Behold, My Servant

This is something I had previously posted in my Facebook Notes and wanted to share it here, too.

Behold My Servant, Whom I uphold: Mine Elect, in Whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto Truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law. Isaiah 42:1-4

Isaiah 42:1



 

Thus saith God The Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spreads forth the earth,a nd that which comes out of it; He that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: Isaiah 42:5

I the Lord have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will keep Thee, and give Thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. Isaiah 42:6,7

Isaiah 42:6-8

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. Many are at astonished at Him; His appearance so marred more than any other man, and His form more than the sons of men: So shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Isaiah 52:13-15

Isaiah 52:14 

     Who has believed our report? and to whom is The Arm of The Lord revealed? For He shall grow up as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Isaiah 53:1-3 Matthew 27:27





Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He opens not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. John 1:29 ...Behold The Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

Isaiah 52:14

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is is just mention as 'crucified' in our Bibles. Further study reveals that this crucifixion was worse than any other. Isaiah 52:14 tells us that God's Servant would be marred more than any other man. Jesus was nailed to the cross. Nails that went through His flesh and into the wood behind Him. Nails that were pounded repeatedly until the haters were sure that He would remain on the cross and not fall off of it. One nail was driven into each hand and one nail was driven into His feet.
God's Servant was beaten beyond recognition Matthew 27:26-31 Pilate releases a violent criminal and delivers Jesus to his soldiers to be crucified after Pilate's men had scourged Him, or beaten Him. His clothing was removed from Him and they threw a scarlet robe around His bleeding, bloody, bruised body. The mockers made a crown of thorns and put it on His head. It was not just placed or sitting lightly; the crown of thorns was forced into the top of His head, that it might not fall off during His crucifixion. Blood rained down the face of God's Servant and into the already open wounds on His body.
The Roman soldiers then bowed their knee before Him, in a mockery of submission, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spit on Him, took a reed, which was used to smack Him on the head. Then they took the robe from Him, put His own clothes back on His bloody body and brought Him to the cross He would be nailed to. But first God's Servant had to carry the cross through crowd-lined streets, where people were calling for His death. Unpaved, dirty dusty streets that caused His open wounds to ache even more. The severe pain and stress were more than He could physically bear, and beneath the weight of the cross, God's Servant dropped to the ground. Another man was called from the crowded street to carry the cross for Him: up the hill and to the hilltop. Where they crucified Him.
Behold, My Servant

Great Is Your Reward

     Only the Overcomer will be rewarded like this. It is more than unfortunate, it is regretfully grievous that a percentage of humanity will not receive this reward. Their reward for their unbelief is hell and the second death: thrown into the lake of fire. I do not want to see anyone there, whether I know them or not. I have a great love for my family and friends and wish only the best for them

     But I cannot make you a Christian. I cannot make you love Jesus. I cannot make you a believer. I have seen 'inspirational' posters which claim that "God believes in you". Pits of hell lie. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God believes in you and that everything is going to be okay. Everything is not going to be okay. God knows our heart, that doesn't mean He believes in you. Why did the prophet Samuel bypass all of David's elder brothers? They were intelligent, handsome, strong men. Their heart was in the wrong place: their hearts were not right with God.

     God rewards the faithful, the souls who overcome the temptation to be like everybody else. They who overcome great trials and tribulations to remain faithful to God in every aspect of their lives. It is not easy to be a Christian. We sacrifice our pleasures for what is pleasing to God. This is not to say that we don't have fun. We just don't disobey God to do it.

     The wages of sin is death. The wages of righteousness is  eternal life. The only righteousness that God cares about is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. When that righteousness is on us, covering us completely, God sees His Son on us. His righteousness far outshines ours. You may think you are 'good enough' to enter heaven; that perhaps God will pat you on the back and say, "You tried your best, come on in." You are wrong. You will never be good enough to enter heaven on your righteousness:

Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

     Without Jesus in your life now, the lake of fires is your destination later. There are no second chances after death. Noone can pray your soul out of hell after you die (Luke 16:26). There is no waiting place, no purgatory, no limbo. Your body will die once; your soul will die twice. You will know and be aware at all times of the qualities of the fire. We read in Luke 16:19-31 that the dead man in hell had all his senses and awareness: vs 23, he could see. vs 24, he can talk, he knows thirst, his soul is tormented in the flame and therefore his touch sensors are in overdrive, he begs for mercy. vs 25, he can hear. vs 26, he is made aware that it is impossible for any person to enter hell from heaven and vice versa. vs 27-31, nor will a person leave the comforts of heaven to warn others of  the coming disaster on unrighteous living. And there will be no relief. Ever.

     I hear your disbelief that I would say such things. I feel your anger and your fear. But you know in your heart, that what I say is true, because the Word of God is Truth and Faithful. God keeps His promises. Every blessing, every reward, for faithfulness God gives to His children. Every curse, every punishment, for unfaithfulness God gives to those who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord of All, who refuse to believe on the Name of Jesus.

