“”But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,”Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will to drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Sea in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west. I will say to the north and south, Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel form distance corners of the earth.
Bring all who claim Me as their God, for I have made them for My glory. I was the one who created them.”” (Isaiah 43, vv. 1-7, NLT)
“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me (the Apostle Paul) truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience of God and died a criminal’s death on the cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1-11, NLT)
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping His commandments and His commandments are not burdensome.
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve the victory though our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the son of God.
And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by His baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross – not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth confirms it with His testimony. So we have these three witnesses – the Sprit, the water and the blood – and all three agree.
Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about His Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about His Son.
And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s done does not have life.” (1 John 5: 1-12, NLT)
“Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may You be praised forever and ever!
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power , the glory, the victory and the majesty. Everything in heavens and on earth are yours. O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from You alone, for the rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
O our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from You, and we give you only what You first gave us! We are here only for a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone soon without a trace.” (1 Chronicles 29: 10-15, NLT)
“O Lord, I will honor and praise Your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now You have accomplished them. ” (v. 1, NLT)
“But You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat, for the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But You silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. (vv. 4-5, NLT)
“”In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove all insults and mockery against His land and people. In that day, the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted Him and he saved us!”” (vv. 6-9, NLT)
I was looking at our Christmas cards received this year. We only received seven cards this year. I noted that I did not get cards from several friends and family who have sent yearly Christmas cards in past years.
I, too, have reduced the amount of Christmas cards that have sent over recent years. I sent out about 20 cards this year. This year, I tried to write at least a personal note on the card addition of just signing our names.
When I was younger, I remember sending double or triple that amount. Once or twice, I cheated and typed a letter of our year and added it to the envelope, instead of personally writing a paragraph or two on the card. I also remember getting so many Christmas cards that we strung them up on the wall mantle, and later that was reduced to a cute Christmas card holder. In the past five years or so, the cards are so few, that we just lay them on a table.
It is so easy to wish folks a generic Merry Christmas on social media. But it is certainly not as personal as receiving a card that someone took the time to mail especially to me and my husband.
Of course, there is the obligatory Christmas card sometimes sent in response to a card that I mailed to someone, that is usually received after Christmas.
Maybe as we get older, we are forgotten. But we are never forgotten by God.
“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull or indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” (Hebrews 6:10-12)
“”The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected – even the children in the third and fourth generations.” “
After reading several commentaries, I think that the Lord is referring to the sins of the parents affecting the generations because these sin are continued down through the generations without repentance. I refer to Exodus 20:5-6, where the Lord says, “You must not bow down to them (idols) or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love on those who love Me and obey My commands.”
My daily Bible study is currently in the Book of Ezekiel. In Chapter 18, The Lord is talking to Ezekiel who was a prophet during the Judean exile in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1) I am taking excerpts from Chapter 18, please refer to the entire chapter for further reading.
“”Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Why do you you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: The parents have eaten sour grapes, bu their children’s mouths pucker at the taste? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are Mine to judge- both parents and children alike. And this is My rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.””(Ezekiel 18: 1-4)
From commentary from www.reddit.com, I understood this verse to mean that that the Jews blamed their parents for their captivity and the Lord was telling them to stop saying this because they should express resentment of their ancestors.
The Lord give three examples in this chapter. “Suppose a certain man is righteous and does what is just and right…….. and faithfully does my decrease and regulations. Anyone who does these things is just and will sure live, says the Sovereign Lord.” (vv. 5, 9)
“But suppose that a man has a son who grows up to be a robber or a murderer and refuses to do what is right. And the son does all the evil things his father would never do-…. Should such a sinful person live.” No! He must die and must take full blame.” (vv. 10, 13B)
“But suppose that sinful son, in turn has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life….. and obeys My regulations and decrees. Such a person will not die because of his father’s sins; he will surely live. But the father will die for his many sins- for being cruel, robbing people, and doing what is wrong among his people.” (vv. 14,15, 17B, 18)
“”What” you ask, “Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?” No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps My decrees, that child will surely live. The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness. But if the wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey My decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.” (vv 9-22)
“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like the other sinners, should they be allowed to live? NO, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.” (vv. 22-24)
“Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn for your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should your die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!” (vv30-32)
In today’s world, these Scriptures surely apply as well. We should admit that we are sinners, believe that Christ died for our sins, and commit our lives to following Jesus.
