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.
1 Timothy 4:1-16
Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. F11
3They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. 4Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. 5For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6If you explain this to the brothers and sisters, F12 you will be doing your duty as a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is fed by the message of faith and the true teaching you have followed. 7Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. 8Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. 9This is true, and everyone should accept it. 10We work hard and suffer much F13 in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe.
11Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. 12Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 13Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
14Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you.
FOOTNOTES:F11: Greek are seared. F12: Greek brothers. F13: Some manuscripts read and strive.
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’~
The Holy Spirit is expressing Himself in words to His church. The one who has come into covenant with Him by the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
What would it mean here when it is saying that a person is religious and has a dead conscience?
Dead would speak of numbness, unresponsive, no receptivity of breath or life.
It says these teachers who have lived out lies or are hypocritical……teachers! We are all teachers to someone, anyone who watches us live.
Hypocrisy is when I say I’m like Christ is, yet my modeling is not of one who names Christ. The word hypocrite means to put on an act. Saying, “I’m like Christ”, yet I’m not following His model, not truly truthfully being His models.
I’m going to share some truths. Teachings that are not Bible based are demonic teachings. The Bible says if you are not for Me you are against Me (and there’s no half way, or if I like God I’m for Him, or if I’m good I’m for Him).
One knows whether they are for a team or not. They dress for the team they root for the team they talk about the team. You never see someone at a game wearing half of one teams’ hat and half the other team’s hat.
If we are listening to a gospel we’ve created for ourselves, which possibly tells us if we are good we are ok, even if we don’t go all out for Jesus, we’re deceived. Jesus went all out for us and if we are as He is we also will be going all out for Him! If we make up a gospel of our own and live by our own rules, we are not submitted to God’s word and we are in a bad zone, enemy territory. God’s enemy does whatever he tells himself to do. He is his own god. If we follow that lead, we also are our own god. There are a few words about that that are very clear- You shall have no other gods’ before Me, not even yourself, as god. WOW. The death of conscience should be to self life that fulfills me and makes me the ruler and master of my life, not being deaf to God’s words and dead to the obedience of His will and plans.
When it says some will say it is wrong to be married they are saying it isn’t important to be in a relationship of covenant with someone else on earth. If we are in covenant with God we will seek to be in the same kind of covenant with people, one that does not violate another, one that does not violate God.
God’s word clearly states do not have sex (be joined as one in body symbolizing being joined as one in spirit with) outside of the covenant relationship of marriage/ Then He goes further with Christians and says do not join your body in a covenant marital act with an unbeliever. For some that is the test of flesh vs. spirit. What and who is your master? Who your master is, is what or who you are led by. Led by the flesh, will fulfill the lusts of the flesh, the flesh will lead us into all unrighteousness before God. The NT says if even looking at a woman with lustful thoughts, don’t look, you’ve sinned. It is just as though you did that uncovenantal act, your eyes wer on self, not on Jesus! That gospel is not well received in a society where everything I think is ok goes, where flesh is the great king of the nation!
Who’s kingdom we are of shows in our actions, not only the pledging of the allegiance of our words.
Separation from God, self and other men is the basis of all sin. Separation is an indication of a breech in any area. Notice when you are angry with someone your first tendency is to distance from the person? God is looking for a covenant people who will not only shorten those gaps on purpose, even when they hurt, but will stand in them as bridges back to faith in God enough to trust Him and go across those bridges.
Separation is based on fear. If we don’t eat this or that, it is possibly because the world has told us to fear this or that, we’ve believed in the curses rather than the blessings. Let’s think of food as being God’s word. If we only eat what we like, or what we want to, we’re not thankful for the rest that has been fed us by God in the form of our pastors teachers etc. What we’ve been fed, we can receive enough and then go to the word ourselves and check out the source.
When was the last time you criticized the given words in your mind, but never went to see if God was saying that to you, and if your offense was really your lack of desire to do the words?
If we trust God we’ll go to the source which is God and believe, and have faith for repair.
Don’t waste time when discussing God’s words in arguments, use the word to build up each others’ faith and obedience levels. There’s not time to waste it away with idle contesting conversations, but spend it rather on study for building a foundation of teachings.
They way we act and talk with one another shows we have no clue that there is a great test of our faith coming, the wise see the times and prepare. (5 wise virgins got oil when no bridegroom was in sight) Are we preparing for the great and yet terrible day of the Lord? How we live shows how much we believe it is upon the earth, not just upon us, but upon the earth. How we live, not what we say, proves our faith in His true appearing?
Be an example, the world is crying out for an example! It is wailing, do you hear the noise, the cry the call?
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
Today's DBfrom TRC's reading list & Lena's Journain' too to Duet 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.
Deuteronomy 30: 1 - 20
1 "Suppose all these things happen to you – the blessings and the curses I have listed – and you meditate on them as you are living among the nations to which the LORD your God has exiled you.
2 If at that time you return to the LORD your God, and you and your children begin wholeheartedly to obey all the commands I have given you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.
4 Though you are at the ends of the earth, the LORD your God will go and find you and bring you back again. 5 He will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. He will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!
6 "The LORD your God will cleanse your heart and the hearts of all your descendants so that you will love him with all your heart and soul, and so you may live!
7 The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and persecutors. 8 Then you will again obey the LORD and keep all the commands I am giving you today. 9 The LORD your God will make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and your fields will produce abundant harvests, for the LORD will delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. 10 The LORD your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
11 "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform. 12 It is not up in heaven, so distant that you must ask, 'Who will go to heaven and bring it down so we can hear and obey it?' 13 It is not beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, 'Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear and obey it?' 14 The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
15 "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death. 16 I have commanded you today to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, laws, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
17 But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! 20 Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
Selah & Amen
Selah, pause here for a bit and meditate on what was said.
Amen, so be it.
Wednesday night our pastor was speaking with us and said that our churches have become sissy churches, where Jesus is a sissy Savior, that we sissily serve.
He was saying that Jesus is not a sissy.
Yes He is kind and gentle, but His power is overwhelming and the fire of His passion burns with an all consuming fire for the salvation of His people.
There is an enemy out there and he is not gentle, he is out to take souls to hell.
I want to pray that you’ll get a revelation of hell, a place no one should ever go, a place no one would want to go to and no one should ever want anyone else to ever go to, not your worst flesh and blood enemy.
It was created for fallen rebellious angels, not people. Yet those fallen angels coerce people to go there with them daily, and people rise against God and say they want to go burn up in eternal fire!
The biggest thing about hell’s doom is there is no way out, no salvation, no God, no presence of grace and mercy, it is over, forever.
Pride and rebellion are being dealt with in our day, by the grace of God’s loving Spirit. Yet because a rebellious natured people have had their way for so long, the breaking of the chains of bondage is not the prettiest road to travel, but one must go there to be saved.
The way to fight rebellion is love. Love obeys, even when it does not feel to or want to automatically. It goes beyond feeling like it, to deciding for it. This is the kingdom of God. It is based on decisions of the heart, not feelings of the mind and body.
There is a scene in one of my favorite movies, ”First Knight” where the strong test of love was upon a very prominent couple, the temptation was strong the choice overpowering. The husband was asking the wife about her faithfulness of heart. He told her what he saw in her “heart” and asked her who she loved. He thought what he saw in her heart was possibly who she was and asked her about it. She replied that she chose Him, she chose them. He was confused at action verses decision. I felt she was in an excruciating battle of her will verses her heart even the enemy would try to tell her that the temptation of lust and feeling was what was in her heart. I felt her reply was saying, I may feel this way right now, and my feelings have confused me, and distracted me, but my will holds my heart and will steer it where it should go!
Does your will steer you or do your feelings?
Do you decide and then make the rest of our life follow your decisions?
Or does your body or soul steer you wherever it may go?
Better get a hold on that one, like a parent would get a hold of a child, because rebellion thrives on that.
Think of the spirit as the man in your life, in the dance, he leads. The soul is the woman, she follows, the body is the child, they copy and obey!
If a household lets the child or the woman lead it is out of order.
If Jesus is our Lord, then “He’s da man” and we let Him lead us.
Rebellion rises up and says I do not want it that way, I want it my way, why do I always have to be told what to do by everyone?
Start with yourself, are you even able to tell yourself what to do or where to go? If not, there can be big problems later on.
If you can’t tell yourself to get up and get ready for work each day, you may not have a job, whether you feel like it or not.
Love trusts, love obeys God.
God loves us and we love Him. It is a covenantal and reciprocal living relationship of giving, all of me for all of Him.
What an exchange, huh?
How do you feel when you read this passage and see words like, obey, command, thou shalt do, etc? Do you pass over them thinking the word is speaking to the Israelite church of the day, but obviously not you today? Do you skip to the blessings part and bypass the cursing parts? Or do you believe God’s word, receive it as instructions that will save your soul from suffering, and the pain of rebellion and ultimately from hell’s fire?
Do you tell your mind and body that as for me and my earthly house, we three will serve God? No matter how we feel about it?
Do you go to the hardest places on purpose? Like when you read in the word that God tells you to be kind and you do not want to, especially with so and so, do you rise up in your spirit natured man and go out of your way, commanding your body to obey you and your feelings to get in line, extending your soul to be kinder than anyone else towards this specific person? Do you press yourself to grow?
Make your body God’s slave and your soul (mind will emotions) God’s servant to obey.
It does not just happen for nice and good natured people, it is a decision of the heart. My heart chooses You!
My heart chooses life and length of eternal days.
My will- will follow my heart.
My body must come along for the ride.
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.
Deuteronomy 30: 1 - 20
1 "Suppose all these things happen to you – the blessings and the curses I have listed – and you meditate on them as you are living among the nations to which the LORD your God has exiled you.
2 If at that time you return to the LORD your God, and you and your children begin wholeheartedly to obey all the commands I have given you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.
4 Though you are at the ends of the earth, the LORD your God will go and find you and bring you back again. 5 He will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. He will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!
