#JESUS told him “Go and do likewise.”

[aspirant1598]

[gg-pedro]

can you hear the music (ch. 3) - joel miller x reader

masterlist

summary: everyone in jackson is trying to distract themselves from something. you teach ellie piano and find yourself trying to help more than one miller settle into their new world.

chapter 3: today, it would be sarah's 34th birthday. but today, tomorrow, and every other day, joel needs you.

warnings: post outbreak!joel, jackson!era, joel x reader, AFAB!reader, platonic!ellie x reader, implied age gap, smoochin', gropin', mentions of death, joel grieves, joel sings, arguing/fighting (kinda), mental health discussions, lewdness, angst, heavy feelings (and there's more where that come from!)

words: 3.4k

a/n: man. can u tell I rewatched episode 1? i’m proud of this one. also, I hope this reaches my fleetwood mac lovers.

-

Joel, while in the middle of hauling a bag of horse feed over his good shoulder (and ‘good’ was being generous), realized he was getting old. This was the tenth revelation of the day, give or take. From when he forced himself out of bed onto aching joints, to when he hadn’t heard Ellie come up behind him in the kitchen, and most notably, to when he realized Sarah’s 34th birthday would’ve been today. 

It didn’t sting anymore. Not after this long, not after 20 years. It didn’t even hurt. 

It just ached. 

He sloughed the feed into the trough, stepping back to catch his breath. He glided his hand over the pretty little mare that he usually took out. She seemed too small to not be a pony, but hey, equine standards had flown out the window 20 years ago along with everything else. 

Tommy knew, too. He never forgot. Maybe that's why he patted Joel on the back at breakfast that morning and told him to go ‘take a ride’. Clear his head. They still had work to do today. The Earth never stopped spinning. Joel thought that by now, it should’ve.

To be fair, the date could’ve been a little off, but the air was that same lukewarm cold and the sun shone blinding in a clear blue sky the same way it did on the day Sarah was born. Winter was melting into a tepid spring in Wyoming, and Joel was still here to fucking see it.

For a second he wondered if his vision was going, too, having to do a double-take when he noticed you leaning against the wooden beam of the stall entrance.

“Jesus,” he mumbled. “Y’ever heard of knocking?”

You rolled your eyes. “Must’ve missed the door.”

“How’d you find me?” He asked, finally turning to really look at you. Irritatingly beautiful.

“Ellie,” you answered. “Said you were going for a joy ride.”

He sighed, coming over to wrap his arms just below the dip of your spine. “Kid couldn’t keep a secret if her fuckin’ life depended on it,” he grumbled, pausing afterwards to give you a slow kiss.

“I like the honesty. She’s got nothing to hide, especially if it has anything to do with you.” You grinned and fell right into his little ploy. 

“Mmh. Lucky me.”

He had you backed against the wooden railing in an instant, his hand creeping up below your shirt and onto the soft skin of your waist. The touch raised goosebumps all over your body. You placed two hands on either side of his neck, gently, enjoying the way he was feeling you up with his lips glued to yours.

“Now? Right here?” You asked once you had the chance to break away from his mouth. “A little risky, Miller. Don’t forget, I’m still your worst kept secret,” you chided.

“No, not right here. And fuck you.” He pulled away until all but one hand was still stroking your side through your shirt.

“Likewise.”

And Joel loved you. Maybe not in the same way he loved Tommy or Ellie or Sarah, but still, he did. He loved your smart mouth, the way you blazed like a fire in bed with him, your natural talent, the way you made it all ache less. 

And you did– make it ache less. That was reason enough. 

He gestured to the horse that was a few feet away, still eating its breakfast. “You wanna join?”

“Can’t say no,” you said. “What’s the occasion? I thought they were strict about leaving for non-essential reasons.”

Joel was looking at you until he wasn’t, his gaze going right through you. He could tell you. He knew he could. You knew about his daughter and you still never brought it up. You’d lost people too, he knew that. He could tell you and you would bring him into your arms and say something like, I’m so sorry, Joel. I’m here. I’m here if you need me. 

He would tell you. But not today.

He shrugged and pressed a kiss into your hairline. “Just another day. I want you to come.”

“Alright, then.” You nodded towards the guitar sitting in the corner of the stall. Dark stained wood around the edges fading into a lighter mahogany. It was beautiful. “Bringing that, too?”

“Yeah, why not. Here, let me help.” He grabbed it and lifted it over your head, situating it so that the body of the guitar was resting against your back. “You ever played?”

You shook your head. “No. Good thing you do.”

He brought the horse out into the open, making sure he still had everything important– a gun in his pocket and a broken watch on his wrist. He helped you up onto the saddle, sitting behind him and flush with his back. 

Outside the walls, It was a beautiful day. The sun had melted away the heavy snow on the peaks of the rolling hills, the first kiss of spring. New life, grass that had started to green. You had your arms wrapped tightly around Joel’s middle, face pressed against the back of his shoulder. The fields seemed boundless. You hadn’t realized just how infinitesimally small your world had grown since being in Jackson. 

“Are there usually infected around here?” You asked. 

“Not really. The valley helps. We’ll stay out in the open, don’t worry, baby.”

You didn’t even have to ask. The little tour he was giving you around the east end of the fields was mostly an effort to case the surrounding area, his senses on high alert for anything dangerous. The truth was, this place was secure. Still, Joel would move mountains to keep you safe. Would do anything. He’d made mistakes in the past that he wouldn’t let happen again. Couldn’t.