(All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation)
I haven’t posted in a while, and for good reason. Somewhere during the first week of December, I caught a cold, or so I thought. The symptoms progressed to sinus congestion, but no fever. I continued my routines with a nasal decongestant and ibuprofen. I still thought nothing of it, until the day of December 14th. I had been working as part-time seasonal help at a local department store. Having standing on my feet for five hours, they began to ache. When I got home, and walked my dogs, the aching persisted. I went to bed early that night because I was so tired. During the night, I developed a sinus headache, and I noted my temperature was 99. I slept until 1:00 pm the next day. The medication helped control my symptoms and I felt better.
A few days after I caught my cold, my husband began with the same symptoms of nasal congestion. He ran no fever, but had a little cough. He started getting more fatigued around December 16th. He had to take naps during the day. He has underlying medical conditions, one of which is low sodium, which has cause confusion and memory loss in the past. While playing his favorite interactive video game, he got confused about how to play the game. This happened on several occasions over the next few days. When I got home from work on December 19th, all the lights were on outside as well as inside the house. My husband was obviously in a confused state of mind. He forgot when I was coming home from work and had been looking for me inside and outside of the house. He was very fatigued and he went to bed. Long story short, I called my son and he came over to help me convince him to go to the ER. I called the EMTs and they checked him out. By that time, he was more in his right mind. He agreed to be take to the local ER.
We got to the ER around 10:30 pm. Chest X-ray and CT scan were normal, the Flu A swab was negative. Lab work showed low sodium and magnesium which necessitated admission to the hospital. It being 1:30 PM and I had a 30-minute drive home and knowing I could not go to the room with him, I left for home. I called him when I got home. He said he was still in the ER and they had tested him for COVID, but the results were not back yet. He called me back around 4:30 AM and said he was finally in a room, and he had tested positive for COVID. I could not believe it.
Shortening the story some more, my husband was discharged home on Monday, December 21st. That night he had a major coughing spell. I made an appointment for him to be seen by one of his providers on Tuesday, December 22nd. Because of his diagnosis of COVID, he had to go to their special Sick Clinic (COVID clinic). Chest X-ray showed mild patchy groundglass and interstitial opacities in both mid to lower lungs, indicating viral COVID pneumonia. He received a shot of Rocephin and Kenalog, and added Vitamin C and Zinc to his medications (he was already on Vitamin D). I told his provider what symptoms I had and she told me that I had already had COVID. I asked her if I need to be tested, and she said no, that wasn’t necessary at this point.
They sent us home, with with home care instructions and ordered home oxygen. We bought a pulse oximeter to measure his blood oxygen levels. He was given breathing exercises and an incentive spirometer. There were four positions he had to sleep in during the night to avoid the pneumonia settling in.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights were rough.He was so weak he had to either us a walker or walking cane to move around My husband had night sweats and I had to change the bed sheets every day. Thursday night was much better. By Friday, Christmas morning, he was beginning to get stronger, no longer needed the walker, but did use the walking stick on occasions. He still is using oxygen.
Obviously, we were unable to spend Christmas with our family. But we were together and because of the multitude of people praying for my husband’s recovery, he has been able to remain at home where I can take care of him. I truly believe he would not have done as well if he had to go to the hospital and be there by himself. His quarantine ends December 30th. I imagine his recovery back to normal will take many weeks.
In light of our COVID Christmas, we cannot forget the real real reason for Christmas. The birth of Jesus, our Savior of the World. Without faith, I could not have had the strength to endure these past few weeks.
” God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalms 46:1
“Therefore, angels are only servants, spirits sent to care for people will will inherit salvation.” Hebrews 1:24
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank., with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried about long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the Lord searches all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17: 7-10, NLT)
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advise of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgement. Sinners have no place among the godly.
For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm 1)