6 "The LORD your God will cleanse your heart and the hearts of all your descendants so that you will love him with all your heart and soul, and so you may live!
7 The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and persecutors. 8 Then you will again obey the LORD and keep all the commands I am giving you today. 9 The LORD your God will make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and your fields will produce abundant harvests, for the LORD will delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. 10 The LORD your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
11 "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform. 12 It is not up in heaven, so distant that you must ask, 'Who will go to heaven and bring it down so we can hear and obey it?' 13 It is not beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, 'Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear and obey it?' 14 The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
15 "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death. 16 I have commanded you today to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, laws, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
17 But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! 20 Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
Selah & Amen
Selah, pause here for a bit and meditate on what was said.
Amen, so be it.
Wednesday night our pastor was speaking with us and said that our churches have become sissy churches, where Jesus is a sissy Savior, that we sissily serve.
He was saying that Jesus is not a sissy.
Yes He is kind and gentle, but His power is overwhelming and the fire of His passion burns with an all consuming fire for the salvation of His people.
There is an enemy out there and he is not gentle, he is out to take souls to hell.
I want to pray that you’ll get a revelation of hell, a place no one should ever go, a place no one would want to go to and no one should ever want anyone else to ever go to, not your worst flesh and blood enemy.
It was created for fallen rebellious angels, not people. Yet those fallen angels coerce people to go there with them daily, and people rise against God and say they want to go burn up in eternal fire!
The biggest thing about hell’s doom is there is no way out, no salvation, no God, no presence of grace and mercy, it is over, forever.
Pride and rebellion are being dealt with in our day, by the grace of God’s loving Spirit. Yet because a rebellious natured people have had their way for so long, the breaking of the chains of bondage is not the prettiest road to travel, but one must go there to be saved.
The way to fight rebellion is love. Love obeys, even when it does not feel to or want to automatically. It goes beyond feeling like it, to deciding for it. This is the kingdom of God. It is based on decisions of the heart, not feelings of the mind and body.
There is a scene in one of my favorite movies, ”First Knight” where the strong test of love was upon a very prominent couple, the temptation was strong the choice overpowering. The husband was asking the wife about her faithfulness of heart. He told her what he saw in her “heart” and asked her who she loved. He thought what he saw in her heart was possibly who she was and asked her about it. She replied that she chose Him, she chose them. He was confused at action verses decision. I felt she was in an excruciating battle of her will verses her heart even the enemy would try to tell her that the temptation of lust and feeling was what was in her heart. I felt her reply was saying, I may feel this way right now, and my feelings have confused me, and distracted me, but my will holds my heart and will steer it where it should go!
Does your will steer you or do your feelings?
Do you decide and then make the rest of our life follow your decisions?
Or does your body or soul steer you wherever it may go?
Better get a hold on that one, like a parent would get a hold of a child, because rebellion thrives on that.
Think of the spirit as the man in your life, in the dance, he leads. The soul is the woman, she follows, the body is the child, they copy and obey!
If a household lets the child or the woman lead it is out of order.
If Jesus is our Lord, then “He’s da man” and we let Him lead us.
Rebellion rises up and says I do not want it that way, I want it my way, why do I always have to be told what to do by everyone?
Start with yourself, are you even able to tell yourself what to do or where to go? If not, there can be big problems later on.
If you can’t tell yourself to get up and get ready for work each day, you may not have a job, whether you feel like it or not.
Love trusts, love obeys God.
God loves us and we love Him. It is a covenantal and reciprocal living relationship of giving, all of me for all of Him.
What an exchange, huh?
How do you feel when you read this passage and see words like, obey, command, thou shalt do, etc? Do you pass over them thinking the word is speaking to the Israelite church of the day, but obviously not you today? Do you skip to the blessings part and bypass the cursing parts? Or do you believe God’s word, receive it as instructions that will save your soul from suffering, and the pain of rebellion and ultimately from hell’s fire?
Do you tell your mind and body that as for me and my earthly house, we three will serve God? No matter how we feel about it?
Do you go to the hardest places on purpose? Like when you read in the word that God tells you to be kind and you do not want to, especially with so and so, do you rise up in your spirit natured man and go out of your way, commanding your body to obey you and your feelings to get in line, extending your soul to be kinder than anyone else towards this specific person? Do you press yourself to grow?
Make your body God’s slave and your soul (mind will emotions) God’s servant to obey.
It does not just happen for nice and good natured people, it is a decision of the heart. My heart chooses You!
My heart chooses life and length of eternal days.
My will- will follow my heart.
My body must come along for the ride.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
TRC DB w/ Lena's Journalin' to 1 Sam 17*****
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.
1 Samuel 17:1-58
Goliath Challenges the Israelites
1The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2Saul countered by gathering his troops near the valley of Elah. 3So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet F58 tall! 5He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. F59 6He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. 7The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. F60 An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield.
8Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, "Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! 9If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!" 11When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
Jesse Sends David to Saul's Camp
12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons in all. 13Jesse's three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah—had already joined Saul's army to fight the Philistines. 14David was the youngest of Jesse's sons. Since David's three oldest brothers were in the army, they stayed with Saul's forces all the time. 15But David went back and forth between working for Saul and helping his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.
16For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army.
17One day Jesse said to David, "Take this half-bushel F61 of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. 18And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring me back a letter from them. F62 "
19David's brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. 20So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the outskirts of the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath, the champion from Gath, come out from the Philistine ranks, shouting his challenge to the army of Israel.
24As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25"Have you seen the giant?" the men were asking. "He comes out each day to challenge Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!"
26David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" 27And David received the same reply as before: "What you have been hearing is true. That is the reward for killing the giant."
28But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!"
29"What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!" 30He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31Then David's question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
David Kills Goliath
32"Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!"
33"Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!"
34But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!"
38Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested. "I'm not used to them." So he took them off again. 40He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath.
41Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43"Am I a dog," he roared at David, "that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44"Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!" Goliath yelled.
45David shouted in reply, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!"
48As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. 50So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, 51he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head.
Israel Routs the Philistines
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. 52Then the Israelites gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath F63 and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. 53Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. 54(David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he stored the Philistine's armor in his own tent.)
55As Saul watched David go out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the general of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I really don't know," Abner said.
56"Well, find out!" the king told him.
57After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand. 58"Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said. And David replied, "His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem."
FOOTNOTES:F58: Hebrew 6 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 9.75 feet or 3 meters]; Greek version and Dead Sea Scrolls read 4 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 6.75 feet or 2 meters]. F59: Hebrew 5,000 shekels [57 kilograms]. F60: Hebrew 600 shekels [6.8 kilograms]. F61: Hebrew ephah [18 liters]. F62: Hebrew and take their pledge. F63: As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew reads a valley.
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’ ~
Phillistines are representative of immigrants, sojourners in a foreign land, a land they claim they want or will stay in, but it does not belong to them, it is not theirs.
Land can speak of many things, earth, people’s lives or territory. This territory of earth belongs to God and all of the people in it.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
But there is an imposter, one who wants to be God, not as God or like God, but take God and all that is God’s over. He is a thief (John 10) and a robber, he’s trying to take territory, he’s trying for people’s allegiance, not because he’s a covenant demonstrator of love, but because he’s a liar and a thief. He hates the True and Living God and anyone who resembles Him, guess who that is baby?
You and I are made in the image and likeness of God. He’s after us, our loyalty, our service, our affections, our eternal souls. He doesn’t want us so he can show us love, care for us eternally and bring the joy of life to us. He only wants some company for the sake of revenge against God and to wage his war against God and His beloved. He only wants to use us to flaunt his measurable power. He thinks the more he gets the more he has, he’s deceived. If one does not have God’s truth, he has nothing and numbers do not mean a whole lot in eternal doom, which is his destination.
Get the picture? So, the Philistines, the demons destined to hell fire, gathered together and were unleashed in the earth realm to get recruits, to see if God has any allegiances left after times of testing. They come against God’s covenantal and called ones, they taunt them day and night, they come out for the sole purpose of making them afraid and to bring their minds into a place of doubt before God, eternal doubt.
Notice the gathering TOGETHER. That means they assemble. Who else do we know “assembles”? How often do they “assemble”? Every week one time? Sunday’s maybe?
The root meanings here mean they come together each individual in orderly array for one purpose? That sounds like unity. Their assembled unity brings power to threaten in the natural and the spiritual realms. Whom do you find yourself assembling with? How often and for what purpose? Is there unity and power?
This assembly made the people afraid, they are so afraid that just one man could torment them, because he seemed so big. Yet they are an army, but because they are dis-unified, there’s no power, they are scattered in fear and the demon power has kept taunting day and night until….
A young man arose, a man of covenant arose, a man of understanding arose, a man who knew God intimately arose, a man of revealed knowledge and the wisdom of God arose. Am I that man? Are you that man?
David means “beloved”, the beloved arose, who are the beloved of God? We are, His assembled church is. Notice David did not ask how big the giant was or how long his lies had grown in them. He knew how big his God is. David was a tender of the spotless sacrificial lambs of God. He was in the business of taking care of God’s interests and of what would benefit God’s people, keeping His people close to Him. Without sacrifice there are breeches to be filled, the sheep he tended filled these gaps between man and God, David was in the business of repairing breeches!
He had the heart of a shepherd, these were God’s sheep, and he would not stand for there to be a breech between them and their God! Are we that way? Do we see breeches and do our hearts cry out for others to be able to come to Christ as we have? Do what it takes to fill that breech, stand between them and their enemies, the enemies of their souls? Do we love as much as God does? He laid down His life to fill the breech.
40 is the number of testing and judgment. The people of God are under a testing of faith, will we keep it no matter what an enemy tries to tell us or do to us? The world is under righteous judgments if we do not give them truth and bring them to a place of rescue. Do we love the world enough to stand in the place of love for them?
