Learning to Lean

"Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her Beloved?"

~A picture of one whose faith and love of God
has not been shaken by the wilderness experiences of life.
She clings to Him during that time
and has learned to lean on Him entirely.

The song, "Learning to Lean" comes to mind.

"Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods
destroy it."

Song of Solomon 8:5,7

As Paul said,
"Who can separate us from the love of God.."
Romans 8:35

Jesus is there

To those who are being persecuted because of their faith,
it must be comforting to know that Jesus is there,
also being persecuted.

He said to Saul, the persecutor,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?"

Acts 22:7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel 3:25~"I see four men loose walking~~~
and the fourth is like the Son of God."

Not only did the fire not burn them
but God gave them the added gift of His presence
with them. Those flames would have been fearful
even if they weren't hot and His presence there
would have kept them from the panic Peter
experienced 'when he saw the wind was
boisterous, was afraid, and began to sink.'
Matt. 14:30

Organized Worship

From Nehemiah 10-12~

The singers and the singing were a very important part of Israel and their worship.

'Asaph, who began the thanksgiving with prayer,
Matthaniah, who led the thanksgiving psalms,
The heads of the Levites, with their brothers across from them,
to praise and give thanks;
group alternating with group~
to celebrate~
both with thanksgiving and singing,
the singers built for themselves villages
all around Jerusalem~
had appointed two large thanksgiving choirs,
one went to the right hand and on the wall,
the other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way.
So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God.
The singers sang loudly, with Jezrahiah the director.
In the days of David and Asaph of old,
there were chiefs of the singers,
and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God,
offerings~~~to the storerooms,~~
where the singers were.'

They singers were supported the same as the Levites.

They must not Know him

Those who picture Paul as a harsh, opinionated man
see him in an entirely different way than those who
knew him personally. When he left them at Ephesus
they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him
sorrowing~because he said they would see his face
no more. Acts 20:37

For Goodness Sake!

Spurgeon, in his book 'Evening by Evening' says,

"They who yield to the Holy Spirit's influences,
become good.
They who obey His impulses do good.
They who live under His power, receive good."

Instead, we are servants

God's plan and will for His people was to live in 'the land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and enjoy its bounty.' Instead, because of sin and disobedience they cried, 'Here we are, servants today! Here we are, servants in it.' Neh. 9:36

Just as today, many times we live below our privileges and do not enjoy the blessings that are God's will for us. We think our will is better, to our sorrow.

Women in Ministry

Sometimes I think I am too negative towards women
and their need to be used in the church and the power struggles that I see.

I am interested in Aquila and Priscilla's roles in the church.

They worked together and when they saw that Apollos was not teaching the whole gospel 'they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.' Acts.18:26

I needed to see that. She had an active part in their ministry.

Apollos, among all his other great attributes, was teachable. He did not become defensive when Aquila and Priscilla showed him that he was not teaching accurately but accepted it and changed his message.

Holy Duet

(Editor's note-I remember listening to the beautiful singing of men's choirs on the radio and from our record player.)(2007-08 journal)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess the nearest description as I read this passage is that my spirit was quickened within me. "At midnight, Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God." Acts 16:25

I love men's singing and I'm sure they harmonized with each other. I am sure they sounded like the two tenors. "The prisoners were listening to them"
and being blessed, I'm sure.

Nehemiah

Another outstanding man who had been taken in captivity to Babylon was Nehemiah. Ezra, Daniel, and Zerubabal were others. They did not deserve to be taken with the other reprobates but it did not destroy their faith.

Nehemiah's beautiful prayer in Nehemiah 1:1-11 has all the attributes of a perfect prayer-just a few phrases.

Worship-"O Great and awesome God"

Confession-"I confess the sins of the children of Israel-
Both my father's house and I have sinned."

Intercession-"Hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before
You now, day and night,
for the children of Israel, Your servants."

Claiming God's Promises-Remember Your word-
"If you return to Me and keep my commandments-
I will gather them----
and bring them to the place which I have chosen."

Asking God's blessing on ourselves-
"Let Your servant prosper this day, I pray."