     Only One Person would leave heaven willingly, and that Person is Jesus. He is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). He is God (John 1:1). He took on the form of a person, and lived among us (John 1:14). This Person, Jesus Christ, came first to the Jews, to deliver the message of repentance and belief on His Name, but was rejected by many of them (Matthew 8:34; 11:20; 12:14; 13:54-58; 22:15-16, 23; 26:3,4, 14-16, 59, 67-68; 27; 28:11-15) There are many more references throughout the other three gospels of Christ being rejected by God's chosen people. Feel free to search the Bible for yourselves.

     Acts 3:12-19 relates Peter's description of how the man he had just healed was healed. (vs12)"And when Peter saw it (how the crowds marvelled), he answered them, 'You men of Israel, why do you wonder at this (healing)? or why do you stare so intensely at us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? (vs13)The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. (vs14) But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; (vs15) And killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

      (vs16) And His Name through faith in His Name has made this man strong, whom you see and know: yes, the faith which is by Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. (vs17) And now, brethren, I know that through ignorance you did it (denied the Christ), as did also your rulers. (vs18) But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He has so fulfilled. (vs19) Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

     Isn't this awesome stuff! we are reading? But see verse 23? Great is your reward if you do not believe on the Name of Jesus Christ. "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."

     You see how the few have rule over the many in life. The leaders of that time wanted nothing to do with Jesus and they enforced their decision to deny Him by having Him beaten and viciously crucified.  The people's response then? Matthew 25:27 "His blood be on us, and on our children."

     This blood, the blood which flowed from the beaten, broken, mutilated body of Christ was purchased for thirty pieces of silver. The blood of the Lamb of God, which God provided as an eternal atonement for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Though Satan thought to destroy Jesus through death, it is through life that the works of the devil are destroyed.

     By overcoming temptation in the wilderness through the spoken Word of God, Jesus Christ showed us how to overcome temptation. By overcoming death and the grave, Jesus Christ became The Way for us to have eternal life through Him; thereby enabling the believers to overcome death and the grave. The overcomers will share in the rewards that Jesus Christ will render unto them. Why? Because the blood of Jesus Christ not only covers us so God can see us, but it washes away our sins and makes us clean and whole. We are a new person in Christ.

     Which are you? Overcomer? Or unbeliever? On what do you base your stance for what you believe to be true? Are you willing to bet your life on it? Remember, the unbeliever will always ridicule, torture, imprison and/or kill the believer. I would rather go to jail for my faith in the Name of Jesus Christ, than have no faith and go to hell.

     I am an overcomer. I am a believer. And, though I am anticipating the rewards I will be given, I am greatly anticipating seeing the Reward-Giver even more! I can't hardly wait to see Jesus face to face.

Great is my Reward

    

    

     

Without Love

What is Love?

     How does your marriage work? Is it 50/50 or 100/100? Does one of you do all the work and one of you do nothing but play all day? It doesn't work that way in ours. We work together for what's best in our relationship. We did not get married so one of us could slide while the other worked his butt off.
     Maybe you aren't married, but in a gf and bf relationship. Does one of you pay for everything on every date? Or do you each pay your own way? Who decides what is best for the both of you? Is there equal say in every decision, married or single?
     When we first got married, Steve and I were both working outside and inside the home. We both had jobs that paid for our services outside the house. We both took care of the home maintenance, sharing the work. Working together to bring about an increase in our assets and a decrease in our liabilities.
     Then I got sick and couldn't work. Did the relationship suffer? Yes. On every level. Especially the finances got hit hard. And then Steve got laid off and was laid off for nine months. The only income coming into the house was his unemployment. My disability had not yet been approved. Every bill was paid on time. We had groceries. We paid our tithes into the church. We had gas in the car. And even the dog had her needs met. We were clothed, fed and nurtured while neither of us was working.
    Because the relationship we have with Christ is 100/100. He gave His all. So we gave Him our all, too. Individually, Steve and I both were able to reach a level in our walk with God where we were each able to surrender what we want out of life and turn it over to God. We are able because God is able. God's Word is faithful. Every promise He makes, He keeps.
     All He wants us to do is obey. If we are only hearing the Word of God preached and doing nothing with it, the Word has fallen on deaf ears. And the hearer has disobeyed God. It is not enough just to go to church. If you claim to do the works of God, but refuse to hear the Word of God spoken, you are disobeying God. It is not enough to do just the good works, the good deeds. If songs of praise are coming out of your mouth, but your heart is filled with unforgiveness and hate, not only are you disobeying God, but your voice is not being heard. Without love, you are just noise. 1 Corinthians 13:1 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity(love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
     It is not enough to open your mouth, if you refuse to open your heart. It is not enough to put your body in motion, if you are lacking in spirit. You will never be good enough on your own. Without Jesus, you are just a shell of who you really could be. Without submitting to God and without surrendering your heart and your life to Christ, you are not even giving God anything. There is no relationship. There is no 50/50. A half-hearted attempt on your part will not be met with a half-hearted reciprocation on God's part. HE ALREADY GAVE ALL. He can't give you half of nothing.
      And He is still giving to us. Every time we are faithful to our Lord and Savior, He continues to give and give and give. He already gave till it hurt; and then some. Now it's our turn to give till it hurts; and then some. Do you really think you are living the life God wants you to have? the life God wants to give you? Can you love like Jesus loves?

