Last night, I couldn’t sleep. In my restless state, comforting thought came to me. My husband had been reading W. Phillip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, and shared his insights with me. His idea of how needy we are as people for our Savior’s care was made beautiful as I recited the 23rd Psalm over and over.
It wasn’t long before I fell asleep. We can count sheep or remember our good shepherd as a cure for insomnia. The Lord Jesus Christ in this passage shows how capable He is to care for those He loves even in the midst of great suffering. – Teresa
#Coverme BeboNorman
#readthisbookwithyourkids WPhillipKeller
So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:24-27 (ESV)
We watch as the hummingbirds and finches take “showers” and “dips” in our new fountain- simply enjoying the beauty of life as they know it!
Our front yard landscape- hummingbird fountain!
When Jesus glorified the Father- by accomplishing His work on earth, He then prayed for the Father to glorify Him-by bringing Him back to heaven. It was the joy of remembering the glory of heaven that helped Jesus bear the shame of the cross.
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)
Who is the founder and perfecter of our faith? The One who conquered sin’s curse- aka eternal separation from the Father. He is the One who was victorious over the sting of the grave.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (ESV)
Glory divine is manifest by remembering it’s not my good works but His finished work on the cross that matters most. By humbling myself in faith (like a child), He is pleased and gives this gift of eternal life- aka to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent! – Teresa #unityinfaith #OnewiththeFatherSonandHolySpirit #loveforthebrethren #amazingyetsimple #welovebecauseHefirstlovedusIJohn4:19
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:12-13 (ESV)
John 17 English Standard Version (ESV)
The High Priestly Prayer 17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.[a] 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them[b] in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself,[c] that they also may be sanctified[d] in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
If you want to memorize the names of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, they are listed in Psalm 119 (transliterated between each stanza of verses in the English).
Psalm 119 :41,42 (ESV)
Waw
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; 42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
This passage (under the letter waw) touched my heart this morning. God’s steadfast love is something we can count on. His word (The Bible) is our delight as it delivers love letters from Him. These words of hope transcend all time.
We all grapple with the taunting of this world system. We may find ourselves discouraged and even despairing during times such as these. What is the answer?
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; 42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
The Psalmist states it wonderfully, “for I trust in your word”.
Have you ever had to be around someone who is constantly trying to “one up” you? This also is a taunt (resulting from an insecure world system). Let the truth of this passage encourage you.
The truth will set you free. Jesus said this to His earliest followers,
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” – John 8:31-33
Just like them, we may feel like we’re a slave to nothing: free as the wind. Are we truly free or are we enslaved by a need to prove ourselves? Does this proving turn to sin?
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. – John 8:34
Abiding in Christ’s word means we spend time clearing our vision each day. If we are being washed of water with the WORD then we will be refreshed in our soul and secured in His perspective. – Teresa
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. – Ephesians 5:25-27
Although my daughter is a natural beauty, she is not fooled by those who hide in sheep’s clothing. She also has the gift of discernment. This is similar to David, who sensed that his life was in mortal danger (because of Saul, God’s annointed).
Jonathon and David were close friends. Jonathon’s father, King Saul, was jealous of David. Mostly, he envied that God’s presence was on David. His feelings of being inadequate, as the first King of Israel, led to insane jealousy of the One who would replace him. Never underestimate the danger of jealous anger.
David was about to enter a period of extreme testing but he would come through more solid than ever. God established David’s kingdom and never failed to be his refuge.
God first chose a big man who was small in his own eyes (Saul- 1 Samuel 15:17). Later, He was sorry He made that choice and fully tested the next man (David). David may have been smaller in physical appearance but he was greater in stature because he saw his problems through God’s eyes (I Samuel 17:46,47-David and Goliath).
God chose David, a man after His own heart (I Samuel 13:14), who would lead the children of Israel like a shepherd.- Teresa
12 And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness![a] When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off[b] your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May[c] the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.[d] 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,[e] and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap[f] and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.[g]
David and the Holy Bread
21 [h] Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
Footnotes
1 Samuel 20:12 Hebrew lacks be witness 1 Samuel 20:15 Or but if I die, do not cut off 1 Samuel 20:16 Septuagint earth, 16let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David. And may 1 Samuel 20:19 Septuagint; Hebrew the stone Ezel 1 Samuel 20:25 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew stood up 1 Samuel 20:41 Septuagint; Hebrew from beside the south 1 Samuel 20:42 This sentence is 21:1 in Hebrew 1 Samuel 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew
There are times when we must wait for joy. When the time is right it will appear!
John 7: 25-30 (ESV)
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
Jesus came to fill the hopes of the Jewish nation for Messiah. While watching “The Chosen” episode 2 last night, I realized how the Jewish custom of “shabbat” (as re-enacted by the superb cast), was a sacred time of remembrance. This peaceful time, resting from daily work, was celebrated in the presence of Jesus. He is the ONE capable of doing all the significant work for spiritual deliverance. They had not yet discovered his role as Christ, but felt honored to be in the presence of the Rabbi.
What a wonderful Lord we have to open up heaven for us. He allows us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Not only does His sacrifice make us right with God but also provides “eternal life” , when we receive Him as Lord.
Today, for us-our world has slowed down significantly. Do we rest and bask in the peace and presence of our Savior?- Teresa #thebattlebelongstotheLORD #myjoycomplete #thechosen
When I spend time on a bike ride with my husband, I have time to unwind my mind. This morning, we rode 15 miles out in the country (where I prefer to ride- since I’m not a fan of city traffic).
Prior to suiting up, I listened to a church service by Pastor Steven Trint (livestream from Uganda). The words from John 10:10 really impacted me.
Part way into the ride, my heart became heavy with concerns weighing on me. First, a concern from work and then an even greater one closer to home started taunting me and stealing my joy and peace. I was in the smallest gear about to complete this steady climb up when a bee buzzed directly into my left ear. I shook my head to get him out of my hair/helmet net, which threw me off balance.
The very slow rate I was going made me wobble and go off the road. Thankfully, I was able to unclip my shoe before I fell over!
My loving husband was waiting for me to catch up. When he saw my tears and heard my story of being discouraged with worry about my concerns, he prayed for me right there. I told him about the sermon I had just heard and how I was attacked in my spirit the same way that the verse described Satan’s purpose.
His words were profound, “It’s not very often that you are admonished by the scripture and a few minutes later get a chance to practice it!!”
We rejoiced in God’s goodness to help me recognize this for what it was. We finished the ride with restored joy and peace- aka life abundantly (God’s purpose). Thanks Pastor Steve for making church applicable today : )
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10 (ESV)
I always felt that my inheritance would include a part of the 40 acres on Wilderness Road. Little did I know that God was revealing something so much better-an inheritance that cannot fade, kept in heaven for me (1 Peter 1:4).
We are all here for a moment (like the grass). We may even show God’s glory for a time (like a flower). Passing down something of value to the next generation really means passing on the steadfast love of the Father.
By walking in wisdom, we fear God and cling to the righteous life of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Together, we can bless the Lord. There is nothing more valuable than a spiritual inheritance passed down from generation to generation. – Teresa
#familylove #reachingothers
Psalm 103:13-22 (ESV). 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame;[a] he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Footnotes. Psalm 103:14 Or knows how we are formed
Reconnection 