Monthly Archives: February 2012

02/28/12

120228 There Is Abundance In Store For Us All–A Vision From The LORD

 As I sit here at my computer, I am racing to get a vision down in writing that The LORD gave to me early this morning.

As I was lying in bed this morning talking to GOD to start my day, I suddenly saw a vision of several keyboards lined up on a vast wall. I was seeing them as if I were hovering in the air above them. They ranged starting from the left as a miniature model with few keys and no special accessories to a giant model that was the fanciest keyboard of them all. It had all the stops and whistles,and was without a doubt the fanciest, most capable keyboard that could be bought.

I have to ask myself, “Why is GOD showing me this vision at this point in my life”? I am watching newer, younger musicians come over the horizon, and I am questioning my own music strengths. It does no harm to examine your abilities in Christ–sometimes they need a poke or a prod to step up to the plate.

As I am growing older I am becoming aware of limitations placed upon my ability to minister. To say that these limitations are more in the physical than the spriritual is a given. I am sure that there are others who face this same crisis, and the zeal is even stronger in the Spirit to perform the work. I can think of many ways to try to slow the aging process: lose weight–that’s a good one, watch my diet; and get more stretches and exercises in than I presently do. The benefit would be to prolong my days, if GOD sees fit, in an effort to make any difference great or small in the work of the Kingdom. The Body does have parts, and I would truly enjoy fufilling what I consider to be my “reasonable service”.

As I sit and pray on the vision of the keyboards, I am led to remember instructions that GOD gave me many years ago to write songs and to play instruments. I have always loved music, and my first instrument was a piano. As a child in school I was introduced to a wind flute that looked like a fat cigar. It was called a Tonette, and I graduated from that to an autoharp, and then to an organ. I come from the Bible Belt and the piano and organ were the most prevalent of instruments played in church. Today, keyboards, electronic adaptations of the basic piano and organ predominate. The instruments may change but the methods remain the same.

Over the years, my abilities on the piano and keyboards have waxed and waned simply due to having two pianists in my household. There has been no pressure to play. Christina and Elizabeth both play well, and their understanding of music is a reflection of my own investment into them as children. Time is going to change their proximity to me, however, and it is crucial for me to reinvest in my own musical abilities. GOD is my judge, and I rely on Him to guide me and strengthen my hands to the task.

The LORD gave my family two scriptures recently–Deuteronomy 30:19 and Jeremiah 29:11. The former scripture expresses choice between cursing and blessing in order to live abundant life; the latter literally states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD– Plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future”.

I am to direct and retrain my paths toward music ministry and teaching ministry. Music is the language of GOD, and The Word is also the language of GOD. The spoken word exhorts upon the strength of GOD’s music.

Is music simply notes? Can music be words or expressions? I believe that it can be, so this is what I believe GOD is speaking to me in this vision: “Train your eyes, ears, tongue, larnyx, heart, and spirit to seek the ways of the LORD”. Whether physical music or spiritual music–it is all applicable to the Kingdom of Heaven.  I am to minister in word and music. Where to minister is GOD’s choice. I am simply to follow His leading.

 

Psalm 114

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 114

 1 When Israel came out of Egypt,
   Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,
   Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled,
   the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains leaped like rams,
   the hills like lambs.

 5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
   Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
   you hills, like lambs?

 7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
   at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
   the hard rock into springs of water.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

02/20/12

Charlene's Thoughts: A Belated Look At Valentines Day

Charlene’s Thoughts: A Belated Look At Valentines Day

     Holidays are wonderful. They take the drab out of our existence and give us opportunity to relate to loved ones and friends. For some, however, holidays can be a hurting time. Singles, especially, may find Valentines Day to be a hard holiday to embrace.

I can remember being single. It was a lonely existence with time spent working; visiting family and friends; fishing and bowling–just in an attempt to fill my hours and keep my thoughts off of going home to my empty house. I can remember driving down to the ocean and staring out at the water while bemoaning my single state. I am an extreme extravert–and being alone for me was not a good thing then or now.

