Saturday, February 14, 2026

Prayer

 

Prayer

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

This a prayer we are all well acquainted with. I say 'all' but in truth, I don't know if you are. Those of us who are familiar with this prayer most likely can recite it by heart and we use it in our prayers all the time. Did Jesus want us to do that? Use the prayer all the time? Did Jesus want us to pray vain repetitions? We know He didn't like vain repetitions. In fact right before he gave us this manner of praying he told us this-

Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

So, why do we think if we pray this prayer that Jesus gave us, over and over and over, every day, once day, ten times a day, fifty times, that it's something that Jesus would approve of? You say because you aren't using VAIN repetitions. What exactly are vain repetitions? Stay with me here, take time and read the following…

Let's look at a dictionary to get an idea.

Vain

1. Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance.

2. Fruitless; ineffectual.

3. Proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; elated with a high opinion of one's own accomplishments, or with things more showy than valuable; conceited.

4. Empty; unreal; as a vain chimers.

5. Showy; ostentatious.

6. Light; inconstant; worthless.

7. Empty; unsatisfying.

8. False; deceitful; not genuine; spurious.

9. Not effectual; having no efficacy

So there you have it in part. Now, what do you suppose Jesus meant when He told us not to use vain repetitions?

A possible answer is that when a prayer becomes something we say by rote it becomes a vain repetition. When the words we speak hold no real meaning to us, they are in vain. Just because a person knows the words by heart and can recite them upon being asked, does not mean those words hold a single ounce of importance to them. In our day to day talking we can we can babble word after word but those words can mean nothing at all. What makes our words worthy?

Let's think about it. Do we ever find ourselves telling someone… 'I need you to REALLY listen to me'? We say that because we know our listeners don't always fully listen to us and we want our words to be heard and understood. When Jesus gave us the words to say in this manner of praying, He wanted us to comprehend what we were saying. Not only that, He wanted us to say those words directly to His Father, who is Our Father. He wants the relationship to be a familiar one, a comfortable one, a real one, a relationship filled with the knowledge that we have a compassionate listener, One who really want to hear us, One who truly listens to our every word attentively. He does this when we speak in truth, from our hearts.

If the words we are saying to God have no real importance to us, why should they have any importance to God?

Do we think that Jesus gave us a magic prayer that no matter what, when those words comes out of our mouths God is instantly pleased? We've done no favors to anyone if we've taught them to recite a prayer that is in vain, holding no weight and meaning nothing beyond being sounds in the air, or in our head. Jesus didn't give us that prayer so that we could pray like those he told us spoke in vain repetitions.

You protest, thinking that God will always think those words Jesus spoke are something special, and if you just repeat them, maybe even over and over, it's fine.

People won't like to hear what I have to say about that, especially those who repeat the prayer the Lord gave us all the time. They might even think I'm crazy, and just don't understand. They could be right. You know what? I repeat those words myself, a lot, and guess what? When I do, I TRY (notice the capital letters there)I TRY to stop and contemplate the meaning of what I'm praying as I do. It's so easy to just say those words without thinking all that much about them. We speak them, doing our due diligence and get on with things. Recite the prayer and throw in a couple extra words for those we believe need, want, or have asked for prayers, and we've done good. Really? Do you think that's how God looks at it?

Teach us to pray. These words were said by those who had been praying all their lives. They knew what prayer was. They wanted something more. They didn't want a prayer they'd heard for many years and had been taught to pray from their youth on up. Why weren't those prayers sufficient to them? Why did they need Jesus to teach them to pray? It's important that we ask ourselves these questions.

Two times Jesus taught this prayer - once to His disciples after He'd finished a private prayer, and another time to a crowd of people.

Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Are the two prayers exact? I'll compare them for you…

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, AS IN HEAVEN SO IN EARTH.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done IN EARTH AS IT IS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Differences. Am I being petty? No. Are the meanings the same, basically, yes. Let's continue.

And forgive us our SINS; FOR WE ALSO FORGIVE EVERY ONE THAT IS INDEBTED TO US. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

And forgive us our DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AMEN.

