Jeremiah 51:56

What we do to others will return to us....good for good OR bad for bad. We need to treat others in the way that we want to be treated! 

Babylon would be destroyed for killing so many in Israel. 

Jeremiah 51:56

⁵⁶ Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, 

And her mighty men are taken. 

Every one of their bows is broken; 

For the Lord is the God of recompense, 

He will surely repay. 

Don’t judge other people or you will be judged.  Matthew 7:1

Jeremiah 18:5-11

God is long suffering towards man  and wants everyone to be with Him forever but there will come an end to His patience with us. Love is the line drawn in the sand for man, we either love God above all and others as much as we love ourselves and prove it by our actions, or we will put up walls of defense to the agape love of God and shut Him out of our life. 

The Holy Spirit will do whatever it takes to teach us the destruction of following our flawed human nature and teach us the way to eternal life with God......we can learn the hard way or the easy way but we will learn our lessons. 

The potter’s remolding of the clay into an acceptable and unblemished work symbolized God’s action in reforming Israel. The people had become marred and defiled and had to be reformed into a vessel fit to be identified with the Lord.

If a nation threatened with destruction would turn from its evil, God would relent of the promised disaster. God the Potter was more than willing to forgive the iniquity and stubborn rebellion of Judah. In Gal. 4:19, Paul uses this imagery to depict the formation of the image of Christ in the obedient Christian.

A nation to whom God has promised His blessing may forfeit its preferred status through disobedience. In such a case, God would relent of the good He had promised and bring calamity upon the rebellious people. God was fashioning a disaster, a calamity, for Judah if it did not repent or return to Him and change its actions from evil to good.

Jeremiah 18:5-11

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! ⁷ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, ⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. ⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, ¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. 

¹¹ “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” ’ ” 

Ambition

By Max Lucado

The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.  Job 28:28, NKJV

Ambition is that grit in the soul that creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare into dreams.

But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addiction to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships ...

God won’t tolerate it.

Mark 2:5-12

Believe! Jesus Christ has the power and the desire to heal you physically and mentally. In the socially dominated world that we live in it is easy to get caught up in the belief system of this world. Most of us don’t even realize the impact that society has on our understanding of right and wrong, God’s way or man’s way. The stress that we are under to conform and the values that we trade in order to succeed and to be accepted cause illness both emotionally and physically. When we admit our sin and inability to make it on our own asking Jesus for forgiveness He heals us. Precept upon precept, He teaches us through the Holy Spirit God’s way of attaining abundant life! Jesus takes away the original sin of the world and is the only way to the Father and eternal life.

Not only did the four men have faith, but the paralytic himself had it too. When Jesus announced to him, your sins are forgiven, He was implicitly acknowledging the paralytic’s trust that He was the Messiah. Mark notes the opposition of the scribes, who under their breath accused Jesus of blasphemy. In Christ’s day the scribes were commonly called lawyers. 

Jesus asked the which is easier question to demonstrate the truth of His claim to forgive the man’s sins—something only God can accomplish. Anyone could assert the ability to forgive sins, since there was no earthly way of confirming the statement. But to say arise, take up your bed and walk to a paralytic could be tested immediately by whether he walked or not. By healing the paralytic, Jesus made His pronouncement of forgiveness far more credible. Son of Man is a term regularly used for the Messiah

The crowd’s reaction showed that they understood the significance of Jesus’ miracle. It is possible that some scribes and Pharisees joined in the acclamation. But permanent, life-changing faith is what Christ sought, not temporary adoration from the crowd.

Mark 2:5-12

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic,  “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 

⁶ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 

⁸ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them,  “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹  “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” 

Nahum 1:12-13

God protects those who put their total trust in Him. He will never leave you not forsake you and He placed His heart, the Holy Spirit, in you so that you will be guided by Him and never be left alone. Ask and you will receive, knock and the door will be open to you for everyone who ask receives and he who seeks finds. God so loves you and me!!

Here is an oracle of deliverance from God to His people. The present sense of safety and power that the enemy felt would not last; the past judgments of God on His nation would not continue. The Lord promised to break off the yoke that the enemy had placed on His people

Nahum 1:12-13

¹² Thus says the Lord: 

“Though they are safe, and likewise many, 

Yet in this manner they will be cut down 

When he passes through. 