Fickle

(From 2007-08 journal)

(Acts 12:15,19,23; 14:11,20)-
After experiencing so much rejection everywhere you would think that Paul and Barnabas would have been tempted to accept some of the acclaim that came to them-the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men.
Instead the tore their clothes-crying out and saying--"we also are men with the same nature as you!"
And what happened next?
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead, proving that it is better to stay with God than with people for men are fickle and easily swayed. Had Paul and Barnabas accepted the worship of the people, God may have destroyed them as He did Herod when he did not give glory to God.
Instead, after the terrible stoning Paul rose up and went into the city.

Fallen Leaders

(Editor's notes: Mother had these entries at different places in her journal. I think the two ideas can bring a wise balance to our perceptions in this matter.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Samuel 3:13; 4:4~Eli's sons "made themselves vile"-the Lord's words to describe them and yet they had the audacity to be "with the ark of the covenant of God" during the war with the Philistines.

There are those today, prominent leaders, who make themselves vile and yet claim the aura of God and use all the correct religious language. And one is tempted , because of that, to make allowances for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We continually hear of prominent leaders who have sinned. ~~~~ ~~~~ has just resigned because of using funds for an elaborate life style.

Do we react as Samuel did when Saul failed as an obedient leader?
"It grieved Samuel and he cried out to the Lord all night."
"Samuel grieved for Saul." (1 Sam. 15:11, 35)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(2007-2008 journal)

Because

"We do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds,
but because of Your great mercies." (Dan. 9:18b)

We can come to Him with boldness when we make that plea.

Choose

I have often wondered how to reconcile
the fact that Solomon was so wise
and yet did such foolish things.

He may give the clue here.

"I set my heart to know wisdom and folly."
(Eccl. 1:17)

Editor's note:
If we want to be wise,
we must not want to know folly.

Grace Grace

When I read how they attacked you,
dear Peter,-"You went in to uncircumcised
men and ate with them!" (Acts 11:2)-
I bristled.

But not you.
You graciously and convincingly told them
the whole story.
And they were big enough to receive it.
"When they heard these things,
they became silent,
and they glorified God."
(v.16)

Judah

One word connected with Judah-
at his birth and regarding his future-
is the word "Praise."

Leah, when she named Him Judah
at his birth, proclaimed,
"Now I will praise the LORD!"
(Gen. 29:35)

And in Gen. 49:8,
it is said of him,
"Judah, you are the one whom
your brothers shall praise."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's note:
It makes me think of the song,
"Lion of Judah on the throne,
We shout Your name let it be known,
You're the King of Kings,
You are the Prince of Peace,
May Your kingdom's reign never cease.
Alleluia..."

Sounds like praise to me.

Integrity

"YOU ARE A MIGHTY PRINCE AMONG US."
(Gen. 23:5,7,12)

These words or words like them
should be the way "outsiders" describe a follower of the Lord.

The story of Abraham's dealings with Ephron about a grave site for Sarah should be read as a guide in our dealings with others, especially those who do not share our beliefs.

Twice, Abraham, "bowed himself to the people of the land," showing humility and graciousness.

He then insisted on paying for the property. Ephron would never have the uneasy feeling that he had been 'taken' by one who claimed to have faith in God.

How often do we as Christians mar that name
by our financial dealings
and thus show what our true love really is?

Stronghold

Editor's note: Often, in our day, the term 'stronghold', represents a besetting sin or trouble. For example, an addiction to anything that is harmful has a strong hold over our lives. But Nahum, the Prophet, sheds a positive light on 'that' which has a strong hold in our lives. AH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Lord is good;
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust Him."
(Nahum 1:7)

God does not necessarily take us out of trouble,
but He is a stronghold to those
who trust Him during their 'trouble.'

Abram

Abram came to the land in which the LORD said He would "give to your descendants." But there was "a severe famine in the land and Abram went to Egypt."

This had to be a test of faith. Could this had been some of the reason for Abram's lack of trusting God for protection and for his coming up with the plan to claim Sarah "as his sister, that is may go well with me because of you and I that I may live because of you."

But God in His mercy protected Sarah and "plagued Pharaoh's house," and kept Pharaoh from taking her "as his wife."