Love gives, that’s God’s nature. What would we do to save a soul? Will we sacrifice, fight God’s enemies? We can’t fight if we do not know His words, nor know Him. If we do we’ll lose and lose the souls too. We have to be changed by God’s word personally so we can show someone else the way. David brought food out to those who were in battle. Do we have enough spiritual bread each day to give to our brothers and potential brothers? We have enough, have been given enough, how much have we gathered, taken in and distributed? David was sent to see if his brothers were getting along. Wow.
What will a man get for slaying this giant? A daughter of the king and exemption from owing taxes, he and his whole family won’t owe taxes. This symbolizes a new family, the person who fights with and for God and His people gets to be a part of God’s family, even though he may not have been born royal, he’s made royal and is forgiven his eternal debt of his original sin nature before God. He and his whole household will be saved Acts 16:31
A prerequisite qualifier to killing enemy powers over people is that we take care of God’s sheep. In caring for the house of God and the people of God we learn how to defeat enemies that are bigger than us, bigger than the assembly.
He picked up and grabbed a hold of 5 smooth stones. Smooth stones means water had poured over them for quite sometime, as they stayed in pretty much the same place. These are representative of being in the church, taught and trained and discipled by God, His word and His servants sent to qualify us. 5 stones could represent being under the training of apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers, until we grow up and learn enough to go take what we’ve learned and do it. David has learned a few things in those shepherding fields, he took what he’d learned with him into battle that day and demonstrated it. The 5 became one in power over an enemy.
The enemy wants to give our flesh to the birds of the air, demonic spirits who’d love to usher us out of God’s Divine and eternal presence. That’s his mission for all human life. What are we doing about THAT? For our own selves and then for our family and for the world? Who’s name do we come in? Who’s name is so branded on us its mark can never be removed? Do we bear the name of Christ? David did not wore natural armor that day, but he did bear the name of Christ and that’s what the angelic/demonic realm looks at anyways.
Who’s SON are you? Sons are discipled. Are you being discipled? If not, you are not yet a son, but are still a child. It’s ok to be a child for a time, but as in the natural world, we are only children for a short time and then it is time to grow up, there’s only one way to do that, be a disciple. The enemy is looking at sons who have fathers. The scripture in the NT says, there are many, many teachers, but not many fathers.
Who’s your “daddy”? Notice they did not say, “God is his Father”, though that was the case and David acted as though his father was God. In the mention of who David’s father was, it was that of a natural man who’d trained him. Jesse. Who’s training are you under? Is it intimate or casual? Even Jesus had disciples of closer or less intimate of levels, which level of discipleship are you at? Have you come closer to a man or woman of God and submitted yourself to their godly training? Do you change at their to you that are words from God? Jesus had 12 disciples, 3 were closer than the others and even in them was one who’d get very close to hear His heart. Then there were even 70 who sat under his words and went out to serve Him.
Jesse means, “I possess”. Are you possessed, by God? Are you a slave to righteousness? Do you love who and what God loves? Are you possessive or possessed, by God? What possess you? Does anyone possess you or are you your own man? Who’s son are you?
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
1 Samuel 17:1-58
Goliath Challenges the Israelites
1The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2Saul countered by gathering his troops near the valley of Elah. 3So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet F58 tall! 5He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. F59 6He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. 7The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. F60 An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield.
8Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, "Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! 9If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!" 11When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
Jesse Sends David to Saul's Camp
12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons in all. 13Jesse's three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah—had already joined Saul's army to fight the Philistines. 14David was the youngest of Jesse's sons. Since David's three oldest brothers were in the army, they stayed with Saul's forces all the time. 15But David went back and forth between working for Saul and helping his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.
16For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army.
17One day Jesse said to David, "Take this half-bushel F61 of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. 18And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring me back a letter from them. F62 "
19David's brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. 20So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the outskirts of the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath, the champion from Gath, come out from the Philistine ranks, shouting his challenge to the army of Israel.
24As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25"Have you seen the giant?" the men were asking. "He comes out each day to challenge Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!"
26David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" 27And David received the same reply as before: "What you have been hearing is true. That is the reward for killing the giant."
28But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!"
29"What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!" 30He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31Then David's question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
David Kills Goliath
32"Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!"
33"Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!"
34But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!"
38Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested. "I'm not used to them." So he took them off again. 40He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath.
41Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43"Am I a dog," he roared at David, "that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44"Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!" Goliath yelled.
45David shouted in reply, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!"
48As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. 50So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, 51he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head.
Israel Routs the Philistines
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. 52Then the Israelites gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath F63 and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. 53Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. 54(David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he stored the Philistine's armor in his own tent.)
55As Saul watched David go out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the general of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I really don't know," Abner said.
56"Well, find out!" the king told him.
57After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand. 58"Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said. And David replied, "His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem."
FOOTNOTES:F58: Hebrew 6 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 9.75 feet or 3 meters]; Greek version and Dead Sea Scrolls read 4 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 6.75 feet or 2 meters]. F59: Hebrew 5,000 shekels [57 kilograms]. F60: Hebrew 600 shekels [6.8 kilograms]. F61: Hebrew ephah [18 liters]. F62: Hebrew and take their pledge. F63: As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew reads a valley.
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’ ~
Phillistines are representative of immigrants, sojourners in a foreign land, a land they claim they want or will stay in, but it does not belong to them, it is not theirs.
Land can speak of many things, earth, people’s lives or territory. This territory of earth belongs to God and all of the people in it.
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
But there is an imposter, one who wants to be God, not as God or like God, but take God and all that is God’s over. He is a thief (John 10) and a robber, he’s trying to take territory, he’s trying for people’s allegiance, not because he’s a covenant demonstrator of love, but because he’s a liar and a thief. He hates the True and Living God and anyone who resembles Him, guess who that is baby?
You and I are made in the image and likeness of God. He’s after us, our loyalty, our service, our affections, our eternal souls. He doesn’t want us so he can show us love, care for us eternally and bring the joy of life to us. He only wants some company for the sake of revenge against God and to wage his war against God and His beloved. He only wants to use us to flaunt his measurable power. He thinks the more he gets the more he has, he’s deceived. If one does not have God’s truth, he has nothing and numbers do not mean a whole lot in eternal doom, which is his destination.
Get the picture? So, the Philistines, the demons destined to hell fire, gathered together and were unleashed in the earth realm to get recruits, to see if God has any allegiances left after times of testing. They come against God’s covenantal and called ones, they taunt them day and night, they come out for the sole purpose of making them afraid and to bring their minds into a place of doubt before God, eternal doubt.
Notice the gathering TOGETHER. That means they assemble. Who else do we know “assembles”? How often do they “assemble”? Every week one time? Sunday’s maybe?
The root meanings here mean they come together each individual in orderly array for one purpose? That sounds like unity. Their assembled unity brings power to threaten in the natural and the spiritual realms. Whom do you find yourself assembling with? How often and for what purpose? Is there unity and power?
This assembly made the people afraid, they are so afraid that just one man could torment them, because he seemed so big. Yet they are an army, but because they are dis-unified, there’s no power, they are scattered in fear and the demon power has kept taunting day and night until….
A young man arose, a man of covenant arose, a man of understanding arose, a man who knew God intimately arose, a man of revealed knowledge and the wisdom of God arose. Am I that man? Are you that man?
David means “beloved”, the beloved arose, who are the beloved of God? We are, His assembled church is. Notice David did not ask how big the giant was or how long his lies had grown in them. He knew how big his God is. David was a tender of the spotless sacrificial lambs of God. He was in the business of taking care of God’s interests and of what would benefit God’s people, keeping His people close to Him. Without sacrifice there are breeches to be filled, the sheep he tended filled these gaps between man and God, David was in the business of repairing breeches!
He had the heart of a shepherd, these were God’s sheep, and he would not stand for there to be a breech between them and their God! Are we that way? Do we see breeches and do our hearts cry out for others to be able to come to Christ as we have? Do what it takes to fill that breech, stand between them and their enemies, the enemies of their souls? Do we love as much as God does? He laid down His life to fill the breech.
40 is the number of testing and judgment. The people of God are under a testing of faith, will we keep it no matter what an enemy tries to tell us or do to us? The world is under righteous judgments if we do not give them truth and bring them to a place of rescue. Do we love the world enough to stand in the place of love for them?
Love gives, that’s God’s nature. What would we do to save a soul? Will we sacrifice, fight God’s enemies? We can’t fight if we do not know His words, nor know Him. If we do we’ll lose and lose the souls too. We have to be changed by God’s word personally so we can show someone else the way. David brought food out to those who were in battle. Do we have enough spiritual bread each day to give to our brothers and potential brothers? We have enough, have been given enough, how much have we gathered, taken in and distributed? David was sent to see if his brothers were getting along. Wow.
What will a man get for slaying this giant? A daughter of the king and exemption from owing taxes, he and his whole family won’t owe taxes. This symbolizes a new family, the person who fights with and for God and His people gets to be a part of God’s family, even though he may not have been born royal, he’s made royal and is forgiven his eternal debt of his original sin nature before God. He and his whole household will be saved Acts 16:31
A prerequisite qualifier to killing enemy powers over people is that we take care of God’s sheep. In caring for the house of God and the people of God we learn how to defeat enemies that are bigger than us, bigger than the assembly.
He picked up and grabbed a hold of 5 smooth stones. Smooth stones means water had poured over them for quite sometime, as they stayed in pretty much the same place. These are representative of being in the church, taught and trained and discipled by God, His word and His servants sent to qualify us. 5 stones could represent being under the training of apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers, until we grow up and learn enough to go take what we’ve learned and do it. David has learned a few things in those shepherding fields, he took what he’d learned with him into battle that day and demonstrated it. The 5 became one in power over an enemy.
The enemy wants to give our flesh to the birds of the air, demonic spirits who’d love to usher us out of God’s Divine and eternal presence. That’s his mission for all human life. What are we doing about THAT? For our own selves and then for our family and for the world? Who’s name do we come in? Who’s name is so branded on us its mark can never be removed? Do we bear the name of Christ? David did not wore natural armor that day, but he did bear the name of Christ and that’s what the angelic/demonic realm looks at anyways.
