“I just love happy reunions! I also love it whenever a heavy burden of guilt and fear is lifted. I know Jacob was so relieved at that moment when Esau ran to meet him, fell on his neck, and kissed him. He was relieved that he and his wives, servants, and children were safe from harm. However, that wasn’t all. There was a huge bonus. Esau poured out his love on Jacob. I keep bringing up the fact that these men were not only twins, but at this chapter of their lives they were about 100 years old, and it just amazes me. Jacob was hobbling along because of his hip.”
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” Psalm 32:1-5 KJV
“1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
“The Lord had called Jacob, and then He had brought him to this place; this geographical location, and also to another place…a place known as ‘contrition’. It’s the kind of place where one suddenly realizes that he or she is lacking, and in turn, begins to ‘hunger and thirst after righteousness’. The words of someone else come to my mind at this moment…”
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV
” 1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Should I attempt to write five more paragraphs and use three point enumeration? I am stumped. How do I take the glimpses of light that flickered as I read those chapters, and explain the impact they made on my heart?
I believe a brief overview would be helpful today…”
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19 KJV
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 KJV
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 KJV
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.” Hebrews 11:20 KJV
There is so much in Genesis chapters 25-35 that deeply touches me. I am thinking about the human race, believers, sins, feelings, reputation, and age. I am thinking about sons and fathers, mothers and daughters, hearts, wonder, intrigue, romantic love, lust, passion, violation, and anguish. I am thinking about pride, anger, resentment, hate, vengeance/revenge, deception, treachery, violence, destruction, fear…
“17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[d]18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:17-18 ESV
“12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13 KJV
“23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 KJV
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The Sacrifice of Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy[a] will go over there and worship and come again to you.”6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”;[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”[c]
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his[d] enemies,18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
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Do I even dare to comment on Genesis 22?
The Lord calls His Children, and they hear Him (He bestows on them the gift of Faith.). When they hear Him calling they not only answer with their lips, but they follow Him. They walk closely with Him. They stumble (sin), the Lord forgives them, chastises (disciplines and corrects) them, and they in turn repent and continue to follow Him. The Lord also protects them and delivers them from all kinds of evil.
This cycle repeats itself over and over in the lives of His children. As a result, their Faith in Him grows. They become increasingly more confident in His power. They suffer loss, too, but each time they witness the Lord fulfill one of His promises they become more fully persuaded that He will keep His word.
This continuously growing Faith is so powerful. It empowers the Lord’s children to become more and more willing……….more and more able to do things that under any other conditions would be impossible. The Bible tells us that without Faith it is impossible to please God.
But where does this Faith come from? Do we muster it up for ourselves? No. The Lord provides it:
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 KJV
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
Then those times come when we who believe will be tested. We will not fail. Sometimes the tests will be administered in solitary places where few, if any, will be aware of it. At other times there will be many who will witness it and the Lord will be magnified in their eyes. It is a beautiful thing!
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here:www.biblegateway.comThey have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 KJV
“4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b]6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV
“14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 ESV
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance,12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Genesis 12:10-20 ESV
Abraham and Abimelech
20 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned inGerar.2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.”
And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him,
“Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?”11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all[a] who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children.18 For the Lordhad closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Genesis 20 ESV
Genesis 12 and Genesis 20 say a lot about people…..even people of faith. Those chapters say a lot about the Lord, too. I am so thankful He is patient and good even when I am older, but not much wiser. I am so thankful that we have a God who cares.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here:www.biblegateway.comThey have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
“29 Are not two [j]little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice.
30 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 AMP
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’ 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
“1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing [children]. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I can obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.
3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her Egyptian maid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife.
4 And he had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant; and when she saw that she was with child, she looked with contempt upon her mistress and despised her.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, May [the responsibility for] my wrong and deprivation of rights be upon you! I gave my maid into your bosom, and when she saw that she was with child, I was contemptible and despised in her eyes. May the Lord be the judge between you and me.
6 But Abram said to Sarai, See here, your maid is in your hands and power; do as you please with her. And when Sarai dealt severely with her, humbling and afflicting her, she [Hagar] fled from her.
But [a]the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness on the road to Shur.
8 And He said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from, and where are you intending to go? And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sarai.
9 The Angel of the Lord said to her,Go back to your mistress and [humbly] submit to her control.
10 Also the Angel of the Lord said to her,I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the Angel of the Lord continued,See now, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael [God hears], because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your affliction.
12 And he [Ishmael] will be as a [b]wild ass among men; his hand will be against every man and every man’s hand against him, and he will live to the east and on the borders of all his kinsmen.
13 So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him Who sees me [and lived]?Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him Who sees me?
14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi [A well to the Living One Who sees me]; it is[c]between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore[d]Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael.” Genesis 16:1-16 AMP
Here we are in Genesis 16 facing an interesting situation. The Lord had spoken to Abram on a number of occasions concerning offspring (note the scripture below), and if you look at Genesis 15:6 you will see that it says that Abram believed the Lord. Abram was a lot like us. He had some information, but not all of the information. I think a lot of people in a situation like theirs would reason and conclude that a surrogate mother was the means the Lord intended them to use. I can sympathize with Abram, Sarah, and Hagar. However the Lord had His own plan. The same God who sees every sparrow that falls looked upon them….all of them. He looks upon us, too, and He cares for us.
