Tag Archives: Jerusalem

Done Before It’s Done (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010

Done Before It’s Done

Let me share with you how little it takes to excite me and make me smile.  A couple days this week I have read the same words at two addresses in Scripture: Luke 19:32 and Luke 22:13.  These are the words: went and found it just as He had said. 

Here are the texts in entirety: Luke 19:32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. Luke 22:13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  [source] [source]

In Luke 19, Jesus sent His disciples for the colt upon which He would ride into Jerusalem.  He told them just where the colt would be and just what to say to the master of the colt.  They went and it was just as He told them it would be.  In Luke 22 He told His Disciples to go and prepare for Passover.  This is what He said in context.

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”  9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”  10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”  13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. [source]

I love it!  He told them, they obeyed, and as they did they found it just like He said they would.  Look what they would have missed if they had refused to go!   But that’s not what is making me smile.  I am smiling because I just LOVE to read how my Savior is always right and what He says is as good as done even before it is done!  Is He AWESOME or what?!!

These Words mean so much to me.  I can only imagine how it was for them to hear and see You say it will be this way or that way when you get there and then go and there it is just as You said. They must have had so much fun with You.  It must have been so good to hear You laugh; to see You laugh; to see You sit the little ones on Your lap and see them just adore You; to see You tell stories; to see Your Face when You talked about ABBA.  It must have been so good.  Thank You that I won’t miss out on all that; that I will see You laugh; I will see the love and kindness on Your Face.  Thank You, Jesus.  And, Holy Spirit, I pray this Word will minister to our IDOKs and our Readers.  I pray we will all love You more; that we will become more intimately acquainted with You today.  And our IDOK Troops I don’t want to go a day without remembering them and asking for their protection and safety, so protect them, ABBA, please.  And You know how I feel about Israel, You know they are dear to me but oh so much more to You.  I trust them to You.  And I am trusting America to You too.  You are not finished with us yet; thank You.  Move us and shake us however You want.  You are the Potter and we are the clay.   I suppose I better say amen here so our IDOKs and Readers can say amen too and get to it – whatever You are sending or allowing their way today.  I pray we will act and react in ways that will bless You and give You pleasure. And yes I love You too.  And Jesus, I am looking forward to seeing You, come quickly.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

Stop It! (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

STOP IT!

I am looking at Colossians 3 today. Colossians 3 (NKJV): 8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  [source]  Here we are commanded to put off certain things.  In Kathie Whitestone Thompson paraphrase: STOP IT! 

Of these five things to put off, anger is listed first. I suspect anger is listed first because if we do not STOP IT, it will lead to all the others.  Ephesians 4 (NKJV): 26“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. [source] Obviously there are occasions when anger is appropriate; to not be angry in certain situations would indicate a malfunction in our ‘wiring’.

So what is anger? Can we describe it?  We certainly recognize the various expressions of it, don’t we? Free Dictionary On-Line defines it this way: A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility. My On-Line Greek Lexicon defines it this way as a NOUN: the natural disposition, temper, character movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion.  As a VERB it is defined like so: to stretch one’s self out in order to touch or to grasp something, to reach after, to desire, to give one’s self up to.   [source] [source]

I am getting mind pictures here. I have a little book that I have read to my grandbabies many times.  It’s the story of Mary and Martha told in a manner to captivate the attention of young children and its cartoon type illustrations just seal the deal for them.  You know the story.  Martha is in the kitchen working her little fingers to the bone and Mary is in the den lounging with Jesus.   Angry Martha is drawn with red hair (imagine that!) and a dark puff of smoke rising from her head, a beet red face, eyes bulging and perspiration popping off her cheeks, as she stands with her hands on her hips, her torso leaned slightly forward and her feet strategically placed so as to withstand the force of a bull coming at her.  Do you get the picture? Do you see agitation of the soul that is about to reach out and touch somebody — if not with the spoon she is holding in her hand at least with some ‘filthy communication’?

So in Martha we see an example of inappropriate anger.  Let us now look at an example of appropriate anger.

John 2 (NKJV):13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”  [source]

So what is the difference?  SELF.  Martha’s anger was all about what she perceived to be an injustice done to HER.  Not so with Jesus. His anger was not about getting ‘satisfaction’ for Himself but about righting wrongs, about restoring the Temple to the use His Father intended.  It is my considered opinion that had Jesus not been angry about what was happening in the Temple, He would have in that moment committed SIN.

So next time we sense anger building within, and if we know in our gut that we have unction from ABBA to be ‘His Arm’ to right a wrong, then by all means let us pick up some cords and start plaiting!  Otherwise, STOP IT right there!  

One more practical test as to whether or not we have unction from the LORD to plait that whip – if we WANT to do it, I mean we just got happy juices bubbling over to do it – it’s FLESH!  And we better STOP IT immediately!

I appreciate this, LORD.  I see more clearly that ever why You did what You did in the Temple.  Thank You.  And I pray to be more and more like You.  I pray to leave any defense of me to You but when You bring me to know and witness wrongs that You desire to work through me to correct, then I pray I will not sin against You by refusing to put on Your Anger and deal with it as You direct.  You know I don’t like confrontation.  But, LORD, please don’t let me shrink back in fear from it when You ask me to confront wrongs and injustices.  And I pray this for our IDOKs and Readers.  We don’t want to sin against You by refusing to be angry about what You are angry about.  And we don’t want to sin against You by taking on vengeance either.  So, this is our prayer and we are expecting You to train us to walk in it. 