After a loop around the outer wall, riding with a mixture of the horse's friendly canter and Joel intentionally speeding her up to scare the shit out of you and make you hold on tighter to him, he settled on a plateau at the top of a hill, a few steps away from the thick evergreen forest.

After helping you off the mare and spreading out the woven blanket he had rolled up on the back of the saddle, Joel sat down with a heavy sigh. You tied the lead to a low tree branch where the horse seemed content to roam. After, you pulled the guitar over your head and handed it to him.

It was still early in the day, and the sun was barely cresting over the hilltops from this view. 10:42 AM. That’s when his daughter was born. He looked down at the broken face of his watch out of habit, even though the thing had been broken for years at this point. 

You dropped down next to him and your head immediately connected with his shoulder. Looking over at him, his eyes were far away and glassy. “What’re you thinking about?”

Joel shook his head and pressed a slow kiss into your forehead. “Nothin’. Just wondering what I should play.” He brought the guitar into his lap and strummed it a little, pausing to tune the top string down half a step. “Feel like I gotta impress you.”

You huffed a laugh and shook your head. “You don’t have to. Who’d you used to listen to?”

“Oh, Jesus…” he had sort of let go of the fond memories he had of old music. With you, though, he was starting to miss it. “Some Zeppelin, some Billy Joel, Pearl Jam… Nirvana was just gettin’ good, too. Lots of Chet Atkins when I was younger.”

You just smiled, moving your hand to stroke his knee. “None of that surprises me.”

“You like Fleetwood Mac?” he asked after a while. “Stevie Nicks, always one of my favorites. My daughter’s, too.”

Your heart hurt a little at that. Joel had never brought up the daughter he’d lost with you. You kissed his shoulder as he started picking the strings to the tune of Landslide, that gentle back and forth that you hadn’t heard in more than 20 years. 

“That's a good one, baby.”

You still remembered the lyrics. He did, too. 

I took my love, I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills,

‘Til the landslide brought me down

Joel’s playing wasn’t perfect. He’d picked the guitar up again a few times in the last couple weeks, but before that, it had been a lifetime ago. On that radio station in Austin, The Best Of The ‘70’s, this one would come on all the time. Sarah would grin and sing her best rendition, as loudly as possible, always egging Joel on to join in too. Sometimes he would, but not always. He regretted that. 

He thought your voice was beautiful. Clear and bright. His voice was probably an octave below yours, gravelly and out of practice. The two of you mixed together like honey into whiskey. 

Oh, mirror in the sky,

What is love?

Can the child in my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

He would’ve liked to scoff at that. There's nothing to do but handle it. Push forward and deal. He didn’t die on September 26th, 2003, despite his best efforts and no matter how much he wanted to. He was here with you. Singing with you, laughing through the verses, watching the sun light up your eyes. And for that? A part of him had to consider himself a lucky son of a bitch.

He couldn’t stop himself from wanting to make a life with you. The extent to which he could see that to fruition, he wasn’t sure. Everything was uncertain. He didn’t even deserve it. Nothing he had done over the past 20 years was worthy of you. But fuck, he could be good. If he tried, maybe, he could be good for you. And trying? It’d be worth it. 

Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’

‘Cause I’ve built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I’m getting older, too

Joel had to stop singing. Tears were swelling in his dark brown eyes and one wrong move would break the entire dam of emotions. He kept playing, though, into the second chorus, happy to listen to you.

Well, I’ve been afraid of–

“Joel?”

You turned away from the landscape to look at his face. Tears were streaking his cheeks, his eyes staring straight ahead of him. You didn’t say anything– you took the guitar out of his arms and brought him into yours instead. You rubbed slow circles into his flannel-clad back, holding him tight as his shoulders sagged and shuddered with every shaky inhalation. 

“I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry," he managed to say.

“It’s okay, Joel. You’re okay. It’s just me, you know I don’t mind. I got you, come on, just get it out.”

You had your own guesses as to what was getting to him so bad. You told yourself a long time ago that you wouldn’t pry. He wouldn’t tell you like that, anyway. He had to do it himself. 

After a few pregnant moments passed with the two of you like that, his breathing finally evened out enough for him to speak clearly. He pulled away from you, taking your face into his hands so you couldn’t look away. His eyes were reddened and puffy, his cheeks wet.

“I ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to you. D’you understand that? Nothin’. I’m gonna take care of you. Keep you safe. Keep you happy.” He tucked your hair behind your ears before gliding his thumbs over the skin just below your eye. “I will. You just gotta let me.”

You gently pried his hands away from your face, taking them into your own and pressing a kiss into his knuckles. “Okay, baby. I’ll let you. I’ll let you,” you repeated. “I’m safe with you, I know.”

He pulled you in suddenly, practically squeezing all of the air out of your lungs with the grip he had on you. “I promise you. I promise.”

He promised you, and you believed him. 

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills,

Well, the landslide bring it down

Oh, the landslide bring it down

-

At your lesson with Ellie, she seemed more motivated than you did. Sooner or later, she was going to exhaust the entire Star Wars: A Beginner’s Score sheet music book that you had found a few years back. 

After successfully sight reading the first few bars of The Imperial March and promptly declaring that she had had enough ‘piano-ing’ for the day, Ellie gave you a look.

You furrowed your brows. “What?”