     Luke 6: 27 "But I say to you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.." Are you loving the people you consider your enemies? Are you being good or doing good things for the people who hate you? Luke 6:28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." So, the last time someone swore at you, what did you do? Luke 6:29 "And to him that hits you on one cheek, offer him the other; and to him that steals your coat, give him your shirt." There's a rare sight. Or maybe not so rare. I have been accused of being a doormat, but I have only "turned the other cheek."
     Luke 6:30 "Give to every man (or woman) that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again." If someone asks you for something that is rightfully yours, can you give it to them in love? If a thief or a friend takes something that belongs to you, do you try to get it back?
     Luke 6:31 "And as you would that men (and women) should do to you, do you also to them likewise." Treat others how you want to be treated. When we bless people, regardless of how we have been treated, they will respond in kind. Luke 6:32 "For if you love only those who love you, what good does it do you? For sinners also love those that love them." You are not getting any credits built up in heaven if you only love the people who love you back. We must love everyone the same; treat everyone the same.
     Luke 6:33 "And if you do good to them who do good to you, what good does it do you? for sinners are also good to they who are good to them."  Are you being good to your enemies? Do you share what you have with someone you don't like?
     Luke 6:34 "And if you lend to someone hoping to receive something back, what good does that do to you? for sinners lend to sinner, expecting to receive as much back again." We are to give without expecting compensation back from anyone we give to. Therefore it is not a loan that we are giving them; it is a gift.
     Luke 6:35 "But love you your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil." We are to (1) Love our enemies; (2) Do good to all; (3) Lend to all; (4) Hope for nothing in return. Why? For great is our reward AND we will be the children of the Highest, He who gives gifts to everyone. He who shows kindness to the ungrateful and thankless people.
     Luke 6:36 "Be merciful, as your Father also is merciful." As Christians, we are to show mercy to all, not expecting a recompense of anything. We who have answered the call to salvation are Christians; therefore, we have become the sons of God also and can call Him Father. Because our Father has shown mercy to us, forgiving all sins and transgressions on our part, we are to show mercy to all on their part. We are His people, and He is our God. Psalm 100:3 "Know you that the LORD He is GOD: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture."
     Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged: condemn not, and you will not be condemned: forgive, and you will be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give to you. For with the same measure that you mete out, it shall be measured to you again." If you turn on the television, not too many Prime Time shows are advocating mercy or forgiveness or love. Most shows and movies have swearing, mild nudity and/or someone gets hurt or killed. People in general do not want to change for the better; only the worse. Sometimes this can happen to Christians, too. We start running with the pack and we will behave like the pack.
     But when we walk with God and behave like Christ, we get separated from the pack mentality. By advocating love and mercy, we show that we are different; that this difference is a good thing. An example to be emulated and not treated like dung. Without love, the true love of Christ, that changes a person from the inside out, we are just like everyone else. "But, Mom, EVERYBODY'S DOING IT!" is a lie. That is the pack mentality creeping into the situation.
     As Christians today, especially in this crumbling immoral world we live in, we now more than ever need the love of God in us. And we need to show it and share it with the rest of the world: one person at a time, if we have to. You want to see the world become a better place? You who advocate change for the better instead of for the worst, are you willing to make the sacrifice it will require for you to love your enemies and bless those who mock you, imprison you, torture you or kill you? Without love, it is impossible to change anyone, even yourself. But with love...hm. 

Just you watch. I'm gonna change the world.

