Category Archives: Gospel of Matthew

2022, Gospel of Matthew, Hebrews, Praying with my Sisters and Brothers in Holy Faith

Also known as Brittle Star

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As I said in an earlier post I’ve been editing here at The White Stone today. I did not mean to edit this long.

Well, sometimes edits do not go as one intended. One should not convert a published post to a draft — that necessitates a re-publish. So here we are. (For the third time download - 2022-03-30T193527.660)

Brittle Star (again) Sometime in 2013 I think

IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2010 

Brittle Star

Our Guide at the Sea, Sand, and Stars, situated in Orange Beach, Alabama acquainted us with many creatures, including a Brittle Star.  To certain second graders, it looked like a small octopus.big-brittle-star

Truth be told, only one thing about my field trip with Issy made me sad – really, really sad.  Hearing about fins and tails and shapes of sea creatures and how each one works so perfectly in harmony to enable them to swim, find food, and escape predators just did me good – I loved it!  And I suspect you are not surprised that as I listened I thought of The Father.  I thought about how smart He is.  I thought how AWESOME He is.  I thought how ingenious He is.  I thought how fun He is!  And then I grieved that those precious children with minds like sponges soaking up all that important information about fish and seahorses and Brittle Stars and planets with their precision orbits, with the earth’s axis titled just right – all of it, and not once were they told all this came to be because God made it! Not once were they inspired to see how Awesome He is, how smart He is, and how fun He is! It still makes me sad!

But back to the Brittle Star.  When our Guide told us that the Brittle Star will break its own leg off and leave it behind (it can grow another one) in order to escape a predator, a spiritual application began to form on the screen of my mind.  Wouldn’t it be great if we were as ‘smart’ as the Brittle Star?  Wouldn’t it be smart of us to be willing to voluntarily cut off those ‘appendages’ that make us prey for the Evil One?  This Scripture came to mind and even though it is primarily speaking to an unsaved soul, you will probably see why it came to mind.

Matthew 18: 8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.    source

And since I sat to write, this one came to mind too: Hebrews 12:  1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,    source

I’ll not probe with you the laying aside of every weight or the sin which so easily ensnares, but I will trust Holy Spirit to do His job in each of us to shed His Light on those ‘appendages’ that make us prey.  I will encourage us to pick up a few books to read; books on Astronomy, mammals, reptiles, fish and other sea creatures, and botany – there are so many! And when we have read and marveled and communed with Father about how AWESOME He is, gather our children, and our grandchildren and use those books and information to allow Holy Spirit to WOW them and open their hearts to soak up the Truth their schools are not telling them! 

It’s been a ‘fishy’ week, hasn’t it? Bluegill and now Brittle Star. Have some holy fun this weekend!  We love you with holy hugs!

Father, Thank You.  I so enjoyed the wealth of information we were given about Your Creatures.  I so enjoyed seeing Your Handiwork up close and personal.  No ONE, nothing compares to You.  You truly are AWESOME. You are so huge I cannot get my mind around You but what I do comprehend thrills and delights me.  I love You, Father.  I am so glad You are You.  Now, help us teach our young about You even more faithfully.  Help us not be shy about learning ‘science’ because in true Science You are there in the very heart of it!  LORD, train us, like You did Daniel, help us excel in matters of Science and Astronomy – all that stuff that shows us You are the Creator.  Put some excitement in us that will inspire our children and our grandchildren; to wake them up to the fact that YOU ARE THE COOLEST! That No One is more cool, more hip … whatever words they use these days for people they admire.  I want my grand-babies to ADMIRE You.  To admire You above everyone and everything.  Hey, I want that for me too.  So help me show myself faithful to that desire and cut off those appendages that make me devil prey. 

We’ve had some prayer request activity today and You have heard our prayers, we renew them now, knowing You have not forgotten and neither will You, and more than not forgetting You will do according to Your will for wayward souls we want to come home; for strife and un-forgiveness, for physical bodies that hurt, for eyes that don’t see, for ears that do not hear, for babies to grow up healthy and strong, for Mommas to rest and grandmothers to be okay; all this and more we bring to You and thank You so much that we can.  And thank You so much that You hear and answer.  We pray for all our IDOK Troops, for their peace and safety. We pray for Israel’s peace and safety.  We pray for America’s repentance.  We pray for political offices occupied by immoral folks to be vacated and filled with people of character and righteous principles.  We pray for revival in America.  And we pray for an army of prayer warriors to come together and pray until we see You pour out Your Spirit on Your Sons and Your Daughters.  LORD, I am excited to see what You are going to do with this IDOK ministry and other ministries all across this land.  LORD JESUS I just want You to be lifted up, exalted, loved, and praised because You are worthy.  Thank You for loving us and for enabling us to love You back. Amen and amen.