Who’s SON are you? Sons are discipled. Are you being discipled? If not, you are not yet a son, but are still a child. It’s ok to be a child for a time, but as in the natural world, we are only children for a short time and then it is time to grow up, there’s only one way to do that, be a disciple. The enemy is looking at sons who have fathers. The scripture in the NT says, there are many, many teachers, but not many fathers.
Who’s your “daddy”? Notice they did not say, “God is his Father”, though that was the case and David acted as though his father was God. In the mention of who David’s father was, it was that of a natural man who’d trained him. Jesse. Who’s training are you under? Is it intimate or casual? Even Jesus had disciples of closer or less intimate of levels, which level of discipleship are you at? Have you come closer to a man or woman of God and submitted yourself to their godly training? Do you change at their to you that are words from God? Jesus had 12 disciples, 3 were closer than the others and even in them was one who’d get very close to hear His heart. Then there were even 70 who sat under his words and went out to serve Him.
Jesse means, “I possess”. Are you possessed, by God? Are you a slave to righteousness? Do you love who and what God loves? Are you possessive or possessed, by God? What possess you? Does anyone possess you or are you your own man? Who’s son are you?
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Today's TRC DB Acts 2 w/ Lena's Journalin'
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.
Acts 2:1-47
The Holy Spirit Comes
1On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, F6 the believers were meeting together in one place. 2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, F7 as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7They were beside themselves with wonder. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, 8and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, that's all!" they said.
Peter Preaches to a Crowd
14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred, before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' F8
22"People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
'I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead F9 or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.' F10
29"Dear brothers, think about this! David wasn't referring to himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on David's throne as the Messiah. 31David was looking into the future and predicting the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that the Messiah would not be left among the dead and that his body would not rot in the grave.
32"This prophecy was speaking of Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this. 33Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand
35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.' F11
36So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!"
37Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. 42They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer.
The Believers Meet Together
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
FOOTNOTES:F6: Greek When the day of Pentecost arrived. This annual celebration came 50 days after the Passover ceremonies. See Lev 23:16. F7: Or in other tongues. F8: Joel 2:28-32. F9: Greek in Hades; also in 2:31. F10: Ps 16:8-11. F11: Ps 110:1. F12: Greek to those far away.
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’~
Psalm 89: 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
What sound did the peoples hear this day? Disciples heard it, crowds heard it, what sound was it they heard? And did it fill their hearts with joy?
The sound of God’s spirit breathing upon man! What a wonder God coming inside of and living with man. Speaking through men, leading men into righteous pathways of truth. Wow, what a sound. It changed the atmospheric sounds, it changed the air around them, effected their thinking and speaking. When God’ spirit came the first evidence was that man began to speak differently than he’d been speaking, even though he’d not studied to do so! So like, they spoke like God without trying? WOW! WOW! Without reasoning it out, without figuring how, without being trained and taught how, they just started talking like God out form the deepest part of their hearts? Their wells became cleaned and refreshed. What a wonder for the world to see believers speaking like God does. What a wonder that we’d speak differently than we usually do.
Are you negative? How about a logical thinker? Everyone knows and sees how we are by hearing us speak to one another. They’ll say things about us like, Lena is such an opinionated person, has an opinion about everything…then God shows up in Lena and she speaks His words without her opinion, when they hear her they wonder what has happened, it looks like Lena but it sounds like God! What is she taking? What is influencing her? Is she drunken? When people are drunken they speak like they are someone else, they are changed.
Have you ever heard people say that if a person is outward, when they drink they become quiet? Or if a person is quiet, when drunk they are loud? They become another man under the influence.
The people around on that glorious day when God showed up in men, were curious about the influence. Of what influence are you under? Peter had to explain that the influence is a “person” not a substance. Have you been influenced by the person of Christ? Are you a person who influences others with the person of Christ?
God is no respecter of persons at all. He will fill anyone who wills, He will speak through anyone who wills, He will influence anyone who wills, He will use anyone who wills.
Whosoever believeth in Him will have….When a man’s spirit is born again, when a man is transformed into the new nature of Christ and God’s Spirit becomes alive in him, he changes.
We were dead to God and alive to our sin natured eternally destined to hell fire- man, now we are dead to sin and alive to God’s spirit and eternally destined to heaven’s gates, with a co-mission to bring any and all friends, even the ones we make today!
When one is transformed into new life, life for them means change. It can be expressed visually as metamorphosis. Caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis. A complete and total change, especially of the appearance, because what has happened on the inside leaked out, emanated outwardly.
What is the greatest earthly wonder? Men looking like and acting like Jesus, like God. Men being changed. Conquerors of death’s eternal grip.
What is the evidence of Christ’s resurrection? My change, my changed life. My life that was my own to live, now being lived by God’s Spirit’s steering of me.
How many enemies are under your feet? Is even the first enemy, which is eternal death, under your feet? Better put it there quick, how do you know the number of your days?
So what should we do?
Oh my, before I answer this I want to go ahead and tell you this, it is YOUR decision. You decide what to do. Live or die. You should choose….., but you do not have to. You can live the way you are living, and stay that way till you die if you’d like to. It is not up to anyone but me alone for me, you alone for you.
Peter tells us what God says, turn from your sin (of a self serving life), turn to God, be baptized and forgiven, receive the Holy Spirit. Get filled up with God, and give Him to a world that will die without Him, especially your children, especially those of the next generation coming up. Why live like this? Oh Lord, if not for our children then who? Ourselves? That’s why we don’t change, if it’s just for us, why? IT IS NOT just for us, it is for the world that comes after us. Why become a butterfly? Stay on the ground or climb a few branches in life, be eaten by a bird or fly like one!
Don’t be like those who went before you and did not change, did not serve God, but served self and some perished in doing so, don’t be that way, change and be a way that brings positive eternal life influence for others.
Want to see the peoples of earth stand in awe? Change! People are waiting to see the new me! The earth groans for the new me to come forth.
Oh worm? There is a branch waiting…come on wormy…here wormy, wormy….up here…..gotta come up higher and hang out awhile, till change comes to you! Metamorphic change.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
Acts 2:1-47
The Holy Spirit Comes
1On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, F6 the believers were meeting together in one place. 2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, F7 as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7They were beside themselves with wonder. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, 8and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, that's all!" they said.
Peter Preaches to a Crowd
14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days, God said, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred, before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
21 And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' F8
22"People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23But you followed God's prearranged plan. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25King David said this about him:
'I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead F9 or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.' F10
29"Dear brothers, think about this! David wasn't referring to himself when he spoke these words I have quoted, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on David's throne as the Messiah. 31David was looking into the future and predicting the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that the Messiah would not be left among the dead and that his body would not rot in the grave.
32"This prophecy was speaking of Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this. 33Now he sits on the throne of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,
'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand
35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.' F11
36So let it be clearly known by everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah!"
37Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles F12 —all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"
41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church—about three thousand in all. 42They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer.
The Believers Meet Together
43A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
FOOTNOTES:F6: Greek When the day of Pentecost arrived. This annual celebration came 50 days after the Passover ceremonies. See Lev 23:16. F7: Or in other tongues. F8: Joel 2:28-32. F9: Greek in Hades; also in 2:31. F10: Ps 16:8-11. F11: Ps 110:1. F12: Greek to those far away.
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’~
Psalm 89: 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
What sound did the peoples hear this day? Disciples heard it, crowds heard it, what sound was it they heard? And did it fill their hearts with joy?
The sound of God’s spirit breathing upon man! What a wonder God coming inside of and living with man. Speaking through men, leading men into righteous pathways of truth. Wow, what a sound. It changed the atmospheric sounds, it changed the air around them, effected their thinking and speaking. When God’ spirit came the first evidence was that man began to speak differently than he’d been speaking, even though he’d not studied to do so! So like, they spoke like God without trying? WOW! WOW! Without reasoning it out, without figuring how, without being trained and taught how, they just started talking like God out form the deepest part of their hearts? Their wells became cleaned and refreshed. What a wonder for the world to see believers speaking like God does. What a wonder that we’d speak differently than we usually do.
Are you negative? How about a logical thinker? Everyone knows and sees how we are by hearing us speak to one another. They’ll say things about us like, Lena is such an opinionated person, has an opinion about everything…then God shows up in Lena and she speaks His words without her opinion, when they hear her they wonder what has happened, it looks like Lena but it sounds like God! What is she taking? What is influencing her? Is she drunken? When people are drunken they speak like they are someone else, they are changed.
Have you ever heard people say that if a person is outward, when they drink they become quiet? Or if a person is quiet, when drunk they are loud? They become another man under the influence.
The people around on that glorious day when God showed up in men, were curious about the influence. Of what influence are you under? Peter had to explain that the influence is a “person” not a substance. Have you been influenced by the person of Christ? Are you a person who influences others with the person of Christ?
God is no respecter of persons at all. He will fill anyone who wills, He will speak through anyone who wills, He will influence anyone who wills, He will use anyone who wills.
Whosoever believeth in Him will have….When a man’s spirit is born again, when a man is transformed into the new nature of Christ and God’s Spirit becomes alive in him, he changes.
We were dead to God and alive to our sin natured eternally destined to hell fire- man, now we are dead to sin and alive to God’s spirit and eternally destined to heaven’s gates, with a co-mission to bring any and all friends, even the ones we make today!
When one is transformed into new life, life for them means change. It can be expressed visually as metamorphosis. Caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis. A complete and total change, especially of the appearance, because what has happened on the inside leaked out, emanated outwardly.
What is the greatest earthly wonder? Men looking like and acting like Jesus, like God. Men being changed. Conquerors of death’s eternal grip.
