Category Archives: Scripture to Share

01/17/13

Back Against The Wall? There Is Hope in The WORD

Revised June 25th,2014

“For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself.” 

 

Philippians: 3:20&21

 

 

   Does life seem to be pressing you and prodding you until you are ready to burst your containment? I know that change comes in life and that it can be stressful, but there are some changes that try you to the fullest measure.  Death of a loved one is an example. I’ve experienced this many times, but the death of my parents hit the hardest. Perhaps you struggle with a chronic or terminal illness, or have just been through a medical procedure and are waiting on the LORD for a miraculous healing.  Perhaps you have lost daughters or sons in the military, have handicapped loved ones, or are just facing a change in your job or in your marriage. My family is facing the reality of a daughter leaving the nest. Stress comes in many forms. Yet, beyond this level of everyday existence that produces change, thus stress, there are some who live an even more challenging lifestyle than what is considered the norm, especially those who are constantly in the public eye.

 

 

      The stress of everyday life can be over-whelming for people who live public lives. Public service can vary in scale from teachers to preachers; local officials, legislators, movie stars, rock stars, presidents, CEO’s, kings, and other persons of influence. It can become difficult to maintain family solidarity because of the revolving door of commitments and obligations. Too little resource can create a scramble to just stay alive. Too much resource can become a deterrent to depending on others, which can create a lucrative but lonely existence.

 

 

 

” For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Mark 8: 36&37

 

 

 

      All of us are born with a God-given desire to produce and to be creative.  It is in our nature to want to produce children and establish families, regions, countries, commerce, political societies, mores, and religion. It is also our nature to produce art, crafts, music and entertainment. Laughter and joy truly are the best medicines, and there is much joy to be found in the arts. As a testament to the importance of art, literature, music, politics, and religion as personal expression–when an invading force enters a city or country they immediately seek to steal, tear down, and desecrate the art, literature, politics, music, and places of worship. They forbid the speaking of the mother tongue in an effort to alienate the citizens one from another [divide and conquer], and those things that all hold dear are forbidden, such as sacred books. This is a controlling spirit. It’s objective is to steal, kill, and destroy. The art, literature, politics, music, and religious expression contain the heart and spirit of the people. What happens when that spirit is quenched? Where am I going with this?

 

 

 

“Do not quench the Spirit”

 

 

1Thessalonians 5:19

 

 

 

     In a world that is rapidly changing and shrinking to the extent that you feel as if your personal rights and choices are being compromised, it is natural to feel angry, and confused.You can feel as if  your back is being pushed against the wall. Nothing seems stable in this world. Everything is changing so rapidly that you are on a constant learning curve. New inventions and expressions crop up every day, and you are presented with so many choices as to make your head spin. So…do you give up the fight to maintain your own identity, or do you go where you can get help?  At one point in time this was a simple thing. You could rely upon churches, social agencies, and government agencies to be there when you had a legitimate need. You could depend on family in a time of crisis.  This is fast becoming a rarity. The cyber world has created a climate for a generation of persons who are self-contained. Some do not bother to engage the “world’ out there at all, but are content to do everything on their computers from shopping to forging personal relationships. Gaming engages our young people so completely that there is a down swing in dating and commitment. The human voice is no longer sought after as a comforting, guiding presence. Many are content to text instead of call. Companies can become so large or so busy that they employ technology to address business concerns instead of providing a human to relate to. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated an answering system is–it cannot exclusively take care of the details or questions that arise in the conduct of business. Thankfully, after much button-pushing you are usually given the option to speak to a person.

 

 

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of GOD, having a form of godliness but denying it’s power.  And from such people turn away.”

 

2 Timothy 3: 1-5

 

 

 

     My instinct is to go to The Source that never lets me down or refuses to relate to my personal needs. That source is GOD. Despite all of the hubbub and turmoil present in this world, I can find peace and answers to my questions in my Abba Father.  Jesus’  “Sermon On the Mount”, Matthew–Chapters Five through Seven, gives me the assurance of a Father who cares and provides for His children. His Holy Spirit is here on earth for those who are willing to seek him where He may be found. The world does not understand things of the Spirit because they do not possess GOD’s  Spirit. The ways of Christians appear foolish to the world. If only they could understand the joy and comfort The Holy Spirit brings. It is our responsibility as Christians to model the image of Christ to this world, and to teach and exhort the way of Christ. How will they know without a preacher?

