Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Acts 22
1"Brothers and esteemed fathers," Paul said, "listen to me as I offer my defense." 2When they heard him speaking in their own language, F116 the silence was even greater. 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just as all of you are today. 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5The high priest and the whole council of leaders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
6"As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8"'Who are you, sir?' I asked. And he replied, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.' 9The people with me saw the light but didn't hear the voice.
10"I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.'
11"I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my companions. 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man in his devotion to the law, and he was well thought of by all the Jews of Damascus. 13He came to me and stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And that very hour I could see him!
14"Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15You are to take his message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard. 16And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the Lord.'
17"One day after I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I fell into a trance. 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them your testimony about me.'
19"'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that I imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you. 20And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing. I kept the coats they laid aside as they stoned him.'
21"But the Lord said to me, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"
22The crowd listened until Paul came to that word; then with one voice they shouted, "Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn't fit to live!" 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
24The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 25As they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"
26The officer went to the commander and asked, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"
27So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.
28"I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!" "But I am a citizen by birth!"
29The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Paul before the High Council
30The next day the commander freed Paul from his chains and ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. F117 He had Paul brought in before them to try to find out what the trouble was all about.
FOOTNOTES:
F116: Greek in Aramaic.
F117: Greek Sanhedrin.
Lena Journals
As I read this today I realize that religion can actually be an enemy of faith, hope and love.
Religion can be a persecutor of those of a genuine relational faith, hounding them with guilt, shame and performance orientation, binding people up to a system of rules, rather than covenant relationship whose acts are based upon love responded to from a willing and willingly obedient heart. Religion is guilty of even delivering some to imprisonment out of obligatory duty that is void of faith at many levels, except for possibly faith in earning one’s way through one’s own good works of righteousness.
This person bound by religious duty, needs to be saved, freed from bondage and liberated inside of covenant relational kingdom love.
Light has to shine in this darkness, brightly enough for the one bound to even see they are bound.
This is actually the hardest bondage to be delivered from, as the religious one sees themselves and their works as good works that are right. Pride has become a glass that is seen through very darkly and deception a dark cloak over the eyes. Its lead is the way of death, and the victim does not even know it is so.
One must almost be stunned by THE voice of God Almighty and have a stopping Encounter with the Holiness of God, in order to see and hear the true words of the Lord, through this gross religious demonic dark cloud. It is the truth heard that offers and brings freedom!
When Saul was “arrested” by the Spirit of the Lord, he surrendered. He did not plan the Encounter, but when it came, he fell before the truth and gave up.
Giving up a religious lifestyle, filled with prideful arrogance and self sufficiency in good works, is a huge part of freedom and liberty. Huge.
One of the hardest issues to breakthrough to heal a human heart we experience in our congregations, especially in good ol’ Independent prideful USA, is that of a religious spirit, for a religious spirit, does not need anyone to tell them anything, so they cannot, and will not hear the words of freedom sent to heal and free them.
They already know, they have already been there – done that - and have many a T’ Shirt - on almost any word that comes from the pulpits of loving pastors. These pastors are so saddened by an unteachable religious audience, who does not receive, and therefore cannot believe truth. Religious people actually put up walls of protection against truth, guarding their hearts from being changed by the word of God.
A fault religion has left us with is being rebellious to any suggestion for change or movement. The deception, I am ok as I am, why do I need to do anything any other way, manner or form? I’ve done what I’ve done to at least get this far, why would I do anything differently? I’m already matured and experienced and do not need to follow any men (or women), people with skin on.
Religion resists following men, because they are merely human and many a time mistaken, This person does not even have a need to trust God, for they have it under control, through experience being the teacher, they have walls up so thick and bull dozer cannot even bring it down.
God Himself is shut out and there is a watchman guarding the gate to make sure no “intruder” comes through! Yeah I’ve heard that before is a famous line.
Or Yeah I know….I listened…..I heard it….
Never ever asking someone else if they might be wiling to tell us what we do not see for ourselves as we allow them to watch our backsides for enemies of a faith-filled relationship tended by God’s definition of maturing and gardening.
Independent, uncommitted, unteachable uncorrectable, on purpose!
Wow.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Luke 19 Today w/ Journalin'
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Luke 19
Jesus and Zacchaeus
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there.
5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."
6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.
8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"
9Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. 10And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."
Story of the Ten Servants
11The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13Before he left, he called together ten servants and gave them ten pounds of silver F85 to invest for him while he was gone. 14But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say they did not want him to be their king.
15"When he returned, the king called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what they had done with the money and what their profits were. 16The first servant reported a tremendous gain—ten times as much as the original amount! 17'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'
18"The next servant also reported a good gain—five times the original amount. 19'Well done!' the king said. 'You can be governor over five cities.'
20"But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'I hid it and kept it safe. 21I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
22"'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Hard, am I? If you knew so much about me and how tough I am, 23why didn't you deposit the money in the bank so I could at least get some interest on it?' 24Then turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who earned the most.'
25"'But, master,' they said, 'that servant has enough already!'
26"'Yes,' the king replied, 'but to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who are unfaithful, F86 even what little they have will be taken away. 27And now about these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in my presence.'"
The Triumphal Entry
28After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30"Go into that village over there," he told them, "and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
32So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying our colt?"
34And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs it." 35So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36Then the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus. 37As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in highest heaven!" F87
39But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"
40He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry. 42"I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. 43Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. 44They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."
Jesus Clears the Temple
45Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants from their stalls. 46He told them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." F88
47After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.
FOOTNOTES:
F85: Greek 10 minas; 1 mina was worth about 3 months' wages.
F86: Or who have nothing.
F87: Pss 118:26; 148:1.
F88: Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.
Lena’s Journalin’GOD knows your name and what it means and how it was given to you and by who and why you were born and the circumstances of your arrival and who you were born to etc. He is God! He does care. Even if life has been dirty rotten and a bad deal, He cares, He knows and cares.
The enemy tells us He doesn’t really care if He doesn’t intervene, but that’s not true. He gave men freewill choices and they choose wrong and He lets them or else we’d all be robots.
Ya know, and that’d be a bad deal, we’d not be human freewill beings.
He sure risked a lot letting men freely choose, but they do.
Yet He willingly guides those who want to know blessing and the consequences of right choices.
The biggest and greatest risk He took was that man might not choose to love Him back, that man might not care about Him at all in return! Man might choose darkness and actually be a recruit of satan spending eternity in hell’s fire. That was so risky.
What causes men to choose life? Love does. Conviction of sin does.
Love embraces conviction. It is the teacher to fill gaps in a lifelong relationship with Father God.
Conviction says- what can I do to make this right with God and man.
Zachaaeus became a willing man.
He went from unwilling to willing.
He went from sinner and thief, to saint and giver.
He repented.
He became responsible not by human terms, but to God, on His terms.
We are all responsible whether we know it or own up to it, or embrace it, or not.
We are responsible to choose righteously.
We’ve all been offered and made able through Christ.
He paved the way, paid the toll for our free will’s to be able to respond properly to God.
Before Him, we may have desired to, but there was no power to, no ability, no payment made.
What are we responsible for? Life, and giving its opportunity to others. We’re responsible to change and show others the way to change by our living and willing example. These are the gifts and talents given us in this life by God.
Those who embrace this responsibility get more responsibility and the blessings that come to those who embrace what God loves.
God loves people.
He wants them saved
He wants them discipled and He wants them to love people, save people, and to disciple people. That’s it. However it works, however it can be applied. This is what earth life is all about. It is the steward’s calling. We are all stewards on this earth assignment. This is why we’ve been given the ability of the Holy Spirit.
It isn’t to feel good, it is to receive and give life, spirit and eternal life.
Jesus preached this, then he prophesied it by riding on the back of rebellion. Rebellion lives for everything else but God’s dream. He showed man what His journey to the cross would be about, canceling out the power of rebellion and it’s high priced penalty.
After His resurrection, anyone who wanted their rebellion paid for, in repentance and life change and dedication to God’s dream, could.
Do you bless the One who came in the name of the Lord? Not by mere words, but by lifestyle adaptation and demonstration? Do you bless all who come across your pathway in the name of the Lord? Do you bless people who willingly share the gospel? Are you willingly being discipled by them and following after the tools they’ve learned to use? Or do you sit on it wasting time away thinking about things with good intentions?
Jesus wept over a people who had been allotted the dream of God, who’d been chosen to house it and demonstrate it, but with their will would not move towards it.
Let us not be so religious that we stay put in who we are right now, not moving towards God’s dreams.
Jesus drove out of God’s house those who just decided to ask God’s blessings on doing their own things.
That is an offense to God. He is waiting for people who want to do His will His way and listen intently as students taking notes for life application.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Luke 19
Jesus and Zacchaeus
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there.
5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."
6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.
8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"
9Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. 10And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."
Story of the Ten Servants
11The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13Before he left, he called together ten servants and gave them ten pounds of silver F85 to invest for him while he was gone. 14But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say they did not want him to be their king.
15"When he returned, the king called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what they had done with the money and what their profits were. 16The first servant reported a tremendous gain—ten times as much as the original amount! 17'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'
18"The next servant also reported a good gain—five times the original amount. 19'Well done!' the king said. 'You can be governor over five cities.'
20"But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'I hid it and kept it safe. 21I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
22"'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Hard, am I? If you knew so much about me and how tough I am, 23why didn't you deposit the money in the bank so I could at least get some interest on it?' 24Then turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who earned the most.'
25"'But, master,' they said, 'that servant has enough already!'
26"'Yes,' the king replied, 'but to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who are unfaithful, F86 even what little they have will be taken away. 27And now about these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in my presence.'"
The Triumphal Entry
28After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30"Go into that village over there," he told them, "and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
32So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying our colt?"
34And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs it." 35So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36Then the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus. 37As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in highest heaven!" F87
39But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"
40He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry. 42"I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. 43Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. 44They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."
Jesus Clears the Temple
45Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants from their stalls. 46He told them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." F88
47After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.
FOOTNOTES:
F85: Greek 10 minas; 1 mina was worth about 3 months' wages.
F86: Or who have nothing.
F87: Pss 118:26; 148:1.
F88: Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.
Lena’s Journalin’GOD knows your name and what it means and how it was given to you and by who and why you were born and the circumstances of your arrival and who you were born to etc. He is God! He does care. Even if life has been dirty rotten and a bad deal, He cares, He knows and cares.
The enemy tells us He doesn’t really care if He doesn’t intervene, but that’s not true. He gave men freewill choices and they choose wrong and He lets them or else we’d all be robots.
