Nothing Without YOU

 26 years I've been married to the perfect one God picked out for me.

She is much younger than me so she has been with me more years than she was without me.

I suck at accepting help. I was single for 38 years and content to be single 4 ever.

I suck at loving people who need compassion and the unconditional love of God, the lovingkindness of God, the chesed (Hebrew word for lovingkindness) of the God of Israel.

Had I gone that route, I would have been a self-centered, self righteous, know it all.  All the work that needed done on my stony heart outside of the temple, all the work that needed done to shave it and trim it and make it humbly fit into the place selected by the sovereign God would not have been done. 

My old saying is, "The best way to stay married is to stay married."  This does not apply to abusive situations, or even addictions situations and the Bible says it does not apply to adultery, although, if you extend mercy in that situation GREAT HEALING can and does occur.

But if you run from a marriage that is stretching you, you will not be stretched, growth will be stunted and bitterness could take root. BEWARE.

But if you stay and pray, and humbly take your place in the union God ordained and gives grace and mercy to continue. You will grow and grow and grow, so much so that the Master Gardener will need to prune you to keep the growth healthy and productive. If I did not trim the bushes in front of our house we literally could not get out of our house!

Marriage is a picture of the Messiah and Messiah's community, "church" is a bit of a sucky word. (Mark Klafter taught me that and I am forever grateful.)

Marriage is a mystery.

Mystery as used in the Bible just isn't what we think it is.

Sadly, I don't fully know or understand what the word meaning is in its entirety.

Doesn't it seem like it is something we are being asked by God to seek Him about, to spend time with Him not seeking answers or a teaching, or a system (especially a system, right T. Justin Comer?). We are just seeking Him, walking with HIM in the garden in the cool of the day, and one day our hearts desire to understand what "mystery" means becomes clear.

My friend Dane who helped me a lot today. made it clear that when we pray it flows from a place of acknowledging who HE is, sovereign King of the universe, the God who delights in mercy, because Mercy is how He gets us back on track. Praise Him, worship Him and then let prayer flow from that place of rest and trust.

At Rest, In Him. 

Saved - From What?

 Thanks to John Patrick Harrigan and others, I am able to show you the words that every first century Jew would have put right after, “and you/we will be saved” from the wrath to come at the day of the Lord!

Bonus; Years ago my friend shared with me her understanding of “the fullness of the gentiles” spoken of in Romans 11:25. Just like the fullness of the Amorites in the book of Genesis chapter 15, what is being waited for is the fullness of sin. When the gentiles sins pile so high that God identifies it as the fullness of the gentiles, then He pulls the plug on this evil age and all Israel is saved!

Maranatha!

Time

 It was shared tonight at men’s group that the sacrifice of time, is a very real sacrifice that shows very real life-changing love.

A baptism and a new life in the Messiah Yeshua started today because God used the faithfulness of one of His servants to show sacrificial love. 

Time is something we all have. Are we using it for the Kingdom? Are we living in light of the Day of the Lord?

Ecstasy!

 Paul is ECSTATIC at the end of Romans 11!

The God of Israel has revealed HIS perfect plan to the apostle to the gentiles and it is beyond amazing and proof positive that the God of Israel knows the end from the beginning.  

 

³² For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He might show mercy to all.

³³ O the depth of the riches,
    both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments
    and how incomprehensible His ways!
³⁴ For “who has known the mind of Adonai,
    or who has been His counselor?”
³⁵ Or “who has first given to Him,
    that it shall be repaid to him?”

³⁶ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

 

If you don't have that reaction when you get to the end of Romans 11, you are not reading it correctly.

 

Matthew 10:23 Let’s Dive In

 

“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived."the Message

 

 

Whenever they persecute you in one town, flee to another! I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. NET

 

"In the end of days, you will only have two choices, self-sacrifice or idolatry!" Art Katz 

Two Psalms

 Entered 2 songs in a contest today (lyrics only)

DEEPER STILL 

Deeper still
The feelings are gone
Deeper still
The vision, the purpose is gone
Deeper still
Those who understand are gone
Deeper still
You are gone
Deeper still 

But I cling to You in the night
I cling to You without feeling
Purpose
Friends
You

The mocking voice arises
“Where is your God?”
I don’t know where He is
But I do know who He is

I must remember Your faithfulness
I must believe Your truth
Lest I die

I wanted just a thread to have
Not to hang on to – honest – just to have
But even a thread is evil
Even a thread would be used to destroy
Your love removed the thread
And I mourned my loss

I didn’t really know You till I knew You as a consuming fire
All of me belongs to You
Oh to used by You
That others would know Your love

Faithful Redeemer, Precious Friend
Go Deeper Still!

LOVIN YOU OUT Of The DARK. 

 When we met I knew you were special

Kinda shy but so tender and kind
We grew closer, I sensed your pain my beloved
You hid, but it was showing through the window to your soul

Chorus
What they did was awful it’s true
But it’s not all over for you
I promise my patience
I promise my heart
While I’m lovin you out of the dark 

Through the years, little cracks in your armor
One here, another one there
Began to show a hurting young woman
Then with tears of rage and betrayal your story poured out

(Chorus)

My heart wept for your overwhelming, terrible pain
You feared my reaction I’m sure
But my love I want only to heal and protect
I’ll never walk out that door 

(Chorus)

You are not damaging goods or all dirty
You’re my wife so faithful and true
My love I will give freely
To the one so special it’s always “I DO!”

(Chorus)

I promise my patience
I promise my heart
While I’m lovin you out of the dark

He Yelled IT!

 Luke 7:9"And when Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say unto you, 'I have not found so great faith, 

 no, not in Israel.'"

In Matthew when the story is told it is literally a few minutes after the sermon on the mount, so a large crowd, a multitude, is still right there, following Him, probably talking with each other about the greatest 15 minute teaching ever given, or marvelling at the healing of the leper that took place right before this in Matthew and proved that those 15 minutes were being spoken by someone who had the power of the Spirit of the Most High God flowing through Him and in Him.

The back story presented to a similar event, that probably occurred more than once is presented in Matthew. 

5And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. 9For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

When I read scripture and study scripture I long for the knowledge of the tone of voice that Yeshua was using at the time, and I strongly feel that since Yeshua just heard this amazing confession FROM A MEMBER OF THE GOYIM, THE NATIONS, THE GENTILES HE (the God of the universe, who knows the end from the beginning, who in fact knows everything) marvels!!!!

And then in my not as humble as it needs to be opinion, He turned and yelled to the multitude of people following Him.    

 “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”       

Some of the scariest and yet most comforting words in all of scripture.  You gentiles, not included, with rare exception from the people and plans of God, this Centurion is an indicator that you will be coming in, in great numbers and you Jews who think you are in automatically, no, you are not, I AM the gate, I AM the Way, I AM the truth, you have to go through me or you don't get in.