Interesting isn't it? We understand forgive us our 'trespasses' as we forgive those who 'trespass' against us- yet trespass(es) is not in the Bible in these two verses. Forgive us our SINS is there. We are told to forgive trespasses elsewhere in other verses, but not in this prayer. Even more interesting is - forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and forgive us our sins for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

We ask God the Father to forgive us our sins, LIKE WE also forgive EVERY ONE that is indebted to us. We forgive everyone who owes us anything. No matter the debt we forgive because we want the Father to forgive us in the same way- whatever we've done against Him, we want that forgiven, so whatever ANYONE has done against us must be forgiven by us. The two are intertwined. We cannot ask God to forgive us if we aren't willing to forgive others to the farthest depths we are able to forgive.

The small detail in differences between the two times Jesus gave the prayer should tell us at the least that the exact wording wasn't as important as the meaning of what Jesus was telling us to pray.

He gave us the structure of praying, not a new prayer that would become a vain repetition in years to come. He gave us the things that we should have in our prayers that we pray. Recognize our heavenly Father is holy. Recognize we are living in the reality of waiting and wanting His kingdom. Recognize that no matter what, above and beyond our own will we want our Father's will to be done right here and now. We have to recognize that He supplies our daily need- salvation! Who is the bread of life? Jesus! Seeking forgiveness daily for our transgressions, recognizing there will never be a day we don't need to seek this. Knowing as stated already, we have to forgive to be forgiven. Realizing that we are supposed to recognize that there are temptations specifically waiting for us and that we don't want to be put before those temptations, we want deliverance from evil. When we pray to be delivered, we are comprehending that evil surrounds us in this world and threatens to consume us, real evil, that which would deceive us and steals us from God. These are realities, Jesus didn't teach us these words so we could be flippant about them.

Jesus also told us to pray for one another. Throughout the New Testament we read about praying for others, but where is the outline for that prayer? I'll leave that for your contemplation.

There is however, something else I want to point out.

GIVE us …

FORGIVE us ….

LEAD us…

DELIVER us…

These are the petitions we make when we recite the prayer Jesus gave to us.

If we could give ourselves our daily bread, if we could forgive ourselves for our sins, if we could lead ourselves not into temptation, if we could deliver ourselves from evil… why are we saying otherwise in this prayer?

We are asking the Father to do for us what we CAN'T do on our own! We can't! It's senseless for us to believe we can! It's horrific for us to believe we have our own power to do these things. Any boasting to the effect that we've been able to do those things for ourselves is a lie.

The prayer isn't… Father… when I can't find my own daily needs, step in. It's not, when I can't forgive myself, help me out. When I fail at not going into temptation, take over and lead me elsewhere. And, when I can't deliver myself from evil, hey, can you do it?

Our reliance upon the Father first and foremost for these things is a must!

So, where does that leave us when we walk right into temptation, and evil over takes us? Does that mean the Father isn't doing His part, because hey, we prayed this prayer, we prayed those words?

What it means is we may pray those words, speak those petitions but we are not in full surrender to God at the time we are sinning. Hence, it's a DAILY prayer, something we seek on a daily (every single day) basis. We keep praying, we keep despising our failures, we are never content with them, never excusing them! We don't jump into temptation happily, and commit evil joyously and then ask for forgiveness day after day. We hate the temptations that lures us! We hate the evil that we do even as we do it! Contradictory? No! Case in point- how many people addicted to anything, hate their addiction even as they give into it? So many. We should never stop hating our sins, never. And no, I'm not advocating a liar's hate either. Those who mouth the words I hate this, but secretly love it. If there is a secret love for any sin in our lives, we need to ask God to help us hate that sin, hate that it has power over us, hate that we are loving something evil- and we can't fall into the trap of calling evil good, and good evil, either. We are in a real battle, a real war and Satan uses any and all sin, any and all evil to lure us and trap us, wound us, and even kill our love for God. We must recognize every sin, every evil for the thing that it really is…something that has the power to separate us from God. No sin is trivial, no evil is a minor nuisance. All sin, all evil is very powerful.

