2 Timothy 1:13 Freely given...freely receive His gift of grace!

Keep the  faith in Jesus! It pleases the Father that we accept His free gift which cost Him so very much.

Holy Spirit will take the teachings of Jesus and make them come alive in Scripture giving us the understanding and guidance that only He can give.

2 Timothy 1:13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The New King James Version

Paul considered his life and teaching worthy of imitation. Faithlife Study Bible

Hold fast is a command to Timothy to persist in the sound words of healthy teaching. Many who say they speak for Christ proclaim false doctrine. Like Timothy, we need to pursue sound teaching and avoid all teaching that does not conform to the Scriptures, no matter how good certain teachers might sound or how large their following might be. The NKJV Study Bible

Titus 1:9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:11 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

Peter was writing to the dispersed Jews. The Spirit of Christ made him aware of the tribulation to come. They would need to soberly await the return of Christ. We need to be careful what we say and do doing our best to emulate Jesus. We were redeemed with His precious blood. From the beginning of mankind’s existence God, knowing that we would fail,  already had His plan of redemption. As children of God we need to walk holy as He is holy walking out our faith  realizing we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Jesus ordained before the foundation of the earth knew His Kingdom would have no end. Our faith and hope is in Him. We are born again not of corruptible flesh but of the seed of Christ. All flesh will wither and die but the Spirit  of God in us, who raised Jesus from the grave, will also raise us up. 

Luke 4:16 

And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus in the synagogue reading from the scripture recalled the prophet Isaiah and the acceptable year of the Lord. He closed the book and sat down. On that day the scripture was fulfilled.

Isaiah 61:2 

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

When the house of Israel rejected their King the Gospel of Grace was given to the Gentiles they were brought into “the Body of Christ”.

Matthew 9:35 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Jesus Christ came to His own and they did not recognize Him.

Jesus went about preaching in the synagogue the Gospel of the Kingdom. He preached not to the Gentiles but to the lost sheep of Israel telling them that the Kingdom had come  they only needed to accept Him as their redeemer King.

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Peter spoke of Jesus and His crucifixtion and of His return. Showing from the psalms that He would suffer many things for our redemption. Peter had witnessed His rising from the dead. He realized the Jesus now resides at the right hand of God until His enemies are made His footstool. He let them know that He who they had crucified was their King sent to  the 12 tribes of Israel. there is no denying that God hardening their hearts allowed us entry into His Kingdom. He will never desert Israel and one day they will look upon Him as their King and Lord. Carla

We may or may not be facing physical persecution; however, we all face fiery trials in life. In funeral homes and hospital beds, in broken marriages and within prison walls … With Christ, we are never alone. First5

There is no denying the fact that we live in a world where we don't breathe all that well.  It is too easy to opt for, or be tempted by, distraction; to create a life filled (suffocated) with encumbrances and cares. And especially urgent meetings.  It is something about an inherent need to justify our time as well spent. Even if it involves our passion. As if our passions (and even our hobbies) must be justified to be valid. I picked up a book the other day with the title, "What you are really meant to do." (I honestly couldn't wait to find out.) A well-meaning in title (because we all have a place where our passions do come to life), but it ends up creating an itch exacerbating some internal clock that tells us we find meaning only when or after we arrive at our dream job. There is something dispiriting about believing that now—this present moment—now, can only be an interim life where we tread water. Sabbath Moments 

Acts 22:1-5 22 Paul coming to terms with his relationship with Jesus

It was extremely hard for Saul as a Pharisee who had persecuted those of the  Way to be brought face to face with the One he was persecuting them for. As a Pharisee he was fanatical about the Law and just as judgmental in the person of Jesus Christ. He would learn the hard way the folly of unbelief. After his personal encounter with Jesus, Paul completely turned his life around, he came face to face with the truth of the salvation that only comes with a relationship with Jesus Christ. This encounter allowed him to be the apostle to the Gentiles then and now.