    

    

Relationship, Not Religion

     You saw in the last post that God has many calls on our life. This is one of them. Called into fellowship with God. But the only way to be in fellowship with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

That is why we refer to our faith as a relationshp and not a religion.
     Which is why, in the next verse, Paul talks about working together, with each other, instead of against each other. 1 Corinthians 1:10 "Now I beg you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
     No divisions. Perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. We are, after all, the body of Christ, and as such should be joined to each other that we may work well together. We are all called into service. God did not create our bodies to lay around and play. We are created to serve. Serve each other by working together in the same frame of mind and with love; thereby serving God because we have answered the call to fellowship.
     There is only one God. It is God's doctrine we should all be following. It is God's Word we should all be obeying. Under the old covenant, which we know as the Old Testament, there was not a lot of grace found. Few there were who found grace in God's sight. For God looks on the heart and the heart of mankind, in the most part, was without righteousness of heart and mind. But once Jesus Christ came to earth and lived out His ministry, we came under the new covenant, which is the New Testament. Testament means covenant. This new covenant is grace.
     The grace of God is available to us through Jesus Christ. He was sent from God to proclaim the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, which could only be entered into through repentance of sin on our part. Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom is at hand." ~ Mark 1:14, 15 "And after John the Baptist was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel."
     Luke 1:18, 19, 21, 43 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord....This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.....I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent."
     John 3:1-5 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a Teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou does, except God be with Him. Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit'."
     Being called into fellowship with Christ, we have also been called into service with Christ. It is our mission to finish where He left off. We have been commissioned by Him to also preach the gospel of repentance, in power. Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been called to receive power, power that penetrates the opposition, to witness Jesus Christ to the whole world. And it is the Holy Spirit who endows us with this power, when we receive the baptism of Him.
     It is this power, the power of the Holy Spirit, that I have in good measure, by the which therefore I am able to bring the Word of God to you. I cannot do this without first knowing Jesus, and second, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To you I am called to preach the gospel of repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ. To you I am called by God to serve Him in whatsoever capacity He places me. To you I am your servant, also. And, as I serve you, I serve God. For it is His commandment that I love you as Jesus loves me. And how has Jesus loved me? With a neverending, ever-forgiving, unconditional, all-accepting love. As Jesus loves me, I love you. Therefore, as He teaches me, through the Holy Spirit of God, so teach I you.
    
    
    
      

Spiritually Deaf-Mute



     This verse is one of God's many warnings to everyone. Whether you believe God or not, you should read the Bible for yourself, that you may know what God has to say to you. Do not take someone else's word for it what the Bible has to say. You and you alone are responsible for your actions and inactions. It will be noone else's fault if you choose to ignore God's message to you. Or if you should choose to disregard His calls on your life.

     You who have chosen to not answer God's calls on your life have set yourself up to receive God's wrath on your life instead of God's delight in you. You may think that what you have chosen to do with your life has gone unnoticed by God. You are wrong. God knows. God sees. The first part of this first says that GOD HAS CHOSEN YOUR DELUSIONS. You may think you are doing The Lord's work, but if you are not listening to God's direction, you are only fooling yourselves.

     Remember, God first calls us to salvation. And there are many verses, including these two, that will tell you this, if you will only listen and obey:

• "There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved." Acts 4:12
• "Believe on the name of Jesus Christ" 1 John 3:23
• "Whoever calls on the name of The Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:12
• "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" John 3:3

     I have heard it said that God only calls some people to salvation and not others. THIS IS NOT TRUE. God calls everybody to salvation. Some refuse to hear the call; some hear and refuse to answer. Romans 12:28 often gets misquoted or misinterpreted: "And we know that all things wotk together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Many people omit the words 'to them that love God' with the intent to misinform you and distract you from hearing God's proper Word. I have heard people quote only the first few words 'all things work together for good' and leave the rest off because they don't want to acknowledge that this is a Bible verse. 

     God is calling you to salvation. The next verse Romans 12:29 uses the word "predestinate", which throws people off and causes them to think or say that God knows who will be saved and who will not, using this as an excuse to not believe God's Word or receive God's salvation. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Everyone is predestined by God. John 3:16 "For God so loved THE WORLD (everyone and this includes you), that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER (you) believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

      All the Word of God is for everyone to read, to hear, to obey. Your choice. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do. And while God does not force anyone to salvation, it is your disobedience for not believing and not receiving that will bring about your downfall. Disobedience always has consequences in life. For instance:

•  Driving over the speed limit gets you a ticket, which has to be paid or you will suffer even more.   
• Cheating on your spouse (adultery) will ruin your marriage, your family and your reputation.
• Cheating on you income tax returns will get you a penalty of a fine or fine + jail.
• Driving without paying attention will get you a ticket for Inattentive Driving. Sometimes this causes accidents, which may result in injuries to yourself and others. This causes your insurance rates to increase or drop you. Medical bills and household finances could suffer if you are unable to work due to your inability to pay attention while driving.
• Not eating right or eating sufficiently can cause a person to get sick. Not just stomach aches from eating the wrong foods, but diabetes, gout, plaque in your arteries, heart attack, osteoporosis, to name a few.
• Buying without paying cash = debt. And too much debt could cause a person to lose any assets.

     So why assume that disobeying God will not have any unpleasant consequences on you? It is foolishness to believe that your goodness is enough. It is foolishness to believe that God does not exist. It is the pot telling the potter, "I have made myself and I can do what I please." Foolishness. Psalm 14:1 "The fool says in his heart there is no God..." To say it aloud will only make know to those within hearing that you are a fool. It does not declare God's nonexistence, for GOD IS and always will be.