Give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us… for Thine is the …power.

Father, You have the power to give me my daily sustenance, physical as well as spiritual. You have the power to forgive me all my debts, my sins, all of them. You have the power to lead me not into temptation in all ways. You have the power to deliver me from every evil that exists. You have the power Father! Holy is Your name! All glory and honor unto You forever and ever!

Words have meanings, the words of the prayer that Jesus spoke have deep significant meaning. They were taught to those living when He ministered upon Earth, and were written down for us to know, to learn, to say. These precious words in teaching us the manner of praying, in teaching us what is to be said, do so but not for vain repetition. These words are beyond wonderful. Recognizing GOD as truly our GOD, as truly our LORD, as truly our SAVIOR, is something we must NEVER forget when we pray Jesus' prayer. Recognizing the royalty of our Father should leave us in awe. Recognizing the Father role our GOD has taken should ever remind us that we are mere children.

I'll stop here, having written these words from my heart and from the limited comprehension I've been given. All glory and honor to God! My God, My Father, Your will be done. Amen.

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Saturday, February 7, 2026

God: "Love Me."

 

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

Jesus Kept the Sabbath

 Jesus kept the SABBATH.

Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the SABBATH DAY, and stood up for to read.

Luk 4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the SABBATH days.

Luk 6:1 And it came to pass on the second SABBATH after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

Luk 6:2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the SABBATH days?

Luk 6:3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;

Luk 6:4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?

Luk 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the SABBATH.

On the Sabbath there are exceptions for basic needs. David ate bread that the priests alone were supposed to eat, it was an exception to a rule. He didn't eat it all that time, just that one time when he desperately needed it. The disciples plucked ears of corn and rubbed them, getting the kernels out and ate them. They didn't harvest the field of corn, they merely took something easily accessible. They didn't stop and boil it in a pot of water. They ate the kernels right then and there as they walked. They didn't grind up the kernels to make a cornmeal paste to cook. They took something readily available to them and because they had to rub the corn to get the kernels, it was considered to be wrong. Because they had to pluck the corn cob from the stalk, that too was considered wrong. The plucking action, the rubbing action to the pharisees violated the Sabbath. Did either of those actions take the disciples away from being able to listen to Jesus as he talked? No. Were either of those actions considered hard labor? No. They were simple gestures. They didn't take a basket full of corn and get all the kernels off the cob to eat.

Even in the wilderness when God was renewing the Sabbath through Moses to the people before they ever reached Sinai, they were kept from laboring to go get the manna on the Sabbath. The disciples didn't purposefully go out to get the corn, it was there before them as they walked through a field. If we were supposed to just stay in our houses all day just laying down or sitting still and eating unheated leftovers, we would have been told that. Today we aren't out there walking in the desert day after day for six days straight. We don't need to sit in our tents (houses) and rest the entire day without moving around. Yes, some may work very hard six days a week and need the physical rest the Sabbath provides. When the wandering in the wilderness stopped for God's people, they gathered together on the Sabbath just as Jesus as His custom was, and also rested.

Luk 6:6 And it came to pass also on another SABBATH, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

Luk 6:7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the SABBATH day; that they might find an accusation against him.

Luk 6:8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Luk 6:9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the SABBATH days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

We know the answer, the Pharisees didn't want to know the answer but they knew it too. Doing evil on the Sabbath was very wrong. Destroying life on the Sabbath, extremely bad. Therefore doing good for others and healing on the Sabbath is a good thing. I can't imagine God would want people to die on the Sabbath because healing was considered work, He wouldn't, and Jesus revealed this very wonderful truth.

Luk 13:10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the SABBATH.

Why wouldn't teaching be considered work, especially if the teachers taught other days of the week? Teaching God's word is never work, it's love, so no wonder Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath. He never got in trouble from the act of teaching or there would have been an outcry before he said more than a few words. Some become upset over the truths He was teaching, they didn't want the truths, they enjoyed their spiritual blindness.

