We only used 3 logs for this fire, but the wood was a type of hardwood (maybe a fruit tree of some kind).

When the darkness encroaches, it does not take a “bonfire” to keep it at bay. In fact, the Yosemite forest rangers prefer a low lying fire.

When Christ came, it was during a “kairos” moment of time (not chronos or chronological in meaning- notice our son’s watch in this picture). This means that it was just the right moment in time, for the thoughts and distance of the human heart to know God’s perspective.

This was prophesied by Isaiah. The “root of Jesse” foreshadowed the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, when Jesus gave the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6), he proposed a new way. Not the old covenant of law and order (so to speak), enforced by religious leaders. The old way had involved big buildings and mandatory offerings (in order to be accepted by God and community).

In the Psalm below, David (Jesse’s son), echoed this sentiment of needing a community to belong to. Although he was anointed as king of Israel, Saul as the “sitting” king, continued to pursue him. Would David succumb to fear or faith?

In The BibleHub.com description of Psalm 56 it is stated so well:

“1. Trust in God Over Fear
In Psalm 56, David reminds us that when fear grips our hearts, we should place our trust in God. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You” (Psalm 56:3). This is a powerful lesson for our daily lives, encouraging us to lean on God’s strength rather than succumbing to anxiety. Trusting in God transforms our fear into faith, allowing us to face challenges with confidence.”

The world today seems to be in another moment of “time”, different than our ability to measure it chronologically. Perhaps the light that God has put in us should not be hid under a bushel.

The righteous branch that Jesus planted in our lives can be described in emotional terms: love, compassion, peace. All the fruit of the Spirit is reflected when our lives unite with the Savior through the vine.

If something or someone needs to change, Lord, help it be me.

When your community starts with God as your Heavenly Father, then you have nothing to fear. -Teresa #chooselife #trinity

Isaiah 11:1-5 (ESV)

The Righteous Reign of the Branch

11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Psalm 56English Standard Version

In God I Trust

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam^[a] of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
² my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
³ When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

⁵ All day long they injure my cause;^[b]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶ They stir up strife, they lurk;
    they watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
⁷ For their crime will they escape?
    In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You have kept count of my tossings;^[c]
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back
    in the day when I call.
    This I know, that^[d] God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹ in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

¹² I must perform my vows to you, O God;
    I will render thank offerings to you.
¹³ For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.

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Footnotes

1. Psalm 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
2. Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
3. Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
4. Psalm 56:9 Or because