 

 

“And I will pray The Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.'”  

 

 

John 14: 16&17

 

 

 

 

     I can anticipate world events and understand change by reading the Scriptures.This earth is truly in its last days. Pay attention to the prophetic signs. The seasons are changing. Last winter was more like spring, and this winter was a cold, frozen terror. We are now in the midst of one of the coolest summers in recorded history. We stand at the place of supplication as we observe the Tetrach of 2014-2015 (series of blood moons) and its application to future events.

Mankind has destroyed the ecosystem in our determination to have it all our way. Now we face trying to restore what should never have been abused or destroyed. Famines, earthquakes, and other natural disasters strip whole regions of their resolve and resources.

 

The clock is ticking, and the technologies that will separate the believers from the unbelievers are already here. Biometric implants under the skin are being used as a practiced technology to the extent that an economic system controlled by a world domination seems possible. There is a movement underway to create a one-world currency. What will be the result? The requirement that all “patch” into the system or go without? The technology to view the Two Witnesses on the street is here. As a child I could not imagine how the whole world would see this apocalyptic event occur.  Modern communications are so advanced that I can now understand. We read in the Book of Revelation that:

 

 

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”  

 

 

Revelation 11: 3

 

 

 

 

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of GOD, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”  

 

Revelation 20: 4

 

 

 

    People are content to go from day to day searching for meaning in a failing system that demands more and more sacrifice as time goes by, and offers less and less reward for hard work. You may ask, “then where is the hope?”  The Hope is in Jesus Christ who is coming for His Bride “The Church”. Understand that the event in which the church is gathered to Christ’s bosom is known as ‘The Rapture’ . There are many theories about the Rapture of the Saints. Is the church to be removed from the world prior to, during, or after the Tribulation?  Scripture speaks for itself…

 

 

 

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so GOD will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.For this we say to you by the Word of the LORD, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of The LORD will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the LORD Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The LORD in the air. And thus we shall always be with The LORD. Therefore comfort one another with these words” 

 

 

1 Thessalonians: 4: 13-18

 

 

 

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed–in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 

“O Death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

 

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to GOD, who gives us the victory through our LORD Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, knowing that your labor is not in vain in The LORD.”

 

 

1 Corinthians 15: 51-58

 

 

 

 

The church is not a building–It is the heart and spirit of the saints world-wide who strive collectively to fulfill the “Great Commission”.  Jesus gave His disciples, and all of us as His disciples, the task of living our lives in His Spirit as an inspiration to others.

 

 

 

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe. In My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

 

 

 Mark 16: 15-20

 

 

 

 

Personal choice is still there for us all.  God’s arms are open to embrace His people. He does not expect us to be perfect, because only He is Perfect, therefore feel free to approach Him, surrender yourself to Him, and be accepted into The Kingdom of Heaven. Salvation is of The LORD. In this time in which Biblical events are unfolding rapidly, I believe that we must be prepared to meet The LORD in the air or remain on this earth to experience the Tribulation period.  We do not know the day or the hour in which Christ will come for His Church, but I believe that He will come.  I can choose to embrace those things of this world which do not feed my soul, spirit, and body– or I can embrace Christ, be full in Him, and refuse to live without hope. I choose not to live with my back against the wall.

 

 

GOD Bless You, Charlene

 

 

Picture credit: www.clipartof.com+Yahoo

 

Narrative Credit: Chaelwest/Charlene

 

©2013  Charlene’s Attic/Women Under His Wings

 

All Scripture quotes taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers 1992

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2013-2014 Charlene Kirst
01/15/13

Psalm 32 A Psalm of David: Forgiveness For Sin

All of us have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of GOD. His Grace is what is extended to us and what makes us able to live to be repentant and to ask forgiveness for our sins. What is remarkable is the fact that GOD uses us in our sinful state. Yes, we are saved; yes, we are saints; but we are also human beings who do not always make the wisest choices . Jesus came to make a bridge between GOD and mankind so that despite our faults we could have help and intercession in our goal of making it to the Heavenly Throne of GOD. The Holy Spirit dwells in all His saints making intercession for us daily. He directs our paths, comforts us as we live this earthly life, and will be there for us in Heaven.