Luk 13:14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the SABBATH day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the SABBATH day.

Luk 13:15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the SABBATH loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the SABBATH day?

The audacity to say in effect- stay in your pain, stay in your infirmity, stay in your sickness through the Sabbath because you don't deserve to be healed on the Sabbath. You must continue suffering, you probably deserved it for some sin. A very real possible thought that synagogue ruler was having as he rebuked the people. Jesus called that ruler and others that were thinking the same thing, out on what was said. He called them right to their faces, HYPOCRITES! He told them something they'd all done probably that very morning, led their animals to water to drink. No ox or ass would die by going a single day without water, so why did they believe it necessary to lead them out of their stalls to water? Jesus was telling it like it was. They cared more about their animals than they did the sick, injured, deformed, maimed. That woman there suffered 18 years! 18 years! And they wanted her to suffer longer. Imagine being bent over unable to stand up straight for 18 years and someone can heal you and others say it's wrong to do it right then and there. Crazy, and Jesus knew it.

Luk 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the SABBATH day, that they watched him.

Luk 14:2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

Luk 14:3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the SABBATH day?

Luk 14:4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

Luk 14:5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the SABBATH day?

Once again it is recorded for all time… It is okay to help others on the Sabbath! If you'd help an animal without a second thought, then why not a fellow human being?!

Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the drew on.

Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.

Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the SABBATH day according to the commandment.

Jesus had died. Did the women hurry back to prepare what was needed for His body for His entombment and bring them to Him? No. To prepare a dead body was not helping by reliving pain, Jesus could feel no pain. To prepare a dead body would not in any way serve to worship God. It wouldn't even have been worship for Jesus, Immanuel- God with us. Jesus wouldn't have been aware of any worship while He was in death's sleep. Ecc_9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing… Jesus wouldn't have known they were there. They rested on the Sabbath day as the commandment tells us we should. They had absolutely no instruction from Jesus to change something as monumental as the Sabbath commandment given at Sinai as part of the ten royal laws written by the finger of God Himself.

Jesus and the Sabbath, the above isn't all the verses on the subject, but enough to give us the truth of the matter. Jesus wanted people to worship God on the Sabbath and in doing so, love one another, help one another if there is need. Nitpicking apart every act in our lives trying to decide which are acceptable on the Sabbath and which aren't isn't the thing to do. The commandment that tells us to do no work, no labor because we have six days to do that, meant we are not to exert ourselves in ways that keeps us from worshiping God. We aren't to work to earn our living in ways that aren't helping others in need and we aren't to buy things from others. There is a great example of not doing those things (buying and selling) in Nehemiah 13.

Jesus came to shake off the intense strictures on the Sabbath, but He did not dismiss the Sabbath and He did not work on the Sabbath to earn money, He did not ignore the commandment, He couldn't, it was a commandment of pure love given to us by the Creator, made for us by Him. He created mankind and they were to labor keeping the Garden of Eden, they weren't idle. No, it wasn't work as we know work, but it was spending days doing things other than focusing their worship on God completely. God didn't hover over them in the Garden. God didn't live on earth, in the Garden. God visited with them on the Sabbath day, a day that later He put into a commandment after sin entered the world. A day that we must REMEMBER, the only commandment with that order. A day we are to rest and worship HIM because we were now living in a world that would focus on all things other than their loving God.

God help us all to REMEMBER the seventh day Sabbath, after six days of labor and focusing on our own selves eking out a living in a harsh, brutal world. Keep us in You, in Your love. We know it is out of pure love you gave us such a special SABBATH commandment. Your love for us fills the Sabbath commandment. You're our Creator, our Redeemer, our all in all, our everything, always! Bless and keep us in You Lord, in Your love now and forever! Amen!

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Saturday, January 24, 2026

Study to Be Quiet

1Th 4:11 '...study to be quiet'


We don't often hear exhortations like that do we? Study to be quiet. Looking at the Greek definition of the words 'study' and 'quiet' we could also say… strive to rest, labor to hold peace, study to refrain from being meddlesome, strive not to talk.


