Category Archives: Christian Living

Christian Living, Guests

Motor Oil

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A recent sermon is hanging with me. It was delivered by Dr. Millard Box. He’s 100 years young and has been preaching the Word of GOD for 85 years.

An amazing man! He says he looks for GOD in everything. And he gave us examples. Motor Oil stuck with me.

Motor oil. It eradicates friction he said.

The HOLY SPIRIT of GOD. He is the Supreme Oil that eradicates friction.

From Free Dictionary: Eradicate 1. To tear up by the roots: 2. To get rid of; eliminate:

From Free Dictionary: Friction Conflict, as between persons having dissimilar ideas or interests; clash.

James 4 (CJB)
1 What is causing all the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it your desires battling inside you?

Friction!

And what will eradicate the friction?

1 Corinthians 12:13 (CJB)
13 For it was by one Spirit that we were all immersed into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free; and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Romans 15:6 (CJB)
6 so that with one accord and with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Acts 1:14 (CJB)
14 These all devoted themselves single-mindedly to prayer, along with some women, including Miryam (Yeshua’s mother), and his brothers.

 

Motor oil. Who would have thought getting an oil change in our cars could remind us of GOD?  Obviously, Dr. Box. I am so grateful for his way of looking at everyday things.

I’m going to be looking for my own motor oils today. :)

If you would like to check out his YouTube channel please click HERE.

Until then + + + Kathie 
The Blood of Jesus is Enough

NO SIN GOES UNPUNISHED.
EITHER WE BEAR IT OR JESUS DOES FOR US; AND WE GET TO CHOOSE WHO DOES THE BEARING. 

 

Christian Living, Uncommonly Used Words

I Resemble That Remark!

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I am familiar with Scripture that tells us we are a peculiar people.

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; source

Peculiar in Scriptures’ original languages does not mean what it has come to mean in our recent culture. Interestingly and not surprisingly Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 had a good handle on that definition.

Here let me share with you from my readings today:

The word “peculiar” here is used in a way not often seen today. The Greek word means literally “to make around,” that is, to make something and then to surround it with a circle, thus indicating ownership. The same verb is used in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 43:21 which reads, “This people have I formed for myself.” The word “peculiar” today usually means “odd, strange.” But it is not so used here. The Greek word speaks of the unique, private, personal ownership of the saints by God. Each saint is God’s unique possession just as if that saint were the only human being in existence. Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (1 Pe 2:9). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

See what I mean? Look at that: unique, private, personal . . .  Each saint is God’s unique possession just as if that saint were the only human being in existence.

Oh! if that makes me odd and strange by today’s definition, I’ll take it! It is my quest to more and more resemble that ‘remark’! :)

Until then + + + Kathie 
The Blood of Jesus is Enough

NO SIN GOES UNPUNISHED.
EITHER WE BEAR IT OR JESUS DOES FOR US; AND WE GET TO CHOOSE WHO DOES THE BEARING. 

 

Christian Living, The Loft

Ordinary Days

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I am appreciating an earlier morning thought from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

“Each day is an important part of that journey.”

 

I’m thinking this ordinary Wednesday or Thursday or any day is an important day.

Today it’s sunny; tomorrow it may rain. Red and white is swaying gently from the gable.  A sturdy water oak extends her sheltering shadow as far as she can. Butterflies dart, rest and dart again from leaf to stem to blade. Life: it’s going on out there. 

It’s going on in here too. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  (NLT)

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Spirit,  who lives in you and was given to you by God?
 You do not belong to  yourself, 
20 for God bought you with a high price. 
So you must honor God with your body.

I watched a documentary yesterday, Monarch Butterflies. Every stage, every day is important. (And some of those days, she’s a real worm!) Each is needed to bring the Monarch to the beauty we appreciate. (Albeit, since yesterday those wormy days and dark in the cocoon days are wildly interesting with charms of their own.  You are tracking this with me, right?) 

Today is important. Submitting this ordinary  day, moment by moment, to the Lordship of our King brings us to our own unique beauty, ordinary day by ordinary day. As in each of the Monarch’s stages of being, we are not yet what we will be, but who we are today must not be wasted or thought little of  – every second given to Him is making us extraordinarily beautiful in our own ordinary way. :)

Which led me to this!:

4 You are as beautiful as Tirtzah, my love,
as lovely as Yerushalayim,
but formidable as an army
marching under banners. source

Jerusalem. Do you know of any place on earth more loved by GOD than Jerusalem? Me either. And formidable?! Could it be DADDY GOD is using this ordinary day to make us formidable in His Kingdom? Formidable as an army marching under banners. I don’t even know what all that means! but I’m thinking it has got to be good!

Did you click and see what Tirtzah means?  Oh yes! On this ordinary day I am Tirtzah! And you my sisters (brothers) are too!

Until then ~ ~ ~ Kathie 
The Blood of Jesus is Enough

 

NO SIN GOES UNPUNISHED.
EITHER WE BEAR IT OR JESUS DOES FOR US; AND WE GET TO CHOOSE WHO DOES THE BEARING. 

Christian Living, Romans

Barometers

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Romans 15:13 (CJB)

13 May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh you may overflow with hope.

Just a brief thought this morning, I think.

The first twelve verses of Romans 15 utilize passages from the Tanakh to lay a foundation for faith for we Gentiles.  Paul’s earnest desire for these Gentiles, for this Gentile, for all peoples of the earth, was (is) that we live in hope through trusting.

Read the verse again, please. May God, THE source of hope. Not a source of hope but THE source of hope. And what does this God of hope want for us? He wants us to be FILLED with joy and peace.

How can that be for us in this volatile chaotic 21st Century? How was it for them in their hostile, threatening martyrdom reality?

Trust.

Trusting that Yeshua, Jesus the Christ, was/is the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. Trusting that He is GOD and that He is not just a good God but that He is THE GOOD GOD. Trusting that when death came quickly or slowly that He was still good. Trusting that when beatings and hunger and want were the day’s fare that He was still good. Trusting that when respite came He was still just as good.

Trust. And the more we trust the more filled we are with His joy and His peace. How? The precious Holy Spirit. He is our promise. He is our earnest. He is the One who delivers, instills, and seals that joy and peace in us, as long as we keep trusting. When the trust wanes, so do the joy and the peace.

Joy and peace: great barometers! They let us know with complete accuracy what is our trust level at any given moment of the day.

Nope! Don’t go there!  No condemnation, just encouragement to keep on trusting and keep on experiencing those fillings of joy and peace. When we do, being filled will become more of the norm than not — that’s my hope. More of the norm than not. :)

Until then ~ ~ ~ Kathie 
The Blood of Jesus is Enough