How that would have fouled God's plan
to make a great nation through Isaac!
(Genesis 12:7,10,,13,17,19)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abram would not take anything from the king of Sodom "lest you should say,"I have made Abram rich." But he did not impose his standards on the men who were with him. "Aner, Eschol, and Mamre: let them take their portion." (Gen. 14:23,24)

No more should we impose our standards on others nor should we judge those who don't live up to our 'standards.'

Sanctification

How does sanctification come?

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.
~~~That they may also be sanctified by the truth."

John 17:16, 19

Joy

Joy is His will for us. John 15:11 says, "..that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

Joy that is full is the result of obeying His command to "abide in My love," mentioned three times in verse nine.

That kind of abiding is a constant submersion in His love-not a flickering belief due to the kind of life we are experiencing.

Muddy Mess

Can you imagine what a muddy mess the world was in after being completely covered with water?! But God was looking out for Noah's family even then. He didn't tell them to leave until "the earth was dried," Gen. 8:14, nearly 8 months after the ark had settled on Mt. Ararat.

What a frustrating situation they would have encountered if they had become impatient and left the ark before God told them to.

How many unpleasant and grievous situations could we have avoided had we waited for God's perfect timing!

Twisted Words

Satan's very first and continuing tactic
is to cause doubt in God's word to us.
He also misquotes it as he did to Jesus.

He said to Eve,"Has God indeed said,
'You shall not eat of every tree in the garden?"
(Genesis 3:1)
And Eve straightened out his misquote
but she continued to interact with him
and he continued to refute God's
goodness and love.

Lessons to be learned?

Stand firm on God's word and
stop listening when Satan
through another "explains what God
really means" and His reasons
for saying it.

But James says we are to
"Submit to God. Resist the devil
and he will flee from you."
(James 4:7)

Entries in Journal-8/31/07

"Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord."
Genesis 4:16

Sad words and a sad life following, I'm sure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And I will glorify the house of My glory."
Isaiah 60:7

Beautiful words and a beauty to experience,
I'm sure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The sun will no longer be your light by day-
But the Lord will be your everlasting light."
Isaiah 60:19

This must be the same light that was on earth
before God created the sun.

Global Warming

Those who are making a big deal
politically about global warming
should consider the verses
in Isaiah 51:6, 24:1,4,5,19.

"...the earth will grow old like a blanket."

Liars

Lying is so common and acceptable-
even by those who claim to know Him.

The following should be taught from the pulpit,
in the classrooms, in the homes-
"...the devil is a liar and the father of it,
there is no truth in him." (John 8:44)

This, too, should be taught-
"...all liars shall have their part
in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone."
(Revelation 21:8)

He Came not to Condemn...

I cannot imagine the emotions of the woman caught in an adulteress act after her accusers left and she was alone with Jesus. What kind of woman was she really?
(John 8:3) Certainly she was in an unhappy marriage. Maybe her husband had made her feel worthless so she had allowed herself to become so degraded and used by another male who according to the Law should have been dragged there for stoning also. There is some reason that Jesus did not condemn her. He knew her exact circumstances and motives. But He left her know that she was sinning and from that moment on she could quit and sin no more. The Son had set her free and she could from hence forth be a godly woman!

A Church Sign

This quote on a church marque
that I saw yesterday is striking.

"IS THE SON IN YOUR EYES?"

Only the Cross

I like this statement in "My Utmost"
on John 6:63-"The words I speak to you
are spirit and they are life."

Oswald Chambers wrote,
"It is never sharing of experiences that
saves people,
but the truth of redemption-
the preaching of the gospel."

I am reading Oswald Chambers
biography and I wish I had read
it many years ago when I first
read his books.
He was quite young when he
wrote those timeless writings.

Paul determined to preach only
"...Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
(I Cor. 2:2)

The Fruits of Freedom

Psalm 126 has all these words