I listen to my daughters, both single, and realize that they also struggle with this love holiday. While they are searching and praying for their special person, it is emotionally trying to view everyone else around them in relationships. They struggle with the decision to attend a valentine’s party, or not? What they do not realize is that the state of being single also has it’s own merit.

When you are single you can choose to make your own agenda. You can motor to a quiet spot on a whim; go shopping without extreme guilt, or sleep in (a rare privilege for us married folk). There are none to argue with your politics unless you choose to allow them. You can invest and save for a rainy day and…you can buy a luxury car or a sports car because you are usually the only occupant. In other words you have more freedom. On the down side–you may experience less social interaction.

There are some single people who love being single. They surround themselves with family and/or friends and choose to live a single lifestyle. They are happy in the knowledge that this is their choice, and many are true nurturers. They become the aunties and uncles that shower love on everyone.

I guess this all boils down to realizing that the old axiom, “grass is always greener on the other side” may not always be true. Not all singles want married bliss, although I can safely say that most do, and not all marrieds want to stay married. Marriage is hard work and extreme commitment,and is definitely not for the faint of heart!!

That said, Valentines Day can be painful for singles and marrieds alike. So the next time you bemoan your fate as a single on Valentines Day, please remember that there are widow(ers), divorced persons, and people in abuse situations out there. Valentines Day is a struggle for them also.

credit: Charlene @charlenesattic.com

Be Blessed

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 10:12 am and is filed under My Look at the World.

02/13/12

Hebrews 3: 1-15 Part One

  Hebrews 3: 1-15

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and[a] are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger[b] and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire[c]house.

 3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

  5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.[d]

 7That is why the Holy Spirit says, 

   “Today when you hear his voice,
    8 don’t harden your hearts
   as Israel did when they rebelled,
      when they tested me in the wilderness.
 9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
      even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
 10 So I was angry with them, and I said,
   ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
      They refuse to do what I tell them.’
 11 So in my anger I took an oath:
      ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”[e]

 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.[f] Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15Remember what it says:

   “Today when you hear his voice,
      don’t harden your hearts
      as Israel did when they rebelled.”[g]

 16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

 Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 3:1 Greek And so, holy brothers who.
  2. Hebrews 3:1 Greek God’s apostle.
  3. Hebrews 3:2 Some manuscripts do not include entire.
  4. Hebrews 3:6 Some manuscripts add faithful to the end.
  5. Hebrews 3:11 Ps 95:7-11.
  6. Hebrews 3:12 Greek brothers.
  7. Hebrews 3:15 Ps 95:7-8.

HEBREWS 3: 1-5

The Book of Hebrews is one of the most beautiful and inspirational books in The Bible. Historians and theologians insist that the author of Hebrews can be conjectured but not determined. Yet as we read the article below–many clues point to either the Apostle Paul or his students/companions. The Authorship  is ultimately God’s Holy Spirit. When you factor out man, Scripture points to GOD.  

The following article was retrieved on February 13, 2012 from www.gotquestions.org on the world-wide web.

Who Wrote The Book of Hebrews? Who Was The Author of Hebrews?

Question: “Who wrote the Book of Hebrews? Who was the author of Hebrews?”
Answer: Theologically speaking, scholars generally regard the book of Hebrews to be second in importance only to Paul’s letter to the Romans in the New Testament. No other book so eloquently defines Christ as high priest of Christianity, superior to the Aaronic priesthood, and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. This book presents Christ as the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). However, both the authorship and audience are in question.

The title, “To the Hebrews,” which appears in the earliest known copy of the epistle is not a part of the original manuscript. There is no salutation, the letter simply begins with the assertion that Jesus, the Son of God, has appeared, atoned for our sins, and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 1:1-4).

The letter closes with the words “Grace be with you all” (Hebrews 13:25), which is the same closing found in each of Paul’s known letters (see Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; and Philemon 25). However, it should be noted that Peter (1 Peter 5:14; 2 Peter 3:18) used similar—though not identical—closings. Possibly that it was simply customary to close letters like this with the words “Grace be with you all” during this time period.

Church tradition teaches that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and until the 1800s, that issue was closed. However, though a vast majority of Christians—both and scholars and the laity—still believe Paul wrote the book, there are some tempting reasons to think otherwise.

