Prepare - G2090

Dear Jesus - Please send us Your Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and minds to know Your work...

Today's question is this:  If John 14:1-3 indicates there are already homes in Heaven, then what IS Jesus doing when He says He will 'prepare a place for you'?

Brain Teaser - Matthew 6:33 NLT

Today, I saw this posted by a religious organization:

Matthew 6:33

New Living Translation (NLT)

³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Footnotes:

1. 6:33 Some manuscripts do not include of God.

I was taken aback.  Let's ask ourselves a couple of questions:

A Familiar Verse - Or Is It? John 14:1-3

Parent to Child:  What do you think Jesus is doing right now?
Child: Making homes for me in Heaven!
Parent:  Aaahhhhh yes...  

But wait - that's not true!

Remember. No, really!

Here's a profound, though simple study.  A word search in the old king on the word 'remember'.  Guess?  Got one?

144 times.  144 times.  Like - 144,000 - but just 144.  Like 12 x 12.  God's ultimate in creation. 

Seems important.  Maybe I should.  Wonder what He wants me to remember?  What does He want me not to remember?  What does He remember & not remember?

Oh dear Jesus - we cannot remember without Your help.  Please reveal to us what You would have each of us remember...  Thank You for promising to be our Strength and our 'rememberer'...

Anchor Points - The Yoke & The Burden

There are times when life feels hard.  Difficult.  A struggle.  Our sins threaten to overwhelm us.  Grief, anxiety, care, worry - too much to bear.  At these times I turn to another Anchor Point.

Siloam vs Bethesda

The idea of a pool today evokes thoughts of peace, healing, comfort, luxury.  However, in Jesus' time, pools were about physical healing or cleansing - either physically or spiritually.  A week or so ago, posted this link to the stories in John 8 & 9.  Today though, I want to go a little deeper into this question:

Why the Pool of Siloam and not the Pool of Bethesda?

Anchor Points - Though He Slay Me...

In my 20s, life took a turn and within five years, my parents, 3 grandparents and an aunt died.  Of course - most traumatic was the death of my parents.  My younger sister and I struggled through the lingering illnesses and the details that wrap up the life of a loved one. 

As I traversed the peaks and valleys that characterized my loss, Jesus interposed a verse and I clung to it.  The first part of Job 13:15:

Job 13:15

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁵ Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

Anchor Points - The Song

Cargo Ship with Multiple Anchors

Living in the NorthWest, ships and barges of various types are frequent sights.  The picture above is fairly typical of all cargo vessels - they generally have multiple anchors.

Of late, the song lyric below has been on my mind...

The 7 Spirit Sayings

A Gentle Wind Blowing Tall Grasses

Today a dear friend came by.  A dear friend, who has a heart after God.  He has been forgiven much and he loves much.  And an ill wind blew.  You see, our friend desperately wants to 'do something' for God.  For the One who has done so much for him.  So he finds himself drawn to messages containing - at their core - some difficult hard to be understood truths.  Thus - his experience is not always that of the tall grass gently blown by the sweet sweet Spirit.

The Circle of the Earth

Dear Jesus - We confess it is difficult to discern the literal truths You long to teach us from Your Word sometimes.  Please help us to live more and more in the way of Your Spirit...

In the 9th grade, I was blessed to have an English teacher who believed in incorporating the subject of astronomy and the Bible into English class.  Her name was Alice Straw - and I still have the notebook we were required to make in that class.

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

Alrighty now - get that Bible filter going....  Here's a lovely verse - but is it Biblical?

My God and His Angels watch over me, 

and should there be a need, 

they are never more than a prayer away.  

My filter screams over this one - ALERT ALERT ALERT!

Fruit or Fruits?

Dear Jesus - I praise You for the quality of life You long to give each of us.  Help us to really understand that truth in the deepest parts of our soul...

Galatians 5:22-23

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Have you ever noticed that verse 22 says 'fruit' not 'fruits'? 

