The Lord Is - - March 2023

 

YHVH MANAH KOWC

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' maw-naw' koce)

THE LORD IS MY CHOSEN PORTION AND MY CUP

Psalm 16:5

The LORD is My Chosen Portion and My Cup: You have made my lot secure.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4490 & 3563

Chosen Portion: part, weighed out, divided to (inheritance), ration

My Cup: container, to hold together, (my) lot

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Strength of My Heart and My Portion forever.

Psalm 116:13

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

Psalm 119:57

The LORD is My Portion; I have promised to keep Your words.

Psalm 142:5

I cry to You, O LORD: "You are my refuge, My Portion in the land of the living."

Jeremiah 10:16

The Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance--the LORD of Hosts is His name. 

YHVH SHALOM

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' shaw-lome')

THE LORD IS PEACE

Judges 6:24

So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7985

Peace: completeness, soundness, welfare

    Though this word Peace has several more meanings/definitions, the implication in this verse is so much more. Here Gideon has built an altar in recognition of the covenant relationship between him and God. And has given this altar a name: THE LORD IS PEACE: In Him I Am Complete.

    Gideon had an encounter with the Lord. The Lord chose Gideon from the smallest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. He called the youngest to be a "mighty man of valor". But Gideon wasn't sure he was able to be what God called him to be, so he prepared a meal for the angel of the Lord to prove it was indeed Him with whom he was speaking (Judges 6:11-24).

    God always chooses that which appears to be weak and small to serve Him best. For "little is much when God is in it". He runs everything we give Him through His multiplying hands, making known to all just Who our God is. The Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world that He might shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world that He might shame the strong; He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence."

    May the Lord use us for His glory, also. Let us enter His presence with humble hearts, seeking His face and listening for His voice. Let us fall on our knees before our God as an offering to Him. Let us, too, covenant with our God and live to serve Him only. Let us embrace Christ Our Peace (Colossians 3:15) and hold fast that which He gives us (Hebrews 3:14; Revelation 3:11). 

YHVH AREK

(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' aw-rake')

THE LORD IS LONGSUFFERING

Numbers 14:18

'The LORD is longsuffering in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgressions; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.'

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 750 

LONGSUFFERING: patient of spirit, slow to anger

2 Peter 3:15

And esteem the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom having been given to him.

Psalm 86:15

But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

    Why does the Lord wait so long to punish the guilty? He's waiting for the spiritual ark to have the last person saved enter into it. The Lord does not move on our timetable; He moves on His. 

AMPELOS

(pronounced am'-pel-os)

THE VINE

John 15:5

I am The Vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 288

Vine: grapevine

    In the Scriptures we read that there are two grapevines. One is the Christless church, they which proclaim to be Christ followers but which have no power.The other is Christ Himself as He states here. 

The Christless church is not gainfully fruitful; that which feeds on it bears rotten fruit: tasteless and undesirable. 

The Christ-filled church, His faithful followers, is very fruitful. And we want to be fruitful. Having a Christ-centered, Holy Spirit filled church will cause those seeking a right relationship with God to feed on His Word: for His Word is tasty and highly desirable.

>God's Word is Bread: John 6:35, 41, 48

>God's Word is Living Water: John 4:14

>God's Word is Sweeter Than Honey: Psalm 19:10; 119:103

>God's Word is Marrow and Fatness (Life and Sustenance): Psalm 63:5

So, in the True Vine, the hungry will be satisfied; the thirsty will slake their thirst. In the True Vine is sweetness, life and abundance. 

Signs & Wonders of Christ's Arrival - - Gifts For The Gift

 

Matthew 2:11

On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1435

Gifts: present, sacrifice {offered to God}, something not coerced, spontaneous, offering

 From the Greek word 'dóron' (pronounced do'-ron). 

(cf) Matthew 5:42 "leave your offering at the altar"; Luke 21:1-4 "the widow's mite" (sacrificial offering).

THE FIRST GIFT

The first gift given was their time. They used their time in their homeland to research the birthplace of the King they had come to know in their studies of old manuscripts and they watched the night skies for the star that would rise in His honor.

THE SECOND GIFT

The second gift the wise men gave the Christ was their worship. They fell down, kneeled, prostrated themselves before him (face to the ground) and worshiped Him. Not His mother. She was the vessel of honor by which He came into this world, but worship is given to her Son Jesus Christ. Worship is an act of humility, it is humbling ourselves before the King of kings and giving Him our all: our hearts, our lives, our bodies; for His service, for His glory, for His honor. Out of their hearts the wise men gave. Out of their treasuries they gave. So, too, should we be prepared to come into the presence of God with our worship. Before we ever get to church our hearts need to be ready to receive what God has to give. And we need to be ready to give what God desires of us.

THE THIRD GIFT

The third gift they gave was gold. A precious commodity no matter what age you live in. It acknowledged His Kingship and Authority to rule. This gold was an offering, a sacrifice, a parting of their wealth to render unto the King what was due Him. We, too, need to render a monetary offering unto God. We call it tithing and love offerings. Because we love Him, we want to give Him everything, even our monies, which, while God does not need our money, He still requires us to be obedient in giving to Him. 

 

THE FOURTH GIFT 

The fourth gift given was frankincense. A costly fragrance used in the making of incense. The incense God instructed Moses to make included frankincense. It was laid before the the Most Holy Place before the priest could enter.

