Jeremiah 4:1-2

God is faithful when we admit our sins and ask for forgiveness to come into our life. In our obedience to His word He will change that life to one that will give Him honor and glory. He is faithful even when we are not and the truth of His salvation will set us free! 

The truth of the word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and His righteousness sets us free from the judgement of death that we deserve and relies totally on our faith in Him and not works to do that which we cannot.

The term abominations or “detestable objects” is usually used in the context of idolatry in the OT. The results of Israel’s justice and righteousness would have international consequences. Truth, judgment, and righteousness are three terms used to summarize the ultimate and ideal demands of the covenant. They are the standards by which all men, from kings to slaves, were and will be judged.

Jeremiah 4:1-2

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, 
“Return to Me; 
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, 
Then you shall not be moved. 
² And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ 
In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; 
The nations shall bless themselves in Him, 
And in Him they shall glory.” 

John 8:1-11

We are quick to judge others for their sins but quick to forget our own. God sees our heart and only wants us to recognize and ask forgiveness for our sins and and in doing so to have mercy and forgiveness for the sins of others. We are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. He is all loving, all merciful and full of compassion for His creation (who loved you enough to send His Son to die for your sins)...we should be the same! Our actions should be based on the question of what would Jesus do?

Because the Feast of Tabernacles had concluded the day before, many visitors were still in Jerusalem. Attracted by the appearance of a noted rabbi, a crowd rapidly gathered. Abruptly bringing the adulterous woman into the midst of the proceedings was a rude disruption. The Pharisees were bent on confounding Jesus. 

Sin no more implies that Jesus forgave her. He did not condemn her, but neither did He condone her sin.

John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.² Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. ³ Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 

⁷ So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. ¹⁰ When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her,  “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 

¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” 

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 

Words of wisdom

Two-thousand years ago the disciples of Jesus started a movement that changed the world.  Are we still changing the world?  We can.  We can be two-thousand times more effective—if we only try!

Here’s an example.  There are 145 million orphans worldwide.  Nearly 236 million of us living in the U.S. call ourselves Christian.  From a purely statistical standpoint, by ourselves, we have the wherewithal to house every orphan in the world.  There’s enough food on the planet to feed the hungry!  But the storehouse is locked.

God has given our generation everything we need to alter the course of human suffering. Change must start with us!  With our transformation!  Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever!  We can be more effective—if only we try!

From:  Max on Life

Acts 14:42-

Faith alone pleases God and it this faith that will get us safely home to Him. In the salvation of Jesus Christ the way is provided and through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish that which we cannot we are given the gift of eternal life with the Godhead. This free gift of salvation was to great to be given only to the Jews so the Father provided a time frame for all people to enter in. 

When Luke refers to the Jews, he is not speaking of all Jews. The Jews mentioned in v. 43, those 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.

A person who convinces himself that he does not need forgiveness from the Holy One has already condemned himself.

Acts 13:42-48

⁴² So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 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.’” 

⁴⁸ Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. 

Isaiah 6:16-17

On this day 9 years ago I lost my only son.....in the death of God’s only Son we were given eternal life.... for my son and all who believe and humbly trust in Him!

Good shall overcome evil and Jesus Christ shall be lifted up for all the world to see and to be blessed in Him.  Then the world will be as God created it to be and there will be peace for those who believe in Him and in His salvation. 

The judgment of the wicked is one demonstration of His exaltation. Proud people get little respect from God. What were formerly mansions surrounded with lush vineyards would become waste places, where lambs and fat ones, those prepared for sacrifice, feed.

Grapes grew plentifully in Palestine and the Hebrews devoted much time to their vineyards. The planting, pruning, and cropping of grapevines was hard work that many people considered to be menial. Yet the hill country of Judah offered grapevines a perfect climate. Walled vineyards and watchtowers came to symbolize the land of Judah.

To prepare a hillside for planting a vineyard, a farmer had to clear rocks from the ground and build stone hedges to hold the soil. The vines were planted in rows eight to ten feet apart. By forbidding farmers to gather grapes for the first three years, Mosaic Law guaranteed that the vines would be well-tended in their formative years. After clusters began to form again, pruners cut off twigs having no fruit. Wine was squeezed in September, and the Hebrews celebrated this occasion.