expressing jubilation at the
release from captivity.

It is our experience also
as we experience release
from the bondages of sin,
habit, and negative thoughts
and attitudes.

LAUGHTER
GLADNESS
JOY
REJOICING

These are the fruits of freedom.

Adrift

Hebrews warns about our losing
our relationship with God.(Heb. 2:11)

"We must give the more earnest heed
to the thing we have heard,
lest we drift away."

I picture a boat in a creek.
As soon as the rower stops rowing,
drifting begins.
Just as in the Christian life,
we must be forever vigilant.

Again he warns in 3:11-

"Beware, lest there be an
evil heart of unbelief
in departing
from the living God."

Thank you, Joseph

Then Joseph took the body of Jesus down,
wrapped it in linen,
and laid it in a tomb. (Luke 23:53)

What a beautiful thing to do
and how tenderly he must
have done it.
Did Joseph realize
this was the body of his
creator and Savior?

I am sure it wasn't the puny body
that most artists portray.
For this Man had walked miles.
And with cords in His hands,
He alone drove the crowd
out of the temple.

Sweet Release

"As soon as it was day" (Luke 22:66a)

Jesus was bound by all the aspects of humanity.
And so He would have been utterly exhausted.
The evening before
He had drunk the dredge of emotional turmoil-
even to sweating like great drops of blood
falling to the ground.
That would have caused extreme exhaustion.

Then He is dragged from place to place,
walking miles.
All this during 24 hours of no sleep.
And it continues on and on
into the next day
when He is finally released from
His humanity
and adorns a resurrected body.

Yoked

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
(Matt. 11:30)

A yoke involves two.
And since it is His yoke,
He's bearing it with us.
And He said, 'His yoke is easy and light.'
Light, because He is bearing His share
and light because He is near
and we have His companionship to
help take our minds off the load.

The Great Escape

"Watch, therefore, and pray always
that you may be counted worthy to
escape all these things that will
come to pass." Luke 21:36

To not want to suffer or experience
pain and loss is not selfishness
or cowardice.
Jesus says so here.

Jesus wept again

"He saw the city and wept over it." Luke 19:14

Proof that even though punishment is deserved
as it was in the case of Jerusalem,
the Lord grieves for those who are suffering
because of their sins.

Really Good Prayer

This is something to ask God
to do for those we love:

Shepherd them and
bear them up forever.
Ps. 28:9b

Same Breath

In the same breath where God promises punishment
and judgment,
He says,
"I Am the Lord who is just and righteous,
whose love is unfailing."
Jeremiah 9:24

I must keep this in mind as I view
all of this chaos and suffering
taking place in America.

Finding God

I love this information!

Is. 65:1~
"I am being found by people
who were not looking for Me.
To them I have said,
"I am here!"

Insistent Prayers or Bugging God

Prayers we should make for those we love
from Isaiah 62:1,6,7~

I will not stop praying for _____
until _____ righteousness shines
like the dawn and _____ salvation
blazes like a burning torch.

I will pray to the Lord day and night
for the fulfillment of His promises.

Take no rest,
all you who pray.
Give the Lord no rest.

Weight

Isaiah 53:4-
"It was our sorrows that weighed Him down."

I don't want to admit this but my first thought was:
How can this be?
Immediately I remembered how I have
been weighed down by other's sorrows.

How much more would our sorrows
weigh on our perfect Savior?

Thoughts~#3

Quotes on thoughts:

C.S.Lewis-"Letters to Malcolm"
'There is always hope if we keep an unsolved problem fairly in view:
there's none if we pretend it's not there."

Hannah Hunnard in "High's Feet in High Places."
'From bitter experience she knew that pictures
thrown on the screen of her imagination
could seem much more unnerving and terrible
than the actual fact.'

Robert Frost-"Overflowing Life"
'We will recognize his (Satan's) persistent
pressure to focus our faith in our feelings
rather than the word and life of our Lord.
No longer will we view with fear
the fantasies Satan paints upon
the canvas of our imaginations.'

"There is a fine line between the power
of suggestion, which is of man,
and the power of conviction,
which is of God!"

Tight Fit

Jeremiah 13:11~
(Ponder this!)
"Just as shorts fit tightly
around a man's waist,
so I intended My people
to hold tightly to Me."

Strength in Waiting

Waiting-means 'braided together.'

They that are 'braided together'
with the Lord,
shall renew their strength.

Thoughts~ #2

1 Chronicles 28:9b-
"Worship and serve Him with a clean heart
