sculpture by Barbara Hepworth in Cambridge/U.K. (King’s Fellows Garden) Attila Malarik from Cambridge, United Kingdom

Good morning, beloved,

This morning, I have been quiet before the Lord, listening to music proclaiming His light, His love, His majesty, His mercy. I had a boy snuggling with me this morning and I prayed over him that we could just do a more loving job of loving one another as He has called us. Our communication, this week has been rocky and disjointed. So, we sit together, knowing this is a language we both understand. Under it all, we love each other very much. Combined with not feeling my best, allowing quiet to speak ministering more to him than any words. I think that is a good picture for His love for me this morning. Laying my head on His breast, just allowing Him to sing over me, He quiets me with His love. Today I ask you to listen to the songs. Allow yourself a time of worship.

Quiet…remember. He’s got the whole world in His hands…do you need to remember? You know the song. So do I, but this morning, I am very weepy. Come to the place where you see your need for God. Your need for His touch. Listen. He’s here. He’s so close. You are loved.

I had another round of injections yesterday. I brought my kindle with me this time. I have found with my kindle it has a “text to speech“. As I struggled with a migraine before the procedure, as I lay there, I listened to a book full of wonderful advice. It was good as I lay in the darkness to hear how I can tangibly bless my family financially with the grocery budget, also amazing to keep me calm as I waited with an IV in my arm…

After the injections were done, I was very weepy. I was still in much pain and the injections themselves are painful. Right away, I asked for my kindle and turned on Psalm 103. I calmed. I listened. As it is one of my favorites, I can recite with certain versions. I had somehow chosen a version not familiar. So I listened with new ears, I did not turn it off while the doctors and nurses whisked in and out. I was so much calmer.

Psalm 103: 1·All that I am [^TO my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord;
·everything in me [^Lall my inward parts], ·praise [bless] his holy name.
² ·My whole being [^TO my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord
and do not forget all his ·kindnesses [gifts; benefits].
³ He forgives all ·my [or your] ·sins [iniquity]
and heals all ·my [or your] ·diseases [ills].
⁴ He ·saves [redeems] ·my [or your] life from the ·grave [^Lpit]
and ·loads [or crowns] ·me [or you] with ·love [loyalty] and ·mercy [compassion].
⁵ He satisfies ·me [or you] with good things [^Las long as you live; or according to your desires]
and ·makes me young again [^Lrenews your youth], like the eagle [Is. 40:31].

⁶ The Lord does what is ·right [righteous] and ·fair [just]
for all who are ·wronged by others [oppressed; exploited].
⁷ He ·showed [revealed] his ways to Moses [Ex. 34:5–7]
and his deeds to the ·people [sons] of Israel.
⁸ The Lord shows ·mercy [compassion] and ·is kind [grace].
He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger], and he has great ·love [loyalty; 86:15;145:8–9; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17. 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
⁹ He will not always ·accuse [charge; contend with] us,
and he will not ·be angry forever [^Lkeep watch forever].
¹⁰ He ·has not punished us as our sins should be punished [^Ldoes not act toward us according to our sins];
he has not repaid us ·for the evil we have done [^Laccording to our iniquity].
¹¹ As high as the ·sky [heaven] is above the earth,
so great is his ·love [loyalty] for those who ·respect [fear] him [Prov. 1:7].
¹² He has taken our ·sins [transgressions] away from us
as far as the east is from west.
¹³ The Lord has ·mercy [compassion] on those who ·respect [fear] him [Prov. 1:7],
as a father has ·mercy [compassion] on his children.
¹⁴ He knows how we were ·made [formed];
he remembers that we are dust [Gen. 2:7; 3:19; Job 4:19; 10:9; 34:15; Eccl. 3:20; 12:7].

Dust sunbeams through tree by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

Take the Joy Dare (Ann Voskamp)(free on Ann Voskamp’s website!):

Today: Something Above, Below, Beside

My thankfuls:

103. I’m so thankful for rain drenching the ground, our family is praying our lake is full by spring time.

104. I’m thankful for mud tracking in on our white floors. Hold on…it’s a metaphor for me. One, a quick swipe with a hot soapy mop…gone. Reminder, God’s the hot soapy mop in my life. Two…is my next thankful.

