Monday, February 11, 2013

Proverbs 31 rather than Ezra...what?

I had wanted to start to go over Ezra, but I have decided that I need to revisit Proverbs 31....now you may ask why? Simple answer I want to be the best bride (or wife) that I can be.

Proverbs is wonderful book in the Bible.  Any new Christian, I have a word of advice for you...read one chapter of Proverbs each day of the month.  And there are 31 chapters. How convenient.  Proverbs can teach you how to live your life as a Christian, so it is very helpful.

Wow I just read some very interesting stuff about King Lemuel, and that is that Lemuel means (belonging) to God, and that Lemuel is actually symbolic for Solomon and that since Bathsheba was Solomon's mother, she is possibly the author of verses 1 thru 9.  And the balance is direction to us on a virtuous how to be virtuous.

The virtuous part, is the part I feel lead to deal with this morning.


The Virtuous Wife

10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife?   Now this is a good question, only one who looks shall find a virtuous woman.
For her worth is far above rubies. She will be very valuable to the man who finds her as well as to her children.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;  Her husband will be able to trust her in all matters.
So he will have no lack of gain.  She will always have his back..even if she doesn't want to, she still does.
12 She does him good and not evil. Hmmmmm, I know this is a tough one, but doing This is import, yesterday I struggled with this one.  I wasn't happy with my husbands decisions for our day.  And he probably knew it.  I didn't really speak to him, I didn't ignore him, but I didn't go out of my way to converse with him.  This was my "evil". 
All the days of her life.  ALWAYS, not sometimes, ALWAYS!
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.  Do what needs done for your family and home.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.  Take care of your family whatever it takes.
15 She also rises while it is yet night, if you need more time to do your work get up earlier so that you are prepared when your family is up.
And provides food for her household,  feed your family well, (and not just with food.)
And a portion for her maidservants. If you people that work for you, take good care of them as well.
16 She considers a field and buys it; 
From her profits she plants a vineyard.  Be diligent about the way you spend your money.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.  Take care of yourself s that you can take good care of your family.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.  Like verse 15, if you need to stay up a little later to get finished what needs finished, ask God for strength, He will provide you with the energy you need.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.  I am not100% sure about this one, I think it may have something to do with providing clothe, and clothing for the household.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.  This is easy to understand, do what you can for those that are less fortunate than you...
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.  Take good care of your families, value them!
22 She makes tapestry for herself;  wall coverings?
Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Do all things as unto the Lord. 
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.  Her husband is know because she takes such good care of him and her children.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.  She works hard!
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.  She is happy and honored to do as she does.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness. As she does everything else, she chooses her words carefully and speaks in kind and gentle words.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.  This is very understandable.  Don't waste your time.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;  Her children love her and trust her.
Her husband also, and he praises her:  as does her husband.
29 “Many daughters have done well, 
But you excel them all.”  Understandable 
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,  We will age, do say gracefully and don't fight it!
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  God is so good, always have faith and trust in the Lord.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,  and let her own words praise her in the gates.   We are known by our works, they truly show what kind of women we are.

I need to work on verses 12 and 26.   Where do you need to put forth more effort?
Now go find someone to bless!


Friday, February 8, 2013

Affects of Music (On me.)

There is pretty much one type of music that I listen to....Christian!  Imagine that!  I want to feel the presence of Jesus in my life at all times, don't you?  And I have found that by having myself fairly often in His word and surrounded by music that praises Him, I feel closer to God.

Not to long ago I had purchased a double set of music from World Changers.  This is an awesome bunch of mostly young people who love the Lord and sing His praises.  I had listened to the CD in the car several times but I hadn't taken the time to sit down, I spent more time standing, and listen to the DVD....I did last night...WOW!  Wonderful! Powerful!  Needless to say, I enjoyed it.  And a little bonus was that I got to hear one of the Pastor's from our church sing, just one song, but I was thankful for that one song and to see how on fire for God he is (Pastor Todd White) and how he can help others to really feel the presence of God, you put Jesus together with Todd and awesome things start to happen!

