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two birds connected by musical notes

2023 First 100 days – day 14 Wisdom and Praise Readings

2023 First 100 days – day 14 – Wisdom and Praise January 14

Chris’s discussion on Day 14

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Wisdom and Praise
Psalms 14, 44, 74, 104, 134 and Proverb 14

Today’s readings again compare the righteous and the wicked,  remembering what God has done in the past and He will do it again, the struggles of discipline and the destruction of a special place.  We have a whole psalm dedicated to the Creator God and His glory. I sing another Psalm.  Proverbs has some tidbits for us about our heart and character. I found quite a few new songs!

Let’s dive in!

  • Psalm 14 From David’s Prayer Journal – The wicked
    • Ps 14:1 The fool[a] says in his heart,
          “There is no God.”
      They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
          there is no one who does good.
    • Ps 14:2-3 The Lord looks down from heaven
          on all mankind
      to see if there are any who understand,
          any who seek God.
      3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
          there is no one who does good,
          not even one.
    • Ps 14:7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
          When the Lord restores his people,
          let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
    • Psalm 14 by Psalms Project
  • Psalm 44 Remembering What the Lord has done
    • Ps 44:1  God, we have heard with our ears—
      our ancestors have told us—
      the work You accomplished in their days,
      in days long ago:
    • Ps 44:4 You are my King, my God,
      who ordains[a] victories for Jacob.
    • Ps 44:9-14 Discipline or what?
    • Ps 44:15 – 16 because of persecution
      • My disgrace is before me all day long,
        and shame has covered my face,
        16 because of the voice of the scorner and reviler,
        because of the enemy and avenger.
      • Matt 5:10
        • Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
              for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
      • Matt 5:11-12  
        • “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
      • Persecution for beliefs feels like we are ignored by our God.  In fact, it is allowed, not caused, and this is for our good.
        • James 1: 2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
    • Ps 44:23-26 Cry out to God for help in times of trouble!
      • Rise up! Help us!
        Redeem us because of Your faithful love.
    • Songs of Psalm 44
  • Psalm 74 – Crying out because of destruction
      • Ps 74:1 Out cry as His people
          • Why have You rejected us forever, God?
            Why does Your anger burn
            against the sheep of Your pasture?
      • Ps 74:3-11 Describing the Destruction
          • It was like men in a thicket of trees,
            wielding axes,
            6 then smashing all the carvings
            with hatchets and picks.
            7 They set Your sanctuary on fire;
            they utterly[c] desecrated
            the dwelling place of Your name.
      • Ps 74:12-17 Reminder the God of Creation
          • God my King is from ancient times,
            performing saving acts on the earth.
            13 You divided the sea with Your strength;
            You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters;
      • Ps 74:18 – 23 Remember Your People
          • Rise up, God, defend Your cause!
            Remember the insults
            that fools bring against You all day long.
            23 Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,
            the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly.
      • Songs of Psalm 74
  • Psalm 104 Glory to God!
      • Ps 104:1- 4
          • My soul, praise Yahweh!
            Lord my God, You are very great;
            You are clothed with majesty and splendor.
            2 He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe,
            spreading out the sky like a canopy,
            3 laying the beams of His palace
            on the waters above,
            making the clouds His chariot,
            walking on the wings of the wind,
            4 and making the winds His messengers,[a]
            flames of fire His servants.
        • Ps 104:5-26 God Created all things
            • :5 He established the earth on its foundations;
              it will never be shaken.
            • :10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;
              they flow between the mountains.
            • :16 The trees of the Lord flourish,[c]
              the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.
              17 There the birds make their nests;
              the stork makes its home in the pine trees.
            • :24 How countless are Your works, Lord!
              In wisdom You have made them all;
              the earth is full of Your creatures.[f]
        • Ps 104:27 – 30 The Relationship with God
            • :29-30 When You hide Your face,
              they are terrified;
              when You take away their breath,
              they die and return to the dust.
              30 When You send Your breath,[g]
              they are created,
              and You renew the face of the earth.
        • Ps 104:31 – 35 Song of Praise
            • :31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
              may the Lord rejoice in His works.
            • :33 – 34 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
              I will sing praise to my God while I live.
              34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
              I will rejoice in the Lord.
    • Songs of 104
  • young woman with blonde hair sitting at a tree playing guitar

    Image by Sam Williams from Pixabay

    Psalm 134 a Psalm for Singing

    • Ps 134:1-2
      • Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
            who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
        2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
            and bless the Lord!
    • Ps 134:3 Benediction
      • May the Lord bless you from Zion,
            he who made heaven and earth!
    • Songs for Psalm 134
  • Proverb 14 – guard your heart
    • Pr 14:1 a verse drilled ito the minds and hearts of young women
      • Every wise woman builds her house,
        but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
    • Pr 14:10 authentic self, truth of the heart
      • The heart knows its own bitterness,
        and no outsider shares in its joy.
    • Pr 14:12 wisdom guides
      • There is a way that seems right to a man,
        but its end is the way to death.
      • Jeremiah 17:9 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
      • Proverb 8:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
    • Pr 14:16-17 Go To Verse
      • 16 A wise man is cautious and turns from evil,
        but a fool is easily angered and is careless.
      • 17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
        and a man who schemes is hated.
    • Pr 14:26 Go To Verse
      • 26 In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge.
    • Pr 14:27 Go To Verse
      • 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.
    • Pr 14:30 (NIV) Go To Verse for Mental Health as well as Physical
    • Pr 14:33 Wisdom resides in the heart of the discerning;
      she is known[h] even among fools.

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

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.

M. Christine Wildman“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

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

Praise and worship

2023 The First 100 Days – Reading Wisdom and Praise – Day 7

2023 First 100 days day 7, January 7

Day 7 discussed by Chris Wildman from The WildBerry Patch

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

Wisdom and Praise Collection
Psalms 7, 37, 67, 97, 127 and Proverbs 7

Today’s readings were so fun.  I really focused on Psalm 37 in the video, and it has songs!  I also put Psalm 67 at the end as a prayer, but here, I’ll put them all in order.