    

    

Let the words of my mouth be Your Word

Emeralds

I LOVE studying GOD's Names and what they mean. Don't you? Who does not want to get closer to the one they love and learn everything they can about that person? "Draw near to GOD and He will draw near to you. ..." James 4:8.  "But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him." Hebrews 11:6.

JEHOVAH'S NAMES In the Bible there are 72 Names of GOD beginning with the word JEHOVAH. I knew of at least five by heart, but had no idea there were so many. I am sure that you and I both will increase in knowledge of the WORD of GOD. " Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6.

The following links direct you to songs of worship and praise on youtube by various artists. I tried to choose songs that truly expressed the meaning of the Name of GOD by which it is linked. I hope you enjoy listening to these while you study with me, as I have.

Names of GOD = A song of praise of the Names of GOD

EL SHADDAI = THE ALL SUFFICIENT GOD

YESHUA ADONAI (Spanish/Espanol song) = JESUS THE LORD

ELOHIM =GOD

YESHUA = While Yeshua does indeed mean Jesus, Savior, a little deeper study reveals that GOD is not only Savior of all, He is a personal Savior, too. EL YESHUATENU : The GOD of our salvation (Psalm 68:19). EL YESHUATI : The GOD of my salvation (Isaiah 12:2). Searching online for a Biblical definition of Yeshua, God directed my hands to this site: The Hebrew Names of God. Here, you and I will learn not only the definition, but how to pronounce the names.

ADONAI = THE LORD (There are many songs with the title Adonai because there is much love expressed for our LORD by many Christians. But of all of them, the song by Avalon will forever be my favorite.)

ADONAI LI = THE LORD IS FOR ME

YHWH = THE LORD JEHOVAH

LION OF JUDAH First mentioned in Hosea 5:14 "For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him." And again in Revelation 5:5 "And one of the elders saith unto me, 'Weep not: behold THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDA, THE ROOT OF DAVID, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."

Though I have enjoyed being able to use my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, it has become too heavy and the font has shrunk (smile). Searching the web with the help of the Holy Spirit is better than searching without Him: Concordances.org is one of my favorite Bible Study helps.

In addition to having my Bible open in front of me, my concordance open to the right of me, I now have 3 additional windows open, besides this one, in front of me. To my left is my book-stack (no shelves yet) which holds my Bible Dictionary, a couple more Bibles and a few study books. Behind me is my husband's desk and files, where he studies. Where does my help come from? "My help comes from THE LORD, Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2. On all sides, I am encompassed by the WORD OF GOD. And I don't want to leave. But leave I must; it is time for me to get up and move around a little bit before my muscles atrophy and I cannot move at all. At least my love for my GOD won't atrophy; my heart, my mind, my soul, my will still bend to His will, His desire.

Thank you GOD for drawing me into a deeper place of worship. I love You so much. How green the emerald rainbow is around Your throne.

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~9. Integrity of Worship

     Before I share the qualities of each Bible Study, I make sure that I am either living the passage of Scripture or working my way there. This one took a little longer than the rest.

Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with ten thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed us, O people, what is good; and what does the LORD require of us, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your GOD?
Psalm 51:15-17
O LORD, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You desire not sacrifice; else would I give it: You delight not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of GOD are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O GOD, You will not despise.
Isaiah 33:15
He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions (deceit), that shakes his hands from holding of bribes (refuse to take bribes), that stops his ears from hearing of blood (does not listen to gossip, backbiting, backstabbing, hateful speaking), and shuts his eyes from seeing evil (does not look on wickedness or evil acts being done).
Job 2:9
Then said his wife to him, "Do you still retain your integrity? curse GOD and die."
Job 27:4-6, 8
My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. GOD forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live....For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has gained, when GOD takes away his soul?Job 31:6
Let me be weighed in an even balance, that GOD may know my integrity.

     We can memorize all the worship songs and sing them loudly and on key; that doesn't make us a worshiper. We are just noise, static, and the only one who really hears us is us. Our heart needs to be right with GOD before GOD will acknowledge our worship. For worship comes from the heart.
     The Book of Micah says that GOD requires of us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with GOD. To do justly is to deal fairly with everyone, regardless of stature or class. What you charge one person for a commodity, you are to charge another the same. What I require for a real friendship from one person, I am to require the same from another. We are to treat each other with fairness. John 15:12 "This is My commandment, That you love one another as I have loved you."
     To love mercy is to be merciful to all. Generally speaking, we tend to render mercy to those we think need it; and people we think don't need it, we seldom, if ever, render mercy to. But GOD says to love mercy is to give mercy to all; with a loving heart. As Christians, we should have the love of GOD in us because we have CHRIST in us. If we are not sharing mercy with all, it is because there is more of us present in our hearts, than there is JESUS in our hearts. John 3:30  "He must increase, but I must decrease."
     To walk humble with your GOD is to submit our will, our "I wants", to His will. Not forcefully, but surrendering with humility and love.  The Book of Proverbs tells us how to walk humble with our GOD. The positive part of the verse applies to the Christian. The negative part of the verse tells us how we should not behave. Matthew 22:37 "You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