 

 

Praise Ye The LORD!!!    Charlene

 

 

Psalm 32

 

 

New Life Version (NLV)

 

 

Joy of Being Forgiven

 

1 How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! 2 How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false.

 

 

3 When I kept quiet about my sin, my bones wasted away from crying all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as in the hot summer. 5 I told my sin to You. I did not hide my wrong-doing. I said, “I will tell my sins to the Lord.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin. 6 So let all who are God-like pray to You while You may be found, because in the floods of much water, they will not touch him. 7 You are my hiding place. You keep me safe from trouble. All around me are your songs of being made free.

 

 

8 I will show you and teach you in the way you should go. I will tell you what to do with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the donkey which have no understanding. They must be made to work by using bits and leather ropes or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the sinful. But loving-kindness will be all around the man who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord and be full of joy, you who are right with God! Sing for joy all you who are pure in heart!

 

 

 

New Life Version (NLV)

 

 

 

Copyright 1969 by Christian Literature International

 

01/3/13

Psalm 90 NIV

Psalm 90 (New International Version)

 

 

A prayer of Moses the man of GOD.

 

 

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

 

 

3 You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.

 

 

7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 

 

13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

 

 

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 90:17 Or beauty

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

12/27/12

Psalm 103 NKJV A Psalm of David

Psalm 103

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies

A Psalm of David.

 

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

 

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

 

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.[a]
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

 

19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

 

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Footnotes:

 

  1. Psalm 103:16 Compare Job 7:10

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

12/5/12

T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Leslie Parrott, Creflo Dollar, and Cindy Trimm Sermons

“Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.” Psalm 51:6 NIV

I have been Blessed by GOD through the teaching and preaching of these evangelists. I Pray that you will be Blessed also.   Rev. Charlene

credit: 4digitz+kcmi89+A.J.Rockefeller+TheRobertRustveld+Firedupforever+
MikeOfLowland+Drsles&Leslie

 

Charlene’s Source: youtube

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12/4/12

The Birth Of Jesus Luke 2: 1–21

Revised December 4th, 2012

 

 

 

     The Birth of Christ is a scriptural truth known by most but not embraced by many. The Christmas Holiday has degraded over time into a pursuit of  new technologies or toys. Many do not know that Christmas means “Christ’s Mass”– a covenant between Jesus and ourselves. He is “The Gift”. The world’s traditional gifts such as scarves, sweaters, and mittens still hang in there but have taken a back seat to tablets and smartphones. A desirable gift to me is still a book filled with treasures and truths. The ultimate book is The Holy Bible. Within its pages rests the history and spirit of a people and their GOD. Let us give praise for the birth of our Savior who came to repair the breach forged in the Garden of Eden–to bring GOD’s people back to Himself.

Let us rededicate ourselves to the fight for souls, and the filling of spirits. We know not the day nor the hour when Jesus the Christ will come back to earth to gather His Bride the Church unto Himself–but this we do know beyond earthly knowledge, for God’s Spirit dwells in us, that Jesus is coming back for those of us who have put ourselves in His ever loving care.  This church lives in the hearts of men, women, and children all over the world, and is not exclusive to traditional four walled buildings.

There are some truths that speak for themselves. Mankind is trying to forget the birth of the baby Jesus in the manger, but truth will always exert over falsehood.  This Christmas season should be a time for giving of ourselves and our Blessings. It is not about the commercialism, it is about the sacrifice. 

Have A Wonderful Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Charlene

 

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Jesus Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[b]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[c]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[e] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

The Boy Jesus at the Temple
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[f] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Footnotes:
a.Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before
b.Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
c.Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8
d.Luke 2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss
e.Luke 2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years.
f.Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business
<<>>Show Commentary
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

11/27/12

John 14:15-28 The Promise of The Holy Spirit

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

 

 

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 

 

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

 

 

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

 

 

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

 

28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

 

 

“Come now; let us leave.

Footnotes:

John 14:1 Or Believe in God
John 14:7 Some manuscripts If you really knew me, you would know
John 14:17 Some early manuscripts and is

 

 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Biblica – Learn more about our Ministry and Outreach programs.