 

  • Thanks for joining me in this study of Wisdom and Praise.  Would you like to help others to be touched by this? 
  • Please go to the Facebook “The WildBerry Patch” page and join, and like and comment. 
  • Also, The WildBerry Patch site you can add a comment. 
  • Just for fun, you can join me at ChristArtist on Twitter. 
  • Thank you.  
prayer

Image by reenablack from Pixabay

  • Psalm 7 – David’s Prayer Journal
    • Ps 7:1-2
      • Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;
        save me from all my pursuers and rescue me
        2 or they[c] will tear me like a lion,
        ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.[d]
    • Ps 7:3-5 seeking his own heart
      • Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
        if there is injustice on my hands,
        4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me
        or have plundered[e] my adversary without cause,
    • Ps 7:10 GoTo verse
      • My shield is with[k] God,
        who saves the upright in heart.
    • Ps 7:17 GoTo verse
      • I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
        I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.
Praise and worship

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

  • Psalm 37 – very musical
    • Ps 37:1 in various versions
    • (NIV) Of David. Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
    • (NLT) Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
    • (KJV) A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
    • (HCSB) Davidic. Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
    • Psalm 37 song by Sons of Korah
    • Ps 37:3-6 Song number 1 – Trust in the Lord and do Good

      • 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

        4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

        5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

      • I sing a version of this on the video.  If anyone knows where this  comes from , please comment and let me know!
    • Ps 37:7 – This could be a GoTo verse
      • Be silent before the Lord and wait – our responsibility when seeking the Lord.
        • (KJV) 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
    • Ps 37:8 a GoTo verse to be like Christ
      • (KJV) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
      • (HCSB) Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
        do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.
    • Ps 37:16 – another GoTo verse
      • The little that the righteous man has is better
        than the abundance of many wicked people.
    • Ps 37:21 – Great Wisdom for knowing character
      • The wicked man borrows and does not repay,
        but the righteous one is gracious and giving.
    • Ps 37:23-24 another song!

      • The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

        24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

      • The Steps of Good man by Jack Marti 
    • Ps 37:27 another GoTo verse
      • (KJV)27Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
    • Ps 37:28-29 talks about our future in God
    • Ps 37:30-31  tells more about the character of the follower of God in Christ
      • The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
        his tongue speaks what is just.
        31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
        his steps do not falter.
      • this is because we have hidden His word in our hearts

        • 11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

    • Ps 37:37 – a word of wisdom – watch the blameless, watch the man of peace, they will have a future
    • Ps 37:39-40 Is a promise of refuge, Salvation and Deliverance from the Lord
  • Psalm 67 -a prayer
    • Ps 67:1- 2
      • May God be gracious to us and bless us;
        look on us with favorSelah
        2 so that Your way may be known on earth,
        Your salvation among all nations.
  • Psalm 97 – Several GoTo verses
    • Ps 97:1 GoTo Verse – choose  your  version  from  BibleHub.com
      • (ESV) 1The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad.
    • Ps 97:2-6 Glorifying the Great God Jehovah
    • Ps 97:8-9 Praise
    • Ps 97:10 GoTo Verse – all or just the first part!
      • You who love the Lord, hate evil!
        He protects the lives of His godly ones;
        He rescues them from the power of the wicked.
    • Ps 97:11-12 Beautiful Praise
      • Light dawns[c][d] for the righteous,
        gladness for the upright in heart.
        12 Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous ones,
        and praise His holy name.[e]
  • Psalm 127 – a song about wisdom and grace
    • Ps 127:1-2 GoTo Verse, all or first part. choose your version from BibleHub.
      • (HCSB) Unless the Lord builds a house,
        its builders labor over it in vain;
        unless the Lord watches over a city,
        the watchman stays alert in vain.
    • Ps 127:3-5 – the Joy of having children
      • (AMP)

        3Behold, children are a heritage and gift from the LORD, The fruit of the womb a reward.

  • Proverb 7 
    • Pr 7:1-5 a plea for the child to seek out wisdom and to hold on
      • part of the training of a child – teach them the Bible
    • Pr 7:6-27 more on the danger of the harlot
    • The American Bible Society has a great study on how to flee from sin.

Hi! My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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.

M. Christine Wildman“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

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

Advent 2015 day 18 – Faith

 

Advent day 18
light the 18th candle

Advent day 18

Advent day 18

here’s a nice version of O Come all Ye faithful to listen to while reading.

I’ve been meditatiing on the WORDS of Christmas – Joy, Love, Peace – and they are the first three fruits of the Spirit:

Eph 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

There are ornaments all around that have these words on them – but recently, there are new ones popping up that say “I believe”.

There is a current cultural thing to say I believe – but the question I ask is “what do you believe?” or more specifically “In WHAT or WHOM do you believe?”

belief implies faith
from Merriam Webster:

Full Definition of faith
plural faiths play \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāthz\
1
a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty
b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

 

The word Belief is used to define the word faith.

The Bible defines Faith this way:
Heb 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope is another word that is thrown about at Christmas time, and it goes hand in hand with Faith.

When something is created, it is created with some sort of substance. A Lego Milkshake is made by the substance of legos, the legos are created by the substance of plastic. before the legos, there came the idea, and the hope that it could be done, and the faith that all their experiences and knowledge would be able to see the final product.

Jim with a Lego milkshake

Jim with a Lego milkshake

Before it was a real lego milkshake, it was a thought in someone’s mind. They believed they could build legos, and they believed they could use those legos to build a milkshake. First, they had the thought, and they HOPED they could do it. The milkshake was not seen, until they went through the steps to build it. Once it was seen, there was no need for faith, belief or hope. They KNEW they could do it, because they had the visible proof before them. But someone first had the thought!

Faith – one of the definitions is “firm belief in something for which there is no proof”

Many people say that those of us with religious faiths have ‘blind faith’.
My faith is not blind.
I cannot explain creation around me without the knowledge that there was a creator.
If a camera had a creator, then how did the eye just happen?
If prosthetics have creators, then how did the foot, ankle, knee, wrist, hand, elbow, hip just happen?

Man cannot create water – how did it get here?
How does the bumble bee fly?
How does the hummingbird fly?
Why are we at just the right distance from the sun to maintain warmth, with the moon exactly the right distance to cause the tides? Just because Star Trek found all sorts of class M planets does not mean there really are. But if there were, how did they happen?
And then, there are those that will not believe in a creator God that created, and is intimately involved in the lives of His children. They believe in Aliens that came and planted us here.

Well, God is alien to us – his ways are not our ways.
He is infinite, I am finite.
He is omniscient, I only know what I know.

And what I know is that there is a creator for this creation.
I have faith that Jesus Christ is His Son, who came, lived, died and rose again on my behalf.
My hope is that someday, I will see him face to face.
And when that day comes, there will be no more need for faith, because we will know all things and know Him completely.

What do you believe?
Whom do you believe?
And does it make your life better for the believing?

The ornament for today is a cross – to signify in Whom I have faith.

wooden cross

wooden cross

cross of nails

cross of nails

cross with Jesus's names

cross with Jesus’s names

crochet cross

crochet cross

Oh Come all ye faithful by Casting Crowns

More Advent Devotions

Advent day 19 – Mary

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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.

M. Christine Wildman“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

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

Advent 2015 – Day 10, Rising Sun

Advent day 10

Light the 10th Candle on the log.

advent-9

There is a saying, “it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
That saying never made much sense to me. Sitting on the beach, watching the sun rise, the darkness flees to the degree the light is coming.