Luke 20:9-18 (Matt. 21:33–44; Mark 12:1–11)

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” 
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” 

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said,  “What then is this that is written: 
‘The stone which the builders rejected 
Has become the chief cornerstone’ ? 
¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 

Isaiah 5:16-17

¹⁶ But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, 
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. 
¹⁷ Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, 
And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat. 

Ezekiel 34:15-16

Grateful....I am overwhelmed with the love that God has for His children....I am totally filled with gratitude for His loving mercy,salvation and protection. Thank you Abba..thank You!

 A good leader is concerned that the people’s physical needs are being met and that care is provided for the sick and injured. A true leader looks for those who have fallen away. He leads like a shepherd by providing direction and correction, not with a fist but with a loving hand. A good leader protects those under his care and does not leave them to the wolves—to those who lead them astray. And finally, a good leader gives of himself to those under his charge. He cares about them and their well-being. 

Because Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, it is clear that He is the One about whom Ezekiel prophesied. He is the One who searches after His followers, saves them, guides them, and supplies their needs. Jesus’ self-sacrificing life provides the perfect blueprint for making a good shepherd and leader.

Ezekiel 34:15-16

¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.” 

Isaiah 17:10-11

Without God our best laid plans fail. With God even the very things meant to destroy us are deflected and changed into our blessings. Our salvation cost God His only begotten Son it is to be cherished and lifted up for all to see so that others may be saved.

The people had committed the very sin that God warned them not to: they had forgotten the God who had saved them from slavery. Just as the choice vines of the Lord’s vineyard disappointed Him (5:1–7), so His errant people would find their harvest hopes shattered.

Isaiah 17:10-11

¹⁰ Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, 
And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, 
Therefore you will plant pleasant plants 
And set out foreign seedlings; 
¹¹ In the day you will make your plant to grow, 
And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; 
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins 
In the day of grief and desperate sorrow. 

Jeremiah 46:27-28

God will preserve those who place their trust in Him....Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He will make His enemies His footstool. Our enemies are not physical but spiritual and we fight the forces of darkness with the sword of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that He corrects those He loves and He will use the things meant by our enemy to destroy us to shape us into the image of Jesus Christ. Let go and let God!

Ephesians 6:10  ¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Israel, God’s chosen people, would be preserved.

Jeremiah 46:27-28

²⁷ “But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, 
And do not be dismayed, O Israel! 
For behold, I will save you from afar, 
And your offspring from the land of their captivity; 
Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; 
No one shall make him afraid. 
²⁸ Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord, 
“For I am with you; 
For I will make a complete end of all the nations 
To which I have driven you, 
But I will not make a complete end of you. 
I will rightly correct you, 
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.” 

Nehemiah 1:5-11

The rebuilding of Jerusalem started with prayer and ended with restoration. When we invite God into our life it may not be instantaneous or without obstacles BUT it does end in success. When we are honest with ourselves and with Him about our failures and sins He is merciful to step in and help us straighten out the mess we have made, changing the very things meant to destroy us into something that will benefit His kingdom on earth. We are in the beginning, planning stages, of a new Christian led neighborhood program in our city based on the command of Jesus to “love your neighbor”.  May it start with our prayers and end in His glory!

Times of trial require godly leadership. This book is principally the story of such gifted leadership in the person of Nehemiah. Facing criticism and opposition, Nehemiah resolutely led the small Israelite community as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem for its physical protection. But he also did not hesitate to guide the Israelites spiritually. By demanding that the Israelites obey God’s law, Nehemiah pursued their spiritual as well as their physical welfare.