Okay so I was listening and watching this DVD and the song was "Rein in Me". With rein meaning like a King reins over His kingdom.  And as I was listening to and singing along I got to thinking about the home that we provide for Jesus to reside in...(there is a word I need to change, and that is reign...sometimes....do you ever wonder about how your brain works....I was thinking about this writing, and God told me I had misspelled this word, "Thank you Jesus!"

Now let us think about this.  I received a visual image of a heart shaped abode, and not like a Valentine's heart, but like the shape of our actual heart.  And I was seeing it as having some areas that looked fairly comfortable, you know lush grass growing, the kind that you like to walk on in bare feet....and....other areas that looked like they where paved with jagged crystals...each area of jagged crystals are areas of sin that are still in my life.  You all know what I am speaking of.  Can't fool me and what is more important, you can't fool God.  Remember, if you are a Christian, you are the one who invited Jesus into your heart...He didn't just Willy Nilly take up residence.

Okay, everyone has someone in their lives that they hold in high esteem, someone that they really love and admire. Someone that they want to think well of themselves and someone that they wouldn't want to hurt in any way shape or form.  For me it would have to be my Aunt Joyce, this women is awesome, she is one of those people who is beautiful inside and out.  And I have always loved and admired her, she is just an awesome women.  If she came to my house for a visit I would want everything to be perfect!  I would probably take about a week off from work to clean every cubic inch of my house. Just so that Aunt Joyce would be comfortable.  When she would arrive I would offer her the most comfortable chair to sit on and make sure that she is warm and comfortable.

Now let's talk about the home we have for Jesus.  If he's in your heart, if you have invited Him in.  Then don't you think that Jesus should have the same type of courtesy extended to Him, as does that special family member or friend that you have thought about?  If you, like me, have areas within your heart that are paved with sharp and pointy and jagged crystals, needless to say each and everyone of these pointed objects represent a sin, that still remains within our being, either it is something that we listen to, or something that we eat, or something that we smell, something that we see, or something that we speak....it could be so many different things.  In order for our Jesus to be totally comfortable with in our hearts we need to clean house!

So do it!  Just do it!

I may have been a little hard on you this morning, and guess what, I am not sorry, I am speaking kindly and gently in truth.  I like you, I am sure, want to be the best little Jesus I can be.  So go out into the world and find someone to bless.....






.....

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Did Sandy Hook Happen?

Do you use "Google?"  I use Google all the time...last night being Wednesday, I was at church.  Our topic of conversation was....Sandy Hook.

Now I want to pose another question or two or three.
      Do you like to be manipulated?
           Are you stupid? (not a word I like to use.)
                 Are you naive?
                       Do you enjoy being treated like any of the above?
I don't!

I would really like to know the truth about Sandy Hook.  Last evening we talked about the fact that the people of the United States are being totally manipulated by the powers at hand, so that their agendas can be realized.

Now you might ask "What is the government's agenda?" Well to answer this question we have to look back into history, back to WWII.  A very sad time in this worlds history, but something that happened none the less.  There are many aspects of WWII that are sad, what happened to the Jewish people primarily, that someone could actually conceive such a plan, and for the rest of the world to allow this atrocity occur.  Hitler systematically took away the guns of the good people so that they would not be able to defend themselves.  I am sure even back then, there was plenty of realization that "We shouldn't be allowing this!". But they did!  And look what happened.

Fast forward.  Do you know what a "crisis actor" is?  If you don't, you need to find out. When we were watching the newscasts, as things supposedly unfolded, in that tiny town.  We were actually watching "crisis actors." Paid actors that were playing a part to manipulate the people of the United States of America.

WAKE UP AMERICA.  Do we really want another WWII?  And this time it won't be just the Jewish people that will be murdered, it will be the Christians and anyone who fights back!

Please Google Sandy Hook Shooting Fully Exposed and judge for yourselves, but please, and  I am sure that you have heard the phrase "All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few good men to do nothing!"

I know that this is a lot to take in but we need to be very vocal about this, and not let it go until the truth is completely revealed.  So go and be a blessing to someone, even if it is just to spread this information around, the more people hear about this and react the more likely the truth may be to come out.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

What has Been Happening....

