Saturday Silly-April 8, 2023

Little Jake started going to church with Grandma recently. In his Sunday school class, they had learned how God made the creation. When Jake asked the teacher how God could do that, she told him that God had faith. She also told him what Jesus had said about, if you have faith, nothing shall be impossible for you.” Jake was relaying the story to Grandma after church, while they were having lunch. When Jake finished eating, he excused himself to go to the bathroom. Down the hall he went. Suddenly, Jake exclaimed, “WOWIE!!” “WOWIE” “Grandma, I must have more faith than God does. I didn’t even have to say, “let there be light; all I did was open the door and walk in.” Jake didn’t know Grandma had a motion sensor light installed in there for her safety at night.

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What’s On Your Altar

(Matthew 24:1-51) Jesus was leaving the temple, and his disciples remarked about some of the buildings of the temple. Jesus told them of the coming destruction of the temple. He then also told them of the turning of men’s hearts from the LORD to wickedness, as the love of many would grow cold. He warned them, and us, of the coming tribulation that would come upon us.

Jesus speaks about the “abomination that causes desolation,” that was told to Daniel (Daniel 9) by the angel, Gabriel. Solomon’s temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This would make the temple Jesus is talking about, the second temple. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE, by Titus, the son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian.

I looked up Paganism, and, surprise of surprises (tongue in cheek), it’s a worldwide thing. That the love of many has grown cold, and is growing cold, is no surprise. We see events happening every day that attest to this. Mass shootings, cold-blooded murders, riots for the sake of rioting, etc., are common occurrences.

Jesus makes a statement, in (Verse 15) of the passage of scripture, about the abomination (idol worship) that causes desolation (emptiness, destruction, bleakness, misery, gloom), standing in the holy place (altar of sacrifice). Modern day altar of sacrifice is, first, our hearts-we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, that holy place can be considered to be places of Christian worship and Christian education. I believe that there is one God, so I will say that any place of the worship and education of God, can be included in this. Here’s an interesting thing: In (Mark 13:14) the words, “standing where it ought not to be,” are used.

What I want to focus on are those words in Mark. Jesus told the woman at the well, “the hour is coming, and is now, when the Father seeks those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23) He also talked about things that come out of our hearts having the power to defile us; or, to justify us, and edify others. When we look at abomination in this light, we can see the importance of keeping our hearts pure, and in line with God’s Word and His Will, with all diligence. This is not only the act of checking ourselves, our attitudes, etc., against the standard(s) that God has set for us. It is also the act of keeping unclean and impure things out; of enforcing boundaries set for us. We cannot allow anything else take precedence. This is where that regular spiritual “inventory” and “maintenance” come in.

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Be The Remedy! Jesus Is!

(Matthew 23:1-5) (ESV) Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”

Jesus is still teaching in the temple at this time. He just finished dealing with some of the chief priests, some Sadducees, and Pharisees, who were trying to “catch” Him in error or untruth. He told some parables in (Matt. 22), and now He is talking to the people and His disciples about them. Chapter 23 contains the “woe unto the hypocrites,” speech Jesus made.

My focus is on (verses 1-5) because God does expect us to lift one another’s burdens. He expects us to build each other up in love. (Galatians 6:2) (Matt.12:11-12) (1Thes. 5:11) (Eph. 4:29) (Romans 14:19) (1Tim. 6:18) (Deut. 15:7-11) (Psalm 112:9) (Proverbs 11:24-25)

I am going to use abortion as an example; because it is a current events topic. Some folks say it should be banned regardless of the circumstances behind the pregnancy. Are you willing to take that baby into your own home and raise it? Children of incestuous conceptions often have health problems; some severe. Are you willing to take them in and care for them, taking on those medical bills? Some children conceived during a rape also have health problems because the mother uses drugs or alcohol during the pregnancy, or otherwise neglects herself and the child. Children conceived during rape may be hated by their mothers; and, abused and neglected as a result. Are you willing to take them into your own home and raise them as well?

There are many situations that we find deplorable; and, we go on and on complaining about them. What are we doing to remedy them? If you see someone who can’t go to school, or work, because he/she doesn’t have shoes to wear, what will you do? Will you berate that one for not going to school or work? Or, will you provide the shoes? That’s the difference between laying a heavy burden on someone (berating, belittling, etc.) and lifting it. Be the remedy. When we strive to be the solution, or to bring about the solution, we can solve a host of problems in the long run.

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The Fig Tree and the Mountain

(Matthew 21: 19-22) (ESV) “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

In this passage of scripture, Jesus is coming from Bethany to Jerusalem to teach at the temple. Remember, it’s just days before the Passover, and the streets are filled with pilgrims coming for the Passover. I want to focus on the fig tree and the mountain.