“Nothin’,” she said flippantly, looking away from you. “Just– are you and Joel, like, together?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Ellie turned, looking exasperated. “Pft. You know exactly what I mean.”

You rolled your eyes and jokingly shoved her away from you by the forehead. “We’re getting married next week, actually,” you said, laughing. “Mhm, we’re running away with each other. Gonna buy a big white house with a big picket fence down south– you know, to keep you out.”

“Oh, fuck you, dude.” She giggled too, punching your shoulder in return hard enough to push you down the piano bench. “I have a right to know! And besides, I don’t have anyone to tell. I can keep a secret.”

“I disagree, but– if you memorize your F# minor scale by Tuesday, I’ll tell you all about it. Has to be perfect, though,” you qualified.

“Fine,” she said with stubborn resolve. “And… there's one more thing.” Her eyes cast downwards and her shoulders drooped a little as she gave a long exhale.

“What is it?”

She looked back up at you through her dark lashes. “Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda?”

“The– the who?”

With a completely straight face, she said, “Yeah. He’s lucky it was a soft drink.”

Ellie’s laughter could barely be heard over your exaggerated groaning. You had your head dropped into your hands and Ellie in tears when Joel walked in through the front door.

Ellie, sighing and wiping her eyes, said: “I told her the ol’ soda-can-to-the-head one. Pretty good, right?”

“Jesus…” you heard Joel mutter.

Shiny-eyed and smiling, you pointed to the door. “Out of my house. Both of you. And don’t bother coming back.”

Ellie grabbed her coat and was out the door before Joel could even open his mouth. “See you Tuesday!”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

-

Later that day, in the hot and unusually busy Tipsy Bison, Joel was too drunk.

It was the perfect conclusion to the most bittersweet day he’d had in a while. Had the morning with you, finished up a roofing project just after dinner, and against his better judgment, asked if you wanted drinks. You arrived as a pair, undoubtedly eliciting new whisperings from your fellow Jackson residents, but Joel was starting not to care.

You’d mentioned going out together in passing to him after he had told you about the bar scene when he was younger, commenting on how you wished you’d gotten to experience that. And yeah, maybe this felt more like playing pretend to him than anything, but he wanted to give you good days. Good memories. A real life, where you could experience things with him and not have to worry about how long the happiness would last.

Tonight, it backfired. A year ago today, he would’ve been mixing whiskey and oxycodone to forget it was Sarah’s birthday. But now, he was too drunk with Tommy, and you were watching all of it, and he wished he still had a handful of pills to knock him out. 

“She your girlfriend now, brother?” Tommy slurred, clapping him on the shoulder. 

Joel grabbed you roughly by the waist from his seat at the bar, tucking you in close to him. “Yeah, she’s my girl,” he cooed. “Ain’t that right, pretty baby?”

Tommy chuckled, slamming his glass down onto the counter. “Same way Tessa was your girl? Or different this time?”

Joel wanted to be sick. “The fuck’s wrong with you, asshole?”

You, a little tipsy yourself by this point, smoothed a hand over Joel’s curls in an effort to de-escalate this conversation. “Joel, hey. He’s your brother. Don’t start a fight.”

Tommy shook his head and patted you on the arm. “It’s okay, baby, let him speak.”

Drunkenly, Joel stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at his brother. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be saddled with all this shit,” he started. “Always chasin’ your sorry ass. Halfway across the fuckin’ country this time. If it weren’t for you, Tess’d be here.”

This was an old argument, but they were drunk, and it seemed like the perfect time to rehash it. 

Tommy stood up to meet his eyes. “Oh yeah? Really? If it weren’t for me, Joel, you’da had a bullet in your head by now. Oh, y’haven't told her? Your girl? Go on, tell her. Tell her all about Sarah. Happy fuckin’ birthday to her.”

“Keep her name out your motherfuckin’ mouth, you– bastard–”

You had your arm interlinked with Joel’s, but he flung you off of him in an instant. He swung at Tommy, but his aim was a little diluted from the gin and Tommy ducked anyway. He only got one attempt in before five different people were pulling them away from each other to opposite ends of the bar.

You followed Joel, thanking the two men who were restraining him as he shouted strings of profanities and nobody, assuring them that you could take it from here. 

“Joel, you gotta calm down. Hey. Hey, Miller, I’m fucking talking to you.” You grabbed his face in your hands and forced him to look at you. “Take a breath. Just take a breath.”

He did as he was told, but his eyes were still darting rapidly around the room. “Tommy…” he breathed out. “Fuck. I didn’t mean to, I swear. Did I hurt him? I hurt him, didn’t I?”

“No, baby. You– uh, you missed.”

“Ah,  fuck.”

Maybe narcotics wouldn’t have fixed this, either.

Joel let you drag him back to your place without putting up much of a fight. Sarah. She would’ve been ashamed of him. There was a mounting list of things that Sarah would’ve hated him for, and this was just the icing on the cake.

Back on your couch, lying on his back, he wanted today to be over. 

“I was s’pposed to be doin’ good for you,” he said quietly. “Bein’ better for you.”

“What are you talking about?” You asked, your voice straining with the force it took to tug off his left boot.

“I’m no good for you.”

“Joel–”

“I ain’t, babydoll. I ain’t. Not for you, not for Ellie, not for Tommy, not for Tessa, and not for Sarah,” he mumbled. “It’s her birthday.”

“I know.”

“I miss her,” he swallowed. “Real bad.”

“I know, Joel.”

There was a lump in his throat and a tightness in his chest. Landslide was still stuck in his head.

