Splendor

Isaiah 35

I hope you will read it today.

I prefer the Complete Jewish Bible but there are many translations that will give you an excellent reading. 

My reading today, prompted praying.
Like, Father, help me adore YOU in Your Splendor. 

Splendor. Check even a secular dictionary and you might appreciate the word Splendor. 

Great light or luster; brilliance.
Magnificent appearance or display; grandeur.
 Something grand or magnificent.
Great fame; glory.  Free dictionary.com
 
Is GOD that to you? Is He that to your family and friends? 
Prayers can only help! 
 
Verses 5 and 6 prompted prayer.
For blind eyes, including mine and anything that I am blind to that I need to see, to be opened.
For my family and friends to see.
For their ears to hear; for them to walk holy; for them to speak holy; for their lives to smell good to GOD.
Do you have blind and lame family and friends too? Perhaps you will read Isaiah 35 and pray for them today. 
 
Verse 8 – The Way of Holiness

Who of us does not need this?! 

On with this day! 135455-Lets-Get-This-Week-Started
 

Love, Kathie 

 

 

Well, Did You?

Isaiah 32

If you have not read it today. Please don’t let another 24 hours pass before you do.

It’s rich. It’s full. It speaks so plainly!
How could we miss it?
Why would we? 

Did you read any Scripture today? If not, why not?
If you declare with your mouth that you love JESUS, how is it that you can go for days and days, weeks or longer, months even and not open your Bible and read?
 
 
Verse 17 tells me the reason for the lack of peace here in our world is because of the lack of righteousness.
The effect of righteousness is PEACE. Check it out. That’s what it says.
 
And verse 9! OH MY!
You women who are so complacent, listen to me!
There is so much more.
Are you interested yet?
 
Christians, READ your BIBLE while you still have one to read!
 
352482-Good-Night-Dear-Friends

Love, Kathie 

Social Gospel

Matthew 25 

It’s a full chapter and for me to understand the bit of it that I do, I ask questions.
For this session I am bringing to you, I think we shall look at verses 41 – 46.

But as we begin, let’s go to the last verse, verse 46. We will go back to the others.

46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.” source

but those who have done what God wants

The question to ask is What does GOD want done?
We will have to bring in some other Text to answer that.

John 6:40; Luke 9:35; Mark 9:2-13; 2 Peter 3:9

GOD wants ALL people to believe His Son. 
GOD wants ALL people to turn from their sins to HIM.

These verses tell us the Will of GOD is that people be delivered from unbelief to believing JESUS.

Now if you have read verses 41 – 46 you have seen The LORD saying to a certain group, depart from Me into eternal punishment. Why? Verse 46 is the answer but all the way to verse 46 He gives them examples of their unbelieving hearts.
They did not 

Feed the hungry
Care for the sick and the imprisoned.

Today there is a social gospel being preached.
I think those who embrace this social gospel have missed the point of the passage — have missed the Truth. 

The deeds described in this passage are NOT a means to EARN salvation.
People will not enter HEAVEN even if they cured all the social ills of the planet.
They can feed, clothe, and serve people until they are penniless but that will NOT earn them a place in Heaven. 

GOOD DEEDS will not get anyone to heaven.

By the same reasoning, not doing these things will not send a person to hell either. 

People miss heaven and land in hell because they have refused to turn from their sins and believe GOD.

However, when we have been born again, when we have believed JESUS, we WILL do these acts of service.
These acts of service give evidence that perhaps we have been delivered from unbelief and darkness.

It is filled with treasures for the Believer who will dig in, asking for Holy Spirit to help them understand. 
I hope we have encouraged you to read, pray, and believe GOD.

Love, Kathie 

Circle of Knowledge

Good morning, Readers.
8:45 as I begin on this crisp November morning.

Matthew 18 is the subject passage of Scripture.

12 “What’s your opinion? What will somebody do who has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go off to find the stray? 
13 And if he happens to find it? Yes! I tell you he is happier over it than over the ninety-nine that never strayed! 
14 Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.  source 

Does it comfort you that the LORD goes looking for wandering sheep?
From what I have observed, I have wandering sheep in my circle of knowledge. Perhaps you do too.
I think two indicators will identify wandering sheep (this goes for wolves in sheep’s clothing too).

  1. How long has it been since the sheep sat to read Scripture? I mean really read — like a whole chapter in one sitting?
  2. When was the last time the sheep had a decision to make and the sheep made that decision based on what the Scripture revealed?

Have you observed that sheep wandering from The Fold of GOD do not often read Scripture and do not often live by faith? They do not decide what to say, what to do, where to go, etc., etc. based on what does the Bible say about this?
Is this you? Is this any person in your circle of knowledge?

We might also describe this as straying from their upbringing.
Or ignoring the knowledge of GOD they have known since childhood?
Or perhaps they are dabbling, soaking even, in the culture around them – patterning their choices like the people on their digital screens; feeding on those screens for hours a day.  These are our wandering sheep, if not pagans altogether. 14520-gettyimagesalancurrie

It’s frightening to me.
It is to you too, if you are not a wandering sheep, yourself.

But we can pray!
And we can take this Scripture for encouragement, for hope, and put our Trust in the GOD who spoke it.

14 Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost. 

He has sent JESUS to find them. So we pray when they are found, they will say YES and return or for the first time come to the Fold of GOD.

So, in our circles of knowledge, identify as best you can those you suspect are wandering, present them in prayer to The Father, and believe He is going for them; into whatever high place or squaller they are now residing.

Luke 18:27 “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Thank you for coming today.
Love, Kathie