Job 2:9-10 – Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?” Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
Job was man who lived thousands of years ago. The scriptures tell how he was a man who loves, knew and trusted the Lord. It was his life’s goal to please God and He was diligent to pursue that goal. He not only was consumed by honoring God with His obedience to the Lord, but He offered prayers and sacrifices to Him for His children, just in case they should sin. But there came a day, unbeknownst to him, that in order to prove that a man could love and serve God for unselfish reasons, the Lord allowed the enemy to greatly torment Job. The Lord was confident that Job would stand strong. So in one day Job was robbed of all of his possessions (He had great wealth). His possessions were stolen or destroyed. That included all of his property, his servants and all of His children. Incredibly, though Job was stricken with sadness, immediately after receiving the news Job said “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Job’s faith, though he was greatly grieved, did not waiver. (Job 1:22)
Since the devil had tried to steal Job’s faith through this great loss and he had failed to do so, he had one more trick up his sleeve. He said that if allowed, he would take Job’s health from him. The devil said that having done all that to Job then it would cause Job to hate God and curse Him to His face. So Job’s health was taken from him and left him with open wounds from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Job, since he had no possessions left, sat on the side of the road scratching his wounds with broken pottery. Now let’s remember that all that Job suffered through His wife also miserably suffered through. As she watched the horrific condition of Job and how he still loved God and was faithful to Him, she lost her temper and said to Job “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) Wow, imagine being beaten down and at the worst place of your life and having only your spouse to comfort you, who then says to you “You’re a fool for continuing in your faith after all this. You miserable wretch, curse God and die.” Wow! So how did Job respond now? He told his wife that the God we accept good from, if we truly know, love and trust Him, should also be the God that we accept adversity from Him? (Job 2:10)
Family and friends, when life is easy and good, people see us praise the Lord. So if we have testified about the goodness of God and praised Him during the good times, then shouldn’t we continue in trusting and praising him during the bad times? After all, God has not changed, He remains the same. (James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8) If we truly know, love and praise Him, thereby making ourselves servants of God before the world, shouldn’t we also continue to praise Him in adverse times. If not we cheapen our testimony and even worse, we bring disgrace to His name. (Hebrews 10:29) People will mock Him saying that some will love Him during good times but not in the bad times so why should anyone serve Him, which is what the devil said would happen should Job’s blessings be removed. It is an evil thing to disgrace the name of the Lord. That is acceptable to none who love Him. Praise God in the easy and in the hard times. Always praise God!
When deep adversity ravaged Job verse 1:22 states “Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.” What about us? When adversity ravages us, will we not sin by accusing and blaming God? Will our faith in Him descend into sin by not continuing to trust in Him (Romans 14:23). Or will we like Job stand strong and be praised by God for doing so. Let’s set our goals high and our conscience will be free. (1 Peter 2:20) Let us study God through close fellowship with Him and let Him reveal Himself to us so that we shall not become weak, stumble and fall, but instead will be steadfast and true to Him, who is rock solid and true to us. (Matthew 7:24-25) Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPhilippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Never, never, never,
Never ever,
Has God left me alone,
Or unprotected.
No, not ever,
Never ever.
He has been with me always,
When I was stupid,
He was wise
And loving,
Then, and again, and now.
He has never left me alone.
Always His love called to me,
When I was deaf He stood before me,
And mouthed His words.
When I was blind He made,
My heart and mind see.
When I couldn’t feel,
He touched and healed me.
Never, never, never,
Never ever,
Has God left me alone,
Or unprotected.
When the enemy of my soul,
Lied and told me “It’s not worth it!”
The Lord God,
This massive omnipotent God,
Put His gargantuan arm,
Tenderly around my shoulder.
And told me “Don’t believe Him”
“Believe me,
You’ll see,
It will all be worth it.
And in greater and
More numerous ways,
Than you can imagine”
Never, never, never,
Never ever,
Has God left me alone,
Or unprotected.
No, not ever,
Never ever.
So often He talked
Me off the ledge.
So often He hugged me till I dropped
The knife.
He sang peace into,
My heart and soul,
When I could not find it,
On my own.
Because I never could,
I never did,
And still can’t,
Find true,
Through and through,
Peace on my own.