What is the evidence of Christ’s resurrection? My change, my changed life. My life that was my own to live, now being lived by God’s Spirit’s steering of me.
How many enemies are under your feet? Is even the first enemy, which is eternal death, under your feet? Better put it there quick, how do you know the number of your days?
So what should we do?
Oh my, before I answer this I want to go ahead and tell you this, it is YOUR decision. You decide what to do. Live or die. You should choose….., but you do not have to. You can live the way you are living, and stay that way till you die if you’d like to. It is not up to anyone but me alone for me, you alone for you.
Peter tells us what God says, turn from your sin (of a self serving life), turn to God, be baptized and forgiven, receive the Holy Spirit. Get filled up with God, and give Him to a world that will die without Him, especially your children, especially those of the next generation coming up. Why live like this? Oh Lord, if not for our children then who? Ourselves? That’s why we don’t change, if it’s just for us, why? IT IS NOT just for us, it is for the world that comes after us. Why become a butterfly? Stay on the ground or climb a few branches in life, be eaten by a bird or fly like one!
Don’t be like those who went before you and did not change, did not serve God, but served self and some perished in doing so, don’t be that way, change and be a way that brings positive eternal life influence for others.
Want to see the peoples of earth stand in awe? Change! People are waiting to see the new me! The earth groans for the new me to come forth.
Oh worm? There is a branch waiting…come on wormy…here wormy, wormy….up here…..gotta come up higher and hang out awhile, till change comes to you! Metamorphic change.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Todays' TRC DB w/ Lena's Journalin to Joel 2
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.
Joel 2:1-32
Locusts Invade like an Army
1Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem F3 ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a mighty army appears! How great and powerful they are! The likes of them have not been seen before and never will be seen again.
3Fire burns in front of them and follows them in every direction! Ahead of them the land lies as fair as the Garden of Eden in all its beauty. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast. 5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops! Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of a fire sweeping across a field, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with fright. 7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place. They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them. 9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.
10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 14Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse. Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before!
15Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16Bring everyone—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17The priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping. Let them pray, "Spare your people, LORD! They belong to you, so don't let them become an object of mockery. Don't let their name become a proverb of unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Where is the God of Israel? He must be helpless!'"
The LORD's Promise of Restoration
18Then the LORD will pity his people and be indignant for the honor of his land! 19He will reply, "Look! I am sending you grain and wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20I will remove these armies from the north and send them far away. I will drive them back into the parched wastelands, where they will die. Those in the rear will go into the Dead Sea; those at the front will go into the Mediterranean. F4 The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land." Surely the LORD has done great things! 21Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things. 22Don't be afraid, you animals of the field! The pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with luscious fruit; fig trees and grapevines will flourish once more. 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. F5 It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this.
The LORD's Promise of His Spirit
28"Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.
30"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. 32And anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
FOOTNOTES:F3: Hebrew Zion; also in 2:15, 23. F4: Hebrew the eastern sea; . . . the western sea. F5: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
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’ ~
Blow the trumpet in Zion. Who or what is Zion? Once again, it is God’s church. Did you realize that most of the warnings of the Bible are to the “saved” people, the church? If we read it as though we are the ones personally warned and commissioned, we may read it differently. Notice the theme we are presently on is one of waking up, and of answering a call given, as though it is very imperative to move forward in growth and progression.
The Lord is assembling a mighty army in the earth, His living breathing body is being assembled in demonstration of His power and great love. The times are serious times, the earth groans and travails for this manifestation of the SONS of God, not the babies of God, nor the children of God, but those who will rise up in the supernatural strength of His power in spite of their own weakness, they serve His purposes in earth, they assemble for what He sees. They intercede, they stand in gaps for others that someone, anyone would be saved, that He would be glorified.
Who will hear the call, the alarm, the cry, the trumpet, the voice? The army will, the assembled ones, who assemble unto Him for battle against His enemy, those who are enlisted, those who serve Him, in allegiance with Him, in Holy covenant with Him. Whom, but those who hear His voice, who know His joyful and beautiful sound. These will waken, will hearken, will move, will advance, will listen and do.
What is an alarm? It is a signal, a warning given to act upon quickly. So those who act quickly on His words will assemble unto Him.
Do you hear warnings from God now, in our day? This is training time, this is preparation time, not casual “if I want to or if I feel like it today” preparation, but” I’m going to war” preparation.
Soldiers hear warnings and prepare. Are you engaged? Arrayed for battle? Been assigned yet? In training? Under discipline? Under command? Under authority? Adorned? If not, watch your head. If not you are alone. The covered are engaged. The protected are involved.
Recently a minister visited our fellowship and told us a story of Alexander the Great who was engaged in a battle, a young soldier was scared and began to run away from the fight, he was going “home”. Alexander saw him running away and left the battle to go after Him. As they met, the warrior leader asked the youth’s name. The youth responded, “My name is Alexander”. The warrior said to him, “Soldier, either change your direction or change your name!”. What are you calling yourself these days? Christian? Believer? Be-liver?
Change is the order of God’s Day. Today is the day, now is the time of salvation. There’s no time to waste. God is telling us something very important if we are listening for His voice we will hear it.
It says here, this is what a Mighty army comprises of, those who follow His orders. Orders? Yes, orders. No one who has any seed of rebellion in them likes to take orders, right? Don’t tell me what to do, don’t correct me, don’t give me any suggestions, I’m big enough to take care of myself, right?
When “The Day of the Lord” is in its full manifestation, I would not prefer to stand all by myself, yet if I do not engage now in being told what to do, I will stand alone without His help. We want independence, we’ve been taught it all of our lives, we live in the good ol’ USA, the land of the free, home of the brave, an unassembled army of individuals who will not be told what to do.
What good will all of that do us, when it is time for battle? The enemy has come to us within, is dividing us and will conquer us, if we are only an American. But, if we are a Christian in word and deed, submitted to God and others in the fear of the Lord, taking orders of our heavenly King, we cannot be separated from His great love.
OK, so you and I find ourselves undisciplined, deaf to His voice, independent in spirit, what now? Change. Change who we were, to who we are. Leave the past behind, become as He is, answer His call, lay down the old rebellious natured man, who refused God, who refused instruction and correction, who butted against truth. Repentance means change direction, turn around and walk another way. REPENT.
When we change, we turn around, He removes the stench that those who’ve called themselves His bride have brought in the earth and he also takes away the shame. Repentance opens up windows and doors that were glued shut. The very windows that withheld blessings and provision. We wondered where it all was, it was being held up until we took obedience keys and opened it up. What we ourselves cried out for and looked for and asked for was there all of the time, it was a matter of letting it go.
The restoration becomes evident to us in repentance. It was there all the time, only a turn away, a right turn away.
When a person dreams and sees visions, that person is healed by God’s love. Love obeys God. Love sees, love hears, love dreams again.
One cannot prophecy unless influenced by God’s spirit. There are many influences in life, which are we influenced by? Why do we desire any other influences except His? Why would we be in the practice of following any others? If we do not weed out the other voices in life, we may not hear the call of the day, we may not assemble and I can tell you for a fact, we will regret that day, we will wish we had done all we were asked. This is a day of grace, why not turn around and come under His influence?
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will escape destruction of the eternal nature. Those delivered will be found inside of Zion, not outside of Zion. Do you name the name of Christ? Are you running away to find an escape from the battle of the Lord? Change your direction or change your name! Those who bear His name will not only escape the doom of battle, but the doom of hell’s fire for eternity and most of all, they will dwell in His presence forever!
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
Joel 2:1-32
Locusts Invade like an Army
1Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem F3 ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. 2It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a mighty army appears! How great and powerful they are! The likes of them have not been seen before and never will be seen again.
3Fire burns in front of them and follows them in every direction! Ahead of them the land lies as fair as the Garden of Eden in all its beauty. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast. 5Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops! Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of a fire sweeping across a field, or like a mighty army moving into battle.
6Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with fright. 7The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place. They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them. 9They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows.
10The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?
A Call to Repentance
12That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 14Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse. Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before!
15Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16Bring everyone—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17The priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping. Let them pray, "Spare your people, LORD! They belong to you, so don't let them become an object of mockery. Don't let their name become a proverb of unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Where is the God of Israel? He must be helpless!'"
The LORD's Promise of Restoration
18Then the LORD will pity his people and be indignant for the honor of his land! 19He will reply, "Look! I am sending you grain and wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20I will remove these armies from the north and send them far away. I will drive them back into the parched wastelands, where they will die. Those in the rear will go into the Dead Sea; those at the front will go into the Mediterranean. F4 The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land." Surely the LORD has done great things! 21Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things. 22Don't be afraid, you animals of the field! The pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with luscious fruit; fig trees and grapevines will flourish once more. 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. F5 It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this.
The LORD's Promise of His Spirit
28"Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.
30"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. 32And anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
FOOTNOTES:F3: Hebrew Zion; also in 2:15, 23. F4: Hebrew the eastern sea; . . . the western sea. F5: The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.
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’ ~
Blow the trumpet in Zion. Who or what is Zion? Once again, it is God’s church. Did you realize that most of the warnings of the Bible are to the “saved” people, the church? If we read it as though we are the ones personally warned and commissioned, we may read it differently. Notice the theme we are presently on is one of waking up, and of answering a call given, as though it is very imperative to move forward in growth and progression.
The Lord is assembling a mighty army in the earth, His living breathing body is being assembled in demonstration of His power and great love. The times are serious times, the earth groans and travails for this manifestation of the SONS of God, not the babies of God, nor the children of God, but those who will rise up in the supernatural strength of His power in spite of their own weakness, they serve His purposes in earth, they assemble for what He sees. They intercede, they stand in gaps for others that someone, anyone would be saved, that He would be glorified.
Who will hear the call, the alarm, the cry, the trumpet, the voice? The army will, the assembled ones, who assemble unto Him for battle against His enemy, those who are enlisted, those who serve Him, in allegiance with Him, in Holy covenant with Him. Whom, but those who hear His voice, who know His joyful and beautiful sound. These will waken, will hearken, will move, will advance, will listen and do.
