Acts 1:9-11 Our hope rest in Jesus!

To God all glory belongs!

Acts 1:9-11 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” 

Jesus told them about the future events that would transpire, culminating in His ascension and subsequent return in His divine glory. This prophecy was spoken by  the prophet Zechariah, and it shall  come to pass. His covenant of peace will endure eternally, and His blessings and protection will never leave His chosen people. No weapon formed against them will succeed.

2 Kings 12:22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

The Lord, the living water, sustains all who place their faith in Him. His salvation is the gift of God offered to all of His creation. We cannot earn this gift of the Father for it is freely given and freely received. In our good works we show others our hope in Him. In Him, we attain right standing with God. He will reign in Jerusalem, and all nations will be blessed through the Abrahamic Covenant made with His chosen people. 

Isaiah 54:8-10 

With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; 

But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” 

Says the Lord, your Redeemer. 

9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn 

That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, 

So have I sworn 

That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 

10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, 

But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. The New King James Version

God’s mercies are renewed daily, characterized by boundless kindness and enduring patience. He desires no one to perish. His promises to Israel are unwavering. While God disciplines those He loves, His mercy remains steadfast with His chosen people and those who place their faith in the salvation in Jesus. His promises are steadfast and true.

Zechariah 14:13-4

Then the Lord will go forth 

And fight against those nations, 

As He fights in the day of battle. 

4 And in that day His feet 

will stand on the Mount of Olives, 

Which faces Jerusalem on the east.

Amidst the intense animosity directed towards Israel, the Lord will defend them. He will one day return and ascend to the Mount of Olives and establish his dominion as King in Jerusalem. Jesus will preside over all nations. Carla

While the Gospel of Luke concentrates on Jesus’ ministry on earth, His ascension and heavenly rule define the book of Acts. With His earthly ministry accomplished, Christ returns to God the Father, but He sends the Holy Spirit to make the work He accomplished fruitful through the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Faithlife Study Bible

Jesus promised that He would not leave nor forsake us, but would be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20; John 14:18). He fulfilled this promise in the form of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within believers (John 16:4–7). These portray the gradual, majestic departure of Jesus from the earth. The Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom will occur the same way Jesus ascended: physically, visibly, and in the clouds. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 16:27–28 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Mark 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

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Today and everyday we give thanks to God!

 A blessed Thanksgiving to all. And for Thanksgiving day, let us take to heart this prayer from O. Eugene Pickett.

“For the expanding grandeur of creation, worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations:
We give thanks this day.
For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons:
We give thanks this day.
For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements:
We give thanks this day.
For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression:
We give thanks this day.
For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared:
We give thanks this day.
For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:
We give thanks this day.
For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose:
We give thanks this day.
We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds.
We give thanks this day.” Sabbath Moments 

And to this I say Amen!

Genesis 4:25-26 …and then men began to call on the name of the Lord

Luke 3:38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

And then men called on the name of the Lord!!!!!

Genesis 4:25-26 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. 

God’s plan for our salvation has always been in motion, and His only begotten Son, our Redeemer King and Savior Jesus the Christ had the power to defeat the sins of the world. God is always faithful and merciful  to anyone who calls on His name and puts their trust in Him alone.

The Hebrew name sheth derives from a verb that means “to put,” “to place,” or “to set.” This subtly relates to the idea that the birth of Seth compensates for the loss of Abel. When not a proper name, the Hebrew noun sheth may be translated as “foundation,” since a foundation is itself set or put in place (Psalm 11:3).  Up to this point in the narrative, no one has invoked God by His name, yhwh (Yahweh). Faithlife Study Bible 

After the long, sad digression about Cain and his descendants, we return to Adam and Eve and their new progeny. With the death of Abel (verse 8) and the expulsion of Cain (verses 11, 12), Adam and Eve had no son to carry on their line for good and for the promise of the Messiah. Hence the importance of the birth of Seth. His name is related to a Hebrew verb meaning “to place” or “to set” for he was appointed to take the place of the murdered son in the plan of God. 

The birth of Enosh meant that the line of Seth would continue; the promise of the Lord would not be forgotten. Then they began to call on the name of the Lord. These words can hardly mean that only now did people begin to pray to God. Rather, the verb call means “to make proclamation.” That is, this is the beginning of preaching, of witnessing, and testifying in the name of the Lord. The NKJV Study Bible

Psalm 116:17  

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of the LORD.

Zephaniah 3:9 

“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language,

That they all may call on the name of the LORD,

To serve Him with one accord.

Genesis 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 

Isaiah 53:11-12 

He shall see the labor of His soul, 

and be satisfied. 

By His knowledge My righteous 

Servant shall justify many, 

For He shall bear their iniquities. 

12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, 

And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, 

Because He poured out His soul unto death, 

And He was numbered with the transgressors, 

And He bore the sin of many, 

And made intercession for the transgressors.

The Old Testament was written for the Israelites and those who joined the Jewish faith. All scripture is super valuable for understanding God’s ways. Jesus as King of the Jews,  His chosen people. But in Him, all of humanity can receive salvation. God’s plan of redemption was put in place  from the beginning. He planned for Jesus to be born, die, and rise again. This gift was offered to the whole world. Jesus died for every sin ever committed by humans. He is the only way to have right standing with the Father and to receive eternal life. Jesus will rule forever, and His Kingdom will never end! All we need is faith in  His salvation gift

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

Through faith, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted as a sin offering. This gift of God, given to us all, regardless of gender, race, social status, or any other characteristic, is found in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s all about trusting in Him alone for salvation.