Exodus 30:34-37

34. The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures,

35. and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy.

36. Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

37. You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD.

THE FIFTH GIFT

The fifth gift they gave Him was myrrh. This was common spice used to anoint the dead, that their bodies would not stink while decaying. 

(cf) Mark 16:1 "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus." 

Also, myrrh was a fragrant perfume used to anoint the king's wife (Esther 2:12), or the king himself (Song of Solomon 3:6). A precious oil reserved for precious beloved people. 

All the gifts given to Jesus not only acknowledged who He is, but foretold what would happen in His life. 

Time: He only had a short amount of time to make the biggest impact during His three year ministry. John 12:35 "Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going."

Worship: John 4:23, 24 Worship God: "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

Gold: In heaven pure, unadulterated gold is used for  pavement and building material in the new city which God has prepared for His people. Revelation 21:18, 21. 

Gold is also the crown which Christ wears: Revelation 14:14 "And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand."

Frankincense: A bitter, pungent fragrance used primarily for incense. 

It was placed on the table of gold near the showbread in the temple of the Lord (Leviticus 24:7) as a memorial portion, an offering to the Lord. 

Myrrh: Used as an ointment (to heal wounds), a burial spice and a burnt offering (releasing a sweet odor/aroma). John 19:39 "Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds." In their love for Him, Joseph and Nicodemus received permission to remove His body from the cross to bury Him properly. Even though they believed He would rise again, the nearness of that rising was hid from them. Therefore, Jesus needed to be buried in a clean place and anointed with fragrances that would keep Him pure for awhile. 

In today's market value that much myrrh is estimated to cost $150k. Whoof. Pricey. And yet worth every penny. Yet these gifts do not even compare with the Gift which God has given to mankind.

THE BEST GIFT

John 3:16

"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."

John 6:40

"For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:8-10

8. But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

9. that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

THE GIFT OF GRACE

Now is the time to receive God's gift. Now is the time to open your heart and believe. Now is now, later may be too late. 

Many say we are living in the last days. So, too, did the disciples of Christ in their day in the beginning of the age of the church. Do not delay your day of salvation according to your timetable. Until Christ returns, every day is the last day. Only God knows the hour in which He will send His Son to gather up His bride, the church (Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). 

This is not manana time. There is no tomorrow to plan for. Today is your day of salvation. Today is the day you should open God's gift of salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah. 
We beg you to reconsider your decision and not walk away. We implore you to come to the altar now. To humble yourselves  and kneel before God in repentance, to receive His forgiveness and grace. 

Ephesians 2:6-9

6. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

7. in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9. not by works, so that no one can boast.

COME WORSHIP THE KING by Michael W. Smith, Shane & Shane

REFINER'S FIRE (Purify My Heart) by Vineyard Wordship

I GIVE YOU MY HEART by Hillsong 

 

Little Is Much When God Is In It

 

Excerpt from Hy Pickering's 1,000 Acts and Facts as quoted in Treasury of Gospel Gems Volume IV by Theodore W. Engstrom, Zondervan Publishing House ca. 1946:

GIVE OF YOUR BEST

William Colgate, a name now world famous in connection with soap, left home because the family was so poor. He started for New York City and on the tow path an old canal boat captain asked him where he was going, and had a word of prayer with him. When they arose from their knees, the old captain said, "William, what can you do?" "Make tallow candles and soft soap," he replied. "Well," said the captain, "give your heart to God and ten cents out of every dollar you earn, and maybe God will make you a great soap maker some day." Young Colgate did this, and then increased to fifteen cents on a dollar and then to twenty-five and on up until he was giving half his income to God's work. Before he died, it is said, he gave his entire income to carry on God's work in the world. 'Give, and it shall be given unto you.' Luke 6:38

******************************************************

    And again, in Matthew 25:29 we read this: 'For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.' Young Mr. Colgate took what he had been given and used it for God's glory. The more he earned the more he gave away. This is God's math. Our Wednesday night Bible Study touched on this subject.

     2 Corinthians 9:7 says we are to be happy about giving to God's work: 'Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.' What appears to be foolishness and nonsense to the people around us is merely logical, reasonable and common sense in God's kingdom. 

     Luke 16:10 'Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.' Everything we have comes from God. Are we being faithful with the little we have been given?  Are we using our 'very little' to grow God's kingdom? 

     Just remember: we cannot out-give God. Whatever He gives us, He expects us to use for His glory and His honor. When we do that, use our talents and gifts for Him, then He promises to bless us mightily. And we can start today. 

      

I Want Your Offering

 "Build Me a tabernacle.

Make Me a sanctuary.

Freely give to Me:

I want your offering.

I want your offering.

IAM the Lord thy God,

You will worship Me.

IAM the Lord thy God

You will worship Me."

I'll build You a tabernacle,

Furnished with precious jewels of Faith

I'll make you a sanctuary:

A garden of delights in a secret place.

You are the Lord my God:

I bring an offering.

You are the Lord my God:

I love Thee, Adore Thee

With all of my heart,

With all of my soul.

I praise Thee, Exalt Thee

I do ............ love You.

You are the Lord my God:

I will worship You.

"Build Me a tabernacle.

Make Me a sanctuary.

Freely give to Me:

I want your offering.

IAM the Lord thy God.

You will worship Me."

You are the LORD my GOD, 

I will worship THEE. ............