Pre-Sunrise Beach at Ft Lauderdale.

Pre-Sunrise Beach at Ft Lauderdale.

Sunrise Beach at Ft Lauderdale

Sunrise Beach at Ft Lauderdale

The one thing I noticed while watching the sunrise in the various resort towns is that prior to the sun rising, there is an almost agreed upon hush. Those that are out at this time, even the workers around the pools and restaurants, speak in hushed tones until the sun rises. There is almost an air of the sacred in those moments.

I know that there are those that worship the sun, and therefore, to them, it is sacred.
For me, it illustrates the light of Christ shining into my darkness.

Isaiah 60:1-3 speaks of the promise of light to those who seek him.

1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Actually, it’s speaking of Zion, and when the Lord will return.
Is 9:2, prior to the great Christmas passage, says this:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Jesus said

“I am the Light of the World; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

In the believing Jews’ world, Jesus definitely changed things from dark to light. For those that did not believe, their worlds changed as well, because now they had to answer to this new development.
In my world,

  • in 1969, Jesus came into my life, and turned my heart from one of seeking my own will to one of seeking to please Him.
  • In 1973, I met an evangelist that explained more fully what had happened when I asked Jesus to come live and rule in my heart.
  • In 1975, I was introduced to a fellowship that believed in following Jesus, and learning by reading their Bibles.
  • In 1977, I learned that the Holy Spirit was still alive and well and powerful on planet earth.

And year after year after year, I continued to grow in knowledge of the Word of God, understanding of His love for me, and in how to control my appetites.

Prov 4:18

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Growing in Christ is growing brighter and brighter, more and more like Jesus.
When Moses saw God, his face shown with a great light.
Which reminds me of an explanation given by a musician from the 70’s Jesus movement, Barry MaGuire.

There is no light IN us.
God is the Sun, and we are the moon, we just reflect HIS light.

This explanation helps me to remember that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, from the father of lights, in whom is no shadow or turning.(James 1:17)
Just like I cannot take credit for my own salvation, being saved by grace through faith, and that not of my own, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:1-9), I cannot take credit for any good gift, shining light or godliness in my life. I am merely reflecting the light that God shines into my life.

I’ve had my share of depression and despair – darkness that surrounds my heart and my mind. I am not naive enough to say that the light of Christ causes all those dark shadows to flee, because, they haven’t. Oh how I wish they would! And yet, I daily have to choose to enter into His presence for the light unto my path for that day. I daily have to choose not to embrace the depression that would have me dwell in the dark past, or upon wounds long gone. Yes, there are chemical imbalances within me that God could heal if He chose to. And Yes, I have yelled at him for not choosing to do so. And yes, I have to repent for yelling at my King!

Another saying:

The soul would have no rainbow
if the eye no tear.

2016-11-28-16-42-47

2016-11-28-16-45-35

Those that have suffered depression, and despair are more appreciative of joy and hope, because they know the lack thereof.
I see it as my calling to share my stories of darkness in order to find others in darkness, and then, help them to find joy and hope. Not always do they find Jesus, but Jesus is my joy, hope and light.

A Sunrise or Day-Spring is the symbol for this day.

A Rising Sun

A Rising Sun

Dear Lord, please help me to remember your light will rise upon my darkness when it threatens to take over my heart and mind. Please help me to share your hope with those that suffer in the darkness. For me, that darkness is depression and suicide and pain. None of these things are the promised gifts of the cross, and yet, I know that you have never ignored me when I yield to your plan for my life. When I seek you, I have always found you. I may not agree with your plans, but I have always found them to be the best, in my limited hindsight. Please continue to use me, and deliver me from the enemy, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

note – I am fully aware that most would consider this symbol of Christ to mean delivering a person out of the darkness of sin and into the light of the Kingdom of Christ. Obviously, that happened to me in 1969. There are many resources for such symbolism. This is my story, my calling, and my heart cry – to set free the captives of such darkness as depression and mental illness, and if anyone cares to join me in that journey – welcome!

Song for today is the verses 1-3 of O Come O Come Emmanuel

Advent Day 9

More Advent Devotions

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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.

M. Christine Wildman“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

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

Advent – day 9 – Scepter

Advent day 9

light the 9th candle on the Advent Log.

Advent Candle 9

Advent Candle 9

The scepter.
Second only to the crown as a symbol of power.
Rulers hold the scepter.

I have read the story of Esther with a unique perspective. This feels a bit like sexual assault to me.
I am not sure that I would appreciate being kidnapped – so to speak – to become one of the King’s potential mates.
Probably to be used once, and then thrown aside, potentially never to be free again, and definitely not able to get married and have a family.

Anyway, in the story, in order for Esther to save her people, she must risk her life by boldly going into the throne room, and requesting an audience with the King. King Artexurxes(sp) was known for his having people killed on a whim. If he did not reach out his scepter to her, and welcome her into the throne room, she would die.

Putting her life on the line, to go into the throne room of a great and powerful King, in order to intercede for her people. Amazing. And this she did after three days of prayer and fasting.

Genesis 49:10 says that the scepter shall not depart from Judah:

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[a]
until he to whom it belongs[b] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Isaiah 9:6-7, the great Christmas passage, talks about Jesus ruling:

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

I get Jesus being King of Kings – which was why yesterday’s symbol was a crown.
But the scepter? How does that apply to me? I go back to Esther’s story.

Because I have sinned, and I am not holy, I cannot enter into the throne room of a Holy God. (Hab 1:13) God is too holy to look upon sin, which is why sin brought death and separation into the world.
Because Jesus died on my behalf, paid my death penalty, In Christ, I can enter into the throne room with no concern of a Holy God destroying me for my unholiness.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:14 & 16

Because of Jesus, God the Father, on the great white throne of Judgement(actually, that will be Jesus), extends His scepter and welcomes me into His presence for fellowship.

We just bought a new house.
Because I am not able to see all the doors from everywhere, very unlike the RV, we put in a security system.
This security system has a code to enter, and only those with the code may do so, without sounding the alarm, and having the police called.
During our Thanksgiving trip to Ohio, we needed someone to look after our cat, Purrl. Because we trusted her, she had her own code to enter into the house. She also had a key, but that is a different symbol.
The security system let us know every time she entered and exited. Her freedom to enter in was given to her by US, because of her commitment, and the freedom was based in that code.

Another Bible story is about the High Priest serving in the Holy of Holies. He had to go through much purification prior to, be committed to His service, and bring the blood of the sacrifice to the altar. Because it was so dangerous, that God might strike the person dead for entering in without purification first, they had ropes tied around their waists so that their bodies could be pulled out. They knew about those that died that touched the altar, even by mistake. The purity and holiness of God was a serious issue, and going before him with sin in your heart was a deadly issue.

