all the way around. 3Four gold rings were fastened to its four feet, two rings at each side. 4Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5He put the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
6Then, from pure gold, he made the Ark's cover—the place of atonement. It was 3 ¾ feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide. 7He made two figures of cherubim out of hammered gold and placed them at the two ends of the atonement cover. 8They were made so they were actually a part of the atonement cover—it was all one piece. 9The cherubim faced each other as they looked down on the atonement cover, and their wings were stretched out above the atonement cover to protect it.
Building the Table
10Then he made a table out of acacia wood, 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high. 11It was overlaid with pure gold, with a gold molding all around the edge. 12A rim about 3 inches F77 wide was attached along the edges of the table, and a gold molding ran around the rim. 13Then he cast four rings of gold and attached them to the four table legs 14next to the rim. These were made to hold the carrying poles in place. 15He made the carrying poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 16Next, using pure gold, he made the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers to be placed on the table. These utensils were to be used in pouring out drink offerings.
Building the Lampstand
17Then he made the lampstand, again using pure, hammered gold. Its base, center stem, lamp cups, blossoms, and buds were all of one piece. 18The lampstand had six branches, three going out from each side of the center stem. 19Each of the six branches held a cup shaped like an almond blossom, complete with buds and petals. 20The center stem of the lampstand was also decorated with four almond blossoms. 21One blossom was set beneath each pair of branches, where they extended from the center stem. 22The decorations and branches were all one piece with the stem, and they were hammered from pure gold. 23He also made the seven lamps, the lamp snuffers, and the trays, all of pure gold. 24The entire lampstand, along with its accessories, was made from seventy-five pounds F78 of pure gold.
Building the Incense Altar
25The incense altar was made of acacia wood. It was eighteen inches square and three feet high, with its corner horns made from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. 26He overlaid the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge. 27Two gold rings were placed on opposite sides, beneath the molding, to hold the carrying poles. 28The carrying poles were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold.
29Then he made the sacred oil, for anointing the priests, and the fragrant incense, using the techniques of the most skilled incense maker.
FOOTNOTES:F76: Hebrew 2 1/2 cubits [1.1 meters] long, 1 1/2 cubits [0.7 meters] wide, and 1 1/2 cubits high. In this chapter, the distance measures are calculated from the Hebrew cubit at a ratio of 18 inches or 45 centimeters per cubit. F77: Hebrew a handbreadth [8 centimeters]. F78: Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms].
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
An Ark is a container made for a specific purpose. Noah’s Ark was a place of refuge for the salvation of Noah’s family and the gathering of what would be able to reproduce after destruction hit earth.
Bezalel made the ark out of acacia wood…… Bezalel is a worker with a trade, a craftsman, one who carves for another, works the works of another. Who does he work for and what is he doing? He’s making, he’s carving, he’s crafting the ark. The place which will contain something of value. In this case, God’s presence. We are the ark. This craftsman is anyone who works for and with God to help form Christ in us so that we’d be able to contain the presence of God, presenting Him to a world which needs to be saved.
Acacia means scourged. Doesn’t that make you think of Jesus on His way to death on the cross? He was scourged. Scourge means to take on a punishment, being beaten (up) for the punished. Inflicting severe punishment, dreadful affliction and devastation, to whip and chastise.
Bezalel used acacia wood, wood is representative of an object of death, judgment executed upon the guilty. Remember this Bezalel is a messenger of God, a trainer in God’s hands. His mission to be accomplished. To make a container which will be able to be filled with the presence of God.
That container is us. Why the scourging? To bring what needs to be punished and disciplined into the subjection to the master of the containers.
Isn’t it so cool that He takes that stuff- suffering, guilt, punishment, me me me’s and helps it to become silent before God, overlaying it with a high value item which has also been altered into another form, liquefied to be molded around me? There He set heavenly hosts on top to cover and to protect the presence of God within me.
He made and set a table in the presence of God. If I am in Him, I am a table for the Lord’s presence to come to and eat and drink of my poured out life. If I pour my life out as an offering to Him, to the doing of His will, He’s actually nourished, fed, satisfied through me.
Light must be within, so that the presence of God may be seen by any who can come. If the lamps are not lit, there is no light there, there would be stumbling and a mess made of God’s presence. The light comes from the word of God mixed with the spirit of God, which gives us understanding of the word of God. When we have understanding of the word of God, we can do the word of God, doing the word of God brings forth the wisdom of God in a visible form that can be copied. This all stems from seeing light.
Only seeing the word of God is not enough to sustain the living word of God, only understanding the word of God is not enough to sustain and maintain the word of God, doing the word which is both seen, and understood, is what brings, sustains, maintains and grows the living word of God in His body.
Incense is smoke from what is burnt up. It’s the leftovers being consumed. All of You in all of me. What was me is becoming what is You. What a glorious scent before God when one gives one’s life to His work, over to the Bezalel’s in his life, set there by the desired work of God in each of us. What an awesome fragrance that makes when not only one of us is able to offer hard things of life and life’s changes to God, allowing them to be done away with for His kingdom, but a whole gathering of us do so, WOW- what a fragrance! WOW! Holy- Anointing- OIL, something that has been made pure enough to heal a hurt world. Something so refined it will change a world, save a world.