… saw my reflection… snow covered hills …

He shut his eyes. “Is Ellie alright?”

“Mhm. She’s asleep down the street,” you said, tracing lazy shapes into his stomach.

“She’s a good kid,” he mumbled. “Tough kid.”

“She is,” you agreed. “She relies on you– cares about you. Lots of people care about you.”

… time makes y’bolder, children get… older …

Joel hummed in response. “I still need you.”

… I’m gettin’ older, too … 

You bit your lip. You should really get back up, make sure Joel had a glass of water and painkillers near him for when he woke up. Maybe even a bowl from the kitchen. But your body felt like it was being weighed down by lead, and the infrequency at which you actually drank alcohol was making you unfathomably tired.

You laid down on top of him, head pressed against his chest. His breathing was slow and even and his heart rate was calm. 

“I need you, too.”

-

[artandthebible]

The Good Samaritan

Artist: John Runciman (Scottish, 1744-1768)

Date: Mid 1760s

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Good Samaritan

The story is told in Luke 10:29–37: A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

Lucas 10:29-37, New International Version

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

[atwas-gaming]

From Archie Sonic #39

"But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went." Matthew 21:28-29

In Sonic's case, he was told NOT to do something, and he did NOT do it, even though he complained about it. And there was a whole story arc about it, but the bottom line is, Sally told Sonic not to go to Robotropolis, so he did not go, at least not voluntarily. But it still illustrates the attitude outlined in the verses above.

From Sonic Quest Mini-Series #1

"And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not." Matthew 28:30

Political affiliations aside, I can't think of a better cast of characters that illustrates this parable than these two. Better to have someone that does what they're told, even if their heart isn't fully in it, than someone who grovels at your feet, then does the exact opposite of what they were told.

And Jesus even agrees with this:

"Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Matthew 21:31

[scribeforchrist-blog]

The Simple Thing

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Galatians 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM NEEDING THE SIMPLE THING

I AM NEEDING JESUS

I AM STRONG

I AM PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING

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READ TIME: 7 Minutes & 10 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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  The simplest thing in the world is knowing Christ. I thought it was hard, and I thought anyone with a relationship with him was the most fantastic person because they could have this relationship I couldn't have. Still, as I grew in my walk with him, I realized the problem was that I was putting too much thought into it and not enough effort; a lot of us want a relationship with God, but we aren’t looking at what we are doing and how much time we put in it.

  Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful

  From the moment I gave my life to Christ, and he gave me peace, I always wanted everyone else to know: how great he is, who he is, and how he makes me feel. I told God if you gave me the opportunity, I want to teach the world about you, and he has given me that opportunity. We don’t understand how great God can be to us until we slowly see and feel what he does for us, and he does a lot.

  Peter said this to Jesus one day (Luke 5:8). When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

He knew he was a sinner, but he didn’t wanted Jesus to be next to him, but Jesus still wanted that relationship with him, and that is the thing about us: do we want a relationship with him? Do we understand what it takes to have one with him? It's not that much, but it’s the way we do it when we do it.

   Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

   The first step into having a relationship with Christ is prayer; it’s the most powerful thing we can do, and the most direct thing we can do is praying; it’s like having a conversation with God about your day; it’s telling him how grateful you are and how important he is to you, a lot of us don’t understand how prayer can change our lives when we do it ,a lot of us take prayer as a thing that we must do. Still, we must do it and stay spiritually hydrated, but we must do it because it connects us with him to know his will. We can't have a life without it.

 Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

   Another way to have this relationship with God is to worship. Many people don’t like to worship, but to enter his courts, we must enter with praise. When I come home in the evening, I immediately turn on worship music and praise and worship him until I am too tired. I pray to him for an hour because I sincerely want to connect with him on a deeper level, and I want to communicate with him because he's the only one who knows what I need and how to help me solve every issue. No not everyone can pray for an hour , but that’s how long I pray we all are different it’s about the heart what can you give him, where is the position of your heart , if you pray for 5 ,10,20 minutes it doesn’t matter all that matters is that you pray from a contrite heart.

 Joel 2:12 Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

    Fasting is the last point we will look at today. Fasting is the ultimate way to connect with God and allow yourself to submit to him. Fasting creates a connection between you and God that’s so powerful because you are submitting to him your ways; you are sacrificing food to have a relationship with God. Nowadays, people don’t want to give up food for anything, but giving up our meals to draw closer to God is the most important thing we can ever do.

  The lord one day showed me how important prayer and fasting are; he showed me a fire around anyone who fasted and prayed; when we do those things, it’s a ring of fire that creates a barrier of protection

from Satan .No spirit ,no witch , and no curse can attach itself to us while we are praying in our heavenly language and fasting UNLESS GOD WILLS IT . Fasting & Praying is a big deal because we are saying nothing is essential , but spending time with Him.

 *** Today, we learned that the simplest thing we can do is create a relationship with him, praise him, fast, and pray; all these things can cause us to draw closer to him. We might think that we are doing the smallest things. Still, no, my friends, we are moving mountains and creating such a strong bond with God when we do this because people constantly look at the time, how much time they have, or when the next second, but when we pray, we are saying I don’t care about the time I care about establishing a relationship with Jesus. I don’t care what’s happening; I care about establishing with Jesus.

