Itty Bitty Bible Study – Philippians 1:1-2

it’s been a long time since I’ve been posting these…and I have no excuse.
here we go again!

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[b] and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Servants – websters – one that serves others a public servant; especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer

of Christ Jesus – the point of servant is that it has a master…and they declare who their master is, Whom they serve, right up front!

to:

All – websters – used to refer to the whole quantity or extent of a particular or thing.
ALL – not one left out!

All the saints….
Saints – websters – one of God’s chosen and usually Christian people

if the definition of saints is not clear enough, Paul and Timothy clarify it by saying that the ALL saints are those that are IN CHRIST JESUS!

The difference between we Christians and everyone else is NOT that we have no sin.
1 John takes care of clearing up that!
it’s that our sins are hid IN CHRIST, and that we continue to dwell IN CHRIST to live!

Colossians 3:1-3
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Or – it should be….

Romans 6:5-11
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
7For one who has died has been set free from sin.
8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Paul described the live of a Christian this way:

Acts 17:28a
for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

The benefits of being IN CHRIST are priceless:

Philipians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is peace that the world does not have, cannot understand, but desires intensely.

Then, the prayer –
grace be unto you, and peace…..from where?
FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND FROM THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
here, Paul is really laying it on thick to make sure that we know…WE KNOW without any shadow of doubt…that he is talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the FATHER, as well as the multiple titles of Jesus…LORD – JESUS – CHRIST –
Lord and master
Jesus – God with us
Christ – messiah.

As Jesus left – he sent us a few gifts…
the Comforter and

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

My whole life has been filled with struggling against fear, and doubt.
Yes, even after all of the years of walking with the Lord.
Yes, even after all of the times he has proven over and over and over that HE is faithful.

Jesus knew that anxiety and doubt would be the greatest detriment to our faith.
that’s why he told us to cast all of our cares upon HIM!

The New Living Translation says it this way:

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

New International Version says it:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

The common denominator is HE CARES FOR YOU – AND ME!

I believe that it is the Holy Spirit Who imparts the peace upon us…but, first, we must let go of the anxiety, worry, care…so there is room for peace.

So, in an odd way, I see the whole trinity in this prayer of Paul and Timothy – and the power of the God Head, to bring us into and to keep us IN Christ Jesus – and the life that he desires for us.

The Lord has had me on several journeys, with much soul seeking, and heart tweaking. (NOT TWERKING!)

I hope you will join me on a journey through Phillipians.

I don’t know that this will be a week long…two weeks – or maybe up to a month.’
I do know that God has something wonderful to speak to us – if we are willing to listen!
Please join me!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

By His Stripes, I am Healed!

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.

Isaiah – 53:5

I wrote a blog about being prepared…and finding out about my husband having cancer was hard to prepare for!
finding out that the special, state of the art, 98% successful procedure didn’t work, was hard to prepare for.
finding out the second one – shown by the PSA rising again – was unsuccessful…that was hard to prepare for!
going through the scans to find out where the cancer was hiding…

- MRI – nothing in the prostate (except some prostate …about 1/2 the size of normal) – that was not something that we had prepared for.
  1. first, why was there prostate tissue? it was all supposed to have been burned away, as we understood it.
  2. second, why is there no cancer there, and the rising PSA indicated cancer…somewhere.
  We weren’t prepared well for this.
- CT scan – Bone scan – NOTHING!!!!!

WE WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS!!!!

Did I pray for Jim’s healing?
YES!
Were other’s praying for Jim’s healing?
YES!
Did it come the way we thought?
NO!!!

What do you do when God answers your prayer – and you weren’t ready for the answer?
I was not prepared!
I had geared up for a battle.
I had planned my long walk in the dark place – believing against all the odds….

AND GOD!

I WAS NOT PREPARED TO SEE A MIRACLE!

I thought I was walking in faith…looking forward to God’s hand moving….
and I was looking forward…preparing for a future fight…and I almost missed God’s miracle in the NOW!!!

Heb 11:1 – Faith is the substance of things hoped for…the evidence of things unseen….IN THE FUTURE… this is the instructions for waiting for God to arrive…Right???
gird up your loins…
be ready to run with the horses…
Elijah – was looking FORWARD to the rain…before he saw ANY CLOUD in the sky!

