What about Jesus?

Dear Reader,

I'm listening to the gospel of Matthew and I will be doing that for a couple of more weeks. 

As I have listened some questions have popped up in my mind. 

What did Jesus care about the most? 

What did he like and dislike? 

What did he think was important?   

Why did he do the things he did? 

Could he understand my world and what I’m going through?  

Had he answers for everything?

What can I learn from him? 

I’m going to pin down verses that answer that. Why don’t you do the same and maybe we could have a conversation about it?

Sincerely yours, Ida

Laura Story - Grace

The Father's Song by Matt Redman

Last but not least.

I have come to the last book in the OT; the book of Malachi. 

It  strikes me that the questions and answers  in this book is like a conversation between a parent and a child who very well knows that it has done wrong but put up a puzzled look; What have I done now? 

God brings  in the open what is wrong and man’s question back comes with a sheepishly expression:

How have you loved us?’  How have we shown contempt for Your name?’ How have we defiled You?’ How have we wearied You?” How are we to return?’ How are we robbing You?’” What have we said against You?’  How have we wearied You?” Where is the God of justice?

As if they didn’t know the answer.

When conscience is hardened a lie is close at hand.

 “Foreshadowings : Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist. He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John preached repentance and baptized in the name of the Lord, thus preparing the way for Jesus’ first advent. But the Messenger who comes “suddenly to the Temple” is Christ Himself in His second advent when He comes in power and might (Matthew 24). At that time, He will “purify the sons of Levi” (v. 3), meaning that those who exemplified the Mosaic Law would themselves need purification from sin through the blood of the Savior. Only then will they be able to offer “an offering in righteousness” because it will be the righteousness of Christ imputed to them through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21)”  

Excerpt from: http://www.gotquestions.org

But the last word was not spoken yet … after 400 years God spoke to his people again.

So let’s set off into the New Testament.

Sincerely yours, Ida

“There will be a change”

Dear Reader,

As I have listened through the 14 chapters of Zechariah there is a thought that keeps coming back to me:

“There will be a change”

a change on earth and in the cosmic world;  a change in people’s hearts and minds and finally the  major change for the people and state of Israel. They  will be at peace within and with the rest of the world. But not without a massive attack from the rest of the world and God will put a final stop to all the nonsense that is going on,  on this planet.

And Jesus will be the King of all.  How does that sound to you?

When you put on the morning news  there will be no death in Syria, no nuclear threat from any country; no persecution or torture of Christians around the world; no thieves and liars;  no cheating and hateful actions; no darkness. How does that sound to you? 
Strange?   
Are we so accustomed to the misery that we find it  strange if one day deeds of darkness will be gone?

… and if everything else changes; so must I and so must you.

In the Song of Solomon Chapter 2, Verse 15 the bridegroom talks about “the little foxes” that ruins the grapes in the vineyard. I think of those “little foxes” as those little sins that I allow myself to keep; little sins that the Holy Spirit has told me dozens of times not to do;

-          “But Lord, I’m in my right, am I not?  I mean she is acting like a “pesticide”!   

-          “Dumb Road Administration who has put the speed limit too low on my way to work. No wonder I’m breaking the law every morning”  (answer) “You could get up earlier in the morning”

Get the idea?

Big or small; doesn’t matter. What the Holy Spirit is trying to help me with at this moment is just as serious as God’s dealing with all the nations of this world.

Do I believe that Jesus will return and be the ruler of earth as in heaven? Yes I do.

Do I believe there will be a final judgment of The Sin and all sinners including me? Yes I do.

Will I make it?  I have but one that I can trust my life with and that is Jesus and his salvation.

Pay attention to this; what happens to the state of Israel will bring judgment on the rest of the world and no country is excluded in that judgment.

The book of Zechariah Foreshadows Jesus:

Messiah would come and dwell in our midst (Zechariah 2:10-12; Matthew 1:23)

Symbolism of the Branch and the Stone (Zechariah 3:8-9; 6:12-13; Isaiah 11:1; Luke 20:17-18)

Promise of His Second Coming where they who pierced Him will look upon Him and mourn (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:33-37),

Christ is the theme of the Book of Zechariah  and Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a fountain whose blood covers the sins of all who come to Him for salvation (Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).

(excerpt from http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Zechariah.html)

Sincerely yours, Ida

My life is in your hands - Kirk Franklin

Deep sea of Joy

The Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy: my soul shall dive therein, shall be swallowed up in the delights of his society. Sarah looked on her Isaac, and laughed with excess of rapture, and all her friends laughed with her; and thou, my soul, look on thy Jesus, and bid heaven and earth unite in thy joy unspeakable.

By Charles Spurgeon

4,444 and flabbergasted

Dear Reader,

My knowledge about blogging is very basic; enough to write posts and I have changed the picture above once. Oh, and I figured out how to put up some of the Blogs I follow and there should have been more added to that list but haven’t dared to change anything in case it will disappear. (chicken me)

A while ago I was exploring the new Blogger concept and clicked on something called "stats". And was I amazed! I who had thought I was all alone on my Blog had actually had people stopping by. It was a big surprise. And today "page views all time history" reached:

4,444

And you all have come from:

Sweden, United States, Russia, South Korea, Philippines, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Canada, India, France.