  John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 The Bible tells us he’s the way, truth, and life, everything we need to know. He can tell us, and we don’t have to worry about it being wrong because he knows how we should go and what we supposed to be doing? I can be concerned about my life; he’ll guide me through anything because he’s my shepherd, and I can trust him. Do you trust him? Do you want a relationship with him? If you pray, read your word, praise him, and fast, you’ll have a strong connection with him. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for everything; we ask you to be with us and guide us through everything. Lord, forgive us if we have done anything that’s not of you. Father, help us establish a strong relationship with you daily. Lord, give us mercy and grace, lord. We love you so much and praise you for all you do. Lord, help us to be more like you; we give ourselves to you right now, Father, because we want more of you. Help us to apply this devotion to our lives in Jesus' name. Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

+ Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

 

+ Psalm 29:11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

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FURTHER READINGS

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 Proverbs 13

Genesis 29

2 Kings 11

Nehemiah 13

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[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Seek God's Blessing as You Parent

by J.C. Ryle

Lastly, train them with continual prayer for a blessing on all you do. Without the blessing of the Lord, your best efforts will do no good. He has the hearts of all men in His hands, and unless He touches the hearts of your children by His Spirit, you will wear yourself out for nothing. Therefore, water the seed you sow in their minds with unceasing prayer. The Lord is far more willing to hear than we are to pray; far more ready to give blessings than we are to ask them—and, oh, how He loves to be petitioned for our children. And I set this matter of prayer before you, as the capstone and seal of all you do. I believe the child of many prayers is seldom cast away.

Look upon your children as Jacob did on his; he tells Esau they are "the children God has graciously given your servant." [Genesis 33:5] Look on them as Joseph did on his; he told his father, "They are the sons God has given me here," [Genesis 48:9] Count them with the Psalmist to be "a heritage from the LORD. . . .a reward from Him." [Psalm 127:3] And then ask the Lord, with a holy boldness, to be gracious and merciful to His own gifts. Note how Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, because he loved him, "And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" [Genesis 17:18] See how Manoah speaks to the angel about Samson, saying, "what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" [Judges 13:12] Observe how tenderly Job cared for his children's souls, "He would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job's regular custom." [Job 1:5] Parents, if you love your children, go and do likewise. You cannot name their names before the mercy-seat too often.

And now, friends, in conclusion, let me once more press on you the necessity and importance of using every single means in your power, if you would train children for heaven.

I well know that God is a sovereign God, and does everything according to the counsel of His own will. I know that Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, and Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, and that you do not always see godly parents having a godly offspring. But I also know that God is a God who works by means, and I am sure, that if you ignore the suggestions I have mentioned, then your children are not likely to turn out well.

Fathers and mothers, you may have your children baptized, and have them enrolled as members of the Church—you may send them to the best of schools, and give them Bibles, and fill them with head knowledge but if all this time there is no regular training at home, I tell you plainly, I fear it will go hard in the end with your children's souls. Home is the place where habits are formed—home is the place where the foundations of character are laid—home gives the bias to our tastes and opinions. Be sure, I beg you, that there is careful training at home.

Fathers and mothers, I charge you solemnly before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, make every effort to train your children in the way they should go. I charge you not merely for the sake of your children's souls; I charge you for the sake of your own future comfort and peace. Truly it is your best interest to do so. Truly your own happiness in great measure depends on it. Children have always been the bow from which the sharpest arrows have pierced man's heart. Children have mixed the bitterest cups that man has ever had to drink. Children have caused the saddest tears that man has ever had to shed. Adam could tell you so; Jacob could tell you so; David could tell you so. There are no sorrows on earth like those which children have brought upon their parents. Oh! be careful, lest by your own neglect you should store up misery for yourself in your old age. Be careful, lest you weep under the ill-treatment of a thankless child, in the days when your eyes are weak, and your body is dying.

If you ever wish that your children would be the restorers of your life, and the nourishers of your old age—if you want them to have blessings and not curses—joys and not sorrows: if this is your wish, then remember my advice, train them while they are young, and in the right way.

And as for me, I will conclude by saying a prayer to God for all who listen to this sermon, that you may all be taught of God to feel the value of your own souls. This is one reason why baptism often is a mere form, and Christian training despised and disregarded. Too often parents are not concerned about themselves, and therefore they are not concerned about their children. They do not realize the tremendous difference between man’s natural state and the state of grace, and therefore they are content to leave their children alone.

Now may the Lord teach everyone of you, that sin is that abominable thing which God hates. Then, I know you will mourn over the sins of your children, and strive to get them off of the road to hell.

May the Lord teach everyone of you how precious Christ is, and what a mighty and complete work He has done for our salvation. Then, I feel confident you will use every means possible to bring your children to Jesus, that they may live through Him.

May the Lord teach everyone of you your need of the Holy Spirit, to renew, sanctify, and quicken your souls. Then, I feel sure that you will urge your children to pray without ceasing, and never rest till the Holy Spirit has come down into their hearts with power, and made them new creatures.

May the Lord grant this, and then will I have a good hope that you will indeed train your children well—train well for this life, and train well for the life to come; train well for earth, and train well for heaven; train them for God, train them for Christ, and train them for eternity. Amen.

[shimmerwindow]

I Never Really

Part Four

Warnings: heavy alcohol use, marijuana use, mentions of throwing up (no graphic descriptions)

Word count: 4.5k

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He pointed the house out to you, halfway down the block. It was small, with yellow siding and brown shingles. There was a porch adorned with white plastic chairs, and a hammock hanging from two support beams. An arm hung out the side of the hammock, the person inside slowly rocking themselves back and forth by pushing off the railing below them.

