Wednesday, July 31, 2019
"We are
here on our moral, our religious and our constitutional authority.
We demand that all refuges seeking asylum be granted due process.
We demand equal protection under the law.
We demand the preservation of human rights.
We demand a termination of the "Remain in Mexico" program.
We demand an end to family separation.
And we demand an end to the militarization of our border,
and we demand an end to the evil and the injustice and the inhumanity
that we are seeing take place on our border in our name.
No longer will it happen with our silence.
We see all of this connected.
the same forces that are caging mothers and fathers and children and making people drink out of toilets.
And we heard testimony last night of children pulling out shoestrings,
thinking about killing themselves because of the pressure.
The same forces that are doing that are suppressing the vote in this country.
The same forces are denying living wages and denying health care
and denying ecological justice.
The same forces are pushing a faulty theological position that says as long as you're against gay people against woman, and for guns and for prayer in the school and for tax cuts, that is a godly way.
The same people against people here, are pushing a war economy.
We see all of these interlocking injustices, and we are raising a moral, inter-sectional fusion movement against it.
All of us, every color, every race, every creed, every sexuality-we are very clear.
"forces are pushing a faulty theological position"
You want your end times false church?
You want your whore of Babylon?
This guy nails it.
Absolutely nails it.
I always liked him.
We need more people like him.
The Moral Majority was neither and the Religious Right is just flat out wrong
about so many issues.
Just flat out wrong.
You can not support taking children away from their parents with scripture.
You can't support how these asylum seekers are being treated with scripture.
You just can't.
If your not condemning it?
You're endorsing and enabling it.
This notion?
That you can't be a liberal and be a Christian?
Just not supported with scripture.
It's just not.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Psalm 121:1-3
Psalm 121:2
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
Isaiah 40:13
Isaiah 40:13
Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
1 Corinthians 2
1 Corinthians 2
2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Isaiah 64:4
Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
People
saw this.
Right in front of their own eyes.
"They shall interpret scripture,
and speak of things secret, distant, and future,
which by the utmost sagacities of reason,
and their natural powers,
they could not have any insight into nor foresight of."
Revelation 2:7
Revelation 2:7
Whoever has ears,
let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who is victorious,
I will give the right to eat from the tree of life,
which is in the paradise of God.
I
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017
It's
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Whoever has ears, let them hear. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength yet you have kept my word and not denied my name. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!”
Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
like he wanted me to read these passages in this manner.
The verses are the puzzle pieces and he just put them together for me.
I don't know how else to describe it Lucy.
Plus?
I heard it straight from the evil one himself:
"You're a powerful man."
I promise ya I did.
I know exactly what he was talking about.
So did he.
You ready for all this Lucy?
Love you sweetheart.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
Right before bed. I was like what?
Go read what?
Again?
Okay.
And I got to Revelation 2:2 and it was clear as day.
Go through here and underline all the verses about perseverance, endurance etc.
So I did.
Then I went back and read them eac,
h in order by themselves
after highlighting, underlining them.
It was pretty apparent the next day what I was supposed to post here.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Romans 12:17-21
Romans 12:17-21
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Proverbs 25:21-22
Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For you will heap burning coals on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Yep.
"Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going To California with an aching in my heart"
Matthew 24:3-4
Matthew 24:3-4
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
Agreed
The question isn't whether Trump obstructed justice, but whether Congress even cares
If you let him get away with it?
Whats next?
If you let him get away with it?
Whats next?
It's
just the right thing to do.
"Since the release of the Mueller report in April, it has been clear that the president committed impeachable offenses by welcoming interference from a hostile foreign power in the 2016 election and then attempting to obstruct the investigation into his unpatriotic actions," Clark said. "Moreover, he said he would do it all again if given the chance."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
You’re not allowed to cause our family pain. I won’t let you.
1)I don’t have time.
For drama, for hatred, for mean words. To debate who is right or wrong about trivial things.
2)I won’t allow you to judge me or my parenting.
Because I’m hard enough on myself. Because you’re not being constructive. And, for every way in which I lack, I make up for it with a love for my family that could move mountains.
3)We lead very different lives.
As in, you dedicate much of your time and energy to spreading hurt and anger, and I refuse to be a target.