11/11/12

1 John 2 (New King James Version)

1 John 2

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

 

The Test of Knowing Him

 

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

7 Brethren,[a] I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.[b] 8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

 

 

Their Spiritual State

 

12 I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.

 

 

Do Not Love the World

 

 

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

 

 

Deceptions of the Last Hour

 

18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[c] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.[d] 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

 

Let Truth Abide in You

 

 

24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will[e] abide in Him.

 

 

The Children of God

 

 

28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when[f] He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

 

 

Footnotes:

 

 

1 John 2:7 NU-Text reads Beloved.
1 John 2:7 NU-Text omits from the beginning.
1 John 2:18 NU-Text omits the.
1 John 2:20 NU-Text reads you all know.
1 John 2:27 NU-Text reads you abide.
1 John 2:28 NU-Text reads if.

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

10/26/12

Ezekiel 3 A Watchman On The Wall

Ezekiel 3

 

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

 

3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

 

4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

 

7 But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”

 

10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”

 

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.

 

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

 

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.

 

20 “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

 

22 The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.

 

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound—may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place

  2. Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20

Charlene’s Source: retrieved from www.biblegateway.com on October 26, 2012

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

10/6/12

Titus 3 Paul Instructs Titus

Titus 3

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

Saved in Order to Do Good

 

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities,to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

 

9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

 

 

Final Remarks

 

12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13 Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. 14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

 

15 Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.

 

Grace be with you all.

 

Cross References:

 

  1. Titus 3:1 : Ro 13:1; 1Pe 2:13, 14
  2. Titus 3:1 : S 2Ti 2:21; S Tit 2:14
  3. Titus 3:2 : Eph 4:31
  4. Titus 3:3 : S Eph 2:2
  5. Titus 3:4 : Eph 2:7
  6. Titus 3:4 : S Lk 1:47
  7. Titus 3:4 : Tit 2:11
  8. Titus 3:5 : S Ro 11:14
  9. Titus 3:5 : S Eph 2:9
  10. Titus 3:5 : 1Pe 1:3
  11. Titus 3:5 : S Ac 22:16
  12. Titus 3:5 : Ro 12:2
  13. Titus 3:6 : S Ro 5:5
  14. Titus 3:7 : S Ro 3:24
  15. Titus 3:7 : S Ro 8:17
  16. Titus 3:7 : Ro 8:24
  17. Titus 3:7 : S Mt 25:46; Tit 1:2
  18. Titus 3:8 : S 1Ti 1:15
  19. Titus 3:8 : S Tit 2:14
  20. Titus 3:9 : 2Ti 2:16
  21. Titus 3:9 : S 2Ti 2:14
  22. Titus 3:9 : Tit 1:10-16
  23. Titus 3:9 : 2Ti 2:14
  24. Titus 3:10 : S Ro 16:17
  25. Titus 3:12 : S Ac 20:4
  26. Titus 3:12 : 2Ti 4:9, 21
  27. Titus 3:13 : S Ac 18:24
  28. Titus 3:14 : S Tit 2:14
  29. Titus 3:15 : 1Ti 1:2
  30. Titus 3:15 : S Col 4:18

 

 

 

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

10/2/12

Isaiah 6: Isaiah’s Commission

 Isaiah 6

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

Isaiah’s Commission

 

6 In the year that King Uzziahdied,I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

 

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

 

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

 

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

 

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

 

And I said, “Here am I.Send me!”

 

9 He said, “Go and tell this people:

 

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

 

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”

And he answered:

 

“Until the cities lie ruined
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
    and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
    it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
    leave stumps when they are cut down,
    so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / 10 This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes

  2.  