Ya know, and that’d be a bad deal, we’d not be human freewill beings.
He sure risked a lot letting men freely choose, but they do.
Yet He willingly guides those who want to know blessing and the consequences of right choices.
The biggest and greatest risk He took was that man might not choose to love Him back, that man might not care about Him at all in return! Man might choose darkness and actually be a recruit of satan spending eternity in hell’s fire. That was so risky.
What causes men to choose life? Love does. Conviction of sin does.
Love embraces conviction. It is the teacher to fill gaps in a lifelong relationship with Father God.
Conviction says- what can I do to make this right with God and man.
Zachaaeus became a willing man.
He went from unwilling to willing.
He went from sinner and thief, to saint and giver.
He repented.
He became responsible not by human terms, but to God, on His terms.
We are all responsible whether we know it or own up to it, or embrace it, or not.
We are responsible to choose righteously.
We’ve all been offered and made able through Christ.
He paved the way, paid the toll for our free will’s to be able to respond properly to God.
Before Him, we may have desired to, but there was no power to, no ability, no payment made.
What are we responsible for? Life, and giving its opportunity to others. We’re responsible to change and show others the way to change by our living and willing example. These are the gifts and talents given us in this life by God.
Those who embrace this responsibility get more responsibility and the blessings that come to those who embrace what God loves.
God loves people.
He wants them saved
He wants them discipled and He wants them to love people, save people, and to disciple people. That’s it. However it works, however it can be applied. This is what earth life is all about. It is the steward’s calling. We are all stewards on this earth assignment. This is why we’ve been given the ability of the Holy Spirit.
It isn’t to feel good, it is to receive and give life, spirit and eternal life.
Jesus preached this, then he prophesied it by riding on the back of rebellion. Rebellion lives for everything else but God’s dream. He showed man what His journey to the cross would be about, canceling out the power of rebellion and it’s high priced penalty.
After His resurrection, anyone who wanted their rebellion paid for, in repentance and life change and dedication to God’s dream, could.
Do you bless the One who came in the name of the Lord? Not by mere words, but by lifestyle adaptation and demonstration? Do you bless all who come across your pathway in the name of the Lord? Do you bless people who willingly share the gospel? Are you willingly being discipled by them and following after the tools they’ve learned to use? Or do you sit on it wasting time away thinking about things with good intentions?
Jesus wept over a people who had been allotted the dream of God, who’d been chosen to house it and demonstrate it, but with their will would not move towards it.
Let us not be so religious that we stay put in who we are right now, not moving towards God’s dreams.
Jesus drove out of God’s house those who just decided to ask God’s blessings on doing their own things.
That is an offense to God. He is waiting for people who want to do His will His way and listen intently as students taking notes for life application.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Psalm 34 Today w/ Comments
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 34
1 I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 I cried out to the LORD in my suffering, and he heard me. He set me free from all my fears.
7 For the angel of the LORD guards all who fear him, and he rescues them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!
9 Let the LORD's people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will never lack any good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.
12 Do any of you want to live a life that is long and good?
13 Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
15 The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one.
20 For the LORD protects them from harm— not one of their bones F31 will be broken!
21 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. Everyone who trusts in him will be freely pardoned.
FOOTNOTES: F31: Hebrew protects him from harm<197>not one of his bones.
Lena Journals to Psalm 34
Notice the “I will’s”.
David decided to praise the Lord, rather than consider his own luck or his own feats or his own strength. He chooses to praise when he could have complained about any and everything.
The key to a successful life relationship with God and people – choice. “I will”.
He invites us to choose also.
He testifies of choosing, and its effects.
Invites again.
Implores
Testifies
Asks
Invites
Tells how
Gives consequences of not choosing, or choosing to not.
Tells of the Lord’s ways and the consequences that await those who choose and those who choose not.
Know that God is Love, He loves everyone.
Yet not everyone is blessed by His ways. Why?
Everyone does not choose to walk in His ways.
Blessing is a matter of choice.
Those who choose to walk in His ways are blessed. Those who choose not to walk in His ways are not.
Yet he loves them so, and…
Asks them to choose, again
Tells them how, again
Implores them through messengers, again.
Uses people to testify of His ways, again.
And invites, again and again and again.
Any and all who will ever decide to come.
Jesus said, “I have come to do Your will.”
Jesus also said, “My meat and My drink is to do the will of the one who sent Me.”
And, “I delight to do Your will, Oh God.”
Who’s will is a delight to do?
Not mine, but Thine?
That’s a matter of persons.
What do you say, today?
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Psalm 34
1 I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 I cried out to the LORD in my suffering, and he heard me. He set me free from all my fears.
7 For the angel of the LORD guards all who fear him, and he rescues them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!
9 Let the LORD's people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will never lack any good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.
12 Do any of you want to live a life that is long and good?
13 Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
15 The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one.
20 For the LORD protects them from harm— not one of their bones F31 will be broken!
21 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. Everyone who trusts in him will be freely pardoned.
FOOTNOTES: F31: Hebrew protects him from harm<197>not one of his bones.
Lena Journals to Psalm 34
Notice the “I will’s”.
David decided to praise the Lord, rather than consider his own luck or his own feats or his own strength. He chooses to praise when he could have complained about any and everything.
The key to a successful life relationship with God and people – choice. “I will”.
He invites us to choose also.
He testifies of choosing, and its effects.
Invites again.
Implores
Testifies
Asks
Invites
Tells how
Gives consequences of not choosing, or choosing to not.
Tells of the Lord’s ways and the consequences that await those who choose and those who choose not.
Know that God is Love, He loves everyone.
Yet not everyone is blessed by His ways. Why?
Everyone does not choose to walk in His ways.
Blessing is a matter of choice.
Those who choose to walk in His ways are blessed. Those who choose not to walk in His ways are not.
Yet he loves them so, and…
Asks them to choose, again
Tells them how, again
Implores them through messengers, again.
Uses people to testify of His ways, again.
And invites, again and again and again.
Any and all who will ever decide to come.
Jesus said, “I have come to do Your will.”
Jesus also said, “My meat and My drink is to do the will of the one who sent Me.”
And, “I delight to do Your will, Oh God.”
Who’s will is a delight to do?
Not mine, but Thine?
That’s a matter of persons.
What do you say, today?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Job 19 Today plus Journalin'
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Job 19Job's Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
1Then Job spoke again:
2"How long will you torture me? How long will you try to break me with your words? 3Ten times now you have meant to insult me. You should be ashamed of dealing with me so harshly. 4And even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. 5You are trying to overcome me, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin, 6but it is God who has wronged me. I cannot defend myself, for I am like a city under siege.
7"I cry out for help, but no one hears me. I protest, but there is no justice. 8God has blocked my way and plunged my path into darkness. 9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has destroyed my hope. 11His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent.
13"My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. 14My neighbors and my close friends are all gone. 15The members of my household have forgotten me. The servant girls consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even plead with him! 17My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am loathsome to my own family. 18Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. 19My close friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21"Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. 22Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish?
23"Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock.
25"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God F18 ! 27I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
28"How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, 'It's his own fault'? 29I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment."
FOOTNOTES:
F18: Or without my body I will see God.
Lena Journals to Job 19
How much do we trust God?
Really, how much?
Like when ever things do not go as we desire, when we feel forsaken, even by the blessings of His spirit, do we trust Him? If we felt we had no blessings, no friends, no material goods, no happiness in this world, would we still love God in return?
Many of us might think right now, why would we? Of course not, why would someone love a God like that? He doesn’t deserve it!
Oh wow, I guess deserving it, is the reason to love God then?
That’s called conditional love. This is the most common love we experience in our lifetime. Someone does something to cause us to feel nice and good and loved and then we love them in return.
God’s love is without condition, and when we did not deserve it, He loved us. He still loves us no matter what.
That type of love, that loves even if there is no immediate return, is called unconditional/Covenental love. This is how the love of God operates. We see God operating with humans this way. Do we see humans operating with other humans this way? Do we see humans operating with God this way?
Job was under a test of his love, of his trust and of his faith. He was determined to see the test for what it was and pass it. He was getting on to it. There is an enemy of this love, this trust and this faith and Job was at a place of seeing and accepting that God is God and the enemy is not. He determined-said to himself in it, I’ll give God glory in this test and not give any place to what is coming against my body, soul, or spirit. He had a knowing that that which comes against the very nature of God planted on the inside of him, must be protected within him, he must keep what he first experienced when he felt His love at birth.
Job was in a warfare, just as we all are now. Same war, same fight. When one gets this they’ll get a lot and rather than battle, they’ll win!
In this warfare one must ask himself; Do I trust God? Do I have faith in His words? Do I love Him in return, no matter what happens or appears to be happening in my life? No matter what it seems to be to my human eyes and human understanding? Do I at all believe in what I do not see or understand? Do I have a faith that believes in what I do not yet see or understand? Do I believe God at His word, even if nothing I see matches it, within my reasoning to prove it is true?
Though you feel as though God has cursed your life, could you still bless Him, as Job is saying he will?
Once a person has really seen God, it is enough to live even a lifetime of pain or suffering to get to another place of that sight. If you have not seen Him this way yet, press in, seek and find Him with all of your heart, pursue that vision, that encounter, that revelation, the revelation of Him.
When Job said; I will see God, in my flesh I will see Him; this is what that word “see” is defined as.
Hebrew- Chazah (khaw-zaw')
1. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy (say what one does not yet see, but they see the idea or plan of in the yet unseen realm), provide
a. (Qal)
1. to see, behold
2. to see as a seer in the ecstatic state (vision/”dream”)
3. to see, perceive 1a (“seeing” before physically seeing)
b. with the intelligence 1a
c. to see (by experience)
d. 1a to provide
KJV (51) - behold, 7; look, 3; prophesy, 2; provide, 1; see, 38;
NAS (50) - behold, 7; envisioned in visions, 1; gaze, 2; gloat, 1; look, 3; looked, 1; prophesy, 3; saw, 7; see, 12; seeing, 1; seen, 7; sees, 4; select, 1;
After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, there were 2 women who loved Him who went to seek and find His body to pack it with spices for burial and preservation for the grave. They found no body in His tomb, and they found an angel who said, “He’s alive”.
After hearing this message of hope and of life, they asked others, “Have you yet seen Him, have you seen the body of the Lord?” This caused others to also seek the body of the Lord.
He is appearing to us in a new form today, in the form of a body, in His Body – the Body of Christ! We do not have to look far, and He may not appear as we’d like Him to, but we can see Him there as He is!
