The Chapter-A-Day thread. (3)

Luke 15:

"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost." ~Luke 15:8-9

Luke 16:

Somehow this ties into a thankful heart, for only a heart that is thankful can be appreciative for what, to others, may seem miniscule, but to the thankful heart is cause for rejoicing.

Only THIS heart can embody the faithfulness described here:

Luke 17:

This verse reminds me of Mary, Martha's sister. At Jesus' feet was where she wanted to be, in worship, adoration, and a heart open to Him and every endearing Word He said.

She couldn't get enough of Him.

Precious.

Luke 18:

Luke 19:

This reminds me of the GOOD Shepherd seeking and finding the lost sheep. WE were the "walking dead", literally, before He "found and saved us". We just didn't know it, but HE did.

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." ~Luke 19:10

Luke 20:

Amen!

There is so much showing from Luke 21, from the call from materialism and viewing with compassion consistent with much of what is shown from Jesus in Luke's gospel account with showing how giving is only meaningful when it is giving truly from the heart, and then on to signs of the end times. Consider these things said of it:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

With global warming going on with getting out of hand, and with us not doing anything with significant changes in our living to change from that, the storms in the sea will really be effective for resulting in such fear in men's hearts.

FredVB said:

There is so much showing from Luke 21, from the call from materialism and viewing with compassion consistent with much of what is shown from Jesus in Luke's gospel account with showing how giving is only meaningful when it is giving truly from the heart, and then on to signs of the end times. Consider these things said of it:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

With global warming going on with getting out of hand, and with us not doing anything with significant changes in our living to change from that, the storms in the sea will really be effective for resulting in such fear in men's hearts.

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Amen about the giving.

Luke 22:

Here in verse 22 Jesus speaks on the one who betrays him. It is crucial to note that the one who betrayed Jesus was in Jesus' presence and witnessed Jesus acts, heard Jesus' words, that testified to WHO Jesus was. He KNEW Who Jesus was, and yet, STILL conspired to betray Jesus in cold blood.

There is a REASON that Jesus said these words:

"But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!"

Here we have what can be likened to the unforgivable sin.

And what a woe-ful thing that is.

Amen?

Luke 23:

Here we have Pilate, who in actuality, holds less of the blame than those who shouted "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" relentlessly TO Pilate. It's interesting to note that Pilate declared Jesus innocent, not once, but twice. In actuality, those raging for the death of Jesus, were, in essence, declaring quite loudly, their HATRED for God. Their own voices, coming from a heart that despised the living God, condemned them. Therefore, in essence, they condemned themselves. And unless they repented later, by the grace of God, they would REMAIN condemned.

Tragic.

Moving on, we have the conversion of a thief on a cross, documented in these verses, a key verse being verse 42:

"39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." ~Luke 23:39-42

And Jesus Himself confirms this thief's salvation and where this same wise and repentant thief will be:

Luke 24:

Now here, it seems for the first time, i'm noticing the name of "Joanna".

In searching, i found this:

That the name Joanna (יוֹחָנָה in Hebrew) means "God is gracious". In Luke 8:3, Joanna is mentioned as the wife of Chuza," (who was an associate of Mary Magdalene.)

"And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance." ~Luke 8:3

And Joanna is mentioned here, in Luke 24:10

"It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles."

So Joanna was with Mary Magdalene and other women who testified of the angels testifying that Jesus was not dead, but ALIVE.

Yet the apostles believed them not and possibly even mocked them:

"And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." ~Luke 24:11

Now HERE is a hint of what is in Peter's heart, for he didn't walk, but he RAN to the sepulchre. He HAD to see for himself. He LOVED his Lord. He was holding onto the HOPE that His Lord promised him, for he KNEW without a doubt that Jesus did NOT lie. Ever. This alone was a testimony for his Lord. He had a "burning heart" for his Lord and Savior.

Precious.

Now we move on to the book of John, the 4th book of the New Testament, and a much-beloved book by so many.

John 1:1

Here is a verse that, upon meditating on it one day, just "lit up" like a light bulb. Here we have an entire microcosm of the entire Bible. It is an entire study in and of itself, and akin to finding a priceless treasure. God is telling us something PROFOUND here.

Reminds me of this verse that also "lit up" for me as the meaning sunk in and the absolute delightfulness of it became evident:

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." ~Jeremiah 33:3

We "call on" God EVERY time we "delve into"/"dig into" His Word.

And He WILL answer us.

Is that precious or WHAT??!!



So is this. Inexplicably so:

John 1 is essential to understanding who Jesus really is. Without it there we would have much less certainty.