Love, Kathie 

Acts, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Questions

It’s Late and

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I am wondering.
How can we preach to this generation?
How do we tell this generation to turn from sin to GOD?
Do you know that was John’s message? It was JESUS’ message. It was the Disciples’ message. It was Paul’s message. 

Scripture passages

Is it our message? 
Does this generation even know what is sin?
Can the average person define sin?  Does sin in their minds have any relevance to them? 

Then there is conviction.  Is there?
Do people experience conviction these days? 

And if people do not know what is sin and they do not experience conviction, how will they turn from sin to GOD?

Does this ever keep you awake at night? 

Love, Kathie

2022, Gospel of Matthew, It's a Bonus Post, Just Chatty Today

Queen of the Night

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Something personal. 

We have a plant.  Actually two.

Queen of the Night Cactus. Here’s a LINK to read about this special plant — amazing!  

One of the two plants bloomed this year!

What is so special about that?
Well, the Queen of the Night Cactus, only blooms at night, and only ONCE does each bloom open; it also closes by morning – not to open again.
Once a bloom develops on the cactus and that bloom begins to turn upward, you must keep watch.
Every night you must check to see if the bloom has opened.

Perhaps this reminds you of a passage of Scripture.
It does me.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins.  Matthew 25:1-13.
I hope you will read it.

5 Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

11 Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.
source 

More of our story and perhaps you will see the parallel of the parable. 

No upturn yet.
Still, we watched.  A few days passed and then the upturn began – sorry I don’t have a picture of ours but the link above will show you how it looks when it begins to upturn.

Our daily night watch began.  With a flashlight in hand, we stepped onto the back porch and peered into the darkness with the flashlight directed toward the Queen.
Nope. No opening.

On one particular night we looked early, 8:00 ish I think it was. 
No opening.
We chose to retire early that night, read Scripture, talked a bit, and we were just about to turn out the light. It was 10:00 ish.
Promptings.
You may think what you like but I am convinced Holy Spirit nudged me to go look.  Again.  And again He nudged.
We have to go I said.
We did.

Look what we would have missed had we ignored the promptings.
We would have missed the most beautiful, glorious flower I have ever seen — in our own backyard even! 
And you know what I believe?  Our Father GOD didn’t want us to miss it. He didn’t want us to miss that glorious beauty He prepared for us.
He doesn’t want us to miss the beauty of His Heaven either.  None of us. Not one of us does He not want to come, repent, receive and believe. 
All it took was obedience to the call, the promptings of GOD. 
That’s all it takes to see the glory of GOD. 

What have you missed because you have ignored the promptings of GOD? 

The blooms were closed by morning and they opened not again.

Love, Kathie 

2 Corinthians, 2022, For What It's Worth To You, Gospel of Matthew, Holy Soap Box

Pulpits

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Today I saw these words: “Renew Your Mind & Believe What God Says About You”.

At first, blush that sounds like something, we can embrace and run with, right? 
I mean some have, obviously – the writing of books and speaking circuits. But is it Biblically proper? 

Have you noticed how ME centered is today’s American gospel?
It’s steps and formulas to try to get GOD to do what we want Him to do for US.
To do this or that so He will bless me, enrich me, promote me, get me to the next level and yes, give me money.
If we read Matthew 4, we would see Satan offering such things. 

JESUS came to deliver us stiff-necked, stubborn, hard-hearted sinners from SIN and HELL. 
That very gift should be enough to rid us of our propensity to seek the things of this world — and when it isn’t, we would do well to examine ourselves to see if we actually are in the faith.

Is GOD opposed to His people having riches? I don’t think so — look at Abraham. 
But He is very opposed to riches having US.
I will leave that right there and depend on Holy Spirit to speak further. 

Pulpit after pulpit serve-up stories, jokes, and out-of-context Scripture to pump up the parishioners so they will feel better about themselves, to see how wonderful, and important they are, how GOD just needs them so much  — like GOD is just about to fall off His throne in agony just waiting for them to talk to Him. 
Today’s pulpit version of JESUS is so sissified, it makes me ill!

Why are pulpits not reading the Bible?
Have you noticed how some Pulpits read the few verses they do read? 
Like they can’t wait to get through the reading and get on with more important words. 

These buildings we call churches – should be bathed and saturated with Scripture reading and prayer –  aloud. 
I mean I’d love to see 24-hour vigils of Scripture reading in sanctuaries all over this Land until repentance comes. 

Know this: the cure for this ME-centered American gospel is Scripture and prayer. 
When people are (and the phrase I am about to use is not flippant or irreverent, I’m just trying to communicate), when people are head over heels in love with JESUS because they are reading His Word and praying about what they are reading, their inferiority complexes and idols will fade away.

Am I harsh? 
Define harsh. 
Keeping my mouth shut, and letting people go on their way to a dead eternity without warning them is harsh, and not just harsh but unloving, uncaring, and flat-out evil. 

Yes, soft, humorous, fun, entertaining posts feel good going on the page — maybe next time.