He also appears for us in heaven – cheering us along as we seek to see Him. He ever lives and appears for us in heaven before His and Our Father, He appears there to make intercession for us according to the will of God, in the very presence of God day and night.
No matter what appears, no matter what happens, how can we not love Him?
We love Him, because (we have been able to see) He first loved us, and gave His very own life for us.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Job 19Job's Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
1Then Job spoke again:
2"How long will you torture me? How long will you try to break me with your words? 3Ten times now you have meant to insult me. You should be ashamed of dealing with me so harshly. 4And even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. 5You are trying to overcome me, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin, 6but it is God who has wronged me. I cannot defend myself, for I am like a city under siege.
7"I cry out for help, but no one hears me. I protest, but there is no justice. 8God has blocked my way and plunged my path into darkness. 9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has destroyed my hope. 11His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent.
13"My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. 14My neighbors and my close friends are all gone. 15The members of my household have forgotten me. The servant girls consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even plead with him! 17My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am loathsome to my own family. 18Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. 19My close friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21"Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. 22Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish?
23"Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock.
25"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God F18 ! 27I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
28"How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, 'It's his own fault'? 29I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment."
FOOTNOTES:
F18: Or without my body I will see God.
Lena Journals to Job 19
How much do we trust God?
Really, how much?
Like when ever things do not go as we desire, when we feel forsaken, even by the blessings of His spirit, do we trust Him? If we felt we had no blessings, no friends, no material goods, no happiness in this world, would we still love God in return?
Many of us might think right now, why would we? Of course not, why would someone love a God like that? He doesn’t deserve it!
Oh wow, I guess deserving it, is the reason to love God then?
That’s called conditional love. This is the most common love we experience in our lifetime. Someone does something to cause us to feel nice and good and loved and then we love them in return.
God’s love is without condition, and when we did not deserve it, He loved us. He still loves us no matter what.
That type of love, that loves even if there is no immediate return, is called unconditional/Covenental love. This is how the love of God operates. We see God operating with humans this way. Do we see humans operating with other humans this way? Do we see humans operating with God this way?
Job was under a test of his love, of his trust and of his faith. He was determined to see the test for what it was and pass it. He was getting on to it. There is an enemy of this love, this trust and this faith and Job was at a place of seeing and accepting that God is God and the enemy is not. He determined-said to himself in it, I’ll give God glory in this test and not give any place to what is coming against my body, soul, or spirit. He had a knowing that that which comes against the very nature of God planted on the inside of him, must be protected within him, he must keep what he first experienced when he felt His love at birth.
Job was in a warfare, just as we all are now. Same war, same fight. When one gets this they’ll get a lot and rather than battle, they’ll win!
In this warfare one must ask himself; Do I trust God? Do I have faith in His words? Do I love Him in return, no matter what happens or appears to be happening in my life? No matter what it seems to be to my human eyes and human understanding? Do I at all believe in what I do not see or understand? Do I have a faith that believes in what I do not yet see or understand? Do I believe God at His word, even if nothing I see matches it, within my reasoning to prove it is true?
Though you feel as though God has cursed your life, could you still bless Him, as Job is saying he will?
Once a person has really seen God, it is enough to live even a lifetime of pain or suffering to get to another place of that sight. If you have not seen Him this way yet, press in, seek and find Him with all of your heart, pursue that vision, that encounter, that revelation, the revelation of Him.
When Job said; I will see God, in my flesh I will see Him; this is what that word “see” is defined as.
Hebrew- Chazah (khaw-zaw')
1. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy (say what one does not yet see, but they see the idea or plan of in the yet unseen realm), provide
a. (Qal)
1. to see, behold
2. to see as a seer in the ecstatic state (vision/”dream”)
3. to see, perceive 1a (“seeing” before physically seeing)
b. with the intelligence 1a
c. to see (by experience)
d. 1a to provide
KJV (51) - behold, 7; look, 3; prophesy, 2; provide, 1; see, 38;
NAS (50) - behold, 7; envisioned in visions, 1; gaze, 2; gloat, 1; look, 3; looked, 1; prophesy, 3; saw, 7; see, 12; seeing, 1; seen, 7; sees, 4; select, 1;
After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, there were 2 women who loved Him who went to seek and find His body to pack it with spices for burial and preservation for the grave. They found no body in His tomb, and they found an angel who said, “He’s alive”.
After hearing this message of hope and of life, they asked others, “Have you yet seen Him, have you seen the body of the Lord?” This caused others to also seek the body of the Lord.
He is appearing to us in a new form today, in the form of a body, in His Body – the Body of Christ! We do not have to look far, and He may not appear as we’d like Him to, but we can see Him there as He is!
He also appears for us in heaven – cheering us along as we seek to see Him. He ever lives and appears for us in heaven before His and Our Father, He appears there to make intercession for us according to the will of God, in the very presence of God day and night.
No matter what appears, no matter what happens, how can we not love Him?
We love Him, because (we have been able to see) He first loved us, and gave His very own life for us.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Matthew 5 Today - Journalin' later on.....
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Matthew 5 (The Message Version)
You're Blessed
1When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
8"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12You can be glad when that happens--give a cheer, even!-for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Completing God's Law
17"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures--either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. 18God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
19"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. 20Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
Murder
21"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, "Do not murder.' 22I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother "idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell "stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
23"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, 24abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
25"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. 26If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.
Adultery and Divorce
27"You know the next commandment pretty well, too: "Don't go to bed with another's spouse.' 28But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices--they also corrupt.
29"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. 30And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.
31"Remember the Scripture that says, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'? 32Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are "legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
Empty Promises
33"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. 34-36You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, "I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, "God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. 37Just say "yes' and "no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Love Your Enemies
38"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' 39Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: "Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. 40If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. 41And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. 42No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43"You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.' 44I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. 46If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. 47If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Matthew 5 (The Message Version)
You're Blessed
1When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
8"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12You can be glad when that happens--give a cheer, even!-for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Completing God's Law
17"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures--either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. 18God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
19"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. 20Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
Murder
21"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, "Do not murder.' 22I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother "idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell "stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
23"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, 24abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
25"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. 26If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.
Adultery and Divorce
27"You know the next commandment pretty well, too: "Don't go to bed with another's spouse.' 28But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices--they also corrupt.
29"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. 30And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.
31"Remember the Scripture that says, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'? 32Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are "legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
Empty Promises
33"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. 34-36You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, "I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, "God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. 37Just say "yes' and "no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Love Your Enemies
38"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' 39Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: "Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. 40If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. 41And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. 42No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43"You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.' 44I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. 46If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. 47If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Revelation 22 Today w/ Journalin too
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 22
1And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, F43 with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
6Then the angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true: 'The Lord God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you what will happen soon.'"
Jesus Is Coming
7"Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."
8I, John, am the one who saw and heard all these things. And when I saw and heard these things, I fell down to worship the angel who showed them to me. 9But again he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!"
10Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. 11Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness."
12"See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
14Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. F44 I am the bright morning star."
17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come." Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge. 18And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
20He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.
FOOTNOTES:
F43: Or 12 kinds of fruit.
F44: Greek I am the root and offspring of David.
Lena Journals to Revelation 22
What is the river symbolic of? Think about it, what flows from the very throne of God, then touches and affects things, both naturally and spiritually speaking? What is very clear, very pure, and would bring life and healing where there is growth? In Him is the light of life and there is no darkness at all.
Jesus said, God is Spirit and they who worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. He also taught us that a man must be made spiritually alive or else he is living (or growing) death, for he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. That man is living a life separated from the very essence of God, who is Spirit and gives and authors life and healthy growth. Without His Spirit being made alive in and for us, we may grow for a time, but we grow with the effects of death on us, and the fruits are not healing fruits and good fruits that give healing to others.
Yet if a man’s own spirit is born again and submitted to a committed life in Christ, that man’s growth is flourishing in nature and in all he does, and who he is, the very life affecting him brings life to those his life flows to.
Do you know that the word “angel” means one who brings a message, a messenger? The angel showed me….How do we “see” or rather understand things? Through messages brought through “angels” or messengers we listen to and believe in. Neat huh?
Has an “angel” showed you pure water flowing from the throne and the way to have some? The woman at the well speaking with Jesus said, Sir, can I have some of this water that I may never thirst again? He told her rivers of this eternal kind of spirit water would flow out from her very own temple, or the sanctuary of God that would be created within her when she believed in, received, and lived a new lifestyle with Him.
We are the new and living temples of God.
Is living water flowing? Is the Spirit invited and made to be welcomed by your new lifestyle of faith in God and do you welcome convictions based on His word and a life lived walking in the instructions of His spirit life?
This living water is so restorative to even our humanness. It is life to even our bodies here. People need to have this life flowing out from us. They need to see it flow.
12 crops of fruit, a new crop each month…That’s lifestyle. Not just quick fix, or one dose, but every day, every week, every month, every year.
Every messenger who believes their message is of God must point THE Way to God the Father through Jesus Christ, otherwise his message is merely good, and mere goodness does not last, it is life filled messages that sprout fruit trees with eternal fruit that remain.
“Continue” is such a kingdom word.
In America, what do we continue?
Think about it. How long do we continue? Until what?
Forever?
I wonder how many times the word quit enters hearts and minds in our culture in just one persons day?
Hearing continue in comparison to the word quit, I wonder which outweighs which?
Do you know the gospel message believed and received is free, but it was not without cost?
What the Lord offers us in life is freely offered and can be freely received. The big part of free is free will. I can decide to or not to believe and receive the messages of truth and I can decide to or not to do what I hear and live a new way than I already know to live. This is truly the free part. The other free part is I do not have to die to pay for the consequences of my smallest mistakes. He did that for me, that part is free, but for me to walk in His ways will cost the rest of my own life, not living for self, but for what He wants done, and He’ll probably tell me what to do and how through another human person, a messenger, an “angel”, and I may not always like how the person looks, acts, or talks. I may not agree with them everyday. This is where my faith is tested. Do I REALLY want this life? Do I REALLY want to follow Jesus when it may mean as I follow men, I follow Him? Do I REALLY want to walk a walk of faith in God, when I’d have to lay down my own opinions and learn ways I’ve never ever walked in before?
It’s free, but it costs my will its life.
He gave His, do we REALLY want to give ours (up)?
Come, Eat, Drink, and Live!
This way of life is THE WAY to eternal life and fellowship with God.
It’ll cost you the laying down of this life willingly now and you’ll gain it all in eternity, which begins whenever we decide.
