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8 The Lord has purposed to destroy
The wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has stretched out a line;
He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying;
Therefore He has caused the rampart and wall to lament;
They languished together.
Four weeks after the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple, the palace, the homes of the people, and the city wall.
If the Lord is not with us we will not stand! Jesus Christ is our lifeline He is where heaven and earth intersect and in Him alone is our hope. We can learn from the past.....Pray for our nation and the world we live in to be healed.
2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15
Acts 15:16 ‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’
God’s love conquers all and Jesus said that we are to love God above all others and to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Who is our neighbor....everyone! The central issue is not determining who one’s neighbor is, but being a good neighbor to all. Let's do our part to put an end to division and strife.....easy to say but hard to do...BUT in God all things are possible :)
Luke 10:29 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke makes it clear that the lawyer was trying to place himself in the position of satisfying the highest demands of the Law. This question was an attempt to limit the demands of the Law by suggesting that some people are neighbors while others are not. The lawyer was looking for minimal obedience while Jesus was looking for absolute obedience.
An immature Christian naturally lacks many Christian traits, but no one should expect this condition to last.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Happy Birthday Jamey.....you are much loved!
Dear Holy Spirit, my friend since childhood, my comforter in troubled times and my lifeline to eternal life, please stay close to me all the days of my life. The peace of God, beyond our understanding, has sustained me when the reality of this world overwhelmed me.
The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances.
John 14:25-27
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
In good, in bad times and in all the time between.....place your trust in God alone. Everything is under His control, every little thing, and time is in His hands alone. What man cannot do....He can! Praise be to God.
Why was Peter’s life spared while James’s life was taken? The answer is the sovereign will of God. If we believe that God is good and wise, we can trust that what He allowed to happen was part of His wise plan for the good of all of His people. When we place our complete trust in the goodness of God, we can find true peace. God is in control despite any appearance to the contrary.
Acts 12:11
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
No one has the right to steal your peace in Christ, no one, place your faith in Him! Faith alone, believing without physically seeing, pleases God. Jesus came to this earth to give you hope through His salvation..... don’t allow anyone to steal it from you. Let Jesus into your life :)
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, the legalist. Satan used them to make salvation a matter of works, and not the free gift of God to all who would accept eternal life in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sins so that we could have an abundant life here and in the life to come.
The thieves take life; the shepherd gives it. 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 10:7-10
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.
In the measure that you believe you will receive the gifts of the Spirit to heal, to speak in His name and to cast out the evil of this world from your life. By faith we let God be God and work through us.
Mark 16:9-20
9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Where there is life there is hope! Hope that man will see the goodness and mercy of God and turn to Him and be forgiven. Life is finite and will come to an end but in Jesus eternal life with God exists for all who will choose to believe in His salvation.
This verse describes the destruction of four significant objects—a demonstration of the finality of this life. These words refer clearly to the universal fate of the descendants of Adam and Eve.
Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God or everything else is meaningless. If He is the only begotten Son, all God and all man, He has the right to forgive man his sins. Through His death, in atonement for my sins, and in His resurrection from the dead He conquered death and gave me, the moment I accepted His sacrifice, true and everlasting freedom. In Jesus we have peace with God.
The Gospel According to Matthew
Succession to a throne is often a time of conflict and uncertainty. This is no less true when the heir is the King of kings. If ever there was a high-stakes succession, this was it. A Man claims to be Israel’s own Messiah; of course all Israel sits up and takes notice. Of course He must prove His credentials: Who wants an impostor?
The Book of Matthew presents Jesus’ credentials. It presents Jesus as the King, but King of a totally different kingdom—the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew, as a Jew, unashamedly shapes his account about Jesus’ life so it is understood by a Jewish audience. His goal is to convince his peers that the King of kings has come. With this in mind, he uses terms and names that Jews will resonate with. By quoting more passages from the Old Testament than any other New Testament writer, he attempts to validate that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. No less than 12 times Matthew presents Jesus as Israel’s Messianic King. Also unique to Matthew is the expression, “that it might be fulfilled” which was spoken by various prophets. By footnoting familiar passages the Jews accepted as God’s inspired Word, Matthew builds his case for Christ with the precision of a former tax collector. Examine for yourself how he substantiates the prophecies that pointed to Jesus’ miraculous and obscure birth, His birthplace, His exile to Egypt and return to Israel, and His rejection and suffering. No wonder Matthew begins his book with an impressive genealogy of Jesus’ link to King David.
Genealogy means “origin.” Genealogies were very important to first-century Jews. A genealogy (1) proved that a person was indeed an Israelite, (2) identified the tribe to which he or she belonged, and (3) qualified certain Jews for religious duties such as Levitical and priestly service. Christ’s genealogy is crucial to historic Christianity. Matthew traced the lineage of Christ Jesus back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to show that He was a Jew, but also back through David to inform the readers that Jesus is qualified to rule on the throne of David (see 2 Sam. 7:12), an event still in the future.
When I read something ugly posted by a Christian.....I am a gun tootin, flag waving and ending with derogatory remarks about a serving politician..it saddens me. No wonder others find American Christianity repulsive.
The Bible says we are not to speak against the rulers of our countries because they are appointed by Him. I realize that that is hard to do BUT we represent Him and His love for all people, all of His creation, because He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for all of us...way before we became believers. When we were still wallowing in sin He loved us. We are called to follow His command to Love Him above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves....not just those that we agree with. We need to think hard before we speak and blog about it!