Like Jesus, Nehemiah gives up a high position in order to identify with the plight of his people. Like Jesus, he comes with a specific mission and accomplishes it. And like Jesus, Nehemiah’s life is punctuated by his prayerful dependence on God. His purpose is not just to get the Jews back to Jerusalem; his ultimate goal is restoration! By using this ancient name for the Jewish people, Nehemiah indicated the continuity of the Jewish people of his day with the Israelites of the past: Nehemiah then confessed the sins of his father’s house as well as his own. His confession was national, communal, and personal. His own sin was part of the whole. Nehemiah was suggesting to the Lord that the time was right, the people were right, and the task was right to restore Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:5-11

⁵ And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, ⁶ please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. ⁷ We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. ⁸ Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; ⁹ but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ ¹⁰ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” 

Lamentations 1:8

Has the Church, the Body of Christ,  been defiled.....and are we the cause? We water down the Gospels to suit the lifestyles of our society and in the process we appear as hypocrites. Making the success of a few more important than the good of the whole ends up dismissing 97% of the people in the world. When did money become our god and filling up buildings our goal? We need to get back to the basics of Christ-ianity and make Him and His teachings our center. We need to remember that God sent Jesus to save us from ourselves.....He preached a message of God’s agape love for man and gave us the opportunity to return that love to Him by loving others as much as we do ourselves.

It was an extreme humiliation for a woman to be stripped of all her clothing in public. Such exposure was reserved for prostitutes, which Judah had become in a spiritual sense. In Lamentations, Jeremiah weeps over the sins of the people, the sins that would eventually result in the destruction of Jerusalem.

Lamentations 1:8

⁸ Jerusalem has sinned gravely, 
Therefore she has become vile. 
All who honored her despise her 
Because they have seen her nakedness; 
Yes, she sighs and turns away. 

Jeremiah 44:24-29

It is a dangerous to be in a place or situation that God had no intention of you being in ....He is the Lord our God and false gods  including the need for wealth, power and control He will not tolerate.  He is all seeing, all knowing and all powerful and everything is under His control. I have no desire to be out of the will of God for my life, intentionally or unintentionally, do you? Only by His mercy and grace do we have the shield of His protection....like Jacob hold on for dear life and don’t let go! We need to know Scripture under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit to know what Jesus would do? Faith is our shield Ephesian 6:10!

Luke

4 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 

³ And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 

⁴ But Jesus answered him, saying,  “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” 

⁵ Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶ And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷ Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 

⁸ And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 

⁹ Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written: 

‘He shall give His angels charge over you, 

To keep you,’ 

¹¹ and, 

‘In their hands they shall bear you up, 

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 

¹² And Jesus answered and said to him,  “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 

¹³ Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 

shield (Heb. magen) (18:30, 35; Gen. 15:1) Strong’s #4043: The Hebrew noun for shield is derived from the verb ganan, which means “to defend” and signifies the protective guardianship of God. The shield is a common biblical symbol for protection. Kings and rulers are described as “shields” protecting their people (47:9; 89:1, 8), and the Bible frequently depicts God as a shield protecting those who trust in Him (18:30). This imagery has its roots in the Abrahamic covenant, where God describes Himself as Abraham’s shield (Gen. 15:1). David praises the Lord for being his “shield,” “stronghold,” and “refuge” (2 Sam. 22:3).

The focus here is on the stubbornness of the women who persisted in their idolatry. Nothing could make them abandon their vows to worship Ishtar. The name of God reveals His quality and character in dealing with humankind. 

A small remnant would survive and see the fulfillment of God’s word as revealed through Jeremiah. Their own hopes of prosperity in Egypt would vanish, and the sign of God’s work against them would be the fall of Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt. In 570 b.c. Hophra was overthrown in a military coup by his own general Amasis. Three years later he was executed in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Jeremiah 44:24-29

²⁴ Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! ²⁵ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ ²⁶ Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” ²⁷ Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. ²⁸ Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. ²⁹ And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.’ 

Acts 7:9-16

God will use the very things meant to destroy your faith and turn them into a blessing to be used to uplift and give hope to others. Faith is the substance hoped for but not yet seen and it alone pleases God. The Trinity is bigger than any problem that befalls man.......Just believe in their power and not your own!

The patriarchs refers to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, and his 12 sons. Jacob’s name, meaning “Usurper,” was changed by God to Israel, meaning something like “God’s Defender.” His 12 sons were the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. The famine proved to be the providential means of bringing Joseph’s brethren to Egypt in search of grain—and more importantly, of reconciling them with Joseph.