So He has whispered to me,
“It’s okay, take some of mine.
You’ll be alright,
I promise.
Never, never, never,
Never ever,
Will I leave you alone,
Or unprotected.
No, not ever,
Never ever
Always I have been,
And always will be,
With you.
Always.
Forever.
And so I live.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPsalm 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Have you ever heard a despondent person say that they hate themselves? Some will say that they hate themselves because they are ugly, or untalented, or because they always do the wrong thing or are always failing. Now, isn’t that a silly thing to say that one hates oneself because everything seems to be going wrong. It is a confusing lie from our enemy. Family and Friends, if one really hates oneself, one would be happy when everything is going wrong and sad when good things are happening to them. Someone who hates you wants bad things to happen to you and are pleased when they do. If you hate yourself then you would be happy when bad things happen to you and would even likely look to place yourself in harm’s way, for hates sake. We would not cry over our hurt and harm but rejoice in it. No the problem is not that we hate ourselves, but that we love ourselves too much and love each other too little.
If we hated ourselves why would the Lord tell us to love others as we love ourselves? (Matthew 22:39) He has told us to love each other (John 13:34-35; 15:12) and taught us not to hate each other. (1 John 4:20, 1 John 3:15). We are encouraged to show our loving to others more by bearing each other’s burdens. (Galatians 5:2). So our problem is not hating ourselves, but loving ourselves too much. We want control of our lives, we are the only one we trust with our lives. We trust ourselves more than we trust God. What does that say about us? Yes, we love ourselves, and usually, too much.
Let us be tender and encouraging to each other (Ephesians 4:32), but don’t be quick to believe that they actually hate themselves. Lead such a person to Jesus. Remind them of eternal truth that they already know, but have lost sight of. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …” (1 John 3:1) Encourage each other to encourage each other. (Hebrews 10:24) Let us not acquiesce to be unwise and believe lies, but to hold onto the truth. Hold to the truth and allow the love of God to bring healing to the despondent. In doing that we please the Father. Share Jesus out of love. He is always the answer. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 7:25-31 – So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? 26 And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? 27 However, we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?”
“So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this man not the one whom they are seeking to kill? 26 And yet look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him.” Not every all of the crowd knew the evil intentions of the Jewish authorities, but many did. However that they were out to get Him was well known. They spoke disparagingly of Him. So their inaction against Him as He taught in the temple and grew crowds and admirers was strange. Since they said they would arrest Him and maybe kill Him, why didn’t they do that while He was teaching? The answer is simple, it was not Jesus’s time. They could not touch Him because God had a plan that Jesus could not be harmed until His appointed time. His life was live according to the plan of God. It is the same for us. People can make threats and rant and rave against us but when as we walk in the will of God, no-one else, outside of the will of God can harm us. God has a plan for us, to prosper us and not let disaster come upon, a plan that, because the Lord proclaims it, we can confidently walk in hope to and through our future under His protection. (Jeremiah 29:11) Walk in God’s will for us and we are safe. We walk in His love and nothing can separate us from it. (Romans 8:37-39, Psalm 91:7-10) Be confident, be brave, it is God who is with us.
“However, we know where this man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from. Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.” Many people confidently and persuasively tout what they claim they know about the Word and the Lord God, but they don’t know what they think they know. They thought they knew all about where Jesus was from. Yes, they saw Him grow up, but they didn’t know that God was His Father and they didn’t know that before He came to earth His home was in Heaven beside the Father. A person’s confident declarations can be a deception to lead people astray. Don’t believe affectations, instead believe the Word and the Spirit. Jesus came from the Father’s side. (Philippians 2:6-7) He has returned to it. (John 16:28)
“I do know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” He who does not believe in the Son does not know the Father. They will not understand where Jesus came from and where He was returning to. But in faith we believe and yearn for the day to join with Him forever.
“So they were seeking to arrest Him; and yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” Again we see that though, in the nature of things, Jewish authorities and had the power and will to arrest Jesus, because Jesus was in the will of the Father, they could not. This was not a natural thing, it was a supernatural occurrence. Praise God!