AND GOD CAME INTO OUR LIVES…
GOD TOUCHED JIM’S BODY
AND GOD HAS DESTROYED THE CANCER!!!

Does the enemy still rule over this earth? yes.
Does death still roam this earth? yes.

BUT GOD RULES OVER ALL! and says – death, where is your sting! Grave where is your victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55

Honest transparency –
I was working on the faith – for the future…for the healing I couldn’t see.
I’m struggling with the manifestation – the reality – that they found NO CANCER anywhere in Jim’s body!
Why is that?

Faith is the substance of things HOPED FOR..
the evidence of things NOT SEEN!.Heb 11:1

24For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words…Romans 8:24-26

I was prepared to WAIT…
I’m used to waiting….
I’m prepared to wait…and wait…and wait…
God’s going to heal me…I believe it….
God’s going to deliver me…I believe it….
God’s going to ….GOING TO!

17For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Yes…I was believing in what I could not see….
and preparing for Jim’s potential death.
So was he.
So were the doctors.
Especially the one that did the treatments…
“I’m sorry man…I’m so sorry…It’s moved out of the confinement…there’s nothing I can do for you”

We were preparing to NOT see a miracle of healing….
We were preparing to see God give us grace to walk through the fire.

There are so many scriptures I could list…of how we were preparing…to accept the NO answer…even not now, which is what it had been, twice.
WE ALMOST MISSED THE ANSWER!!!

Now…I am going to be working on believing that Jim IS HEALED…and that GOD has glorified Himself in Jim’s body!

What about my body?
Well, I was awakened by extreme pain in my lower legs tonight.
I cried out, and battled with the enemy – reminding him that I had asked the Lord for deliverance from this pain.
The Lord met me, and instructed me to go – drink some water – and write this blog.
What level is the pain in my legs now?
0-1 – but more like .5…seriously…0
I’m again, having trouble believing what I AM SEEING IN MY OWN BODY!
I HAVE LIVED SO MANY YEARS WITH PAIN…from the past things done to me, and from the things I have done that did not help those issues be released.’
I have not followed food protocol
I have not followed drink protocol
I have not followed exercise moderation (it’s either a triathlon, or sit in a chair with my foot in a boot)
I have not followed the purposes for which I am called.
I have not fought the fight – I have not stood against the enemy….I was preparing to wait.
I was not standing fast in the liberty wherein Christ has set me FREE!
I was not resisting the enemy so that he would flee!
I WAS ABDICATING MY POSITION AS A CHILD OF GOD!

This morning – while attending church with our daughter, Faith…
the church sang this song:

https://youtu.be/zbiXg_1lXQk

And the Holy Spirit fell upon the congregation, and the pastor, and He spoke things into my heart about knowing that God will move the mountain…he’s done it before, he’ll do it again…he has not failed me….the song says “yet” – by the forth or fifth time of the chorus…I was dropping the yet.

God has not failed me.
I’ve seen him move mountains.
I’ve seen him raise from the dead.
I’ve seen him heal broken bones.
I’ve seen him restore marriages.
I’ve seen him deliver from demons.
God had not failed me!
Not ever, Not before, not future, and NOT NOW!!!

Who moved?
I did.
And I am so glad that God loves me right where I am.
I am so glad that God answers my prayers, even when I’m not ready to see them!
I am confessing my doubts – and my anxieties – and declaring that Jesus is MY LORD, and I say YES to the call to follow (First Baptist Orlando had a great message this morning as well. when it’s posted, I’ll attach it here.)
As Beth Moore taught us:
I Believe:
1. God is who he says He is
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God’s word is alive and active in me!
I am believing God.
Believing God bookmarks
From The Beth Moore Believing God study.

I was preparing to see God move.
I WANT TO BE EXPECTANT!

How about you?

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:15-23

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.
And here are the others up to this point:
IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6
IBBS Ephesians 1:7-14

note from previous post: In my research, I have found some that say that verses 3-14 are all one long sentence.
It is commonly known that the verses, the chapters, and maybe even some gramatical markings were not necessarily in the original texts. The KJV has it split up with colons and semi-colons.
ESV has added periods.

Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1:15 – 23

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

For THIS reason…WHAT reason?

