Today I see a world shaken.
Today I see men scrambling.
Confusion and terror reign over the land.
The mighty fear a tiny foe,
And hide from each other,
Behind strips of cloth – A worthless defense.
Has Hope really fled?
Science is aghast.
Hearts are torn
From fear and dread
As we count the dead.
~ Me in Quarantine
It may seem like an odd title for the meeting between The Apostle Paul and the Jewish leadership at Rome. However, we find that by the end of the day (and the Bible says “from morning till evening”) Paul testifies with all of the love in his heart that Jesus is the One who fulfills both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah!
Yet some believe and some doubt. As they prepare to leave his house, Paul delivers a tender message straight from the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah:
26saying,
‘Go to this people and say:
“Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’ ~Acts 28:26-27 NKJV
Notice that not Paul, but The Holy Spirit, mentions that the people’s hearts have turned away from God. Praise God that some of the Jews receive Jesus that day; while the remainder depart to argue the matter.
28”Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” 29And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. ~ Acts 28:28-29 NKJV
Paul continues to preach about the Lord Jesus Christ from his own rental house for two more years. No one forbids Paul, and we have no idea how many lives are brought into God’s kingdom through Paul at Rome. Whatever the number, PRAISE THE LORD! – for each and every heart that softens, brightens, and turns to Jesus.
Long, Long ago the Lord said His love is everlasting, unfailing, and His heart is drawn toward His people. God’s Valentine’s Day message to you is Turn, TURN your heart to Jesus. Repent and receive salvation today.
Firstly, God bless you for reading and following Jesus!
Secondly, thank you for following
Photo Credit Heart Abstract: © Can Stock Photo / mrdoggs
²²But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, ²³GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL. Against such there is no law. . . 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.~Galatians 5:22,23,25 NKJV
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap . . . 8bbut he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. . . . 16And as many as walk according to this rule, PEACE and MERCY be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.~Galatians 6:7,8b,9,16 NKJV (emphasis added)
Brethren, keep God’s law – love one another. Share each others’ burdens. Keep sowing to the Spirit and reap everlasting life. Don’t lose heart!
As I look upon the state of our nation and the entire world I am sad to recognize the fulfillment of Bible prophecy regarding the end times. The stage is set for the Restrainer to be removed from planet Earth so that the Antichrist should be revealed. He will spread his wicked agenda across the globe.
7For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the One who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by the splendor of His coming. 9This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 NIV
Every heart of every person is driven by love. Yes, even the wicked love something.
15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17 NKJV
Mankind is now standing on the edge of a timeline precipice. We have a unique viewpoint of world events via media technology. Those who are watching can view approaching fulfillment of God’s prophecy regarding the end of the age of man governing himself. Soon Jesus Christ will return to Earth, conquer Satan, and set up His kingdom. Yeshua, our Messiah Jesus, will reign for one thousand years upon this Earth. He will reign with strong power over evil. As we have seen, the wicked who do not love truth shall be destroyed at His coming.
Now would be a very good time to be sure that you do not believe Satan’s lies. If you have not surrendered your love of worldly things to Jesus, there is no better time to take care of eternal business than right now. Helpful guidance is available here, talk to another believer or Pastor that you respect, or email me with questions.
Prayer – Father, as we lift Your Name above the heavens and all of the planets, stars, and galaxies of Your creation, convict hearts today that love the lie rather than Your Truth. In the Matchless and Wonderful Name of our Redeemer, Jesus, thank you for such an awesome gift of salvation for those who sincerely choose eternal life over death by asking You to replace love of the world with Your love of Truth in their hearts. Amen.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. ~ 1 John 2:26 NKJV
Thank you for following
There’s one last thing I need to do with Dad’s New Testament Bible. It’s time to put it away. Dad’s testimony is posted in several articles on this blog and will hopefully be read by many people in the coming years. It hurts my heart, but the binding is pretty much shot.
If I do this now, perhaps Dad’s great-grand kids will be able to investigate the message Dad left inside before the pages disintegrate. It sure surprised me when I found it.
Sorting out the loose pages, I decided the last thing for me to do is the old-fashioned remedy – no, not duct tape! A hair band will do fine –
at least for now. God’s Word lives on inside its covers and it is up to my Father in Heaven whether to use this relic as a witnessing tool in the future – or not.
