A Lamp

During our trip to the ocean I read a book, "Bonhoeffer", by Eric Metaxes. Bonhoeffer lived in the time of the rise to power of the Nazi's in Germany. Hitler used cruelty and force, but the people believed in him. The church supported him, changing their messages to favor the new movement. Bonhoeffer was not going along with this. He spoke and taught the light and truth of God's word. It would cost him his life. Are we willing to die for the truth? Will we live for it?

John 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 

John 12:47  And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 

John 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 

What is the light spoken of here? Is it not the word of God, his truth? How do we live in the light, in the truth of God? We are to believe Jesus who has died for our sins. To remain in darkness is to not believe in God and the forgiveness offered through his son. Jesus saves us from our sins. It is the work of God as we respond by faith. What are we to do with this good news of the light of God, and His saving us from our sins? We are his lamps, his light to those in darkness. Don't hide this lamp.

Mark 4:21  And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 

If the light is going out in America it is because people have not heard or have rejected the simple truth that we cannot go to heaven by our own efforts. Faith in the work of Jesus who died in our place is the way. May the lamps grow brighter in America.  

Prayer: Father in heaven, I believe that Jesus is the light of the world, my savior. I ask that many will believe in him and receive eternal life. He is our victory, amen.

Messiah Jesus

The prophet Isaiah spoke a description of the coming Jewish Messiah who would save his people from their sins. He would come forth from Jesse who was the father of king David. 

Isa 11:1  There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 

A branch from the root of Jesse shall bear fruit. The Messiah, from the lineage of David who is also the Son of God born from the virgin Mary. He shall have spiritual fruit. In Revelation 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6, it speaks of the seven spirits.  Seven in the Bible speaks of the fulness of something. In Isaiah 11:2 there are seven spirits listed. All are of the Holy Spirit of the LORD God. 

Isa 11:2  And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

Jesus has the fulness of the Spirit.

John 3:34  For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

 

Isa 11:3  And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 

Isa 11:4  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 

God the Father gave all judgment to his Son and at the end of this world he shall separate the sheep from the goats. The wicked shall be killed leaving only those who believe in Jesus. Is that fair? Yes indeed, for Jesus is righteousness and he is faithful to do the will of God the Father.

Isa 11:5  Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 

In God We Trust

Our nation that began with a dependance on God with freedom of worship has slipped to dependance in ourselves. There is a natural world and a spiritual world. There is a good God and a bad devil. Our faith is to be trusting in God. The devil tempts us to follow him and some do without realizing it. Just as in the days of the prophet Isaiah and Judah, we have good leaders and often they are followed by evil ones.

 The nation of Israel had divided. To the north, Ephraim was the largest tribe of Israel. To the south was the tribe of  Judah where the temple of God stood high on a mountain. Josiah was a good king in Judah, but his son Ahaz was wicked. When Ahaz  became king he did not have faith in God. When the king of Isreal joined together with the king of Syria they came up to Jerusalem with the intent to conquer them. The prophet Isaiah was sent to Ahaz with a message from God. Your enemies will not attack you. God would help Judah as he did when Josiah was king. Ahaz followed evil and was indifferent to the word of the prophet.

Isa 7:10  Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 

Isa 7:11  “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 

Isa 7:12  But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 

Isa 7:13  And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 

Ahaz pretended to be wise by refusing to ask for a sign from the LORD. Did not Jesus say " An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign...Mat 16:4"  Isaiah spoke words from God offering Ahaz proof of what God had said. Ahaz refused to hear from God.  Do we refuse to hear from God? Who do we trust?  The hope of our nation is with our God. Our coins say "In God We Trust".  Many years have passed where we have not wanted God in our nation.  Many have become separated from God.   Those seeking power desire to put us in bondage and to remove our freedoms.

Isaiah then spoke a prophesy.  

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

This would happen 700 years later. Jesus was born of a virgin and his name was to be Immanuel (God is with us) The name "Jesus" means Savior. God is with us and he is our savior. In him we trust.

Mat 11:28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Unity for Good or Evil?

 People who are in unity are a powerful force. Unity in itself is not good. The liberal newscasters all say the same  thing. When they censor and remove opposing viewpoints, they may strengthen their power of unity, but they may be evil and wrong. 

When Jesus healed people and cast out demons on the Sabboth, the religious leaders accused him of doing this by the power of satan. 

Mark 3:22  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 

Mark 3:23  And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 

Mark 3:24  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 

Mark3:25  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 

Mark 3:26  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 

Our nation is divided and it has become a question of truth against lies; spiritual darkness against the light of God's truth. The light shall ovecome the darkness. Jesus is the truth and the light. Lift up the name of Jesus and join with those who have his light. The word of God, the Bible will help you discern good from evil. Unity in truth is a greater power.

The Return

 After four years, our "Old Time Gospel" group has returned to our local rehab hospital.  The room we met in was soon filled. We had freedom to speak from the Bible and to play the familiar old hymns. The audience shared and one lady requested that we close with the Lord's Prayer.  Many of the staff remembered us and that we had been faithful for longer than most who worked there.  Thank you Lord for a good beginning. We will return once a month, this is our plan. We did not forget those who were in need of encouragement.

When John the Baptist was in jail, he may have been having the devil giving him doubts about if Jesus was the Messiah. He sent two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus if he was truly their Messiah.

Luke 7:20  And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 

Luke 7:21  In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 

Luke 7:22  And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 

Luke 7:23  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 

Jesus loved those who needed healing and he loved John.  When things look bleak, remember that Jesus loves you and in him we are blessed. He died to make us free in him and to not be forgotten. In him we live forever in the kingdom of God. 

Rejoice in Truth

 

I have been reading stories about the change in the lives of those who came out of human trafficking and who were saved from guilt and shame by their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his life for our sins to be removed. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord."

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

Being made free from sin's punishment we are free to reach out to others and to care about them. It is a joy to be free and saved. We love others because God has first loved us.

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

1Co 13:4  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 

1Co 13:5  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 

1Co 13:6  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 

1Co 13:7  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Prayer: Thank you God for new life in the family of God through  Jesus Christ our redeemer. He has paid for our sins with his own blood. I love the word of God, for it is true. Through God we endure all things.

A Butterfly

Sometimes we see or experience something that is special.  I was in the front yard when a beautiful Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly swooped down where I was and made several turns as if it was on it's solo flight. It looked as big as a hand, a child's hand, and it had an innocence about it and a wonder for me to see. I was not alone in the yard. The neighbors Siamese cross bred sandy colored cat was lounging in the cool grass in the shade of the trees. He awakened,from his nap, he was woke and had his eyes fixed upon that butterfly that had perched in the Pecan tree. That cat was as tense as a spring ready to pounce on the playful butterfly.  It would be play for the cat, but a loss of life for the innocent butterfly.  The devil is like that cat. If he sees something innocent, naive and alone, he will try to pounce on it, but this time it is a human soul.

Children who have not any knowledge of God , in their innocence they have angels that report to God.

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 

1Pe 5:5  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 

1Pe 5:7  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

1Pe 5:9  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 

God sent Jesus Christ to defeat the devil and to deliver us from evil. This is a beautiful truth. Bring your innocence and your guilt to him and he will make you a new life filled with blessings.

Their was another time when a Tiger Swallowtail was sent to me. I was focusing on a Thistle flower when all of a sudden a butterfly landed on it. It certainly did bless me. 

Prayer: Thank you God for loving us. Help us to be faithful and aware of your presence. Help us all to see your beautiful things under the protection of Jesus Christ, amen