and a willing mind,
for the Lord sees every heart
and understands and knows
every thought."

11 Corinthians 10:5~
"...we are taking every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ."

Amos 4:13~
"You are dealing with the One who
formed the mountains and made the winds,
and knows your every thought.

11 Corinthians 1:3~
"But I am afraid,
lest as the serpent deceived Eve
by his craftiness,
your mind's should be led astray
from the simplicity and purity
of devotion to Christ."

Matthew 9:4~
"Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said,
'Why do you entertain evil thoughts
in your hearts?'" (healing the paralytic)

Romans 8:5~
"Those who live according to their
sinful nature have their minds set
on what that nature desires;
but those who live in accordance
with the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit desires.

The mind controlled by the Spirit
is life and peace."

Servants and Being Served

Jesus calls us servants
but for those who are watching
for Him...
at the "Great Marriage Supper of the Lamb"
He will gird Himself
and have them sit down to eat,
and will come and serve them. Luke 12:37
That just boggles my mind.
Jesus,
the great King,
serving us!

What a Life!

What a life He wants us to have!

Luke 12~"...Do not worry about your life...
Why are you anxious?
How much more will He clothe you,
O you of little faith?
Do not...have an anxious mind..
Your Father knows that you need these things...
Do not fear little flock...."

Overwhelmed

"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
then you knew my path." Psa. 142:3

This is so nice to know.

"Bring my soul out of prison, that I may
praise Your name." v.7

A perfect prayer during those times of
feeling overwhelmed and depressed.

Wonderful Pastor

This is the kind of care God wants His shepherds to give ~

"...one who cares for those who are cut off,
who seeks the young,
who heals those that are broken,
who feeds those that still stand."
Zechariah 11:16

What a wonderful pastor that would be!

Jesus

"As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered." Luke 9:29 (Mount of Transfiguration)

And I am wondering if this may be what happened after the resurrection when Mary, the men on the road to Emmaus, and others didn't recognize Jesus.

How did Peter know that it was Moses? Elijah? These men would have been in Heaven with Jesus before He came to earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit." Luke 10:21

I am so glad Jesus had that time of joy. So often the opposite was true. Even immediately following this "a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him." v.25

"Others testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven." Luke 11.16

Testing again, dear Jesus. And how often have I added to that testing when I want a special assurance of your love and care.

Thoughts

(My mother loaned me a special notebook of hers. She wrote down a topic and verses and quotes regarding that topic. I opened up to the section on 'Thoughts'. It is quite lengthy which shows its importance to God since most of these words come from His book. I will break it into segments. The battle is in the mind. So meditate and think on these things.)

Matt. 1:11-"It is what you say and think that makes you unclean."

Matt. 16:8-"Jesus knew what they were thinking and told them,
"O men of little faith!"

Matt. 16:23~ "You are a dangerous trap to me. You are thinking merely from a human point of view, and not from God's." (What a fearsome responsibility-to think God's thoughts so we are not a dangerous trap to Him (or others-a.h.). God HELP me.)

Luke 1:16d-"..and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith."

Psa, 119:97,99~"Oh, how I love Your words. I think about them all day long....I am ever thinking of your rules."

Daniel 1 8~"But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the king."

Sobering

Michael Card in "Immanuel" has some fresh insights
into Jesus and the cross.

"When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane,
He was already bloody before anyone laid
a hand on Him."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He suffered the agony of a death more painful
than the physical death on the cross;
the death of the will."

Flip Calendar

In catching up on my flip over calendar
this quote from 2/5 gave me a surge
of joy and hope.

"NONE OF US EVER DESIRED ANYTHING
MORE ARDENTLY THAN GOD DESIRES
TO BRING MEN TO A KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF."

-Johannes Tauler

P.G.!

Waiting Faith

In the book,"Immanuel" by M. Card-
I read about Simeon
and how long he had to wait to see his
promise fulfilled.

Card says,

"Having faith means waiting for God