I have decided to follow Jesus, NO turning back….
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 22
1And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, F43 with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
6Then the angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true: 'The Lord God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you what will happen soon.'"
Jesus Is Coming
7"Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."
8I, John, am the one who saw and heard all these things. And when I saw and heard these things, I fell down to worship the angel who showed them to me. 9But again he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!"
10Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. 11Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness."
12"See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
14Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. F44 I am the bright morning star."
17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come." Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge. 18And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
20He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.
FOOTNOTES:
F43: Or 12 kinds of fruit.
F44: Greek I am the root and offspring of David.
Lena Journals to Revelation 22
What is the river symbolic of? Think about it, what flows from the very throne of God, then touches and affects things, both naturally and spiritually speaking? What is very clear, very pure, and would bring life and healing where there is growth? In Him is the light of life and there is no darkness at all.
Jesus said, God is Spirit and they who worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. He also taught us that a man must be made spiritually alive or else he is living (or growing) death, for he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. That man is living a life separated from the very essence of God, who is Spirit and gives and authors life and healthy growth. Without His Spirit being made alive in and for us, we may grow for a time, but we grow with the effects of death on us, and the fruits are not healing fruits and good fruits that give healing to others.
Yet if a man’s own spirit is born again and submitted to a committed life in Christ, that man’s growth is flourishing in nature and in all he does, and who he is, the very life affecting him brings life to those his life flows to.
Do you know that the word “angel” means one who brings a message, a messenger? The angel showed me….How do we “see” or rather understand things? Through messages brought through “angels” or messengers we listen to and believe in. Neat huh?
Has an “angel” showed you pure water flowing from the throne and the way to have some? The woman at the well speaking with Jesus said, Sir, can I have some of this water that I may never thirst again? He told her rivers of this eternal kind of spirit water would flow out from her very own temple, or the sanctuary of God that would be created within her when she believed in, received, and lived a new lifestyle with Him.
We are the new and living temples of God.
Is living water flowing? Is the Spirit invited and made to be welcomed by your new lifestyle of faith in God and do you welcome convictions based on His word and a life lived walking in the instructions of His spirit life?
This living water is so restorative to even our humanness. It is life to even our bodies here. People need to have this life flowing out from us. They need to see it flow.
12 crops of fruit, a new crop each month…That’s lifestyle. Not just quick fix, or one dose, but every day, every week, every month, every year.
Every messenger who believes their message is of God must point THE Way to God the Father through Jesus Christ, otherwise his message is merely good, and mere goodness does not last, it is life filled messages that sprout fruit trees with eternal fruit that remain.
“Continue” is such a kingdom word.
In America, what do we continue?
Think about it. How long do we continue? Until what?
Forever?
I wonder how many times the word quit enters hearts and minds in our culture in just one persons day?
Hearing continue in comparison to the word quit, I wonder which outweighs which?
Do you know the gospel message believed and received is free, but it was not without cost?
What the Lord offers us in life is freely offered and can be freely received. The big part of free is free will. I can decide to or not to believe and receive the messages of truth and I can decide to or not to do what I hear and live a new way than I already know to live. This is truly the free part. The other free part is I do not have to die to pay for the consequences of my smallest mistakes. He did that for me, that part is free, but for me to walk in His ways will cost the rest of my own life, not living for self, but for what He wants done, and He’ll probably tell me what to do and how through another human person, a messenger, an “angel”, and I may not always like how the person looks, acts, or talks. I may not agree with them everyday. This is where my faith is tested. Do I REALLY want this life? Do I REALLY want to follow Jesus when it may mean as I follow men, I follow Him? Do I REALLY want to walk a walk of faith in God, when I’d have to lay down my own opinions and learn ways I’ve never ever walked in before?
It’s free, but it costs my will its life.
He gave His, do we REALLY want to give ours (up)?
Come, Eat, Drink, and Live!
This way of life is THE WAY to eternal life and fellowship with God.
It’ll cost you the laying down of this life willingly now and you’ll gain it all in eternity, which begins whenever we decide.
I have decided to follow Jesus, NO turning back….
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Revelation 6 w/ Journalin'
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 6
The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
1As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living beings called out with a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked up and saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!" 4And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" And I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6And a voice from among the four living beings said, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day's pay. F16 And don't waste F17 the olive oil and wine."
7And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!" 8And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave. F18 They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease F19 and wild animals.
9And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness. 10They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood against these people?" 11Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters F20 —their fellow servants of Jesus—had been martyred.
12I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from trees shaken by mighty winds. 14And the sky was rolled up like a scroll and taken away. And all of the mountains and all of the islands disappeared. 15Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy people, the people with great power, and every slave and every free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive?"
FOOTNOTES:
F16: Greek A choinix of wheat for a denarius, and 3 choinix of barley for a denarius.
F17: Or hurt.
F18: Greek by Hades.
F19: Greek death.
F20: Greek their brothers.
Lena Journals’
Come – see the victory
Come – see the war
Come – be measured willingly
Come – see the spirit of death and its effects on the earth
Come – see how long till vengeance is paid in full
Come – see what really mattered, who really mattered, and what was really leftover in the end…..
Come see and behold Him as He is revealed in His word.
The day of His appearing is a Great and a terrible day, depending on what standing we have with Him or do not have with Him.
Where do you stand today? Religiously faithful, or before Him willingly accountable and full of faith? Do you do what you do out of passionate love for who and what he loves, or are you involved in dutiful actions?
There is a difference.
The difference is known when we see Him as he is and find who we are in Him.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 6
The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
1As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living beings called out with a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked up and saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!" 4And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" And I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6And a voice from among the four living beings said, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day's pay. F16 And don't waste F17 the olive oil and wine."
7And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!" 8And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave. F18 They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease F19 and wild animals.
9And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness. 10They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood against these people?" 11Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters F20 —their fellow servants of Jesus—had been martyred.
12I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from trees shaken by mighty winds. 14And the sky was rolled up like a scroll and taken away. And all of the mountains and all of the islands disappeared. 15Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy people, the people with great power, and every slave and every free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive?"
FOOTNOTES:
F16: Greek A choinix of wheat for a denarius, and 3 choinix of barley for a denarius.
F17: Or hurt.
F18: Greek by Hades.
F19: Greek death.
F20: Greek their brothers.
Lena Journals’
Come – see the victory
Come – see the war
Come – be measured willingly
Come – see the spirit of death and its effects on the earth
Come – see how long till vengeance is paid in full
Come – see what really mattered, who really mattered, and what was really leftover in the end…..
Come see and behold Him as He is revealed in His word.
The day of His appearing is a Great and a terrible day, depending on what standing we have with Him or do not have with Him.
Where do you stand today? Religiously faithful, or before Him willingly accountable and full of faith? Do you do what you do out of passionate love for who and what he loves, or are you involved in dutiful actions?
There is a difference.
The difference is known when we see Him as he is and find who we are in Him.
Revelation 1 & 2 w/ Comments
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 1
Prologue
1This is a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. 2John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.
3God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.
John's Greeting to the Seven Churches
4This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the seven spirits before his throne; 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6He has made us his Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!
7Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One."
Vision of the Son of Man
9I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus. 10It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast. 11It said, "Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was one who looked like a man He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades 19Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers for the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Lena Journals to Revalation 1
Revelation, revealing, appearing, exposure to human understanding, what was covered is now uncovered, veiled unveiled.
This is the revelation of Him, to us.
Revelation can be for both now and later, both symbolic and literal, or symbolically literal. This is why the revealing and the appearance. For if we do not see Him as He is we stay as we are, but when we see Him as He is, we are able to become Him. (see yesterday’s passages: Eph 3).
To see Him clearly in revelation is to know Him, to know Him is to love Him, to love Him is to obey Him. To obey Him is also to make Him known to others.
Active willing obedience bring forth the eternal plan of God, and glorifies the Lord in the earth, thus bringing forth the answer to our prayer led by Jesus, Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, amen.
God always uses men for the earth. He gives a message , a warning, or a revelation, to a man and expects that man to do with it what God made for him to do, talk, share, preach the good news.
I have heard many well meaning Christians say,” I don’t listen to men, I hear form God directly, men make mistakes and misinterpret, so I just do what God tells me to do.”
In this passage God is revealing Himself not directly, but indirectly through a trusted man, not trusted necessarily by a personality compatible human, but an obedient man who will faithfully carry the message. It is God who uses as He chooses the messenger, not us. If we pick and choose who we’ll hear a word of the Lord through or not, we’ll miss so much!
I think it is neat that each church had a messenger, which means a message sent to it specifically, maybe like an assignment to fulfill as a part of the great army of God in the earth. Churches are like companies, each may have a specialty in a community, adding to the whole scope of what God wants to do in that area.
Do we hear what the spirit says to our church? Through Pastors? Leaders? Or are we only moving upon what we hear God tell us directly, possibly missing the rest?
There is domestic rule and ecclesial rule.
We rule in our own homes first, and then if we are a part of a church body locally, we bring our own ideas of rule at home under the idea God has given a leader for the corporate body, willingly submitting our crowns to the crown of an ecclesial ruler for the purpose of unity being able to be expressed.
If we somehow cannot submit our orderly families to an ecclesial ruler, why would we even bring our
families to a church? Think about it, we come to unify and add the power of unity by joining in with what is established by God in a house, led by a man as head under THE head which is Christ. A church body cannot function well with many heads, all ruling as they “think it should be done”.
If we hold a personal opinion within a body that differs from the head of that body, our independent stance is taking away from the unity a local body is meant to display. The Body of Christ has been set up by God to be more than one person giving their own personal opinions into a corporate rule, submitting to the rules of others under God, sacrificing their own lives and ways that He might live and have His ways displayed That He might be seen clearly by the world who is seeking to find Him.
So rather than be a part of a corporate body, yet stay staunch, not ever yielding as a participant in the unity of a local body, why not lay down for the corporate good of others, giving your life for others, as Christ Himself did, as an example to each of us? It doesn’t mean your home life cannot be led by what you hear God saying for your family, it should mean that your family’s leading is also in unity with a vision that benefits a corporate community and house.
Does veering towards what a man is being led by God to do, going to harm your family? Probably not. Each family counts the cost, and should be saving up, possibly even working harder to be able to pay whatever price that family can, to unify for a power filled work in the earth. One can be powerful in Him, two more powerful in Him and three, wow! What about 4,5,6,7 and more!