Being told to 'study to be quiet' tells us something doesn't it? We are noisy, restless people who don't often find being quiet very easy. Some of us are chatterboxes and we laugh as we tell others how we love to talk and talk. We make light of it because-well- that's just how we are. How easy is it for us to jump into conversations that others might be having because we have our opinion to share. For some, as soon as the thoughts form in our minds we are spouting them without taking time to think.


When we talk, are we aware of the value of our words? We all know how easy it is for just a few words to turn a happy time into an awful one. We know that truly the tongue is a fire...don't we? But we don't treat our tongues like fire do we? We don't recognize the power our words have to destroy, to hurt, to maim. Our words can do irreparable damage, and yet we seldom stop to think of them as being such a destructive force.


'Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity'.


With this knowledge in mind, with this fire brand in our mouths ready to strike out and burn any and all around us we don't fully equated it with a 'world of iniquity', if we did wouldn't we make a concerted effort to not 'flame' at others, not to let the wicked, sin-filled tongue in our mouths strike out at them, leading to our own destruction. Am I being too dramatic? That's something people like to say today. You're being dramatic. As if your concern is unwarranted. Maybe it is in a lot of cases, but not this one. We can't be dramatic enough when it comes to the things we say. Just knowing how powerful our words could be should really have us making a concerted effort to THINK BEFORE WE TALK. Too often people might want a hurried answer to their question. Or they might tell you that you're being too quiet during a conversation because they want you to jump right in and have fun in the chaotic chatter that is seemingly harmless, at least it's meant to be. Every word we speak has consequences, like it or not. Whether you want to believe it or not, it's true. A simple yes or no can weigh on a person for years especially if it were in answer to a question that has adverse consequences, even deadly consequences.


Perhaps- studying to be quiet is a lesson in not being noisy to our own detriment.


Study to be quiet. Strive to be quiet. Labor to be quiet. This is telling us to WORK at being quiet that being quiet might not come quite so natural to us.


I've heard people say they follow of ten second rule, meaning that before they respond to ANYTHING even remotely controversial they'll silently count to ten while thinking about the consequences of the response they might make. That's a good rule, but maybe ten seconds isn't long enough in every situation. At other times, as a red-faced, fuming, antagonizing person stands there waiting for a response- ten seconds might seem like five minutes. Giving an instantaneous retorts is expected, you might even hear the words - 'Are you going to let them get away with saying that?', if not from others you might hear that from the little sneaky voice inside your head. How often do we respond to stuff harshly because we feel as if our pride has been wounded? We've been hurt by the fiery tongue of another so we feel justified in lashing right back to save our dignity, to preserve our honor, to uphold our selfish idea of the type of person we are and how we deserve to be treated.


Study to be quiet. When we 'think' before we speak we are taking time to contemplate the affect our words will have on the situation at hand. If we are to 'study' to be quiet, we need to truly make an effort to be quiet, don't we?


I read this--
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.


Our tongues are untamed- no man can tame the tongue- at best we can 'study to be quiet', right?


We live in a loud world where our opinions, our words are shouted every which way. We have electronic media platforms to hoist ourselves up on, the soap box or our time, and shout out whatever we feel like it. All too often people will post things they end up regretting the words of their tongue recorded for all to see.


I know I'm mostly speaking my opinion even here, my tongue recorded for all to see. God's words are for us to pray over, to ponder, to study, to bring into our lives.


Take a few minutes now to read the context of the 'study to be quiet', verse 1 Thess. 4:11. Paul writing to those in Thessalonica .


1Th 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
1Th 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
1Th 4:6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
1Th 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
1Th 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
1Th 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1Th 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.


Study to be quiet , do your own business, work with your own hands as we commanded you… why? That ye may walk honestly towards them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.


The entreaty is to live as God would have us live, and a part of that is studying to be quiet. Labor, strive to rest, to refrain from meddling, stop talking, hold our peace. Make a real effort to do this. While we are doing so many other things that one who loves God would do, we need to remember being quiet is necessary too.