If Satan can get enough of us to fight each other in our churches without tolerance for another persons views (socialism) then he has won and the biggest loser is the Church.
Jesus’ reply in parables was actually a threefold message that contrasted unity and disunity. Nothing—including Satan’s kingdom—can stand if it is divided.
Mark 3:24-26
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Our hope rest in Christ alone, in the mercy and grace that God gave to the world, and in His power to enable us to show others that mercy in our words and in our actions. The results of not doing it His way, the right way, is the destruction of all that we say we believe in. God will not tolerate lip service and He deserves our good works! Throughout the Bible social justice is a huge thing to God and we need to pay attention to His instructions regarding others and repent!
Hosea calls the people to repentance, reminding them that a decision could not be postponed, and that God’s blessings could still be restored. In Israel’s case, the people had to reestablish social justice—righteousness—and loyalty—mercy—in the land.
Plowing and planting are necessary preliminary steps for growing a crop, which eventually sprouts when the rain falls in season. In the same way, repentance would set the stage for restored blessing, which God would eventually rain down on His people.
Hosea 10:12
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
The Greater Middle East is amass with tragedy......violence and deception are everywhere. Is there hope for man? God loves all of His creation and has compassion for all humanity. Our only hope is Jesus Christ and His message of salvation and peace that He gives to all who will accept Him. The Biblical prophesy of Ishmael lives on.
Genesis 16:7-16
Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”
9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her:
“Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are- the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
The gift of salvation in Christ Jesus was too great to be given to only the Jews, so God in His infinite mercy and grace extended it to all who would choose to believe.
A person who convinces himself that he does not need forgiveness from the Holy One has already condemned himself.
When Luke refers to the Jews, he is not speaking of all Jews. The Jews who were urging Paul and Barnabas “to continue in the grace of God,” honestly wanted to know the truth. The Jews in this verse were the Jewish leaders, those in the positions of religious authority. When the Jewish leaders saw the crowds following Paul, they changed their minds about Paul and became filled with jealousy, especially since many of the people who had gathered were Jews.
Acts 13:46-47
46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Conforming to the standards of society in order to achieve success or popularity brings with it spiritual death. We cannot please the world nor be eye candy for it and do what is right and just in the eyes of God. Sometimes we all are hypocrites, saying one thing and meaning quite another, but the truth remains the same. We need to do the right thing for the right reasons........God’s way not man’s. Keep in mind that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and we need to heed His command by loving God with our whole heart, mind and spirit and loving others as much as we love ourselves...tough job in this day and age!
To preserve one’s life eternally, one must surrender earthly possessions and relationships held so dearly. Those who are willing to confess Him today will be rewarded before the Father in heaven.
Mark 8:34-38
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
When we are weak and vulnerable ...He is able to do His greatest works in us! Christ within us is the hope of salvation to the glory of God.
Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.
Mark 2:17
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
We who call ourselves followers of Christ are to live our lives serving others not ourselves. Our life should be a refection of God’s great love for man...not just a few but for all of His creation. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who ever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. We may be the only person that touches another life in His name. May we be worthy of His calling!
The Pharisees and scribes took the Scriptures at face value, so their instructions were to be followed. However, Jesus warned the people of the Pharisees’ legalism, their tendency to value their own rules and regulations over the Scriptures. They followed their external laws meticulously and appeared to be righteous. Yet the people were not to imitate their actions, for although they appeared righteous, their hearts were filled with all kinds of envy, hatred, and malice.
Hierarchies of authority are not to be done away with in this world; however, all leadership is to be carried out humbly in a spirit of servanthood.
Matthew 23:1-12
23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Standing at the right hand of God is Jesus Christ accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish all that the Father wills. Not by human power but by His power is His will on heaven and earth completed. Jesus is the capstone of the Church, the grace of God, and He came with shouts of Peace, peace to the people of earth.......accept His grace!
The two olive branches are identified as two anointed ones, representatives of the religious and political offices in Israel, or of priest and king. Many identify the two branches with the high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel.
Zechariah 4:11-14
11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” 12 And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
13 Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”
Our actions speak louder than words. Let everything we do be to the glory of God.....Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
We are changed precept upon precept into the image of Christ who gathered to Himself the poor, the downtrodden and the outcasts of society, and whose only condemnation was with the white washed tombs of the religious right. Those who did everything right according to the letter of the law on the outside but were full of self righteousness and greed in reality doing what they found to benefit themselves.....they had it all wrong. Jesus came to serve others and we are called to do the same.
Paul speaks of the “renewing of your mind.” We do what we think is best, what makes sense to us. Paul was killing Christians because he thought it was the correct course of action. Christ’s revelation changed his thoughts, but his preaching of the Good News was visible proof that he had repented of his former ways. Genuine repentance is evidenced by changed behavior.
Acts 26:19-20
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Citizens of The United States of America, whatever nationality, whatever faith, whatever income level, whatever sex or whatever political belief are all Americans.....some of us were blessed enough to be born here, others paid a great price for the privilege...we need to respect all of our members! We will be judged on how we treat the least powerful of our citizens.
Originally the privileges of Roman citizenship were limited to free people living in the city of Rome. Later, citizenship was granted to others living in the Roman Empire. Sometimes the emperor would offer citizenship to those who had rendered outstanding service. Possibly Paul’s father or grandfather had became a citizen this way with the result that Paul was born a Roman. Ultimately God used Paul’s Roman citizenship to spread the gospel to Rome.
Acts 22:26-28
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”
And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