Ever feel crushed? By God? Good stuff may come forth, depending on your responses. If we butt against its work, we are goats, if we follow after it, we are sheep. Sheep are made for sacrifices unto God, given up for the sins of others. Isn’t that something that we’d get all cleaned up from the residues of our own sins only to be led to bear or take away the sins of others? Did not Jesus Christ Himself do this very thing? He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the sins of the whole world. Why would we do anything less if we are as He is in this world? Why are goats not sacrificed for sins? Ever ask yourself questions as these? Which are you/we today, a goat or a sheep or something else? We can be changed by His presence and His word.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Monday, March 20, 2006
DB Today Exodus 30 ++
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Exodus 30:1-38
The Altar of Incense
1"Make an Altar for burning incense. Construct it from acacia wood, 2one and one-half feet square and three feet high with its horns of one piece with it. 3Cover it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and make a gold molding around it 4with two rings of gold beneath the molding. Place the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. 5Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold.
6"Place the Altar in front of the curtain that hides the Chest of The Testimony, in front of the Atonement-Cover that is over The Testimony where I will meet you. 7Aaron will burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he polishes the lamps, 8and again in the evening as he prepares the lamps for lighting, so that there will always be incense burning before GOD, generation after generation. 9But don't burn on this Altar any unholy incense or Whole-Burnt-Offering or Grain-Offering. And don't pour out Drink-Offerings on it. 10Once a year Aaron is to purify the Altar horns. Using the blood of the Absolution-Offering of atonement, he is to make this atonement every year down through the generations. It is most holy to GOD."
The Atonement-Tax
11GOD spoke to Moses: 12"When you take a head count of the Israelites to keep track of them, all must pay an atonement-tax to GOD for their life at the time of being registered so that nothing bad will happen because of the registration. 13Everyone who gets counted is to give a half-shekel (using the standard Sanctuary shekel of a fifth of an ounce to the shekel)-a half-shekel offering to GOD. 14Everyone counted, age twenty and up, is to make the offering to GOD. 15The rich are not to pay more nor the poor less than the half-shekel offering to GOD, the atonement-tax for your lives. 16Take the atonement-tax money from the Israelites and put it to the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial fund for the Israelites in honor of GOD, making atonement for your lives."
The Washbasin
17GOD spoke to Moses: 18"Make a bronze Washbasin; make it with a bronze base. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar. Put water in it. 19Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet in it. 20When they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to serve there or offer gift offerings to GOD, they are to wash so they will not die. 21They are to wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is the rule forever, for Aaron and his sons down through the generations."
Holy Anointing Oil
22GOD spoke to Moses: 23"Take the best spices: twelve and a half pounds of liquid myrrh; half that much, six and a quarter pounds, of fragrant cinnamon; six and a quarter pounds of fragrant cane; 24twelve and a half pounds of cassia--using the standard Sanctuary weight for all of them--and a gallon of olive oil. 25Make these into a holy anointing oil, a perfumer's skillful blend.
26"Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Chest of The Testimony, 27the Table and all its utensils, the Lampstand and its utensils, the Altar of Incense, 28the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offerings and all its utensils, and the Washbasin and its base. 29Consecrate them so they'll be soaked in holiness, so that anyone who so much as touches them will become holy.
30"Then anoint Aaron and his sons. Consecrate them as priests to me. 31Tell the Israelites, "This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.' 32Don't pour it on ordinary men. Don't copy this mixture to use for yourselves. It's holy; keep it holy. 33Whoever mixes up anything like it, or puts it on an ordinary person, will be expelled."
Holy Incense
34GOD spoke to Moses: "Take fragrant spices--gum resin, onycha, galbanum--and add pure frankincense. Mix the spices in equal proportions 35to make an aromatic incense, the art of a perfumer, salted and pure--holy. 36Now crush some of it into powder and place some of it before The Testimony in the Tent of Meeting where I will meet with you; it will be for you the holiest of holy places. 37When you make this incense, you are not to copy the mixture for your own use. It's holy to GOD; keep it that way. 38Whoever copies it for personal use will be excommunicated."
Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
What is an altar? We don’t have a whole lot of those in present day USA, so we’re not real familiar with its concept. An altar to us is the platform of the church stage, if there are stairs, it might be considered the stairway or the base of the stairs where we kneel. Why do we kneel there? It’s a place of prayer, right? Who’s kneeling? Us, right?
The altar is for burning incense, What is incense? I’ve looked up some of the words. It just makes me want to study the word more. It amazes me what understanding comes from looking deeper. Incense is the evidence of the burnt offering. It is smoke from the burning, depending on what is burnt is where the scent comes from.
The burning comes from the altar and what is laid there for covenant sacrifice. The word altar means to put to death, and slaughter in judgment. The wood is a symbol of death for punishment. The cross is our altar of judgment, the place of death of self life. Even the type of wood is about scourging, beating out all of the judgments against someone.
The horns are for grabbing a hold of this as a way of life, embracing self sacrifice, and not letting go of it. The wood overlaid with gold, is symbolic of our life mixed with the redemption of His life in us, covers over our mistakes, frailties and shortcomings that led us to judgment. The judgment now upon us is based on what He did for us rather than what we have or have not done correctly.
Cover it all with this priceless treasure, the core is me, a human being who was born in sin and needed covering, the cover is His sacrifice offered for me by His covenant redeeming blood. I go there and make a trade, My life for His, His for mine. I live, but I live out his life through mine. I embrace His free gift of life to me. I’ve come to and go to the cross daily. Every morning I polish my faith in Him by being and finding myself in the word and truth of God.
Taxes are a way of accounting for. Are you accounted for before God? You will be counted worthy or not, not by your own goodness, but by whether you accepted or received the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Whether you embraced the cross of Christ or not. This we will all pay our dues to God in. If we give our lives to His word and will daily, we won’t have much to pay in our end!
The basin, a place to examine and wash, forever. Looking in, what do we see, a reflection of Him and His.
