To God be The glory, Amen

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, pafter our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26,27

What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?c

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned themf with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under theirg feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,

Psalm 8:4-9

So much is learned from this reading. Man did not do anything to be placed in charge of so much. When he was created, The Lord placed him in superiority over earth. That was lost, but still we remain in charge of most. We share what The Lord bestowed on us though. We can look back at what Lucifer said to Jesus in the last of the 3 temptations.

Jesus the Son be willing to do to establish the kingdom of God on earth!

Although Matthew does not say so, I wonder if Jesus and the devil both had Psalm 2 in mind. That Psalm talks about the Son, the Messiah, ruling the kingdoms. Part of it reads:

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery” Psalm 2:7-9.

How kingly do you think Jesus looked after 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness? He was alone, tired, dirty, hungry, and thirsty. Being king over God’s kingdom must have seemed a long way off. The devil seized the opportunity. In essence, he said, “Let me show you a way to fulfill your heart’s desire.” He took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. That would have included Rome! At that moment their splendor and Jesus’ appearance would have been quite a contrast. “‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’”

In Matthew’s account, the first two temptations set the stage for the third one. It is the devil’s final and perhaps most deceptive effort to trap Jesus into disloyalty to God. Let us try to understand this temptation and how Jesus successfully.

So, after the determination was made that He truly was sent by God, Satan sought to use self, but even in this he was thwarted, no matter what he offered, Jesus” eyes were set on The Father. As always, there is so much to learn, we have in the past spelled out J-O-Y meaning Jesus first, Others then Yourself. In His case it was G-O-Y; God replacing the J in Joy.

Much to be learned from this. I can ask one thing; ‘What would you do to be given your hearts desires?’ I mean that in a way that should lead to much thinking. Aren’t your needs met. Granted, we will all need or want is more appropriate. But we are blessed with what we need.

Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,

2 Corinthians 10:5

This sharing will be based on Joseph, not the step-dad of Jesus, but Joseph son of Bilhah and Zilpah. He was 17 and with his brothers did some things that were not right, he even told his parents Genesis 37:2 “When Jacob’s son Joseph was seventeen years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.”

To hurry this along, one day he was sent to bring report of how his brothers faired while they watch the flock. When he went to the place they had been, he was told they had moved on, and he went to them. Seeing him coming, the contemplated killing him but he was fended for by his brother Reuben. Who knew that word one way or another would reach their father. They then threw him in a pit to die of starvation. But just then traders were passing by, so they decided to barter him off to the traders.

Again, we haven’t reached the ‘weren’t part yet. In returning home, they soiled his cloak (the multi-colored tunic given him by his father) with the blood of one of their herd and delivered the ‘bad’ news that Joseph had been slain by wild animals.

Joseph was then sold into slavery in Egypt and was purchased by Potiphar “Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king’s official in charge of the palace guard.”

In Portiphars home he did well and was promoted. Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. v. 39:4

Not only was he placed in charge but he was a ‘dreamer’.

One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”

His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.

Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”

When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?”

Genesis 37:5-11

Portiphar’s wife became a problem.

We should note he gave glory to God for what he had. Do we? More so, a lot to learn, he adamantly refused to get involved. See, he might have been killed for doing ‘wrong’, he knew what was right and kept to it strictly. Once again, do we? Moving curtly along.

One day, Joseph went to Potiphar’s house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. Potiphar’s wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving her hanging onto his coat.

When this happened, she called in her servants and said, “Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me.”

Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s coat until her husband came home. Then she said, “That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house.”

Potiphar became very angry and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king’s prisoners were kept. He could and should have killed him for what he was accused of, but God had greater plans for our ‘dreamer’.

In prison, not was he the ‘dreamer’ but the interpreter of dreams.

One night each of the two men had a dream, but their dreams had different meanings. The next morning, when Joseph went to see the men, he could tell they were upset, 7 and he asked, “Why are you so worried today?”

“We each had a dream last night,” they answered, “and there is no one to tell us what they mean.”

Joseph replied, “Doesn’t God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed.”

The king’s personal servant told Joseph, “In my dream I saw a vine with three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its grapes became ripe. I held the king’s cup and squeezed the grapes into it, then I gave the cup to the king.”

Joseph said: This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches stand for three days, and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do. But when these good things happen, please don’t forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven’t done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.

When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, “I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head. The top basket was full of all kinds of baked things for the king, but birds were eating them.”

Joseph said: This is the meaning of your dream. The three baskets are three days, and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.

Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook. He put the personal servant back in his old job and had the cook put to death.

Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would.

1.

And The Lord says “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Proverbs 3:1-8

And The Lord says “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Proverbs 3:1-8

We have quite a ‘sharing’ today, but it being a ‘rest-filled’ time, let’s get busy.

Don’t Let Fear Stop You

‘Whom shall I fear?’ Psalm 27:1 NAS

Life’s filled with fear-inducing situations: fear of sickness, unemployment, rejection, other people’s opinions. Left unchecked, fear will steal your inner peace. But as Chuck Swindoll reminds us: ‘David met fear head-on at his front door with two questions. “Whom shall I dread? Whom shall I fear? ” And he slammed the door in fear’s face by declaring, “My heart will not fear… I shall be confident” (Psalm 27:3). Then he walked back into his house, reminding himself how to counteract fear’s attacks.

Prayer: “I have asked from the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).

Vision: “I behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).

God’s Word: “I meditate in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).

God’s protection: “In the day of trouble He will conceal me” (Psalm 27:5).

Worship: “I will sing” (Psalm 27:6).

Rest: “Wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13–14).

Determination: “Let your heart take courage” (Psalm 27:14)

Courage isn’t limited to the battlefield… Its real tests are broader… deeper… like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking… enduring pain when the room is empty… standing alone when you’re misunderstood… It can be as simple as saying “No”, as uneventful as facing a mountain of laundry… God’s medal-of-honour winners are made in secret… away from public acclaim.’ When fear nips at your heels, God says, ‘Be strong and courageous!’ (Joshua 1:9 NAS)

Dick Mills writes: ‘Every commandment…comes with the assurance that we can perform it. God doesn’t issue orders we’re not capable of fulfilling… It’s incongruous to say, “I’ve lots of courage but no strength,” or, “I’m a powerhouse of energy but I’m afraid.” Courage and strength were given to you by God. Courage motivates our will, and strength accompanies our effort.’

Need I say more? This verse spells it out.

2.

