Saturday, April 4, 2015

Jeshurun

  

Deu 33:26  There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
 
Jeshurun = "upright one" A symbolic name for Israel describing her ideal character.
 
Upright one, should define you and I who are Christian, our ideal character. Christ is our righteousness and we should be upright, honest, loving and strong in him.

Deu 33:27  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Deu 33:28  Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
Deu 33:29  Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
 
An upright people should not fear the lies of their enemies. Walk wisely and carefully, lest your blessings turn into indulgences, and your plenty be turned into want.
 
Deu 32:15  But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Deu 32:16  They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
Deu 32:17  They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
Deu 32:18  Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

If fallen, repent and take up your cross and follow Jesus. We are to deny ourselves and seek to please the one who has redeemed us on the cross at Calvary. He is alive and we are righteous, in Him. He helps us to stand tall, for in him we overcome all obstacles.  Jesus is Lord of all. All Jeshurun should come to Jesus, the Rock of their salvation.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Respecting the Holy.


When I was a wedding photographer I always tried to respect the customs of the church and this included the policies of the priest or pastor. A great many of these had grown to dislike the photographer because some were disrupting the ceremony crawling around the bride and groom and heaven forbid if a flash was used! The Catholics were also particularly watchful for any activity upon the altar, for they considered this a sacred place. Usually pictures could be made, with flash at the altar after the wedding.  I remember one wedding when the priest spoke from 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. It was beautiful and eloquent.
 
American Standard Bible
 
1Co 13:1  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
1Co 13:2  And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3  And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:4  Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5  doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;
1Co 13:6  rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;
1Co 13:7  beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8  Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
1Co 13:10  but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.
1Co 13:13  But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
 
A most eloquent presentation about love. After the wedding I was trying to organize the wedding party and the groomsmen were clowning around...on the altar! Like lightning from above the priest attacked me with much scorn. You have desecrated the altar! I was trying to make the required formal wedding portraits, now I am accused of being a son of perdition. I humbly said, I will try to get them to be respectful, as I do respect the altar. (In truth a believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so to attack a believer, you are attacking the temple of God.)  Later on at the reception, the priest came to me and apologized to me. I received the apology with all humility. This illustrates that even right after we read a scripture, that we can behave quite unruly; we will be tested. We must walk the talk, for without love as our motivation we as an unpleasant noise.
 
1Co 13:1  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
1Co 13:2  And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

We know to do right, but we often fail.
 
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand.
 

Stand in faith , truth and much love. Treat others with all respect.