Monthly Archives: January 2019

2019, Gospel of John

IF

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A portion of Wednesday morning’s reading.

John 15:9 I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. 10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. source

Remain in My love.
And I asked how is it that I keep jumping out? It didn’t take long to get an answer. Do you see that first word in verse 10? IF. We must pay attention to Ifs. Ifs are conditional. Ifs mean if. If I do this or that; then that and this will happen; and if I don’t, it won’t.

So what is the IF I must do to remain IN The LORD’s love?  Wait! NOTHING I do or do not do will cause Him to love me (or you) less or more. BUT if we fail to do the IF we will surely love Him less.  So what is that IF?

Let’s go back to the Text.  IF I (you) keep His commandments, IF I (you) obey His teachings we Will love Him more and more and more.

So, when I find my love for Him is waning, cooling off, not as intense, not as sweet, not as comforting — from this verse I can know I have slacked off on the IF. I’ve ignored, refused, and/or just flat-out failed to do what He taught me to do.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS is with repentance my love will grow again!

Re-read and updated today, December 26, 2022

Love, Kathie 

2019, Gospel of Mark

Free to Not Believe

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Thinking: JESUS will not override man’s unbelief. We are free to disbelieve Him.

The people of Nazareth when given the opportunity to believe chose NOT.  And He let them. 

Mark 6  (AMP) Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him.

3 Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He wondered at their unbelief.

And He was going around in the villages teaching.

I don’t want to miss the miracles that can be mine so when my faith is wavering I choose to be like the man of

Mark 9.  24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

And do you know what Jesus did?!

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. source

Jesus will not override our unbelief but He sure will give us faith when we ask!

2 Timothy, 2019

Gangrene

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While reading yesterday, some  instructions lit up for me; so I thought I’d share here. 

14 Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good, and [upsets and undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen. 15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. 16 But avoid all irreverent babble and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene.  source  2 Timothy AMP

Right off the bat it sounds serious to me because these are  instructions penned by Paul and given to Timothy (and us) from GOD! That in itself is enough to sit up and take notice.  So, let’s do. 

Remind. No doubt we the people need reminding of the FACTS! Feelings and Lies are the biggest trouble makers! Believing and responding based on feelings and lies wreck lives! 

And then the meddling begins! GOD has the nerve to tell us to avoid petty controversies! Perhaps we don’t because we have believed and feel like the controversy is not petty.  Perhaps our particular present controversy is valid, but we won’t know for sure if we are not living verse 15! 

15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.

Well then!

And while we are studying and checking our feelings and what we hear with the plumb line (that is the Bible) we are further instructed to refuse to be a part of irreverent babble and godless chatter! Have you heard any of that lately? It takes great effort on our part to NOT hear it and even more to not be a part of it!

Gangrene! What a descriptive word to be used here. An article from WebMD says you must get treatment immediately otherwise it’s fatal. Check it out HERE. 
Spiritual Gangrene left unchecked is also deadly! 
The GREAT PHYSICIAN has the cure! Read about Him and His prescriptions in His Word! 

15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. 

Who plans to have gangrene? The thing is we have to plan and do due diligence to NOT have spiritual gangrene. Wouldn’t you agree? 

2019, Psalms, Revelation

Doorkeeper

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Psalm 84:(NKJV) 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. source

This is one of those Bible verses for church-raised kids that bears worn edges; we know it well, we have quoted it again and again.  And I have thought the Psalmist was saying he would rather be the so-called low profile church doorkeeper than to be a well-known, hobnobbing elite of this world that  knows not GOD. I’m still okay with that but today I am offering an added perspective. 

Perhaps the doorkeeper is low profile but a low profile does not mean insignificant. A low profile does not mean just anybody could do what a doorkeeper does. In the Household of GOD, the doorkeeper shows up early and stays late. Let us allow ourselves to ponder what that takes! 

The doorkeeper arrives before the lights come on, cause the doorkeeper turns the lights on, opens the door and makes the way for worshippers to enter the sanctuary. And when the other worshippers ready themselves to go home, and as some tarry to visit, the Doorkeeper waits; and when  the last dear one steps over the threshold, the Doorkeeper secures the building and turns toward home himself. 

Doorkeepers. 
Reliable. Faithful. Courteous. Helpful. Anything but self-serving. 

Yes! The House of GOD needs Doorkeepers. It just may be the most beloved service around. 

Next time you visit your local Church gathering place, consider the one who tends the door for you and while we are thinking doors . . . 

Revelation 3: (NKJV) 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  source