Because of everything he wrote about in verses 3-14!
Because Paul wants these followers to succeed in their walk with Christ.
Because Paul wants them to KNOW all that they have and are IN CHRIST!
And – Because he heard of their FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and their LOVE towards all the saints!

What does that compel him to do?
GIVE THANKS!
and then, PRAY!

And what does he pray?

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,

And to that – I go into worship!!!

https://youtu.be/TSgb3hNggtM

here are two new ones to me:

What are the things Paul is praying for on our behalf?

18b that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,

what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead

and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,

and above every name that is named,

not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And he put all things under his feet

and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body,

the fullness of him who fills all in all.

That’s a lot!

I’ve spent a few weeks thinking about this, while my computer has been out of order, my web site has been migrated, and the internet has been having indigestion.

Paul is praying that we would KNOW….all of these things.
I think this is a prayer that we can pray for ourselves, and for others.

I think this is a powerful prayer.

Thanks for your patience!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:7-14

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.

IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6

Ephesians 1

Moving along in this very long sentence!

Ephesians 1:7-14

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us,
in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose,
which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also,
when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.

IN HIM
Everything is IN HIM! – Remember!

vs 3 – blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
vs 4 – he chose us in him
vs 5 – adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ(or, IN Jesus Christ)
vs 6 – to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

And Paul continues – IN HIM!

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us,
in all wisdom and insight

EPHESIANS 1:7 AMP
7 In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace

Remission through His blood

Hebrews 9:22; Lev 17:11
Genesis 3...animal skins…animals had to die to cover their sin.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The forgiveness of sins

1 John 1:9
Is 43:25-26
Ps 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Grace

Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Additional verses

Ephesians 1:8‭-‬10 KJV

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth; even in him:

Breaking this down:

8 (grace?)which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight]

This seems to first refer to the grace in verse 7
Then…

…in all wisdom. And understanding…
He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure,
which He purposed in Christ,
with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]–
to bring all things together in Christ,
[both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.
EPHESIANS 1:9‭-‬10 AMP

Mystery of his will – He shares His secrets with us, like He shared His plans with Abraham!
According to his good pleasure – It is HIS PLEASURE to share with us!
Which he purposed in Christ – All things are IN CHRIST – and HE is intentional about His plans for us!
Regard to the fulfillment of the times – The End times…just like He shared with Abrahamm about Sodom and Gomorrah
To bring all things together in Christ – God’s purpose was always about reconciliation
In the heavens and on earth. – To be reunited with Him – to walk with Him, not in the garden like Adam and Eve, but in HIS home!

We have been given insight into the end of the story!
The story HE began at creation!

The study of end times is called eschatology. There are plenty of studies on eschatology…
I’ll link a few I like, here.

Hal Lindsey
Got Questions – eschatology
I like Keith Green’s quote from years ago – when asked did he believe in pre or post trib, he replied:
“Pray for Pre, prepare for Post.”

Back to the verses:

EPHESIANS 1:11‭-‬14 AMP
11 In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny–we were claimed by God as His own],
having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand)
according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].
14 The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

An inheritance – only heirs get an inheritance –
Predestined – chosen, planned for, known from before the foundations of the world…
vs 11 – According to his purpose who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will – This points to Romans 8:28!

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

and just for good measure –

Romans 8:29-30
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This ties in with Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

This reminds me of what I was thinking in IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6

But this whole plan was constructed and conceived because HE loves, because HE loves us, from before the foundations of the world.

My word of the day meditation on February 15th 2017 talks about my choices and HIS plans!
Jeremiah 1:5 talks about being known before we were conceived
Jeremiah 29:11-13 talks about the plans HE has for us.
Psalm 139 talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made

Here is the foundation piece, we love because he first loved us. In addition we are because he first loved us. We will be because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Our past, our present, and our future are all enmeshed in His love for us.
There is nothing about God that isn’t done because of his love.
Because of His great love, we are not destroyed!Lamentations 3:22
When we look at First Corinthians 13 describing What Love Is, it really is a description of God.
Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, does not rejoice in wrongdoing.
We can go through the names of God and see His love in every name even those that are considered harsh or cruel.

we were chosen for his purpose

For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Back to the verses – why? Why did God do all of this?