Revelation 2The Message to the Church in Ephesus
1"Write this letter to the angel of F7 the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
2"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! 5Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
The Message to the Church in Smyrna
8"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:
9"I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren't because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for 'ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
The Message to the Church in Pergamum
12"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:
13"I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan's followers. 14And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you—people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Message to the Church in Thyatira
18"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are bright like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19"I know all the things you do—your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin. 21I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. 22Therefore, I will throw her upon a sickbed, and she will suffer greatly with all who commit adultery with her, unless they turn away from all their evil deeds. 23I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call them—depths of Satan, really). I will ask nothing more of you 25except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. 27They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
FOOTNOTES:
F7: Or the messenger for; also in 2:8, 12, 18.
Lena Journals Some of the passage to be brought for meditation:
You don't love me or each other as you did at first
Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me
But, You tolerate (what I call sin)…
Repent,
Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven (revelation will bring it out)
You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin.
I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person.
To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
Amen
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Revelation 1
Prologue
1This is a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. 2John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.
3God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.
John's Greeting to the Seven Churches
4This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the seven spirits before his throne; 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6He has made us his Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!
7Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One."
Vision of the Son of Man
9I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus. 10It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast. 11It said, "Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was one who looked like a man He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades 19Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers for the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Lena Journals to Revalation 1
Revelation, revealing, appearing, exposure to human understanding, what was covered is now uncovered, veiled unveiled.
This is the revelation of Him, to us.
Revelation can be for both now and later, both symbolic and literal, or symbolically literal. This is why the revealing and the appearance. For if we do not see Him as He is we stay as we are, but when we see Him as He is, we are able to become Him. (see yesterday’s passages: Eph 3).
To see Him clearly in revelation is to know Him, to know Him is to love Him, to love Him is to obey Him. To obey Him is also to make Him known to others.
Active willing obedience bring forth the eternal plan of God, and glorifies the Lord in the earth, thus bringing forth the answer to our prayer led by Jesus, Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, amen.
God always uses men for the earth. He gives a message , a warning, or a revelation, to a man and expects that man to do with it what God made for him to do, talk, share, preach the good news.
I have heard many well meaning Christians say,” I don’t listen to men, I hear form God directly, men make mistakes and misinterpret, so I just do what God tells me to do.”
In this passage God is revealing Himself not directly, but indirectly through a trusted man, not trusted necessarily by a personality compatible human, but an obedient man who will faithfully carry the message. It is God who uses as He chooses the messenger, not us. If we pick and choose who we’ll hear a word of the Lord through or not, we’ll miss so much!
I think it is neat that each church had a messenger, which means a message sent to it specifically, maybe like an assignment to fulfill as a part of the great army of God in the earth. Churches are like companies, each may have a specialty in a community, adding to the whole scope of what God wants to do in that area.
Do we hear what the spirit says to our church? Through Pastors? Leaders? Or are we only moving upon what we hear God tell us directly, possibly missing the rest?
There is domestic rule and ecclesial rule.
We rule in our own homes first, and then if we are a part of a church body locally, we bring our own ideas of rule at home under the idea God has given a leader for the corporate body, willingly submitting our crowns to the crown of an ecclesial ruler for the purpose of unity being able to be expressed.
If we somehow cannot submit our orderly families to an ecclesial ruler, why would we even bring our
families to a church? Think about it, we come to unify and add the power of unity by joining in with what is established by God in a house, led by a man as head under THE head which is Christ. A church body cannot function well with many heads, all ruling as they “think it should be done”.
If we hold a personal opinion within a body that differs from the head of that body, our independent stance is taking away from the unity a local body is meant to display. The Body of Christ has been set up by God to be more than one person giving their own personal opinions into a corporate rule, submitting to the rules of others under God, sacrificing their own lives and ways that He might live and have His ways displayed That He might be seen clearly by the world who is seeking to find Him.
So rather than be a part of a corporate body, yet stay staunch, not ever yielding as a participant in the unity of a local body, why not lay down for the corporate good of others, giving your life for others, as Christ Himself did, as an example to each of us? It doesn’t mean your home life cannot be led by what you hear God saying for your family, it should mean that your family’s leading is also in unity with a vision that benefits a corporate community and house.
Does veering towards what a man is being led by God to do, going to harm your family? Probably not. Each family counts the cost, and should be saving up, possibly even working harder to be able to pay whatever price that family can, to unify for a power filled work in the earth. One can be powerful in Him, two more powerful in Him and three, wow! What about 4,5,6,7 and more!
Revelation 2The Message to the Church in Ephesus
1"Write this letter to the angel of F7 the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
2"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! 5Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
The Message to the Church in Smyrna
8"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:
9"I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren't because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for 'ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
The Message to the Church in Pergamum
12"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:
13"I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan's followers. 14And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you—people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Message to the Church in Thyatira
18"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are bright like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19"I know all the things you do—your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin. 21I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. 22Therefore, I will throw her upon a sickbed, and she will suffer greatly with all who commit adultery with her, unless they turn away from all their evil deeds. 23I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call them—depths of Satan, really). I will ask nothing more of you 25except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. 27They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
FOOTNOTES:
F7: Or the messenger for; also in 2:8, 12, 18.
Lena Journals Some of the passage to be brought for meditation:
You don't love me or each other as you did at first
Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me
But, You tolerate (what I call sin)…
Repent,
Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven (revelation will bring it out)
You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin.
I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person.
To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
Amen
Sunday, August 12, 2007
1 John 3 Today w/ Journalin' too
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 John 3
Living as Children of God
1See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children. 2Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.
4Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. 5And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. 6So if we continue to live in him, we won't sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is.
7Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians F8 does not belong to God.
Love One Another
11This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. 13So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, F9 if the world hates you.
14If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15Anyone who hates another Christian F10 is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help—how can God's love be in that person?
18Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 19It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
FOOTNOTES:
F8: Greek his brother.
F9: Greek brothers; also in 3:14, 16.
F10: Greek his brother.
Lena Journals to 1 John 3
To be called children of the Father is no small thing. We are not born of God automatically, because we are born into the earth. Being born of the spirit is a willful birth, a birth of choice. Our first birth to earth was not of our own wills, but that of our parents. Their decision gave us opportunity to be here and be able to decide to become children of God as our Father. He chose each of us, yet each of us must come to a place to choose His ways above our own, to choose His ways willingly, change the lifestyle choices from here on out, and adapt to His ways always is His dream come true. To say that we’ll live this way and do it are a whole ‘nother deal. This is what gives us the name “children”, we act as He would, we do what we say we will, even to our own hurt.
Have you ever said something you wished you did not say and then when it came time to do it, you either had to or you’d be going back on your words and you knew that would cost you a lot to do so? This is how God’s kingdom works. Words should be very weighty. One should not speak them too quickly, yet they should be spoken and then expected to be backed up with corresponding actions. This is God’s way – to commit, to say and to do. The keeping of words can be done with His help, when it becomes costly or hard to do.
The biggest commitments that should be made by children of God and kept, are that to God, to serve and love Him forever with lifestyle action, then to love other people as He would, beginning in willful regular demonstration with natural born family and then spiritually born family (church people) and then with those who do not yet know Him by seeing Him demonstrated by someone.
IF we believe in Him and IF we believe we are His children and representatives of Him, we keep ourselves pure. Purity is defined for us through His word, not by other men’s good opinions formulated by culture and what is presently acceptable in behavior. Culture changes. God’s word does not.
I keep to learning more and more of His word and I allow it and I to become one with each other. I form new ideas around what I’ve learned in His word. That’s what I form new opinions from.
I define sin by how God defines sin. I willingly see sin as that which greatly offends God and what would keep me from His intimate fellowship. I stay away from it and stay close to God. If I keep sinning, I still need to be crucified with Christ, I need to seek God to really see Him and to have Him revealed to me. I may need to start my walk over a-new, today the right way, humbled, repentant, and actively living holy, accepting of His word as highest authority over me.
Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians, does not belong to God.
There are some shocking statements in this passage, such as the one above. Believing this will keep me from a lifestyle of self seeking, if I truly have a love for God.
True eternal spirit-led Love obeys, because it wants to. We cannot allow our souls to make excuses for our behaviors whenever we read God’s word.
Look at part “b” of just this sentence – IF I don’t love other Christians (even unperfected, mean, rude ones) I do not belong to God! I’ve heard so many people say, Oh I love God, I just hate the church, or I love GOD , BUT NOT His people! Ouch. It is time for change when we read the book we see this is not possible.
If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. It shows we are crucified willingly with Christ, allowing His love to be alive in us. AND- We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. ……let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord…..Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Amen.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
1 John 3
Living as Children of God
1See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children. 2Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.
4Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. 5And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. 6So if we continue to live in him, we won't sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is.
7Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians F8 does not belong to God.
Love One Another
11This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. 13So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, F9 if the world hates you.
14If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15Anyone who hates another Christian F10 is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help—how can God's love be in that person?
18Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 19It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
FOOTNOTES:
F8: Greek his brother.
F9: Greek brothers; also in 3:14, 16.
F10: Greek his brother.
Lena Journals to 1 John 3
To be called children of the Father is no small thing. We are not born of God automatically, because we are born into the earth. Being born of the spirit is a willful birth, a birth of choice. Our first birth to earth was not of our own wills, but that of our parents. Their decision gave us opportunity to be here and be able to decide to become children of God as our Father. He chose each of us, yet each of us must come to a place to choose His ways above our own, to choose His ways willingly, change the lifestyle choices from here on out, and adapt to His ways always is His dream come true. To say that we’ll live this way and do it are a whole ‘nother deal. This is what gives us the name “children”, we act as He would, we do what we say we will, even to our own hurt.
Have you ever said something you wished you did not say and then when it came time to do it, you either had to or you’d be going back on your words and you knew that would cost you a lot to do so? This is how God’s kingdom works. Words should be very weighty. One should not speak them too quickly, yet they should be spoken and then expected to be backed up with corresponding actions. This is God’s way – to commit, to say and to do. The keeping of words can be done with His help, when it becomes costly or hard to do.
The biggest commitments that should be made by children of God and kept, are that to God, to serve and love Him forever with lifestyle action, then to love other people as He would, beginning in willful regular demonstration with natural born family and then spiritually born family (church people) and then with those who do not yet know Him by seeing Him demonstrated by someone.
IF we believe in Him and IF we believe we are His children and representatives of Him, we keep ourselves pure. Purity is defined for us through His word, not by other men’s good opinions formulated by culture and what is presently acceptable in behavior. Culture changes. God’s word does not.