Wow! Again, it flows…Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil. Note that;

This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:5-10

3.

And we pray- “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”

And we, asking for the mercy of our Father in Heaven are touched to learn what is accurately meant:

mer·cy

ˈmərsē/

noun

1. compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

“the boy was screaming and begging for mercy”

synonyms:leniency, clemency, compassion, grace, pity, charity, forgiveness, forbearance, quarter, humanity; soft-heartedness, tenderheartedness, kindness, sympathy, liberality, indulgence, tolerance, generosity, magnanimity, beneficence

“he showed no mercy to the others”

But we Live in mercy; O will admit that so many have heard it and by God’s grace say it. Now, we know whay exactly is meant.

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. We are truly blessed to have God do all for us, all we have to do is believe and trust and we shall receive in Jesus’ name, Amen

He shall send from Heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth and we shall be raised up. Folks, our conversation is in Heaven. We shall receive grace and be touched with the Glory of God.

4.

We might believe or be moved to say; “Father, Father why hast Thou abandoned me.” In the case we are aware of;”this was said by Jesus on the cross just before He passed. We might see that His trials were many and severe, but He is seated at the right hand of God, The Father.

So many times, we experience things that are too difficult to describe or put into words. I am sure that Jesus could not do so. Even if before the cross was raised a member of the populace were to have interviewed Him; words cannot express the feelings. Frankly, I do not think that He would have been able to. We shared the He was so spent that His cross needed to be borne by someone along the path to cavalry.

Let us skip forward and then go back. He suffered and after passing had a spear stuck In His side. Blood and fluids came flowing from His side. As discussed, this was oedema. Again all His trials should have led to His death. Whipping with a lash that had led pellets? A robe thrown on His shed back and torn off? Even that alone might have killed some. Then a crown of thorns driven into His scalp? We are aware how well perused this area is. There is nothing that He did not undergo for you and me.

Crucifixion is believed to be the worst kind of death that has ever been invented.condemned criminals had to carry their cross to the place of execution. Contrary to what is depicted by artists, Jesus likely only carried the cross-arm (called the patibulum) because the upright post (called the stipes) was generally set in the ground already and was used over and over again since there was a shortage of trees in the area and the Roman‘s did not like spending a lot of time with crucifixions. Jesus carried this heavy beam, which would have been rough and splinter-laden to cause even more pain. It must have been about 7-8 feet long and around one foot wide and at least a half of a foot thick. It could have weighed around 100 pounds or more. The fact that Jesus struggled to carry it and needed help was not due to the weight but because of Jesus’ scourging by the Romans who had beaten Him to a bloody pulp. He would have lost so much blood by the time that He was carrying it that He was unable to make it the entire distance.

I focus on this for many reasons. We are partially aware of what He suffered. Never having researched just what He went through. I must state that He never broke any laws or was wrong in anything He did. We can go back on how He ended up being crucified.

As we have discussed prior, He knew all. Knew exactly what He would endure, and just as shared before he in the garden of Gethsemane was stricken andcsmitten by what was just ahead: And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44

Let us assess this medically so we better understand it:

Hematidrosis, also called blood sweat, is a very rare condition in which a human sweats blood. The term is from Greek haima/haimatos αἷμα, αἵματος meaning blood and hidrōs ἱδρώς meaning sweat.

Hematohidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress.Severe mental anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system to invoke the stress-fight or flight reaction to such a degree as to cause hemorrhage of the vessels supplying the sweat glands into the ducts of the sweat glands. It has been suggested that acute fear and extreme stress can cause haematidrosis.

We just took a shortcut to understand just what He experienced. Knowing that He would speak to His Father, demons must have been sent to lull the disciples to sleep. Yes, it was a late hour, but knowing what was coming was the reason He berated them: Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40,41

As we just discussed, their Spirits might have been willing but the flesh which is what is tempted and affected by things/experiences in this world.

We discussed before that our conversation in Spiritual things is in Heaven. (But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20).

Given that He experienced such anguish knowing exactly what would happen. As we discussed:

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Luke 5:22

There are many examples of His knowing what was said with Him in absentia:

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Luke 6:8

I will give a few more examples, but look them up.

Our thought are not private, our actions less so. As we have shared, we have Angelic companions that have been assigned to us at all times.

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!

Proverbs 15:11

Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.

Jeremiah 20:12

And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.

Matthew 12:25

But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

Matthew 22:18

Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

Mark 2:88

But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.

Luke 6:8

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.

Luke 11:17

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Luke 16:15

5.

The Heaven’s were stayed at the crucifixion, we can imagine that in seconds the entire Roman army, Rome and all the citizens that stood against Jesus, His teachings and His Life Could have been taken out in a second. What is a worldly weapon against Spiritual armory? Frankly, it doesn’t even register on the template.

Jesus was sent as Man, He died as ‘man’ so that we might be saved/redeemed. There is so much to point out. Let us start here: The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

– Matthew 27:54

Even the ones who had tried and tested Jesus came to know and accept that very possibly “This man truly was the Son of God!” We discussed prior the stay that was placed on the Heavenly host. This was done for you and me. I cannot help but imagine that in that instance before the trial and torture of Jesus, it could all have beenl ended, I will share how.

We have shared the Jesus knew when He was here on earth just what was said or would happen. Could the entire earth not have been taken away??? Destroyed??? We have discussed and proven that God is Love. Plus God said He would never do that again in the days of Noah.

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:8-16

So we had the promise and God’s word is His word for eternity, so the Romans, Jews who stood against Jesus would not be wiped out. I must point out that the Angels were created by God to do His will. In the event that any would stray, we see exactly what happened: “after defeat in a War in Heaven in which the dragon and his angels fought against Michael and his angels, “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him”

We read specifically:

Revelation 12:7-12New King James Version (NKJV)

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Lucifer (/ˈluːsɪfər/; loo-sif-ər) is the King James Version rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12). The Vulgate translation uses the Latin word lucifer, but with a lower-case initial,[4] The Hebrew word, transliterated Hêlêl[5] or Heylel (pron. as HAY-lale), occurs once in the Hebrew Bible and according to the KJV-based Strong’s Concordance means “shining one, light-bearer”. The Septuagint renders הֵילֵל in Greek as ἑωσφόρος (heōsphoros), a name, literally “bringer of dawn”, for the morning star. The word Lucifer is taken from the Latin Vulgate, which translates הֵילֵל as lucifer, meaning “the morning star, the planet Venus”, or, as an adjective, “light-bringing”.