Notice there was nothing on the fig tree but leaves. When I looked at my life through this passage of scripture, I saw heartbreaks, failed relationships, false friendships, betrayals, broken trust, etc. I’m pretty sure you get the picture. These things can all leave us with some bad stuff in our hearts. They leave anything from tiny holes to deep gashes in our souls. Those wounds become mountains of fear, bitterness, jaded attitudes, even blind rage, and suicidal tendencies. Those mountains stand in our way to real love, to self-worth, to freedom from “puppet living”, freedom from the vicious merry-go-round of failure after failure.

This is where that list of sins comes in. Remember the three types of sin? Sin that’s in the world, sin that we commit, and sin that others commit against us. We’re affected by all three types. When we look closely, and see them clearly, we can begin to realize what they’ve left us with. Then, we can begin to deal with that mountain, one leaf at a time. Really, sin does not have the power we’ve ascribed to it. It is our attitude(s) about the sin in our lives, that hinder us, or strengthen us to overcome the sin that comes at us.

I love this one by Casting Crowns; and, it fits right in here. I hope it blesses you, too.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Keep The Temple Clean

(Matt. 21:12 (ESV)) And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

According to Wikipedia, a money-changer is a person or organization that exchanges currency from one country for that of another; usually, at a loss to the foreigner. People came from several different areas to Jerusalem for the Holy festivals. So, the foreigners were at a disadvantage. So, too, the poor; for they were sold the cheapest of animals for sacrifice offerings; and probably at outrageous prices. Jesus was incensed by them both. He cleaned house that day!

When I read this passage of scripture, and, in light of the fact that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I’m led to think about a few things along the line of cheating, robbing, and defiling that temple, and my spirit.

The money changers make me think of settling for less. How often do we settle for less than we deserve? I’ve eaten cold food, drunk awful coffee, basically suffered through a ruined breakfast…and even paid for it! Now, think about how often you settle for less from yourself. I’ve given in to the “hmm, I just don’t feel like it;” only to end up kicking myself all day long…because what I actually did was compromise my progress and lose ground that I fought hard to gain. Yeah, that bed gets made every day; etc.

The cheap doves, lambs, etc., remind me of how many times I discounted myself, my efforts, my sacrifices. Not that I expect gold medals and applause. But, when we get into a habit of doing that, we can end up giving others license to disrespect us; to not appreciate what we contribute to the household, the job, the team. Worst of all, we know that we’re not respecting and appreciating ourselves. That will eat a hole in your spirit so fast. Jesus knew who He was. Jesus knew what He was bringing to the table. Jesus knew. He had self-respect, and commanded and demanded respect from others. Satan, himself was shown the door when Jesus had enough of him. (Matt. 4:10) Satan’s tempting him to give him all the kingdoms of the earth if He would bow down and worship him, was blatant disrespect of Jesus Lordship, and of God’s command.

One of the most important things we can do, and regularly, is to cleanse the temple. We do that by spending some time alone with the LORD, and with the Lord, Jesus. Praise, prayer, and delving into the Word of God is the way we get things back in balance. If it helps, make a list; and, then make a list of some things that are needed to remedy the situation(s).

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And We’ll Shout Then As They did

This is one of my favorites by Hillsong. And, so appropriate for Palm Sunday. Yes, I know it’s Monday. But, if you look around, and back over all the years, since Jesus ascended into Heaven, you can’t help but know that He’s on the way back to Earth. I love this song every day! It reminds me to keep my eyes and ears open…because any minute now…Hallelujah! Praise and Glory be to our Lord, Jesus Christ!

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Every Resurrection In Your Life

In Chapter 19 of First Kings, Jezebel, the evil wife of Ahab, sent a messenger to Elijah, the Prophet, to tell him she was going to have him put to death. He had killed all the prophets of Baal.

Elijah ran for his life. He ran until he was exhausted; lay down under a tree, and prayed, asking God to let him die. He couldn’t take anymore. God sent and angel to wake him up and feed him. Elijah ate and went back to sleep, waiting to die. The angel woke him up and fed him again. That strengthened Elijah enough to walk forty days and forty nights, until he reached Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There, Elijah entered a cave, and spent the night.

(1Kings 19:10 -18) In this passage, Elijah’s hiding in the cave. God comes to talk with him. First, there’s a great wind, then, there’s an earthquake, and finally, there was a fire. God wasn’t in any of them. After all that, came a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he came out of the cave; and, there, God asked him what he was doing there.