Such are passages in the Bible, showing Yahweh is the one and only real God, the heavenly Father is certainly this God, Christ the Son is the incarnation of Logos, the Word with God who is God, and who is in prophecies speaking of Yahweh God, and the Spirit of God is spoken of in the role of God, and is listed in unity with the Father and the Son.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.

There was the true light, which lighteth every man, coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

FredVB said:

John 1 is essential to understanding who Jesus really is. Without it there we would have much less certainty.

Such are passages in the Bible, showing Yahweh is the one and only real God, the heavenly Father is certainly this God, Christ the Son is the incarnation of Logos, the Word with God who is God, and who is in prophecies speaking of Yahweh God, and the Spirit of God is spoken of in the role of God, and is listed in unity with the Father and the Son.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.

There was the true light, which lighteth every man, coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

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Amen!

John 2:

Here we have in these verses a demonstration of what "righteous anger" (wrath) is, by Jesus Himself. This is sometimes not discussed (cuz Jesus wasn't EVER violent and/or angry, right?) And here we have also the burning question of anger and wrath, and Jesus' thoughts on what dishonors His Father and an abhorrent lack of the "fear of the Lord" and absolute bereft-ness of it in the hearts, minds, and souls of all participating in this blatant abomination, that prompted the wrath of Jesus Christ.

The question is:

IS there such a thing as a "righteous"/"holy" anger (wrath?)

"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." ~~John 2:13-17



reminds me of this burning question:

What would Jesus do?

And inevitably we are led to:

What would God do?



Just a final thought:

is the book of Revelation becoming more clear now?

There are TWO things (possibly more) but for now, let's focus on two pivotal things that must be understood about a Holy God, and thus His only begotten Son, Who is ALSO Holy:

1. The absolute HOLY-NESS of God.
2. The "fear of the Lord."

It is IMPOSSIBLE to have a heart that is right before God and thus to be on right footing spiritually without understanding both.

As it is written in this pivotal verse, the "keys", if you will, to having a holy perspective of and Godly regard and respect for God lies within this phenomenal verse:

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." ~Proverbs 9:10

John 3:

Ok, i got Zacchaeus mixed up with Nicodemus LOL! It was ZACCHAEUS that climbed up into the sycamore tree to see Jesus because of his short stature.

Nicodemus is here in verses 1-2 , coming to Jesus by night, because he was a Pharisee, ruler of the Jews, and did not want to be seen because of his fellow Pharisees, who for the most part, hated Jesus:

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."

So here he is in verses 14-18, with Jesus, asking what it means to be born again.

Jesus responds that Nicodemus should've already known what Jesus was saying, since he is, or should be well-read of the scriptures. Nevertheless Jesus tells him what it means.

This is a precious comparison, and gives a lot of clarity (using the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness). This surely clicks with Nicodemus.

Jesus' grace, once again, is evident here in His teaching to Nicodemus.

Precious.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." ~John 3:14-18

John 4:

Here we have Jesus, weary and thirsty (interestingly enough, he stops in Sychar, a city in Samaria, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph, and Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, weary, sits on it.)

Then there comes a Samaritan woman.

What transpires is literally earth-shaking. Jesus busted through ALL kinds of barriers. And what we have is a convert. For she BELIEVES that He is INDEED the Christ, and she goes to TESTIFY to ALL who would listen WHO HE is and what He has DONE.

"There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her,Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?"

Precious.

John 5:

I chose this picture because Jesus made it a point to GO TO this man, forgotten, and even hidden under a blanket, and Jesus goes TO him and LIFTS the blanket to speak to and acknowledge this man, who had been lame for 38 years and was surely feeling forgotten, cast aside, forlorn, and hopeless.

And there's Jesus. He GOES to the man and lifts that blanket, looks in his face, his eyes, and asks him if he wants to be healed.

This picture also reminds me of the many dejected, forlorn, and cast aside, and forgotten homeless souls, who are on and under blankets, on heaps of rags, and without hope.

How PRECIOUS that Jesus sought this man out, even though he's sort dejectedly hidden under a blanket.

"And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath." ~John 5:5-9

By the way, the Jews who questioned the man who was made whole, should'a been celebrating this man's HEALING, and rejoicing with him over it, and praising God.

Reminds me of this verse:

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" ~I John 4:20

John 6:

Here we have Jesus taking the small boy's lunch and as He blesses it, it is multiplied to feed 5000 weary, hungry people who followed Jesus after they saw Him perform miracles. And all 5000 ate till they were full, and there was even an abundance of leftovers.

Precious.

"And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten." ~John 6:2-13

John 7:

Jesus is testifying here to WHO He is. Some listened and embraced WHO He was. Others didn't, and wanted to kill Him.

How tragic.

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." ~John 7:37-38