Cross References:

  1. Isaiah 6:1 : S 2Ch 26:22, 23

  2. Isaiah 6:1 : S 2Ki 15:7

  3. Isaiah 6:1 : S Ex 24:10; S Nu 12:8; Jn 12:41

  4. Isaiah 6:1 : Isa 52:13; 53:12

  5. Isaiah 6:1 : S 1Ki 22:19; S Ps 9:4; S 123:1; S Rev 4:2

  6. Isaiah 6:1 : Rev 1:13

  7. Isaiah 6:2 : Eze 1:5; 10:15; Rev 4:8

  8. Isaiah 6:2 : Eze 1:11

  9. Isaiah 6:3 : S Ex 15:11

  10. Isaiah 6:3 : Ps 89:8

  11. Isaiah 6:3 : Isa 11:9; 54:5; Mal 1:11

  12. Isaiah 6:3 : S Ex 16:7; Nu 14:21; Ps 72:19; Rev 4:8

  13. Isaiah 6:4 : S Ex 19:18; S 40:34; Eze 43:5; 44:4; Rev 15:8

  14. Isaiah 6:5 : S Isa 5:8

  15. Isaiah 6:5 : S Nu 17:12; S Dt 5:26

  16. Isaiah 6:5 : Ex 6:12; Lk 5:8

  17. Isaiah 6:5 : Isa 59:3; Jer 9:3-8

  18. Isaiah 6:5 : S Ex 24:10

  19. Isaiah 6:5 : Ps 45:3; Isa 24:23; 32:1; 33:17; Jer 51:57

  20. Isaiah 6:5 : S Job 42:5

  21. Isaiah 6:6 : S Lev 10:1; Eze 10:2

  22. Isaiah 6:7 : Jer 1:9; Da 10:16

  23. Isaiah 6:7 : S Lev 26:41; Isa 45:25; Da 12:3; 1Jn 1:7

  24. Isaiah 6:8 : S Job 40:9; Ac 9:4

  25. Isaiah 6:8 : Jer 26:12, 15

  26. Isaiah 6:8 : S Ge 1:26

  27. Isaiah 6:8 : S Ge 22:1; S Ex 3:4

  28. Isaiah 6:9 : Eze 3:11; Am 7:15; Mt 28:19

  29. Isaiah 6:9 : Jer 5:21; S Mt 13:15*; Lk 8:10*

  30. Isaiah 6:10 : S Ex 4:21; Dt 32:15; Ps 119:70

  31. Isaiah 6:10 : Isa 29:9; 42:18-20; 43:8; 44:18

  32. Isaiah 6:10 : S Dt 29:4; Eze 12:2; Mk 8:18

  33. Isaiah 6:10 : S Dt 32:39; Mt 13:13-15; Mk 4:12*; Jn 12:40*

  34. Isaiah 6:11 : Ps 79:5

  35. Isaiah 6:11 : S Lev 26:31; S Jer 4:13

  36. Isaiah 6:11 : S Lev 26:43; Isa 24:10

  37. Isaiah 6:11 : Ps 79:1; S 109:11; Jer 35:17

  38. Isaiah 6:12 : S Dt 28:64

  39. Isaiah 6:12 : S Isa 5:5, 9; 60:15; 62:4; Jer 4:29; 30:17

  40. Isaiah 6:13 : S Isa 1:9; 10:22

  41. Isaiah 6:13 : S Isa 5:6

  42. Isaiah 6:13 : S Job 14:8

  43. Isaiah 6:13 : S Lev 27:30; S Dt 14:2

  44. Isaiah 6:13 : S Job 14:7

 

 New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

09/24/12

Hebrews 10: Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All

        

          Sacrifice is hard, and it is not a part of the natural ways of mankind. As people, we tend to prefer the easier roads to travel, and sacrifice involves traveling the hardest roads without knowing where they may lead, just having a surety that the way will be hard. So how do we obtain the surety that our sacrifice is not in vain? We find it in clinging to Christ, the ultimate Gift of Sacrifice, where we find our joy and stability. It is through His Holy Spirit that we find the key to happiness–living for Him as our sole source of hope and strength. GOD the Father knew before the beginning of time that we would need a Savior, and Jesus, the son of GOD, volunteered to become the sacrificial lamb. Our sins can be forgiven; our hope can be restored.

Is life easy. Absolutely not. People often envy those who appear to have it all, but this is appearance only. Happiness evades those who are dependent upon the world for their identity and substance. Let us cling therefore to Him who is our everything, our identity, and our substance.

