Sunday Bible Reading, Malachi 4:2

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name
shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings;
and ye shall go forth,
and grow up as calves of the stall.

 

Every need supplied,
cleansing,
healing,
sweet peace inside.
Every need supplied.

With healing in his wings –
As the sun,
by the rays of light and heat,
revives, cheers,
and fructifies the whole creation,
giving, through God,
light and life everywhere;
so Jesus Christ,
by the influences of his grace and Spirit,
shall quicken, awaken, enlighten,
warm, invigorate, heal, purify,
and refine every soul that believes in him,
and, by his wings or rays,
diffuse these blessings
from one end of heaven to another;
everywhere invigorating
the seeds of righteousness,
and withering and drying up the seeds of sin.
The rays of this Sun are the truths of his Gospel,
and the influences of his Spirit.
Clark’s Commentary.

Published in: on April 15, 2018 at 4:17 am  Leave a Comment  
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Ye Shall Receive

summer, 2011 024Spider Lilies make me smile.

John 16:23-24
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name:
ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full.

What a promise available to God’s people today!
ASK.
Do you see there are no qualifiers,
no limits,
no restraints?
Just ASK.
Do you see why Christ wants us to ask?
So we may be full of Joy.

Joy – a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Do you need joy today?
ASK
BELIEVE with your ‘little mustard seed’ faith
WAIT, for God’s perfect timing

See, already, you feel a little joy with just hope in the promise.

Clarke’s Commentary tells me:
John 16:24
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name – Ye have not as yet considered me the great Mediator between God and man; but this is one of the truths which shall be more fully revealed to you by the Holy Spirit.
Ask – In my name; and ye shall receive – all the salvation ye thus request; the consequence of which shall be that your joy shall be full – ye shall be thoroughly happy in being made completely holy.

Published in: on September 28, 2017 at 3:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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In Times Like These . . .Yet I Will Rejoice

Our fig tree, taken January, 2011

I am so thankful for hope and confidence in a Living Lord.
Many times our way looks bleak and with little to inspire hope.
But we are not looking to our way for our assurance,
but to the God who directs our steps,
one step, one pause at a time.

Habakkuk 3:17-18
Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk saw that evil was at hand, and unavoidable,
he submitted to the dispensation of God,
whose Spirit enabled him to paint it
in all its calamitous circumstances.
He knew that God was merciful and gracious.
He trusted to his promise,
though all appearances were against its fulfillment;
for he knew that the word of Jehovah could not fail,
and therefore his confidence is unshaken.
Clarke’s Commentary

Published in: on September 12, 2017 at 12:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Sunday Bible Reading – A Little While

John 16:16-22
Jesus says
A little while, and ye shall not see me:
and again, a little while, and ye shall see me,
because I go to the Father.

Then said some of his disciples among themselves,
What is this that he saith unto us,
A little while, and ye shall not see me:
and again, a little while,
and ye shall see me: and,
Because I go to the Father?
What is this that he saith,
A little while?
we cannot tell what he saith.

Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him,
and said unto them,
Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said,
A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again,
a little while, and ye shall see me?
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
That ye shall weep and lament,
but the world shall rejoice:
and ye shall be sorrowful,
but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow,
because her hour is come:
but as soon as she is delivered of the child,
she remembereth no more the anguish,
for joy that a man is born into the world.
And ye now therefore have sorrow:
but I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice,
and your joy no man taketh from you.

from Clarke’s Commentary
Your joy no man taketh from you – Or, shall take away.
. . .Our Lord’s meaning appears to have been this:
that his resurrection should be so completely demonstrated
to them, that they should never have a doubt concerning it;
and consequently that their joy should be great and permanent,
knowing that the atonement was made,
the victory gained,
and the kingdom of heaven opened to all believers.

Published in: on April 16, 2017 at 4:43 am  Leave a Comment  
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Casting All

feb24-023

Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care
Your anxiety,
your distracting care,
on him,
for he careth for you,
for he meddles or concerns himself,
with the things that interest you.
Whatever things concern a follower of God,
whether they be spiritual or temporal,
or whether in themselves great or small,
God concerns himself with them;
affects them affects him;
in all their afflictions he is afflicted.
He who knows that God cares for him,
need have no anxious cares about himself.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and he will sustain thee.
Psalm 55:22

He will bear both thee and thy burden
Clarke’s Commentary

Casting the whole of your care,
all your anxieties,
all your worries,
all your concerns,
once and for all on Him,
for He cares for you affectionately
and cares about you watchfully.
1 Peter 5:7
Amplified Bible

Published in: on February 11, 2017 at 1:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Gospel, The Rod of thy Strength

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The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Psalm 110:2

The rod of thy strength – The Gospel –
the doctrine of Christ crucified;
which is the powerful scepter of the Lord that bought us,
is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword;
and is the power of God to salvation to all them that believe.
The kingdom of our Lord was to be founded in Zion,
and thence, by gradual conquests,
to be extended over the whole earth.
It was in Zion the preaching of the Gospel first began;
and it is by the Gospel that Christ rules,
even in the midst of his enemies;
for the Gospel extends a moralizing influence over multitudes who do not receive it to their salvation.
Clarke’s Commentary

Christ is the Word, the Gospel,
the same yesterday, today and forever.