What is an alarm? It is a signal, a warning given to act upon quickly. So those who act quickly on His words will assemble unto Him.
Do you hear warnings from God now, in our day? This is training time, this is preparation time, not casual “if I want to or if I feel like it today” preparation, but” I’m going to war” preparation.
Soldiers hear warnings and prepare. Are you engaged? Arrayed for battle? Been assigned yet? In training? Under discipline? Under command? Under authority? Adorned? If not, watch your head. If not you are alone. The covered are engaged. The protected are involved.
Recently a minister visited our fellowship and told us a story of Alexander the Great who was engaged in a battle, a young soldier was scared and began to run away from the fight, he was going “home”. Alexander saw him running away and left the battle to go after Him. As they met, the warrior leader asked the youth’s name. The youth responded, “My name is Alexander”. The warrior said to him, “Soldier, either change your direction or change your name!”. What are you calling yourself these days? Christian? Believer? Be-liver?
Change is the order of God’s Day. Today is the day, now is the time of salvation. There’s no time to waste. God is telling us something very important if we are listening for His voice we will hear it.
It says here, this is what a Mighty army comprises of, those who follow His orders. Orders? Yes, orders. No one who has any seed of rebellion in them likes to take orders, right? Don’t tell me what to do, don’t correct me, don’t give me any suggestions, I’m big enough to take care of myself, right?
When “The Day of the Lord” is in its full manifestation, I would not prefer to stand all by myself, yet if I do not engage now in being told what to do, I will stand alone without His help. We want independence, we’ve been taught it all of our lives, we live in the good ol’ USA, the land of the free, home of the brave, an unassembled army of individuals who will not be told what to do.
What good will all of that do us, when it is time for battle? The enemy has come to us within, is dividing us and will conquer us, if we are only an American. But, if we are a Christian in word and deed, submitted to God and others in the fear of the Lord, taking orders of our heavenly King, we cannot be separated from His great love.
OK, so you and I find ourselves undisciplined, deaf to His voice, independent in spirit, what now? Change. Change who we were, to who we are. Leave the past behind, become as He is, answer His call, lay down the old rebellious natured man, who refused God, who refused instruction and correction, who butted against truth. Repentance means change direction, turn around and walk another way. REPENT.
When we change, we turn around, He removes the stench that those who’ve called themselves His bride have brought in the earth and he also takes away the shame. Repentance opens up windows and doors that were glued shut. The very windows that withheld blessings and provision. We wondered where it all was, it was being held up until we took obedience keys and opened it up. What we ourselves cried out for and looked for and asked for was there all of the time, it was a matter of letting it go.
The restoration becomes evident to us in repentance. It was there all the time, only a turn away, a right turn away.
When a person dreams and sees visions, that person is healed by God’s love. Love obeys God. Love sees, love hears, love dreams again.
One cannot prophecy unless influenced by God’s spirit. There are many influences in life, which are we influenced by? Why do we desire any other influences except His? Why would we be in the practice of following any others? If we do not weed out the other voices in life, we may not hear the call of the day, we may not assemble and I can tell you for a fact, we will regret that day, we will wish we had done all we were asked. This is a day of grace, why not turn around and come under His influence?
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will escape destruction of the eternal nature. Those delivered will be found inside of Zion, not outside of Zion. Do you name the name of Christ? Are you running away to find an escape from the battle of the Lord? Change your direction or change your name! Those who bear His name will not only escape the doom of battle, but the doom of hell’s fire for eternity and most of all, they will dwell in His presence forever!
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Today's TRC Daily Bread ISA 38 w/ Lena's Journalin'
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.
Isaiah 38:1-22
Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery
1About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness."
2When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3"Remember, O LORD, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
4Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD: 5"Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, 6and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
7"'And this is the sign that the LORD will give you to prove he will do as he promised: 8I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!'" So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
Hezekiah's Poem of Praise
9When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience: 10 I said, "In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of my normal years?"
11 I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or laugh with those who live in this world.
12 My life has been blown away like a shepherd's tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over.
13 I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over.
14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"
15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.
16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live!
17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins.
18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.
20 Think of it—the LORD has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.
21Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover."
22And Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?"
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’ ~
This passage is very serious in its message. The word of God is eternal, and even though it was written and lived out oh so long ago in another day and time, we are found inside of this word, and can hear God’s voice speaking to us through it, if we will just listen to it, hearing the Spirit in and of the Word.
About that time, the one whose strength was meant to be in Jehovah (the One who is ultimately the Lord and should be our personal Master), made himself sick and weakness came to his body, soul and spirit. He was tired, sore, depressed, diseased, sorry and sick, all self inflicted!
[This is literally what the Hebrew words “deathly ill” mean!]…..All of this was bringing the effects of premature death on him…a death sentence which was not from God, but from the effects of the curse in the earth, in which he’d become a participant by default and passivity. Yes, at one time he’d torn down idols, he’d been heavily involved in what God said, but faith must be maintained and pursued at all times, there is only so much earth time to live it out loud.
The Lord told him to set his household in order, this means, charge or command your inwards to come together (for a greater purpose), (if you do not) you will die, you will perish, prematurely.
This word is for all of us. God has been speaking to each of us since we were children and He will continue to speak to us until we die or perish.
Job 33:14 says, For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
The Lord Jehovah, the Master of all, has been speaking one and twice and again, and will speak until. Will we hear exactly what He’s saying, what will it take? An edict of death? If only an edict, Praise God.
When Hezekiah (one whose strength was meant to be found in Jehovah, inside of allowing Jesus to be the only Lord and Master of his life) heard the edict, he changed, made a complete turn around. He changed. This was not a man in horrid abominable sin, this was a man who’d known and done a few things for the Lord, but was maybe tired or wearied and was just hanging out these days. The word turning, as in turning to the wall, means change. Pretty simple, yet an excruciatingly hard word to a self life filled flesh natured man- Change.
Hezekiah’s weeping was no longer self centered, he was grieved for the Lord’s will. He was humbled, meaning submitting one’s self to another. It was not God’s will that he perish, it is not God’s will for anyone to die before his time is over here on earth. It was an edict, not a last word on the matter.
What edicts have come your way? Do they move you to face and turn towards change? Do you accept their words or seek God’s eternal mandate for your life? Which word stands in your life?
So he faces himself, he faces God’s words and he changes and God, the Lord, adds to his life 15 years. 15 is a combined numeral of 10 + 5 equaling 15. 10 is the number of sanctification, the tithe is symbolic of the giving of the first part, which represents the giving of all. Someone said, 1-0, #1 God, # 0 of me, all of God and none of me (my flesh nature alive and demanding it’s ways). 5 = grace. So I give all of my life to Him and He gives me the grace to live out my days doing His will. Living like that can take one a lot further than only 15 natural earth years, but that person must always continue in that sanctification and grace. It is a lifestyle, not a one time magic formula, or great experience.
I find it so awesome that as soon as Hezekiah makes his decision of change God tells Him what God wants done. He wants to save the city from enemy power and rule.
All change comes by a decision to do so. We will never be able to say to God, “I couldn’t do such and such or so and so”…there is no excuse. We decide and we tap into Jehovah’s strength. It is not everything coming together if it all just fits or just happens. No, it is putting your house in order. Who does that? You do. This passage’s meaning says that means set the inner man in order, give him a charge, command him to live for God. Can you imagine yourself saying to the Lord when face to face, “Oh, I didn’t read and get to know Your words much because I was really tired”, or “I didn’t have time”, or “I was too busy”, or “I had things to do”?
We have to imagine ourselves in His presence like that without excuse. I tell you when I think that way, I go ahead and move some stuff out of the way in the here and now. I tell things to step aside, not allow them to tell me to put the things of God on dusty shelves. In all actuality, if we truly believe in and walk with Him, we are in that presence now. I’ve heard a song or something that says if I pay what I have vowed now, I will owe nothing later on. If I stand before Him each day, why would I wait for judgment to give an account of my day to day life, go ahead and check in here, today, face to face with God.
What do we “owe” God, but love, reciprocal responsive love which gives life as He gave life?
To a man who gives all, no matter what life tries to say about it. For that man, time is turned back and redeemed. This is so peculiar, but the root meanings of the sundial of Ahaz means, his thoughts have grasped a brilliance, “I saw the light”! The sign is seeing the light and the light guides my days, turns the days “wasted” into days spent for Him.
When the man whose strength was found in God saw this light all else came into perspective clearly, he realized where he’d been and where he was headed on that pathway, he’d been taken off of the eternally minded pathway, the pathway of reproductive blessings and life for ones other than him alone. He realized what life on earth is for and about.
The days of our lives are way to short to spend them on misery, pain, depression, self, or even making our own peace. We are here to live for Jesus, as He’s now living and interceding for us. There’s so much left for us all to do, before we leave we’ve got to leave the work in the hand of others whom have watched us live for Jesus, so the work of God will appear unto our children and our children’s children, etc.
Today is the day of salvation of our own souls, so we will be a whole offering to this world. There’s no time to waste. No time at all.
Daily Repetitive Verse(s):
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
Isaiah 38:1-22
Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery
1About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness."
2When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3"Remember, O LORD, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
4Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD: 5"Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, 6and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
7"'And this is the sign that the LORD will give you to prove he will do as he promised: 8I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!'" So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
Hezekiah's Poem of Praise
9When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience: 10 I said, "In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of my normal years?"
11 I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or laugh with those who live in this world.
12 My life has been blown away like a shepherd's tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over.
13 I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over.
14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"
15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.
16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live!
17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins.
18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.
20 Think of it—the LORD has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.
21Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover."
22And Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?"
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’ ~
This passage is very serious in its message. The word of God is eternal, and even though it was written and lived out oh so long ago in another day and time, we are found inside of this word, and can hear God’s voice speaking to us through it, if we will just listen to it, hearing the Spirit in and of the Word.