It is not for us to know the day and time of Christ return but we can spread the Good News carrying out the Father’s desire that no one would perish without Him.

Acts 22:1-5 22 “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” 2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ The New King James Version

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Peter was addressing Jewish believers who were suffering persecution. There was a lot of pressure for them to turn back to the Jewish doctrine and deny Jesus. They chose to wait for the return of their King. The Old Testament Prophets had searched but could not totally understand the mystery of the coming of Christ. The testing of their faith will be to the glory of the  returning of the Lord. The dispersed Jews had not experienced Jesus’s earthly ministry.  They would receive the end of their faith the saving of their souls.

Everything, every thing, is under God’s control and will be competed in His timing not ours.

Daniel 12:8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”

Daniel 12:13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.

Daniel heard but he did not understand and was wondering what would be the end of things. God told him to go about his life not worrying about when the end would be. In the end times Daniel would arise and receive his inheritance in God’s Kingdom.

Two parallel lines run through scripture. One the suffering Messiah and the other His glorious return and restoration of  His Kingdom.

Jeremiah 30:4 

Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

“For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,

Of fear, and not of peace.

Jeremiah prophesied that in the future the tribes of Israel would suffer greatly. The day of tribulation would be a time of Jacob’s troubles. 

Zechariah 13:8 

And it shall come to pass in all the land,”

Says the Lord,

“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,

But one-third shall be left in it:

I will bring the one-third through the fire,

Will refine them as silver is refined,

And test them as gold is tested.

They will call on My name,

And I will answer them.

I will say, ‘This is My people’;

And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

Acts 3:18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Peter recalled to them that Christ would suffer many things and fulfill the Law. Jesus will return when they have repented of their unbelief and openly glorify Jesus Christ as their Messiah and King. 

Genesis 35:16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

In the land of Palestine while on the  journey  Rachel delivered her son  and she called his name Benoni the son of suffering but Jacob changed it to Benjamin the son of my faith. The Old Testament prophets foresaw that there would be a suffering  messiah and that He would also be the ruling King of the Jews. The Jews of today still look for the King who would rule the earth and not the suffering Messiah of the Old Testament.

In speaking to a hostile Jewish audience, Paul uses old testament imagery as he seeks to show that his message is not an abandonment of his Jewish heritage. He explains his message via his own encounter with Jesus.

Paul proudly proclaims he is a Jew. This emphasizes to the audience that the allegations against him are false. Paul had evidently moved to Jerusalem as a young man and studied under Gamaliel. Paul was well known among the nation’s elite. Paul’s reaction matches the reactions of those in the old testament who have divine encounters. Earlier, Acts records a shorter statement, leaving out this phrase, the Nazarene,  which was one way Jesus was identified. Faithlife Study Bible

This was the first of five defenses Paul would make. After speaking Greek to the commander, Paul addressed the people in the Hebrew dialect, most likely Aramaic. When the people heard him speaking to them in their own language they were reminded that Paul was not a Gentile but a Jew like themselves. Therefore, they listened to what he had to say. Paul explained to the crowd that he understood why they were beating him and wanted him dead. They were zealous for God. Paul was not blaming them for what they had done to him. He pointed out that in his former zeal he would have done the same thing. 

Paul showed compassion even to his attackers; we should model that same type of compassion for all people who have not yet placed their faith in Jesus. Paul shared his personal testimony. God has given to each of us a testimony of how He has changed our lives. We must share that testimony to everyone who will listen. Peter exhorts us in 1 Peter 3:15 always to be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. The NKJV Study Bible

Acts 9:1–22 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem…

Acts 26:9–18 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them…

Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

There will be seasons where we experience loss or suffering, and we will need to decide what we value and continue to hold dear. Resolving to serve the Lord may require costly sacrifice, but we, too, can entrust ourselves to our faithful God. In fact, our faith proves genuine when it is tested by trials, and through our obedience, God gets the glory He deserves (1 Peter 1:3-6). If we focus on pleasing Him, our hearts and minds will be filled with peace, even if we must walk through fire (Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 43:2). First5

Hineini (Hebrew -- "Here I Am")
On this day may I be present
to the Miracle of being alive.
May I reach out to those who are suffering
and may I use my voice as a force for good.
May I have the courage to do what is right, not what is easy.
May I have the strength to shine a light in the darkness.
May I not distance myself from myself.
Joanne Fink

Luke 8:48 Keep your faith!