The power of the Gospel,
who can describe the power of the Gospel.

The Gospel brings comfort, Psalm 23:4,
. . . thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Gospel brings peace, Romams 10:15
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The Gospel brings help, Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The Gospel brings salvation, Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The Gospel brings everlasting life, 2Timothy 1:10
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

These scriptures show the power of the Gospel to those who believe.

I was stirred by Clarke’s statement, ‘for the Gospel extends a moralizing influence over multitudes who do not receive it to their salvation’. We surely have seen the effect of removing the Gospel from our schools and our government.
JUST the reading of the Gospel to children,
JUST being thankful for all things,
JUST knowing the Gospel is sitting on the shelf,
JUST honoring our God has a power we do not comprehend.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8

Published in: on February 4, 2017 at 1:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
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God Watches Our Waiting

praying-hands-candle

Psalm 27:7-9
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face;
my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
Hide not thy face far from me;
put not thy servant away in anger:
thou hast been my help; leave me not,
neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

Sometimes when I cry unto the Lord
uttering my burdens and petitions;
I remember God says ‘Call on me’.
I respond, I am calling, I am seeking, Don’t hide from me,
Don’t be angry with my human frailities,
God, you have been my help,
God, you said, you would never leave or forsake me,
then is the time of waiting.

Knowing my concerns
Recognizing God’s promises
Being willing to believe in and adhere to
and trust in and rely on God,
I wait.

Without that believing,
even if only the size of mustard seed, believing,
I would faint and grow weary.

Psalm 27:13
I had fainted,
unless I had believed to see
the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

God is still good to say again and again

Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.

Wait on the Lord – All ye who are in distress, wait on the Lord. Take me for an example. (David says) I waited on him, and he strengthened my heart; wait ye on him, and he will strengthen your heart. You cannot be unsuccessful; fear not. Wait, I say, on the Lord; wait for his succor in doing his will.