Romans 3:9-12 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Adam’s sin condemned the whole world, but Jesus Christ redeemed it. The law can’t save anyone, but by faith alone in Jesus’ redemption, ALL can be saved. No one is worthy of His salvation, but it’s a free gift from God that we accept by faith. God’s righteousness, without the law, is shown in Him. Because of our sin, we’ve fallen short of God’s glory, but we live in His righteousness, not our own. Jesus’ shed blood and our faith in it saved us. We’re justified by faith in Jesus Christ, without the law. Carla

As Paul declared in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." 

The good works we do are meant to be a loving response of overwhelming gratitude for what God has done for us.For Paul, faith in Jesus resulted in a drastically changed heart that longed to serve God. And the same is true for us: "It is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

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When you desire to see the beauty and joy in everyday life; something magical happens; ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul.” Thank you, Jill Alman-Bernstein. 

I’ve found respite in Meister Eckert's advice, "If you can only learn one prayer, make it this one: Thank you."

Here’s the deal: Gratitude does not take away any of the difficult decisions or conundrums of our week. But it sure keeps us from looking in the rear-view mirror or around the next corner. Yes, one step at a time.

Gratitude allows us to live this life, and not the one we always figured that we’d trade this one in for.

Gratitude allows us to invest in what we can see, hear, taste, touch and smell in the moment. The sacrament of the present moment.

Gratitude allows us to partake in the joys of the everyday, to see the sacred in the very, very ordinary.

And gratitude helps us see that the sufficiency is not self-sufficiency, but that gratitude sees the connection, Ram Dass’ affirmation that we do indeed walk one another home. Sabbath Moments 

Jesus, King of kings and Lord over all!

Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 

No greater love exists than God’s love for His creation.

Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Romans 4:25–5:1 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Jesus was delivered up to death, taking the penalty of our sin on Himself. Just as God brought life from Abraham and Sarah, who thought they were unable to have children, so God raised Jesus back to life. Jesus’ resurrection brought us justification before God because His resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for us. The NKJV Study Bible

I want to live with a soft heart; to create a place for sanctuary, empathy, inclusion, compassion and kindness… a space where we are refueled to make a difference. Sabbath Moment

Isaiah 53:3-5 

He is despised and rejected by men, 

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; 

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

4 Surely He has borne our griefs 

And carried our sorrows; 

Yet we esteemed Him stricken, 

Smitten by God, and afflicted. 

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, 

He was bruised for our iniquities; 

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, 

And by His stripes we are healed.

Jesus, our Creator, came to live among among His own without much fanfare. His chosen people failed to recognize Him, and most rejected Him as their Messiah King. Their rejection served as a beacon of light to the Gentiles. It must have deeply saddened our God to know all along that they would not accept Him. Despite this, He never lost hope in His creation. He will return in His glorious presence, and all will witness Him, realizing the sorrow of their treatment of Him as if He were their only Son. Who will declare His generation? 

1 Peter 2:21-25 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The Kingdom believers realized that Jesus was their promised King and that in His name they would be healed of all their unrighteousness.

Jesus, the perfect man who never sinned, gave up His life so that we could be with Him forever. He took on our sins and was crucified for us, so we could be right with God. Without Him, we’re lost. God put all the world’s sins on Jesus so that we could be saved. We trust in Him to do what we can’t do. 

2 Corinthians 5:14-15  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

To Jesus, the Christ,  all the glory of the triune Godhead resides.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

Paul received the Gospel directly from Jesus. This Gospel offers salvation to all of God’s creation. The gift of faith given to us at the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, is all that is needed for salvation. Jesus accomplished everything and it is finished. All we have to do is believe- Carla

The phrase connotes quick dismissal, not a strong willful and emotional rejection. The Servant is considered worthless, not worthy of attention. He knew and understood pain. He understood ailments and perhaps experienced them himself. People look away to symbolize their dissociation with the Servant. The New Testament events surrounding Jesus’ betrayal exemplify this imagery of total rejection and dissociation. 

After Judas betrays Jesus, he feels so guilty that he commits suicide. Also, Peter rejects Jesus on the night He is delivered into the hands of His enemies. Jesus even prophesies that this will happen. As in Isaiah 53:1, the “we” here must refer to the nation of Israel. The prophet is likely identifying with his people and speaking on their behalf. This rejection of the Servant by his own people is likely echoed in John 1:10–11. Similarly, John depicts Jesus’ own disciples initially rejecting His mission after Jesus died and before they learned of His resurrection. Healing was a major component of Jesus’ ministry from the beginning even though it brought Him into conflict with the religious leaders (Mark 3:1–6). Jesus’ healing ministry drew many people to follow Him (Mark 3:7–12; 5:21–42). 

The Servant does more than heal people—he carries their pain. The Servant rose in power and esteem, like a plant out of dry ground—which was God’s will. But it was also God’s will for him to fall. Jesus understood that it was His duty to follow the will of God, no matter how painful. He also understood that He had risen to power because of God’s will. The people realize that the Servant is suffering for their wrongdoing, not being punished for his own sin. The Hebrew verb refers specifically to piercing. John likely alludes to this passage when he describes how Jesus is pierced in the side with a spear (John 19:34). 

The Servant suffers on behalf of other people. The Servant brings people into right relationship with God and others. Similarly, Paul speaks of Christians being resurrected with Christ (Rom 6:1–11)—indicating that Jesus’ ministry is holistic, transforming both spirit and body. Christ spiritually transforms the relationship between a person and God, and physically transforms it upon the day of the resurrection. The Servant is able to heal people—metaphorically and physically—because he is willing to follow the will of Yahweh—even though it results in his suffering. Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 5:8–9 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Matthew 8:17 

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses.”

John 1:10–11 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Isaiah 53:10–11 

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed

He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.