Ephesians 1:12 NIV

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Referring to those that first believed…

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

And it’s true for those of us that believed since then!

Ephesians 1:13 NIV
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

We’ve been marked..sealed…set aside for our protection – Revelation 7:3. similar to the blood on the doorposts at the time of the Exodus.(Exodus 12:23). Ezekiel talked about those that grieve over sin being marked in their forehead! (Ezekiel 9:4).
We are marked – as GOD’S OWN!!!

Ephesians 1:14AMP
(Holy Spirit)who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

When someone creates a will, the proof of the promise of the will is that document. In our case, the proof of our salvation is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Until the end of the story, when we see redemption face to face.
Hebrews 11:1

We can’t see our salvation…but the Holy Spirit, in us, confirms it.

That leads me back toEphesians 2:8-9

We are Saved by grace through faith and that not of your own…it’s the gift of God

This all seems to go around and around…like a song that is building and building…

redemption
forgiveness
grace
wisdom
chosen
plan
inheritance
reconciliation

Move some of these around, and it’s the plan of salvation – focusing upon the glories of His love for us, and that we are created for HIS praise and glory.

Here’s how I drew it out:

I hope you enjoyed this…and here is a song that really put something in perspective:

There is a phrase – you didn’t want heaven without us, so you brought heaven down.
Because of HIS great love towards us…we have salvation.
Everything is because of HIS GREAT LOVE – and HE loves US!

Amen!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2017 – My One Word – #mydays – wk8 day 3

I have started to read the book My One Word by Mike Ashcroft. (the link is added, but I do not have a partnership at this point).

Of course, this is still true:
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

#mydays

This is my insight for today – seeking wisdom from the Lord, and from my daily writing via 750words
This is not a grammatically correct writing – this is from a free flowing thought writing during my meditation. Some captitalization issues are more for poetic/artistic impact than grammar. Some of the flow, and sentence structure is more poetic than accurate writing code. Please be gracious as I share my heart.

Today’s came out as raw poetically.

and now, I need to be strong and courageous, not tremble or be dismayed.
the Lord my God shall be with me wherever I go
I need to be doing the art blog as well as the bible blog and the words blog
i need to be doing my bible study, my prayer, my spiritual warfare
I need to be a loving and supportive wife
i need to be a praying mama
i need to be a praying sponsor of my compassion and my NHM childre
i need to be a praying friend
i need to be what God has called me to be
and I need to allow that calling to be real…and all that i need.
all i need is Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to be filled with the holy spirit
all i need is to be more like him
if i am more like Jesus
then i will not be seen
because if i’m more like Jesus
his love is all they’ll see
my heart is hurt
my mind is dull
my body is broken and tired
but all i need is Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to be filled with the holy spirit
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to love and love
and all others will see is his love
i am not what others need to look at
i am not the prince of peace
i am not what others need to be like
i am not the creator of the universe
i am just a simple follower
i am just one saved by grace
i am just a simple child
that has turned my life to the father of lights
all i need is to be more like Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to be filled with the holy spirit
all i need is to be more like him
when darkness comes and
i’m so afraid
when lightning strikes and
i can’t see thy face
all i need is to be more like Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is my own Gethsemane
all i need is to lay down my life
all i need is to be more like Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to be filled with His spirit
all i need is to be yielded to his grace.
my body is torn and tired and weary
my mind is split and fuzzy and blamed
my heart is sore, and wounded and troubled
but i’m a child of God
and I’m saved by grace
all i need is to be like Jesus
all i need is to be more like Him
all i need is to be filled with His spirit
all i need is to seek his face
His face
His grace
His love
fill me lord
His love
his peace
his joy
fill me lord
fill me lord

be near me lord Jesus i ask thee to stay
close by me forever and love me i pray
keep all your dear children in thy tender care
and take us to heaven to live with thee there.

all i need is to be more like Jesus
all i need is to be more like him
all i need is to be filled with his spirit
all i need is to seek his face
all i need is to lay down my life
all i need is to embrace his grace
all i need is to be more like Jesus
all i need is to be more like him.
all i need is to love like Jesus
so those that see me will see his face.
in Jesus’ name
amen

My 750words entry for today.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2017 – My one word – #mydays – 18feb2017

I have started to read the book My One Word by Mike Ashcroft. (the link is added, but I do not have a partnership at this point).