FAITH pleases God and it makes us malleable allowing Him to be in charge of our life so that He can direct our path. 

Luke 8:48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”The New King James Version

Everything is under God’s control when we invite Him into our life. Jesus birth came with shouts of peace, peace to the people of earth.

Luke 5:20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

In order to receive from God we have to believe that He is and that He cares and  provides for us. Our lives are precious to the Father, enough that He allowed Jesus to die for us and give us Holy Spirit, so that we are never alone nor forsaken. We have a redeemer, a Savior, in Christ  Jesus.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

Faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is LOVE.

God blesses us with all spiritual blessings knowing beforehand those who would believe in the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Allowing all, who by faith, will live eternally with Him.

John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world

God’s light is in every being created whether they acknowledge it or not. 

Romans 1:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 

The character of God is clearly seen and understood so that the whole of the human race is aware of His glory.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,

Every person has sinned and falls short of the glory of God. We are justified by the Blood of Jesus that we may declare His righteousness. He is the justifier of those who believe. Because He lives so do we. We are kept by the power of God through faith. Our faith will be revealed in the last days. Carla

It is the comfort of God’s people that all power is given unto Jesus Christ, their Saviour. He has under His check and control, the elements of the universe, the prince of the power of the air with all his most malignant demons, all human diseases, even death itself, and exercises these powers as will best glorify God. 

He is rich in fact who is rich in faith in Christ, having received the good seed of His promises into their hearts. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the New Testament

Luke 7:50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Matthew 9:22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

1 Samuel 1:17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

“If we want to be happy at all, I think, we have to acknowledge that the circumstances, which encourage us in our love of this existence, are essential. We are part of what is sacred. That is our main defense against craziness, our solace, the source of our best politics, and our only chance at paradise.” William Kittredge

Only Jesus can reconcile us to God and to each other through His sacrifice on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Colossians 1:20). Only Jesus can bring people from different nations and backgrounds into true, eternal fellowship with each other as His Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:28). Only because of Jesus can we look forward to the day when we will enjoy perfect unity as believers from all peoples, nations and languages praise Him around His heavenly throne (Revelation 7:9-10). First 5

In 1513, Fra Giovanni Giocondo wrote to Countess Allagia Aldobrandeschi, “I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep.  There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see.  And to see, we have only to look. I beseech you to look!
Life is so generous a giver. But we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love by wisdom, with power. Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel’s hand that brings it to you.

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me, that angel’s hand is there. The gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Your joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering, that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it; that is all!  But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together, wending through unknown country home.”

(Fra Giovanni Giocondo—1435–1515—was a Renaissance pioneer, architect, engineer, antiquary, archaeologist, classical scholar, and Franciscan friar.)

So. Here’s the deal: I believe this letter is addressed to every single one of us. More than ever, we need emotional and spiritual nourishment. Places of sanity and restoration.

The power of Giocondo’s letter is this simple reminder; these gifts (the “diviner gifts”) live within us. Today.

And yet, for various reasons, we do not see them.

And this I know, when we do not see, a part of us shuts down. 

In the cultural full court press about what it means to be human, we live in perpetual consternation over completing some list of expectations, always wondering if we measure up. And in our fixation to find the remedies, we miss… the small gifts of life, the serendipitous gifts of grace, the presence of the holy, and the gentle does of the sacred reflected in our everyday, and extraordinarily ordinary world. Yes, the “diviner gifts”. Sabbath Moments