Mix up who you are with who God is, mix up who you are with who others are in the faith, set yourselves apart for the holiness of God, for the service of His will daily. Don’t live this life for self fulfillment, be brave and live for someone else. God will protect us from life. He’ll give us new life. We too often depend on self and rely on past experience and it hinders us from receiving the fullness of God found only inside of doing His will. Let’s give our lives to Him to each other and to the world and let God protect His interest, which is us. His is holy and well pleasing, what a fragrance! Wow!
Would it be better to be protected physically now and not eternally covered by His saving blood, or to be vulnerable now and possibly weak or die here yet be eternally protected?
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Exodus 30:1-38
The Altar of Incense
1"Make an Altar for burning incense. Construct it from acacia wood, 2one and one-half feet square and three feet high with its horns of one piece with it. 3Cover it with a veneer of pure gold, its top, sides, and horns, and make a gold molding around it 4with two rings of gold beneath the molding. Place the rings on the two opposing sides to serve as holders for poles by which it will be carried. 5Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold.
6"Place the Altar in front of the curtain that hides the Chest of The Testimony, in front of the Atonement-Cover that is over The Testimony where I will meet you. 7Aaron will burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he polishes the lamps, 8and again in the evening as he prepares the lamps for lighting, so that there will always be incense burning before GOD, generation after generation. 9But don't burn on this Altar any unholy incense or Whole-Burnt-Offering or Grain-Offering. And don't pour out Drink-Offerings on it. 10Once a year Aaron is to purify the Altar horns. Using the blood of the Absolution-Offering of atonement, he is to make this atonement every year down through the generations. It is most holy to GOD."
The Atonement-Tax
11GOD spoke to Moses: 12"When you take a head count of the Israelites to keep track of them, all must pay an atonement-tax to GOD for their life at the time of being registered so that nothing bad will happen because of the registration. 13Everyone who gets counted is to give a half-shekel (using the standard Sanctuary shekel of a fifth of an ounce to the shekel)-a half-shekel offering to GOD. 14Everyone counted, age twenty and up, is to make the offering to GOD. 15The rich are not to pay more nor the poor less than the half-shekel offering to GOD, the atonement-tax for your lives. 16Take the atonement-tax money from the Israelites and put it to the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial fund for the Israelites in honor of GOD, making atonement for your lives."
The Washbasin
17GOD spoke to Moses: 18"Make a bronze Washbasin; make it with a bronze base. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar. Put water in it. 19Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet in it. 20When they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the Altar to serve there or offer gift offerings to GOD, they are to wash so they will not die. 21They are to wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is the rule forever, for Aaron and his sons down through the generations."
Holy Anointing Oil
22GOD spoke to Moses: 23"Take the best spices: twelve and a half pounds of liquid myrrh; half that much, six and a quarter pounds, of fragrant cinnamon; six and a quarter pounds of fragrant cane; 24twelve and a half pounds of cassia--using the standard Sanctuary weight for all of them--and a gallon of olive oil. 25Make these into a holy anointing oil, a perfumer's skillful blend.
26"Use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Chest of The Testimony, 27the Table and all its utensils, the Lampstand and its utensils, the Altar of Incense, 28the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offerings and all its utensils, and the Washbasin and its base. 29Consecrate them so they'll be soaked in holiness, so that anyone who so much as touches them will become holy.
30"Then anoint Aaron and his sons. Consecrate them as priests to me. 31Tell the Israelites, "This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.' 32Don't pour it on ordinary men. Don't copy this mixture to use for yourselves. It's holy; keep it holy. 33Whoever mixes up anything like it, or puts it on an ordinary person, will be expelled."
Holy Incense
34GOD spoke to Moses: "Take fragrant spices--gum resin, onycha, galbanum--and add pure frankincense. Mix the spices in equal proportions 35to make an aromatic incense, the art of a perfumer, salted and pure--holy. 36Now crush some of it into powder and place some of it before The Testimony in the Tent of Meeting where I will meet with you; it will be for you the holiest of holy places. 37When you make this incense, you are not to copy the mixture for your own use. It's holy to GOD; keep it that way. 38Whoever copies it for personal use will be excommunicated."
Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
What is an altar? We don’t have a whole lot of those in present day USA, so we’re not real familiar with its concept. An altar to us is the platform of the church stage, if there are stairs, it might be considered the stairway or the base of the stairs where we kneel. Why do we kneel there? It’s a place of prayer, right? Who’s kneeling? Us, right?
The altar is for burning incense, What is incense? I’ve looked up some of the words. It just makes me want to study the word more. It amazes me what understanding comes from looking deeper. Incense is the evidence of the burnt offering. It is smoke from the burning, depending on what is burnt is where the scent comes from.
The burning comes from the altar and what is laid there for covenant sacrifice. The word altar means to put to death, and slaughter in judgment. The wood is a symbol of death for punishment. The cross is our altar of judgment, the place of death of self life. Even the type of wood is about scourging, beating out all of the judgments against someone.
The horns are for grabbing a hold of this as a way of life, embracing self sacrifice, and not letting go of it. The wood overlaid with gold, is symbolic of our life mixed with the redemption of His life in us, covers over our mistakes, frailties and shortcomings that led us to judgment. The judgment now upon us is based on what He did for us rather than what we have or have not done correctly.
Cover it all with this priceless treasure, the core is me, a human being who was born in sin and needed covering, the cover is His sacrifice offered for me by His covenant redeeming blood. I go there and make a trade, My life for His, His for mine. I live, but I live out his life through mine. I embrace His free gift of life to me. I’ve come to and go to the cross daily. Every morning I polish my faith in Him by being and finding myself in the word and truth of God.
Taxes are a way of accounting for. Are you accounted for before God? You will be counted worthy or not, not by your own goodness, but by whether you accepted or received the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Whether you embraced the cross of Christ or not. This we will all pay our dues to God in. If we give our lives to His word and will daily, we won’t have much to pay in our end!