Of course, this is still true:
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

#mydays

Teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom. I used to think that was making a schedule. Actually, it’s about making intentional choices. One of the things I’ve learned in the last 7 days is that if I eat sugar as in a donut or a red velvet bread pudding dessert, I end up with blurry vision. I knew that if my Sugar crashed I would get blurry vision. I now know that if I eat sugary something, my vision goes blurry as well. Another thing that I have figured out just tonight is cheese or dairy. It causes me to itch. I knew it cost phlegm in my throat, but I had not specifically recognized that it caused itching that keeps me awake.

This whole concept of teach me to number my days seems to be teach me to see my days my hours my minutes as priceless. It seems that numbering my days is like looking in my wallet and seeing that I have $19 and deciding whether I’m going to spend that on some ridiculous movie and popcorn, or spend it on an excellent meal, or save it for something that may actually impact the world!

The concept of making sure that I am healthy to the best of my abilities being equal to loving myself and actually serving God to the best of my abilities, is a Brand New Concept for me. Of course loving myself so that I can love my neighbors is a concept I have struggled with for a while. Loving myself because God loved me first is changing my whole Focus.

Thanks for joining me

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:3-6

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.

In my research, I have found some that say that verses 3-14 are all one long sentence.
It is commonly known that the verses, the chapters, and maybe even some gramatical markings were not necessarily in the original texts. The KJV has it split up with colons and semi-colons.
ESV has added periods.
I’m not sure if God is concerned how we break it down, as long as we choose to read his word, to apply our hearts to wisdom! I think Psalm 90:12 applies here!

Ephesians 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace,
with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

I really do not want to deal with the predestination and election theology. That is WAAAAAY above my pay grade.
There are many teachers out there pro and con predestination and election – and one can simply do a google to find whichever point of view feels right. I even hate saying it like that. But, this issue can become a very volatile and divisive issue, and I do not believe that is the point Paul is trying to promote here.

I want to focus on how God the Father positioned us to be sons!(and daughters)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.
4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.
5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.
6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

Praise be to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

That’s a good start for a confession of faith.

In Christ.

That is our profession of salvation. That is our position.
It is from that position, that we should be everything else in our walk, in our lives.
We are seated in the heavenlies with him.(Ephesians 2:6)
We are joint heirs with him.(Romans 8:17)
In this verse we find out that we are blessed in him.

Every spiritual blessing in heaven.

There is a song that I love called I Can Only Imagine.
There is nothing we can compare to being blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven!
It will be exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20)
Right now we can only see through a glass Darkly.(1 Corinthians 13:12)

In Christ, he chose us before the world was made.
He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.

In Christ is the first blessing. Because it’s by faith by grace through faith and that not of ourselves that we are saved. Which we will see in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Here is the tricky part, He chose us before the world was made.
This gets into the predestination and election.
The thing is, do I believe the Bible means what the Bible says?
Yes I do.
I believe God the Father chose each one of us

before He created the world,
before Adam and Eve fell,
before he sent his son,
before my mother and father met,
before I was conceived,
before I was born,
God chose me!

The tricky question, which will come up in this book, is, if God chose people from before creation does that mean He chose those to go to hell?
When we stand before God on the judgement day, we will not be judged on whether God chose us or not, we will be judged on whether we chose God or not.
I’ve been doing a Bible study group at church about God being sovereign. In that group the teacher is talking about God’s perfect will and his permissive will.

Pastor Jimmy Knott, from First Baptist Orlando is doing a study on God’s Will.
He’s talked about God’s Determined or Decreed Will and God’s Desired or Permissive will.

here’s some of my notes:

Many years ago in a Thompson Chain reference Bible, there was illustration that shows the two sides of God’s will. It is from the Bible analysis of Romans.

God’s ways are above my ability to comprehend.
The main thing for me is to know the God has had a plan for me from before the foundation of the world!

He chose us in love …

Why did he choose me? Because he loved me.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever whosoever whosoever.