About that time, the one whose strength was meant to be in Jehovah (the One who is ultimately the Lord and should be our personal Master), made himself sick and weakness came to his body, soul and spirit. He was tired, sore, depressed, diseased, sorry and sick, all self inflicted!
[This is literally what the Hebrew words “deathly ill” mean!]…..All of this was bringing the effects of premature death on him…a death sentence which was not from God, but from the effects of the curse in the earth, in which he’d become a participant by default and passivity. Yes, at one time he’d torn down idols, he’d been heavily involved in what God said, but faith must be maintained and pursued at all times, there is only so much earth time to live it out loud.
The Lord told him to set his household in order, this means, charge or command your inwards to come together (for a greater purpose), (if you do not) you will die, you will perish, prematurely.
This word is for all of us. God has been speaking to each of us since we were children and He will continue to speak to us until we die or perish.
Job 33:14 says, For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
The Lord Jehovah, the Master of all, has been speaking one and twice and again, and will speak until. Will we hear exactly what He’s saying, what will it take? An edict of death? If only an edict, Praise God.
When Hezekiah (one whose strength was meant to be found in Jehovah, inside of allowing Jesus to be the only Lord and Master of his life) heard the edict, he changed, made a complete turn around. He changed. This was not a man in horrid abominable sin, this was a man who’d known and done a few things for the Lord, but was maybe tired or wearied and was just hanging out these days. The word turning, as in turning to the wall, means change. Pretty simple, yet an excruciatingly hard word to a self life filled flesh natured man- Change.
Hezekiah’s weeping was no longer self centered, he was grieved for the Lord’s will. He was humbled, meaning submitting one’s self to another. It was not God’s will that he perish, it is not God’s will for anyone to die before his time is over here on earth. It was an edict, not a last word on the matter.
What edicts have come your way? Do they move you to face and turn towards change? Do you accept their words or seek God’s eternal mandate for your life? Which word stands in your life?
So he faces himself, he faces God’s words and he changes and God, the Lord, adds to his life 15 years. 15 is a combined numeral of 10 + 5 equaling 15. 10 is the number of sanctification, the tithe is symbolic of the giving of the first part, which represents the giving of all. Someone said, 1-0, #1 God, # 0 of me, all of God and none of me (my flesh nature alive and demanding it’s ways). 5 = grace. So I give all of my life to Him and He gives me the grace to live out my days doing His will. Living like that can take one a lot further than only 15 natural earth years, but that person must always continue in that sanctification and grace. It is a lifestyle, not a one time magic formula, or great experience.
I find it so awesome that as soon as Hezekiah makes his decision of change God tells Him what God wants done. He wants to save the city from enemy power and rule.
All change comes by a decision to do so. We will never be able to say to God, “I couldn’t do such and such or so and so”…there is no excuse. We decide and we tap into Jehovah’s strength. It is not everything coming together if it all just fits or just happens. No, it is putting your house in order. Who does that? You do. This passage’s meaning says that means set the inner man in order, give him a charge, command him to live for God. Can you imagine yourself saying to the Lord when face to face, “Oh, I didn’t read and get to know Your words much because I was really tired”, or “I didn’t have time”, or “I was too busy”, or “I had things to do”?
We have to imagine ourselves in His presence like that without excuse. I tell you when I think that way, I go ahead and move some stuff out of the way in the here and now. I tell things to step aside, not allow them to tell me to put the things of God on dusty shelves. In all actuality, if we truly believe in and walk with Him, we are in that presence now. I’ve heard a song or something that says if I pay what I have vowed now, I will owe nothing later on. If I stand before Him each day, why would I wait for judgment to give an account of my day to day life, go ahead and check in here, today, face to face with God.
What do we “owe” God, but love, reciprocal responsive love which gives life as He gave life?
To a man who gives all, no matter what life tries to say about it. For that man, time is turned back and redeemed. This is so peculiar, but the root meanings of the sundial of Ahaz means, his thoughts have grasped a brilliance, “I saw the light”! The sign is seeing the light and the light guides my days, turns the days “wasted” into days spent for Him.
When the man whose strength was found in God saw this light all else came into perspective clearly, he realized where he’d been and where he was headed on that pathway, he’d been taken off of the eternally minded pathway, the pathway of reproductive blessings and life for ones other than him alone. He realized what life on earth is for and about.
The days of our lives are way to short to spend them on misery, pain, depression, self, or even making our own peace. We are here to live for Jesus, as He’s now living and interceding for us. There’s so much left for us all to do, before we leave we’ve got to leave the work in the hand of others whom have watched us live for Jesus, so the work of God will appear unto our children and our children’s children, etc.
Today is the day of salvation of our own souls, so we will be a whole offering to this world. There’s no time to waste. No time at all.
Daily Repetitive Verse(s):
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Today's DB Isaiah 58 from TRC Daily Readings w/ Lena's Journalin'
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.
Isaiah 58:1-14
True and False Worship
1"Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Tell my people Israel F119 of their sins! 2Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to hear my laws. You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God. They love to make a show of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf. 3'We have fasted before you!' they say. 'Why aren't you impressed? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it!' "I will tell you why! It's because you are living for yourselves even while you are fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers. 4What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?
6"No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8"If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. 9Then when you call, the LORD will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. "Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! 10Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. 11The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. 12Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.
13"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this, 14the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
FOOTNOTES:F119: Hebrew Jacob.
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’ ~
Yesterday at our dinner table our 15+ year old asked us how is it we call one another Christians and then we complain about what one another does or does not do in behavior? She so wisely stated that we should not really be calling just anyone a Christian unless we really know them and neither should we call ourselves Christians, we should let others watch our lives and in reading about Christ, they might be able to say about us if they observe Him in us or not. I suggested that we, our family, call ourselves believers who are on the journey of following Christ, my husband said, we could say we are “Born Again” by God’s saving Spirit.
That was great table talk. Why would that come up? Why is the title of this passage “True and False Worship”?
People wear masks. Masks cover up who we are in the inward parts. Masks allow us to show people who we want them to see. Masks are like fig leaves, Adam sinned and took fig leaves and made an apron for himself. Man looks on the outwards appearance of things, but God looks straight inside the heart at what is true and what is real.
Do we believe in Jesus? Then we will live out our faith in a life f worship of Him. Maybe we just know of Him, if that’s the case, we may live whatever we really believe and go wherever we want to go.
There is a scripture in John 21 where Jesus speaks to John just before Jesus leaves earth, He says 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."
When Jesus said , when you were young, he was saying immature and young in your faith, you were “allowed” to do as you saw fit. Stretching out the hands is maturity and submission to Lordship.That is true worship of God in demonstration, giving of one’s life for another, for others. Being led by the Spirit, being led by the Spirit who lives in the form of men. Wanting to be led, desiring to follow a good example. Being told what to do by one who follows and following, amidst rebellion in the nature etc.
This scripture we are reading through today is being written to those who say they follow Christ. Israel is a representative of the Living Body of Christ, the church.
The first complaint from the Lord towards His church is, you come to church, you come to look good, you come to hear, hear, hear, but do not change and do, you come always asking Me about your own needs, you want me(God) to be your servant….
Then you say to Me (God), I have been faithful to come to church for many years, I have fasted, I have served in nursery, I have tried to be good for You, tried to make You look good to the world that looks at church goers….
Like God owes us something, when He already sent His Son Jesus to show us His great love for us…..
While you “fast” you show how miserable you are, you don’t stop the disagreements and divisions that can easily come when more than just one person assembles together, you just remain as you are, not being changed into My Image and likeness. You keep the fig leaves on when I’ve made royal coats for you taken from a sacrifice I made and provided for your sins, a covenant covering, yet still you want to cover yourself.
It would be better if you never abstained from eating foods, if you would rather, stop division and disagreements. If you would be love in demonstration and act fairly with those closest to you. This is what I’m looking for a fast of self. A fast of flesh life and a breaking forth of true worship lived everyday. The peace of God ruling in real life situations. Like at work and at home and with people you see everyday, those who know who you really are, those who see you take off and put on the masks.
You wonder why the blessings of God have somehow been pent up from you, you’ve blamed and tried to negotiate with God concerning your good outward works, yet He sees inside of your physical and mental and spiritual walls. He knows how we are inside, whether we believe in Him or truly love Him.
Is it in our hearts to free prisoners, both naturally mentally and spiritually speaking? What would that actually take to do that? Are we willing to do and be what it would take to see someone through that process? Do we desire to help people, enough to invite them into our home hospitably? Doing this shows there’s nothing about us that needs to be hidden from sight.
Are we waiting for healing of our own body, souls or spirits? Give and it shall be given you…
What about God’s appointed day? Do we love to think of it and be a part of it, or can we not wait for it to come and go?
What excuses do we really have when Jesus gave it all for us?
It is amazing what humans can do when they set their minds to something. How many things they can fit into one day, how much money they can make to buy something, how many sacrifices it takes, even how much sleep they’ll lose on purpose to pursue a person or a purpose, etc. I’ve even seen people who are really ill and weak get up and go to work, or go out or rise up to help someone…Then when it come to serving or worshiping God…..How much do we do, how far do we go, of what do we sacrifice, etc?
Whom we love, we serve. Do we find ourselves serving God or money?
The greatest fast, the greatest sacrifice anyone can give is their own life laid down, as Jesus did, so we follow, if we are Christians. He laid down His self life first, His own desires. We can’t lay down another person’s desires, or make them sacrifice, the sacrifice has to be of me.
Your good at my expense, that’s covenant talk.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
Isaiah 58:1-14
True and False Worship
1"Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Tell my people Israel F119 of their sins! 2Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to hear my laws. You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God. They love to make a show of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf. 3'We have fasted before you!' they say. 'Why aren't you impressed? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it!' "I will tell you why! It's because you are living for yourselves even while you are fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers. 4What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?