In order for me to enter into the Holy of Holies, where God presides, I must commit my life to being Christ’s servant, and embrace His blood sacrifice on my behalf.
The blood of Jesus is the code to unlock the door to the Holy of Holies!

Gal 2:20 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Col 3:1 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.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1John 1:7

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Eph 3:12

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet 1:11

Jesus is the rod of Jesse, the scepter holder, and He extends the scepter to, well, whosoever will!

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16

And I say – “I WILL!”

Sadly, sometime prior to 2007, I lost my scepter ornament. We had made several, one with a dowel rod and a styrofoam ball. It was spray painted gold(not good for styrofoam) and sequins and such. Those fell apart. The other was made with shrinky dink – paint plastic and then put it into the oven and it shrank, and became intricate. Such is the crown from yesterday, and the following ornaments.

The thing is, the scepter of God has been extended to me, and you, and we have been given full access into the throne room, and one of those reasons is to obtain GRACE. Through Christ, we already have favor.
Another is to obtain Joy – because in His presence(when you are a welcome guest) there is fullness of Joy! I confess that I need Grace to deal with the daily struggles, and Joy to defeat depression. Who doesn’t?

Lord Jesus, thank you for paying the price, and giving me the code to enter into Your Kingdom. Give me grace to remember your gifts daily, and mercy for my faults. I confess that I yield to the depression, and forget to enter in to be filled with Joy. Thank you for all the reminders in this season for JOY! Joy to the World, the Lord has come. Amen.

Advent Day 9

More Advent Devotions

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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.

M. Christine Wildman“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

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones 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 – Habakkuk 1

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

IBBS Habakkuk Introduction

Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk 1:1-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s First Prayer
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Does this sound familiar? (read in a whining voice…or just a very sad, discouraged, or defeated voice, all are appropriate)
HOW LONG LORD????
WHY????
accusations about his tolerating wickedness….violence…oppression…strife and conflict.
“THIS IS WHY” as if we need to teach God a lesson! Uh huh.

I want to start this with worship….because tough topics need to have the promises included!

https://youtu.be/FUzx4oEmnxQ

Why does God let good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people?

Maybe part of the question is who does God consider bad and who does God consider good?

Let’s look at Job. He’s one of the guys that God says was good…and had some troubles!
Job 1

Job 1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”

First, you get backstage view of God and the enemy and how the enemy goes around trying to cause trouble for those who love God. God specifically points out his servant job who is perfect in all his ways. Now – this is key! God didn’t point out all the folks that were upsetting God…but he points out a man of perfect integrity!

The devil says “hahaha! it’s because you take care of him!”
So long and short of the story:
Satan is given permission to take things away from Job, and Job does not deny God or renounce him.
Satan is given permission to touch Job’s flesh but not to take his life, and Job continues to refuse to denounce God.
Job does get into depression, what I consider a suicidal depression because he wishes he was never born.
consider adding to this that he lost his children at that first testing. Just for clarity, he knew his children were not necessarily walking with the Lord or he wouldn’t be waking up everyday after their parties and trying to do sacrifices on their behalf. Still, these were his children! All gone in ONE event!

So, Job has lost all of his Earthly possessions, he’s lost all of his children, he has lost his health, and his wife is telling him curse God and die.

I’m thinking Job was in a position very similar to Habakkuk saying why are the wicked prospering!? What do you think?

Job 21
7 Why do the wicked continue to live,
growing old and becoming powerful?
8 Their children are established while they are still alive,[a]
and their descendants, before their eyes.
9 Their homes are secure and free of fear;
no rod from God strikes them.

A young friend, Elihu, speaks up:
Job 33
But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,
since God is greater than man.
13 Why do you take Him to court
for not answering anything a person asks?[c]

Elihu clearly spelled it out:

Job 33 and I’m posting starting at 22:
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is an angel on his side,
one mediator out of a thousand,
to tell a person what is right for him[h]
24 and to be gracious to him and say,
“Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,”
25 then his flesh will be healthier[i] than in his youth,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.
26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.
That man will see His face with a shout of joy,
and God will restore his righteousness to him.
27 He will look at men and say,
“I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.[j]
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will continue to see the light.”

Elihu is speaking of all the times that the Lord allows things in order to bring us back from the pit!

Then, he speaks of Repentance:

Job 34
31 Suppose someone says to God,
“I have endured my punishment;
I will no longer act wickedly.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.”
33 Should God repay you on your terms
when you have rejected His?
You must choose, not I!
So declare what you know.

The main point of Elihu’s discourse is that God is God…who are we to argue?
Then, God speaks out of the whirlwind…saying..where were you????

Job 40 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
40 The Lord answered Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.[a]
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.

The last bit of Job has God reprimanding everyone but Elihu for how they keep telling Job that this is because of some sin. On the other hand, once Job hears completely what God has to say, Job repents of being proud and humbled himself before God. And then God blesses Job by multiplying all that he has before. Job 42

Why am I talking about Job in the book of Habakkuk?
First, as I said in the introduction, it is commonly misunderstood that God did not speak to man in the Old Testament.
Job is considered the earliest book – though Moses’ books do tell history prior to Job.
Elihu has a very clear picture of God’s purposes for man and for what HE does or allows to man.
There are those that consider Elihu a preincarnate Christ…but, whatever. His words are clarifying to the rest of Habakkuk 1!

Back to Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 1:5-6 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
God’s First Answer
5 Look at the nations[a] and observe—
be utterly astounded!
For something is taking place in your days
that you will not believe
when you hear about it.
6 Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,[b]
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth’s open spaces
to seize territories not its own.

Habakkuk is not happy with this answer….

Habakkuk 1:12-13 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Habakkuk’s Second Prayer
12 Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?
My Holy One, You[a] will not die.
Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, You destined them to punish us.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are You silent
while one[b] who is wicked swallows up
one[c] who is more righteous than himself?

I’m not sure, but if Job would have responded similarly to Elihu had God not jumped in. In fact, you can read in Job all the times that Job argued!
Have you ever heard of folks saying that “You have the patience of Job” as if he was so patient? Read his book! In several versions! He’s not even in the Heroes of Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11! Yet, Job was REAL – transparent – and he repented of his sin, and allowed God to restore him.

Habakkuk is making the determination who is righteous…or holier than others.

Are there others?
Joseph
Joseph is the favorite of his father, and has some sort of spiritual connection in that he gets dreams that are prophetic. Now as a teenager, he does not quite get when and where are the appropriate times to share these dreams, besides that nobody else is getting these dreams! Now, Joseph’s father, dreamed again, and hears from God at Bethel in Genesis 28. He also wrestled with God the night before he went to meet his brother Esau in Genesis 32. Joseph father, Jacob, had been used to hearing from God in several ways in order to be led as to what he should do. In fact, that situation where Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, his hip was affected in such a way that he limped for the rest of his life. Face-to-face interaction with God changes you!