4)I can’t help you.
Your problems and issues are too big for me to manage along with my own. I can listen, but I can’t fix.
5)You are not kind.
You have said hurtful things. Not out of anger, not out of love, not to inform or help, but only to be hurtful or criticize.
6)You are not adding any value to my life.
Being a parent and spouse is hard. If you can’t encourage me, laugh with me, chat with me, tell me, “Your home looks beautiful, and your wrinkles seem to be fading,” help me entertain a 3-year-old, OR just sit with me, even once every 2 years when our schedules line up (because I’m totally okay with that!), why are we friends?
7)You don’t agree with how I live my life.
We are a non-judgmental, liberal Christian family. We love and accept people of ALL races, cultures, spiritual/non-spiritual views, sexual orientation/identity, etc. If you can’t get along with us, that’s most likely your problem. If you want to have a lengthy discussion about the origin of the universe, see Number 1. I’m sorry, but at this time in my life, this qualifies as a “trivial thing.”
8)We have different political views.
I’m fine with that, but you’re not. You want to debate every law put into practice for the last 10 years. See Numbers 1 and 5.
9)The things that are important to you aren’t important to me.
You seem really upset about things that, quite frankly, don’t bother me, like that I dyed my hair a new color or that I gave my child milk before bed. See Number 2.
10)I’m a parent now.
I have to make (quick) decisions about what is best for my family. If you are causing emotional stress to me or my loved ones, I can choose to apply the phrase, “You are dismissed” for however long I need that to be – even forever OR until I have more time, until we can talk more, until I can express my feelings better, until you choose to be kind to me, etc.
And this is how I clearly dismiss someone in drastic and not-so-drastic situations:
“I don’t want to have contact with you anymore.”
“I need to limit my time with you because you’re not being… kind, or helpful, or understanding, etc.”
“We’re not ever going to agree on this issue, and that’s okay with me. Can we decide not to discuss it? No? Then, maybe we shouldn’t be friends.”
“I’m walking away now.”
“I’m choosing to focus on being happy.”
Some days, I may not answer the door or my phone. I may put distance between you and my family for however long I need that to be, and I’ll make the message clear:
Luke 8:17
Luke 8:17
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Yep
"I don't want to talk too much to ruin this mood this evening, but I just want to say that we should work as hard as we can to come together, with the whole World. And we should stop trying to divide ourselves. We have got to stop trying to make it 'us and them' because that's easy.
It's easy to hate. It's easy to hate. It's hard to love, but once you do it, it gets easier and easier, and that's what I think. I think the worst, the worst idea that's being bounced around not far from here, is the idea of going to another war in the Middle East.
It is garbage. It is a bad idea, and it's the worst deal we could come up with. We have got to find another way to talk to each other, without guns and without bombs, cause it's bullshit."
Given
the warrant-less surveillance conducted by the NSA?
The tech companies concerns are well founded.
"Tech companies, fearful that this access could be misused for spying or exploited by hackers, continue to build products so securely encrypted that the companies themselves are sometimes unable to access the data on them."
I hate to be all conspiracy theorist and all but this sounds like event planning.
"Mr. Barr sought to convince technology companies to work toward a compromise with law-enforcement agencies, lest they are forced to deal with hastily passed laws in the wake of a crisis. “Given the frequency with which these situations are now arising, it is only a matter of time before a sensational case crystallizes the issue for the public,” Mr. Barr said.
Always remember
Matthew 10:36
The Sword of the Gospel
…For I have come to turn ‘A man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;…
Tax cuts
for the rich.
No food for poor people/children.
Sounds like a Christian nation to me.
These people are disgusting.
"The current program also automatically qualifies 265,000 schoolchildren for free lunches. Under the administration's proposal, those children would have to apply separately to continue to get those meals."
Revelation 6:6
Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”"...So it is wrong to take a major feature such as this prohibition against hurting the oil and the wine and interpret it as a limitation on human hardship. It indicates rather the inequity that will prevail. The poor will have it extremely hard while the wealthy will experience no interruption to their luxurious lifestyle.
