I saw the lilac bush starting to bloom this morning! It reminded me of when my husband and I were married almost 34 years ago. The altar and all the tables at the wedding reception had fresh lilacs. Whenever I see or smell a lilac, I’m reminded of the promise I made to my husband and that we made before God. God’s sacred covenant with Abraham promised him a people, land and blessing (see Genesis 12:1-7). With the birth of John the Baptist, Zechariah prophesied that the sacred covenant to Abraham was remembered because of the coming Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.- Teresa

Luke 1: 67-80 ( ESV)

67 ‘Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

    because he has visited and redeemed his people.

69 He has sent us a mighty Savior[a]

    from the royal line of his servant David,

70 just as he promised

    through his holy prophets long ago.

71 Now we will be saved from our enemies

    and from all who hate us.

72 He has been merciful to our ancestors

    by remembering his sacred covenant—

73 the covenant he swore with an oath

    to our ancestor Abraham.

74 We have been rescued from our enemies

    so we can serve God without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness

    for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son,

    will be called the prophet of the Most High,

    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

77 You will tell his people how to find salvation

    through forgiveness of their sins.

78 Because of God’s tender mercy,

    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[b]

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.’

 When we exclaim truth revealed in the inner man, we encourage another’s faith walk. Elizabeth encouraged Mary at a time when she needed extreme faith. Although it appeared scandalous, Mary knew her pregnancy was God-ordained. Even John the Baptist (still in the womb) knew this was from God. Never doubt the fulfillment of God’s word. -Teresa 

#TheWordofGod. 

 Luke 1: 39-45 (ESV)
39 “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[f] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

 The crowd perceived that Jesus was more menacing than the murderer, Barabas. Pilate perceived that the crowd was driven by envious chief priests. What is our perception of Jesus? Is it influenced by what others have said or by the Word of God, the Bible- most authenticated compilation of ancient literature in all time. – Teresa

Mark 15: 6-10 (ESV)
“6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.”

 Joshua was protective of Moses’position as lead prophet. Moses, however, was generous. He did not feel threatened by other prophets but his own priestly family- Miriam and Aaron grumbled about his position of leadership. God was the one who nipped all murmuring in the bud with the proverbial spit in Miriam’s face. Amazingly, Moses’ humility was what allowed him to foster this personal and unique relationship with God!! -Teresa

Numbers 11:28,29  and 12:1-16 (ESV)

28 “And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp”….

12 “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous,[d] like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us[e] because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.”

 The Lord’s face is shining on Northern California with all the rain we’ve had! Just as we’ve had the rain put on us,  God’s name was put on the Israelites. Because He chose them as His people, God blessed them and they have blessed every nation on earth with the gift of God’s son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Moses was given this benediction from God so that Aaron and his sons would speak His blessing over the children of Israel prior to the tabernacle being consecrated. -Teresa

Numbers 6: 24-27 (ESV)

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord lift up his countenance[c] upon you and give you peace.

27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

 What issue looms before you that seems larger than the Titanic? It may take a little time to turn it around* but God is able to not only turn the Titanic around but to also take down a mountain!! It starts with a change of our individual hearts by forgiving others and forgiving ourselves. When we truly believe that He has done this for us, that His provision is enough to cover our debt, then we walk by faith with God!-Teresa

Mark 11: 20-25 (ESV)

“As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received[c] it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”[d]

*Amy Grant song lyric, “It takes a little time”, 1998.

 Dinah chose to see the women of the land where Jacob, her father, had brought the family to settle. The problem arose when a disgraceful man named Shechem saw her first. Since Jacob did not choose to deal with the shame caused his daughter, her brothers took it on, by deceiving the young prince. In the end, there was bloodshed and loss for all. Dinah’s defilement meant her life would never be the same. In much the same way, our defilement by the world system prevents us from ever experiencing the life that God intended. The good news is that He is a father who does not ignore the shame caused by sin. He provides a way for wrongs to be made right. It does require consecrated hearts and a burial of all that keeps us from worshiping Him. (See ch. 35). – Teresa

Genesis 34: 1.2 (KJV)

1 “And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.”

 Although this fruitless pear tree looks prolific, I know that not even one pear will be harvested!

The opposite is true of this Hebrew poem, where (v.5) states that out of the servant’s suffering comes healing, I am confident that God’s  plan to bring righteousness for many will be accomplished.

How can we be confident of this? The answer is substitutionary atonement.

Our sin is completely healed through His purpose for coming to earth.

How? We are spiritually  given ressurection life through faith in His atonement for our sin. This is possible because of His righteousness. -Teresa

#Heisable#trustHimtoday#SonofGod

Isaiah 53: 5-12 (ESV)

5″But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

    yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

    so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

    and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

    stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

    and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

    he has put him to grief;[g]

when his soul makes[h] an offering for guilt,

    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see[i] and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

    make many to be accounted righteous,

    and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,[j]

    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,[k]

because he poured out his soul to death

    and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

    and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Although Ben Franklin felt that the turkey was more courageous than the eagle, I saw these turkeys sitting on a fence this morning and laughed! Thankfully, God is more like Benjamin Franklin than me because He looks beyond the surface appearance to the heart. The poor may appear to the world system as those who have made bad choices but God sees the heart of the matter. Many of the poor are given less than an optimal start in life. In fact, they often have overcome unbelievable odds (i.e. orphans in Uganda, Africa who are searching for food at “baby” ages, read inspirational book “Kisses from Katie”) . When we show mercy we are like God and He is merciful to us. – Teresa

 Psalm 41: 1-3 (ESV)

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor![a]

    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

    he is called blessed in the land;

    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

    in his illness you restore him to full health.[b]”

  

 Although Jairus was a very important ruler in the synagogue, his daughter had to wait for another woman to be healed first. The woman had no name or connection to religious circles (since she was considered unclean). This woman was whom Jesus called “daughter”. She suffered much, was truly poor, yet trusted that a touch from Jesus would heal her and it did. – Teresa #neverunderstimateHisgrace

Mark 5: 24-34 (ESV)

“And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”