Acts 7:9-16

⁹ “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him ¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. ¹¹ Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. ¹³ And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. ¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. ¹⁶ And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. 

Mark 6:1-6

We must be careful that “familiarity does not breed contempt” in us for the very people that Christ has placed into our life to complete the good work that He started. Nothing in our Christian life is left to circumstance.....everything, every little thing, is ordered by God. Trust Him to put you exactly where you need to be!

Jesus went to minister in His own country, the area where He grew up, around Nazareth. Mark mentions Jesus’ four brothers by name as well as His sisters. One brother, James, did not trust Christ prior to His crucifixion, but seems to have come to faith after Jesus’ resurrection. He later became the leader of the church in Jerusalem  and wrote the Epistle of James. Judas later authored the Book of Jude (Jude 1). A prophet is not without honor except in his own country is a maxim still repeated and still true today. 

Mark 6:1-6

6 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 

⁴ But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 

Mark 1:6-8

It is impossible to internalize the teachings of  Scripture without the Holy Spirit. He takes the teachings of Christ, and the Testaments written through men under His inspiration, and explains  them to us. He is our teacher and without Him there would be no permanent change. The Holy Spirit matures us, precept by precept, into the image of His Son. Without Him we will read the Bible without comprehending the context. He brings the Gospels to life by abiding in us...completing God’s plan of redemption for those who by faith believe in the salvation provided in Jesus Christ. 

The prediction that Christ will baptize you with the Holy Spirit appears in each Gospel. The water is a physical representation of the future life in the Spirit that people who followed the Messiah would have. Presumably the Day of Pentecost marked the fulfillment of this promise.

Romans 5: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

Mark 1:6-8

⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

Ezekiel 34:20-24

We need to think about the role of leaders...there are God’s rulers who look after and care for ALL of the people and then there are those who only care about how it affects them and their constituents. Food for thought!

Throughout the Bible, the image of the shepherd is very important. From David, the shepherd boy who became the first king of Israel, to Jesus Christ, who said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), the shepherd represents one who loves and cares for his flock just as a leader or ruler cares for those under his charge.
Some characteristics of a good shepherd include feeding the flock, tending the weak and sick, searching for the lost, guiding with love, gathering and protecting the sheep, and giving one’s best to them. On the other hand, a bad shepherd is more concerned about feeding himself, worrying about his own health, guiding with a heavy hand, abandoning or scattering his flock, and keeping the best for himself.

Ezekiel 34:20-24

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them— My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. 

Ezekiel 34:16

When we accept the salvation of Jesus Christ we are adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit will knock on the doors of our heart and  help us to face and to conquer the demons that have enslaved us. He will change us precept upon precept into the character of His Son and in the process heal the wounds of our past in forgiveness .....when we let Him in He saves us physically, mentally and spiritually. He loves us so!

Some characteristics of a good shepherd include feeding the flock, tending the weak and sick, searching for the lost, guiding with love, gathering and protecting the sheep, and giving one’s best to them. On the other hand, a bad shepherd is more concerned about feeding himself, worrying about his own health, guiding with a heavy hand, abandoning or scattering his flock, and keeping the best for himself.

Ezekiel 34:16

¹⁶ “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.” 

Matthew 1:1-17

Character, what is it and what should the core values of a Christian show to others? In the beginning, at the start of the New Testament, the first day of the salvation of Christ and the beginning of Christianity, did the world see or understand the depth of the love of the Trinity for man? What did it look like and to whom was it being written? Too small a thing to be only for His immediate family we, who by faith believe, become the extended family of God... adopted through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The day that you accept Him becomes the first day of your true and eternal life! Our lives should reflect Him to the physical world....does it? It is never too late to change as long as the Holy Spirit is on this earth waiting for us to turn our hearts to Him. Our lives should be wrapped around one concept:

What would Jesus do? 