Joseph had dreams AFTER the above interaction Jacob had with God! Genesis 37
Why didn’t Jacob believe that Joseph was actually having dreams from God? I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that if Joseph’s brothers’ unrighteous behavior had not happened, if Potiphar’s wife lies about Joseph had not occurred, Joseph would not have been in the prison with the Pharaoh’s servants and would not have been able to rise to the number two position, and save many from famine. Not to mention saving his own family. Which of course, was the whole point of those dreams when he was a teenager. Gen 42

One of the outcomes of Joseph bringing his family to Egypt to survive the famine was that eventually they forgot who Joseph was and the Hebrews were enslaved. Over and over and over in the Old Testament God delivers the Hebrews, the Israelites, the children of God. After a while, they become comfortable and they forget the god Who delivered them.

Even after years of being slaves to the Egyptians, and being miraculously delivered, when the going got a little bit tough, they accused Moses of bringing them out into the desert to let them die. Actually they were accusing God of bringing them out into the desert to let them die.

Over and over, when you read through 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles, you see how God raises up a people who love him and obey Him. Then the next generation or at most two generations later, He is forgotten and they go back to the Pagan ways. Prophets cry out to them the simple words of God, because they are the people of the words of God. They hear the word of God every week in the synagogue. But, it takes suffering for them to actually, personally, cry out to God, to recognize their sins, and to repent so that he will turn around and heal their land

2 Chronicles 7:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 and My people who are called by My name
humble themselves,
pray and
seek My face, and
turn from their evil ways,
then
I will hear from heaven,
forgive their sin, and
heal their land.

This is written to THOSE WHO ARE CALLED BY THE NAME OF GOD! not to the wicked.
Why would the people of God need to call out…or need healing in their land?
They are not walking with the Lord.

 

This image comes from Spiritual Inspirations, from their Bible Verses for Sunday. Psalm 91:14-16.  God gives us promises.  We cannot let go of that hope!

Just to be clear, not all that suffer are needing to be disciplined. In the next article, we will look at:
The Hebrews in Egypt…and the plagues that prepared them for the Exodus.(ok,yeah, they needed an attitude check)

Daniel and the Three Hebrew Children

Daniel 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
6 Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them other names: he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.

Paul in Prison – various texts

Jesus Crucified and the three days of thinking all was lost!

I’ve also written some things that might give you more things to think about.
IBBS Joel 1 call to repentance
IBBS Jonah into and Jonah 1 saying no to good and being disciplined(including my testimony of saying no)
IBBS Nahum intro about generation revival and the tendency for following generations to fall away

The key is that none is good –

Romans 3:10-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
10 as it is written:[a]
There is no one righteous, not even one.
11 There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.[b]

IBBS Ephesians 2:1-10 talks about the situation that we are in, and what God has done to remedy it. If there is any extra blog that you read, read this one! It talks about our victory by God through Christ Jesus!

If you have cried out to God in anguish, You are not alone!

I have sung this song…and here is the most amazing story behind it by the author.

Sometimes it takes a mountain by Gaither vocal Band

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones 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 – Habakkuk Introduction

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

Habakkuk 1

Wikipedea on Habakkuk

International Bible Society introduction to Habakkuk

The introduction in summary is that this is a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and Yahweh, Jehovah, YHWH, or The God of creation. For simplification, I’m going to just say “God”.

My first thoughts are that this is an amazing book from the Old Testament.
The basic concept of the OT is that God was not approachable.

The Bible does not bear that thought out.

  • Adam and Eve Talked with God.
  • Job talked with God.
  • Abraham talked with God.
  • Moses talked with God.
  • Samuel talked with God.
  • David talked with God.
  • Daniel talked with God.
  • the whole concept of the prophets, both major and minor was that the all spoke with God!

And I’m not including those that HEARD from God!

The interesting thing here is that even though there was a separation because of sin, if the person had performed the proper sacrifices and had a heart towards knowing Father God, they were in communication.

Hebrews 11 talks about many in the Old Testament who, by faith, believed in God the Father, and in His promises.

Psalm 102:25-28 King James Version (KJV)
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

Hebrews 13:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

To me, the beauty is that the same God that created the beautiful garden for ‘man’ to enjoy,

    • is the same God that continues to love us enough to discipline us,
    • is the same God who will guide us in the way in which we should go,
    • is the same God that planned for our salvation, and gave himself for us.

This God loved us so much from before the time we were born, that HE planned our salvation so that we could enter into HIS presence with thanksgiving!
And, this God is big enough for us to ask Him the hard questions…which is what Habakkuk does.

The other theme that I see is that of why do the wicked prosper?
Why does God allow pain and suffering? We’ll get into that!

If you do a search for timeline of the prophets, there are many options out there!

Nahum is mostly considered Habakkuk’s contemporary.
IBBS Nahum 1:2b and IBBS Nahum 1:2-15 discusses why some bad things happen.

Obadiah is earlier, or later, depending on what timeline, but still gives us insight.
IBBS Obadiah 1:1-9 and IBBS Obadiah 1:10-21 discuss the seriousness of a nation’s sin.

Habakkuk 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s First Prayer
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Total transparency…here’s my How Long Jesus cry!

Habakkuk is wondering about the current affairs of his world.

Here’s another timeline from RevDr Brian. His site comes with the warning…THE WORDS OF A VERY MINOR PROPHET May contain coarse language and some nudity… so, if you go looking around other than this image, be forewarned. I haven’t checke out the site…though I greatly appreciate this image!

The other thing that these timelines show is that our bible is not set up chronologically!

Did anyone else not know that the Prophet books are out of order?
I didn’t realize it until I started doing these more in depth studies rather than just reading the books. As I’ve been looking into the current events of the writers, it’s been very interesting that things are not in order! This is very disturbing to my OCD mind!

For the record – Bible verses Chronology – taken from the Bible table of contents and the two images I’ve provided, Bible Contents is the first one.

  1. Hosea ……Amos……Obadiah
  2. Joel ……….Joel……….Joel
  3. Amos…….Hosea……..Jonah
  4. Obadiah….Jonah……Amos
  5. Jonah…….Micah…….Hosea
  6. Micah……Nahum……..Micah
  7. Nahum….Zephaniah….Nahum
  8. Habak…..Habakkuk….Zephaniah
  9. Zeph…….Obadiah…….Habakkuk
  10. Haggai
  11. Zechariah
  12. Malachi.

The Bible and the image that includes these agree with the last three.
Poor Obadiah…he’s in three different spaces!
For the most part, they agree on the timing of Habakkuk…and what’s going on at that time.