The basin, a place to examine and wash, forever. Looking in, what do we see, a reflection of Him and His.
Mix up who you are with who God is, mix up who you are with who others are in the faith, set yourselves apart for the holiness of God, for the service of His will daily. Don’t live this life for self fulfillment, be brave and live for someone else. God will protect us from life. He’ll give us new life. We too often depend on self and rely on past experience and it hinders us from receiving the fullness of God found only inside of doing His will. Let’s give our lives to Him to each other and to the world and let God protect His interest, which is us. His is holy and well pleasing, what a fragrance! Wow!
Would it be better to be protected physically now and not eternally covered by His saving blood, or to be vulnerable now and possibly weak or die here yet be eternally protected?
Sunday, March 19, 2006
DB John 13
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
John 13:1-38
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. F65 2It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.
6When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will."
8"No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me."
9Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"
10Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, F66 to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn't true of everyone here." 11For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean."
12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18"I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scriptures declare, 'The one who shares my food has turned against me,' F67 and this will soon come true. 19I tell you this now, so that when it happens you will believe I am the Messiah. 20Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me."
21Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, "The truth is, one of you will betray me!"
22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. F68 24Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. 25Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26Jesus said, "It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry. Do it now." 28None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. 32And God will bring F69 me into my glory very soon. 33Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37"But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I am ready to die for you."
38Jesus answered, "Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
FOOTNOTES:F65: Or He loved his disciples to the very end. F66: Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet. F67: Ps 41:9. F68: Greek was reclining on Jesus' bosom. The "disciple whom Jesus loved" was probably John. F69: Some manuscripts read And if God is glorified in him [the Son of Man], God will bring.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
Washing each other’s feet, and loving one another, these are commands of the Lord. They display His will, they enact His plan.
What is washing feet exactly? Serving in a way that lowly, not in a way that will bring glory to the server. It is a display of humility, where I bow to you, I get down before your lowest part and I wash you off. Their feet were dirty with dust of the earth from all of their comings and goings, if they were in the home of royalty, there would have been servants who washed this off for them. Here they sit in an intimate setting and all have dirty/dusty feet. One of them there could have taken the place of servant and done this for them before they’d sat to eat, but they were not thinking so low, they were thinking about positions and titles. Who was who and what was what. Jesus took this place, Jesus took their and our place. He was God and made Himself a man and came to serve our sentence for the sins we committed that separated us from God. He could not stand that we were separated from God, He would do what it took to help us bridge that gap. He served to accomplish this Divine feat. He told them to do the same for others. He was even willing to be a part of a torturous separation from the presence of His own Father so we’d not be eternally separated ourselves. This was Love in display.
What have we done for others like this? How much do we give, rather than expect or take? Is our service about us or truly about giving Him to others to bring them to a place where they can see and know and love Him. How do we show this to the world, to help take their death sentence from them?
Love, love is the only way.
This is the Bible definition of Love:
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. 1 Cor 13:4-8
Let us truly Love one another. NOT in word only, but in deed also. Let’s demonstrate love to the world by demonstrating it towards one another, Amen ? Amen!
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
John 13:1-38
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. F65 2It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.
6When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will."
8"No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me."
9Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"
10Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, F66 to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn't true of everyone here." 11For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean."
12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18"I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scriptures declare, 'The one who shares my food has turned against me,' F67 and this will soon come true. 19I tell you this now, so that when it happens you will believe I am the Messiah. 20Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me."
21Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, "The truth is, one of you will betray me!"
22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. F68 24Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. 25Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26Jesus said, "It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry. Do it now." 28None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. 32And God will bring F69 me into my glory very soon. 33Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37"But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I am ready to die for you."
38Jesus answered, "Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
FOOTNOTES:F65: Or He loved his disciples to the very end. F66: Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet. F67: Ps 41:9. F68: Greek was reclining on Jesus' bosom. The "disciple whom Jesus loved" was probably John. F69: Some manuscripts read And if God is glorified in him [the Son of Man], God will bring.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
Washing each other’s feet, and loving one another, these are commands of the Lord. They display His will, they enact His plan.
What is washing feet exactly? Serving in a way that lowly, not in a way that will bring glory to the server. It is a display of humility, where I bow to you, I get down before your lowest part and I wash you off. Their feet were dirty with dust of the earth from all of their comings and goings, if they were in the home of royalty, there would have been servants who washed this off for them. Here they sit in an intimate setting and all have dirty/dusty feet. One of them there could have taken the place of servant and done this for them before they’d sat to eat, but they were not thinking so low, they were thinking about positions and titles. Who was who and what was what. Jesus took this place, Jesus took their and our place. He was God and made Himself a man and came to serve our sentence for the sins we committed that separated us from God. He could not stand that we were separated from God, He would do what it took to help us bridge that gap. He served to accomplish this Divine feat. He told them to do the same for others. He was even willing to be a part of a torturous separation from the presence of His own Father so we’d not be eternally separated ourselves. This was Love in display.
What have we done for others like this? How much do we give, rather than expect or take? Is our service about us or truly about giving Him to others to bring them to a place where they can see and know and love Him. How do we show this to the world, to help take their death sentence from them?
Love, love is the only way.
This is the Bible definition of Love:
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. 1 Cor 13:4-8
Let us truly Love one another. NOT in word only, but in deed also. Let’s demonstrate love to the world by demonstrating it towards one another, Amen ? Amen!
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Luke 9 DB
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Luke 9:1-62
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
1One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. 2Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3"Don't even take along a walking stick," he instructed them, "nor a traveler's bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat. 4When you enter each village, be a guest in only one home. 5If the people of the village won't receive your message when you enter it, shake off its dust from your feet as you leave. It is a sign that you have abandoned that village to its fate."