Thank You.  You are so good to me. I love you.  I am so grateful when You remind me and prompt me in prayer.  We renew again our prayers too for our IDOK Troops – for their safety and protection, for their hearts to not be afraid but trusting and relying upon You for peace and courage and wisdom.  For all names spoken here we pray for them to know Your Tending, Your Ministry to them.  We renew again our prayers for peace and protection for Israel; for repentance for America; for the overthrow of and defeat of unholy Bills on Capitol Hill; for the salvation of lost men and women in places of influence and authority in all offices of Federal, State, County and City Governments; and that Christians in all these places will be courageous and refuse to compromise Your Word; we pray for some holy anger, LORD, not for self satisfaction but for the defense of the innocent and the defenseless.  And to not be political for politics sake but for the evangelizing of the souls of man and the edifying of Your Church.  I am grateful for this message and I pray it will fulfill every purpose You desire, ABBA. Amen and amen in the Sweet and Perfect Name of Your Holy Son, Jesus.

Kathie

Still

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I’m just not much in a writing mood. Not sure why. Just not. BUT I am in the mood to share other folks writings.  Like my You Version devotion for this morning. Take a look.

THE WAVES

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale told of a trip he took on a sailboat in the Near East. The skipper told him, “The ocean is a tremendous force, and our ship is only a small force. But, we know how to make our little engines adapt themselves to the timing of the waves so we are practically carried along by the sea.”

Praying could be defined as adjusting ourselves to the plans and timing of God. When Sennacherib threatened Judah, Hezekiah first went to God (2 Kings 19:14-19). There was a childlike simplicity in the king’s faith. He took the threatening letter and spread it out before God to read. It is as if he said, “Okay, what do we do about it?”

This same childlike faith should be ours in this modern world. Our frustrations and anxieties should be spread out before God for His direction. As we adjust our lives to God’s plan and timing, we find we are carried along by His power. This puts to highest use the forces of our own lives to meet the battles of life. Hezekiah and his people were delivered, and so shall we be.

Is that good or what?

And if you have some more time for reading, please go visit my Friend Elaine. The post is entitled: The Woman I No Longer Need to be . . .

You might find yourself on the page. 

ABBA, perhaps some sisters are not much on doing what they usually do, whatever good thing that is that seems to have lost some luster – guide us I pray. Guide us to coming to Peace with who we are now and resting in Your promise that You are not finished with us yet. Yes. Israel. America. The Election. Truth to prevail. Evil to be exposed. Repentance. Dori. Kerri. Pam M. Pam K. Sharron and Others.  As a dear soul used to say, ‘take a reading on our hearts’, ABBA. See what’s there, see the needs and meet them. See the love and concern for others and express it through us. See the need to love others and the need to express Your love and change us to do it. Safety and protection. Transformations for That One and This One. And let our hearts be not troubled but believe YOU, LORD JESUS in all things.

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

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

A Busy Week

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here at the Thompson house. Good things but not much time for writing here at The White Stone.

Tomorrow is final night for ACES, Fall Session. Luke is our Man for study.

Luke holds a very important verse for me.

Luke 24:50 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

via Luke 24:50 NASB – The Ascension – And He led them out as – Bible Gateway.

My Baby Girl is named from this verse. The place of JESUS’ Ascension to Heaven after His Resurrection.

And how about the following verses?

51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising God.

via Luke 24 NASB – The Resurrection – But on the first day – Bible Gateway.

And Luke’s continues recording – penning of the WORD as dictated by the HOLY SPIRIT in the Book of The ACTS.

In the first chapter of ACTS, the LORD gives parting words and instructions and then it reads:

9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

via Acts 1 NASB – Introduction – The first account I – Bible Gateway.

HE will come again.

Be encouraged. HE will come again!

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

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

HOLY SPIRIT, as they come here to read and as they read, I ask that You speak individually to them in these verses, speaking the WORD to each as they need. Open our eyes in a deeper way to the glory of Your Ascension, LORD JESUS, and Your Return for us and the commission You commanded until You return for us.

City Wall

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Proverbs 25:28 New International Version (NIV)
28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

via Proverbs 25:28 NIV – Like a city whose walls are broken – Bible Gateway.

In Ancient Times what happened to a city when its wall was broken through?

That’s right. The city was pillaged.

Let me give you some synonyms for pillage. 

What else happened in Ancient Times to the people, women especially, and even children, in a city when the walls were broken through?  I don’t have to say it, do I? Isn’t that graphic?

And so Father is saying to us when we forsake His power working in us (i.e. for the Christian that is self-control) we have opened ourselves to be pillaged and that graphic word by the Evil One as well as our own marauding flesh.  Just turn on the news and see what happens when Ishmaelites overrun a city – there is a graphic picture of our spiritual lives (which naturally affects our physical lives, since the two are intricately tied) when we fail to maintain our city walls.

So in what condition is your city wall?

Sturdy? Solid? Strong? No breaches?
Or
Crumbling, Dis-repaired, Gaping holes, Breached?

THE WORD of GOD will rebuild our walls, but we have to show up for work detail! 

If we want our city walls up and healthy we have to have the WORD of GOD ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN US AND WORKING OUT THROUGH US. We can start by meditating (same action as worrying – you know how to do that: going over and over the same thing in our minds) on Scriptures that address our issues.

Thank You, Father, for this word picture of ancient city walls and how clearly it speaks to the absolute necessity for self-control to live holy in this world. HOLY SPIRIT, I pray that not one Dear Soul who comes here to read and pray will leave this page without seriously considering Your Word in this to us.

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,