105. I’m thankful for all the footprints for they represent. We are breath.

I’ve now heard this song twice this morning.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

 

 

The light on the horizon is a fishing boat, and the smaller one behind, the entrance to the fjord into Tasiilaq by Nick Russill

Good morning, beloved,

Well, we officially have a teenager in our house..Noah is a birthday king today. So we were already out at the store this morning picking up all the necessities for a happy boy. Our blessings, as we say, outweigh all the stress and worry of the circumstances that swirl around us. Yesterday, friends came from our church to help me clean our house. What a blessing. So grateful for a boost and for the kindness of the body of Christ. Peoples’ prayers, help, kindness just lifts us up. When we are weak, He is strong. And able. And full of grace and mercy. When we  began going to a small church, we had no idea the intricacies of blessing upon blessing as we can serve and the body of Christ is stepping in to help us carry on.

Lord, as we study Your beautiful Word today, may we glorify You and give You our time, Spirit-filled. Direct, lead, guide our paths.

We are going to break down more of Matthew 6 today in greater detail. Here’s the verses:

Matthew 6:¹⁹ Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.

²⁰ But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal;

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

²² The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light.

²³ But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!

²⁴ No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).

1 John 2:¹⁵ Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

¹⁷ And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

The world’s offering:

• love for the Father is not in him
• lust of the flesh
• lust of the eyes
• pride of life
• passes away, temporal

God’s offering: carry out His purposes in your life and you will abide forever.

2 Corinthians 4:¹⁸ Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.

Seen: temporal, brief, fleeting: keep your eyes off of this.

Unseen: deathless (what a word!, everlasting AND look to it, consider it!

Hebrews 12: Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

² Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

World’s offering:

• strip it off
• throw aside unnecessary weight
• sin that cleverly clings and entangles
• distracts us from Jesus

God’s offering

• a cloud of witnesses who have testimony to the Truth!
• A race set before us that we need to run with endurance, persistence
• Jesus: Leader, Source of faith and Finisher
• Jesus: endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame…ALL FOR THE JOY OF OBTAINING THE PRIZE
• Jesus: seated at the right hand of God

Hebrews 11: ²⁴ [Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

²⁵ Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.

²⁶ He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense).

²⁷ [Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.

Example of Moses for us:

• Even tho Moses was great in the eyes of people, refused to be Pharaoh’s daughter’s son., refused to have enjoyment of sin
• Preferred to share suffering, bear the shame of people of God
• Greater wealth found: contempt, abuse, shame that Christ would endure
• Faith took him out of Egypt
• Faith kept Pharaoh in his place
• Never flinched in purpose
• Endured steadfastly who gazed on the Invisible God

 

Beloved, pray on. Pray on!

 

Divorce…

Meadow pippit by Seahamlass edit by JJ Harrison at en.wikipedia

Good morning, beloved,

Well, our transition to life again from the hospital has been, to say the least, not the easiest. Daniel’s landing and movement back into the culture of the family has been a challenge and I just think that all those words typed before don’t even say it as well as saying: it has been awful. Gag. Puke. Barf.  God help us all with this day today.  Bring us your peace. Bring us your love and Your Spirit. I canna do another day like yesterday the same way.

Let’s finish off our day, yesterday. If you didn’t read that one, catch up and come join us.

Matthew 5:

³¹ It has also been said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.

³² But I tell you, Whoever dismisses and repudiates and divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.

Adultery…unless she was unfaithful, if a man dismisses his wife causes her to commit adultery. Also whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  Before I try to comment on that, let’s look more at the Word to decipher all of this…

Malachi 2

¹³ And this you do with double guilt; you cover the altar of the Lord with tears [shed by your unoffending wives, divorced by you that you might take heathen wives], and with [your own] weeping and crying out because the Lord does not regard your offering any more or accept it with favor at your hand.

¹⁴ Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].

¹⁵ And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth.

¹⁶ For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I hate divorce and marital separation and him who covers his garment [his wife] with violence. Therefore keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit], that you deal not treacherously and faithlessly [with your marriage mate].