Later Christian tradition came to use the Latin word for “morning star”, lucifer, as a proper name (“Lucifer”) for the devil; as he was before his fall. As a result, “‘Lucifer’ has become a by-word for Satan / the Devil in the church and in popular literature”, as in Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, Joost van den Vondel’s Lucifer and John Milton’s Paradise Lost.However, the Latin word never came to be used almost exclusively, as in English, in this way, and was applied to others also, including Jesus. The image of a morning star fallen from the sky is generally believed among scholars to have a parallel in Canaanite mythology.

6.

Are we troubled? We can pray:

7.

And we pray- “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”

And we, asking for the mercy of our Father in Heaven are touched to learn what is accurately meant:

mer·cy

ˈmərsē/

noun

1. compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

“the boy was screaming and begging for mercy”

synonyms:leniency, clemency, compassion, grace, pity, charity, forgiveness, forbearance, quarter, humanity; soft-heartedness, tenderheartedness, kindness, sympathy, liberality, indulgence, tolerance, generosity, magnanimity, beneficence

“he showed no mercy to the others”

But we Live in mercy; O will admit that so many have heard it and by God’s grace say it. Now, we know whay exactly is meant.

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. We are truly blessed to have God do all for us, all we have to do is believe and trust and we shall receive in Jesus’ name, Amen

He shall send from Heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth and we shall be raised up. Folks, our conversation is in Heaven. (Phillipians 3:20) We shall receive grace and be touched with the Glory of God.

8.

We might believe or be moved to say; “Father, Father why hast Thou abandoned me.” In the case we are aware of;”this was said by Jesus on the cross just before He passed. We might see that His trials were many and severe, but He is seated at the right hand of God, The Father.

So many times, we experience things that are too difficult to describe or put into words. I am sure that Jesus could not do so. Even if before the cross was raised a member of the populace were to have interviewed Him; words cannot express the feelings. Frankly, I do not think that He would have been able to. We shared the He was so spent that His cross needed to be borne by someone along the path to cavalry.

Let us skip forward and then go back. He suffered and after passing had a spear stuck In His side. Blood and fluids came flowing from His side. As discussed, this was oedema. Again all His trials should have led to His death. Whipping with a lash that had led pellets? A robe thrown on His shed back and torn off? Even that alone might have killed some. Then a crown of thorns driven into His scalp? We are aware how well perused this area is. There is nothing that He did not undergo for you and me.

Crucifixion is believed to be the worst kind of death that has ever been invented.condemned criminals had to carry their cross to the place of execution. Contrary to what is depicted by artists, Jesus likely only carried the cross-arm (called the patibulum) because the upright post (called the stipes) was generally set in the ground already and was used over and over again since there was a shortage of trees in the area and the Roman‘s did not like spending a lot of time with crucifixions. Jesus carried this heavy beam, which would have been rough and splinter-laden to cause even more pain. It must have been about 7-8 feet long and around one foot wide and at least a half of a foot thick. It could have weighed around 100 pounds or more. The fact that Jesus struggled to carry it and needed help was not due to the weight but because of Jesus’ scourging by the Romans who had beaten Him to a bloody pulp. He would have lost so much blood by the time that He was carrying it that He was unable to make it the entire distance.

I focus on this for many reasons. We are partially aware of what He suffered. Never having researched just what He went through. I must state that He never broke any laws or was wrong in anything He did. We can go back on how He ended up being crucified.

As we have discussed prior, He knew all. Knew exactly what He would endure, and just as shared before he in the garden of Gethsemane was stricken andcsmitten by what was just ahead: And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44

Let us assess this medically so we better understand it:

Hematidrosis, also called blood sweat, is a very rare condition in which a human sweats blood. The term is from Greek haima/haimatos αἷμα, αἵματος meaning blood and hidrōs ἱδρώς meaning sweat.

Hematohidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress.Severe mental anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system to invoke the stress-fight or flight reaction to such a degree as to cause hemorrhage of the vessels supplying the sweat glands into the ducts of the sweat glands. It has been suggested that acute fear and extreme stress can cause haematidrosis.

We just took a shortcut to understand just what He experienced. Knowing that He would speak to His Father, demons must have been sent to lull the disciples to sleep. Yes, it was a late hour, but knowing what was coming was the reason He berated them: Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40,41

As we just discussed, their Spirits might have been willing but the flesh which is what is tempted and affected by things/experiences in this world.

We discussed before that our conversation in Spiritual things is in Heaven. (But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20).

Given that He experienced such anguish knowing exactly what would happen. As we discussed:

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Luke 5:22

There are many examples of His knowing what was said with Him in absentia:

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Luke 6:8

I will give a few more examples, but look them up.

Our thought are not private, our actions less so. As we have shared, we have Angelic companions that have been assigned to us at all times.

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:17

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.

Psalm 34:7

To be specific on just how He knows and The Heavenly host observe what we do. It once again points out that there is truly nothing out of God’s sight.

So, to help us understand this more:

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!

Proverbs 15:11

Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause.

Jeremiah 20:12

And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.

Matthew 12:25

But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

Matthew 22:18

Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

Mark 2:88

But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.

Luke 6:8

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.

Luke 11:17

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Luke 16:15

I will admit that it was fascinating to me; literally to have a guardian Angel assigned to me? I guess it explains why I only ‘visited’ the after-life. One of the things in the Bible that seem so commonplace is the presence of Angels. I look at my own life and I don’t see Angels like they did in the Bible. In fact, I don’t ever think about Angels. Every time I stop and think about them, I find myself fascinated by the fact that I have a guardian Angel. But then I find myself asking, “What are Angels?”

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14.

It took quite a bit for me to understand that there are two planes. I am frankly not sure if one is ‘above’, but many a time, people have been exposed to seeing ‘beings’ from an alternate realm enter or exit into ours.

One of the stories that makes my hair stand on end is that Elijah was taken by what appeared as a ‘storm’ into the next realm. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 1lElisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. 2 Kings 2:11,12.

To save time and space, type in “Angels seen” on Google and see what is shared. Again, I try and save time and space.

9.