How Old ?

The question periodically rattles around in my head as I read the Bible.  Because, I wonder what I would have done had I been there.  Was the character older or younger than me?

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

A friend posted this on Facebook.  I was taken aback - could the Bible really say that?

In the same way I will not cause pain
    without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.
“If I cause you the pain,
    I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation,” says your God.

Problems at Church?

For some reason, it seems there are occasions when we church-goers are confronted with problems at church that interfere with our capacity to receive God's blessing during our all-to-brief time in the sanctuary. 

Just For Fun.... :-)

Yup - I did really do this - and then wonder why I got the error...   'cause no matter how much I may want it to be, Deuteronomy is not in the New Testament... :-)

1 Verse Unlocks a Chapter

Huntingtower Castle, Perth

Dear Jesus - I just praise You for the literalness of the help You make available to me!  Thank You!

Ever just plain "had it" with the Pharisees?  Sometimes reading the Gospels can seem a bit hopeless as one gets a glimmer of the spiritual state of things.  Wooops - better check myself before I condemn myself!  Been attending a weekly study that is going through all 4 Gospels at one time in time sequence.  The latest study just blew me away as I sat there.  'Cause I saw myself - and well, the only good thing about that was the end of the story!

Forest or the Tree...

Dear Jesus - Please send Your Spirit to soften our hearts and open our eyes to the truths You have for us....

When I first started studying the Bible - as opposed to reading it - I was all excited to do a big old study.  Committed.  Going to put all this into practice with my daily Bible reading plan I was doing a the time.  The very next morning upon my return home, I excitedly opened my daily reading plan to see what would be there.  Genesis 38 was there.  I can think of probably less than 5 other chapters in the Bible I find more disgusting.

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

How's your practice activating that Bible-filter going?

Here's a doozy for you....  Saw this the other day.

Jesus Stills the Sea

Dear Jesus - Thank You so much for my friend Don Herd who takes so many great pictures.  Please bless his talent richly.  Today, oh please please open our eyes to see the personal applications You have for each of us in this amazing story...

This is a familiar story so let's get right to it.  Below is the story Luke recounts (NASB). 

My Rescuer

Dear Jesus - Please keep my eyes on You.  Cause me never to forget You are my only Rescuer...

Today this really hit home with me.  Sin, at its core, is slavery.  In our world - slavery does exist.  One of the most common forms of slavery today is addiction.  If we could help ourselves, we would - right?  

Deutoronomy 31:6 - WORD Power

Here is a new little feature.  Just did it - and blew me away!  God is soooo good...

Dear Jesus - Please speak to us specifically in this verse...  Thank You!

Instructions:

• Click link below
• Read the verse in all the listed versions
• Read sequentially all the Cross Reference verses to the right.

Be amazed at the story and the power of the WORD!  Thank You Jesus!


WORD Power Link

Getting My Walk On...

Don't you just love the Bible?  It is such an amazing, living, transforming, supernatural entity!  Uh - yeah - 'cause it's Jesus!   Getting fired up just thinking about this!

What Color Were the First 10 Commandments?

Sapphire Stone

Dear Jesus - Please circumsize our hearts so we can hear You speak to us!

Found this the other day - amazing!  Check it out yourself.  The link to the original is at the bottom...

Can Despising Be Good?

I'm on a 90-day devotional journey using the book Prayer90X - 90 Days to a Spiritually Fit You. 

Day 1 - mostly just freaked out.  Had to just repeat the Memory Text the E.N.T.I.R.E. day.  You can probably guess what that was:  Thou wilt keep her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon Thee because she trusteth in Thee.  Thought I trusted God - and I do.  Just apparently not with my actual life.

Can I ___________?

Ask Jesus...

Seriously.

He loves you more than you can possibly understand - and He's done everything that can be done to win you over. 

Go ahead - just ask Him...

Aaron's Rod - What's That About?