6So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Herod's Confusion
7When reports of Jesus' miracles reached Herod Antipas, F41 he was worried and puzzled because some were saying, "This is John the Baptist come back to life again." 8Others were saying, "It is Elijah or some other ancient prophet risen from the dead."
9"I beheaded John," Herod said, "so who is this man about whom I hear such strange stories?" And he tried to see him.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. And he welcomed them, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill. 12Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this deserted place."
13But Jesus said, "You feed them." "Impossible!" they protested. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?" 14For there were about five thousand men there. "Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each," Jesus replied. 15So the people all sat down. 16Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 17They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
Peter's Declaration about Jesus
18One day as Jesus was alone, praying, he came over to his disciples and asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
19"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead."
20Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Messiah sent from God!"
Jesus Predicts His Death
21Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about this. 22"For I, the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things," he said. "I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days later I will be raised from the dead."
23Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 25And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? 26If a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God."
The Transfiguration
28About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. 29And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31They were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how he was about to fulfill God's plan by dying in Jerusalem.
32Peter and the others were very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. 33As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, this is wonderful! We will make three shrines F42 —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 34But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.
35Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. F43 Listen to him." 36When the voice died away, Jesus was there alone. They didn't tell anyone what they had seen until long after this happened.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
37The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a huge crowd met Jesus. 38A man in the crowd called out to him, "Teacher, look at my boy, who is my only son. 39An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It is always hitting and injuring him. It hardly ever leaves him alone. 40I begged your disciples to cast the spirit out, but they couldn't do it."
41"You stubborn, faithless people," Jesus said, "how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here." 42As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of God's power.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
While everyone was marveling over all the wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44"Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed." 45But they didn't know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
46Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest. 47But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48Then he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
Using the Name of Jesus
49John said to Jesus, "Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. We tried to stop him because he isn't in our group."
50But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you."
Opposition from Samaritans
51As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53But they were turned away. The people of the village refused to have anything to do with Jesus because he had resolved to go to Jerusalem. 54When James and John heard about it, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up F44 ?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them. F45 56So they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
58But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."
59He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."
60Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. F46 Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."
61Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
62But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
FOOTNOTES:F41: Greek Herod the tetrarch. He was a son of King Herod and was ruler over one of the four districts in Palestine. F42: Or shelters; Greek reads tabernacles. F43: Some manuscripts read This is my beloved Son. F44: Some manuscripts add as Elijah did. F45: Some manuscripts add And he said, "You don't realize what your hearts are like. 56For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." F46: Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ Today ~
Jesus called disciples. Their co-mission with Him was to deliver people out of darkness, out of the hands of the grip of hell’s destiny on their lives, on their eternity, the next step after darkness’ cloak was taken off of people, would be to heal them, make them a whole person in God’s kingdom, a person who’s main needs are to come closer and closer to the image and likeness of the Father. This person who’s been called, delivered out of darkness, healed and being transformed is a person who will go out and call others to the same.
The word is GO, the one who goes has got to go equipped with the glory of God, be delivered, be healed, be made whole and sent as a model of God’s kingdom and power. This is what we take with us when we go, We take His glory and power, it is all that we depend on. Our dependency is not on earthly security, but heavenly security for ourselves and for as many others as we have time in this life to give this security to.
Jesus’ reputation went before Him, everywhere He went He found followers. He made an initial call to a few, yet many would follow after Him. If we are interested in Him, really want to know what He has to say to us and want to learn more of Him, we will follow after. We will pursue Him and His. The pursuit of someone is related to their growth stage in the kingdom. Once Jesus called the 12, it was His manner to teach them. It was they who followed and listened and practiced what He’d said. If they didn’t get it, or wanted to do something else, they could. We don’t see Jesus running after anyone to make sure they were ok or not offended. He spoke God’s words and would explain them to those who stayed close enough to hear His words.
Those who were truly seeking truth follow, even the crowds followed. We are followers of Christ. Led by His spirit, led by His word, but followers after God.
In the feeding of the 5 thousand + it says they had as much as they wanted. This is the same way with us in our personal relationships with God. We have as much as we want. It is there, we must want it and show we want it by staying in faith and strengthening our faith by following and doing what we hear. It’s nice to be pursued after by a loving Christian follower, but the pursuit is to win you over to following. Once truth comes and the call of the spirit is heard and the cloak of darkness comes off, growth is indicated by taking the next step, the next step is taken by the one who was pursued, the rest of the steps of growth are initiated by those who follow after Christ.
The crowd was hungry. For what? For love? For natural food? To be accepted, or to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? There is a cost of discipleship, to follow Christ one must go to the cross, where old things pass away and all becomes new. That person has to want new so bad that they allow old to die completely. Hungry for what’s truly right. Are we hungry enough to feed others what we’ve been given? Jesus took bread gave thanks, broke it up, gave it to those who follow and they gave and they gave and they gave! Giving truth, giving God’s word is the best way to truly love someone, yet we can only invite, extend a spiritual invitation; the rest is up to the follower. There may have been people on that field that day who were not hungry and passed the bread on to someone else. I can make a meal, but my kids, especially my older ones, have to decide to come to the table, sit down and eat. Some on that field that day, when told to sit down may have not liked being told what to do and walked away, they didn’t see the miracle that day.
I post daily bread, people don’t have to read it, people don’t have to even open their e-mails. They can do it whenever they desire to or not, right? It’s not up to me to force anyone to “eat”, right? It is the person’s freewill choice for discipleship by something I may have to say that leads them to follow or not. Even with the Bible, God gave us the word, had people translate it into languages we speak, printed out in versions closer to our understanding, etc. We can buy one we can easily understand etc, but it could sit on a shelf and we never open it, yet we could say we have one, right? It is up to the follower. We have as much of God as we desire and make room for.