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians

To launch straight in; after His resurrection we see that Jesus belied the laws of human limitations. He was able to appear in locked rooms, disappear and appear at will. And we read a few examples:

Luke 24:36-49;

This lists, apparently in chronological order, a first appearance to Peter, then to “the Twelve,” then to five hundred at one time, then to James (presumably James the brother of Jesus), then to “all the Apostles,” and last to Paul himself. Paul does not mention any appearances to women, apart from “sisters” included in the 500; other New Testament sources do not mention any appearance to a crowd of 500. There is general agreement that the list is pre-Pauline – it is often called a catechism of the early church – but less on how much of the list belongs to the tradition and how much is from Paul: most scholars feel that Peter and the Twelve are original, but not all believe the same of the appearances to the 500, James and “all the Apostles”; the most impressive was in two disciples who were moving around and Jesus was with them, spoke about the fact that Jesus was in fulfillment of the scripture. Growing late, the invited Him (this ‘stranger’) to stay with them, He did go sup with them and their eyes were opened after he gave thanks and broke bread. The main point in this sharing is that He left them though the hour was ‘late’.

Luke 24:13-35

In the interest of ‘time’ we could go on. But, the point has been made. When Jesus was taken to the steeple top, now it is not so difficult to understand it. He who physically was unable to do so, was taken by Lucifer. Just how is left to our minds eye. But, it shows that we have to be steeped in The Word.

One thing that is repeated in this sharing is that after His human ‘death’, Jesus was risen in the ‘physical’,  but more so in the Spirit realm where He has been prior to being here as a ‘man’. He was able to ‘enter’ locked rooms:

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20: 19,26

Jesus had the ephemeral task of dying for our sins and teaching the awesome news of what God has done and continued to do for us. Amazing to be here as a Holy King. Alleluia! He had resisted temptation to reach this on the path He was given to trod. Amazingly, He knew His purpose. We have shared, what is yours?

It is sometimes difficult to figure that out, just why were you created? What is your purpose? Each of us has one! We need to seek of The LORD and be thankful and full of gratitude as we wait on Him in faith.

Once again, in that realm (the Spiritual) time does NOT exist. Mainly existence in our state of existence based primarily on the choices we make. I would point out that it can be a fleetingly easy decision to make, a hard one to keep. But, the most amazing thing to be which far outshines any of this life’s riches or boundaries is one of the rewards for staying grounded on and in the promises of God.

Was brought around to share a verse that we have shared prior.

“Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 3:19-20

We experience so many whom have their focus on the wrong things. There are some whose focus is on the wrong thing. This runs it through greed, selfishness, drive for self…these all take authority in their lives. I have to say “You be careful!” Judge not! Pray always! Let your prayers for such lift them up. This is a time/period when you are called to do well for others. We have the attention of our LORD and Saviour, utilize it for good. Do we need things? Place others first, keep them in prayer.

Lord for a reason You placed me where I am. Lord, I see these things and they bring a heaviness to my spirit. Lord, I pray that I judge not and Love much. Your word says that I should believe all things, hope all things and trust all things that are of You. Lord, with the heaviness O feel, give me cause to bring these things to Your presence. As I lift them up, change them that they will and shall be blessed in Jesus’ name. Father, I thank You for today; the blessings, the testimonies and Your glory. Bless me, guide me, lift me up in Jesus’ name. Lord my life is Yours in Jesus’ name. Use me to do Your will in my all, Amen

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27

Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 11:10

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:7

I set out to do a bible study, one thing came to mind. The fear (knowledge, understanding, respect and more) of The Lord is a start to so many things.

a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration. the outward manifestation of this feeling: to pay reverence. a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.

Fear of the Lord” generally refers to a specific sense of respect, awe, and submission to a deity, while Fear of God suggests apprehension of Divine punishment.

We have ‘shared’ and will once again, there are so many events in The Bible where the presence of God was so overpowering that people essentially were affected and effected. It brings one to their knees. Some examples:

(i) Mary (The sister of Martha who sat at the feet of Jesus after He raised Lazarus from the dead) – An Increasing Appreciation

(ii) Asaph – A New Perspective. Psalm 73 details Asaph’s experience, and the effect upon him of entering ‘the sanctuary of God’, v. 17. The psalm is divided by this verse. In the first sixteen verses, we see a man judging according to man’s estimation; in the closing verses we learn the effect of seeing the same conditions from the presence of God.

(iii) Elijah – A Fearless Testimony. A Fearless Testimony

According to 1 Kings 17.1, Elijah stands fearlessly before the wicked king Ahab because he recognizes that he is in the presence of the Lord God of Israel, He goes into the presence of one who has set himself to kill the prophets of the Lord, 1 Kgs. 18. 13, and leaves untouched and untraceable.

(iv) Moses – A Changed Image. In Exodus 34, we read of the second period of forty days that Moses spent in the mount with the Lord. At the end, we read, ‘Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone’, v. 29. The first part of the statement teaches us that the effect of spending time in the presence of God will not always be apparent to ourselves.

We must stop here and realize that the testimony of Moses goes far beyond this.

A friend loveth at all times…” Proverbs 17:17

Your best friend is the one who knows the worst about you, and loves you just the same, and that best friend is God, the Lord Jesus Christ who sticks closer than a brother. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

The true source, foundation, and example of friendship is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see that Moses would leave the ‘camp’ and meet and discourse with God.

I’m sure that we would love to know the experience of Adam and Eve. It says that His footsteps were heard and they hid.

I will further note that in His image we were created.

There is ‘wildlife’ to which we bear no resemblance. Yes, some might say that we bear a few similarities with baboons, apes and/or monkeys. They do not possess the ability to think and or do as we do. So, yes! We are created in the image of God

When I think of the Heavenly host, I am in my mind taken to a place where size does in no way account for anything/matter; in fact the more Spiritual minded we are and ‘exercise’ our faith, the ‘bigger’ spiritually we get.

When we are in Heaven, it is a different plane and we do not consume. In The Bible it speaks of ‘healing waters’:  Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. Ezekiel 47:1

We can actually see that there are a ‘ton” of other verses that say the exact same thing, and we read:

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:14

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

Ezekiel 36:25

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

John 7:38

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation

Isaiah 12:3

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Revelation 22:1

They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.

I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. Psalm 41:4

Deep, no? Note that it says ‘Soul’, that in essence is you, your Spirit. Who you truly are. We ask God for forgiveness which is freely fine when we intend and actively attempt to avoid it.

Lord, be with me. Forgive me where I have stepped wrong. Fill me with Your Spirit. Heal me Lord, make me complete in Jesus’ name, Amen

We know it, and know it well. Is The Lord truly your Shepherd? What does it mean to lie in green pastures? As a Sheep in His meadows, you can feed off what is so richly provided. You hunger not. Beauty is in still waters, no storms arise or prevail. This truly is a Psalmbof comfort, The Leadership of our Father who is in Heaven, just as is said in this Psalm written before Jesus was here in the flesh, He when here said “Give us this day our daily bread…” Do we not feed in the lusglh pastures? Furthermore, it is restful in His presence…He market me to lie down in the pastures of giving. We can rest in Him, with Him.