1Now the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country[b] and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 ESV
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him,“Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are,northward and southward and eastward and westward,15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”Genesis 13:14-17 ESV
God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue[a] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him:“This man shall not be your heir; your very own son[b] shall be your heir.”5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him,“So shall your offspring be.”6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
7 And he said to him,“I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”9 He said to him,“Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.13 Then theLord said to Abram,“Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterwardthey shall come out with great possessions.15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,“To your offspring I give[c] this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”Genesis 15 ESV
On December 20, 2013 I started a series titled “A Loving Pursuit”. I am resuming my study tonight. Below are the links to the other posts in the series for anyone who would like to start from the beginning and catch up. Although I started in Genesis, and am working my way through the Bible I won’t make a post on every chapter of every book, so if you only wish to read occasionally it really doesn’t matter what order you read the posts or if you only read some of them.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here: www.biblegateway.com They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done…
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
The past few days many of us have been flooded with emotions…shock, fear, anger, and sorrow in response to another mass shooting. It is also an election year. I see people who are supposed to be friends on facebook having heated discussions, and hurting each other with their words.
A lot of times when I am down I like to listen to songs that were popular when I was growing up. So they are usually songs from the 70’s and 80’s.
I was listening to this love song on YouTube, and it occurred to me that the Lord could sing this song to us. After all, He is the…
40 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me.
14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
15 Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.
17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
I really enjoy this woman’s videos. Whenever I listen to them I am taken back in time to moments spent singing in my kitchen with someone who was, is, and forever will be very precious to me. As long as I am living here on this earth I will be waiting and longing for her that I might hold her in my arms like I did countless times many years ago.
She is having a really hard time right now.
Please pray for her, that the Lord’s truth would set her free, that she would be delivered from all that is evil…… and that He might put a new song in her mouth.
The link below will take you to a post she wrote a long time ago about one of her panic attacks. She is having them again. Please pray for her.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go tohttp://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
This picture was taken 6 or 7 years ago while I was on a trip with my children. There was an
impending storm at the time.
Scripture reference;
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”Romans 12:2
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You’re driving along under a sky that “had” been blue until those thick gray clouds you noticed earlier, maybe ten miles to the west, finally made their way overhead. You scan the sky wondering.
Then it happens—that first raindrop makes a hurried descent splashing against your windshield. Two seconds pass, and a few of her companions arrive—splat! Then the clouds can contain themselves no longer—your car, the road, the entire landscape—all is at the mercy of a heavy downpour. You reach for that little switch, and feel the satisfaction that comes once those wipers are set in motion. The song on the radio is interrupted as the station makes the announcement that the “National Weather Service” has issued a “Flash Flood Warning” for your area.
Next you pull into the parking lot of your favorite grocery store. What luck! There’s an empty parking space right by the entrance. You rush inside quickly gathering the items on your list, and make your way to the check out.
A few moments later you are once again in your car pulling out of the parking lot, and back onto the street; parts of which are already under an inch or two of water, so you gingerly make your way through town, and finally pull into your own driveway—safe and sound.
Do you live in an area that is prone to flooding? If you do, you already have this memorized. I copied and pasted the following from wikipedia.
There are two types of alerts for flash floods which are issued by the National Weather Service. One is a flash flood watch, which means that conditions are favorable for flash flooding, and the other is a flash flood warning, meaning that a flash flood is occurring or one will occur imminently and is usually issued when there are strong weather radar echoes for an area that is prone to flash flooding. Flash floods can also occur because of a dam or levee failure, or because of a sudden release of water held by an ice jam.”
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Today I am once again thinking about words, phrases, and expressions. Let’s look at these:
“rain”, “rain drops”, “weather”, and “flood”.
Each of these words have both literal and figurative (or allegorical) meanings. Figuratively speaking, rain can have both positive and negative meanings. Rain can be that precious resource that nourishes and hydrates the earth and all of its inhabitants. Too much rain can bring destruction along with it.
Flooding often has a negative and obvious meaning. However, it can also have a positive meaning. At daybreak the sun floods the earth with life giving light. Sun loving plants literally reach out to the sun. Our minds can become flooded with thoughts, and our hearts flooded with emotions.
Weather can be equated with circumstances. It also can be equated with the prevailing mood or mindset of a group of people, may they be those who dwell in our homes, those we encounter at work, school, or church, or those whose words we read or listen to by using various types of media.
Now I am once again thinking of the scenario at the beginning of this post, but in a figurative way. I believe we can find some spiritual parallels there if we try.
“9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13
Our minds are like that windshield.
Do we truly understand why we must daily go to the Lord in prayer and in the reading of scripture if we are to have our minds renewed? Do we truly understand that a sound mind is a precious gift that only our Heavenly Father can bestow? Do we understand that He delights in bestowing us with this gift, and will withhold neither the Holy Spirit nor the gift of a renewed mind…(or a sound mind) from a single person who asks for them?
The Bible reveals what the Father desires, what each of us needs, and just how those needs are supplied. It will even help us to pray when words seem to fail us. Do you know the Lord’s prayer? Here it is below.
Love and Blessings,
Theresa
“9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here:www.biblegateway.comThey have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
Moore to Ponder 