     That's Integrity. It's not something you and I are born with. Integrity grows in us as CHRIST grows in us. Knowing what is right and doing what is right is integrity. Knowing what is evil and doing what is evil is a lack of integrity. Personal ethics should line up with the Word of GOD. Our standard of living must match GOD's standard of living in order for us to be able to acknowledge that GOD is our GOD.
     Integrity is personal, spiritual growth in the things of GOD. It is personal because the outward showing of our integrity is visible to everyone. It is spiritual because GOD sees the heart and knows our thoughts before our thoughts become actions. As David says, in Psalm 51, GOD requires the sacrifice of a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. To walk be able to walk uprightly in heart is to first have that heart of ours be broken. A contrite heart is a repentant heart.
     When our heart is broken, it is because we are no longer able to hold back our stubbornness, our refusal to submit to authority, especially the authority of GOD. And the cries of our heart to be healed finally break the dam of self-centeredness; the tears begin the healing process of repentance and forgiveness. Most of us don't like to cry. We have been taught from a child that tears and crying are a sign of weakness, especially in men and boys. This is a lie. Crying is a call for help. Infants cry because they cannot ask for help verbally. When the baby cries, we answer that cry.  When our hearts cry, GOD answers that cry.
     Tears are a release. The waters overflow the dam and the dam breaks because of the powerful waters. The tears overflow the hardened heart and the heart breaks. A broken and contrite heart is the first item GOD requires. Without repentance, one cannot get into the presence of GOD. John 14:6 "...I am The Way, The Truth and The Life: no man comes to the Father by by Me."

     The verses spoken of in the beginning of this session are the Scriptures on which I have based my studies; yet, there are many more which describe what Integrity is. Most of these are located in the Book of Psalms. A few in Proverbs. These speak of what it means to walk uprightly:

Psalm 7:8  Lead me, O LORD, in Thy righteousness because of my enemies; make Thy Way straight before my face.
Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee.
Psalm 26:1, 11 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in my integrity: for I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
Psalm 41:12 And as for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.
Psalm 78:72 So He fed them according to the integrity of His heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of His hands.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walks in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Proverbs 20:7 The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

     The person who is upright of heart is sincere, undefiled, whole, morally entire, without spot. Integrity is completeness, prosperity, morally innocent, upright; gentle, dear, coupled together. When we walk with our GOD, we walk in our integrity, humbly acknowledging that HE IS GOD and we are His people. We walk with Him; we are together. 3 John 2-4 "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came together and testified of The Truth that is in you, even as you walk in The Truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in Truth."
     When we walk with GOD, we walk in The Truth. And Who is Truth? JESUS CHRIST. See? When we walk with GOD, we walk in JESUS. When we walk in The Word, we walk in JESUS. John 1:1, 14 "In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with GOD, and The Word was GOD...And The Word was made flesh, and lived among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth." ~~ Psalm 119:105 "Thy WORD is a Lamp to my feet,a nd a Light to my path."  ~~ Psalm 119:10, 11 "With my whole heart have I sought You: O let me not wander from Your commandments. Thy WORD have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

     John 4:23, 24 "But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship th Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth."

     Integrity requires knowledge of GOD's direction, GOD's will, for a worshipper. Even in the church, many question what GOD's will is for them. But some of these same people refuse to not only open their Bible and study for themselves, but refuse to believe the Word of GOD when GOD's will is revealed within it. Refusing to believe GOD is wickedness, it's sin. That's not me making a judgment call: that's GOD. I can only share GOD's WORD with you: it's up to you whether or not you accept it.  Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." You can serve the god of the land in which you live or you can serve the GOD of the Bible.
     GOD has more than one will to impart to us, but there is only one way we can do it. Ephesians 6:6 "...but as the servants of CHRIST,

 doing the will of GOD from the heart."

>SALVATION is the number one priority to worshiping with Integrity of Heart.
I Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable  in the sight of GOD our SAVIOUR; Who will have all men be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of The Truth.
John 6:38-40 "For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the Father's will which has sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 3:16-18 "For GOD so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For GOD sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of GOD." GOD's Will is that ALL be SAVED.

>SURRENDER  Romans 12:1 I beseech(beg) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of GOD, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable(logical) service.
     The subject of this series is this verse. Why does GOD consider our service reasonable, logical? Because JESUS CHRIST served GOD with His whole being: His will was not important in accomplishing GOD's mission for Him, through Him. Therefore, it is only logical, reasonable that we surrender ourselves, our will to GOD that His mission be accomplished through us. Because CHRIST was totally committed to serving GOD with everything He had within Him, we are to serve GOD also in this manner. All to Jesus I Surrender.