God was witness to the covenant of your marriage. God made you one flesh. God made two one so to have godly offspring.  She is your companion! The covenant.

Dealing treacherously, faithless, divorcing for your own gain (to take heathen wives or whatever), this is violence to the Lord. He hates divorce, the ripping apart of marriages, families. Watch!

Matthew 19:

⁷ They said to Him, Why then did Moses command [us] to give a certificate of divorce and thus to dismiss and repudiate a wife?

⁸ He said to them, Because of the hardness (stubbornness and perversity) of your hearts Moses permitted you to dismiss and repudiate and divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been so [ordained].

⁹ I say to you: whoever dismisses (repudiates, divorces) his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

God allowed divorce…interesting. Why?  A stubbornness and perversity in our hearts…but Jesus says to us, this is not what God wants. It is not our best. Marry a divorced woman and commit adultery.

1 Corinthians 7:

¹⁰ But to the married people I give charge—not I but the Lord—that the wife is not to separate from her husband.

¹¹ But if she does [separate from and divorce him], let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband. And [I charge] the husband [also] that he should not put away or divorce his wife.

¹² To the rest I declare—I, not the Lord [for Jesus did not discuss this]—that if any brother has a wife who does not believe [in Christ] and she consents to live with him, he should not leave or divorce her.

¹³ And if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she should not leave or divorce him.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is set apart (separated, withdrawn from heathen contamination, and affiliated with the Christian people) by union with his consecrated (set-apart) wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart and separated through union with her consecrated husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean (unblessed heathen,outside the Christian covenant), but as it is they are prepared for God [pure and clean].

¹⁵ But if the unbelieving partner [actually] leaves, let him do so; in such [cases the remaining] brother or sister is not morally bound. But God has called us to peace.

¹⁶ For, wife, how can you be sure of converting and saving your husband? Husband, how can you be sure of converting and saving your wife?

Paul has so much to say here..yet, let’s leave a lot of this stick with what circumstances does God allow divorce? Sexual immorality. Unfaithfulness.

The root problem?  There, I leave you to think and ponder and pray over. This is a difficult, hard subject yet one to talk over. Truly. It is worth our time to pray over this. Pray on, beloved. Pray on and on.

 

Holy fear

Image Description from historic lecture booklet: “About ten miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee on a very high hill (2,749 feet) of the ancient province of Galilee, is situated the city of Safed, which is thought by some to be the city referred to by Jesus in His sermon on the mount (Matt 5:14).
You remember the words of our Lord to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount? “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” He may have pointed to this very hill and this very city, now known as Safed, in northern Galilee. Although no place having this location is named in the Bible, it is probable that in Christ’s day, a city was standing on this hill, for in the New Testament period, this land was densely populated. Safed stands as a landmark, seen in every direction, and well illustrated the words of Jesus regarding the prominence of his disciples in the world.” by Visual Instruction Department Lantern Slides

Well, I bet you were wondering where your friendly brown bear has been lately. Well, yesterday was MEG day for Daniel and today we are in the hospital for his in-hospital EEG stay. So we are settled and praying, praying, praying for peace. Trust.  Hope. Confidence.  The blood guy just came in..and Daniel just stuck out his arm. What a trooper. So we hold onto our Savior. I’m pumping Pandora worship music through our room. Daniel’s on the Ipad that Child Life gave us to borrow. Playing games. And I think I have some time to work on my Bible. I need some time to focus on my God.

Let’s get back into the Sermon. Now, don’t run away when I say the next word. Law. You still there?  GOOD! HI! So, let’s go through Matthew 5 and pick up all we can about the Law that Jesus teaches…Ready? I promise..it’s worth it.

¹⁷ Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away and perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hook [identifying certain Hebrew letters] will pass from the Law until all things [it foreshadows] are accomplished.

God did not bring Jesus to wipe away the Law. Now, I find this so fascinating. Think about this. Not to undo the Law or Prophets but to complete and fulfill..now what is ( I wish you could see my hands I’m modelling my excitement!) so transformational about this word here: the root of this word(plērēs )means to be filled up like a hollow vessel, not lacking anything, perfect. Jesus was the completion of story. Every piece though has to be placed. So this next verse is also critical to our understanding: stay with me here! The sky and earth are passing away before the Law is going away. Really? How? Getting a bit ahead of myself… first lets figure out some of the issues Jesus points to in these verses: Murder…

²¹ You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court.