“Where is everybody?”

“People always show up late. I figured we could show up before most of the crowd gets here so you could meet the guys before they get too drunk.”

That was a blessing and a curse. You wouldn’t have to spend as much time making awkward conversation with strangers, but now you wouldn’t be able to avoid meeting his brothers. You feared you were getting in too deep too quickly. Together, the two of you walked up the concrete path to the house.

“Heyo,” he called in a low-pitched voice.

There was a rustling from the hammock, and a man emerged. “Hey, little guy!” He shouted, bounding across the porch to wrap an arm around Sam’s shoulder, to which Sam shot you an embarrassed look. “Jesus, haven't seen you in a week, Sammy. Did you get taller?” He rubbed his hand over Sam’s arm.

“Get offa me.” Sam laughed and brushed the man’s arm off his shoulder. “This is Josh. Older brother, if you couldn’t tell.” He introduced you, and you held your hand out for a handshake.

Josh gripped your hand with both of his, holding it at eye level, saying your name back to you in a dreamy voice. “So nice to meet you, love.”

“Likewise,” you smiled back.

Josh had an air about him that you couldn’t quite put your finger on, and it wasn’t just the odor of weed hanging off of him. He had a mop of brunette curls that just barely dusted the base of his neck, and bangs that bounced with every move he made. His eyes were the same color as Sam’s, a gorgeous golden brown that shone in the sunlight. It was clear he and Sam were related when you looked at his features, though Josh was several inches shorter, only slightly taller than you.

“Is that Samuel?” A voice came from behind the screen door to the house.

“Is that Daniel?” Sam called back.

Josh let go of your hand as you turned to face the guy coming through the door. He smacked his fingers against the top of the door frame as he walked through, glancing between Josh, Sam, and yourself with a grin.

“Who’s this?” He motioned at you.

Sam told him your name, raising his arm like he was going to put it around your shoulder, but awkwardly setting it back down by his side. Thank god he didn't do that. “She’s a friend, from class. Met her on the roof. Bummed a ciggy off her.”

You let out a small laugh and smiled, recalling the memory fondly.

“I’m Danny,” he introduced himself, shaking your hand with a firm grip. His hands were heavily calloused and rough, but warm. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

You shot a glance at Sam, who was giving him a pained look.

Danny laughed, waving a hand at Sam. “Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with him. I haven’t heard a thing about you. You look nice, though. I like that necklace.” He motioned a finger at your neck, where you wore a beaded necklace you’d made with a friend many years ago.

“Oh! Thank you!” You touched a hand to the beads. “I like your hair.”

Danny was tall, with long, gorgeous curls that were even longer than your own hair. It was pulled back into a half-up ponytail, the other half swept forward over his shoulders.

“Thanks,” he said, toying with a piece of his hair. “Grew it myself.”

You giggled a bit, fidgeting with your necklace. You’d been rather worried these guys would be unbearable, but they seemed like a wonderful group. But didn’t Sam say there were three of them?

Right on cue, you heard footfalls crunching on the leaves behind you, and a call of “aha!” in a low voice.

“That’s Jake,” Sam said to you.

Jake came around the corner and up onto the deck, a bottle of tequila in his hand. “Who’re you?” He asked, gesturing to you with the bottle.

Sam rolled his eyes and introduced you. “I told you I was bringing someone, man.”

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you.” Jake shook your hand, his fingers warm, and calloused, but gentle.

Jake looked remarkably similar to Josh, but with long, straight hair swept back from his face.

“So, you guys are…” you gestured between Sam, Jake, and Josh.

“Brothers,” Sam finished.

“I’m the oldest,” Josh said, pushing an arm against his brothers with a smile.

“By five minutes. He lets it go to his head." Jake held up a finger.

“They’re the twins. I’m just the little brother,” Sam said.

“Twins, huh.” You studied their faces, noticing they really did look identical.

The leaves in the yard rustled together loudly as a chilling wind whipped across the five of you. “Jesus, it’s cold out here.” You pulled your fingers into the sleeves of your sweater.

Jake held open the screen door to the house, gesturing everyone inside. “Shall we?”

The group filed inside, and everyone went about their business. The house was impressively clean for a place owned by three young guys, you thought to yourself. Immaculately decorated, too – like something straight out of the 70’s, but tasteful. The furniture looked vintage, but restored. Plants stood in every corner the light could reach, and a pothos was strung against the wall, circling the entire living room and disappearing into an adjacent room.

The place had a wonderful vibe. It felt cozy, but spacious, and the fireplace against the wall added perfectly to the overall feeling of warmth in the room. You took a seat on the couch, running your hands absently over the orange fabric. Sam sat near you, in a plush yellow recliner.

“Should we help them with anything?” You asked, glancing over your shoulder as the guys milled about the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. Josh was carrying a gigantic charcuterie board, Jake was putting together a drink station, and Danny walked past with a bag of charcoal over his shoulder.

“Nah.” Sam pulled out his phone, scrolling absently through something. “We’ll just get in the way.”

“So…do they, like, go to the school here? I’ve never seen any of them before, I don't think.”

“Nope. They just followed me down here.” He motioned to a guitar leaning against the stones jutting out from the fireplace. “They’re trying to get a little band off the ground. Did I not tell you any of this?”

“I guess we haven’t had many chances to talk.”