 

Praise Ye The LORD.     Charlene

 

Hebrews 10

 

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

 

10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

 

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

 

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]

 

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

 

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

 

16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
    after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
    and I will write them on their minds.”[b]

 

17 Then he adds:

 

“Their sins and lawless acts
    I will remember no more.”[c]

 

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

 

 

A Call to Persevere in Faith

 

 

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[e] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

 

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,

 

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”[f]

 

38 And,

“But my righteous[g] one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”[h]

 

39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)

  2. Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33

  3. Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34

  4. Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35

  5. Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14

  6. Hebrews 10:37 Isaiah 26:20; Hab. 2:3

  7. Hebrews 10:38 Some early manuscripts But the righteous

  8. Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:4 (see Septuagint)

 

New International Version (NIV)

 

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Charlene Kirst
09/17/12

120917 Jeremiah 6: Warning and Punishment

   Some passages of Scripture speak so plainly to us that we are left on our knees in prayer. Mankind has not changed much since the days of  Jeremiah the Prophet, and because we live in a time when teaching the wrath of GOD is not considered “politically correct”, we miss one of the most basic teachings of scripture. Every child gets warning after warning to change their ways–and we as parents discipline when those changes do not occur. Since we are made in the image of Christ, wouldn’t we as children of GOD  expect discipline also?

 

 

Jeremiah 6

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

 

Jerusalem’s Last Warning

 

 

6 “Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin!
    Get out of Jerusalem!
Sound the alarm in Tekoa!
    Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem!
A powerful army is coming from the north,
    coming with disaster and destruction.
2 O Jerusalem,[a] you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—
    but I will destroy you!
3 Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city.
    Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.
4 They shout, ‘Prepare for battle!
    Attack at noon!’
‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading,
    and the evening shadows are falling.’
5 ‘Well then, let’s attack at night
    and destroy her palaces!’”

 

6 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Cut down the trees for battering rams.
    Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
    for she is wicked through and through.
7 She spouts evil like a fountain.
    Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.
    I always see her sickness and sores.
8 Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn from you in disgust.
Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,
    a land where no one lives.”

9 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Even the few who remain in Israel
    will be picked over again,
as when a harvester checks each vine a second time
    to pick the grapes that were missed.”

 

 

Judah’s Constant Rebellion

 

 

10 To whom can I give warning?
    Who will listen when I speak?
Their ears are closed,
    and they cannot hear.
They scorn the word of the Lord.
    They don’t want to listen at all.
11 So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury.
    Yes, I am tired of holding it in!

 

“I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets
    and on gatherings of young men,
on husbands and wives
    and on those who are old and gray.
12 Their homes will be turned over to their enemies,
    as will their fields and their wives.
For I will raise my powerful fist
    against the people of this land,”
    says the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
    their lives are ruled by greed.
From prophets to priests,
    they are all frauds.
14 They offer superficial treatments
    for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
    when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?
    Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
    They will be brought down when I punish them,”
    says the Lord.

 

       

Judah Rejects the Lord’s Way

 

16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
17 I posted watchmen over you who said,
    ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’
But you replied,
    ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

 

18 “Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.
    Take note of my people’s situation.
19 Listen, all the earth!
    I will bring disaster on my people.
It is the fruit of their own schemes,
    because they refuse to listen to me.
    They have rejected my word.
20 There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.
    Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!
I will not accept your burnt offerings.
    Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
    “I will put obstacles in my people’s path.
Fathers and sons will both fall over them.
    Neighbors and friends will die together.”

 

An Invasion from the North

 

22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! A great army coming from the north!
    A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.
23 They are armed with bows and spears.
    They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like a roaring sea
    as they ride forward on horses.
They are coming in battle formation,
    planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem.[b]”

 

24 We have heard reports about the enemy,
    and we wring our hands in fright.
Pangs of anguish have gripped us,
    like those of a woman in labor.
25 Don’t go out to the fields!
    Don’t travel on the roads!
The enemy’s sword is everywhere
    and terrorizes us at every turn!
26 Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap
    and sit among the ashes.
Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son.
    For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!

 

27 “Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,[c]
    that you may determine the quality of my people.
28 They are the worst kind of rebel,
    full of slander.
They are as hard as bronze and iron,
    and they lead others into corruption.
29 The bellows fiercely fan the flames
    to burn out the corruption.
But it does not purify them,
    for the wickedness remains.
30 I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’
    for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

 

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. Jeremiah 6:2 Hebrew Daughter of Zion.