Do you ever wonder if there is any way to really know if the information that you are finding is true? I mean, the historical information, the timeline, the Arabic, Hebrew and Greek words?
I do.
Sometimes, I just feel very dumb, when it comes to bible study, when I listen to some preachers.
Sometimes, I just feel very stupid when it comes to those word studies, and all that interesting current events information that some folks provide.
Here’s how I deal with it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God
and is profitable for teaching,
for rebuking,
for correcting,
for training in righteousness,
17 so that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work.

Here’s my favorite version(remember, for copyright purposes, I have to include the footnotes and such):

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration]
and is profitable for instruction,
for conviction [of sin],
for correction [of error and restoration to obedience],
for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will,
both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage];
17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Footnotes:
2 Timothy 3:17 I.e. all believers whether man, woman, or child.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Notice this doesn’t say anything about the history, the timelines, the extra-biblical books or word studies?
If God was so concerned about us knowing that, he would have made sure that we had a timeline included in our bibles…and I don’t mean the ones that are after Revelation!
If God was so concerned about us knowing the word meanings, he would have made sure that the Bible was written in other languages…Oh wait! He did and He has!

If God is so capable of making sure that His word to us has been preserved against all odds of people and enemies trying to rid it…I think he’s capable of making sure that everyone can understand enough to be applicable.

Salvation and reconciliation with God is the main point for the Bible.
John 3:16 is pretty understandable in any version.
The 10 commandments are pretty clear in any language.
The sermon on the mount is pretty convicting in any version.
Ephesians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13 are great examples of life goals in any language.

What is my point?

I want to focus on what’s important.
Well, for housekeeping purposes, I mostly use Holman here because of their copyright permissions for when I publish these for ebook purposes. The others are very clear that only 20% of the writing can be their passage, or you start paying royalties. that could be why so many bible study books have a lot of opinion verses a lot of Bible. It’s the legality.
Why not KJV?
I love KJV, but as others around the world start to read, KJV is not public domain in the UK…the Queen owns it.
And, there are those that have difficulty with KJV, for reading.

I am just saying that there are so many things that we can argue about when it comes to Bible study.
Version.
Timeline.
What the latest speaker has said the bible says.

Here’s my point.
Read the bible.
Don’t take my word for it.
Ask The Holy spirit to guide your reading, and give you what YOU need from YOUR relationship with Jesus Christ.
I believe that God is big enough to speak to each of us, personally.
And I believe that God is big enough to hear us cry out, in pain, in frustration, in fear, in need of the Creator God to speak into our lives.

That is Habakkuk.
That is ME!
This is GOD!
He will speak to us!

Here are a few articles about hearing God’s voice:
The voice of God
Jesus is calling

Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones 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 – Nahum – 1:2a

Nahum

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!) The conversation starts Monday, August 20.

Nahum 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 The oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Vengeance
2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance
and is fierce in[a] wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against His foes;
He is furious with His enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,
and He makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
even the flower of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains quake before Him,
and the hills melt;
the earth trembles[b][c] at His presence—
the world and all who live in it.
6 Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
even rocks are shattered before Him

One of the basic things I see missing in Christians lives is the KNOWING of WHO God is.
Nahum starts out this prophecy telling us!

NOTE – I am using Blue Letter Bible to do the work research….I could do it in a Strong’s, but then I don’t have a nice link, and I have to type it all in! Therefore, I’m giving them credit, and sharing one of my Bible Study tools with you!

Jealous

Exodus 34:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 You are never to bow down to another god because Yahweh, being jealous by nature,[a] is a jealous God.

Here’s the Amplified version of Exodus 20:5 – the 10 commandments…this is the second commandment.

Exodus 20:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [[a]demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Footnotes:
Exodus 20:5 God does not tolerate the transfer of the honor and worship that is due Him to any other being or object.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Exodus 20:5 in all English translations

The full commandment goes like this:

4 “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship].
5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [[a]demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

The Strong’s definition isn’t much help…H7072 – qannow = jealous or angry.

Webster’s defines Jealous this way:
Definition of jealous
1 : hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage : envious His success made his old friends jealous. They were jealous of his success.
2 a : intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
jealous of the slightest interference in household management —Havelock Ellis
b : disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness a jealous husband
3 : vigilant in guarding a possession
new colonies were jealous of their new independence —Scott Buchanan

The Book of Joshua gives us a bit more insight…

Joshua 24:19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
19 But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship Yahweh, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins.

This is where Joshua was calling them out to follow God again…to repent…read the whole chapter for context. They cry out that they will follow the Lord…Joshua 24

For what is God jealous?
I don’t believe it’s for HIS respect and honor and glory..though he totally deserves it all.
He’s intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness (Webster’s)
God doesn’t want to share his creation with, well, created creation!

Even more to the point, I think, is that God knows how desperate we are for a god to serve….and we will do anything to create one we can see.

I have found this list of scriptures about idols…I don’t know about this site, I just know this is a great list. It was in this list I found the verse I was remembering:

Psalm 135:15-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.

How many idols do we have in our lives? You may not have a statue of some deity on our shelf, but what is an idol?

Yesterday, during service, my pastor, Keith Brunner, defined idols as:

anything we trust more than God.

Pretty simple, right?

Here’s my story from my recent struggles.

I know the Lord, I have Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
I know the Word of God, and I continue to fill my mind with it.
I know I have the Holy Spirit residing in me, and it is my prayer that I don’t grieve Him.

BUT
When the pain comes…I hear the words of fear…that I am not going to make it, that I’m going to get an infection, that I’m going to be in more pain than ever before.

So, what did I do?
Sometimes, I quoted scripture, and prayed and turned on the worship music.
Other times, I whined.
I cried.
I called the doctors and said why do I have this pain….
and then got mad when they said if the pain is so bad go to the emergency room!
I wrote about my struggle in Pain/Peace.

So, where is my little “g” god?
I cried to the doctor FIRST.
I leaned on the emotional eating…and I did this often…even yesterday.
I put more pressure on my husband to pray for me…as if his prayers were better than mine. (this is not to say that you cannot join together, or ask for prayer…I’m confessing my focus)

I’ve put more trust in a car than God at times.
I’ve put more trust in our finances than God at times.
I’ve put more trust in food than God for comfort.
I have put my husband and my family before God before.

and, the ultimate idolatry, I put myself, and my decisions before God when I attempted suicide.

Some folks may have difficulty with alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, lifestyles…
The question is…would you give it up if God asked you to?
If it was all taken away today, would you serve God tomorrow?
That is how I check my heart.

Jesus said:(Matthew 10)

37 The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow[b] Me is not worthy of Me.
39 Anyone finding[c] his life will lose it, and anyone losing[d] his life because of Me will find it.

Jesus also said

Matthew 22:34-40 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Primary Commands
34 When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”[a]
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[b] 38 This is the greatest and most important[c] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend[e] on these two commands.”