Adultery…

²⁷ You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.

Divorce…

³¹ It has also been said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.

Oath…

³³ Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord [as a religious duty].

Ethics…

³⁸ You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

The Law is much more than this and it is much more than just the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20, but there is such a jewel found in this passage, take some time with me, pause and look.  So after the 10 commandments were presented, then…

¹⁸ Now all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as [they] looked they trembled with fear and fell back and stood afar off.

¹⁹ And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die.

²⁰ And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the [reverential] fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.

God had, my friends, instilled them with a holy, reverential fear.  Here are the beautiful words…

hayah -to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time), to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality), to accompany, be with

paniym-face presence, person

Oh, friends, God wanted, wanted to abide and remain with them. His face ever before them. A reverential fear to help them not to sin.

We could learn so much from a reverential fear of God. We could glean so much from remembering His holiness.  What brings Holy God ever into communion with us? It started here, with the blood.

Exodus 24: 

³ Moses came and told the people all that the Lord had said and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, All that the Lord has spoken we will do.

⁴ Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. He rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve pillars representing Israel’s twelve tribes.

⁵ And he sent young Israelite men, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.

⁶ And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.

⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people; and they said, All that the Lord has said we will do, and we will be obedient.

⁸ And Moses took the [remaining half of the] blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.

The blood gave the people access to Holy God. Hopefully, the blood flashes lights in your brain. In my next post, we’ll talk more about what the Law could and could not do…:)

Well, this post has been interrupted more times than I can count. Pray on. Pray on.

Gentle part 2

Great Hollow Lake by Michaelphayes

Happy afternoon, beloved,

I sit on the deck and watch children playing in the lake and find it might be a good time to work on my blog. We’ll see. I want to make that list up of the blessings and rights of the meek/gentle…

Some caring soul asked how I was doing today..and I finally got my words in order. I find myself in a spot where I need to grasp onto God‘s hand, hold tight, not look at the sight, what I see, because what I see frightens me, but I believe with all my heart God asks me to do is see with my soul, my heart, my innards that He is renewing moment by moment. Walk by faith. It is a true statement. And when He asks me to hold out my hand, He won’t our family fall. I know it. I just have to read these Scriptures and make this list.

Join me on this beautiful, windy day?

Wait..just heard a song on Pandora…listen, beloved..Praise Him with me?

I”m going to break all  the laws of  writing and just make the list from the blog from earlier today. So find the verses in my blog earlier.

First of all, blessing: happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions. So no matter how it looks, God is asking us to have joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and His deliverance. I’ve heard it said if God never did another thing for us than send His Son, it was enough. Yet, He continues blessing.

1. The example of Moses as meek and mild above all men. Check out what God said about him in Numbers 12:  And He said, Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make Myself known to him in a vision and speak to him in a dream.⁷ But not so with My servant Moses; he is entrusted and faithful in all My house.⁸ With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], clearly and not in dark speeches; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? Mercy, mercy, mercy. Can you imagine? I gotta make another list…the Lord made Himself known by..

• mouth to mouth
• clearly
• not in dark speeches
• he beholds the FORM OF THE LORD!!!! I mean seriously, folks, can you fathom that? The LORD the God of the universe speaks with him. Now the prophets? They get visions and dreams. Which makes me think..but I won’t go there today..

2. They who  [diligently] seek for, inquire of and for Him, and require Him [as their greatest need]...so we are talking about the meek again. So,we need to keep seeking,   inquiring of and for Him and require HIm as their greatest need. Greater than food, gas for your car, money for your accounts, friends for your kids, health, whatever it is…require Him more. Need Him more. Oh, I love that. And what happens? What does Psalm 22 tell us? The poor and afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord!