The last thing left now is what some call closure. I just chalk it up to another crying day in a tough but victorious year in our Lord Jesus:
“Thank you again, Dad. The last thing you accomplished posthumously with your little Bible was this quote from page 381”:
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. ~ Hebrews 4:12-13
So hey! It looks like God is still using Dad’s Bible to send His message out; and it’s not the last thing.
It’s a heart thing.
My daughter found this painted stone at Red Rock Canyon last week. Soon it will be placed far, far from Nevada – for someone else who needs inspiration.
What is going on? A project is trending about leaving a stone of inspiration for another person to find. The message painted on the rock is meant to inspire that person who in turn leaves it in another location for the next person to find and so on; a paying it forward project, so to speak.
My daughter found a Proverbs 3:5 Inspiration Stone:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ~ Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
If you are somewhere in Alaska, you could be the next person to find this rock:
Proverbs 3:5 is a precious message. Isn’t it miraculous how God’s Word ties us all together and binds us to Himself with a painted rock? You know what is even more amazing? This rock may have been created by God millions of years ago in order to be picked up and lovingly painted by someone living now; left in some random location for another special someone to find, who may be blessed in a personal way just by finding it. Think of the journey of this one little stone. This rock is about the size of a large egg and look what it can do! God is using it as a witnessing tool to spread His love message to a vast number of people.
WOW! What can you do compared to a rock? Hmmmm …
I love the next verse:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:6 NKJV
I believe God is doing a mighty work with this project by directing the paths of individuals all over the planet to read and to think about His Word; and to share in being God’s witnesses. I like the word “laugh” painted on this rock. I laughed when I realized how God keeps everything so simple for us. He makes it so easy to witness for Him that sometimes it’s fun.
Have you found one of these rocks? Be on the lookout – Evidently, they are all over the place!
Sometimes we would like to participate in God’s work, but don’t know how. In this case, I didn’t find the rock – my daughter did. She was inspired to bring it to me so that I could tell you the story and then place the rock in a location frequented by lots of people. So easy. Praise God, I became part of all this, even though I didn’t go anywhere or find anything.
What can you do? Suggestions:
I am leaving this Proverbs 3:5 Rock somewhere in Alaska this week. It will be found and another story will unfold. Another person will be inspired – and another – and another …
If you need more inspiration, here is a link to my article, What Can You Do?
(If you don’t find a stone of inspiration, don’t worry. The Bible is full of God’s messages to you. The same important stuff is all in there. Read it. Live it. Share it.)
Thank you for following.
Something happened recently that showed me how important it is to open my heart to the Holy Spirit. It had to do with caring for my elderly mother after a surgery. I was feeling pretty good about myself to be able to help her out and then one evening I came home from cooking a simple meal for my folks and saw a Facebook posting about appreciating your mom more after having kids of your own. Before I could scroll down, I believe the Holy Spirit put a thought into my mind something like this:
“No, you will never really appreciate your mother until you have the privilege of caring for her when she is frail, hurting, and injured – the way she cared for you most of your life!”
The first week after her surgery I stayed at my parents’ house. I realized by the third day that Mom was recuperating nicely, but I was feeling stressed somehow. I asked God to heal Mom completely and then to give me the heart to love being with my folks; in their home; to be respectful and positive; to give encouragement; to serve cheerfully; and most of all, to show them love like I have never shown them in my life. I asked Him to give me joy, understanding, and peace without being torn between my world and theirs.
God is so faithful and He rewards those who seek Him by giving them the desires of their hearts. God answered the prayers of healing for Mom right way. She is recovering rapidly and the joint repair has already healed in three weeks (according to her physical therapist). He says a few months of therapy with exercises at home should deliver her a good outcome. Thank you, Jesus!
As for me, within days my whole attitude improved. My spirit is singing and my relationship with Mom is moving to a higher level of trust and respect. Each morning I waken with anticipation of what blessings God has in store for us today. As I drive to their house, bring in the newspaper and start breakfast; Mom already has the coffee made (with one good arm, bless her). We swing right into the day as they catch me up on how things went overnight. We have always had a good relationship, but now I believe that God is doing an amazing work in the three of us. It feels like He is drawing us into His Spiritual realm of abiding love.
So what is this abiding love of God? I am still learning about it as the Holy Spirit reveals. For now, I believe it is the love that sticks; that binds; that never fails; that doesn’t quit; doesn’t expect; doesn’t fault. It is the love that knows I need a heart renovation and is giving me one. Thank you, Lord!
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