Luke 10:27 says it this way:

He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

What happened that God had to tell us this?
The fall.
Eve and the serpent.
Adam and the serpent….
choosing to believe someone OTHER THAN God….

You can read about that in Genesis 3.

In Genesis 2, we get the description of the Garden that God created for mankind.

As an artist, I put a lot of my heart and soul, as well as mental and physical energy into a painting.
As a writer, I put a lot of myself into what I write.
God is so much MORE than I am.
As I am connected to my creation, so HE is MORE connected.
As I love my creation despite it’s faults, so HE is so much MORE loving with HIS creation.
As I see a mistake, and find ways to correct it, which may change the original plan, but makes that piece more unique, God looks at our mistakes and has a plan to bring about the good HE planned for us, in spite of our mistakes.

God created this perfect world, with beauty we cannot comprehend, and gave ONLY ONE RULE… ONLY ONE!
And Eve put the words of the serpent over the words that she had heard daily, while walking in the garden with GOD!
Adam put the words of Eve, the lust of his flesh, the lust of his eyes and the pride of life over the beautiful relationship he had with God, walking daily in the garden.

Now, let’s say you and I have a special relationship with someone…like a child that we have brought into this world, given blood sweat and tears to raise them up…and they go to others and call them mother or father.
They put their confidence in the other people, instead of you. Those others that do not know the story of the early years, the struggles, the joys, the costs paid, the tears shed…they just know the results of the years of relationship, and benefit from all that went before without paying the cost.
What if, that child chose to spend more time with the others than to be with the ones that held them when they were sick, carried them when they were weak, prayed for them when there were fevers, and unexplained illnesses, and broken hearts and outside wounds from others. What if they broke off relations with you entirely?
What if they denied the good that they had been given to fulfill their desires.
The parents would struggle with jealousy.

God gave Adam and Eve Good…so much good it was excellent beyond our comprehension.
Eve chose a fruit, THE ONLY FRUIT that was forbidden – because it was more beautiful than the ones she had, to have wisdom and to be ‘like God’.
I do wonder about Adam…since it doesn’t say that he was beguiled by the serpent…he just took it and ate!
He’d been with God longer than Eve(ok, not much longer…she was created the same day).

Here we have the two most perfect humans, other than Christ, living in the most perfect environment, having a personal relationship with God by walking with him daily…talking with him daily…AND THEY CHOSE SOMETHING OTHER!

Yes – God would be jealous.

But, that is a human emotion.
And I think that God’s jealousy is even more holy than we, as humans can imagine.
He sees that HIS beautiful creation just chose to die.
He sees that HIS beautiful creation just chose confusion over peace.
He sees that HIS beautiful creation just chose struggle over contentment.
He sees that HIS beautiful creation just chose guilt and fear over relationship.

HE COULD SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THESE CHOICES!
And, He knew he’d send His son to pay this price.

1 Corinthians 6:20 King James Version (KJV)
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Ephesians 2:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Why is God a jealous God?
I believe it goes back to the third definitions of jealousy by Webster:
vigilant in guarding a possession.

If you are a parent…how do you look at your child?
I don’t mean as a possession…I mean, in the face of possible danger?
Children are taken away and sold into slavery every day. The sex trade is huge here in Ohio, unfortunately, this is a hub.
I was vigilant in watching out for my children.
I made rules for them when we were out in public.

One of my daughters tells folks that if they mess with her, they’ll have to deal with her mom.
While she makes it sound like I’ll come and beat them up…she knows that I will pray, I will fight, I will turn every stone to make sure my daughter is safe…even today.
I hate those that harm my children…so I have to pray for them…and heal my heart.
I hate those that have pulled my children away from the one true God…so again, I have to pray, and work on MY heart.

I have found that vigilance has returned now that I am around my grandchildren.

Why do I feel so passionate about my children and children’s children?
Because I love them more than life itself.

That is why God is a jealous God…because he is a good good father, and wants the best for us.
This says it very well!

and a Capella:

I’ve written much here about God and jealousy.
Nahum can be read to put God in a horrible light.
We need to read it with the eyes of the New Testament – and understand what Nahum is saying.
I’ll be talking about the rest of this chapter all of this week!

I also pointed to the 10 commandments. I have a help that I have found:

If you are interested in memorizing the 10 commandments, Beyond Today has some ideas.

If you need to catch up…Nahum – introduction
Thanks for joining me!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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

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

Surgery Scuttlebutt, part six – surgery and recovery

I’m home! It’s been over two weeks since I’ve shared anything…and I wanted to share the update! Surgery was July 17th. I was in the hospital for 7 days.

If you don’t know what scuttlebutt is, please check out

Intro, part one, part two, part three and part four

If you want a great book to help you prepare for, and recover with, please check out Healing and Hope by Christine Carter. Tell her Christi sent you!

I finally got to Chapter 7. Adjust your lens.

The day before surgery, Jim took me to a very unique hotel, the Tudor Arms in Cleveland, Ohio…just down the road from the Cleveland Clinic.

I wanted to have a restful evening with my husband, and that is exactly what we did.

The outside of the hotel is beautiful.

The history of the hotel is amazing.

The entry was intriguing!


We loved the room.

We had a great supper,


And then we went exploring.
In the rooms that were for banquets and balls, there were details that were amazing, but when you stepped back, you could see the whole picture! Go to the website and look at the beautiful weddings!





 

The next day would be my surgery. This whole surgery scuttlebutt series has been how I could be focused upon the minutia of the issue, but instead, I have been encouraged to widen my focus to see the larger picture, and in that larger picture, I have seen the hand of God.

When I widen my focus, then, when I narrow down into the details, I can see God’s hand, even in the little things.
I was unaware of doing this, until I read chapter 7 – Adjust your lens.

Christine had been encouraging me to be intentional in my healing…via the book.

We must be intentional with our thoughts and expand our vision to include the full scenery we are leaving out.