Though I have afflicted you, 

I will afflict you no more; 

¹³ For now I will break off his yoke from you, 

And burst your bonds apart.” 

Luke 6:27-36

Who can understand a love like God’s? In our human way of looking at life it seems impossible....it is. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we aspire and attain to live life according to God’s principles. We need to keep His ways uppermost in our minds and lives praying always for His help and guidance.

The threat of religious persecution was very real when Jesus presented His command for extraordinary love. The reference to a cursing enemy suggests a context of religious persecution. 

The one who seeks to love will always remain exposed and at risk. Jesus’ instruction here is to forgive and forget. Such love as Jesus describes recognizes the preferences of others and is sensitive to them. The practice of loving one’s enemies is modeled by God Himself, who is kind to the unthankful and evil. Jesus also notes that the reward will be great for the losses suffered while practicing this type of love. This reward will be a hundredfold—that is, ten thousand percent

Luke 6:27-36

²⁷  “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 

³² “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 

Mark 7:6-7

God’s ways are far above man’s and He honors those who honor Him and His ways above the ways of man. In the ‘my personal rights society’ that we live in it is hard to fathom that love, God’s agape love, rules supreme and who does He love....all of His creation.

Jesus did not directly answer the question but instead addressed two more significant issues: (1) the superiority of God’s law over man-made tradition and (2) the difference between ceremonial and true moral defilement. Jesus enters into the argument by calling His adversaries hypocrites. The term originally referred to actors who wore masks on stage as they played different characters. Thus the Pharisees were not genuinely religious; they were merely playing a part for all to see.

Mark 7:6-7

⁶ He answered and said to them,  “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 

‘This people honors Me with their lips, 

But their heart is far from Me. 

⁷ And in vain they worship Me, 

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 

Isaiah 6:6

^{God in His infinite mercy and grace gave man His only begotten Son to die for our sins and to give us the chance to be with Him eternally. No greater love than this exists!}

The live coal … from the altar symbolizes both the purification of blood and the fire of the Spirit that enabled the prophet to speak. From that point on, his words would be light to his hearers and power to those who would listen. The fact that a coal from the altar was used reminds us that ultimately all sin is forgiven because of a sacrifice. The sacrifices on the temple altar point to the ultimate sacrifice of the Savior Jesus. God sovereignly and graciously forgave Isaiah’s sin.

^{Isaiah 6:6-7}

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; 

Your iniquity is taken away, 

And your sin purged.” 

Ezekiel 35:10-13

God watches over those who trust in Him and He remembers His promises and keeps them even when we do not.

A second reason for God’s revenge on Edom is given, in addition to that in v. 5—Edom expected to take over Judah and Israel after their destruction by the Babylonians. These two nations refers to Israel and Judah.

Ezekiel 35:10-13

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will ^kpossess them,’ although ^lthe Lord was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do ^maccording to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. ^{12 n}Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have ^oheard all your ^pblasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ ¹³ Thus ^qwith your mouth you have ⁶boasted against Me and multiplied your ^rwords against Me; I have heard them.”

this day choose who you will serve

this is the second day in a row that I have been led to this passage....choose life and that in abundance

Ezekiel 34:25-27

Soon, very soon, we will dwell safely in the loving arms of our heavenly Father. No more sorrow and no more tears. With the return of Lord Jesus, evil will be eliminated and man will no longer be enslaved by his human nature and the evil that surrounds him.

The exiles were encouraged through this promise of a covenant of peace, characterized by these promises: (1) security from foreign aggressor nations, the wild beasts; (2) showers of blessing, meaning productivity and prosperity; and (3) the certainty that the Lord is Israel’s God and desires reunion with His people and a lasting relationship built on a new covenant.

Ezekiel 34:25-27                        

25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

Luke 11:52

The knowledge of God is not found in man’s rules it is spiritually discerned through the Holy Spirit. The letter of the law kills but Jesus gives abundant life. Remember no one is worthy of God’s mercy and grace it is His gift and it is received by faith!