This is sort of a continuation of the previous post talking about Eden and the rivers surrounding it.

Dear Jesus - Please open our minds to see ourselves in Your Word today...

Have you ever wondered about the story of Aaron’s rod?  It wasn't until I saw the rod in the context of the bigger picture that I understood the beauty of the story.  Before this - I just saw it as a test of leadership.  And while that was meaningful - to my mind it was more instructional that beautiful.  But - when I saw the rod transformed by the process of dwelling in the sanctuary - well that was beautiful!

For All Who Work to Exhaustion...

Dear Jesus - Thank You for the practicality of Your Word.  And thank You for the very personal message You've sent to me today...

Matthew 11 (NASB) - using the footnotes:

²⁸ “Come to Me, all who who work to exhaustion, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is comfortable, or pleasant and My burden is light.”

The Ark Finds a Home in Jerusalem

Linen Cloth from Qumran Probably Used to Cover Scrolls

Powerful reading this morning for me - hope I can share in a way that does justice to it!  So very many jump-off points.  Oh - to stay focused!  Pray with me?

Dear Jesus - You are truly worthy of all praise.  I praise You today that You invite all of us to get into the ark while there is time.  Help me see with Your eyes today and I claim the promise You have given that Your WORD will not return to You void.

Dew Droplets

Morning Dew On a Blade of Grass

Dear Jesus - We ask this morning that You cause us to sing the Song of Moses.  Both here on this earth and one day with all the Heavenly hosts.

 

 

“Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak;
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

“Let my teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
As the droplets on the fresh grass
And as the showers on the herb.
“For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
Ascribe greatness to our God!
“The Rock! His work is perfect,
For all His ways are just;
A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
Righteous and upright is He.

 

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 NASB

Brain Teaser!

A friend posted this on Facebook today and it reminded me of ANOTHER verse!  Check this out:

Where is God? He's Right Here With Me!

Mt Sinai Today

This morning I heard someone make a mistake.  Or did Jesus tweak my ears?  Hm...  During prayer, someone mentioned Mt Zion in relation to the children of Israel when God showed them His holiness.  The focus of the prayer was on the holiness of God.  My brain instantly said - oops, the speaker meant Mt Sinai and instantly I was intrigued by the following comparison - can I share?

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!



Saw this today - what do you think?  Biblical or not?

Feed Your Faith and Your Fears Will Starve To Death!

Eden vs Snooze...

John Lubby Park

Sure - this picture isn't the Biblical Eden - but I love the suggestion it speaks to my mind about God coming in the cool of the day to visit Adam and Eve in their garden home.  Genesis 2 introduces us to Eden. Let’s look at the simplest elements of the story and ask God to open our eyes to see the message He has for each of us.

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!



Check out the Meme below and apply your Bible filter:



Will I ever be strong enough to handle things all by myself?

Manna - What Is It?

Coriander Seeds

Dear Jesus – Help us to see the supernatural quality of the manna we read about in the Exodus experience.  Reveal to each of us the relevancy it has to our very specific lives.

What do we know about manna?  Possibly from childhood stories, we recall it was a rather mysterious food that fell from heaven providing sustenance for the Israelites during their days wandering in the wilderness.  Just that brief synopsis gives us much to think about.  Let’s do some comparisons:

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

Bible Filter - ACTIVATE!

Hey now - is this statement biblical?

 

Meme from a Facebook Post

Brain Teaser - Psalm 57:3

Brain Teaser

Here's a new feature I'm introducing called 'Brain Teaser'.  The idea is to stretch our minds regarding how we analyze scripture.  Below is our teaser verse:

A Consuming Fire. Can That be Good?

Our Sun/Son

Hebrews 12:29 - For our God is a consuming fire.

Now there's a rather intimidating verse at first glance.  Not a picture of a warm & cozy hearth fire is evoked, generally speaking.  Let's use the 'law of first occurence' to dig and see if there is something tasty in this.