“But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?” The Jews call out for a sign, and many are performed, but they did not believe because their hearts were hard. (1 Corinthians 1:11, Acts 28:27)
There no knife, sword, bullet or illness that can prevent God from loving us. As we walk in the Spirit nothing can harm us without God allowing it. What God allows, whatever it is, should be what we want. Could it hurt? Yes. Could it kill? Possibly. (Hebrews 11) Yet, as we ponder our love for our God, as we shout our praises to Him, do we trust the will of God? If we suffer or die and it brings glory to God, would we tell Him “no Lord?” No, God forbid! May God be glorified in all ways and through all things. And He will keep us safe until we go home. Till then, we are bulletproof. Whatever is our future, we praise God who loves us. His ways are above our ways. (Isaiah 55:9) Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 7:19-24 – “Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all are astonished. 22 For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23 If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath? 24 Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?” Moses is venerated by the Jews. He gave them The Law by which they know how to follow the Lord and the prophecy to recognize Him. The problem is that they do not strictly follow The Law, they don’t even try to. What they follow is The Law plus what their respected men of old have added to it. They equate to The Law their opinions of how to keep it. Yet in their own scriptures from God in Deuteronomy 4:2 it states not to do what they have done “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Additionally we are warned in Revelation 22:18-19 that we are not only not to add anything to scripture but also not to take anything from it. With this verse comes the strictest of warnings against doing so “God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City.” So in both the Old Testament and the New Testament we are not to add or take away from scripture. As if men have the ability or license to edit God. What a travesty! Perish the thought, and yet, this is what the Jews have done. They claim Moses as their high hero yet they don’t heed what he said.
If the Jews had taught what they thought was best but had not made it equal to The Law, then that would have been okay. After all our teachers and preachers give to us advice from their understanding. It is believable that their attempts to add understanding of The Law were sincere and admirable. But to equate their teaching to the Word itself, what hubris is that!
“The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?” We could take this statement by the crowd as accusing Jesus of having a demon but actually they were saying something more like “Are you out of your crazy mind?” Likely not all, or maybe even only a few, knew that the Jewish authorities were indeed out to kill Jesus.
“Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all are astonished. 22 For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and even on a Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23 If a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry at Me because I made an entire man well on a Sabbath?” The fourth commandment (of the ten) is to keep the Sabbath day. The Lord God gave mankind six days to accomplish their work in a week and the seventh day is to be a day of rest in which the Lord is honored and gratefulness to Him is expressed. It is day of tilling the abundant and rich blessings we have received from God to bring a harvest of love and gratefulness to Him. And yet this is not an inflexible commandment. The command to do no work can be broken if necessary to keep the law concerning circumcision. Circumcision is reflective of having the world cut away from us to live unto the Lord. We are to reject the ways of the world and cling to the new life in Christ as led by the Spirit. So keeping the rite of circumcision trumps doing no work on the Sabbath. Jesus said to them that if doing a ritual to separate oneself unto God trumps not working on the Sabbath, then certainly the completion of the cleansing of man also trumps it. Jesus was saying that His act of love and salvation trumps any work of The Law. Still, we remember that Jesus did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) And that is what He was doing. Jesus taught us that the greatest commandments were that of love and in rejecting Jesus for loving they show that they not only didn’t have Jesus, but they also didn’t have the Father. (1 John 2:23)
“Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” We see that God does not judge by appearance and neither should be. 1 Samuel 16:7 states that while people look at outside appearance, the Lord God looks at the heart.” Isaiah 11:1-3 states that the shoot they were waiting for one bears fruits of righteousness, the Spirit of the Lord would be with Him. He would have the wisdom and understanding of God, He would be able to give counsel and would have the might to do the works He was called to. He would have knowledge from the Holy Spirit and He would respect His God. Not only would He respect the Lord God, but that He would delight in doing do. Family and Friends, read Isaiah 11 and see that it describes Jesus. There was, and is, no excuse not to know that Jesus is indeed the promised Savior, first to the Jew and then to the Gentiles. (Romans 1:16)
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 7:14-18 – But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area, and began to teach. 15 The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated?” 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself. 18 The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
“But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple area, and began to teach.” As we have already seen His brothers were urging, or perhaps taunting Jesus to go to the festivities of the Festival of the Booths. They were saying that if He wanted to be known to the world then He ought to go where everybody (a gathering of the Jews) would be. But Jesus was not the master of His life, it was the Father. Jesus submitted His life to the Father’s control. He did not go where He was eventually to go until the Father said for Him to go. If Jesus had to wait days for the Father to tell Him the right time, or minutes. He wasn’t going to go regardless of who might urge Him to do otherwise. Oh how wonderful to be so attuned the leading hand of the Lord. After His brothers had left for the festivities, the Father soon afterward led Jesus to likewise go.