Age viriliter (Act manfully or Act courageously), says the Vulgate;
act like a man, hope, believe, work, and fear not.
~~~Clarke’s Commentary

Faith takes a groweth spurt when I read:

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their prayers:
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

May God bless our waiting

Words in parenthesis are my addition.

Published in: on December 11, 2016 at 4:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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My Prayer While Waiting

Job 23:1-6
Then Job answered and said,
Even to day is my complaint bitter:
my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
Oh that I knew where I might find him!
that I might come even to his seat!
I would order my cause before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know the words which he would answer me,
and understand what he would say unto me.
Will he plead against me with his great power?
No; but he would put strength in me.

Clarke’s commentary
No; but he would put strength in me –
“On the contrary, he would treat me with tenderness,
he would rectify my mistakes,
he would show me what was in my favor,
and would temper the rigid demands of justice
by the mild interpretations of equity;
and where law could not clear me,
mercy would conduct all to the most favorable issue.”

Proverbs-31-Woman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, my Father and my God
Humbly I bow before you
The mighty one, the Cousellor, the Prince of peace
Knowing, believing in and trusting your equity, your fairnes
And your understanding of the weakness of my flesh
And the questioning of my spirit.

You still stand to supply all my needs
According to your mercy.
Great is your faithfulness
Morning by morning
Never ceasing
Always at hand
Ever fresh, ever available
Never leftovers, a full fresh cup
Pressed down, measured generously
Running over in my bosom
Watering the smalles of needs
The seed of faith
Placed by our tender fingers
In the soil of my heart.

That watering of mercy and grace,
With the daily occurance of the light of your words
And the warmith of your love.
The seed can sprout and grow,
That seed – so small
Can face a problem – so large
And be confident that even if
It finds it self crying
“I Believe! Help My Unbelief!”

Will you plead against me with your great power?
No, but you put your stong haands under my faith seed
And uphold it, stengthen it, encourage it and comfort it
Until that so large problem moves . . .

While I wait.

May God bless our waiting.

Published in: on December 8, 2016 at 4:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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Cast Not Away

shield

Hebrews 10:35-36
Cast not away therefore your confidence,
which hath great recompence of reward.
that, after ye have done the will of God,
ye might receive the promise.

Cast not away therefore your confidenc

Your liberty of access to God;
your title and right to approach his throne;
your birthright as his sons and daughters;
and the clear evidence you have of his favor, which,
if you be not steady and faithful, you must lose.

Do not throw it away,
neither men nor devils can take it from you,
and God will never deprive you of it if you continue faithful.
There is a reference here to cowardly soldiers,
who throw away their shields, and run away from the battle.

This is your shield,
your faith in Christ,
which gives you the knowledge of salvation;
keep it, and it will keep you.

Clarke’s Commentar

Published in: on July 19, 2016 at 12:16 pm  Leave a Comment  
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With All Prayer

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Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Praying refers to the state of the spirit as well as to the act.

With all prayer – Refers to the different kinds of prayer that is performed in public, in the family, in the closet, in business, on the way, in the heart without a voice, and with the voice from the heart. All those are necessary to the genuine Christian; and he whose heart is right with God will be frequent in the whole. “Some there are who use only mental prayer or ejaculations, and think they are in a state of grace, and use a way of worship far superior to any other; but such only fancy themselves to be above what is really above them; it requiring far more grace to be enabled to pour out a fervent and continued prayer, than to offer up mental aspirations.” Rev. J. Wesley.

And supplication – There is a difference between prayer, and supplication. Some think the former means prayer for the attainment of good; the latter, prayer for averting evil. Supplication however seems to mean prayer continued in, strong and incessant pleadings, till the evil is averted, or the good communicated.

There are two things that must be attended to in prayer.
1. That it be in every time, season, or opportunity;
2. That it should be in or through the Spirit – that the heart should be engaged in it, and that its infirmities should be helped by the Holy Ghost,

Watching thereunto – Being always on your guard lest your enemies should surprise you. Watch, not only against evil, but also for opportunities to do good, and for opportunities to receive good. Without watchfulness, prayer and all the spiritual armor will be ineffectual.

With all perseverance – Being always intent on your object, and never losing sight of your danger, or of your interest. The word implies stretching out the neck, and looking about, in order to discern an enemy at a distance.
Clarke’s Commentary, edited

Published in: on July 15, 2016 at 4:22 am  Leave a Comment  
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Hope and Quietly Wait

1-ps 27 14 wm jpg

It is good that a man should both hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:26

It is good that a man should both hope –
Hope is essentially necessary to faith;
he that hopes not, cannot believe;
if there be no expectation,
there can be no confidence.
When a man hopes for salvation,
he should not only waft for it,
but use every means that may lead to it;
for hope cannot live,
if there be no exercise.
If hope become impatient,
faith will be impossible:
for who can believe for his salvation
when his mind is agitated?
He must therefore quietly wait.

Clarke’s Commentary

Published in: on July 12, 2016 at 12:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Sunday Bible Reading – Psalm 56

july 4 004Happy Coneflowers,  started with 2 plants and multiplying!

Psalm 56
To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.

Be merciful unto me, O God:
for man would swallow me up;
he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up:
for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

(from Clarke’s Commentary:Most of the Versions begin the next verse with this word: “From the light of the day, though I fear, yet will I trust in thee.” From the time that persecution waxes hot against me, though I often am seized with fear, yet I am enabled to maintain my trust in thee. Dr. Kennicott thinks there is a corruption here, and proposes to read: “I look upwards all the day long.”)

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust;
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Every day they wrest my words:
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,
they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
Shall they escape by iniquity?
in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
Thou tellest my wanderings:
put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
When I cry unto thee,
then shall mine enemies turn back:
this I know; for God is for me.
In God will I praise his word:
in the LORD will I praise his word.
In God have I put my trust:
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God:
I will render praises unto thee.

(from Clarke’s commentary: Thy vows are upon me – I have promised in the most solemn manner to be thy servant; to give my whole life to thee; and to offer for my preservation sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.
Reader, what hast thou vowed to God? To renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful desires of the flesh; to keep God’s holy word and commandment, and to walk before him all the days of thy life. These things hast thou vowed; and these vows are upon thee. Wilt thou pay them?)

For thou hast delivered my soul from death:
wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

(and again from Clarke’s: My feet from falling – Thou hast preserved me from taking any false way, and keepest me steady in my godly course; and so supportest me that I may continue to walk before thee in the light of the living, ever avoiding that which is evil, and moving towards that which is good; letting my light shine before men, that they may see my good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven. To walk before God is to please him; the light of the living signifies the whole course of human life, with all its comforts and advantages.)

Published in: on July 6, 2014 at 4:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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