May God help us to 'study to be quiet', to be as He would have us be and not as we think we should be, or as the world tells us is acceptable to be. We need to be acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the righteousness of our Savior. We need to live in Him as He would have us live, not as we would naturally desire to live. We need to take up our crosses, we need to strive against sin, we need to cling to Christ and place all our hope, all our faith in Him fully.


By the grace and through the love of our Savior now and forever! Amen.
(In part taken from a study done in 2010)
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Sunday, January 18, 2026

Love As He Loved

 Joh_13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Why did Jesus call it a new commandment? It became a new commandment because it was given after He took on flesh. God declared the Son, became a human and lived among us in that flesh, interacting with us in a way never before done. He showed us what His love meant. He stood before human beings, cried with them, ate with them, walked with them, ever the example.
Jesus could say He was giving us a new commandment because humanity now knew what it meant to love others as He loved us.
He said- AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.
Yes, prior to this we were to love one another, that is an Old Testament command. We were told what this love should be (Ten Commandments). We were instructed to love, but the instructor came in person to give us Himself as living proof showing us how we were to love.
Love others as He loved them. He loved in truth, pure truth.
He was revealing His love when He yelled at the pharisees and when He overturned the moneychangers tables. He was revealing His love when He healed the blind, the lame, the lepers, the demon possessed, etc. We have real examples from Him of His love, always putting the welfare of others before His own and most importantly His love pointed to Salvation, always.
There are more verses about new commandments.
1Jn_2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1Jn_2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Contradictory statements? Not really. The old commandment to love one another is from the beginning and is a part of the new commandment. The love of a future Savior became realized with the appearance of Jesus, a present Savior who dispelled the darkness, the ignorance and brought salvation knowledge.
The Savior that was longed for, arrived and He did all that was needed. The true light was shining where before the promise of that light existed as darkness prevailed. After Jesus, the darkness, the lack of knowledge, the unknown way to eternal life and salvation was done away with. The true Light, the true understanding, Jesus.
2Jn_1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
The commandment to love as already stated, is an old one. Just as Jesus did with the other, still relevant, commandments, He brought the truth of them into the light for all to see.
He lived every single commandment perfectly, an example for all. We are to love as He loved. Jesus taught us that our hearts, our inner spirit must live in His love. We can't lust after forbidden things and console ourselves with the fact that we don't act on them. We can't willingly indulge sin in our minds, nurturing it, and then pat ourselves on the back for not physically committing the sin. We have to truly love one another and He showed us how. We must love one another in actions, not just in words mouthed, believing that our words are enough.
We must shun all forms of willful sinning, embracing all of the love Jesus. It is that love we give to others, the love He gives to us.
The future Messiah loved us before He took on flesh.
And He loved us after He took on flesh. We are forever loved.
A new commandment He gave us--in addition to the ten commandments already given- LOVE AS HE LOVED.
Amen.
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Thursday, January 15, 2026

The Death Sentence Has Only Been Postponed Unless There Is Forgiveness.

 Jer. 6:19  Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring calamity upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

Why would God change? Why would God who gave us the plan of salvation before the world began, that same God who gave us the Ten Commandments after that plan was made, change His mind about them?

We say God demands less of people now. That's a lie and yet we live that way. We read how God brought punishment to His chosen people who abandoned Him and worshipped other gods, how He punished those who did NOT hearken unto His words or to His law. He's the same God today.

The sacrificial ceremonial law was the only law done away with by the greatest Sacrifice there could be, Jesus Christ. It makes sense that it would be done away with because there could never be another sacrifice made by man's hands that could atone for their sins. That lamb slain, those doves brought, all the things sacrificed pointed to the ONE who would be sacrificed and only by our going to Him. Just as if we would go to the temple of old for our sins to be forgiven, when we go to Him we find forgiveness and live.

Time and again the people of Israel betrayed God turning away from Him and His law. The punishments were severe, not mere slaps on the wrist. That same God expects us to still keep His law and to listen to His words- all of them.