  2. Jeremiah 6:23 Hebrew daughter of Zion.

  3. Jeremiah 6:27 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads a tester of my people a fortress.

 

 
New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
09/11/12

Haggai 2 The Future of The Temple

 

Haggai 2 Expounded

 

There are seasons in which the work we are called to do for Christ is prolific and productive–then we walk into a quieter season where what we have accomplished in the past seems to be just  there, in the past. If we can keep the perspective that The Heavenly Father has more work to be accomplished, and a different productive season for us in which those things that we have learned from the past can enhance the work of the future–then we can relax in His love and proceed to the next challenge.

 

Why do I say challenge?

 

          The work of the Kingdom; “The Great Commission”  is a challenge to listen well, hear clearly, and walk uprightly before a righteous Savior who is not only willing to equip us for the challenges ahead of us, but through His Holy Spirit seeks to inspire us to trust Him for guidance and direction. It is the measure of our ability to discern and perceive the direction in which Christ is leading us that produces either a perfect work or a work that lacks some of the spiritual and corporeal elements needed to produce good fruit mete for the Harvest.

 

          ‘Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in Heaven and Earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples; baptize them in the Name of  the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 18-20

 

          The call to the Great Commission, through the unction of the Holy Spirit, is a task not to be taken lightly and for which we must be prepared. Just as the world prepares us for higher education and personal achievement–The Holy Spirit prepares us through the Scriptural Word,  teaching, preaching, and the example of those saints equipped to instruct and lead us to seek first The Kingdom of GOD, and then to place all other things in their proper perspective.

 

         As saints living as imperfect people in an imperfect world, we struggle to rise above the tide; to stand out in a crowd as those who truly care about our brothers and sisters; fellow travelers on this road of Life. What does standing out involve?  It is a heartswork conducted and led by The Holy Spirit that uses all that we have learned to instruct and help others not as advanced as ourselves in their spiritual walk in Christ. This is not a matter of pride or superiority–it is a recognition of those who have worked hard and have paid their dues through pain and even bloodshed for the Cause of Christ. After all, Jesus paid our price on the Cross. How can we do less?

 

          The Temple represents not only our physical bodies, but the entire body of believers. The walls of the church are spiritual walls independent of hewn rock, pillars, and pews. These walls are held upright through the intercessory prayers and petitions of those who approach GOD’s throne daily, building up a foundation of faith and perseverence, and of allegiance to the Fruit of the Spirit as found in Galations 5: 22-26.

 

So, how does GODly application yield Good Fruit? What is the Future of The Temple?

 

           That depends upon you and me. Do we “study to show ourselves approved”, or do we study to simply announce our worth to other’s? The zeal to take The Word to the entire earth is our inner being responding to the desires of GOD’s Holy Spirit. Following His lead brings peace and inner healing to all who would receive Him. The commissioned work is already proclaimed, the victory is already sure, and the war’s results are already ordained. As soldiers in GOD’s army we must grab hold of the promises of GOD as weaponry, and trust to His Mercy and Grace to see us through the battle for hearts and spirits. Jesus’ grace and mercy abound in limitless measure. We simply need to approach the Temple where provision is laid out for us and walk in the door. Jesus awaits us there. We are then in His Holy Temple and the peace of His perfect Will.

 

GOD Bless You, Charlene

 

 

Haggai 2

 

The New Temple’s Diminished Splendor

 

2 Then on October 17 of that same year,[a] the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. 2 “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua[b] son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: 3 ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! 4 But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

 

6 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

 

Blessings Promised for Obedience
10 On December 18[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

 

The priests replied, “No.”

 

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

 

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

 

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

 

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day[d] when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.[e] You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

 

Promises for Zerubbabel

20 On that same day, December 18,[f] the Lord sent this second message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

 

23 “But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

 

Footnotes:

a.Haggai 2:1 Hebrew on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event (in the second year of Darius’s reign) occurred on October 17, 520 b.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
b.Haggai 2:2 Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling of Jeshua; also in 2:4.
c.Haggai 2:10 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar (similarly in 2:18). This event occurred on December 18, 520 b.c.; also see note on 1:1a.
d.Haggai 2:18 Or On this eighteenth day of December, think about the day.
e.Haggai 2:19 Hebrew Is the seed yet in the barn?
f.Haggai 2:20 Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of the [ninth] month; see note on 2:10.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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