Well it has been a while since I have had the opportunity to just visit with you all...how have you all been doing?  Tim and I have been awesome!  I really think that this Daniel Fast has been a wonderful for thing for Tim and I to do and to do as a couple.  And even now we are still eating some of the wonderful things that we learned about by default...like our oatmeal with apple pie spices and blueberries and coconut oil.  Mm mm yummy! And there was something else we came up with and that is brown rice pasta with sauteed leeks, zucchini and yellow summer squash, sauteed in olive oil and when it is almost finished I added about a half a box of organic vegetable stock.  Then just mix it up with the pasta...what an awesome dinner, lunch or whatever.  Since we have finished the fast I made this the other night and after the pasta was cooked I tossed it with some raw mixed up egg, the egg cooks around the hot pasta, the I poured over the vegetables mixed it up and sprinkled on some Parmesan cheese.  This was really good.

This pot of veggies will cook down to about half that amount.  A little bit of quick chopping and you are good to go...and the really fun thing is you can really get creative, I would add mushrooms, but my dear husband does not care for them.  And he has difficulty with onions, but he can and does enjoy the leeks.

One of the other things we have recently done was to go and visit a friend of mine who helps out with a clothes closet at her church.  The drive was beautiful and I was really sorry that I hadn't brought my camera.  We had a very nice visit and got to meet some of the other women there as well.  Deborah is an awesome and giving women that I really enjoy spending time with.  Have you ever meet someone and thought to yourself that you would really like to cultivate a friendship with that person?  If you have you should do it!  The only way things like this occur is if you do it!  

And I don't know about you but I believe it is a good thing to consider wisely who it is that you choose to spend time with and who you choose to have as your friends.  And I know there are probably a lot of younger people out there who are thinking, "You don't choose your friends!"  I beg to differ, you do!  Whether consciously or subconsciously, you do.  Even if you know down deep that someone who parties a lot could be trouble, that down deep thought is the one that you should listen to, because that is your conscious and that is God speaking to you, and you really don't want to ignore God!  He will get your attention, one way or the other...so beware and be warned!

Alright back to the lovely drive, I am going to have to try to recreate that little drive and this time I will be taking my camera with us.  Since Tim paints, sometimes the pictures get turned into paintings, we make a really great team.  And we love spending time together.  Isn't that great!  We think so!

Well it is time for me to get my breakfast and then hit the showers.  Soon time to get to work.  And I am thinking about working thru another book of the Bible, I just haven't decided which one...I will let you know when I know!  God bless you and be a blessing to someone yourself today!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Daniel 12: 5 on.....&....the Million Dollar Question....

The prophecy of the million dollar question.  When will these things occur?

In verse 5, Daniel finds himself standing on the river bank with two more people now with him, one is on the same side as is he and the other is on the other side.  And the one clothed in linen is above the water (archangel Michael).  And one of them asks Michael, when will these happen?  And of course the answer is wonderfully difficult to understand....."and when he had held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.".

So what does this mean.  Well if we knew what period of time a "time" is equal too, we might be able to understand this.  So I will look in my commentary...first of all this question is not asked by these two for the information for themselves...the question asked is asked for Daniel's benefit and for our benefit.  They are performing a scripted play if you would for us to watch, the holy people refers to the Hebrews and the fact that they will be completely devastated and at that point they will be rescued by the the Messiah.  In verse 8 Daniel asks"My lord, what shall be the end of these things?"
Daniel doesn't understand either....okay I don't feel so bad now, how about you.....Daniel doesn't understand and neither do I!  

We all do know one thing and that is that, "No man knows the day or the hour when the lord shall return..."   "He will come as a thief in the night...". In other words we will not now when the Lord is coming,  it could be today, tomorrow night or in five years from today.  We just don't know and that is the way of our Lord...and this is good.

Will you be ready for our Shepherd's return?  While you are waiting why not practice your being a blessing to others.....

Monday, February 4, 2013

Satan's Opposite...

We are just about thru Daniel...today the first thing I was reading in Daniel 12, and in the commentary I am using was that the archangel Micheal was in spiritual battle with satan...and satan is Michael's opposite.  Now I know I didn't capitalize the name of satan, however I do not wish to give him that recognition, to me he doesn't deserve it.