6"No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8"If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. 9Then when you call, the LORD will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. "Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! 10Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. 11The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. 12Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.
13"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this, 14the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
FOOTNOTES:F119: Hebrew Jacob.
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’ ~
Yesterday at our dinner table our 15+ year old asked us how is it we call one another Christians and then we complain about what one another does or does not do in behavior? She so wisely stated that we should not really be calling just anyone a Christian unless we really know them and neither should we call ourselves Christians, we should let others watch our lives and in reading about Christ, they might be able to say about us if they observe Him in us or not. I suggested that we, our family, call ourselves believers who are on the journey of following Christ, my husband said, we could say we are “Born Again” by God’s saving Spirit.
That was great table talk. Why would that come up? Why is the title of this passage “True and False Worship”?
People wear masks. Masks cover up who we are in the inward parts. Masks allow us to show people who we want them to see. Masks are like fig leaves, Adam sinned and took fig leaves and made an apron for himself. Man looks on the outwards appearance of things, but God looks straight inside the heart at what is true and what is real.
Do we believe in Jesus? Then we will live out our faith in a life f worship of Him. Maybe we just know of Him, if that’s the case, we may live whatever we really believe and go wherever we want to go.
There is a scripture in John 21 where Jesus speaks to John just before Jesus leaves earth, He says 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go."
When Jesus said , when you were young, he was saying immature and young in your faith, you were “allowed” to do as you saw fit. Stretching out the hands is maturity and submission to Lordship.That is true worship of God in demonstration, giving of one’s life for another, for others. Being led by the Spirit, being led by the Spirit who lives in the form of men. Wanting to be led, desiring to follow a good example. Being told what to do by one who follows and following, amidst rebellion in the nature etc.
This scripture we are reading through today is being written to those who say they follow Christ. Israel is a representative of the Living Body of Christ, the church.
The first complaint from the Lord towards His church is, you come to church, you come to look good, you come to hear, hear, hear, but do not change and do, you come always asking Me about your own needs, you want me(God) to be your servant….
Then you say to Me (God), I have been faithful to come to church for many years, I have fasted, I have served in nursery, I have tried to be good for You, tried to make You look good to the world that looks at church goers….
Like God owes us something, when He already sent His Son Jesus to show us His great love for us…..
While you “fast” you show how miserable you are, you don’t stop the disagreements and divisions that can easily come when more than just one person assembles together, you just remain as you are, not being changed into My Image and likeness. You keep the fig leaves on when I’ve made royal coats for you taken from a sacrifice I made and provided for your sins, a covenant covering, yet still you want to cover yourself.
It would be better if you never abstained from eating foods, if you would rather, stop division and disagreements. If you would be love in demonstration and act fairly with those closest to you. This is what I’m looking for a fast of self. A fast of flesh life and a breaking forth of true worship lived everyday. The peace of God ruling in real life situations. Like at work and at home and with people you see everyday, those who know who you really are, those who see you take off and put on the masks.
You wonder why the blessings of God have somehow been pent up from you, you’ve blamed and tried to negotiate with God concerning your good outward works, yet He sees inside of your physical and mental and spiritual walls. He knows how we are inside, whether we believe in Him or truly love Him.
Is it in our hearts to free prisoners, both naturally mentally and spiritually speaking? What would that actually take to do that? Are we willing to do and be what it would take to see someone through that process? Do we desire to help people, enough to invite them into our home hospitably? Doing this shows there’s nothing about us that needs to be hidden from sight.
Are we waiting for healing of our own body, souls or spirits? Give and it shall be given you…
What about God’s appointed day? Do we love to think of it and be a part of it, or can we not wait for it to come and go?
What excuses do we really have when Jesus gave it all for us?
It is amazing what humans can do when they set their minds to something. How many things they can fit into one day, how much money they can make to buy something, how many sacrifices it takes, even how much sleep they’ll lose on purpose to pursue a person or a purpose, etc. I’ve even seen people who are really ill and weak get up and go to work, or go out or rise up to help someone…Then when it come to serving or worshiping God…..How much do we do, how far do we go, of what do we sacrifice, etc?
Whom we love, we serve. Do we find ourselves serving God or money?
The greatest fast, the greatest sacrifice anyone can give is their own life laid down, as Jesus did, so we follow, if we are Christians. He laid down His self life first, His own desires. We can’t lay down another person’s desires, or make them sacrifice, the sacrifice has to be of me.
Your good at my expense, that’s covenant talk.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Today's TRC DB Psalm 90 & John 3:17 w/ Lena's Journalin'
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.
HAPPY APRIL 1st- No FOOLIN"
Psalm 90:1-17
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying, "Return to dust!"
4 For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours!
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury.
8 You spread out our sins before you— our secret sins—and you see them all.
9 We live our lives beneath your wrath. We end our lives with a groan.
10 Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.
13 O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!
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’~
I see this Psalmist arising to a height with a very clear view, not an earthly view, but a heavenly view. I see a man being given a glimpse of eternity and writing it down.
Ever feel overwhelmed with the here and now, and completely involved in the scuffle, finding yourself thinking that this is all there is and just wanting to escape? Ever feel as though a day is so very long and you wish it would end?
That is how we see and feel if all we see is where we may be right now. It causes us to think our years are too long and we just wait to die. Forgive me, but this is the way of the self centered world. Our world does not revolve around us as humans, it revolves around God’s plan and we humans get to be a part of it.
You may ask how is this, that I’m involved in, God’s plan? Not every activity of earth is a part of God’s plan. Humans need to get that Divine view, see the greater picture and by Divine revelation join in to actively participate in that plan. Some humans have and can miss the “boat” altogether.
This Psalmist starts out saying how life seems a waste. It just seems like we live and we die and for what? Ever feel that way? It’s time for revelation.
This Psalmist saw a revelation. At the end of the Psalm he begins to cry out that we’d not only go through each day in drudgery awaiting its end, but we’d have enough of them left to get the job we’re here for accomplished!
He’s saying, Oh my, that we would live each of our days for God’s will and plan, That we’d know what that is and pursue it. Oh that’d we’d see what we came to earth for and do it. Oh that we’d have enough time to get it done, the portion that has been given to each of us, which is to lead many to Jesus and into the revealed purposes of God.
Rather than the days being too long and too many in our thoughts, those same days are hardly enough.
Now the world is not only about him, his needs, his pain, his sadness or misery, but his concern reaches out towards God’s will, then to whom may be the helpers in the executing of that will.
How many are around to join in? Oh, we’ve had children! May they get this same view! Oh Lord when we do anything towards the accomplishment of Your will and plan, let it work, because our time is here is so short.
See how our eyes always start out looking inward at self? This is for the purpose of the examination in searching for and finding our own great need for God , then to pursue our purpose, then as we grow and find our purposes are found in Christ Jesus our Lord, we then look outward, the more we grow the farther outward we look.
This Psalmist started looking at his own pain, the pain of a life lived in the earth alone in unrevealed purpose. As he grew into a relationship with God, he saw something greater than himself to live for. When a person wants to die, there’s no greater purpose that they’re living for. True martyrdom is one setting aside their own desires, goals, plans , ways and wills, to live for another’s, or to let another’s live on.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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.
HAPPY APRIL 1st- No FOOLIN"
Psalm 90:1-17
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying, "Return to dust!"
4 For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours!
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury.
8 You spread out our sins before you— our secret sins—and you see them all.
9 We live our lives beneath your wrath. We end our lives with a groan.
10 Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.
13 O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!
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’~
I see this Psalmist arising to a height with a very clear view, not an earthly view, but a heavenly view. I see a man being given a glimpse of eternity and writing it down.
Ever feel overwhelmed with the here and now, and completely involved in the scuffle, finding yourself thinking that this is all there is and just wanting to escape? Ever feel as though a day is so very long and you wish it would end?
That is how we see and feel if all we see is where we may be right now. It causes us to think our years are too long and we just wait to die. Forgive me, but this is the way of the self centered world. Our world does not revolve around us as humans, it revolves around God’s plan and we humans get to be a part of it.
You may ask how is this, that I’m involved in, God’s plan? Not every activity of earth is a part of God’s plan. Humans need to get that Divine view, see the greater picture and by Divine revelation join in to actively participate in that plan. Some humans have and can miss the “boat” altogether.
This Psalmist starts out saying how life seems a waste. It just seems like we live and we die and for what? Ever feel that way? It’s time for revelation.
This Psalmist saw a revelation. At the end of the Psalm he begins to cry out that we’d not only go through each day in drudgery awaiting its end, but we’d have enough of them left to get the job we’re here for accomplished!
He’s saying, Oh my, that we would live each of our days for God’s will and plan, That we’d know what that is and pursue it. Oh that’d we’d see what we came to earth for and do it. Oh that we’d have enough time to get it done, the portion that has been given to each of us, which is to lead many to Jesus and into the revealed purposes of God.
Rather than the days being too long and too many in our thoughts, those same days are hardly enough.
Now the world is not only about him, his needs, his pain, his sadness or misery, but his concern reaches out towards God’s will, then to whom may be the helpers in the executing of that will.
How many are around to join in? Oh, we’ve had children! May they get this same view! Oh Lord when we do anything towards the accomplishment of Your will and plan, let it work, because our time is here is so short.
See how our eyes always start out looking inward at self? This is for the purpose of the examination in searching for and finding our own great need for God , then to pursue our purpose, then as we grow and find our purposes are found in Christ Jesus our Lord, we then look outward, the more we grow the farther outward we look.
This Psalmist started looking at his own pain, the pain of a life lived in the earth alone in unrevealed purpose. As he grew into a relationship with God, he saw something greater than himself to live for. When a person wants to die, there’s no greater purpose that they’re living for. True martyrdom is one setting aside their own desires, goals, plans , ways and wills, to live for another’s, or to let another’s live on.
Daily Repetitive Verses:
John 3:17
You know these things – now do them! That is the path of blessing.
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