God chose us in love. This brings us back to Genesis 1.
Why did God create? Love.
God chose us before the foundations of the world because of love. Therefore he had to create a world for us in which we could live.
God created the heavens and the Earth and everything that dwells therein, because he loves.
Even simpler, God is love.

He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.

Chose us to be His holy people.
Holy does not mean perfect, holy means set apart on to him.
Second part of this says “people who could stand before him without any fault.”
That is why Jesus came. In 1st John 1 we are told the followers of Christ do not sin but that if we say we have no sin we lie and that if and when we sin we have an advocate with the Father which is Jesus Christ and that we can pray and ask forgiveness and he will washes clean of our sins. 1 John 2
We stand before God the Father without any faults because God the son, Jesus Christ, took our sins on the cross, and paid the price, so that we are seen as if we had never sinned.
Justified equals just as if I’d never sinned.

5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.

Why did God do this?
Because he wanted to, and it pleased him to do so.

God decided to make us his own children.
That is the whole purpose for creation, for God to have children.

God wasn’t surprised that Eve listened to the serpent, that Adam listened to Eve, and they both sinned.
God wasn’t surprised that Cain killed Abel.
God wasn’t surprised that Moses killed an Egyptian.
God wasn’t surprised that Ruth left with Naomi and met up with Boaz and had a child.
God wasn’t surprised that it was the Seventh Son of Jesse that chose to worship God and therefore was chosen for the king of Israel.
God wasn’t surprised when Herod sent out the soldiers to kill babies around the time Christ was born.
God wasn’t surprised when the people of Jesus’s day kept trying to kill him before his time.
God wasn’t surprised when Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss.
God wasn’t surprised when Jesus hung on the cross to pay the price
God wasn’t surprised that Jesus rose from the dead because that was God’s plan from before creation!

The reason that God created from the beginning was so that you and I could become His children through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection.
The plan was that the Father would draw us to Him!John 6:44
Just in case we weren’t able to handle it(which he knew we would not be) God gave us the gift of faith so that we could believe in the grace of the cross. Ephesians 2:8-9
He gave us the gift of repentance so that we could turn away from our Wicked Ways and humble ourselves and seek his face. 2 Tim 2:25
Everything that we have comes from God’s hand.

6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

This is preparing us for ephesians 2:8-9.
And it gives us our appropriate response for the grace that God has given us that we should praise God from whom all blessings flow!

He gave us the grace in Christ, the one he loves.
He gave us the grace to Believe In Christ, and
He gave us the grace to become children of God, through Christ, whom he loves.

But this whole plan was constructed and conceived because HE loves, because HE loves us, from before the foundations of the world.

My word of the day meditation on February 15th 2017 talks about my choices and HIS plans!
Jeremiah 1:5 talks about being known before we were conceived
Jeremiah 29:11-13 talks about the plans HE has for us.
Psalm 139 talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made

Here is the foundation piece, we love because he first loved us. In addition we are because he first loved us. We will be because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Our past, our present, and our future are all enmeshed in His love for us.
There is nothing about God that isn’t done because of his love.
Because of His great love, we are not destroyed!Lamentations 3:22
When we look at First Corinthians 13 describing What Love Is, it really is a description of God.
Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, does not rejoice in wrongdoing.
We can go through the names of God and see His love in every name even those that are considered harsh or cruel.

In the King James Version – Ephesians 1:6 says:

To the praise of the glory of HIS grace, where in HE hath made us acceptable in the Beloved.

Acceptable in the Beloved.
Why would I want to be anywhere else?

That’s my thoughts for today….I hope this blessed you!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2017 My One Word – #mydays – wk7day3

I have started to read the book My One Word by Mike Ashcroft. (the link is added, but I do not have a partnership at this point).