His brothers insinuated that Jesus had been shying away from the crowd. We see in this verse that He had no such motivation. When He got to the feast He went up in the temple area and began to preach. Now was the time teach, at the Father’s leading, not at His brothers taunting. Just as we are called to listen for the Lord’s leading and obey it, rather than the will of other people. We should be so attuned to the Spirit that we know what it is to be led by Him.
“The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, not having been educated? 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me.” It is good to learn at feet of good teachers and preachers. The Lord God has ordained these positions. We must hear what they teach us. Yet, first and foremost, is to receive the Word from God, from the Spirit. Let men be used of God, but practice sitting at the feet of God and hearing Him instruct in very personal ways.
I’ve told this story to people and listened to their responses which tell a lot about those they have been taught by. Once there was a young man who had always desired to work on a ship that sailed the seas. He loved the oceans and he wanted to see the world. Finally he was hired on to a cruise ship as a person who cleaned the floors of the ship. On his first day he worked hard all day on a hot day. In the evening when his shift had ended, when the moon was high in the sky, he came out onto the deck and leaned on the rail as he admired the vast ocean, the moons reflection upon it, and the moon so serenely in the sky. Soon a man who was older than the young man came upon the young man and aske the young man if he would mind some company. The young man said He would welcome the company. Soon the conversation turned to the Gospel. Afterward the young man asked, in utter humility, Jesus to be His Savior and Master. The young man went to bed elated as he was savoring His new life with Jesus.
After sleeping for a while, the young man was startled out of his sleep by a violent shaking of the ship. The ship had struck something and was taking on water fast. The young man rushed to assist the crew in getting all on board safely onto evacuation boats. Finally, just as the ship was about to go down the young man put on a life vest and jumped into the water. He noticed that the voices of the rest of the people from the ship seemed to grow more faint. The exhausted young man fell asleep. He woke up to find himself on the sands of a small island. He searched the island but found no other survivors. He kept watch to see if any would soon also wash up on the sands. None did. Soon he searched the island and found a small freshwater stream and a small amount of food to keep one, or a maybe a few people alive.
No one else ever came to the island. No rescue craft ever came close to where he was stranded. This young man truly had fallen in love with the Lord on that fateful day. Every morning he woke talking to the Lord and He talked to the Lord every day. He didn’t care if some might think Him crazy, but He had conversations with Jesus every day, all day. He increasing became to know Jesus in a very personal way. The young man was never rescued from the island but became and old man and his life on earth transpired and he went to be with Jesus forever.
One thing is, that He did not have a Bible. He only knew scant verses that the older man had told him when the Gospel was related to him. So the question is, did that man go to Heaven?
If one says no because He didn’t have the Bible to study, one can see the control of doctrine in one’s life. If one says yes, it relates an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus. We can be told about someone, and we can read trust facts about someone, but we don’t know that one unless we personally know Him.
The Jewish authorities wondered how Jesus, who had not been to any of their seminaries could know the meaning of scripture so well. It is clear that Jesus knew the scripture because He knew God. For those who depend on man’s instruction, and who rely upon it, that is hard to accept. But those who know revelation that comes from God, it is easy to understand.
“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself. 18 The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Saints who are taught of the Holy Spirit, and led by Him, will know depths of the Word and humbly admit the understanding of scripture comes not from the intellect of man, but of the gracious gifting of God.
Family and friends we must know and cling to the meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Lean on Jesus, He is always with you. Trust Him and not yourself, He loves you even more than you love yourself! Please the Father by honoring Jesus and the love of God will rest upon you. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 7:10-13 – But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret. 11 So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and saying, “Where is He?” 12 And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.” 13 However, no one was speaking openly about Him, for fear of the Jews.