I keep to learning more and more of His word and I allow it and I to become one with each other. I form new ideas around what I’ve learned in His word. That’s what I form new opinions from.
I define sin by how God defines sin. I willingly see sin as that which greatly offends God and what would keep me from His intimate fellowship. I stay away from it and stay close to God. If I keep sinning, I still need to be crucified with Christ, I need to seek God to really see Him and to have Him revealed to me. I may need to start my walk over a-new, today the right way, humbled, repentant, and actively living holy, accepting of His word as highest authority over me.
Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians, does not belong to God.
There are some shocking statements in this passage, such as the one above. Believing this will keep me from a lifestyle of self seeking, if I truly have a love for God.
True eternal spirit-led Love obeys, because it wants to. We cannot allow our souls to make excuses for our behaviors whenever we read God’s word.
Look at part “b” of just this sentence – IF I don’t love other Christians (even unperfected, mean, rude ones) I do not belong to God! I’ve heard so many people say, Oh I love God, I just hate the church, or I love GOD , BUT NOT His people! Ouch. It is time for change when we read the book we see this is not possible.
If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. It shows we are crucified willingly with Christ, allowing His love to be alive in us. AND- We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. ……let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord…..Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Amen.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Ephesians 3 Today w/ Comments
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Ephesians 3
God's Secret Plan Revealed
1I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. 2As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. 4As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
6And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus. 7By God's special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. 11This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome. 13So please don't despair because of what they are doing to me here. It is for you that I am suffering, so you should feel honored and encouraged.
Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering
14When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, F4 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. 17And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. 21May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.
FOOTNOTES:
F4: Some manuscripts read the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lena's Journalin'
There is a revelation of principle here to bring out to our understanding. God gives us the principles in His word for us to get to know Him personally, that we’d get to understand the very character of God.
When one understands basic kingdom principles, they will also be able to see and learn many other things that stem off of those principles. Just as when one has learned the English alphabet and the sounds of that alphabet and the different combinations of those sounds, one can read words that were never ”taught” them. The principles for assembling the words were taught them and through learning and knowing the principles they were able to assemble new words on their own.
There is an identifiable principle of God outlined here. It is the principle of God having an original plan that is set to work through man. The plan was set up by the design and will of God. He set it up to be worked through specifically chosen men. If or when those men do not choose the plan, the plan does not change, the plan goes on and God offers its choice to others who may accept it at will. If others choose to accept it and adopt the plan as their own, becoming one with God in His plan, becoming a plan operator a participator and even a supervisor of the plan, they benefit from the blessings of obedience that come through fulfilling a plan of God and working with their Father and Creator.
There is no reason ever for the originally chosen to be angry, disappointed, or jealous of those who do (secondarily) choose the plan, being blessed, when they see that they may have lost their own blessing which was originally meant for them by God, but was being given to others who chose to fulfill and work it for and with God.
Those who choose His way prosper and have the success of sons, those who choose their own way live with the consequences of living one’s own way. Rather than be angry at the One who offered the plan, with the new understanding that its offers and blessings were given to others, it would behoove the originally chosen ones to swallow pride, bow the knee, repent to get back on that bandwagon. I assure you there’s still room and blessings for the obedient. The lesson learned is warmth to a Father’s heart.
Even now if the originally chosen by God Jewish people turn to the ways of Christ, they too will be blessed. The Bible tells us all that we are blessed in what we do. It’s never over till we exit the earth. Opportunity is knocking daily. God will always receive a repentant humbled son. Bottom line - God blesses obedient actions of faith!
He doesn’t ask us to do what He does not empower us to do. Through faith in the power He gives us, and has made available to us, we can do anything He asks of us. It is what we believe that we will do. If we don’t believe it (yet) we won’t do it. To say we believe it, without doing it, is deception, usually self deception.
One must act out what they say they believe for it to become solid and true and be blessed by God.
When Christians say they give their whole live to God, their words are very cheap if they keep their life to their own guides. If they give God some of their life, and go to church as an obligation, they’ve not yet seen or known Him as He is.
If I’ve truly seen Him, I know that My life is not mine, I was bought with a price.
If I know that, I live that way.
I glorify God with what I do with my body, what I lend my soul to, and how I spend the life of my spiritual growth. I care how I live and who I spend time with, and what comes into my thinking. I’m even a steward of the mysteries God revels to me through His word. They aren’t free just because I hear them or get a glimpse, and whenever I understand something from the word, I don’t get to just keep it without guarding it and growing in it by acting on what I’ve understood. Everything He gives me can easily be taken from me, either by an enemy talking me out of it, or something in my life giving me an alternate message, or my own life’s choices form other offers that come my way everyday. I just may choose another way or an easier idea. I’m a keeper, a guard of my own faith. If I value God Word in my life I choose to keep it.
There a song I love – I Have decided to Follow Jesus, no turning back, though no one else goes with me, still I will follow, no turning back, the world behind me, the cross (and the throne) before me, no turning back, no turning back.
The key, by revelation of the love of God I decide, commit my whole life to Him.
If He is the only God, and I have none before Him, I do this.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Ephesians 3
God's Secret Plan Revealed
1I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. 2As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. 4As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
6And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus. 7By God's special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. 11This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome. 13So please don't despair because of what they are doing to me here. It is for you that I am suffering, so you should feel honored and encouraged.
Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering
14When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, F4 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. 17And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. 21May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.
FOOTNOTES:
F4: Some manuscripts read the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lena's Journalin'
There is a revelation of principle here to bring out to our understanding. God gives us the principles in His word for us to get to know Him personally, that we’d get to understand the very character of God.
When one understands basic kingdom principles, they will also be able to see and learn many other things that stem off of those principles. Just as when one has learned the English alphabet and the sounds of that alphabet and the different combinations of those sounds, one can read words that were never ”taught” them. The principles for assembling the words were taught them and through learning and knowing the principles they were able to assemble new words on their own.
There is an identifiable principle of God outlined here. It is the principle of God having an original plan that is set to work through man. The plan was set up by the design and will of God. He set it up to be worked through specifically chosen men. If or when those men do not choose the plan, the plan does not change, the plan goes on and God offers its choice to others who may accept it at will. If others choose to accept it and adopt the plan as their own, becoming one with God in His plan, becoming a plan operator a participator and even a supervisor of the plan, they benefit from the blessings of obedience that come through fulfilling a plan of God and working with their Father and Creator.
There is no reason ever for the originally chosen to be angry, disappointed, or jealous of those who do (secondarily) choose the plan, being blessed, when they see that they may have lost their own blessing which was originally meant for them by God, but was being given to others who chose to fulfill and work it for and with God.
Those who choose His way prosper and have the success of sons, those who choose their own way live with the consequences of living one’s own way. Rather than be angry at the One who offered the plan, with the new understanding that its offers and blessings were given to others, it would behoove the originally chosen ones to swallow pride, bow the knee, repent to get back on that bandwagon. I assure you there’s still room and blessings for the obedient. The lesson learned is warmth to a Father’s heart.
Even now if the originally chosen by God Jewish people turn to the ways of Christ, they too will be blessed. The Bible tells us all that we are blessed in what we do. It’s never over till we exit the earth. Opportunity is knocking daily. God will always receive a repentant humbled son. Bottom line - God blesses obedient actions of faith!
He doesn’t ask us to do what He does not empower us to do. Through faith in the power He gives us, and has made available to us, we can do anything He asks of us. It is what we believe that we will do. If we don’t believe it (yet) we won’t do it. To say we believe it, without doing it, is deception, usually self deception.
One must act out what they say they believe for it to become solid and true and be blessed by God.
When Christians say they give their whole live to God, their words are very cheap if they keep their life to their own guides. If they give God some of their life, and go to church as an obligation, they’ve not yet seen or known Him as He is.
If I’ve truly seen Him, I know that My life is not mine, I was bought with a price.
If I know that, I live that way.
I glorify God with what I do with my body, what I lend my soul to, and how I spend the life of my spiritual growth. I care how I live and who I spend time with, and what comes into my thinking. I’m even a steward of the mysteries God revels to me through His word. They aren’t free just because I hear them or get a glimpse, and whenever I understand something from the word, I don’t get to just keep it without guarding it and growing in it by acting on what I’ve understood. Everything He gives me can easily be taken from me, either by an enemy talking me out of it, or something in my life giving me an alternate message, or my own life’s choices form other offers that come my way everyday. I just may choose another way or an easier idea. I’m a keeper, a guard of my own faith. If I value God Word in my life I choose to keep it.
There a song I love – I Have decided to Follow Jesus, no turning back, though no one else goes with me, still I will follow, no turning back, the world behind me, the cross (and the throne) before me, no turning back, no turning back.
The key, by revelation of the love of God I decide, commit my whole life to Him.
If He is the only God, and I have none before Him, I do this.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Hebrews 10 Today w/ Long Journalin' :-)
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Hebrews 10
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
1The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
3But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. 4For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5That is why Christ, when he came into the world, said,
"You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings. But you have given me a body so that I may obey you.
6 No, you were not pleased with animals burned on the altar or with other offerings for sin.
7 Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God— just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.'" F43
8Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9Then he added, "Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. 10And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
11Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand. 13There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy.
15And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says,
16 "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them, and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them."
17Then he adds, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." F44
18Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
A Call to Persevere
19And so, dear brothers and sisters, F45 we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. F46
21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, 22let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
26Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people.
30For we know the one who said, "I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it."
He also said, "The Lord will judge his own people." F47
31It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Don't ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail. When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity.
35Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away." F48
39But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.
FOOTNOTES:
F43: Ps 40:6-8.
F44: Jer 31:33-34.
F45: Greek brothers.
F46: Greek his flesh.
F47: Deut 32:35-36.
F48: Hab 2:3-4.
Lena’s Journalin’
These OT sacrifices helped reveal to man his dire need for God’s spotless and blameless Son to come be the last and final payment of the debts we owed His Father. They showed our state of deadness and our need for becoming alive unto God as Our own Father. They were so hard to obey, and if one attempted to follow them now, they’d still be impossible to keep. The point there was no matter how hard one tries to be oh so good on his own, he cannot, alone.
Man needs a Savior. Jesus is the Savior, anyone who believes in his need for Him and relies on His work, with a new life lived by faith, showing it by jumping wholeheartedly into this chosen life of faith will be a beneficiary of the work He accomplished for mankind.
Man was never meant to be alone. He needed, pined for, longed for, became desperate for God’s Spirit of Life to live on the inside of his person. This was made possible to any who would believe in Christ Jesus and live willingly giving up rights to surrender to God’s will of Jesus being their Lord.