When we ask for forgiveness, He restores our souls. I was reading and ranbupon a verse that speaks clearly to this effect:

I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. Psalm 41:4

In His Word there is the path we are to follow, the way of righteousness. In Him truly, we rest at peace lifted to His bosom. The path is made clear, holding His hand, we are led, for His names sake avoiding pitfalls, trembling spots and trevices.

We are blessed, for when we do wrong, He guides us a right with the rod and staff. Thus we can live in comfort knowing that by and through His word and His Spirit within us, we are led aright.

We have those who dtest, despoil and criticize us, as we so His will, in the presence of those who stand against us, He blesses us till it flows And seeing this there bitterness flows, until they come to know Him. So keep believing, trusting and commuting all to Him in prayer and praise, amen.

Thus the valley of the shadow of death holds no menace for The King of glory comes with shining light. By His grace we can see all. As we are led, we know all. We live in the Spirit, worship in the Spirit, and experience Him both in the Spirit and in our physical bodies.

We have our blessings our plentiful, today, tomorrow and for all our ways. It has been said “In The house of The Lord shall we dwell for always.” In all our ways shall we dwell in His presence. The day will come when we behold His glory for always.

If we shed a tear, His hand will remove them. But, I am moved to say they will be tears of joy. In the Spirit, I am awaiting Joy eternal.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23

Need help? What is the problem? What is your main ‘hold-back’? Perhaps you are ‘holding’ on to the wrong thing in the wrong way.

For I am the Lord your God

    who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:13-14

Even The Word says similar when it doesn’t focus on you specifically, but we can learn from it: “And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”

Genesis 19:17

It speaks to me, and for those who ‘look back’, the teaching is to move forward and forward alone. “Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

I just wanted to share this, possibly you have seen this before. Just wanted to ‘share’. Feel absolutely free to share. Live on in Christ!!! Wow! I guess we have a new saying beside ‘Sharing’!

Once there was a young girl who decided to take a short cut home from school. The fastest way to her house was to cut through an alley. The girl approached the alley way.

She saw a man standing like he was waiting for someone. She said a prayer: “Dear God, please lead me through this alleyway, safe and unharmed. Amen!”

The girl walked through the alley and past the man. Later on that night the girl decided to watch the news. She saw that man had raped and murdered a young girl.

The police said the man told them another girl had passed through the alley 10 minutes before. When they asked him why he hadn’t attacked the first girl, he said that there was a man walking beside her.

God walks with us. We deny His presences but He is always there.

Let’s pray for you together:

1) You’ll find favor with

     someone you don’t expect,

     Amen!

2) You’ll be too relevant to be

     ignored, Amen!

3) You’ll encounter God and

     will never remain the

     same, Amen!

4) The grace for completion

     will come on you, you shall

     be blessed till the blessed

     call you blessed, Amen!

5) The mouth saying ‘Amen’

     to this prayer shall laugh

     forever, Amen!

Very soon, and I say, very very soon, GOD is going to do a miracle and lift you up for GOOD.

Person A: “Give?, just why should we give?”

Person B: “I know what you mean. What’s your is Yours.”

Person A: “Yeah! I worked for it.”

Someone overheard while passing and stops.

Person C: “I couldn’t but overhear your conversation, I…”

Person B:”You know what? We weren’t speaking to you!”

Person A: “I think I know this guy, isn’t he one of those ‘holy rollers?”

Person B: “Yeah! Always hanging out with those who have none!”

Person C: “I am not being holy, or forthcoming, just overheard you and had a thought.”

Person A: “Well leave us alone, we weren’t talking to you.

Person C: “I’ll be on my way, but first let me share what I was reading just a few minutes ago.”

Person B: “We don’t want to hear it…”

Person A: “Chill dude. Perhaps he has something good or worthwhile to say. I used to go to church with my parents. Who are too serious for me, it’s always Christ this or Christ that. We might as well get some ‘chuching’ from this ‘holy roller.”.

Person B rolls his eyes and sighs audibly. “If it gets too deep, I am out.”

Person C: “Thanks, I just overheard you talking about money. Just one ‘what’s, then I’m out. Have things to do.”

Person B:”Like fast, pray or meet other ‘holy rollers’ I am sure…”

Person A:”Shhhhh!!!!, ok! go ahead.”

Person C: “Not really much, but I will show you what I just read. Kinda funny ‘cos I didn’t think…”

Person B:”Come on!!!”

Person C: “Ok, here goes… Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of ttrouble The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his eenemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. You can findt in Psalm41:1-3”

Person A:”That is deep.”

Person B rolls his eyes.”I’m done, out booooyeezz.”

Person A ignores him. “That was deep. Do you always speak like that?”

Person C: “I try to only speak when addressed, just thought this might be helpful…”.

Person A: “No problem, glad you stopped. Mind if I ask you something?”

Person C:”Go ahead.”

Person A:”Been thinking about a lot. Do you mind praying or me?”

It is amazing how yesterday is yesterday, it needs to stay there. We by God’s grace have much to come. So, we stand on the know of what happens with yesteryears.

Why give? Why show genuine concern? Well first and foremost if we (God forbid) were in that situation, not only would we be grateful to the ‘provider’s, but definitely to The Lord who uses such as these to allow His grace to be shown.

Are we at times driven to ‘help-out’? If we are, it might be The Spirit leading us. Let me state just why and what I was learned:

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. Psalm 41:1-3

Again, this is something that I was led to and had to share. I know we have past looked up the meaning of ‘blessed’, let’s do it again:

bless·ed

blest,ˈblesid/Submit

adjective

1. made holy; consecrated.

noun: For example:

1. those who live with God in Heaven.

Again, these are not my definitions/words but definition found in the dictionary.

Of course it does mean even more or is described more in The Word. But let us say that someone says; “Just what does that mean?” You can then say “In The Bible it means…”, in the dictionary it means…

Need help? What is the problem? What is your main ‘hold-back’? Perhaps you are ‘holding’ on to the wrong thing in the wrong way.