Of course, this is still true:
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

#mydays

The word of God is sharper than any two edged sword(Hebrews 4:12)
the word of God is hidden in my heart that I will not sin against him (Psalm 119:11)
then, why do i sin?
ah that age old question – Paul wondered that
The confession from church prays that I do those things that I ought not to do, and I don’t do those things that I ought to do and there is no help in us.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen. 1928 book of Common Prayer

Romans 7:15-20
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

There is help in us…it’s called Jesus Christ!
He sent His Holy Spirit to fill us so that we could have the strength, the courage, the wisdom and the grace and mercy to do better.
do better?
is that the whole qualifier?
that I want to do better?
that I want to be better?
since I’m learning that God does not hold me to the standard of perfection –
since I’ve learned that God just asks me to move forward towards perfection –
since i’m learning that moving forward, even if I fall back…

the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord and he delights in his way
though he fall, he shall not be cast down
for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)

…falling back does not mean my walk with Jesus is over.
I’d have to turn completely away…and never return.

falling back means I’m human
repentance means I’m a Christian
forgiveness means I’m a child of God.
mercy and grace mean that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His father is MY father,
and my Father loves me enough to receive me back whenever I turn away,
to pick me up whenever I fall down and
to hold me in the palm of his hand, and
help me to run the race with endurance,
to finish the race, and
to see him face to face at the end of the age!

so why do i struggle with my position in the family of God?
because of my position in the family in which is was born.
again…they are/were all human.
God is divine, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omni everything.

He has known me since before I was formed in my mothers womb.(Jeremiah 1:5)
he has had a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11-13)since before I was formed in my mothers womb.
thanks to Jeremiah and Psalm 139 – I know that I was fearfully and wonderfully made
i know that i was made for a purpose
i know that i am here because God breathed life into me at birth
i know that i am here because God said “this one is mine”
and i know that i am a Christian because he gave me the gift of faith that I could believe.(Ephesians 2:8-9)
and I know that it was my choice to believe…(John 3:16-17)
i know that it is my choice to love God with my whole heart, mind, strength and soul.(Mark 12:30)
i know that it is my choice to choose daily to walk as Christ walked…or walk as christi might want to walk…and i don’t always choose well.

In the search for the holy grail, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade…’you have chosen wisely’ or ‘you have chosen unwisely’ – the choices are pretty dramatic for the results…
choosing unwisely brings death
choosing wisely brought healing and restoration.
it’s very much the same in the Christian walk.
Making choices that are clearly indicated in scripture – life and death:
choose ye this day whether you shall choose life or death – but I say choose life! Joshua 24:15!

Not all choices are so big and earth shattering in a life..such as the 10 commandments, the sermon on the mount, the love chapter, the fruit of the spirit.
Some choices have more subtle life and death choices

binging on chocolate or ice cream…and getting blurry eyes.
cutting for the adrenaline surge …and getting pain.
not sleeping – and losing energy, and mental clarity
ignoring a doctors instructions – and damaging already damaged tissue.

they don’t cause death…but they impair life.

the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
in the presence of the lord is joy forever more (Psalm 16:11)
Jesus came that i might have joy, (John 15:11)
and that joy, is my strength…Nehemiah 8:10
and i need to be in God’s presence to be immersed in that joy…Psalm 16:11
and that presence, i can enter in, because I have Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior (Ephesians 3:12)
and i can boldy go before the throne (Hebrews 4:16)
and in that throne room, i receive all that i need to choose life (Hebrews 10:19-20)
life, and life abundantly…(John 10:10)
full of joy, peace, and righteousness…in the holy spirit (Romans 14:17).

With all of this, why would i not choose to spend time in the Lord’s presence?
Ah – that’s back to the prayer…
i don’t do the things i ought to do…and there is no help in us.
thank you, Father, that I can come boldly and ask you for help…
thank you, Jesus, for loving me enough to die for my sins and raise me up with you.
thank you, Holy Spirit, for living in me, and guiding me and comforting me…as long as I ask.
Thank you – God, for being my God.
Amen.

Thank you for reading my meditation for today.
What does it have to do with “teach me to number my days”?
I guess it’s more about – “that I might apply my heart to wisdom”.
It’s about choosing to spend time in God’s presence.
It’s about choosing to hide God’s word in my heart.
It’s about choosing wisely!
I hope it blesses you!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians – Introduction

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In my studying for these readings, I have found a very useful on line tool for study. While I miss sitting with my Strongs concordance, and my Bakers Bible Atlas, and my other various Bible study reference materials – being able to link to them in my blogs is priceless!
Thank you to Bible Study Tools for making these available!

Bible Commentaries

Matthew Henry’s commentary on Ephesians

Scofield Reference Notes on Ephesians.