3. They who  seek God, inquiring for and requiring Him [as your first need]…when I was starting on this whole faith journey as an adult, I want to tell you with young children with seizures, four major car crashes in two years,  losing a house to bankruptcy and foreclosure because of overwhelming medical debt and issues my first response when a crashing wave hit was to run to the phone for help or send out an email for prayers. Now, before I go any further, there is nothing wrong with either of those responses…but when it was my first response, I was not inquiring of and requiring Him as my first need..I wasn’t seeking God. Another thing, God met us amazingly and triumphantly through those years. He was our Provider, Defender and Abba. And He has taught me…to allow my  hearts revive and live! [in Him]!! He did it so many times and still is triumphant God. It does my heart good to remember.

4. The meek shall inherit the earth…Chuck Smith:

Jesus in one of the beatitudes said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (Psa 37:11).

The glorious kingdom that Jesus establishes. A kingdom of righteousness and peace, and the meek will inherit the earth and be delighted with an earth that is filled with peace. Can you imagine? No, I don’t suppose we can; we’ve never experienced it. But an earth that is filled with peace. I go by the school grounds and I see the little kids fighting. Seems like everyone is fighting. So much fighting in this world. What a glorious world it will be when we live together in peace, delighted in the abundance of peace.

We can look forward to heaven and to an abundance of peace…what a foreign idea to our ears…

5. The Lord is lifting us up…the downtrodden, the humble. Oh, Lord we lay it down and we lift up our hands!!

Are you falling down at the feet of Jesus? God be praised if your soul is lifted like mine. May God be praised. Pray on, beloved. Pray on…

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (spendomai.com)
• “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (worryisuseless.wordpress.com)
• God is Bigger Than That (iwanttobelieveingod.com)
• Message of the Beatitudes – Three – Meek (pastorswifelife.com)
• The Meek Win (genesisone.wordpress.com)

Costs…

Anabaptist bridge crossing the Combe du Bez above Corgémont; Berne, Switzerland. by Хрюша

Good morning, beloved,

A new day, a new start, a brand new beginning…:) unfolding before you and I today…what will today hold? What will God have in store for you and I today?

Yesterday was a beautiful day of sunshine.  Mother’s day have not always gone well in the Bruinius household…and so to behold a day that held blessing and quiet and calm…thankful. Of course, add in four dogs (we are watching the neighbor’s dog and my parents brought their dogs), and there is a certain amount of…disorder.

I’m back on these pictures of the Anabaptists…I am transfixed by their courage and their sacrifice for their faith. Darkness covered their land. Their faith required a stand. They were a light blazing in a world blanketed by lies and a church overcome by greed and power.

I wonder if these verses ever were a comfort to them…

Anabaptist bridge crossing the Combe du Bez above Corgémont; Berne, Switzerland. Хрюша

Psalm 139

¹² Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

¹³ For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

Let’s look a little more in-depth..

Anabaptist bridge crossing the Combe du Bez above Corgémont; Berne, Switzerland.

Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Exodus 14

²⁰ Coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. It was a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites; and the one host did not come near the other all night.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided.

Daniel 2

²² He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!

Hebrews 4

1³ And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open andexposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

Anabaptist bridge crossing the Combe du Bez above Corgémont; Berne, Switzerland. Хрюша

For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Job 10

⁹ Remember [earnestly], I beseech You, that You have fashioned me as clay [out of the same earth material, exquisitely and elaborately]. And will You bring me into dust again?

¹⁰ Have You not poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese?

¹¹ You have clothed me with skin and flesh and have knit me together with bones and sinews.

¹² You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my spirit.

I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

Genesis 1

²⁶ God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

²⁷ So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Psalm 92

⁴ For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the deeds of Your hands I joyfully sing.

⁵ How great are Your doings, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.

Oh friends, these saints that have walked before us, staked their claim on the God who they knew to be fearful and wonderful! They knew Him to be wonderful in His works in their lives and their inner selves knows that right well.  Out of that understanding, they refused turn their backs on the Bible. The Bible was their book.

Is it mine? Is it yours? Does the knowledge of the Most High God compel you to make decisions that could cost you? To the Anabaptists, it was worth everything. Is your faith worth everything? Truly?

Pray on, friends. Pray on.