The punishments were often death in the Old Testament and that was altered. Why?

Why if a woman, or man for that matter, were caught in adultery were they no longer to be stoned for their sin? Was it because adultery was no longer abhorrent to God? What changed? The sin of adultery remained punishable by death, the only thing that changed was the carrying out of the sentence. No longer would people be stoned to death for that, or for murder, or having other Gods before God, or worshiping idols, or taking God's name in vain, or not keeping the Sabbath, or not honoring your parents--ALL punishable by death before Christ died for us. Do you remember they tried to throw Christ Jesus off a cliff for blasphemy? The laws were still in effect when Jesus lived. Jesus taught mercy, Jesus taught repentance, Jesus taught forgiveness all things necessary to belong to Him.

Those who commit adultery, murder and so on- any of the capital offenses- were no longer to be put to death right away. They were to be allowed to live and serve punishments in prisons for their crimes but they were also given a chance to seek forgiveness from Jesus! Those thieves on the cross alongside of Jesus both deserved their death sentence, but only one was spared by the forgiveness of Jesus, that man sought forgiveness.

A person is given their entire life time to seek forgiveness. Yes, some are given the death penalty now, but it's not by God taking away their lifetime opportunity to seek forgiveness, changing their lives and living for Him, it's man taking it away.

God didn't change.

As I said already, the timing on the punishment of the death sentence changed. Not a single unrepentant, unforgiven person will live. Not a single person who rejects God's laws and refuses to listen to God's word will survive their death sentence. There are a lot of people sentenced to death walking around. The gravity of their sins is lost on them. They break all Ten Commandments and seek absolutely no forgiveness. The things they do now they would have been stoned to death for, but now they shrug it off and believe it's of no consequence. They even try to get people to believe it is no longer sin, that what was once worthy of death is no longer worthy of death. Satan has deceived the masses and he's tried to use the Savior's leniency, the Savior's compassion, the Savior's desperate love for all of us- to say it's okay to sin now. They do this because they don't believe the death sentence has just been postponed, but done away with.

Too many people don't believe their sins warrant death. They do. They are just as bad as they ever were. They've done away with the idea of sin and consequences. They either don't care at all whatsoever, or they believe it's not as bad as it used to be.

For those who seek forgiveness for their sins, they do so with the full weight of the truth- that their sin killed the Savior. He died to save them. The weight of their sin was laid upon the dying Christ, He took their punishment. He took their place upon that cross, the cross meant for them. Wake up people, before it is too late! Repentant and recognize the wages of sin is still DEATH. But we do have the Gift of God, Jesus Christ, who can give us life. He won't save us IN our sins, but from the sins we confess and seek forgiveness for, sincerely repenting and forsaking sin, never excusing it in our lives.

God forgive me, a sinner. All glory, thanksgiving and praise, all honor unto You for your sacrifice for me. I can never thank you enough, never. Every day I will lay at the foot of Your cross knowing You died for me. Every day I will pray that because You died for me that You live for me, and that You will live in me, ever my hope, my life! Not I, but Christ always! Amen!

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Saturday, January 10, 2026

Holy Scriptures

 The Holy Scriptures. How important are the Old Testament Holy Scriptures? How important were they to Jesus? 


The New Testament points us to their importance. We'd do well to look at the verses talking about scriptures. We do ourselves a great injustice to ignore the Holy Word of God. 


I remember once someone questioning me on the importance of scripture, saying how do you even know it isn't just men writing what they want to write. How do you know the scriptures are God's word? How do we know which version of the scriptures is correct, man has mistranslated so much?


It seems those who choose not to believe that scripture is from God want an outside source, something other than the Bible to reveal it is from God. They don't want God's written word to tell them it's holy. They want proof in some other way. They don't want to be duped by fairy tales made up by a cult of deceived believers. It doesn't matter that some of the greatest literary scholars have believed the Bible as God's inspired word, they are just more people among those deceived. 


Quite the conundrum, yes? 