Here are a few of the things that happened while in the hospital:

  • Our daughter Faith was able to be at the hospital with me because of a scheduling boon with her mother-in-law, making it possible to have the children babysat. She braided my hair after the surgery. Big Picture? LOVE!
  • A dear friend came to visit – and one night, it was so perfect because Jim was exhausted and he felt free to go to the hotel, since our friend Suzanne was there with me! The Big Picture? God will provide for our needs!
  • Jim’s cancer treatment got messed up and he had to have some medicine shipped, and it arrived the day after my surgery. Jim and I had forgotten my CPAP for recovery in the hospital. The day of the surgery, our daughter Faith had been asked to bring it, but she forgot. We were able to not make this detail a bit thing. God took these details, and the big picture was that Jim drove back home for the CPAP, was able to pick up his medicine and continue his treatment while staying at the hotel near the hospital! The Big Picture? God had it under control, with all of our frailties in mind, and the possibility that Jim would not have driven home for the medicine except that he needed to pick up the CPAP!
  • My first roommate was apparently a very angry person. I barely remember. Jim remembers her well. He was trying to figure out how he was going to get me transferred so that I was not with her yelling angry presence. She decided to get up, pack, and leave AMA – he says she walked out of the room, yelling, someone get here and take this IV out of my arm…I’m going home! Big Picture? I know that I felt bad for her, and was praying in my drugged state, but God had already made sure that I would have a peaceful room…the woman made her own choice to leave.
  • I had two other roommates during the 7 days, and as they were preparing to leave, they came over to my bedside and sat down and visited with me. I was drugged, so I have no idea why they became so friendly. the Big Picture? When you pray that you will be Christ like, sharing Christ’s love no matter what, people are drawn to you. Jim says that my character was gracious, compassionate and apologetic for bothering the nurses, even drugged.

From Help and Hope:

I finally discovered that if you can broaden your view – expanding the moments when your vision seems stuck – a massive shift in perspective happens.

When I think about my view, I think about this little house that God has provided us.
Out my bedroom window

Out the bay window….

On the swing and from the swing!

There are parks, and places that I can go to immerse myself in beauty. (these were taken on our 38th anniversary, less than one mile from our home!)

There are many other beautiful views…
My grandchildren, who love to come and say hi.
My friends on the internet that check on me daily, from all over the world.
I just have to look outside of myself – see the big picture, and then, I can drill down the focus and see the beauty of a butterfly, a vine ripe tomato plucked by my grandson, or a marigold that he brings me to cheer me up.

Looking at the big picture reminds me that

  • Even though there is pain…there is no infection.
  • Even though there is pain, there is no cancer.
  • Even though there is limited mobility, THERE IS MOBILITY!

The choice is to be grateful, to acknowledge my blessings, and then, my heart is content!

Isn’t that like looking at the stars and seeing HIS handiwork….

Psalm 19:1 King James Version (KJV)
19 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

and after reading the whole of Psalm 19, I drill down to MY response:

Psalm 19:14 King James Version (KJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Part of adjusting my lens also deals with my mental illnesses – depression, PTSD, and anxiety. When I am in a ‘normal’ state, I feel – MUCH.
But I have been drugged…to help me not feel the pain.
I appreciate the “not feeling” pain, as much as the meds were able to help, but this also effects my emotional state, which is tied to the mental illnesses.

One of the concerns for this journey has been the chemical upset that the various medications will cause to my mental health. Even if one didn’t have mental illnesses, the normal mental person would have struggles with depression and being homebound and such. Therefore, we took measures to insure that I would not succumb to the enemy of my mind.

Just the other day, I read a blog by a dear lady that is also struggling with mental illnesses, and writes about her struggle. She opened my eyes to one of the things that I was experiencing…numbness. What is normal for us is to FEEL – BIG. Take that away, and we don’t feel alive. This can bring in some other issues, for me, such as cutting and bingeing…just to feel. These are some of my enemies.

Katie wrote Wait in the Middle, that so clearly explains this strange situation that effects those of us with emotional issues. I encourage you to go read this!

Back to the book, Help and Hope …I prepared.
I saw the big picture – I have illnesses that need medication.
I saw the big problem – without addressing it, I could relapse into suicidal depression.
I made small, detailed plans – meds were laid out for three weeks, photos of joy were put into photo albums, music to encourage was downloaded, a cd player was set up in my bedroom, and my medical providers were aware of the situation.

Have I had thoughts? not of suicide, Praise God – but I’ve started to have a pity party or two…and by being prepared, I was able to stop that party!
Have I gotten down? yes – and I started counting my blessings, because they were all around me…so the enemy couldn’t lie!
Have I had pain? Yes, and I was able to quote verse as things were being taken care of…to mentally handle the pain.

No matter where you find yourself in this journey, there are those that are willing to help!
In Surgery Scuttlebutt, part two, I talked about how I was afraid I’d be alone…and I have not been!

I hope that you have found something in my story to help you in yours. I have one more blog to share with you the various other things that I have learned…please stay tuned!

 
Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

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

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

RESURRECTION SUNDAY! HE IS RISEN! 4/1

He is risen INDEED!

I cannot do more than share scripture and to Sing Praise! Hallelujah! I do have a video message to share He Is Risen

THE LIGHT HAS COME BACK INTO THE WORLD! DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM!

My traditional Resurrection Sunday:

My Now Resurrection Celebration!

In Christ Alone – Worship Video
Up From the Grave He Arose

For Your Pleasure and Worship:
A collection of Resurrection Scriptures from Bible Study Tools!
My Easter YouTube Channel

Jesus Rainbow – a gift to you!

Jesus Rainbow Poem

Let’s worship!

Luke 24:1-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)Resurrection Morning
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they[a] came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground.[b]

“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. 6 “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” 8 And they remembered His words.

9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths.[c] So he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Let’s Sing Praise!

John 20:11-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”

16 Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”[a]—which means “Teacher.”

17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.”

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what[b] He had said to her.

I’ve just seen Jesus – Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris

Devotion
Phyllis Sather shares a John Piper Sermon on The Most Spectacular Sin Ever Committed. WOW! You can read more from Phyllis at Write the Vision.

My Friend Patty Hessler Scott shares some very inspiring thoughts about Good Friday – Please take a listen. You can see more of Patty at Hearts Homeward.

Early Sunday morning, God spoke to me as I prepared for my own sunrise service at home. He Is Risen!

This year, the Resurrection Sunday occurs very close to the Jewish Celebration of Passover…similar to the year Christ was crucified. I explained the Sabbaths surrounding Christ’s death on Maundy Thursday. In honor of the Jewish roots of our Resurrection Sunday – here’s a bit of Jewish flavor!

Yeshua – Messianic Passover Song!
Yeshua HaMashia

You can Print this off to color!

Let’s Rejoice!

God was not surprised…He had a plan!
He was born to Die – Shane and Shane

There is purpose for all ofus!
If that isn’t Love – the Nelsons

If you have never had the Risen Christ come into your life and make you new….PLEASE check out these links!
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

And then, you can join in with this song, and KNOW that it is REAL for YOUR!
It is Well With My soul – Worship Video

THIS IS CHRISTIANITY! THIS IS SALVATION! THIS IS JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
That My God would die for me, while I was yet a sinner.
And He did the same for you, and you, and YOU, and YOU!

May You be filled with Jesus Christ today!
Because He Lives – Matt Maher
He Lives – Chris Tomlin

He Is Risen!
He is Risen, Indeed!

I Serve a Risen Savior – Adam Jackson

In Christ I Rise!
Resurrection Power – Chris Tomlin

 

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

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