When we follow we see more and more and more truth. Peter followed and he saw something magnificent. He was able to express, Jesus IS GOD! As we follow others who follow Christ it will bring us to a place where we are also able to say, Jesus IS God!
With this revelation, Jesus was able to take Peter towards a destiny he would not have been able to receive the call of or participate in had he not gotten close to God. That is the same destiny every human being has, to give their lives for others. Live the life of sacrifice, live for God and His dream, which are people. The way of truth is so foreign to any way the world paves out for people.
Lay down selfish ambition? Wait a minute, aren’t we supposed to be ambitious? Weren’t we raised to give our life in the form of time, energy and money over to things and successes? So if a person lives his whole life to get what he can out of life and live life to it’s fullest, never denying his own desires to fulfill the desires of another, he may lose His life? How’s that? It is because eternal life is what this life here on earth is about. It’s about deposits made into the treasury of God’s purposes and goals. God’s purposes and goals are that people would come to know Him and make Him known. If we cannot deny our own plans and goals for this we will find a very empty eternal bank account in our end. Everything we do here effects eternity both for us and for others.
The way we show if we follow Him or not is are we leading others, are we speaking our faith by our lives and words? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see God’s kingdom right here, before we die? That IS God’s intent, that we who follow after Him would bring His kingdom to earth in physical demonstration, a kingdom others could make citizenship in. A kingdom which gives rather than taking. We give our lives. God will not take them. Kingdom loyalty can only be given by the citizenship, not taken by the ruler. It’s a freewill kingdom. Men loving and obeying God because they want to follow Him.
The transfiguration comes to those who see Him, follow Him and stay with Him. If we are with Him we see Him. The number 8 means new beginning, like a 7 day week is a complete week and the next day is the first day of the new week, a new beginning. Jesus was previously talking of people who choose to give their lives for the gospel’s sake, now 8 days later, they see a transformation, they witness a transformation. That’s the next step, to be truly transformed. The disciples had to wake up to see Him in this other form.
Next step from there, seeing this progression as a journey of growth, They go and reach out to others who have deliverance needs. Those who need to be delivered out of darkness, spiritual darkness and the physical torment that darkness brings.
If one wants ambition in life, it should be to serve and minister to God, and in doing this, one will minister to God’s desires and needs, which is ministry to people who may be lost without knowing of His love demonstrated through human believers. Greatness in God’s kingdom is not based on success or position or title, it is based on greatness through lowly living.
He who is not against Me is for Me.
The cost of discipleship? Life, the giving of life, the whole life, not part, but whole. Not half, but whole.
This one issue comes up all of the time, time is or can be an issue with us. Many times we believe we have all the time in the world to decide for doing what God would like for us to join in and participate in. For some reason we think we have time to make decisions and then time to walk them out, apply or do them. In thinking this way, we take our time in many of our spiritual considerations. In taking all of this time, we use time and time goes by. Jesus specifically said put your hand to the plow and don’t look back! He didn’t say think about and pray about maybe considering putting your hands or part of your fingers on the plow and them when you are ready let Him know what you might decide about how much of it you will do. Decide or don’t, not deciding is deciding. The longer we take to decide, the more time passes that we are not deciding or adding action to our decisions, the more time we may not be engaged in the will of God.
Follow Me……
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
Luke 9:1-62
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
1One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. 2Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3"Don't even take along a walking stick," he instructed them, "nor a traveler's bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat. 4When you enter each village, be a guest in only one home. 5If the people of the village won't receive your message when you enter it, shake off its dust from your feet as you leave. It is a sign that you have abandoned that village to its fate."
6So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Herod's Confusion
7When reports of Jesus' miracles reached Herod Antipas, F41 he was worried and puzzled because some were saying, "This is John the Baptist come back to life again." 8Others were saying, "It is Elijah or some other ancient prophet risen from the dead."
9"I beheaded John," Herod said, "so who is this man about whom I hear such strange stories?" And he tried to see him.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. And he welcomed them, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill. 12Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this deserted place."
13But Jesus said, "You feed them." "Impossible!" they protested. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?" 14For there were about five thousand men there. "Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each," Jesus replied. 15So the people all sat down. 16Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 17They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
Peter's Declaration about Jesus
18One day as Jesus was alone, praying, he came over to his disciples and asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
19"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead."
20Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Messiah sent from God!"
Jesus Predicts His Death
21Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about this. 22"For I, the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things," he said. "I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days later I will be raised from the dead."
23Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 25And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? 26If a person is ashamed of me and my message, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God."
The Transfiguration
28About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. 29And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31They were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how he was about to fulfill God's plan by dying in Jerusalem.
32Peter and the others were very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. 33As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, this is wonderful! We will make three shrines F42 —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 34But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.
35Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. F43 Listen to him." 36When the voice died away, Jesus was there alone. They didn't tell anyone what they had seen until long after this happened.
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
37The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a huge crowd met Jesus. 38A man in the crowd called out to him, "Teacher, look at my boy, who is my only son. 39An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It is always hitting and injuring him. It hardly ever leaves him alone. 40I begged your disciples to cast the spirit out, but they couldn't do it."
41"You stubborn, faithless people," Jesus said, "how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here." 42As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of God's power.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
While everyone was marveling over all the wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44"Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed." 45But they didn't know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
46Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest. 47But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48Then he said to them, "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
Using the Name of Jesus
49John said to Jesus, "Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. We tried to stop him because he isn't in our group."
50But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you."
Opposition from Samaritans
51As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53But they were turned away. The people of the village refused to have anything to do with Jesus because he had resolved to go to Jerusalem. 54When James and John heard about it, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up F44 ?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them. F45 56So they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go."