>SANCTIFICATION  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with CHRIST: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of GOD, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Hebrews 10:10, 14 By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of JESUS CHRIST once for all. .. For by one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified.
     So much more could be said here; I would that you read Hebrews 10 for yourselves. In fact, every verse I share with you, you should verify in your own Bibles. Never take anyone's word for anything you hear; always verify.
     Sanctified means to be made holy, to be purified, to be consecrated, to be venerated mentally. God ordained the seventh day of the week as holy. That day is set apart from the rest of the weekdays to be spent honoring GOD, resting in GOD. That which we do on the other six days of the week is not to be done on the seventh day of the week. When GOD ordains something to be holy, He sets it apart from the other. When we believe in JESUS CHRIST, we become sanctified through Him; we are now set apart from the others.
     You know this to be so. People we do not know come up to us and say, "You're a Christian, aren't you?" How do they know? What is it about us that draws strangers to us who declare such things? It is JESUS. He is the evidence that people see in us. It is our actions: compassion is revealed when we help others, even strangers. "You're a Christian, aren't you?" Yes. I am. May I share JESUS with you today?

>SUFFERING  Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of CHRIST, not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His sake. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it(faith) is the gift of GOD.
     I have to suffer? GOD's will is that I suffer? I can hear indignation and confusion. Mind-boggling, isn't it? And it's a gift! "..it is GIVEN..." With belief comes suffering on His behalf. To suffer for CHRIST's sake is to be persecuted by those who choose not to believe in CHRIST. Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. After the gift of suffering is the gift of heaven.
     GOD's will is that you and I must suffer for CHRIST's sake. When we share JESUS with anyone, only some will receive Him; most will mock us, make fun of us, refuse to be friends with us, some will forbid us to preach or even say His name; some will imprison us; some will kill us. But remember: it is not we who are being rejected: it is JESUS being rejected. And for His sake, we will endure the persecutions, the suffering that GOD wills us to go through.

     And there you have it. This is Integrity. Salvation. Surrender. Sanctification. Suffering. This is what it means to worship GOD in Spirit and in Truth. The Holy Spirit draws us to CHRIST. And once we have the Holy Spirit of GOD in us, we willingly surrender ourselves to GOD's will. Thus, allowing GOD to sanctify our souls, to set us apart from the rest of the world, just for Himself. Which will cause us to suffer for CHRIST's sake.

Do you have what it takes to worship GOD with Integrity? If you want to sing GOD's praises, you have to obey GOD's will. Otherwise, you are just singing to yourself.

     Hebrews 12:1-3

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed (surrounded) wtih so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith;

Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand of the throne of GOD.

For conside Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself,

lest you be wearied and faint in your minds.

    

    
    
    

A Christian Nation

     If we truly were a Christian nation, then people from other countries and cultures, who flee their nation's governments and sanctions, would embrace Christianity as a way of life. But America is not a Christian nation.

And it never will be.

     Though the early settlers from England fled to this country to escape religious persecution in the hopes of having religious freedom, their desire to be self-governing outweighed it. Man is essentially fluid by nature. He changes sides as often as he changes clothes. His viewpoint on what is allowed and what is not seldom lines up with God's viewpoint on the same subject.



     How many of us can truthfully say that we are submissive to our government?, as stated in 1 Peter2:13-16 - "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."
      And, yet, here we are, rising up against our President because we disagree with his policies. This is an election year: if you don't want him in office, vote him out. But while he is still in office, we are to pray for him. This may sound silly to most of you, but it is true. How often are you praying for God's direction in your President's decisions? I must admit, that I for one, have fallen short of this word from God. 1 Timothy 2:1,2 - "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." Sounds radical, does it not?



           Deuteronomy 28 still stands. The Word of God is for everyone; not only are the blessings of God available to those who believe and obey, but the curses of God are available for those who do not believe and who refuse to obey. It is this disobedience to God's Word and God's Will that brings the curse of God into nations and onto people. Hearing the Word of God and obeying the Word of God are two different tasks set before us. To obtain the blessings of God, a person must do both. Do you want God's will for your life? Do you want God's will for your country? Your nation?
Now is the time to get down on our knees and repent of our willfulness and selfish desires. Now is the time to seek God's face and receive God's forgiveness for the wickedness of our hearts and the blood on our hands. Today is the day of salvation and deliverance. Now is the time to pray for our leaders. The clock ticks, time passes, it is another day. O Lord, forgive us for disobeying Your Word and refusing to walk in Your Will.
      Deuteronomy 28:1,2 "And it shall come to pass, if you will listen diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord thy God will set you on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you will hear the voice of the Lord thy God." These words were spoken by Moses to the Israelites, just before Moses' death. But, remember, God's Word is still alive and vibrant. Though Israel will always be God's first love, because the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Christ's followers (disciples) were able to spread the Gospel of salvation first to the Jewish nation, then to the outlying countries. God's people are the people who hear God's Word and obey God's Word and walk in God's laws, God's will.
     The holy nation of which God speaks does not as yet have a solid place of ground on which to build. That time is not yet. Real Christians, people who follow Christ's example and walk in God's laws, people who hear God's Word and obey God's commandments, these people make up the Christian nation, the holy nation of whom God speaks of in 1 Peter 2:9,10 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,a peculiar people; that you would show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