This benefit was made available to each and every person now alive on earth. If your mother or father or brother or sister has the spirit of life, it is great for them, but you still have the empty longing to make Jesus Lord personally, all emptiness felt in life is like an alarm system going off on the insides of each of us to say, Jesus is still waiting to be crowned personal Lord of your life. If He’s Lord of your relative, that’s good, but one is asking on the inside, is He Lord of me personally? This decision is only made in each man, woman, or child alive. It is a decision each person who will stand before God must make.
To make or offer a sacrifice is way easier to do than to live for God and obey Jesus as Your Lord, daily.
God is not well pleased with us only going through goodie religious activity. He’d like for us to do the things He asks, like going to church or giving tithes, but these actions are not what pleases Him. They rather help us grow. He wants our hearts and all of our hearts freely given over to His will, not because he makes us and we should, but because we know its best and we want what’s best. We want Him. The one that does these things because of a great appreciative love for His Son and what was done to demonstrate their love humanly is probably in love with God through revelation of the extent of the love of God given for us.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father and to invite many followers who would willingly be trained to do and be the same. He willingly said words of promise to His Father and then followed it up with action – He said, Father, I haven’t come just to make the sacrifice we agreed upon, but I came because of love, because of a deep love for Your will, because I love who You love and I want to do what You want to. We are One!
Jesus wanted for His Father to look upon His bruised, torn body and He was inwardly and through active faith saying, watch what I’ve done Father, look at how I follow My words with living action. Look Daddy, I’m doing whatever it takes that You’d have Your desire. I’m saving the world You love.
He made a way for the penalty, the death penalty to be erased from those who believe in and love and follow after Him. No one else could do that. No animal ever succeeded at it, but He did that finished work and offered its benefits to anyone who was willing to lay down their own agendas in life and follow His.
To these, who give of themselves and love freely, He gives new desires, desires that match His. Those who’s hearts are after His, get it.
The cross was the way to believe upon and receive the Lordship of Christ. It was the place I associate what He did for me personally, enough to know I needed to die there, but Oh SO thankful that He stepped in as me and paid it all for me. I willingly see that and it is my confession. I was a sinner in need of a Savior. I’d be willing to be charged with my own sin, and am so grateful He chose to step in and pay for it for me. I realize it cost a high price and eternal price. I could never ever afford it on my own ever.
I appreciate it so much that I now give my life, of my own free will to the use of God. I’m saved because of Him, not because of any good or right thing I’ve ever tried to do. The only real right thing I’m doing is yielding my whole life to God’s plans, His way. Not what I think the plans are or how they might fit my lifestyle or how glamorous I feel ministry may be or how noble I think traveling as a missionary is. I give it up, my way, I yield my own ideas, my opinions, my personal agendas, everyday, to become just as He is.
That was the cross. If it was not your cross experience, just bow right now and give it up today, allow today to be the new day. Then get up and go to Your Father, check in as a new man, an unselfish man, who may have thought coming to God was to comfort you or help you or whatever. It will comfort and help us, but that is way far away from the purpose for coming to God. I am crucified w/ Christ, nevertheless I live, BUT it is not I who now lives ( is most evidently alive in my life), I live by faith in the Son of God who saved me and gave His very life as a ransom for mine. Gal 2:20
The throne is the way to live, the place to stay. We don’t go back to the cross every time we sin or miss the mark or make a mistake or even will to do wrongly. We go straight to our Father. The cross was the way to the Father, to a restored relationship with God as Father. Now that Jesus restored us, we’re free to stand before God as Father and give daily accounts. To go back to the cross is to say you do not believe the cross was your bridge to God!
Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Me. If we don’t come through Him at the cross, dying to self, then we don’t go. Our sins keep us outside of the throne, they are eternal sins that need remitting, so we can stand eternally clean before an eternal Father who loves us and gives us grace to grow.
If your child has a heart after you and they mess us do you reject them? I so hope not. In fact the mess ups probably tell us they are at least trying to grow and we get a lot of joy out of seeing their growth. So we kiss the boo-boo and put them down to walk again, or we have a heart to heart talk, impart wisdom, look for human understanding, and tell them to try again. This is throne-room living. It’s like living in a family a good healthy loving family. God loves us, sent Jesus to pave a way so we could and would come to Him, wants a relationship, daily relationship with us. It’s time to call home!
We’ve been restored to a Fatherly relationship with God, a relationship that grows.
Jesus, and the angels and even the saints who have gone home to heaven before we do, are up in the heavenlees cheering us on, that we’ll see and know Him as He is and have such and inner desire and motivators to stay all the way and get deep into His earth plan by serving and loving. Part of learning, serving, and loving is being with the Body of Christ regularly, and giving wiling accounts of our faith walk and growth. God set men here for us to be face to face with to help one another grow. This NT scripture is not suggesting this to us only, it is stating that without this new active lifestyle, we will die spiritually, for we will have been born again, but will never grow without spiritual food and spiritual family members caring for us, or we’ll be greatly hindered in spiritual growth and maturity. Remember God did not make man to be alone.
God’s commands are always to benefit us, not to dictate life to us just to control us, no they are wisdom to help us, because He loves us so.
Yes He corrects us, wouldn’t you also correct who you love if you saw they were about to crash or they could get somewhere faster or more efficiently? Why do you offer help to those you love? You want what is best for them, you don’t like to see them waste time or money or go the long hard road to get somewhere. If God put that in us, we know He ‘s this way much more.
The entire word of God was sent to us, printed for us, translated for us, that we’d learn from someone else’s mistakes, and their wrong decisions, and so that we’d learn to desire to walk in obedience through love.
There’s always a test to every word of faith. The test is to see how real the words were to the actual speaker of the words. Were they words that even God can trust in and be associated with, or just tales, and wishes, or hopes at best?
In our end, it will not so much matter what we said we wanted to do or how we felt about the Bible or church, what will be the evidence of our life? What we did with His Son, with His Body, with His word.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Hebrews 10
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
1The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
3But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. 4For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5That is why Christ, when he came into the world, said,
"You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings. But you have given me a body so that I may obey you.
6 No, you were not pleased with animals burned on the altar or with other offerings for sin.
7 Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God— just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.'" F43
8Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9Then he added, "Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. 10And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
11Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand. 13There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy.
15And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says,
16 "This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them, and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them."
17Then he adds, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." F44
18Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
A Call to Persevere
19And so, dear brothers and sisters, F45 we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. F46
21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, 22let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
26Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people.
30For we know the one who said, "I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it."
He also said, "The Lord will judge his own people." F47
31It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Don't ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail. When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity.
35Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away." F48
39But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.
FOOTNOTES:
F43: Ps 40:6-8.
F44: Jer 31:33-34.
F45: Greek brothers.
F46: Greek his flesh.
F47: Deut 32:35-36.
F48: Hab 2:3-4.
Lena’s Journalin’
These OT sacrifices helped reveal to man his dire need for God’s spotless and blameless Son to come be the last and final payment of the debts we owed His Father. They showed our state of deadness and our need for becoming alive unto God as Our own Father. They were so hard to obey, and if one attempted to follow them now, they’d still be impossible to keep. The point there was no matter how hard one tries to be oh so good on his own, he cannot, alone.
Man needs a Savior. Jesus is the Savior, anyone who believes in his need for Him and relies on His work, with a new life lived by faith, showing it by jumping wholeheartedly into this chosen life of faith will be a beneficiary of the work He accomplished for mankind.
Man was never meant to be alone. He needed, pined for, longed for, became desperate for God’s Spirit of Life to live on the inside of his person. This was made possible to any who would believe in Christ Jesus and live willingly giving up rights to surrender to God’s will of Jesus being their Lord.
This benefit was made available to each and every person now alive on earth. If your mother or father or brother or sister has the spirit of life, it is great for them, but you still have the empty longing to make Jesus Lord personally, all emptiness felt in life is like an alarm system going off on the insides of each of us to say, Jesus is still waiting to be crowned personal Lord of your life. If He’s Lord of your relative, that’s good, but one is asking on the inside, is He Lord of me personally? This decision is only made in each man, woman, or child alive. It is a decision each person who will stand before God must make.
To make or offer a sacrifice is way easier to do than to live for God and obey Jesus as Your Lord, daily.
God is not well pleased with us only going through goodie religious activity. He’d like for us to do the things He asks, like going to church or giving tithes, but these actions are not what pleases Him. They rather help us grow. He wants our hearts and all of our hearts freely given over to His will, not because he makes us and we should, but because we know its best and we want what’s best. We want Him. The one that does these things because of a great appreciative love for His Son and what was done to demonstrate their love humanly is probably in love with God through revelation of the extent of the love of God given for us.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father and to invite many followers who would willingly be trained to do and be the same. He willingly said words of promise to His Father and then followed it up with action – He said, Father, I haven’t come just to make the sacrifice we agreed upon, but I came because of love, because of a deep love for Your will, because I love who You love and I want to do what You want to. We are One!
Jesus wanted for His Father to look upon His bruised, torn body and He was inwardly and through active faith saying, watch what I’ve done Father, look at how I follow My words with living action. Look Daddy, I’m doing whatever it takes that You’d have Your desire. I’m saving the world You love.
He made a way for the penalty, the death penalty to be erased from those who believe in and love and follow after Him. No one else could do that. No animal ever succeeded at it, but He did that finished work and offered its benefits to anyone who was willing to lay down their own agendas in life and follow His.
To these, who give of themselves and love freely, He gives new desires, desires that match His. Those who’s hearts are after His, get it.
The cross was the way to believe upon and receive the Lordship of Christ. It was the place I associate what He did for me personally, enough to know I needed to die there, but Oh SO thankful that He stepped in as me and paid it all for me. I willingly see that and it is my confession. I was a sinner in need of a Savior. I’d be willing to be charged with my own sin, and am so grateful He chose to step in and pay for it for me. I realize it cost a high price and eternal price. I could never ever afford it on my own ever.
I appreciate it so much that I now give my life, of my own free will to the use of God. I’m saved because of Him, not because of any good or right thing I’ve ever tried to do. The only real right thing I’m doing is yielding my whole life to God’s plans, His way. Not what I think the plans are or how they might fit my lifestyle or how glamorous I feel ministry may be or how noble I think traveling as a missionary is. I give it up, my way, I yield my own ideas, my opinions, my personal agendas, everyday, to become just as He is.