First and foremost is the lack of a salutation. Some sort of personal salutation from Paul appears in all of his letters. So it would seem that writing anonymously is not his usual method; therefore, the reasoning goes, Hebrews cannot be one of his letters. Second, the overall composition and style is of a person who is a very sophisticated writer. Even though he was certainly a sophisticated communicator, Paul stated that he purposely did not speak with a commanding vocabulary (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1; 2 Corinthians 11:6).

The book of Hebrews quotes extensively from the Old Testament. Paul, as a Pharisee, would have been familiar with the Scripture in its original Hebrew language. In other letters, Paul either quotes the Masoretic Text (the original Hebrew) or paraphrases it. However, all of the quotes in this epistle are taken out of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), which is inconsistent with Paul’s usage. Finally, Paul was an apostle who claimed to receive his revelations directly from the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:23; Galatians 1:12). The writer of Hebrews specifically says that he was taught by an apostle (Hebrews 2:3).

If Paul didn’t write the letter, who did? The most plausible suggestion is that this was actually a sermon Paul gave and it was transcribed later by Luke, a person who would have had the command of the Greek language which the writer shows. Barnabas is another likely prospect, since he was a Levite and would have been speaking on a subject that he knew much about. Martin Luther suggested Apollos, since he would have had the education the writer of this letter must have had. Priscilla and Clemet of Rome have been suggested by other scholars.

However, there is still much evidence that Paul wrote the letter. The most compelling comes from Scripture itself. Remember that Peter wrote to the Hebrews (that is, the Jews; see Galatians 2:7, 9 and 1 Peter 1:1). Peter wrote: “…just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him [emphasis added]” (2 Peter 3:15). In that last verse, Peter is confirming that Paul had also written a letter to the Hebrews!

The theology presented in Hebrews is consistent with Paul’s. Paul was a proponent of salvation by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8, 9), and that message is strongly communicated in this epistle (Hebrews 4:2, 6:12, 10:19-22, 10:37-39, and 11:1-40). Either Paul wrote the epistle, or the writer was trained by Paul. Although it is a small detail, this epistle makes mention of Timothy (Hebrews 13:23), and Paul is the only apostle known to have ever done that in any letter.

So, who actually wrote Hebrews? The letter fills a needed space in Scripture and both outlines our faith and defines faith itself in the same way that Romans defines the tenets of Christian living. It closes the chapters of faith alone and serves as a prelude to the chapters on good works built on a foundation of faith in God. In short, this book belongs in the Bible. Therefore, its human author is unimportant. What is important is to treat the book as inspired Scripture as defined in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Holy Spirit was the divine author of Hebrews, and of all Scripture, even though we don’t know who put the physical pen to the physical paper and traced the words.

    

Authorship defined, let us examine Hebrews 3: 1-15 as a declaration of the Sovereignty of Christ. When Jesus was ministering on earth there were many occasions when the High Priests and synagogue leaders  questioned His deity based upon their concept of Abraham as their Father and Moses as the deliverer of the Jews. Mankind finds comfort in religious thoughts, religious ceremony, and rules because it makes life safe and predictable. Jesus came to question every unGodly rule that had crept it’s way, over time, into the Hebraic religious system.

While speaking in the temple Jesus declared in Luke 4: 18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”.

The Scribes and Pharisees could not accept this from Jesus. Even though Israel had been anticipating the Messiah for many centuries they failed to see Him when He appeared because they were looking for a warrior King such as David. They were caught up in their traditions so religiously that their eyes were blinded; their ears deafened; and their  spirits barren.

To be continued…

02/3/12

James 1:1-27 Holy Bible NIV

James speaks so succintly and with such fervor that his Words from The LORD stand out and touch the heart, mind, soul, and spirit.

We are all guilty of uttering things from our mouths that do not honor ourselves or others.  Meditate on this Chapter for it tells us truths to follow.

Rev. Charlene

James 1

 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

   To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

   Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

 9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

 12Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Footnotes:

  1. James 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 16 and 19; and in 2:1, 5, 14; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19.