to keep His promise.

All those who trusted God
demonstrated their faith
by their ability to wait."

Lonely Jesus

In reading "Immanuel" by Card he mentions
being lonely-also the loneliness of Jesus.

I never quite realized before how lonely
Jesus would have been for His former home
and Father.

Talk about being a fish out of water,
which I think basically we are,
how much MORE so would Jesus have been!!

Gideon

Judges 6:11-
"Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press
in order to save it from the Midianites."

Was this the reason the Lord
chose Gideon and called him,
"O, Valiant Warrior?"

He did not sit in his tent,
and whimper and starve because
the Midianites made raids and
stole everything.
He found a way to outwit them
and was busy working
and doing what he could to provide food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The foolish Israelites.
They cried to God because of oppression
but they still kept their idols
and were so furious at Gideon
for tearing them down
that they wanted to kill him.
Even so, God was gracious enough
to hear and answer their cry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judges 7-God made no mistake in the men
that he chose to go with Gideon
for they were each willing to be one of a
mere 300 to do battle with the hosts of Midian.

God knew the name of Gideon's servant-v.10~
"But if you are afraid to go down,
go with Purah your servant down to the camp."

I like that and I'm sure Purah did too.
All are known to Him-
the leader and the servant.
Purah must have been a man of courage.
God knew that also.
This should not be surprising.
Look how He cared for Hagar the slave.

A Good Habit

What a good way to begin and close each day!

11 Chronicles 23:30~

"And they were to stand every morning
to thank and praise the Lord,
and likewise at evening."

Prayer Quotes

Quotes from "Seeds of Hope" by Nouwen.

"We do not ask to convince a hesitant Giver."

"Praying is being with Jesus
and simply wasting time with Him."

Begin Again

Editor's note:
The book of Nehemiah recounts the story
of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the wall was finally finished,
Nehemiah planned a time for celebration and dedication.

Neh.12:43~"GOD HAD GIVEN THEM GREAT JOY,
EVEN THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN REJOICED,
SO THAT THE JOY OF JERUSALEM
WAS HEARD FROM AFAR."

I am sure Nehemiah felt that everything
was in order and that the people would
continue to obey God.
So he went back to his place with King Artaxerxes.

Neh. 13:6- After some time, he asked for a
leave from the king, to go back and check on his people.

What did he find?!
All kinds of regression into their former ways.

What a strong man and leader he was!

Verse 8 says he threw all of Tobiah's household
goods out of the room.
He reprimanded them,
warned them, commanded them,
contended with them,
and even struck some of then until
v.30-"I PURIFIED THEM FROM EVERYTHING
FOREIGN AND APPOINTED DUTIES FOR
THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES,
EACH IN HIS TASK."

What if a leader came and straightened
out the church of today?

Faith and Works

Nehemiah 4:9,14, 20~

(Nehemiah, and the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem
while their enemies tried to stop them.)

An excellent way faith and works should be practiced~
"BUT WE PRAYED TO GOD~~~AND WE SET UP
A GUARD DAY AND NIGHT."
~and the verses following tell how they worked, defended themselves,
but also relied on God.
"DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM,
REMEMBER THE LORD WHO IS GREAT AND AWESOME,
OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US."
There are also lessons here on spiritual warfare.

Valuable Teachers

Ezra 7:6, 10~

"Ezra went up from Babylon,
and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses.
~Ezra had set his heart
to study the law of the LORD
and to practice it
and to teach~~"

Among all the decadent in Israel
there were also the godly-
Ezra, Daniel, and the three Hebrew children.

Ezra first studied,
then practiced,
then taught.

~The only way, really, to be a valuable teacher.

A Samuel

Do you have a Samuel in your life?
Are you a Samuel to someone else?

1 Samuel 19:18-
"Now David had escaped and came to Samuel~~
and told him all that Saul had done to him.
And he and Samuel
went and stayed in Naioth."

How wonderful
to be able to pour out
one's heart
to a safe
man or woman of God.

False Modesty=Lack of Faith?!

1 Samuel 9,10~

This is the beginning of the story of Saul-
a man I often wonder about.
Surely there isn't much about him to admire
except maybe the fact that he
kept silent in the face of his detractors