“But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret.” In V6 Jesus had told them that it was not yet His time to go to the Feast of Booths. Jesus was always awaiting guidance from The Father. It is how He lived His life. It involves complete faith built upon sure knowledge of Him. If one lives their life waiting on God to lead and then obeying, this is this is not a difficult thing to do. (Habakkuk 2:1-3, Psalm 62:5, Ezekiel 13:25) It is merely walking on a familiar path. People whose life does not include living every day by the guidance of God, like the brothers of Jesus, do not understand what Jesus was saying. And Jesus knew that they would not. Let us not only know the words, but also have within our hearts and minds the words of David in Psalm 62:5-6 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” This came from David because He knew God, and one who knows God follows and trusts Him This comes from not only reading about our Lord in His Word, but from walking in intimate communion with Him every day.
“So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and saying, “Where is He?” The Jewish authorities wanted to find Him, to arrest Him, and to kill Him. Their intentions were evil and Jesus was well aware of their “secret” plans. In pride they loved the authority and the power they had more then they loved God or the people they were supposed to guide toward God. In fact the power they wielded was more important than their own very lives. These men were intelligent men who, unfortunately, were hard hearted men who could have understood if they had wanted to, but they refused to understand. (John 3:19-20) These were men who blocked people from the light. (Matthew 23:13) Their plight, if unchanged, is an eternal horror.
“And there was a great deal of talk about Him in secret among the crowds: some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He is misleading the people.” The crowds knew about Jesus. They had seen, or at least heard about what He taught and the miraculous signs He had done. These, the common people, were divided in what to believe about Him. This was exactly as Jesus said it would be. (Luke 12:51-53) We should not be surprised that a separation can come between us and those who do not believe, that is as Jesus said would happen.
“However, no one was speaking openly about Him, for fear of the Jews.” The Jewish authorities not only did not believe in Jesus, they also did not want anyone else to. They did not want anyone to speak of Jesus lest His fame and popularity continue to grow. So the common Jew was very careful in talking about Jesus, and if they did, they spoke in hushed tones so as not to draw the ire of the authorities.
It is those who were in power who loved their position and power who strived to create an atmosphere of worshipping God and sharing Him, if we must, only after heeding what they say. Even today they want us to be obedient to the Lord, as long it is not in disagreement with what they dictate. They want Jesus’s church to bow to them…first. They want the abomination of desolation to occur now as they force people to allow them to put an idol of them in our churches. They would “allow” us to worship God is we bow and kiss their image. These are the signs of the times. Jesus spoke directly to us who are alive now in Revelation 2:7 “The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” The one “who overcomes” is the one who lives his or her life for Jesus, till the very end, always obeying and following in faith. That person will live forever in the Paradise of God prepared for us. Family and friends, we live in evil times, but we must not fear. God is in control. Let us daily seek our path from God and let us never vary from it. He will keep us. Praise the Lord! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPsalm 51 – Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness; According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my wrongdoings, And my sin is constantly before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in secret You will make wisdom known to me. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness, Let the bones You have broken rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins And wipe out all my guilty deeds. 10 Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach wrongdoers Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You. 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, So that my mouth may declare Your praise. 16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise. 18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Oh my Lord God, how tender and yet almighty are You. How can I be so special as to be adored by You? The answer is a treasure to know. It is not me who is special, You are the Special One. That is how Your love for me is explained. Dear God, how grand is this life with You that is a gift from You. Every day I walk on hallowed ground because You walk before me. Dear, lovely God, I love who You are!
Oh Lord my God, You are infinitely gracious to me. Your graciousness is what my life nurses upon. Your kindness is the salve that heals my wounded soul. Oh Lord, oh Lord, my cry is eternally unto you. Even my failings are turned to beauty as Your mercy washes over me. I wake to the beauty of You, sad at my weaknesses. Oh to worship You as You deserve. Yet, I am weak. I see how You replace my ugliness with Your beauty. Infinite manifestations of grace upon one so undeserving as me. Your grace reveals my treachery to You and at the same time my wretched burning heart is being reshaped, remade, to enjoy Your peace. To realize what being one with You truly means is too great an honor. Oh Lord my God, You are infinitely gracious to me. Oh Lord!