For I am the Lord your God

    who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:13-14

Even The Word says similar when it doesn’t focus on you specifically, but we can learn from it: “And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”

Genesis 19:17

It speaks to me, and for those who ‘look back’, the teaching is to move forward and forward alone. “Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

This leads is straight to: “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26

This speaks for itself: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

1 Corinthians 9:24

I frankly cannot be more clear, it has been said over and over through the tears and we have even heard it in passing and yes! We have ‘shared’ it:

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross; scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

I am aware that the complexity has been ‘shallow’, by that I mean ‘easy to interpret or understand’, time to move on up. In a way it’s like “The Jefferson’s”; only that it is not to the East Side. (That hopefully made you smile.)

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Psalm 51:14

blud-gilt’-i-nes:

Found in the King James Version only in Psalms 51:14. The Revised Version (British and American) adds Exodus 22:2,3; 1 Samuel 25:26,33. Ezekiel 18:13 seems to indicate that the phrase does not necessarily signify bloodshed, but any grievous sin which, if it remains, will block God’s favor to His land and people (compare Deuteronomy 21:8; Isaiah 1:15). Psalms 51 is to be interpreted in this light.

My tongue shall sing of the righteousness of our Father. We have received His grace and stand blessed. For our God Reigneth, blessed is The Lord, Let The Lord of my salvation be exalted.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Definition of “peace”

pēs

noun

1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

“you can while away an hour or two in peace and seclusion”

synonyms:tranquility, calm, restfulness, peace and quiet, peacefulness, quiet, quietness; More

2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence.

Lord Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, Your wished and desire for our Lives. At this time and by Your grace, my brother wants You in His Life. Thank You for whispering and knocking gently on his door. You alone are Holy. Father at this time he seeks forgivenwas for where he walked and stood wrong, Father forgive him and cause him to be one of Your children as he lets go of the past. Father be glorified today and always in Jesus” name, Amen

Person A: “Wow! That was easy and besides I feel awesome. Thanks man!”

Person A: “Give?, just why should we give?”

Person B: “I know what you mean. What’s your is Yours.”

Person A: “Yeah! I worked for it.”

Someone overheard while passing and stops.

Person C: “I couldn’t but overhear your conversation, I…”

Person B:”You know what? We weren’t speaking to you!”

Person A: “I think I know this guy, isn’t he one of those ‘holy rollers?”

Person B: “Yeah! Always hanging out with those who have none!”

Person C: “I am not being holy, or forthcoming, just overheard you and had a thought.”

Person A: “Well leave us alone, we weren’t talking to you.

Person C: “I’ll be on my way, but first let me share what I was reading just a few minutes ago.”

Person B: “We don’t want to hear it…”

Person A: “Chill dude. Perhaps he has something good or worthwhile to say. I used to go to church with my parents. Who are too serious for me, it’s always Christ this or Christ that. We might as well get some ‘chuching’ from this ‘holy roller.”.

Person B rolls his eyes and sighs audibly. “If it gets too deep, I am out.”

Person C: “Thanks, I just overheard you talking about money. Just one ‘what’s, then I’m out. Have things to do.”

Person B:”Like fast, pray or meet other ‘holy rollers’ I am sure…”

Person A:”Shhhhh!!!!, ok! go ahead.”

Person C: “Not really much, but I will show you what I just read. Kinda funny ‘cos I didn’t think…”

Person B:”Come on!!!”

Person C: “Ok, here goes… Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of ttrouble The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his eenemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. You can findt in Psalm41:1-3”

Person A:”That is deep.”

Person B rolls his eyes.”I’m done, out booooyeezz.”

Person A ignores him. “That was deep. Do you always speak like that?”

Person C: “I try to only speak when addressed, just thought this might be helpful…”.

Person A: “No problem, glad you stopped. Mind if I ask you something?”

Person C:”Go ahead.”

Person A:”Been thinking about a lot. Do you mind praying or me?”

Person C: “It would be a pleasure.”

Person A: “Sometimes, I feel like I have gone ‘wrong’ and my parents had it right. Sorry for the way my bud dressed you down.”

Person C: “No worries.”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Definition of “peace”

pēs

noun

1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

“you can while away an hour or two in peace and seclusion”

synonyms:tranquility, calm, restfulness, peace and quiet, peacefulness, quiet, quietness; More

2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence.

We can rest in ease, we have Jesus’ promise. I know Him as a unique part of The God-head; The Holy Tri-unvate, Three in one. God came to save us. He sent a part of Himself. I know that is difficult to grasp. A unique part of God was here. The fact is the in Love, God sent a part of Himself to save you and I. I cannot but say it. If and when we speak of Jesus, in effect we speak of God. Yes! God was here.

At the temptation He knew the bible. His word. I thought about this and we have shared it before. Lucifer knew The a word. In stating His word through the eons, His Chief Angel would have known it cold. In our earlier share we said that Lucifer might have had doubts. Let us examine that more closely.

The final temptation was for The Son of God to bend His knee and bow to the Angel He made. We have to understand this. Why would Satan have tried this? Amazingly, I thought why; He being made directly of God has no age, He is.

In Revelations it says he will be thrown into the pit for a thousand years.

It is somewhat of a surprise that he was bound and thrown in by another Angel. We may sometimes ask why He does not exist any more. The answer? You will go on. You have been created and funny enough, there is no ‘expiration’ date. What makes it so deep is that we have the choice of where we will be.

It is amazing, no? Mary the mother of our Lord was created exactly for that. Yes, we do not know her childhood. In fact, not many people write, speak or even think of it. We keep our eyes on Jesus. That is where they are supposed trip be. I just want to point out that we were each created with a purpose. To ask bluntly; what is yours? Being an awesome parent? An outstanding engineer? A brilliant cook? An amazing caretaker? A skilled mechanic? Hoe about amazing mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters I truth I can go on.

The early childhood of Mary are attributed to the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of James.

The qualities of mercy, compassion, comforting and counselling have long since been seen as feminine qualities, all of which Mary emanated. They are also the qualities of the future incarnation promised by Christ, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, shall teach you all things” John 14:26

Could it be that he was telling then of the age of the Mother, when the feminine power of God would grace this earth

But what is your function? What are your goals? I am aware that we started this “share” with Mary. But now we focus on You.

Frankly, in studying this I get lost in all the intricacies. For example, there is God-the Father, Jesus-His son, and The Holy Spirit. We discussed the qualities of God the Father settling that in truth He is God. No other way to state it. The qualities of God are Godly; in Heaven I believe there are no sexes. To be clear, no male/female. There are just Spirits and Angels, yes! There are Seraphim and Cherubim; but rather than name each I list them under Angels. Them there are us, we who were created for and with a purpose.

As I said, we should pray about it, seek it and find it.

So much to be said. We will continue along these lines.

Lord Heavenly Father, we praise You with our Spirits. Our adoration comes from with is. You alone are Holy, You alone are Lord, The Most High. Lord we give You honor. You are our God, Leader, Protector, Guide. The source of our Love.

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

– Matthew 26:64

Amazing, to know exactly what will happen; and be willing to stand for it. As we have shared in and when we have am inkling of ‘difficulties’ we definitely avoid them, hopefully altogether, but for you and I Jesus knew what had to be done Jesus gives us a reason to want to be with Him, the definition of Love, just as His Father from who He came. In our word “Like Father, like Son.” At no time is this more true.

To see exactly what happened, we open our bibles: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Matthew 26:1,2

What exactly is the verse we started with? When we moved to the next here there was a reason: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.

Again in absentia, Jesus knew just what would happen. We even see that at a time when Jesus graced one who had been healed from leposy, a woman of ill repute had purchased a ‘costly’ jar of ointment which she used to annoint His feet. There was discord among the disciples, but Jesus said “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” We are met with the fact that He knew just what would happen.

Amazingly, not a bone in His body was broken. We can go over everything that He endured. It stands as a testimony that not a single bone was broken. I have to point out that the other two they hung with Him, had their legs broken to quicken their passing. However, with all Jesus endured, His passage back to Heaven was a thing that occurred before those who crucified Him made a move to do so.

But the pierced His side with a spear and out came water (from oedema) and blood.

The Roman flogging or scourging that Jesus endured prior to being crucified normally consisted of 39 lashes, but could have been more (Mark 15:15; John 19:1). The whip that was used, called a flagrum, consisted of braided leather thongs with metal balls and pieces of sharp bone woven into or intertwined with the braids. The balls added weight to the whip, causing deep bruising and contusions as the victim was struck. The pieces of bone served to cut into the flesh. As the beating continued, the resulting cuts were so severe that the skeletal muscles, underlying veins, sinews, and bowels of victims were exposed. This beating was so severe that at times victims would not survive it in order to go on to be crucified.

Those who were flogged would often go into hypovolemic shock, a term that refers to low blood volume. In other words, the person would have lost so much blood he would go into shock. The results of this would be

1) The heart would race to pump blood that was not there.

2) The victim would collapse or faint due to low blood pressure.

3) The kidneys would shut down to preserve body fluids.

4) The person would experience extreme thirst as the body desired to replenish lost fluids.

On this, we see that Jesus did state as much when He stated “I thirst”. We can see that it was all a physiologic reaction to what He went through.

Again, He knew. In a quick backstory in the garden of Gethsemane; He knowing exactly what would occur asked if the torture could be passed over Him, but He realized that it was the will of The Father that had to be done.

Stress, beyond comprehension. If and when we have ‘stress’ it amounts to nothing compared to what He went through for us. Even more reason to hold fast to Him in Love and appreciation.

Lord Jesus, I thank You with my entire being and Spirit. Cause me to walk with You, all my ways. What you experienced and went through on my behalf cannot be imagined. Lord, I am not worthy; I give myself to You. Lord, You shed blood on my behalf, died for me. Cause me to live in gratitude in all my ways. Lord, O adore You. Sanctify me Lord in all my ways. I pray in Your name, Amen

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Psalm 51:11,12

We have received and in all we do we seek God’s face. If we for any reason lose the faith that we have, even a tax; The Lord will not only renew our passion, our focus but uphold us in and with His will.

Lord Heavenly Father, we come to You this day with thanksgiving, praise and worship for all You continually do for us. We are Yours; bless us, fill us, hold us and keep us focused on Your path. Lord, we start each moment with praise and thanksgiving, thank You for Your Spirit, thank You for Your Love. We are striving to be as You are in the Love we express. Touch our Loved ones with Your Spirit, meet them at their points of need. Father, be Thou glorified in and with every moment of my life. Father, go before me this day and allow me to experience Your fullness in Jesus name, Amen

We Love because he first Loved us.

It is amazing, no? Mary the mother of our Lord was created exactly for that. Yes, we do not know her childhood. In fact, not many people write, speak or even think of it. We keep our eyes on Jesus. That is Who we should focus on.

Today, my question is “What were you created for?” Are you meeting your goals? What are your goals? Many of us need to pray on this; to start understanding the why, what that are defined by the where and how we are where we are. Are we where we need to be?

Let us return to the verse “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” Ecclesiastes 3:15

We have gone over this a number of times. I wanted to point out something that impressed on me. It says “God require that which is past.” Being believers, we are covered with the blood of Jesus that washes the stain of sin away. If we give our lives to Christ it is said “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:a The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 We can say; All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. v.18

So, in progression, there is definitely no regressing. I must say “March on Christian soldiers…”

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. Ecclesiastes 3:13-17

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Let us assess this, I will start be pointing out something that sticks out with such clarity, it seizes you: “That which is to be hath already been.” Which is to be, if we note it says “Has already been. We just spoke about Joseph and his dreams. Yes, there was a whole lot of doing that was not in his dreams, but they did come to pass. Once again, I will point out that he was in the perfect will of God.

The way the first verse starts is a pointer. We labor so enjoy it. There might be some who purposely hold back, but we are told to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It moves right into the fact that what has been created by our Father in Heaven is and shall exist for ever. That is something to ponder. His works stand as they are, try as we might; there is nothing to be added or taken away. Let’s point something out, with technology the planets are as they are, do we change rhem? The Earth is as it is, do we change or alter its axis? These things are predetermined and shall stay as they are. The planets rotate around the sun, can we change their axis? You see, The Bible points out what development that took its fair share of time has well noted.

It next speaks about judgement, what we will all go though. Just as the planets are as they were created, are we not going to all be gathered for judgement? We have a chance, our decision, to do right by Him, our Father in Heaven, or to do as we will. The thing is that at this present time there are no ‘fouls’ called, but when your number is up, you will stand in report of all your actions. As we pointed out prior, you stand alone and answer alone. So many times people want to point fingers. But, if you are asked why you did So and so, the question is to you not others. If and when they stand up there, they will be asked why they pulled so-and-so to do this or that. They must answer, but when we stand we answer for our works. ‘Nuff said.

Then it speaks of things past, things present and things to come. Everything has a specified time, which is why as we have done in the past; I share the Scripture that points out that there is a time for all.

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

– Matthew 26:26

And we were asked to continue this in His memory. In many churches today of all denominations; this is done. In face in some denomination it is a major part. If we look back at the gatherings of the early Christians, we see that in Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

Even in this gathering was a testimony, for the interest of space, read on and you will see exactly what happened when a believer fell asleep and toppled from an upper story window.

Acts 2:42-46 describes the early church breaking bread as part of their fellowship: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The early Christians came together regularly for common meals, which included the breaking of bread. Acts 2:44 refers to them having “everything in common,” and this no doubt included sharing meals together, each one receiving from the others what they needed. Verse 46 describes them breaking bread in their homes.

1 Corinthians 11:23-39 is a good reading on just what and why we continue this today. Jesus underwent so much for us. His skin and flesh were torn and broken by blows with rods and fists, by whippings and scourgings, by thorns, nails, and spears. Though He went through all this, do we realize not a single bone was broken? It truly is deep.

By that ‘brokenness’ of his body we are healed Isaiah 53:5.

This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!!

“To celebrate growing older”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don’t worry, God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy clothes. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

As Christians in what do we ‘hope’? What do we fervently ‘wish’ for. The definition of ‘hope’ is a ‘doing’ word:

hōp/

a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. As in a feeling of trust. More important the latter definition is a feeling of trust that He who said it will do it. As many times as I say it, if God made the universe and the earth, a good distance from the sun so that we don’t get burned. How much more, we who are but an insignificant speck in His galaxy will ask for something which for Him is literally not even drawing a breath. In times of great need all He did was say it, give His people the desire and strength and it was done.

Recently, we spoke about ‘trials’. Our example was Joseph In the Old Testament; we miss so often his life story. Yes, he had dreams, but even then he could not have attained them. Everything he went through was in preparation for God’s plan.

We might feel that our lives are a ‘mish-mash’ of events. We have many examples in The Word and even in testimonies; which is why we share them. He literally went through all he did because God had a plan for him. If he had a choice, do you think he would have taken that road? In my heart of hearts, I really do not think so, cannot fathom how anyone would.

In a discussion with a believer recently, it was pointed out that God knows just where we will be. It is our job to trust Him totally. I must point out that Yes! We should strive to do what we must, but wait on The Lord for our blessings to roll in.

In the verse I was going to share, it says in short what he just went ovee:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭

Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NIV

If and when we have ‘hope’ in our Father, we can rest in peace knowing that what is promised is coming down the pike. For dreams as of yet unattained, keep striving. As, just one example of many we see that:

1. He was sold into slavery. Having been born the son of a well to do man with flock and offspring galore.

2. He was ‘owned’ and was attemptedly seduced, thrown in what was in the message described as a ‘dungeon’. Even if it were a prison cell; the lack of family, support, love and care can and will subdue many.

3. He was able to interpret dreams, yet the one person who we dream he interpreted, it says that he forgot about him. But yet in prison, he served his Lord. Doing so even the gaolers allowed him free reign.

We can go over it, but it has been shared already. How many of us would even half undergo what he did? It should be noted that not many would. The key point is that they were merely dreams.

Let me point something out; many of us have dreams. We might not know where they are from, but we pursue them. This is positive, if and when we observe or learn about individuals in high positions, we learn that they had and have a drive. These are examples in our time. Thus, let us hold to the fabric in our hands; even if it currently have little or no worth and work it into something that will shine an example to manym. We in our everyday lives are an example to others.

The Pharoah then had a dream and none in his court could interpreter. Now, there were brainiacs and well schooled wise men, but they had futility in interpreting. Now, this was Egypt! The NYC of its day. The wine service waiter whose dream had been interpreted recollected Joseph interpreting his dream. But, I have to state a very important fact. Yes, he had dreams when he was younger, he was sold into slavery, then accused of rape. He however never lost his faith in God. Even in prison for a false accusations he interpreted dreams (part of the big plan) now, I will state something that will shock you. Even in prison for greater than 3 years,  The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Again, 3 years. Do dreams take that long to be fulfilled? Just keep the faith. I cannot say this enough, if in Your hearts you desire what is in God’s Word, hold fast! It is yours. Sometimes our faith is being tested. This young man’s was for years! We read Genesis 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”

See how time passed. Truly all things are destined by our Father in Heaven. If and when we observe this, it is difficult to realize how patient one could be. This is definitely an example of years of trusting God that a dream might come true.

In jail with no visitors, no family (that were the ones who sold him into slavery). To every intent, he should have been dead. But, let’s go on.

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

“In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

Again lots of lessons. The dream interpretation led to his being selected as a ‘man of virtues and wisdom.’ Wait! Are there Time constraints to your dreams and desires? How badly do you want what want? Patience? Anger at how things have gone? Depression? It can all be different.

See, I was all like “I know this story!” But the specifics were above my head.

1. Reuben returning to the dry well he was placed in, realizing then he had been sold.

2. Joseph being bought by Portifar. There were reasons which we realize in reading.

3. His interpretation of dreams. Not only this, but what ‘could’ have happened for what he was accused of.

4. The time it took for everything to come to be.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,d to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. v.45

See, we can go on, there are so many lessons. But, let’s go on. In Egypt, even having the position he had, he did not even consider going Bach home. I am led to see that he was too busy for the upcoming years. Another 7 years? Better believe it. Lets move on though…

When the famine hit his true family were affected too: “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.”

“And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.”

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

We can see that his brothers were affected and came to the NYC of those days to purchase food. The brothers were recognized by Joseph, but of course their brother was ‘dead’ to them.

Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.

Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

“No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men.

His dream starts to come true; do we dream? Time as we see in The Bible is ‘relative’. In saying that I know how and what you feel ‘it is relative’, “To what?” I ask. I understand that Even I speaking am always in a ‘rush’ to do things. So, this serves as an excellent point in story telling to ascertain what is truly important in our lives. A question I have is we have a desired destination. “Which route is the ‘right’ way?” I can ask so much, but would rather you dwell on this pretty well known story that is all of a sudden pointedly poignant in our lives about:

1. Dreams, the attaining of dreams.

2. Submitting to and respecting authority.

3. Having hope and faith even when it seems there is no reason to any more.

We truly have to know what to hope and feel, why to hope and feel, what to hope and feel for.

So, I just wanted to share what we all knew, but didn’t know in its entirety or fullness. Be well and blessed.