Monthly Archives: October 2012

Guests

Keeping Company

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My You Version devotion is good to share this morning.

PARROTS

A man purchased a parrot. Unfortunately, he soon found out his bird had a lurid vocabulary. The man had a friend who also owned a parrot. This bird had been taught to only sing hymns. So the man decided to put the two birds together. He hoped that the hymn-singing parrot could teach the swearing bird better language. After leaving the birds together for some time, the man found–to his dismay–that the hymn-singer forgot his songs and took up the questionable language of his new companion.

Ezra saw the same kind of deterioration among the Israelites. They married foreigners and, rather than raising them to meet God’s standards, the Israelites were dragged down by evil influence. Ezra went to God in desperate prayer seeking a solution (Ezra 9:5-15). He was ashamed that God’s people had so soon forgotten the bitter lesson of captivity. God heard Ezra’s prayer and through him brought the people back to Himself.

There are two important lessons in Ezra’s prayer. First is the vital importance of choosing the right friends. We do become like those closest to us in many subtle ways. Second, we must notice that Ezra first talked to God about the problem; he did not complain to others. We often criticize first and then pray. May we learn to pray for those entrapped by evil. And may we choose our friends as if our life depends on it. It does.

I particularly noticed: And may we choose our friends as if our life depends on it. It does.

24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

via Proverbs 22:23-25 KJV – For the LORD will plead their cause, – Bible Gateway.

What’s that old adage? We are known by the company we keep.

Acts 4:13 King James Version (KJV)

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.  (emphasis mine)

via Acts 4:13 KJV – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter – Bible Gateway.

Keeping company with JESUS!

LORD JESUS, teach us, train us to keep company with YOU.

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

Remember YOU have the God-given RIGHT to do right in this wrong world!

Political awareness, You Tubes

For Love

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This is not my normal post. I am quiet before you; even dazed from the impact of it. The following is a one hour and 22 minute message delivered in March of this year (2012). I hope you have 1 hour and 22 minutes to give for your faith in JESUS CHRIST and your citizenship in the United States of America.  May our GOD have mercy.

FYI: A dear sister-friend sent me a link to a you tube this morning. It took some doing to get to watch it as my email server on my laptop blocked its URL. However, I could see the URL address on my phone and I came to my laptop with it, found it, and watched.  It was filmed in 2010. When it was over I said, I’d like to hear what this man has to say in 2012. Within seconds THIS you tube came to my attention. Take that for what you will. I believe DADDY GOD is at work.

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

Remember YOU have the God-given RIGHT to do right in this wrong world!

A Quick Hello, KWT Paraphrasing

Raw Notes

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as I prepare for Sunday’s Bible Lesson.

Just like they are so far:   :)   (Text for Sunday is I Peter 4: 1-11)

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Above all things. Peter is saying here: the most important thing in all this that I have written to you is that you love one another. Because love does what? Covers the multitude of sins.

But not just any love – Both times Charity in this verse is agape. It takes agape to veil, hid from view, to take away that sin [meaning of cover] that offends and hurts your feelings and deprives you of what is rightly yours. Only agape will do that.

Now let’s go back to the word fervent.

Fervent: in this verse it is not used in the way we usually think of it. Here it means stretched out, stretched forth toward. And you can say what you want but stretched out, stretched forth toward is an effort. It requires muscle in the one doing the stretching. And sometimes it even feels good. What’s a good stretch do for you in the mornings when you get up?

Think about that and let’s dialogue. How do you visualize what Peter is saying in this verse now in light that it is stretched out, stretched forth toward agape that Peter is talking about?

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

Remember YOU have the God-given RIGHT to do right in this wrong world!