Matthew’s Gospel serves several purposes beyond presenting a mere biography of Jesus. One purpose is to prove to Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah and promised King. The genealogy in chapter 1 points to Christ as the One who inherited God’s promises to David of an eternal dynasty. Even though many Jews of Jesus’ time were blind to Jesus’ identity, Gentiles (such as the wise men) identified Him as Israel’s promised King when He was a baby. Finally, the charge that hung above Jesus’ head on the Cross clearly highlights His royalty: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. But most important, the Book of Matthew proves Jesus’ legitimate authority by highlighting His wise teaching and righteous life. 

 The rejection of Jesus by the Jews is a dominant theme of Matthew. Because of this rejection, God postponed the fulfillment of His promises to Israel and subsequently extended His blessings to both Jew and Gentile in the church.

Matthew is the only Gospel writer who speaks directly of the church. He points to the Gentile composition of this church by including several stories of the Gentiles’ faith in Jesus: the wise men, the centurion, and the Canaanite woman. He records Jesus’ prediction that the gospel will be preached to all nations, and the commission to the disciples to “make disciples of all the nations”.

A final purpose of Matthew is to instruct the church.The discipling process involves instruction in the words of Christ, and the Gospel of Matthew revolves around five of Jesus’ discourses.

Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 

² Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. ⁴ Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. ⁵ Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse begot David the king. 
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. ⁸ Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. 

¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. ¹⁴ Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. ¹⁶ And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. 

Jeremiah 2:28

There is only way to the Father.....through His Son. The false gods that we make for ourselves in our pursuit of money, relationships or work are powerless to protect us. We need to make God our top priority, accepting His salvation in Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to do His mighty work in fallen man. It is our only hope!

The picture of the wild dromedary, a female camel in heat, and a wild donkey mad with lust vividly portrays the craving of Israel for foreign gods.

Jeremiah 2:28

But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? 
Let them arise, 
If they can save you in the time of your trouble; 
For according to the number of your cities 
Are your gods, O Judah. 

Nehemiah 5:1-13

In the midst of a devastating famine, the poor of the Jews were mortgaging their homes to the wealthier Jews, with interest, to get money to pay the King’s taxes or for food. This left some of them without money to buy food for themselves and their families. Many of their sons and daughters became slaves to these Jews in order to survive. All of this happened after they had brought their brothers and sisters back from slavery in other nations. They were doing the very same thing that their enemies had done to the poorest of the their brethren. Did they not fear God? We are commanded by Jesus to love our neighbors especially those of our own household, as much as we love ourselves.....we are one Body in Christ.....as a Christian nation how we treat the poorest of our citizens reflects on our God.

The prolonged period of working, watching, fear, and weariness inevitably led to trouble among the people in Jerusalem. There were three groups of complainers. The first group had large families, and did not have enough food to eat. The second group had large mortgages to pay and could not buy food. The third group had large taxes to pay and had been forced to mortgage their land and even to sell their children. The people’s basic problem is pinpointed in the words against their Jewish brethren. The people were not complaining merely about poverty and high taxes; they were grumbling about each other. the people refers to the poor; the brethren refers to the rich rulers. In short, this was a class conflict. The poor people had mortgaged their lands and vineyards and houses. They had borrowed money and even had sold their sons and daughters into slavery. From the perspective of the Law, there were two problems here: (1) usury, lending money and charging interest, and (2) slavery. 

Nehemiah’s first response to the sins of the Jewish people was anger. Deliberate disobedience to the Word of God ought to make a person indignant toward the sin—but not toward the sinner. After getting angry at the sins of the Jewish people (v. 6), Nehemiah spent some time in serious thought. He then confronted the guilty people. When Israel, a nation called by the Lord, stopped honoring and obeying Him, it became a scandal because God’s name was being dishonored. Nehemiah challenged the lenders to restore what they had taken with interest. The hundredth of the money is probably a reference to the interest they had been charging.

Nehemiah 5:1-13

And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. ² For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.” 

³ There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.” 

⁴ There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. ⁵ Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.” 

⁶ And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. ⁷ After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. ⁸ And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?” 

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. ⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰ I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! ¹¹ Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.” 

¹² So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.” 

Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. ¹³ Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” 
And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.