Our dog, Barbie, has been enjoying the fresh dirt piles from our backyard landscape project-truly, the queen of the mountain. In this passage, Jesus called two sets of brothers (all outdoor working men, aka fishermen) to be His disciples: Simon Peter and Andrew along with James and John. The surprising part of this record is that they all left immediately what they were doing to do the Savior’s bidding. Jesus was an excellent judge of character. As the crowds grew, Jesus’ disciples grew in their faith as well. What started with pure brawn and a strong presence for crowd control turned into true spiritual grit to display Christ’s love to the world- no easy task. – Teresa

Matthew 4: 18-25 (ESV)

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[b] 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Proverbs 31: 10-24 (ESV)

When God said that it is not good for man to be alone, He created the woman. A wife is a gift from God showing favor on the man who fears Him. Our son-in-law fasted from solid food for a period of 40 days in prayer, seeking God’s will in regards to who was to be his wife. He was rewarded on the last day with an opportunity to meet a woman of God, his equal in wisdom. There are many characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman that are more comprehensive than the 1950’s (good American wife) prototype. She is described in this passage as rare, trustworthy, full of goodness and faithfulness, a willing worker (in both a trade and a profession), wise leader, competent manager, property owner, physically fit and strong, full of sound judgment, merciful and generous toward those in need, well-dressed, desires intimacy with her spouse, admires her husband’s position in the city and is known as a contributing part of the business community. One of my friends, who is genuinely humble, trains as a power lifter and she reminds me of vs. 17, “She dresses herself[b] with strength and makes her arms strong.” Many of the women I work with inspire me in regards to this passage. They are not only full of faith but also meet numerous needs without thought to their own toil. -Teresa

#womanis #man’searthlyhelper

#Godis #man’sheavenlyhelper

Proverbs 31: 10-24 (ESV)

10 

[a] An excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

11 

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

12 

She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 

She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

14 

She is like the ships of the merchant;

she brings her food from afar.

15 

She rises while it is yet night

and provides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

16 

She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 

She dresses herself[b] with strength

and makes her arms strong.

18 

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 

She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

20 

She opens her hand to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 

She is not afraid of snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in scarlet.[c]

22 

She makes bed coverings for herself;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 

Her husband is known in the gates

when he sits among the elders of the land.

24 

She makes linen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchant.

Genesis 2:18 (NIV)

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper.

Proverbs 18:22 (NIV)

22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.

Jesus Christ the LORD has four references in this passage to His name: “Faithful and True”, “A name written that no one knows but himself”, “The Word of God”, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.

When someone’s name or title is written like a tattoo on their thigh, you know that their credentials are not easily ignored.

. picture from pexels.com

His power and authority are visibly displayed by many crowns and a robe dipped in His own blood providing proof that he is mediator of a new and living way (Hebrews 10:20). – Teresa

Revelation 19:11-16 (ESV)

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in[b] blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule[c] them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Hebrews 10:19,20 (NIV)

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.

Psalm 145: 18,19 (ESV)

To fear God means to discover the origin of wisdom. To seek after wisdom requires faith. The outward action of faith is a cry for help, knowing that He will respond. He is near us. He is attentive to our cry for help. He is able to save completely for all time those who approach Him through His son, Jesus. (Hebrews 7:25) He is fulfilling our desires beyond all that we can ask or imagine by His great power in us. – Teresa #fearGod #recognizeHispowerinU

Psalm 145: 18,19 (ESV)

18The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19 

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

Psalm 111:10 (NIV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

James 1:5-8 (NIV)

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. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Hebrews 7:21b-22 (NIV)  “The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:’You are a priest forever.’ “22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Revelation 12:7-17 (ESV)

My office is not exactly organized at this time of year. Preparing Christmas presents for my family, I’m joyful yet reflective of the reason for the season. The birth of our Savior reminds us of how much He gave (His life) in order to provide salvation for us. In V. 11 of this passage we are reminded of our protection from the dragon (aka- the accuser of the brethren), “11 And they (the believers) have conquered him (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” – Teresa #holdon #JesusChristtheLORD #RachelScott

Revelation 12:7-17 (ESV)

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[b] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood[c] on the sand of the sea.

My husband and I walked to the coffee shop on Saturday in the early morning sunshine. We were delighted to catch a glimpse of the seagulls swarming. It reminded me of this passage in Ps.139:9,10 “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me.” This truth was imparted to me 30 years prior while working in North Africa with a new baby. I was able to tangibly understand God’s leading and ability to hold us together as a family. The demands of life are not any less strenuous today and yet I trust this truth. – Teresa #ourvaluetoHim

Psalm 139English Standard Version (ESV)

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 

Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11 

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12 

even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18 

If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

19 

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O men of blood, depart from me!

20 

They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies take your name in vain.[b]

21 

Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 

I hate them with complete hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts![c]

24 

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting![d]

When the sun rises, we are reminded of God’s care for all-both people and animals. Although Jonah’s bitter heart initially said no to God, he eventually obeyed yet felt like dying because the people of Ninevah believed his message and repented. The result was that 120,000 people were saved plus a multitude of cattle. When the enemy has a change of heart because of obediance to tough words, God is glorified. -Teresa #toughlove #agapelove #maturelove

Jonah 4:5-11 (ESV)

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant[i] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[j] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

When an extremely steep terrain has us winded, we have the option to look beyond the pain. The apostle John was exiled to a place (like Alcatraz) for his faith. He was given a revelation that buoyed his understanding of Rabbi Yeshua. The sight of Jesus, in all His glory, assured John of His master’s divinity. Jesus’ words stating that He held the keys of death and Hades comforted John who was not afraid of dying but willing to look beyond his pain. – Teresa #blazingeyes #kinglycrowns #WordofGod

Revelation 1:9-20 (ESV)

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The tree in our front yard is not afraid of losing its beautiful colors. Although its leaves fall due to shorter light patterns, we all know it will have foliage again in the spring. When those who are laid bare from life experiences are shown love from their brothers and sisters, our love for God shows through. Although there may be times when we are less attractive to each other- presenting naked humanity, God is not finished with any of us. The greatest testimony to a watching world is our love for one another. -Teresa #supernatural

I John 4: 1-21 (ESV)

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

Walking in light means we are not stumbling into furniture or tripping over shoes. Walking in light brings awareness of the others walking with us (fellowship). Jesus is the light of the world. Do we love the light or do we love the world? Doing God’s will means walking with eyes wide open- lights on! -Teresa #Fatherlove

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.