I like this quote from Scofield:

THEME: The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, “His body,” not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle:
the believer’s exalted position through grace;
the truth concerning the body of Christ;
and a walk in accordance with that position.

Acts 19 talks of Paul’s visit to Ephesus.

Ephesians 1 (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amplified
1 Paul,
an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed),
by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],
To the saints (God’s people)
who are at Ephesus
and are faithful
and loyal
and steadfast in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you
and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is more from Scofield:

DATE: Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Acts 20:1-27:44 . (See Scofield “Acts 28:30”) and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul’s letters. Indeed the words, “to the Ephesians,” are not in the best manuscripts. Colossians 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be “to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus” anywhere.

I have often had difficulty wondering if the letters written to those people were actually applicable to me.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Romans 15:4
4 For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

I sort of understand the cannonization of the Bible books…
If my reader struggles with this – Focus on the Family discusses how we got the Bible.
The Gospel Project explains it well.
Answers in Genesis goes a bit further and talks about how we got the Bible in English.

I share all of this, because in my life, I have had difficulty accepting that God chose me.
There is much in my history that indicates that in my family, I was not chosen for good things.
So, when Paul begins the epistle to the Ephesians – I often have to go through this exercise to remind myself that God made sure that the Bible was preserved so that I would hear it read every Sunday from the Episcopal pulpit, that I would hear the Bible every summer in the Methodist VBS, that I would respect the Bible when, in 1969, I attended a Pentecostal church and it was explained that each person needs to make a personal choice to ask Jesus in.
Because of that Bible, an evangelist from a Methodist church thousands of miles from my home would tell me to start reading the gospels. It was in a Baptist church I attended because of a boyfriend that I learned that I should KNOW my bible(Bible sword drills). It was in a faith church that I learned theology.
It is the Word of God that is hidden in my heart so that I will not sin against God.
It is the Word of God that saves me – as in – Jesus is the Word of God.

I like Scofield stating that this may have just been written to all the Christians…and of course, there is that verse that comes from Peter:

Acts 2:38-39
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 This promise belongs to you and to your children and to all who are far off, to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Grace to YOU,
and PEACE
from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Grace to ME!
and PEACE!

So, for tomorrow – we will read Ephesians 1 – and see how far we get!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2017 My One Word – #mydays – wk6day6

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

This is my insight for today – seeking wisdom from the Lord, and from my daily writing via 750words

marriage is conflict and anyone that says different has something to sell…

My spiritual growth and ministry is tied to his, and whether or not he decides to move forward, to prune himself, or place us in the position to be pruned – we are a tree that has been knit together at marriage…
my poison from the past is sucked up into his branches and effects him
his poison from the past is sucked up into my branches and effects me.
pruning our own part of the tree is important…but whacking off the branches of the other, is not good.
pruning is good, whacking off is bad.
especially if it exposes the other to the elements without protection.

but when there are broken branches, they need to be cut off…or bound up…and then, a protective coating put upon them in order to protect against poison and invaders.
when too many broken branches are allowed to rot because of fear of pruning, the rot starts going down the tree, and going into the roots.
so if there is poison going up the tree from roots, or not planted in good soil…the poison meets.
if the roots are not intimately drinking up the relationship with the soil, they dry up, and are going to get diseased from the inside.
if the joined tree…which has become intimately dependent upon the other tree ..draws up the rot, the sickness, poison…then, it, too will die.
Be not unequally yoked.

The thing is –

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiasts 4:11 is nice, too!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Actually – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
fits here completely!

9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

A prayer for marriage should be:

Colosians 2:2-3
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Romans 15:5-6
5 Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus, 6so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are dangers of being married…especially if unequally yoked.
But there are blessings to be enjoyed as well…

Marriage is the analogy, of the mystery of the Godhead, and the mystery of Christ and the church.
if Paul couldn’t understand it, I certainly cannot.

There is a warning to those looking to be fulfilled in another.
the OTHER is Christ Jesus.
Then, you can intertwine your lives, and create and even stronger, more beautiful tree.

I find it interesting that in Jan 2016, I wrote about marriage tools!
I followed that with marriage tools 2.
In February, I wrote another about marriage.
Apparently, there is much to be learned about marriage – at least for us!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

The Wildberry Patch

Be Engrafted into the VINE to produce Eternal Fruit