Okay so Michael is looking to be in spiritual battle.  And again I do not beleive that the Bible is speaking of Daniels time I do believe that the discussion is pertaining to the end times....if you read verses Ia thru 3 you will see that the wording is very similar to  those found in Revelations 13: 8, 17: 8, and 20: 15, 20.  So in reading this I do believe that Daniel's revelation/prophecy has to do with times that are yet to be seen.

The one thing we must all realize is satan hates, and this is putting it mildly, the Jewish people.  These are Gods chosen people, we are told this in the Bible, and since we are all descendants from Adam and Eve, we are all of Hebrew descent,  I know I have a habit of simplifying things down to the nitty gritty. So what is wrong with that.  We are all Hebrews, I wonder if our President is aware of this?  

Daniel continues in verse 4, Michael is instructing Daniel that he is to shut up the words for a time when they will be needed and to seal up the book until end times.  At which point the Book of Life will be opened and the names of the saints will be read.  Is your name in the Lambs Book?

We have only gotten thru to Daniel 12 verse 4 and as in some of the previous chapters I am finding things to be getting quite deep...a lot of reading back and forth to get a handle on what is being said to me.  Please remember my son is the Bible scholar not his mother.  So it is time for me to end for today and we will make an attempt to finish this book of Daniel tomorrow morning, so go and be a blessing!

Friday, February 1, 2013

The conclusion of Daniel 11, from verse 11 on.....

Good day to you all....I know it is 8:16. AM. I am on sort of little vacation so I slept in for just a little bit...my husband said I would sleep till eight but I only slept till 7:30...so here I am, enjoying this wonderful daysittng in my rocking chair facing the wonderful warmth of the sun that is streaming in the windows as I write to the precious few of you who read this blog. 
Do you see all the wonderful sunlight on my face.  God is so good to His children.  My husband Tim is also enjoying this day with me and he will be going out to the back pasture to cut firewood.  Even though the wind is blowing quite strongly and it is a brisk 22 degrees right now....brrrrrr.... that's chilly.  It probably feels more like 10 degrees with the wind chill.  Okay we have established it is sunny and cold here...now let us proceed to Daniel....

The Holy Land goes back and forth again.  The southern king attacked the northern king and the south prevailed.  
Let us identify the north and the south.  The north is Greece and the south is Egypt.  So then Greece attacks Egypt and this time the Jewish people help the Greeks, and the Greeks do prevail, but they want to be in control of the Holy Land not the Jewish people.  So Antichous III used his dominance over the Jewish people as well, which I am sure wasn't pleasant for Gods chosen people..."11: 16 b He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power (hand)."

Well Antichous wanted to firm up his relationship with Ptolemy V, so he gave his daughter, Cleopatra (this is an ancestor of famous Cleopatra's) to Ptolemy V.  However this did work well because Cleopatra wasn't faithful to her new husband.  

To make a long story short Antichous wasn't really happy with his daughter and he turned to enlarging his territory with coastline, he battled his away to a point were he was low on money and decided to pillage a temple in Babylon and he was killed by the people there in the community that were quite upset by his behavior. Daniel 11: 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

Do you know when I first started on Daniel 11 I had no idea how deep this chapter was and is.....Seleucus III becomes king for a short period of time with high taxes, I suppose he wanted to refill the cookie jar. He didn't last very long he was assassinated, perhaps by his brother Antichous IV, who was next for the throne, and is described as "a vile person."

He went to war with the Egyptians again and did nothing, except he got angry; he turned his anger on the Holy Land and ended up killing approximately 80,000 Jews, he took approximately 40,000 prisoners, and sold approximately another 40,000 into slavery, he then robbed the temple of approximately one billion dollars. After doing this evil in what we call Israel he then returns to his own country of Greece....this takes us up to verse 29...and from verse 29 on to the end of this chapter, it seems to me that the end times is the topic of conversation.  And this gets quite deep.  I would really suggest that you read this and come to your own conclusions. I would also strongly suggest that you read this along with a commentary of good standing.

Well since this is my day off and I have a bunch of other things to accomplish.  I had better get to them, don't forget to be a blessing to someone today, perhaps even a stranger.