58But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."
59He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."
60Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. F46 Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."
61Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
62But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
FOOTNOTES:F41: Greek Herod the tetrarch. He was a son of King Herod and was ruler over one of the four districts in Palestine. F42: Or shelters; Greek reads tabernacles. F43: Some manuscripts read This is my beloved Son. F44: Some manuscripts add as Elijah did. F45: Some manuscripts add And he said, "You don't realize what your hearts are like. 56For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." F46: Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
~ Lena’s Journalin’ Today ~
Jesus called disciples. Their co-mission with Him was to deliver people out of darkness, out of the hands of the grip of hell’s destiny on their lives, on their eternity, the next step after darkness’ cloak was taken off of people, would be to heal them, make them a whole person in God’s kingdom, a person who’s main needs are to come closer and closer to the image and likeness of the Father. This person who’s been called, delivered out of darkness, healed and being transformed is a person who will go out and call others to the same.
The word is GO, the one who goes has got to go equipped with the glory of God, be delivered, be healed, be made whole and sent as a model of God’s kingdom and power. This is what we take with us when we go, We take His glory and power, it is all that we depend on. Our dependency is not on earthly security, but heavenly security for ourselves and for as many others as we have time in this life to give this security to.
Jesus’ reputation went before Him, everywhere He went He found followers. He made an initial call to a few, yet many would follow after Him. If we are interested in Him, really want to know what He has to say to us and want to learn more of Him, we will follow after. We will pursue Him and His. The pursuit of someone is related to their growth stage in the kingdom. Once Jesus called the 12, it was His manner to teach them. It was they who followed and listened and practiced what He’d said. If they didn’t get it, or wanted to do something else, they could. We don’t see Jesus running after anyone to make sure they were ok or not offended. He spoke God’s words and would explain them to those who stayed close enough to hear His words.
Those who were truly seeking truth follow, even the crowds followed. We are followers of Christ. Led by His spirit, led by His word, but followers after God.
In the feeding of the 5 thousand + it says they had as much as they wanted. This is the same way with us in our personal relationships with God. We have as much as we want. It is there, we must want it and show we want it by staying in faith and strengthening our faith by following and doing what we hear. It’s nice to be pursued after by a loving Christian follower, but the pursuit is to win you over to following. Once truth comes and the call of the spirit is heard and the cloak of darkness comes off, growth is indicated by taking the next step, the next step is taken by the one who was pursued, the rest of the steps of growth are initiated by those who follow after Christ.
The crowd was hungry. For what? For love? For natural food? To be accepted, or to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? There is a cost of discipleship, to follow Christ one must go to the cross, where old things pass away and all becomes new. That person has to want new so bad that they allow old to die completely. Hungry for what’s truly right. Are we hungry enough to feed others what we’ve been given? Jesus took bread gave thanks, broke it up, gave it to those who follow and they gave and they gave and they gave! Giving truth, giving God’s word is the best way to truly love someone, yet we can only invite, extend a spiritual invitation; the rest is up to the follower. There may have been people on that field that day who were not hungry and passed the bread on to someone else. I can make a meal, but my kids, especially my older ones, have to decide to come to the table, sit down and eat. Some on that field that day, when told to sit down may have not liked being told what to do and walked away, they didn’t see the miracle that day.
I post daily bread, people don’t have to read it, people don’t have to even open their e-mails. They can do it whenever they desire to or not, right? It’s not up to me to force anyone to “eat”, right? It is the person’s freewill choice for discipleship by something I may have to say that leads them to follow or not. Even with the Bible, God gave us the word, had people translate it into languages we speak, printed out in versions closer to our understanding, etc. We can buy one we can easily understand etc, but it could sit on a shelf and we never open it, yet we could say we have one, right? It is up to the follower. We have as much of God as we desire and make room for.
When we follow we see more and more and more truth. Peter followed and he saw something magnificent. He was able to express, Jesus IS GOD! As we follow others who follow Christ it will bring us to a place where we are also able to say, Jesus IS God!
With this revelation, Jesus was able to take Peter towards a destiny he would not have been able to receive the call of or participate in had he not gotten close to God. That is the same destiny every human being has, to give their lives for others. Live the life of sacrifice, live for God and His dream, which are people. The way of truth is so foreign to any way the world paves out for people.
Lay down selfish ambition? Wait a minute, aren’t we supposed to be ambitious? Weren’t we raised to give our life in the form of time, energy and money over to things and successes? So if a person lives his whole life to get what he can out of life and live life to it’s fullest, never denying his own desires to fulfill the desires of another, he may lose His life? How’s that? It is because eternal life is what this life here on earth is about. It’s about deposits made into the treasury of God’s purposes and goals. God’s purposes and goals are that people would come to know Him and make Him known. If we cannot deny our own plans and goals for this we will find a very empty eternal bank account in our end. Everything we do here effects eternity both for us and for others.
The way we show if we follow Him or not is are we leading others, are we speaking our faith by our lives and words? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see God’s kingdom right here, before we die? That IS God’s intent, that we who follow after Him would bring His kingdom to earth in physical demonstration, a kingdom others could make citizenship in. A kingdom which gives rather than taking. We give our lives. God will not take them. Kingdom loyalty can only be given by the citizenship, not taken by the ruler. It’s a freewill kingdom. Men loving and obeying God because they want to follow Him.
The transfiguration comes to those who see Him, follow Him and stay with Him. If we are with Him we see Him. The number 8 means new beginning, like a 7 day week is a complete week and the next day is the first day of the new week, a new beginning. Jesus was previously talking of people who choose to give their lives for the gospel’s sake, now 8 days later, they see a transformation, they witness a transformation. That’s the next step, to be truly transformed. The disciples had to wake up to see Him in this other form.