Jesus charged the lawyers with doing the opposite of what they claimed their calling to be. Rather than bringing people nearer to God, they had removed the possibility of their entering into that knowledge, and had prevented others from understanding as well.

1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all,

Luke 11:52                                                                                           

52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Luke 17:5-6

We need to increase our faith, faith in God and in His ability to accomplish that which we cannot. In the measure that we believe Him we can receive from Him.

Even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed can do wonderful things. The black mulberry tree has a vast root system that allows it to live up to six hundred years.

Luke 17:5-6                                                 

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”       

6 So the Lord said,  “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

John 10:7-10

I believe that God directs our steps on this earth. That is not to imply that it will be without its trials and temptations BUT it is to say that if we place the whole of our life into His hands everything will work out for our good. I love God, Father, Son and dear Holy Spirit and I have faith in their total control that I may have life, rich and full of His mercy and grace.

Some shepherds lay down across the entry of the sheepfold at night to sleep. Wild beasts would be discouraged from entering, and sheep would not exit. Thus the shepherd was also the door. The thieves and robbers were the Pharisees. Jesus, the shepherd, gives spiritual life and access to spiritual food.

Abundant life includes salvation, nourishment, healing, and much more. Life here refers to eternal life, God’s life. It speaks not only of endlessness, but of quality of life. With Christ, life on earth can reach much higher quality, and then in heaven it will be complete and perfect.

John 10:7

7 Then Jesus said to them again,  “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Luke 17:3-4

There is hope for us that if we are admonished by God to forgive others always and in all ways then He in His mercy must feel the same about us! In showing mercy we are given mercy. Praise be to God almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Luke 17:3-4

3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Mark 3:39-41

Jesus holds the key to life and death, heaven and hell. Place your life into His hands and choose eternal life in heaven with God. Do not fear  He will never leave you nor forsake you! The only thing that pleases God is faith, faith in Him and in His ability to save. GOD is in control!

Jesus’ command over the wind and the sea demonstrates His full and complete deity. Only God the Creator can calm wind and sea. Mark uses the disciples’ question “Who can this be?” to evoke a similar response in the minds of his readers. Mark relates the works and words of the one he calls “Jesus Christ, the Son of God”

Mark 4:39-41                                                                                                                            

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them,  “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

2 Peter 3:8-9

God wants no one to perish but all of us to have eternal life with Him through Jesus Christ.  Dear Lord please help me to share Your mercy and compassion  for all of Your creation and to be Your hands and heart to a dying world.

God will surely accomplish His purposes and promises, even though it may appear that He is slow in doing so. His timing is always perfect. Here Peter is describing the sovereign God’s desire that all people would turn to Him and turn away from unprofitable lives.

2 Peter 3:8-9                                                                                                               

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 1:18-22

In fulfillment of the Old Testament the legal Davidic lineage of Jesus was passed down by Joseph the stepfather. The divine lineage was brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit who came upon Mary so that she conceived the Son of God. Jesus Christ was all God and all Man in order to bring the perfection of the Trinity to save imperfect, fallen man. God called and Mary and Joseph listened!

Just as Joseph became the willing adopted father of the Son of God so we have the privilege to be called the adopted sons of God through the willingness of Jesus Christ to give His life in exchange for ours!

Universally, the basic element of marriage is a contract. In Jewish culture, this covenant was made about a year before the consummation of the marriage. It was during the one-year period of betrothal that Mary was found to be pregnant. The fact that Mary was a virgin at this time is clearly implied by the phrase before they came together, and by the righteous character of Joseph and his desire to divorce Mary when her pregnancy became known. Joseph wanted to divorce Mary on the grounds of infidelity. A divorce would be necessary because they had already made a marriage covenant, even though they had not yet known each other physically. Joseph could have made the divorce a public matter, or he could have gone through a private ceremony before two witnesses. Being a gracious and just man, Joseph decided to keep it private.

Verses 1–17 establish Jesus as a legal son of Joseph. Verses 18–25 deny that Joseph was Jesus’ physical father. The first was necessary to establish Jesus’ lineage to David and His royal right to be King. The second was necessary to establish His qualifications to be the Savior of all people: Jesus was God’s Son and not merely Joseph’s.

Matthew 1:18-22                                                                                                                           

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”