Oh my Lord God, Oh my Lord my God how lovely is the countenance of Your face. How blessed is the one who sees approval in Your eyes. Oh the joy of Your smile directed upon ones such as us. The thrill and anointing of You our Beautiful One, how overwhelming Your shining eyes, and Your smile of love, and Your approval is pure titillation. You with us, us in Your presence is the nectar of life. The tree of life is You. You are the water of eternal life. Your works for us are our food. You are our food. There is none like You Oh lovely God. None like You. May I be an ever burning sacrifice unto You! May the fire of You consume me that You are glorified and the consumption of me make me whole.
Oh Lord my God. Oh Lord my God. Oh Lord my God. You are everything to me. Oh Lord my God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob with2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Buffeted from forces I cannot see,
Nothing of myself able to fight back.
Reeling I stand, looking likely to die,
Surely I will come apart and next for me is doom.
Knowing that I have no power to save myself,
Yet I know that victory is even now pulsing within.
I am glad that I am nothing, that I am weak,
In a state of brokenness, victory wells up within.
Yes, being broken by the enemy,
Victory from God is all over me,
His sweet scent heals me!
When the enemy beats me,
God heals me!
As I break,
God builds me up!
As I am emptied,
God fills me to overflowing!
When I am thoroughly defeated
God makes me invincible!
As the enemy thinks victory over me is complete,
What is unbeatable within me God raises!
When I am dead and the world has buried me,
God resurrects me!
I simply cannot lose, I can never die,
Eternal victory is forever mine,
Through my Lord and Savior Jesus!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 7:6-10 – So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil. 8 Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet fully arrived.” 9 Now having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as though in secret.”
Some wonder if Jesus was not being honest, if He had lied to his brothers about going. First of all Jesus was sinless and if He had lied it would have been a sin. If Jesus lied then He would not have been without blemish as He had to be to be our Savior. (Hebrews 9:14, 1 Peter 1: 18-19, Deuteronomy 17:1, Song of Solomon 4:7) Jesus was one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God and we know that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 6:18) so Jesus not only would not, but could not lie.
So, as we see in the following verses, how is it that He did not lie? Looking at two key parts of what He said brings understanding. Jesus twice said that His time had not come. Once in V6 “not yet here” and in V8 when He said that His time had not “yet fully arrived.” He never said that He would not go, He was saying that it was not yet the Father’s time for Jesus to go. He did not say anything about whether His time would be later that day, the next day, or several days later. Jesus was obedient to God’s exact timing. Jesus could wait for the Father to send Him. He was accustomed to living by faith. We should be too. (Hebrews 10:38)
Those not walking with God in faith are not used to waiting for the right timing of God to do something. They never do that and so they know nothing of it. Faith is not knowing the future and not needing to because the Believer knows and trusts God in all things, small or big. The mature Believer knows to wait on the Lord in all things, until He prompts us to act. So to the brothers of Jesus, who did not believe, “but your time is always ready.” Since they know nothing about being guided by God, but act as they think best (not seeking God’s direction). Then any time is a good time to go. But not so for Jesus. Jesus seeks to be one hundred percent in obedience to the will and timing of the Father. He will wait for the Father’s direction to go.
Until one learns to walk in faith with the Lord one will not know the peace of God. Until we learn to seek and know God, we will not have faith in God. We grow in faith as we read His Word and as we seek the Holy Spirit to make the Word alive to us. The Word is supernatural and from God. Since the Spirit is the Author of the Word, it is best to have the Author explain the words to us. So we learn to seek understanding from the Spirit to reveal the Word. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” As the Word takes root in us and changes our being (2 Corinthians 5:17) we seek out close fellowship with God. As we commune with God we increasingly know Him. When we know Him we know that we can believe and have faith in Him. Knowing Jesus personally is what makes all the difference. Knowing how greatly He loves us thrills us and encourages us to stay always close to Him who is always close to us. Trust God, walk in faith and obedience and we too shall have understanding of His words and ways. (John 15:15) Jesus loves us, we need to come to Him not only once, but every day and every moment of our lives. We who do it know the joy. Oh the joy! I pray that all of you would know such surpassing joy. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob with