#Hebrews 12:28-29

[wiirocku]

Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV) - Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

[doulafaith]

Harmony

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40:3 I am sure many of us have witnessed two distinct ways of singing a song and playing an instrument; and one appears to be more of a gift or an acquired gift than the other. There is the soloist and musician who studies the notes and practices methodically until the…

[girlactionfigure]

1 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - The Development of Multiscale Models for Complex Chemical Systems

2 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Quasiperiodic Crystals

3 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Decoding the Structure and The Function of The Ribosome

4 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences - Repeated Games

5 Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Ubiquitin, Deciding the Fate of Defective Proteins in Living Cells

6 Nobel Prize in Economics - Human Judgment and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

7 Fields Medal Award in Mathematics

8 Turing Award - Machine Reasoning Under Uncertainty

9 Turing Award - Nondeterministic Decision-Making

10 Turing Award - The Development of Interactive Zero-Knowledge Proofs

11 Turing Award - Developing New Tools for Systems Verification

12 Vine Seeds Discovered from The Byzantine Period

13 The World’s Most Ancient Hebrew Inscription

14 Ancient Golden Treasure Found at Foot of Temple Mount

15 Sniffphone - Mobile Disease Diagnostics

16 Discovering the Gene Responsible for Fingerprints Formation

17 Pillcam - For Diagnosing and Monitoring Diseases in The Digestive System

18 Technological Application of The Molecular Recognition and Assembly Mechanisms Behind Degenerative Disorders

19 Exelon – A Drug for The Treatment of Dementia

20 Azilect - Drug for Parkinson’s Disease

21 Nano Ghosts - A “Magic Bullet” For Fighting Cancer

22 Doxil (Caelyx) For Cancer Treatment

23 The Genetics of Hearing

24 Copaxone - Drug for The Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

25 Preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls

26 Developing the Biotechnologies of Valuable Products from Red Marine Microalgae

27 A New Method for Recruiting Immune Cells to Fight Cancer

28 Study of Bacterial Mechanisms for Coping with Temperature Change

29 Steering with The Bats 30 Transmitting Voice Conversations Via the Internet

31 Rewalk – An Exoskeleton That Enables Paraplegics to Walk Again

32 Intelligent Computer Systems

33 Muon Detectors in The World's Largest Scientific Experiment

34 Renaissance Robot for Spine and Brain Surgery

35 Mobileye Accident Prevention System

36 Firewall for Computer Network Security

37 Waze – Outsmarting Traffic, Together

38 Diskonkey - USB Flash Drive

39 Venμs Environmental Research Satellite

40 Iron Dome – Rocket and Mortar Air Defense System

41 Gridon - Preventing Power Outages in High Voltage Grids

42 The First Israeli Nanosatellite

43 Intel's New Generation Processors

44 Electroink - The World’s First Electronic Ink for Commercial Printing

45 Development of A Commercial Membrane for Desalination

46 Developing Modern Wine from Vines of The Bible

47 New Varieties of Seedless Grapes

48 Long-Keeping Regular and Cherry Tomatoes

49 Adapting Citrus Cultivation to Desert Conditions

50 Rhopalaea Idoneta - A New Ascidian Species from The Gulf of Eilat

51 Life in The Dead Sea - Various Fungi Discovered in The Brine

52 Drip Technology - The Irrigation Method That Revolutionized Agriculture

53 Repair of Heart Tissues from Algae

54 Proof of The Existence of Imaginary Particles, Which Could Be Used in Quantum Computers

55 Flying in Peace with The Birds

56 Self-Organization of Bacteria Colonies Sheds Light on The Behaviour of Cancer Cells

57 The First Israeli Astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon

58 Dr. Chaim Weizmann - Scientist and Statesman, The First President of Israel, One of The Founders of The Modern Field of Biotechnology

59 Aaron Aaronsohn Botanist, Agronomist, Entrepreneur, Zionist Leader, and Head of The Nili Underground Organization

60 Albert Einstein - Founding Father of The Theory of Relativity, Co-Founder of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

61 Maimonides - Doctor and Philosopher

Source

@TheMossadIL

[cephalosaur]

Original Christian Art

Fire is God, rabbit thing is man

The tower of fire when the Israelites were in the desert

Hebrews 12:28-29 - So we should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please Him. We should do this with respect and fear, because our God is like a fire that can destroy us.

[girlbloggercher]

how to read the Bible

this is in order!

1. John

2. Mark

3. Matthew

4. Luke

5. Genesis

6. Exodus

7. Leviticus

8. Numbers

9. Dueteronomy

10. Romans

11. Galatians

12. Colossians

13. Proverbs

14. Ecclesiastes

15. Job

16. 1 Peter

17. 1 Corinthians

18. 2 Corinthians

19. Ephesians

20. Philippians

21. 1 Thessalonians

22. 2 Thessalonians

23. 1 Timothy

24. 2 Timothy

25. James

26. 2 Peter

27. 1 John

28. 2 John

29. 3 John

30. Jude

31. Psalms

32. Joshua

33. Judges

34. 1 Samuel

35. 2 Samuel

36. 1 Kings

37. 2 Kings

38. 1 Chronicles

39. 2 Chronicles

40. Ezra

41. Nehemiah

42. Jeremiah

43. Lamentations

44. Ezekiel

45. Joel

46. Amos

47. Obadiah

48. Nahum

49. Habakkuk

50. Zephaniah

51. Haggai

52. Zechariah

53. Malachi

54. Micah

55. Hosea

56. Luke

57. Esther

58. Jonah

59. Song of Solomon

60. Acts

61. Titus

62. Philemon

63. Hebrew

64. Isaiah

65. Daniel

66. Revelation

[resplendent-ragamuffin]

Six Months Since

By Shoshana bat-Yehonatan

A poem for the six (Hebrew) month anniversary of the Simchat Torah Massacre. With thanks to the JPS, Koren, Metsudah, and other translations on Sefaria.org. Footnotes link to sources of quotes. Footnotes connect to sources which will be in reblog, because otherwise it's too long to post.

TW: RAPE

Six months has it been

Since the fields turned red without flowers

Now calaniot bloom where once my darlings danced

But still, my precious ones are gone.

I have no prophets to comfort me

No visions from God [1]

My king remains in exile [2]

How can I sing a song of God on alien soil [3]

In an alien tongue?

Yet I have been too long a stranger in a land not mine[4]—

Two thousand years, to a paltry hundred and twenty—

And I forgotten even how to speak the Holy Tongue

Let alone write in it.

I have neither wit nor words to sing my grief.

And so I turn to those before me

As they turned to those before them

And say,

“God, open my lips, and let my mouth declare my grief.” [5]

Oholiva cries [6]

And Ohola wails [7]

This year was pregnant[8] with a second month of joy

Instead she wails in travails unending

“When will my children return?” [9]

Oh wall of Fair Zion [10]

Shed tears like a river [11]

Cry out in the night and pour your heart out like water [12]

Rachel’s eyes are red as her sister’s [13]

As she weeps over the fate of her children [14]

Six months it has been

Since they ravaged women in Zion [15]

Maidens in the towns of Judea [16]

Since their hands tore my princes apart

No deference shown to elders [17]

On this day six months ago

My infants were taken captive before the enemy [18]

The joy of our hearts was seized

And our dancing turned to mourning [19]

For the youths are gone from their music [20].

Now my eyes shed rivers of water [21]

Over the ruin of my people’s daughter [22]

Bitterly I weep in the night [23]

My cheeks wet with tears [24]

There is none to comfort me: my friends have betrayed me [25]

I cry:

Behold my agony! [26]

My priests and my elders have perished in the city [27]

The elders strewn like dust on the ground [28]

Those whom I dandled and reared my foe has consumed [29]

“This is the day we hoped for! We have found it, we have seen it!” [30]

My maidens and youths have gone into captivity! [31]

“It is your doing.” [32]

Blood on her legs, her nakedness seen, [33]

Zion reaches out for comfort [34]--

“Away! Unclean!” [35]

She can only shrink back and sigh [36]

“May it never befall you.” [37]

The nations have resolved “They shall stay here no longer” [38]

We wander and wander [39]

But where are we to go?

How can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred? [40]

“My life as my wish, my people as my request,” [41]

I begged my Husband [42]

“For we have been targeted, my people and I, to be destroyed, massacred, and exterminated.” [43]

But the King turned His face from me.

My dear ones were purer than snow [44]

Ruddier than rubies or coral [45]

Their bodies lovely as sapphire [46]

Now their faces are darkened with ash [47]

Unrecognizable amid the ruin of the streets [48]

See, God, and behold to whom You have done this! [49]

Look at me, answer me, Oh God! [50]

How long will You hide Your face from me? [51]

I have no prophets now to comfort me

And must take my comfort from those before:

You promised “God will restore your captives.” [52]

Return them, God, and let them come back [53]

Renew our days as of old. [54]

[devildomwriter]

Beelzebub Birthday Special 100 Fun Facts

1. Beelzebub makes up elaborate stories about befriending food to try to avoid eating it

2. Before his fall, Beelzebub was a cherub and recommended for Seraph

3. Beelzebub dislikes Mammon’s cooking

4. The only food Beelzebub refuses to eat is Solomon’s cooking

5. As an angel, Beelzebub initially wanted to use his strength to fight but became depressed after Raphael made fun of him. Instead he focused on protecting thanks to Lucifer’s advice

6. Beelzebub used to guard the gates of the celestial realm

7. Beelzebub considers him and Belphegor twins because they were created the same day

8. Beelzebub is usually quiet except when around Belphegor

9. Beelzebub has survivors guilt

10. Beelzebub blames himself for Lilith’s death since he chose to save Belphegor instead and until MC got him to open up to Belphegor, he believed Belphegor blamed him too

11. Beelzebub picks his loyalty based on if he’s offered food

12. Beelzebub will usually follow orders from any of his brothers, especially when it comes to helping restrain another brother

13. Beelzebub claims he never felt insatiable hunger up until the exact moment he fell from grace

14. Beelzebub is completely unaware of his surroundings when he is eating food

15. Beelzebub was the only brother not angered that MC had a plan with Belphegor to make pacts with them all

16. Beelzebub used to be Lucifer’s personal body guard

17. Out of all the brothers, Beelzebub insults Mammon the least

18. Beelzebub is able to feel Belphegor’s feelings and to an extent, read his mind

19. Beelzebub’s name in Hebrew translates to “Lord of the Flies”

20. Beelzebub’s worst subject is potions because he tends to eat the ingredients

21. Beelzebub’s favorite song is the jingle for the ad from Hell’s Burger

22. Beelzebub prefers pop music

23. Beelzebub loves Devilcat and feels he can relate to him

24. Beelzebub mentions his type of person is someone who will make him piles of food

25. Beelzebub prefers dogs because he believes they’re loyal

26. Beelzebub states he loves food from every world equally

27. Beelzebub prefers to work out in silence

28. Beelzebub’s favorite activity is working out

29. Beelzebub hates high heels, they hurt his feet and always snap because of his weight

30. Beel’s motto is “You can’t fight when you’re hungry”

31. Beelzebub usually eats the plates his food is served in alongside the food

32. Diavolo states Beelzebub once ate a pillar at the Demon Lord’s Castle

33. If the Devildom disappeared tomorrow Beelzebub said he’d eat all the food because it’s be a pity

34. Beelzebub states he probably starts his baths washing his head but can’t remember

35. Beelzebub is the active one when it comes to love

36. When asked if he’d bind or be bound by his lover he chose “other” because he wasn’t sure

37. Beelzebub easily forgets special dates of remembrance and anniversaries

38. For a relationship with obstacles his choice is to just give up

39. He won’t have sleepless nights thinking about the person he loves

40. Beelzebub is able to express his feelings frankly

41. Beelzebub can call forth a legendary rock giant

42. Beelzebub is shown to have wind related powers

43. Beelzebub, like all demons with wings, can fly

44. Beelzebub has such a strong sense of smell he can tell if someone is a human, demon, or angel

45. Beelzebub once attempted to diet, it didn’t work out

46. Beelzebub recalls Michael smelling tasty, due to him always eating sweets

47. During dance battles Beelzebub will sometimes shout “here comes my next meal” and “that was a nice feast”

48. Beelzebub sometimes states that MC looks delicious

49. The angrier Beelzebub is the hungrier his gets

50. In exchange for food, Beelzebub will groom and walk Cerberus

51. Beelzebub thinks it’s dumb Mammon likes money, since he can’t eat it

52. According to Beelzebub poison jellyfish don’t sit well in his stomach

53. Beelzebub binged TSL with MC and Mammon specifically for the popcorn

54. Beelzebub chooses his outfits based on if they’re easy to eat in

55. Beelzebub helped choose Mammon’s human world outfit

56. Mammon usually gives Beelzebub treats, he even mentions it on the home screen

57. The first time Beelzebub attempted to attack MC it was because they were convinced by Mammon to eat his custard

58. Beelzebub seems to be the only one who knows Simeon is hiding candy from the celestial realm

59. Beelzebub still considers it his duty to protect Lucifer

60. Beelzebub is a terrible artist but doesn’t seem to realize it

61. Beelzebub believes Solomon wouldn’t taste good

62. Beelzebub loves Luke’s cakes

63. Beelzebub believes Simeon’s pancakes are the best

64. Simeon’s wishes he could clone Barbatos so he’d have him to make him food every day

65. Beelzebub thinks it’s important to work so you have money to buy snacks

66. Beelzebub asks MC if they’re good at cooking, if they are he never wants them to leave his side

67. Beelzebub refers to MC as his angel

68. Beelzebub doesn’t like it when things get mushy and gross

69. Beelzebub will take home random fauna to see what it tastes like, he once brought home a giant black slug that scared Asmodeus

70. Beelzebub mentions on several occasions to love Red Spider Sandwiches

71. When given chocolates (a special item) Beelzebub tells MC he has his eyes and ears out to make sure no drunk people lay a finger on MC

72. Beelzebub thinks trees are delicious

73. When gifted a scarf, Beelzebub initially believes it was a long donut

74. When MC gifts Beelzebub a handmade Devilcat plushie, he isn’t sure what it is

75. Beelzebub says when he was eating a cat shaped pancake that Satan was giving him suspicious looks

76. Beelzebub says he can play the music from the Hell’s Kitchen ad on the Otomatone

77. Beelzebub mistook fireworks for churros

78. Beelzebub reveals to MC he sometimes wishes they were kind only to him

79. Asmodeus would prefer not to say what the most shocking thing he saw Beelzebub eat was

80. Beelzebub often mistakes shaped bath bombs for food

81. Beelzebub was banned from the Devildom botanic gardens for eating all the cherries off the cherry picking trees

82. Beelzebub once ate a tomato meant to make you reveal things, apparently it tasted like nothing to him and Mammon says he’d never seen him look so sad while eating

83. When going out to swim, Beelzebub chose to hunt and grill squid instead

84. Beelzebub always tries to eat all the hidden Easter eggs

85. As I asked Beel for advice on cleanly eating candy apples and was disappointed when Beel recommended just eating them in one bite

86. When Beelzebub expressed interest in a car his brothers were excited and then shocked when they realized Beelzebub only likes the shape as he saw it would be good to dead lift

87. Beelzebub gave MC a Devildom star

88. Beelzebub once tried bribing Mephistopheles into allowing him to help the newspaper club by kidnapping him and trying to force him to eat mountains of food

89. Beelzebub believes a cruise ship anchor is light weight

90. Beelzebub believes he can rely most on Lucifer and Belphegor

91. Beelzebub can run .3 miles (500 meters) in two seconds

92. Beel still enjoys games of tag

93. Beelzebub once put a whole in the RAD building

94. Beelzebub often accidentally breaks through doors and walls

95. Beelzebub is very slow to reply to texts

96. Beelzebub always lifts weights before bed

97. Beelzebub often chews on his pillows in his sleep and frequently sleep walks to the kitchen

98. Beelzebub ate a keychain Barbatos gave Luke and Luke was so angry he scared Beelzebub enough that Beelzebub was running away from him

99. According the Belphegor they once decorated a cake with fireworks but Beelzebub ate them too

100. Beelzebub has been banned from drinking Super Soda water

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Wisdom from the Holy Spirit

6 We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing.

7 But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds to our glory,

8 which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written, "Things which eye didn't see, and ear didn't hear, Which didn't enter into the heart of man, Whatever things God prepared for those who love him."

10 But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

11 For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God's Spirit.

12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Ruach HaKodesh teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

14 Now the natural man doesn't receive the things of the God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.

16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Messiah's mind. — 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 | Hebrew Names Version (HNV) The Hebrew Names Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Job 15:8; Psalm 24:7; Psalm 146:4; Proverbs 20:27; Proverbs 28:5; Isaiah 64:4; Isaiah 65:17; Matthew 11:25; Matthew 13:11; Matthew 13:22; John 14:17; John 15:15; Acts 7:2; Romans 8:15; Romans 8:29-30; Romans 11:25; Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 3:1; 1 John 2:20

Read full chapter

The Wisdom We Speak

[apilgrimpassingby]

Demons of the Hebrew Bible

Since today is also the day for Lord of Spiritsposting, I've decided to make a post I considered yesterday - the demons of the Hebrew Bible. This will be a long post, so I'm inserting a "Keep Reading".

Azazel: Appears only once in Leviticus 16, as the being in the wilderness to whom the goat with the people's sins laid on it in the Day of Atonement ritual is given (this isn't sacrifice, because the animal isn't killed or offered on an altar, among other things). Becomes a Devil figure in some later Jewish literature like the Book of Enoch, and is associated with deserts, sin and goats - the name literally means "the goat that goes away" (an archaic translation gives us the word "scapegoat"), and the seemingly-random reference to goat demons in Leviticus 17:7 comes just after Azazel's appearance.

Deber: The most prominent of the gang, appearing (usually in conjunction with other figures on this list) in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Habakkuk and the Pentateuch a total of 49 times, usually unleashed as punishment for some sin by Israel (compare "handing people over to Satan" in St. Paul's letters - 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:20). A nocturnal demon of pestilence and destruction associated with the underworld in Canaanite mythology.

Hereb: Rendered as "the sword" in English; the next most prominent one, appearing 29 times and, like Deber, in conjunction with the others. A demon of violence and destruction associated with blood-drinking (Isaiah 34:5, Jeremiah 46:10) and flesh-eating (Deuteronomy 32:42, Jeremiah 12:12) and probably the rider on a red horse from Revelation 6:3-4.

Lilit: Appears just once, Isaiah 34:14, where she's dwelling in some ruins. Usually translated as "screech owl" or "night bird", but some use "Lilith". In Mesopotamian mythology, the lili are a class of nocturnal female demons associated who kill babies and are associated with owls, so the translation as "screech owl" is acceptable. The Songs of the Sage from the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to liliyot (feminine plural) as a class of demons: "And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, liliths, howlers...

Livyatan: Usually anglicised as Leviathan, and appears five times: Job 3:8 and chapter 41, Psalms 74:12-14 and 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1. Based on those appearances, he's a multi-headed fire-breathing sea serpent immune to weapons who battles with Yahweh and (of course) always loses. The myth of a god fighting a sea serpent is a staple of world mythology. Likely correlates to the beast from the sea of Revelation 13:1-10, since Leviathan is paired with a beast from the earth (Behemoth; Job 40:15-24) - also compare Revelation 13:4 ("Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”) to Job 41:33-34 ("On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride").

Nephilim: Famously appear in Genesis 6:1-4 as the warriors born of the sons of God and the daughters of men, understood in Second Temple Jewish texts such as the Book of Enoch and the Septuagint to be giants born of fallen angels and human women. They appear by the name Anakim or Rephaim in Genesis 14:5, 15:20, Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10-11, 2:20-21, 3:11, 3;13, 9:2 and Joshua 11:21-22, 12:4, 13:12, 14:12, 14:15 and 15:8 and war with giants appears in 2 Samuel 21:16-22, 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 and, of course, 1 Samuel 17 (the David and Goliath story).

Qeteb: Appears just 4 times (Deuteronomy 32:24; Psalm 91:6; Isaiah 28:2; Hosea 13:14), together with Deber in the Psalms and Hosea appearances and together with Resheph in Deuteronomy; if there's any lesson from this post so far, it's that plague demons hunt in packs. A diurnal plague demon whose name is rendered in English as "destruction"; nothing more to be said.

Ra'av: The third most prominent one, appearing 35 times; a famine demon whose name is rendered in English as "famine" or "hunger" who is unleashed on Israel as punishment together with (surprise!) Hereb and either Deber or Resheph. Probably the rider on a black horse from Revelation 6:5-6.

Rephaim: The spirits of dead kings who dwell in the underworld not doing much, translated in the ESV as shades and appearing in Isaiah 14:9 and 26:14; the same imagery and concept is being used by Ezekiel 32:20-30.

Resheph: A demon of plague and conquest worshipped as a god in Canaanite and Egyptian culture, depicted as a bearded archer on a white horse. Appears just 6 times in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 32:24; Habakkuk 3:5 Psalm 78:48; Job 5:7, Song of Songs 8:6); the name is rendered as "plague" or "pestilence" or occasionally "fire" or "sparks" because the name literally means "burning". Probably the rider on a white horse from Revelation 6:2.

Sources and Further Reading

"Before Him Went Pestilence (Hab. 3:5) - Biblical Lexis and Semantic Field of Epidemics" by Jozef Jankovic for The Old Testament Society of South Africa

"A Land of Giants" by Frs. Andrew Stephen Damick and Stephen DeYoung on The Lord of Spirits

"War, Famine, Disease, Death and Hades" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

"Who is Azazel?" by Fr. Stephen DeYoung on The Whole Counsel of God

Who is Lilith - Ancient Development and Origins of the Demon Queen by Dr. Justin Sledge on ESOTERICA

Or in short - stop making it all about Lilith. Use some other Hebrew Bible demons.

[404-found]

Once Saved, Always Saved

Perseverance of the saints, or an even better term to use is preservation of the saints. Means that those who are truly saved by God’s grace will persevere in their faith until the end. This means that genuine believers, once they have been regenerated (born again) and justified by faith, will never fully and finally fall away from their state of grace or lose their salvation.

John 10:28-29

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand."

Jesus promises that those who belong to Him have eternal life and cannot be taken away from Him, emphasizing God’s power to keep believers secure.

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Paul assures believers that nothing in creation can separate them from God’s love, underscoring the permanence of salvation in Christ.

John 6:37-40

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."

Jesus promises that He will not lose any of those the Father has given Him and that they will be raised up on the last day, affirming security in salvation.

Philippians 1:6

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Paul expresses confidence that God will complete the work of salvation in believers, indicating that God is faithful to finish what He started.

Ephesians 1:13-14

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."

Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance, suggesting that salvation is secure and will be fulfilled.

2 Timothy 1:12

"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day."

Paul’s confidence is in God’s ability to keep and preserve what has been entrusted to Him, reinforcing the idea of eternal security.

1 Peter 1:3-5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

Peter describes an inheritance that is “kept in heaven” and “shielded by God’s power,” emphasizing the believer’s secure position.

Hebrews 10:14

"For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

This verse highlights the completeness and permanence of Christ’s sacrifice, indicating that those who are in Christ are made perfect forever.

These passages collectively emphasize that:

Believers are kept by God’s power and love.

Salvation is a completed work by Christ that God promises to finish.

Believers are marked with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee.

Now, what if someone converts. Confesses Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Becomes a pastor. 40 years later says he's decided he doesn't believe and it's all hogwash and denounces the faith. Did he lose his salvation? No. I would argue he never had salvation to begin with. False conversion. I don't know why he played along for 40 years. But it wasn't because he loved Jesus. Or else he would still be with Jesus. He was never saved.

Jesus had more than 12 disciples in the beginning who all claimed to believe that he was the Messiah. Yet, they had left or "fallen away" from the faith. Did they lose their salvation? This is what John had to say about them.

1 John 2:19

"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

John is talking about those who appeared to be Christians but later left, revealing that their commitment to Christ and the community was not genuine. This verse suggests that true believers will remain in the faith because of their genuine relationship with Christ.

Someone converts. Confesses Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very next day go out into the street and murders someone in cold blood. Then die themselves. Do they go to heaven? I would argue again of a false conversion. If God truly calls you to Christ and you are saved the sanctification process begins in that moment. You've come to know Christ you've come to love Christ. It would be against everything in your heart and soul to kill someone after that. I would argue this person was not truly saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

God's grace is not an excuse to sin. If you have truly received God's grace and love Jesus you won't want to sin.

John 14:15

Jesus says "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Here, Jesus is linking love for Him with obedience. This statement underscores that true love for Jesus will naturally lead to a desire to follow His teachings and commandments. It’s a call to genuine discipleship, where love is shown through action and obedience.

This however doesn't mean that we won't ever sin. We definitely won't be going out and killing people. But we will slip up with lust and other various sins. But the idea is that the more we grow our relationship with God the more he's able to change our hearts and minds. When a person is saved that person will start to sin less and less.

1 John 1:8-9

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Our salvation is not in our hands. We didn't earn it. It was given as a gift from God. If we have grace, which has not been earned. How can we lose it?

If you could lose your salvation you would. How arrogant does a person have to be to believe that it's possible for them to lose their salvation but they haven't.

Who do you have to think you are in order to be "I'm a christian and i'm saved and I'm on my way to heaven when I die but there's a possibility that I can mess this thing up but I haven't."

You probably just did.

[power-chords]

Our Torah they say is plunder, Our very name—a danger, Our pedigree—nothing but misery, Our genius—simply crime. Our manners—not refined. Always depraved, depraved, depraved, Always enslaved, enslaved, enslaved Always search, search, search For the blessing in the enemy's curse.

[...] To be in exile, in Rosenfeld’s “Goles,” means to have one’s tradition or language misunderstood in his ironic sense: the “Torah” is considered a symbol of “plunder,” when it is in fact the nations of the world who have helped themselves to Hebrew’s resources, as biblical translation created a literary tradition of one’s “own.” Exile for Rosenfeld means to have one’s tradition misunderstood; to depart from that slavery means recognizing the “curse” of the Jews as an excuse for textual robbery, rediscovering the potential for textual and human exchange that “unser Thore” actually represents.

This “blessing” to be found in the “enemy’s curse” centers on “unser Nomen,” or “our name.” Here transforming the “curse” placed on the foreign means a recognition of Hebrew and its potential for change. In the biblical text it is Jacob who will have his name changed to “Israel” after struggling with the angel; he will be granted the name of the nation only after recognizing the angels as translator figures—as a series of messengers, traveling on a “stairway” between different realms, who cannot be mastered by a single “Jakob,” no matter how strong (Gen. 28:12, 32:29). In Kafka’s New York, the Uncle Jakob who undergoes a similar name change conveys this same Hebrew sense of difference as the essential principle that is required for human growth. Changing “Jakob” from his first name to his last, Karl’s uncle becomes more “original” in the biblical sense, identifying with the “Israel” whose identity was founded in a vision of continuous exchange. In Kafka’s New York novel, getting one’s “nomen” changed means reversing the curse, as Rosenfeld suggests, and discovering the origin of tradition in forms of exchange. Uncle Jakob has therefore given up what the text calls his “Taufname,” or baptismal first name, and with it the notion that his sinful, “other” identity must be shed.

—David Suchoff, Kafka's Jewish Languages: The Hidden Openness of Tradition, 2012

[orthodoxadventure]

The άνάλαβος (analavos) is the distinctive garment of a monk or a nun tonsured into the highest grade of Orthodox monasticism, the Great Schema, and is adorned with the instruments of the Passion of Christ. It takes its name from the Greek αναλαμβάνω (“to take up”), serving as a constant reminder to the one who wears it that he or she must “take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). The ornately-plaited Crosses that cover the analavos, the polystavrion (πολυσταύριον, from πολύς, “many,” and σταυρός, “Cross”) — a name often, though less accurately, also applied to the analavos — reminds the monastic that he or she is “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

With regard to each image on the analavos, the rooster represents “the cock [that] crowed” (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:68 Luke 22:60; John 18:27) after Saint Peter had “denied thrice” His Master and Lord (John 13:38).

The pillar represents the column to which Pilate bound Christ “when he scourged Him” (Mark 15:15) “by Whose stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24).

The wreath garlanding the Cross represents the “crown of thorns” (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2) that “the soldiers platted” (John 19:2) and “put upon the head” (Matthew 27:29) of “God our King of old” (Psalm 73:13), Who freed man from having to contend against “thorns and thistles in the sweat of his brow” (Genesis 3:18-19).

The upright post and the traverse beam represent the stipes and the patibulum that formed “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14), upon which “all day long He stretched forth His hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people” (Isaiah 65:2; Romans 10:21).

The four spikes at the center of the Cross and the hammer beneath its base represent the “nails” (John 20:25) and hammer with which “they pierced” (Psalm 21:16; John 19:37) “His hands and His feet” (Luke 24:40). when they “lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32) Him Who “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us by nailing it to His Cross” (Colossians 2:14).

The base upon which the Cross stands represents “the place, which is called 'Calvary' (Luke 23:33), or 'Golgotha', that is to say, the Place of the Skull” (Matthew 27:33), “where they crucified Him” (John 19:18) Who “wrought salvation in the midst of the earth” (Psalm 73:13).

The skull and crossbones represent “the first man Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45), who by tradition “returned unto the ground” (Genesis 3:19) at this very spot, the reason that this place of execution, “full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27) became the place where “the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45).

The plaque on top of the Cross represents the titulus, the “title” (John 19:19-20), with “the superscription of His accusation” (Mark 15:26), which “Pilate wrote” (John 19:19) “and set up over His head” (Matthew 27:37); however, instead of “Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews” (John 19:19), which “was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew” (Luke 23:38), the three languages being an allusion to the Three Hypostases “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), this titulus reads, “The King of Glory” (Psalm 23:7-10), “for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8).

The reed represents the “hyssop” (John 19:29) upon which was put “a sponge full of vinegar” (Mark 15:36), which was then “put to His mouth” (John 19:29) when in His “thirst they gave Him vinegar to drink” (Psalm 68:21), Him of Whom it was said that “all wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

The lance represents the “spear [that] pierced His side”; “and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34) from Him Who “took one of Adam's ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof" (Genesis 2:21) and Who “washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

The plaque at the bottom of the Cross represents the suppedaneum of Christ, “His footstool” (Psalm 98:5), “the place where His feet have stood” (Psalm 131:7). It is slanted because, according to one tradition, at the moment when “Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit” (Mark 15:37), He allowed a violent death spasm to convulse His legs, dislodging His footrest in such a manner that one end pointed upwards, indicating that the soul of the penitent thief, Saint Dismas, “the one on His right hand” (Mark 15:27) would be “carried up into Heaven” (Luke 24:51), while the other end, pointed downwards, indicated that the soul of the impenitent thief, Gestas, “the other on His left” (Mark 15:27), would “be thrust down to Hell” (Luke 10:15), showing that all of us, “the evil and the good, the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), “are weighed in the balance” (Ecclesiasticus 21:25) of the Cross of Christ.

The ladder and the pincers beneath the base of the Cross represent the means of deposition by which Saint Joseph of Arimathea, “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57) who “begged for the body of Jesus” (Matthew 27:58; Luke 23:52), “took it down” (Luke 23:53), so that as in body He descended from the Cross, so in soul “He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth” (Ephesians 4:9), “by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (I Peter 3:19).

Through these instruments, “the Cross of Christ” (I Corinthians 1:17: Galatians 6:12; Philippians 3:18) became the “Tree of Life” (Genesis 2:9; 3:22, 24; Proverbs 3:18, 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14), by which the Lord Jesus reified His words that, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

[source]

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: Fiddly Bits

There’s nothing that quite knocks you out of your cultural comfort zone like trying to figure out what time it is, long ago and far away.

Modern readers (and writers!) are culturally accustomed to knowing time down to the second - or at least knowing your average watch will be that precise. We’re used to 24-hour days, 7-day weeks, and a slightly crazy-quilt but known progression of 12 months, varying in length from 28, 29, 30, and 31 days in a predictable fashion. We’re used to a calendar that approximates the solar year of 365 and ¼ days with three years of 365 days and one with 366. (Plus or minus a bit, look up the Gregorian calendar for specifics.)

Other cultures, historically, have different ways to divide up time. And if you’re writing from the perspective of someone in one of those cultures, you have to have at least some grasp on how they did it. Or didn’t do it.

For over a thousand years China and most cultures associated with it divided the day up into twelve shichen, starting with the Hour of the Rat at what we now define as 11 PM. Shichen is sometimes translated into English as “double-hour”. The Korean word is sisen, and I’ll spare you the argh of trying to dig that up. (I will say it’s easier if you can find the Chinese characters for a word and then get a translation into Korean.)

Suffice it to say in such an area there is no seven-day week with a convenient Sunday, and anyone who wants to be an observant Christian type has to lump it, pick one out of seven days, and stick with it until they might contact a European or Hebrew who knows what day it is. (See the history of Jews in China - there was a decent sized community in Ningpo, for one.)

Or they could steal a European calendar. In the 1600s there was a fair amount of that going around. The measurement of time is a science and a technology, often overlooked!

So. Cultural time is a fiddly bit. If you get it into your story, get it right, and most of all stay consistent - probably a lot of readers won’t consciously notice. But that consistency helps keep your worldbuilding on firm footing, and that they will notice.

A lot of worldbuilding can depend on fiddly bits. The right foods in season at the right time; out of season foods showing up preserved. A particular cut of a robe or pantaloons that shows the wearer is from the northern mountains, not the southern plains, or at least wants to evoke a connection with them. The experienced soldier who cleans his guns on a regular schedule no matter what, because one time a sandstorm came up when he was out of camp, and guess what...?

You might think of these fiddly bits as your set dressing department. Are they absolutely necessary if you’ve got a cracking good story? Maybe not. But they make everything look just that bit more real. Which helps your readers stay immersed in the story.

And breaking immersion is bad. I still boggle at the sample of a Western romance set in the 1870s, where the hero, upon realizing a guy is dead, hopes his bride-to-be has had some time to “process her grief”. That... no. I mean, I know anyone writing a historical setting is going to toss in something anachronistic by accident, but that was a completely avoidable modernism that showed the writer did not know how a person of the time thought. Hard to recover from that.

In a way, the fiddly bits are like carving the details on a cathedral gargoyle. Most people won’t ever notice. But you know they’re there.

And every once in a while an observant reader will spot them, and squee, because yes, this is how the world works!

I love those readers. So I do my best to get the fiddly bits right!

[geminiagentgreen]

Hello,

I'm reaching out to various Christian blogs to find an answer to a question that I don't think I know the answer to, per sé. I'm seeking help in finding any biblical references that support a Christian going to hell because of suicide or anything supporting that they'll still make it to heaven. I appreciate your support and wisdom with this.

Hey, Anon! So I'll be honest, suicide isn't one of those topics I've really searched into - trying to learn more about hell and election usually scared me away from even thinking about death - but I have had some thoughts that I implore you take with a grain or two of salt.

So, from what little I have explored the topic, suicide is generally considered a sin. Some people believe it to be the Unforgivable Sin that's mentioned in these verses (Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, Luke 12:10, Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–31, 1 John 5:16), but from R.C. Sproul, to Greg Laurie, John White, and my own father and out to a broader consensus the world over, suicide is not the Unforgivable Sin.

So if it's indeed not the U.S., then it's technically forgivable, but how does one get a sin like that forgiven? Do true believers ever commit it, as we are all still sinners until united with God? I can't really answer these at the moment, just - again - speculate:

To be in a suicidal situation to begin with, one must be in a real bad spot. Maybe it's utter hopelessness, completely giving up, or just a general apathy - all of these are sins in and of themselves, and for suicide to result from them seems indicitive of, frankly, a christless path. Nevertheless, perhaps a baby christian found themself in a real dire strait and in their immaturity sought to be with the Lord ASAP. If they were truly His, but this was the path they had erroneously chosen, does their sin forfeit the salvation won for them by Christ? I don't believe salvation can ever be lost (preservation of the saints), and I trust what Sproul said of christians being capable of having radical falls on their journey with Christ, but no loss of salvation. Perhaps, someone's radical fall was fatal.

Again, please take what I have said with a grain of salt, for truly you have given me something I need to look into more myself. Thank you for considering me for questioning, and may the Lord bless you and yours!

[apocrypals]

Previously, on Apocrypals part 5: The Fifth One

As we begin our sixth (!) calendar year of Apocrypals, here is a list of the texts we have covered so far on the show in case you want to read along or catch up. They’re arranged in a way that appeases my systematic nature.  

Tanakh/Old Testament:

Genesis (episodes 16-20)

Exodus (episodes 33 and 35)

Leviticus (episode 59)

Numbers (episode 62)

Deuteronomy (episode 65)

Joshua (episode 73)

Judges (episode 80)

Ruth (episode 45)

1 Samuel (episode 89)

2 Samuel (episode 90-91)

1 Kings (episode 99)

2 Kings (episode 106)

Esther (episode 37)

Job (episode 101)

Ecclesiastes (episode 52)

Song of Songs (episode 34)

Isaiah (episode 4)

Jeremiah (episode 43-44)

Lamentations (episode 48)

Ezekiel (episode 55-56)

Daniel (episode 2)

Hosea (episode 108)

Jonah (episode 31)

Micah (episode 74)

Nahum (episode 74)

Deuterocanon/capital-A Apocrypha:

Tobit (episode 13)

Judith (episode 22)

Greek Additions to Esther (episode 37)

1 Maccabees (episode 27)

2 Maccabees (episode 28)

3 Maccabees (episode 53)

4 Maccabees (episode 78)

The Prayer of Azariah aka the Song of the Three Holy Children (episode 2)

Susanna (episode 2)

Bel and the Dragon (episode 2)

The Prayer of Manasseh (episode 6)

New Testament:

Matthew (episodes 8-9)

Mark (episode 7)

Luke (episode 10)

John (episode 11-12)

Acts of the Apostles (episode 1)

Romans (episode 5)

1 Corinthians (episode 25)

2 Corinthians (episode 42)

Galatians (episode 72)

Ephesians (episode 81)

Hebrews (episode 104)

1 John (episode 49)

2 John (episode 49)

3 John (episode 49)

Revelation (episode 50)

Pseudepigrapha (Jewish apocrypha):

The Testament of Solomon (episode 24)

The Story of Ahikar (episode 14)

The Ascension of Isaiah (episode 6)

1 Enoch (episode 39-40)

2 Enoch (episode 61)

3 Enoch (episode 86-87)

Jubilees (episodes 82 and 83)

The Letter of Aristeas (episode 70)

The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (episode 71)

Joseph and Aseneth (episode 93)

New Testament apocrypha:

The Protevangelium aka Infancy Gospel of James (episode 29)

The Acts of Pilate/Gospel of Nicodemus (episode 23)

Mors Pilati/Death of Pilate (episode 23)

The Acts of Paul and Thecla (episode 22)

The Acts of Peter (episode 3)

The Acts of Peter and Paul (episode 3)

The Acts of Andrew and Matthias (episode 60)

The Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin (episode 66)

The Life of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca (episode 57)

Questions of Bartholomew (episode 41)

Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew (episode 41)

The Book of Bartholomew (episode 67)

Acts of John (episode 46)

The Acts of Andrew (episode 97)

Syriac Infancy Gospel (episode 47)

Infancy Gospel of Thomas (episode 54)

Infancy Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (episode 79)

The Adoration of the Magi (2020 Christmas bonus episode)

The History of Joseph the Carpenter (episode 103)

The First Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)

The Second Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)

The Third Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)

The Apocalypse of Peter (episode 75)

The Apocalypse of Paul (episode 95)

The Gospel of Philip (episode 92)

The Gospel of Mary (episode 92)

The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife (episode 92)

The Gospel of Judas (episode 100)

The Greater Questions of Mary (episode Secret 69)

The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine:

The Life of Saint Nicholas (episode 26)

The Life of Saint Lucy (episode 26)

The Life of Saint Christopher (episode 15)

The Life of Saint Benedict (episode 15)

excerpts from The Passion of the Lord (episode 23)

The Life of Saint Sebastian (episode 58)

The Life of Saint Blaise (episode 58)

The Life of Saint Agatha (episode 58)

The Life of Saint Roch (episode 63)

The Life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (episode 77)

The Life of Saint Barbara (episode 77)

The Life of Saint Dunstan (episode 85)

The Life of Mary Magdalene (episode 94)

The Life of Saint Martha of Bethany (episode 102)

The Life of Saint Margaret of Antioch (episode 102)

Other:

Historia Trium Regum/The Legend of the Three Kings by John of Hildesheim (episode 30)

Muirchu’s Life of Saint Patrick (episode 36)

The Life of Saint Guinefort (episode 63)

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt (episode 69)

The Life of Saint Pelagia (episode 69)

The Life of Saint Martin by Sulpicius Severus (episode 76)

The Life of Saint Columba (episode 84)

The Life of Saint Wilgefortis (episode 94)

Lives of cephalophoric saints (bonus episode cephalo4)

Stories of the Baal Shem Tov from The Golden Mountain (episode 96)

More stories of the Baal Shem Tov from The Golden Mountain (episode 107)

Solomon and Ashmedai (bonus episode double chai)

Listener questions (episode 32)

Bible trivia questions (episode 38)

Halloween-themed Chick tracts (episode 51)

Christmas-themed Chick tracts (episode 98)

Bible Adventures and the Wisdom Tree catalogue of video games (episode 64)

The Da Vinci Code, the movie (episode 88)

Guess the Bible character from Persona 5 (bonus episode Persona 5)

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (episode 105)

You can find links to all these episodes with show notes and more on the Apocrypals wiki

[theprayerfulword]

August 28

James 1:17 The Father of the heavenly lights …. does not change like shifting shadows.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Psalm 37:12-13 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.

Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

May you be as diligent in searching for the priceless wealth of God's eternal wisdom and His secure grace & mercy as miners are in digging through rock for perishable gemstones and gold that can be stolen. Job 28

May you value the heavenly wisdom and understanding even as God does, Who willingly sends His Spirit to lavishly gift you with it when you ask, for the knowing and enjoying of God is worth exceedingly more than earth's riches can afford. Job 28

May you receive with willingness the revealed will of God, which is to fear the Lord and to shun evil, for this understanding and wisdom is hid in Christ but revealed through the Word, received by faith through the gift of the Spirit, without concern for the mystery of life's difficulties but sufficient to reveal the beauty of His holiness. Job 28

May you be watchful and diligent when, for a season, the comfort of God's presence withdraws, that through the trial of your faith and the testing of His grace, your fervent prayers and diligent watchfulness may seek for a more intimate and find a more personal relationship, for if you seek Him with your whole heart, He will be found. Job 29

May you serve the Lord as His hands outstretched and His feet on the earth, speaking life-giving words as His voice in men's ears, but ever, and always, giving Him the glory and pointing others to praise Him, for you are but a servant, a willing slave, trusted but purchased, having nothing of your own and owing all to the Master, for He is most worthy of all honor and glory from the lips and the hearts of men. Job 29

May your trust be in the Lord alone, and not in your riches, goods, or reputation, for whether He exalts your position or walks with you through the ash-heap, the comfort of His presence brings peace, and the lives that He leads you to are of great value to Him. Job 29

May you submit your expectations to the Lord and trust Him to bring life from your circumstances, knowing that all you have comes from Him, and His loving wisdom will lead you where you need to go. Job 30

You are Mine, My child. I sought for you and found you when you were not searching for Me. I made Myself known to you and drew you with My cords of love. I bought you Myself, accepting the burden of debt you carried, though it bore the penalty of death. I paid the asking price, exorbitant though it was, without haggling or bargaining, covering the principal on the cross, and including the interest as well as every incidental fee that could be added, through My scourging, beatings, humiliations and shame. I esteemed them as not worthy to be considered for the joy of finding and redeeming you, and bringing you back to the family of God. Your captor, My adversary, Satan, kept you, tormented and full of fear, ever anxious and full of doubt, always distressed and considering the darkest “what if” scenarios for yourself and those you love, for he delighted in feeding from your emotions as they spun out of control, spiraling downward, causing turmoil within you and with all your relationships. But you agreed to the transfer of title, changing masters, making Me the Lord of your life. The shackles of iron have been removed, the barred door of your cell opened, the burdensome weight of oppression removed; I have brought you out into the healing light and given you living water and the true bread of life. Your wounds have been dressed with the healing balm of Gilead and anointed with pure olive oil. As you have grown stronger and healthier, I have fitted you with My yoke, which is easy and designed for you to make My burden light. When old memories return, or when old adversaries whisper remembered threats and dire warnings, turn to Me as your rightful owner and the One who has authority to rebuke those voices and those powers who illicitly and illegitimately try to enslave your mind and feed from your emotions again. I am your Lord, and I am jealous for you. My wrath is hot against any who raise their hand against My own, and against any who seek to touch My dear one without loving as I do. I am your Rock, My precious one. Shelter in Me, take refuge in Me, grow calm and renew My peace in your heart and your mind for I am your strong defense, never sleeping; I am your gentle Shepherd, bringing you to peaceful waters and quiet pastures. Walk with Me in the quiet of My garden and receive the healing fragrance of My love.

May you give the praise and the glory to God for all your triumphs in sharing His Word and for every success in spreading His gospel, for He always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of the Lord, as you speak before God with sincerity. 2 Corinthians 2

May your soul thirst for the living God as the deer pants for streams of water; may you long for the time to go and meet with Him, pouring out your soul as you seek the satisfaction and joys of His presence. Psalm 42

May you put your hope in God, that your soul will not be downcast or disturbed within yourself, for you will yet praise your Savior and your God. Psalm 42

May you remember the Lord wherever you go, finding that the deep desires of your soul call to the deep resources of God, for He directs His love to you by day, and at night His song, a prayer to the God of your life, is with you. Psalm 42