When we read about Elijah, him running isn’t even fathomable. That’s not like Elijah at all! But, as human beings, we are limited. Each one of us has our limit. What are you to do when you reach the end of your rope? I can say I’ve come pretty close to choosing death to end the emotional pain I was in. Thankfully, God intervened. My baby woke up crying, and jolted me back to the present, and to my senses. (Yes, she did have a “still, small voice”, by the way.)

Jump forward now, to (John 11) Jesus’ friend Lazarus has died. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus, while he was still dying. Jesus took his time getting there. When He finally arrives, Martha comes to Him, and says, “Lord if you’d been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus tells here that her brother will rise again; that He, Jesus, is the resurrection and the life. (Jesus is the still small voice.) Martha goes back to the house, and sends Mary out to Jesus. Mary, the one who sat at His feet during a previous visit, comes and falls at His feet weeping. Not only is Mary weeping, but there were other mourners with her weeping. There must have been a tumult of weeping, moaning, and wailing. The only thing Jesus says, when he sees them weeping, is “Where have you laid him?” (Luke 10:38-42)

Now, Let’s go to Jerusalem. (Matt. 26:36-39) (Mark 14:32-36) Both of these passages contain the story of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane. The one key phrase in both passages is: “Not what I will, Father, but what you will.” Usually, all the “noise” and confusion stops right then and there.

The story of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus shows us that the Lord is with us always. Remember that Jesus knew Lazarus had died; before He got to Bethany. It’s easy to forget that He not only knows the end from the beginning; He is the end and the beginning. He’s the end from the beginning. Here’s one powerful one: He is every beginning, and every end; and vice versa. So, hush. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

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Saturday Silly-April 1, 2023

Ah, a brand new month; April. But, I wasn’t quite finished with March yet; as I’m writing this on the very last day of March.

March is gender equality month. You know I cannot let that one go by without a word on the subject. As I was pondering about what to write, I recalled one March years ago. My husband, in fact, was the one who informed me that March is gender equality month. In celebration, I let him do the dishes, laundry, and bed making for the month. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I’m kidding; I’m kidding! See, I fooled ya, didn’t I! There, that takes care of April Fools’ Day! Big Smooch…right on the cheek!

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Child Sacrifice

(Numbers 25:1-9) gives us the account of God’s people bowing down to Baal-Peor (Baal of Peor), the god of the Canaanites, with the daughters of Moab. They were living near Jericho, on the plains of Moab.

Baal was considered Prince, Lord of the Earth; a universal fertility god. Baal worship consisted of child sacrifice, in which infants were burned to death by fire. There were also orgies, both heterosexual and homosexual. It has been compared to modern day abortion on demand. Irresponsible sexual practice is the “norm;” and, abortion on demand takes care of any “incidentals.” I’ve posted the link to an article on this, that I found quite interesting and provocative. It was written back in 2008. Washington Monthly

Our God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. So, I thought what spiritual child sacrifice might look like. “Stupid!” “I wish you’d never been born!” “You’re just like your (father, mother, sister, brother) “Worthless!” “No good!” -the list goes on and on. And, yes, shamefaced, I have to admit I’m guilty too.

There’s also all the missed ball-games, concerts, plays, etc., because work wouldn’t allow it, you just weren’t feeling up to it, maybe you were too drunk or stoned to make it. Maybe you did make it; and, embarrassed your child with your behavior. This is what happens in dysfunctional homes. This is what begins, and sustains generational curses. But, there’s good news! Every generation can be the “new” generation. Thankfully, I’m also the new generation! It only takes a choice, and a prayer. Don’t give up! God’s an awesome Father! (Deuteronomy 31:6) (Matt. 28:20) (Hebrews 13:5)

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The King Is Coming!

With our Holy Week coming up, I thought I would find and share some things that point to the Lord’s coming…to Jerusalem for the Passover, and where He was crucified…and to Jerusalem, when He returns for us. (Zechariah 14:3-9)

Even Balaam Prophesied About Jesus’ coming.

(Numbers 24:1-9) (ESV) “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened; the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”

Jesus said whoever believes in Him, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:38) (John 4:14) (Isaiah 12:3) (Isaiah 35:6) (Isaiah 44:3) (Isaiah 58:11)

(Isaiah 9: 7) speaks of Jesus’ Kingdom: “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Luke 1:32-33) (2Samuel 7:16)

Jesus was called out of Egypt. (Matt. 2:15) Not one man or woman could refute a single word Jesus spoke. Those were the arrows that pierced his adversaries through. You’ll find examples of this in all four gospels, as well as in (Acts 26:13-15)

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