Revelation 6:6 Commentary
Monday, July 22, 2019
Good read
"A different pricing dynamic has been evolving with new supply calculations based on the U.S. as the world’s largest producer, and the partnership between No. 2 Russia and No. 3 Saudi Arabia trying to keep control on production levels.'
Right
On both counts.
"Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today's decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law."
Dissenting, Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000).
A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.
Dissenting, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. ___ (2010).
I remember my son, myself and my stepdad
discussing in a pizza joint how that Bush v. Gore decision
forever changed the attitude and outlook of this country.
Nicholas was like eighth grade.
I love you Lucy.
Malachi 3:5
Malachi 3:5
“So I will come to put you on trial.
I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,
adulterers and perjurers,
against those who defraud laborers of their wages,
who oppress the widows and the fatherless,
and deprive the foreigners among you of justice,
but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 3:5
Malachi 3:5
“So I will come to put you on trial.
I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,
adulterers and perjurers,
against those who defraud laborers of their wages,
who oppress the widows and the fatherless,
and deprive the foreigners among you of justice,
but do not fear me,”
says the Lord Almighty.
The Christian Right?
Is proving itself to be neither with their continued support.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
1 Chronicles 10
1 Chronicles 10
Saul Takes His Life
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.
4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.
7 When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
I
don't care what turtle man was present for.
If you're not condemning Trump's racism?
You are complicit in it.
Orangeman is just bringing to the surface the long latent ugly underbelly of republican politics.
It's disgusting.
I've never liked McConnell since I was in grade school and he was the Jefferson County Judge executive. My parents didn't either.
Monday, July 15, 2019
I'm
just at a loss for words to try and explain to you what you mean to me.
How highly I think of you.
How much I respect, value, and treasure you.
I love you baby.
I
said they will leave NATO a long time ago.
They are just waiting for the right time.
Sooner or later the truth behind that coup attempt is going to come out.
Jeremiah 30:17
Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Agreed
"When — not if — Iran retaliates against U.S. or allied targets or, as Mearsheimer writes, makes progress in developing nuclear weapons, Washington will respond with more military intervention. A limited air campaign will rapidly transform into ground war. Intervention will become invasion, followed by occupation and likely regime change and nation building as well. The hard-line approach will creep into a much larger mission than its supporters pretend. Washington will entangle the United States in an avoidable and unnecessary war, further destabilizing the Middle East, inflaming anti-American attitudes, and inflicting misery on ordinary Iranians. Tehran can be forcibly delayed from getting the bomb, but even “success” in that project would be failure. Maximum pressure is a doomed strategy one way or another."
Job 14
Job 14
“Mortals, born of woman,
are of few days and full of trouble.
2 They spring up like flowers and wither away;
like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.
3 Do you fix your eye on them?
Will you bring them before you for judgment?
4 Who can bring what is pure from the impure?
No one!
5 A person’s days are determined;
you have decreed the number of his months
and have set limits he cannot exceed.
6 So look away from him and let him alone,
till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.
7 “At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last and is no more.
11 As the water of a lake dries up
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,
12 so he lies down and does not rise;
till the heavens are no more, people will not awake
or be roused from their sleep.
13 “If only you would hide me in the grave
and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
and then remember me!
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
All the days of my hard service
I will wait for my renewal to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;
you will long for the creature your hands have made.
16 Surely then you will count my steps
but not keep track of my sin.
17 My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;
you will cover over my sin.
18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles
and as a rock is moved from its place,
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents wash away the soil,
so you destroy a person’s hope.
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;
you change their countenance and send them away.
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies
and mourn only for themselves.”
Proverbs 25
Proverbs 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
25 These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among his great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
What you have seen with your eyes
8 do not bring[a] hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 If you take your neighbor to court,
do not betray another’s confidence,
10 or the one who hears it may shame you
and the charge against you will stand.
11 Like apples[b] of gold in settings of silver
is a ruling rightly given.
12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
13 Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
he refreshes the spirit of his master.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of gifts never given.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
too much of you, and they will hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on a wound,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain
is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.
24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
are the righteous who give way to the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.
John 12
John 12
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Jesus Predicts His Death
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews
37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Psalm 39
Psalm 39
I said, “I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2 So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
3 my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.
6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
Matthew 14
Matthew 14
John the Baptist Beheaded
14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