His father was a mighty man of valor.
Saul also was concerned for his father's
concern for him,
when the search for the donkeys
took longer than expected.
That is also a good quality.

But his reticence
in making known his call to kingship
is questionable.

If God calls,
isn't it false modesty
and lack of faith in God's enabling power
that keeps us from accepting that calling?!

Ultimate Horror

Lamentations 3:62,63,65~

Jeremiah laments the oppression
and the reproach of his enemies;
their whispering,
their mocking...
and he tells what their end will be-
the ultimate horror-
HARDNESS OF HEART.

Divine Instruction

"Forget the things
you were going to say.
Vengeance is Mine;
I will repay."

A Way of Escape

A way of escape
When the burdens press
And the spirit grows heavy
With the strain and the stress?

A way of escape
When the heart freezes with fear
As we watch o'er a loved one
And death seems so near?

A way of escape
When temptations come fast
And we weaken and tremble
Beneath the strong blast?

Yes, He has promised.
Relax in His care.
In a way least expected
He'll answer your prayer.

(Published in Gospel Herald-July, 1962)

What to Do

1 Samuel 8:6-
"BUT THE THING (asking for a king) WAS DISPLEASING IN THE SIGHT
OF SAMUEL AND SAMUEL PRAYED TO THE LORD."
What a wise precept to put into practice.
The thing to do first, is to pray to the Lord,
rather than complain to whoever will listen
and/or criticize whoever has done the thing!

Lamentations 3:21-Jeremiah's remedy for depression and despair?
"THIS I RECALL TO MIND, THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE"
and then he goes on to recount all of the Lord's mercies
and His faithfulness, and His lovingkindness.

And When They Had Sung A Hymn...Matthew 26:30

Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing?
-This man from Galilee?
The Creator of the Universe
The master of land and sea,
Savior of the sick and sinful,
Bringing hope and harmony.
Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing
that night before Calvary?

Strange Malady

What ails the
creature
That attacks its own
body
Rather than the
enemy
That lies in
wait?

Yet members of Christ's
kingdom
Do it again and again and
again.

(Published in Gospel Herald-April 29, 1986)

Faith

I looked at my faith,
I looked at it long,
I lamented the fact
That it was not strong.
And then He spoke so tenderly,
Don't look at your faith, child.
Look at me.

(Published in Gospel Herald--Jan. 9, 1968)

Gems From Mother's Bible Journal

Ezekial 15:7~~~"...THOUGH THEY HAVE COME OUT OF THE FIRE, YET THE FIRE WILL CONSUME THEM."
To go through the purifying fire without being purified is fatal.
Instead of gold there will be nothing but ashes.

1Samuel 5~The story of the Ark of God in the land of the Philistines: the idol Dagon was continually toppled and broken by It's presence; the people either died or were smitten by tumors.
Even before Satan was disarmed by Jesus on the Cross, God was much more powerful than he.

Jeremiah 41~ The story of the terrible consequences to Gedaliah and the remnant that he was in charge of because he was unwilling to take advice and receive the warning against his life. Where was Jeremiah?
Chapter 42-He is still with the remnant and they come to him for a word from God, which they did not receive or obey.
Chapter 43- In their arrogance they accused Jeremiah of lying. And Jeremiah was taken by them (with the remnant that was left) into Egypt.
Chapter 44- The incredible arrogance of the men and the women who are mentioned over and over again. And the blessing of God in crops and health they credit the queen of heaven for. And their suffering, they claim, came because they had quit offering sacrifices to her. The good fortune in our lives always comes from God, not from our own efforts and the 'idols' that we serve. Even after all their flaunting of the power of their idols against the power of God in Chapt 46:28, God declares His continuing love and says, "DO NOT FEAR...FOR I AM WITH YOU...I SHALL NOT MAKE A FULL END OF YOU; BUT I SHALL CORRECT YOU PROPERLY, AND BY NO MEANS LEAVE YOU UNPUNISHED."

In Jeremiah 48, God declares all His wrath and judgment that will fall on Moab yet in the midst He cries, v.36, "MY HEART WAILS FOR MOAB LIKE FLUTES" and they weren't really 'His people.'
How much more does His heart wail when He need to punish us, His children!

Up to Jeremiah 51, God declares His judgment on all the nations that have nearly destroyed Israel-especially Babylon. Many times, arrogance is mentioned as an incentive for judgment. And many times being recompensed to them as they have done to others is stated as one of God's continuing 'precepts.'