Are you for real? How did you find this plain site? 

Well, you have been very discrete and quiet and I wish you had said hello once in a while; but never mind; You are most welcome to stop by any time.

All I ever want with this Blog is to point to Jesus and Jesus alone and the Word of God; the Bible, and if you have found something  comforting for your own person or somebody you know; take a moment and thank God for his endless love toward you and me and give him praise and honor because He is the one alone who is worthy of our praise. 

I'm off  to Zechariah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. Come along and read it with me

Sincerely yours, Ida

( Isn't   "flabbergasted" a funny little English word?)

A wonderful devotional by Spurgeon

I found this devotional  at BIBLOS today and you can also find it and many more here:  http://dailystudybible.com/Morning_June_11.htm

The English is a bit "older" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon 19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) but I think if you read it very slow you will understand. I have included a picture of him.
Have a blessed day
Sincerely yours,Ida

1 John 4:19  We love him because he first loved us.
There is no light in the planet but that which proceedeth from the sun; and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart but that which cometh from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the infinite love of God, all our love to God must spring. This must ever be a great and certain truth, that we love him for no other reason than because he first loved us. Our love to him is the fair offspring of his love to us. Cold admiration, when studying the works of God, anyone may have, but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God's Spirit. How great the wonder that such as we should ever have been brought to love Jesus at all! How marvellous that when we had rebelled against him, he should, by a display of such amazing love, seek to draw us back. No! never should we have had a grain of love towards God unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of his love to us. Love, then, has for its parent the love of God shed abroad in the heart: but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely nourished. Love is an exotic; it is not a plant which will flourish naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love to Jesus is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it received no nourishment but that which could be drawn from the rock of our hearts it would soon wither. As love comes from heaven, so it must feed on heavenly bread. It cannot exist in the wilderness unless it be fed by manna from on high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God is his love to us.
"I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,
For I have none to give;
I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,
For by thy love I live.
I am as nothing, and rejoice to be
Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee."

So what does it mean - One message?

I've listened to ten of the twelve Minor Prophets and I have read some Bible studies about them . Thinking about what all these prophets have said; it sounds to me that there is one message that is delivered not only in the time when the prophets spoke but also to us in our time:

 God will deliver justice. He is Almighty God and he reigns. He is patient and slow to anger, but there will be an end to it and he will judge sin and wickedness once and for all. He used foreign empires   to break the arrogance of his own people; their mixed worship of both God and wood and stone. They worshipped God  with their mouth but their hearts  were somewhere else.  You don’t fool God. Ever.

A humble heart, a repentant heart, a clean heart God was willing to show mercy. God’s own people had suffered for a very long time and God had told them what was wrong; idolatry, evilness, sin in any and every form but he spoke for deaf ears and so sin harvested death and destruction. 

But  those who had oppressed his people would also come to an end. Nineveh’s repentance when Jonah warned her wasn’t long-lived and finally God’s call was:  Nineveh  you’re finished!

But for Israel a time would come when the yoke of slavery would be broken  and they could return to their own land, restore the Temple and bring a wholehearted offer to God without double minded worship.

I’,m off to Zechariah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Sincerely your’s Ida

Zephaniah 3

¹² But inside your city I will leave
      those who are not proud at all.
      They trust in me.
 ¹³ Those who are still left alive in Israel
      will not do anything wrong.
   They will not tell any lies.
      They will not say anything to fool others.
   They will eat and lie down in peace.
      And no one will make them afraid."
 ¹⁴ People of Zion, sing!
      Israel, shout loudly!
   People of Jerusalem, be glad!
      Let your hearts be full of joy.
 ¹⁵ The Lord has stopped punishing you.
      He has made your enemies turn away from you.
   The Lord is the King of Israel.
      He is with you.
   You will never again be afraid
      that others will harm you.
 ¹⁶ The time is coming when people will say to Jerusalem,
      "Zion, don't be afraid.
      Don't give up.
 ¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you.
      He is mighty enough to save you.
   He will take great delight in you.
      The quietness of his love will calm you down.
      He will sing with joy because of you."
 ¹⁸ The Lord says to his people,
   "You used to celebrate my appointed feasts in Jerusalem.
      You are sad because you can't do that anymore.
      So others make fun of those feasts.
   That was a heavy load for you to carry.
      But I will bring you back to your city.
 ¹⁹ At that time I will punish
      all those who crushed you.
   I will save those among you who are disabled.
      I will gather those who have been scattered.
   I will give you praise and honor
      in every land where you were put to shame.
 ²⁰ At that time I will gather you together.
      And I will bring you home.
   I will give you honor and praise
      among all of the nations on earth.
   I will bless you with great success again,"
   says the Lord.

New Internationa Reader’s version.

Ten prophets - One message.

Hosea	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Joel	1 2 3
Amos	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Obadiah	1
Jonah	1 2 3 4
Micah	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Nahum	1 2 3
Habakkuk	1 2 3
Zephaniah	1 2 3
Haggai	1 2