That was the cross. If it was not your cross experience, just bow right now and give it up today, allow today to be the new day. Then get up and go to Your Father, check in as a new man, an unselfish man, who may have thought coming to God was to comfort you or help you or whatever. It will comfort and help us, but that is way far away from the purpose for coming to God. I am crucified w/ Christ, nevertheless I live, BUT it is not I who now lives ( is most evidently alive in my life), I live by faith in the Son of God who saved me and gave His very life as a ransom for mine. Gal 2:20
The throne is the way to live, the place to stay. We don’t go back to the cross every time we sin or miss the mark or make a mistake or even will to do wrongly. We go straight to our Father. The cross was the way to the Father, to a restored relationship with God as Father. Now that Jesus restored us, we’re free to stand before God as Father and give daily accounts. To go back to the cross is to say you do not believe the cross was your bridge to God!
Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Me. If we don’t come through Him at the cross, dying to self, then we don’t go. Our sins keep us outside of the throne, they are eternal sins that need remitting, so we can stand eternally clean before an eternal Father who loves us and gives us grace to grow.
If your child has a heart after you and they mess us do you reject them? I so hope not. In fact the mess ups probably tell us they are at least trying to grow and we get a lot of joy out of seeing their growth. So we kiss the boo-boo and put them down to walk again, or we have a heart to heart talk, impart wisdom, look for human understanding, and tell them to try again. This is throne-room living. It’s like living in a family a good healthy loving family. God loves us, sent Jesus to pave a way so we could and would come to Him, wants a relationship, daily relationship with us. It’s time to call home!
We’ve been restored to a Fatherly relationship with God, a relationship that grows.
Jesus, and the angels and even the saints who have gone home to heaven before we do, are up in the heavenlees cheering us on, that we’ll see and know Him as He is and have such and inner desire and motivators to stay all the way and get deep into His earth plan by serving and loving. Part of learning, serving, and loving is being with the Body of Christ regularly, and giving wiling accounts of our faith walk and growth. God set men here for us to be face to face with to help one another grow. This NT scripture is not suggesting this to us only, it is stating that without this new active lifestyle, we will die spiritually, for we will have been born again, but will never grow without spiritual food and spiritual family members caring for us, or we’ll be greatly hindered in spiritual growth and maturity. Remember God did not make man to be alone.
God’s commands are always to benefit us, not to dictate life to us just to control us, no they are wisdom to help us, because He loves us so.
Yes He corrects us, wouldn’t you also correct who you love if you saw they were about to crash or they could get somewhere faster or more efficiently? Why do you offer help to those you love? You want what is best for them, you don’t like to see them waste time or money or go the long hard road to get somewhere. If God put that in us, we know He ‘s this way much more.
The entire word of God was sent to us, printed for us, translated for us, that we’d learn from someone else’s mistakes, and their wrong decisions, and so that we’d learn to desire to walk in obedience through love.
There’s always a test to every word of faith. The test is to see how real the words were to the actual speaker of the words. Were they words that even God can trust in and be associated with, or just tales, and wishes, or hopes at best?
In our end, it will not so much matter what we said we wanted to do or how we felt about the Bible or church, what will be the evidence of our life? What we did with His Son, with His Body, with His word.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Hebrews 2 Today w/ Journalin' tooooo
Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Hebrews 2
A Warning against Drifting Away
1So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on F9 to us by those who heard him speak, 4and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.
Jesus, the Man
5And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6For somewhere in the Scriptures it says,
"What is man that you should think of him, and the son of man F10 that you should care for him?
7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels, and you crowned him with glory and honor. F11
8 You gave him authority over all things." F12
Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. 10And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.
11So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. F13 12For he said to God,
"I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. F14 I will praise you among all your people."
13He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am—together with the children God has given me." F15
14Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
FOOTNOTES:
F9: Or and confirmed.
F10: Or Son of Man.
F11: Some manuscripts add You put him in charge of everything you made.
F12: Ps 8:4-6.
F13: Greek his brothers; also in 2:17.
F14: Greek my brothers. Ps 22:22.
F15: Isa 8:17-18.
Lena’s Journalin Today to Hebrews 2
When the Bible says any truth, it IS THE truth. That means we need to turn our heads, ears, eyes, all senses towards it and then be prepared to see it, know it, and be a guard to keep it.
Usually commands of the words can be heeded as warnings and challenges. That means a wise person will see the contest that will peek its head around the corner to steal what was just said. So, if the word says, listen, guess what? That means that’s the important part to listen and pay attention to. It would not be good to regard that as any other word. It means wake up, get in a place to secure what you are about to hear..
Here it says, listen carefully. That’s even further emphasized, and so one must know how important it is to God we do this.
There’s always a cause and an effect for every action.
We are responsible to God to steward what He’s so freely given to us in and through His word.
The word of God was freely given us, but it is not at all free! It not only cost Jesus His life, but many who followed Him knowing its truth, also gave their lives and shed their blood for us to have what we do today. The free part is the will surrendered to the use of the Master.
There is a book that would be good for us all to read called, “The Purpose & Power of Prayer” by Miles Munroe. This work really lays out our place on the earth as humans and really why we are here and how we’ve been so deceived by religion to believe we are just pegs on a map who have no real control of the universe, taking no responsibility for the world we’ve been appointed to live in by God.
In Acts it says, God sets up boundary lines and He puts certain people within those boundaries on the globe, why? To rule. Genesis says to man, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, rule, reign!
These were not options, they are the very design of God and purpose for man. If man does not know it he and his world perish. When man stays in the dark, a world is lost.
A light has shined, electricity has been invented, hit the switch and viola. It is up to us to hit the switch. For us to say there’s no light on, is ignorance, the potential for light is all around, plug in the lamp cords and turn on the light that is here. It is available to us, if we want it. Light has come.
Find out who you are and why you are here. No one does that for us, we go after it, because we want to. God put in each of us the desire to. If we don’t its our own faults.
What is man? A steward of all God has made.
What is man? One meant to rule with God, God in heaven, man as rep on earth.
What is man? One who can emanate the very imagery of Christ in earth suits!
Why does specific man not see these things? He doesn’t know to look, no one tells him or he is not interested. It is available to whosoever wills to know Him and His purposes.
Man, has been given authority over all things by God!
Man has yet to pick up the baton. If we know it is ours to pick up, we need to consider it and decide on it.
Just do it.
Those who overcome do just that.
They take in hand what God has given and they create.
We’ve been given tools to create our worlds, either for evil or good, it really is up to us.
Jesus only came to show us the way to our Father, now it is we who must decide to go where He went, into fellowship and communion with God , getting instruction there and Going out from there empowered to do whatever He tells us to.
The purpose of Jesus was to make the way, open up the door, He was the first, we are next in line.
The will has been declared, if we don’t show up to claim what is now our portion to guard and keep and increase, that’s not God’s fault.
He overcame the enemy for us so we could do the work in the earth, in all the earth for our Father.
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Hebrews 2
A Warning against Drifting Away
1So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on F9 to us by those who heard him speak, 4and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.
Jesus, the Man
5And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6For somewhere in the Scriptures it says,
"What is man that you should think of him, and the son of man F10 that you should care for him?
7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels, and you crowned him with glory and honor. F11
8 You gave him authority over all things." F12
Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9What we do see is Jesus, who "for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. 10And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.
11So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. F13 12For he said to God,
"I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. F14 I will praise you among all your people."
13He also said, "I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, "Here I am—together with the children God has given me." F15
14Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
FOOTNOTES:
F9: Or and confirmed.
F10: Or Son of Man.
F11: Some manuscripts add You put him in charge of everything you made.
F12: Ps 8:4-6.
F13: Greek his brothers; also in 2:17.
F14: Greek my brothers. Ps 22:22.
F15: Isa 8:17-18.
Lena’s Journalin Today to Hebrews 2
When the Bible says any truth, it IS THE truth. That means we need to turn our heads, ears, eyes, all senses towards it and then be prepared to see it, know it, and be a guard to keep it.
Usually commands of the words can be heeded as warnings and challenges. That means a wise person will see the contest that will peek its head around the corner to steal what was just said. So, if the word says, listen, guess what? That means that’s the important part to listen and pay attention to. It would not be good to regard that as any other word. It means wake up, get in a place to secure what you are about to hear..
Here it says, listen carefully. That’s even further emphasized, and so one must know how important it is to God we do this.
There’s always a cause and an effect for every action.
We are responsible to God to steward what He’s so freely given to us in and through His word.
The word of God was freely given us, but it is not at all free! It not only cost Jesus His life, but many who followed Him knowing its truth, also gave their lives and shed their blood for us to have what we do today. The free part is the will surrendered to the use of the Master.
There is a book that would be good for us all to read called, “The Purpose & Power of Prayer” by Miles Munroe. This work really lays out our place on the earth as humans and really why we are here and how we’ve been so deceived by religion to believe we are just pegs on a map who have no real control of the universe, taking no responsibility for the world we’ve been appointed to live in by God.
In Acts it says, God sets up boundary lines and He puts certain people within those boundaries on the globe, why? To rule. Genesis says to man, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, rule, reign!
These were not options, they are the very design of God and purpose for man. If man does not know it he and his world perish. When man stays in the dark, a world is lost.
A light has shined, electricity has been invented, hit the switch and viola. It is up to us to hit the switch. For us to say there’s no light on, is ignorance, the potential for light is all around, plug in the lamp cords and turn on the light that is here. It is available to us, if we want it. Light has come.
Find out who you are and why you are here. No one does that for us, we go after it, because we want to. God put in each of us the desire to. If we don’t its our own faults.
What is man? A steward of all God has made.
What is man? One meant to rule with God, God in heaven, man as rep on earth.
What is man? One who can emanate the very imagery of Christ in earth suits!
Why does specific man not see these things? He doesn’t know to look, no one tells him or he is not interested. It is available to whosoever wills to know Him and His purposes.
Man, has been given authority over all things by God!
Man has yet to pick up the baton. If we know it is ours to pick up, we need to consider it and decide on it.
Just do it.
Those who overcome do just that.
They take in hand what God has given and they create.
We’ve been given tools to create our worlds, either for evil or good, it really is up to us.
Jesus only came to show us the way to our Father, now it is we who must decide to go where He went, into fellowship and communion with God , getting instruction there and Going out from there empowered to do whatever He tells us to.
The purpose of Jesus was to make the way, open up the door, He was the first, we are next in line.
The will has been declared, if we don’t show up to claim what is now our portion to guard and keep and increase, that’s not God’s fault.
He overcame the enemy for us so we could do the work in the earth, in all the earth for our Father.
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