Next step from there, seeing this progression as a journey of growth, They go and reach out to others who have deliverance needs. Those who need to be delivered out of darkness, spiritual darkness and the physical torment that darkness brings.
If one wants ambition in life, it should be to serve and minister to God, and in doing this, one will minister to God’s desires and needs, which is ministry to people who may be lost without knowing of His love demonstrated through human believers. Greatness in God’s kingdom is not based on success or position or title, it is based on greatness through lowly living.
He who is not against Me is for Me.
The cost of discipleship? Life, the giving of life, the whole life, not part, but whole. Not half, but whole.
This one issue comes up all of the time, time is or can be an issue with us. Many times we believe we have all the time in the world to decide for doing what God would like for us to join in and participate in. For some reason we think we have time to make decisions and then time to walk them out, apply or do them. In thinking this way, we take our time in many of our spiritual considerations. In taking all of this time, we use time and time goes by. Jesus specifically said put your hand to the plow and don’t look back! He didn’t say think about and pray about maybe considering putting your hands or part of your fingers on the plow and them when you are ready let Him know what you might decide about how much of it you will do. Decide or don’t, not deciding is deciding. The longer we take to decide, the more time passes that we are not deciding or adding action to our decisions, the more time we may not be engaged in the will of God.
Follow Me……
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Today's DB Mark 9 ++
Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
~Posting the passage now, possible comments later on Love U, Lena ~
Mark 9:1-50
1Jesus went on to say, "I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!"
The Transfiguration
2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed, 3and his clothing became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly process could ever make it. 4Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
5"Teacher, this is wonderful!" Peter exclaimed. "We will make three shrines F39 —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6He didn't really know what to say, for they were all terribly afraid.
7Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." 8Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them. 9As they descended the mountainside, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until he, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead. 10So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by "rising from the dead."
11Now they began asking him, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?"
12Jesus responded, "Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. Why then is it written in the Scriptures that the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with utter contempt? 13But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and he was badly mistreated, just as the Scriptures predicted."
Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Evil Spirit
14At the foot of the mountain they found a great crowd surrounding the other disciples, as some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15The crowd watched Jesus in awe as he came toward them, and then they ran to greet him. 16"What is all this arguing about?" he asked.
17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, "Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can't speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk. 18And whenever this evil spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth and become rigid. F40 So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it."
19Jesus said to them, "You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21"How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, "Since he was very small. 22The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can."
23"What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes."
24The father instantly replied, "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!"
25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. "Spirit of deafness and muteness," he said, "I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!" 26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy lay there motionless, and he appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, "He's dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, "Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?"
29Jesus replied, "This kind can be cast out only by prayer. F41 "
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
30Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity 31in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead." 32But they didn't understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
33After they arrived at Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples settled in the house where they would be staying. Jesus asked them, "What were you discussing out on the road?" 34But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, "Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
36Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me."
Using the Name of Jesus
38John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't one of our group."
39"Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs miracles in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded.
42"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck. 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven F42 with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. F43 45If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. F44 47And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.' F45
49"For everyone will be purified with fire. F46 50Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."
FOOTNOTES:F39: Or shelters; Greek reads tabernacles. F40: Or become weak. F41: Some manuscripts add and fasting. F42: Greek enter life; also in 9:45. F43: Some manuscripts add verse 44 (which is identical with 9:48). F44: Some manuscripts add verse 46 (which is identical with 9:48). F45: Isa 66:24. F46: Greek salted with fire. Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.
~Posting the passage now, possible comments later on Love U, Lena ~
Mark 9:1-50
1Jesus went on to say, "I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!"
The Transfiguration
2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed, 3and his clothing became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly process could ever make it. 4Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
5"Teacher, this is wonderful!" Peter exclaimed. "We will make three shrines F39 —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6He didn't really know what to say, for they were all terribly afraid.
7Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." 8Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them. 9As they descended the mountainside, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until he, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead. 10So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by "rising from the dead."
11Now they began asking him, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?"
12Jesus responded, "Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. Why then is it written in the Scriptures that the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with utter contempt? 13But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and he was badly mistreated, just as the Scriptures predicted."
Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Evil Spirit
14At the foot of the mountain they found a great crowd surrounding the other disciples, as some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15The crowd watched Jesus in awe as he came toward them, and then they ran to greet him. 16"What is all this arguing about?" he asked.
17One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, "Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can't speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk. 18And whenever this evil spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth and become rigid. F40 So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it."
19Jesus said to them, "You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21"How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, "Since he was very small. 22The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can."
23"What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes."
24The father instantly replied, "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!"
25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. "Spirit of deafness and muteness," he said, "I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!" 26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy lay there motionless, and he appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, "He's dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, "Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?"
29Jesus replied, "This kind can be cast out only by prayer. F41 "
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
30Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity 31in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead." 32But they didn't understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
The Greatest in the Kingdom
33After they arrived at Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples settled in the house where they would be staying. Jesus asked them, "What were you discussing out on the road?" 34But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, "Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
36Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me."
Using the Name of Jesus
38John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't one of our group."
39"Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs miracles in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded.
42"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck. 43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven F42 with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. F43 45If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. F44 47And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.' F45
49"For everyone will be purified with fire. F46 50Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."
FOOTNOTES:F39: Or shelters; Greek reads tabernacles. F40: Or become weak. F41: Some manuscripts add and fasting. F42: Greek enter life; also in 9:45. F43: Some manuscripts add verse 44 (which is identical with 9:48). F44: Some manuscripts add verse 46 (which is identical with 9:48). F45: Isa 66:24. F46: Greek salted with fire. Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.
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