I remember these spoken lyrics in a Casting Crowns song-


'The Bible was inscribed over a period of 2000 years

In times of war and in days of peace

By kings, physicians, tax collectors, farmers

Fishermen, singers and shepherds

The marvel is that a library so perfectly cohesive

Could have been produced by such a diverse crowd

Over a period of time which staggers the imagination

Jesus is its grand subject, our good is designed

And the glory of God is its end'



The sheer complexity of the Bible as God guided it to be put together book by book (scroll by scroll) writing by writing is a 'marvel'.  Men were the instruments God used. The Holy Spirit guided the men. 


Some might argue that a lot of the history- especially the family lineages that go on and on are unnecessary filler taking up space making reading difficult and boring, serving no useful purpose. Then they'd wonder why God would include such nonsense. Others would say there are a lot of bad things in the Bible - sex, drunkenness, betrayals, murders, tortures etc why would God allow that stuff in there? I've seen people who have proudly created memes that say how God ordered women and children killed. Why would God put bad public relations information in His holy word? Those people posting the memes are hoping to disparage God and get people to stop believing in Him. How could a God of love, have children killed? How do you accept a God like that? 


They ask these questions as if God wouldn't ultimately give every innocent child salvation when Christ returns, raising those who died. Jesus said to suffer the children, to let them come to him and He also said that anyone who hurts one of them is better off having a millstone tied about their necks and drowned. Here read it yourself-


Mat 18:6  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 


The same God who told warriors of His chosen people to kill children, is the one who is in full agreement with His declared son, Jesus, he and his father are one.  


God's ways are not our ways. To think that we know better than God is utterly ridiculous. We may not comprehend all the reasons beyond God's ways, but we know each and every one of them comes from a place of love so deep and pure that any suffering of any one, in any way will all be understood one day. 


That Jesus, a God himself, suffered unimaginably in order to bring us salvation is something we can scarcely truly comprehend. 


Our trouble comes when we are convinced that this world is all there is and all there will ever be. Our trouble comes when we choose to believe there is no God in control. Our trouble comes when we believe to allow suffering for our ultimate good, is something wrong. Our trouble comes when we can't think past 100 years of life, if we're blessed. Our trouble comes when we choose to believe in deception rather than truth and call the truth lies. Our trouble comes when we want nothing to do with faith, in believing in the unseen even though our lives are testament to the idea of believing in an unseen tomorrow, every day. You can choose to believe and gain everything, or you can choose not to believe and risk losing everything. Choosing to believe doesn't rob you of anything eternally important. Choosing not to believe robs you of eternity. Living with hope in the unseen, having faith which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, is a beautiful thing. 


Suffering is horrific, especially in innocent children, innocent developmentally disabled, innocent animals, it's completely and utterly horrific. The only reason suffering is allowed is because the only other alternative was to wipe humanity out completely. We suffer now for a little while (compared to eternity), in order to be a part of eternal humanity ultimately putting an end to ALL suffering forever.


The millions of deceived faux Christians are not are our role models, only Jesus Christ is our role model and none other. Walk your Christian walk following ONLY Jesus. Don't let the deceived Christians who are wolves in sheep clothing and don't even know it, keep you from learning of Jesus Christ, your Savior in all truth. 


Take a few minutes and read this list of verses about the scriptures. Trust that God will guide you as you study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Let the Holy Spirit who inspired the words bring them to life for you daily. 


2Ti_3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness


Mar_12:10  And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner


Mar_15:28  And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.


Luk_4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.


Joh_2:22  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.


Joh_7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.


Joh_7:42  Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?


Joh_13:18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.


Joh_17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.


Joh_19:24  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.


Joh_19:28  After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.


Joh_19:36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.


Joh_19:37  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.


Joh_20:9  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.


Act_1:16  Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.


Act_8:32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth


Act_8:35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.


Rom_4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.


Rom_10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


Rom_11:2  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying

Rom 11:3  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.


Gal_3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.


Gal_3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.


Jas_2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well


Jas_2:23  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.


1Pe_2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.


2Pe_1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.


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