“Maybe if you didn’t sit at the back of the class every morning, we’d have a few more chances.” He looked up from his phone at you, narrowing his eyes with a smile.

Embarrassment crawled up the base of your neck. So he did know you had been avoiding him. “Well, maybe if you didn’t distract me the entire class, I could sit next to you.”

He raised his arms and made a face of mock confusion. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“You gnawed the shit out of the pen I gave you the first day you sat next to me, first of all.”

He laughed at that, running a hand over his face. “Sorry about that. I kinda forgot it was yours.”

“Whatever.”

“Anyway!” He leaned towards you. “They’re trying to make me their bass player. I’m just trying to get this whole education thing done first, though.”

“You can play bass?”

He nodded. “Been playing for a bit now. I’m alright at it, I guess.”

“That's pretty sick.”

“I’d play you something, but Jake would end me if I touched his guitar.”

As if he'd heard Sam, Jake entered the room and picked up the guitar by the neck.

“That’s yours?” You asked.

Jake nodded. “Yes, she’s mine. Love her.” He disappeared behind you and you heard the stairs creak as he headed out of sight.

Over the next half hour, one by one, people started to file in through the door. Sam didn’t leave your side other than to stand up and give the occasional hug or handshake, and to grab a few beers, and in many ways you were grateful for that. The living room filled up quickly, your spot on the couch becoming uncomfortably close to some guy you’d never seen before. But Sam kept you entertained, keeping a conversation going between the two of you even as you grew increasingly more restless on the couch.

Jake came into the room at some point, sitting on the mantle of the fireplace and easily drifting into the conversation. You found your eyes drawn to him, he had something of a magnetic presence that couldn’t be ignored. You could just barely make out the outline of his eyes behind the sunglasses he wore, and how they caught your eye on more than one occasion.

You were being pulled by two potent forces, your attention divided between both Jake and Sam. Jake had barely said a word to you, yet his body language stayed pointed towards you, his head always coming back to rest in your direction. It was borderline overwhelming.

“You look like you need a drink.” Sam cocked his head at you, snapping you out of your reverie.

“Oh, that’s alright. I’m not really a huge drinker.”

“I insist. Trust me. It’ll make all this…” he made a sweeping motion across the room. “A whole lot more enjoyable.”

One drink couldn’t hurt, you figured. “You’ve got a point.”

“Follow me.” He headed over into the kitchen and you followed close behind, dodging glances from the strangers in the room.

He mixed you something from a few bottles you couldn’t identify on label alone, handing the finished drink over to you with a flourish. “Your beverage, missus eclipse.”

His little nickname for you was so endearing you couldn't help but smile at it.

“Tell me what you think.” He looked at you eagerly as you brought the cup to your lips and took a sip.

Your face scrunched up at the taste – it tasted like pure liquor to your alcohol-abstinent tastebuds, but it was drinkable. “That sure is…a drink,” you rasped.

“Is it nasty? I can make another one!” His hands were already grabbing for a bottle and unscrewing the cap.

“No, it’s okay. Just strong.”

“We’re in college, the drinks are supposed to be strong.” He gave you a smile.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Hey, I just realized I never showed you, like, anything. You want a tour of the house?" He glanced through the arched opening into the living room. "It's getting a bit crowded in there."

“Sure.”

As you absently sipped at your drink, he walked you through the house, pointing out little pieces you would have never noticed on your own. The piano in the corner of the sitting room seemed like a point of personal pride for him – “I saved up for so long to buy this thing,” he told you. There were framed vinyls with art you didn’t recognize decorating many of the walls, some of them still in their plastic wrap. Rare relics, you figured. There were little touches of each of the guys throughout the house, small pieces that made you think of them.

He took you upstairs, pointing at the doors to each of the guy's rooms. They each had a small wreath of dried flowers pinned to the outsides.

“Did you guys make these?” You asked, inspecting one made of white roses. The stems had been immaculately bent and twisted together. You didn’t even know you could weave flowers together that way.

“Josh made them for everyone. That one’s his. He got really into the symbology of flowers for a bit and gave all of us a big bouquet of flowers he thought were ‘us’.”

“That’s so cute,” you smiled. Josh seemed like an incredibly thoughtful guy.

“This one’s mine.” He walked to the door at the end of the hallway. His was made of several different flowers you couldn’t name, but mostly sunflowers, their petals curled in on the centers. “I think it’s kinda ugly, but it's the thought that counts.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” You examined it closer, impressed with Josh’s craftsmanship.

A feeling of calm you hadn't felt in a while rushed into your head at the same moment he opened the door to his room – the alcohol was kicking in.

His room was decorated in a way you could only describe as maximalist. On every wall hung a poster or framed vinyl, shadow boxes with concert tickets and wristbands, and a corkboard by his bed full of polaroids and photos. There was a bass leaned up against his dresser, and an older-looking one hung on the wall. Despite the clutter of decor, his room was impeccably neat, left pristine while he was in the dorms.

“Here’s my place.” He made a grand sweeping motion towards the room.

“Why live in the dorms if you have a room here?” You asked, your eyes scanning over the walls.

“Easier commute. And easier to make friends, not that I do that very often. Plus I wanted the true college experience.”

“If I had a room like this, you could never get me to leave it.” You ran your fingers over the comforter on his bed. It looked incredibly cozy, a pattern of dark autumn colors.

“Really?” He looked at you, surprised. “I feel like it’s kinda…messy.”

“Not messy. Just cluttered. In a good way.”