      I want God's blessing on my life. Do you? Let us pray.

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~8. Hands of Worship

Psalm 63:4
Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.

    While the word "hands" appears in the KJV Bible 438 times, only 13 of those refer to worshiping God. Of those 13 times, one verse has floods worshiping (Psalm 98:8), one verse has 'the deep' worshiping (Habakkuk 3:10) and one verse has trees worshiping (Isaiah 55:12). The other ten verses which reference worship to God using the hands are either personal (I, my) or other (they, your, men, all people).
     The word "hand" appears in the KJV Bible 1,296 times: 1,144x in the OT and 152x in the NT.
None of the times in which the word "hand" appears in the NT use it in reference to worship of God. When the word "hand" is used in the NT, it describes an action or location. For example, "at hand" means close by or near to; as in, "The kingdom of God is 'at hand'. This phrase, 'the kingdom of God is at hand' is used in the NT   x. The kingdom of God is a method: it is salvation through Jesus Christ and it is preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We must repent and believe (Mark 1:15); repent of our sins and sinful ways and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God.

    While the use of the word "hands" is personalized, the word "hand" is descriptive. So, let's think about that for a minute or two. Look at your hands. First the back. And then the front. What did you see? The back of my hands are worn. In the light I can see the creases and wrinkles on my fingers. When I flex my fingers, the joints hurt and some of them crack. The middle finger on my right hand is more inflamed than the others; I broke it many years ago and it never healed quite right; it also tilts. My knuckles are swollen. 

     I turn my hands over and am thankful that my wrists still work even through the pain, which at this moment extends from the left pinky down the hand and up the arm to my shoulder. It is not age and decay that creeps through my body: I suffer with severe Fibromyalgia, which is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. My body has also succumbed to osteoarthritis. Yippee-ki-yay. 

     But my heart and my soul and my spirit are stronger than ever. With my hands I will praise Him.  My fingers are only at rest when my eyes are closed in sleep, I hope. So the fingers on my hands are in constant motion: typing, writing in my journals/notebooks, washing and drying dishes,  turning pages in my Bible and other books, folding laundry, fastening buttons, closing zippers, changing from one outfit to another, bathing, washing my hair, getting a drink, eating meals, flexing and stretching. Of course with that last, flexing and stretching, I get to hear them crack, too.

     With my hands I will worship God. My heart is filled with the Love of God and overflows into the rest of my body. Perhaps it is this that causes my body to vibrate at all hours of the day and night. We do know that the spiritual affects the physical and the mental. As rain not only washes away, but also regenerates, I am being cleansed and renewed by the Holy Spirit of God on every level of my life. Even my body is aware of the transforming power of God, not just my spirit and my mind.

     When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my sins were forgiven and my soul became His. Instantly, I belonged to God and Jesus forever. Through that act of faith, my soul received salvation. However, my body and my must needs also be completely surrendered to Him. Jesus gave all of Himself for me. Therefore, the only logical thing is to give all of myself for Him. With God it is all or nothing. The Book of Revelation says that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth. In other words, a partial reconciliation is no reconciliation; a half-hearted relationship makes Him vomit. I do not want to be vomit.

     With my hands I will praise Him. But my heart must be in it, too. It is not enough to just be able to sing along with everyone. God is not impressed that you know all the words to your favorite songs. God is not satisfied with you knowing all the books of the Bible in order. Nor is He content with our ability to memorize Scripture; then forget it. The Word of God needs to be read, heard, obeyed and applied to our daily lives. Saturday and Sunday are not the only days of worship that are to be observed. Living for Jesus must be done everyday. We can't be Christians one day of the week and sinners the other six days. That is being lukewarm and half-hearted. That is vomit.

    I will lift up my hands in Thy Name. When the enemy is at our backs, and says, "Stick'em up!", lifting our hands is an act of surrender. But we are not surrendering to the enemy, we are surrendering to God. With our hands we raise His standard, Jehovah-Nissi, meaning: God, my banner. The standard is lifted up at the forefront of the troops, who are prepared to go into battle. We are the footsoldiers of God.

And with our hands we will praise Him.