You went around the room, pointing out little things that caught your eye and asking about them. He happily explained – that’s a rare vinyl, those are tickets from a show last year, that’s a poster of this movie I love. You listened to every word intently, taking it all in, just purely enjoying the sound of his voice and the many stories he had to tell. He was midway through a sentence when a shout came from the stairwell.

"Sammy boy!” It was Jake’s voice that echoed down the hallway. “You up there?”

Sam shot you a look, rolling his eyes with a grin and heading over to the top of the stairs.

“You fuckin’ up there or something?” Jake shouted. “Get down here and share a drink with me!” He sounded audibly drunk.

“Jesus, Jake, I was just giving her a tour. Have some couth!”

You were a bit embarrassed by the accusation, but laughed at it nonetheless, the alcohol dulling your sense of shame.

“My apologies, fair lady, I didn’t know you were up there!” Jake called when he saw you appear at the top of the steps.

The two of you joined Jake downstairs in the kitchen, where he poured each of you a shot of something – he wouldn't show you the bottle, and you weren't entirely sure you wanted to know what it was.

“It’s the finest in the land,” Jake assured you, in a boisterous British accent. He toasted you and Sam, “to new friends,” and you downed the shots.

“Sam!” You heard Danny’s voice from the back door, just as you were reaching for the sink tap to give yourself something to wash down that awful shot. “Come check this out.”

Sam looked between you and Jake for a moment, considering.

“I’ll be back,” he told you, setting his shot glass on the counter and following Danny outside, the two of them looking as happy as young boys about to go throw stones through glass windows.

“So, what’s your deal?” Jake asked, looking you over, his eyes wandering across your body in a way that made you suppress a shiver. “You guys have a class together or something?” He gestured in the direction Sam had gone.

You nodded, swallowing around the bitter taste still stuck in your mouth. “Germanic literature.”

“Sounds hard. Is he any good at it?”

You shrugged. “It’s more boring than anything else. He’s decent enough to have as a project partner.”

“Right.” He peered out the window and you followed his gaze. Sam and Daniel were poking and prodding at the fire with sticks, and it had grown considerably in size since the last time you saw it. “You from around here?”

“Nah, across the country. This was my dream school.”

Jake raised his eyebrows at you. “Dream school? I didn’t know anyone dreamed about education.”

You covered your mouth to stifle a laugh. “I dream of the degree, not the everyday slog.”

“What’re you going for? Writing, I’m guessing?”

You nodded. “How’d you know?”

He dragged his eyes over your body again, but it didn’t creep you out in the way such a gesture normally would. He was genuinely admiring you, not gawking at you like you were a piece of meat – and the difference was crystal clear. “You look like a writer.”

“And what does a writer look like?” Your voice dropped a bit, entering a softer register.

He took a step closer, reaching for the bottles behind you, his hip brushing against yours. “Perfect.”

Your vision narrowed and your pulse quickened, your heart skipping a beat.

“Me?” You figured he must be talking about something else.

“Yes, you,” he scoffed, turning his head ever so slightly to catch your eye. “Look at yourself, girl.”

“It sounds a lot like you’re hitting on me, Jake.” You prayed those words came out sounding more confident than you felt at this moment.

“Would you be mad if I was?” He leaned a hand against the counter, giving you a cocky, self-assured smile that made you feel a bit weak.

Would you be mad? The alcohol had dulled your senses, and switched off the part of your brain that normally turned you into an anxious mess. You liked what was happening here, and you liked it a lot. Attention from men was not something you sought out willingly, typically. But when it was offered, especially from a man like Jake, sometimes you couldn't help but enjoy it.

You looked him over as he stared you down, your eyes drawn to his chest, his shirt held together by only the last few buttons and masterfully parted to show you just enough. Enough to make your mind start working, thinking of what it would feel like to run your hands across his soft, flawless skin, or how the necklaces he wore would hang as he–

As you opened your mouth to reply, the back door swung open suddenly and banged against the wall, the sound causing you to flinch as your head whipped in the direction of the commotion.

Sam’s head poked through the threshold, looking first left, then right, his eyes settling on you and Jake. You didn’t miss the way his smile faltered for a moment when he saw the two of you. He called your name, beckoning you over. “Smokin’ time. You want some?” He pointed a finger at Jake.

“I’m good, thanks.”

Sam disappeared back out the door, and you moved to hurry after him. “I’ll catch you later,” you said over your shoulder, unable to look him in the eye.

Events passed by in a blur the moment the joint hit your system and started to mix with the alcohol. You swayed on your feet, but Sam kept you upright, sitting you down in a chair outside, where you would – to your knowledge – stay planted the majority of the night. Faces came and went, friendships were formulated on the spot with people you’d never seen before. Drinks were shoved into your hands and you readily gulped them down with no regard to how drunk you already were.

“What, I can’t let loose once every two years?” You slurred when Danny, who had sat across the fire from you, said you were looking rather hammered.

“You absolutely can, darling!” Josh, who was in the seat next to you, raised his own glass in agreement.

Josh had taken his own turn captivating your attention for a bit, and it was one of the only moments of the night that was clear enough to register as a memory in your mind. He grabbed both sides of your face, looking you over like a mother looks over their child.

“You are just so gorgeous, sunshine.” He was so close you could smell the liquor on his breath, but you didn't mind. Like his brothers, he was quite easy on the eyes, if not a downright treat to stare at. “Any man would be lucky to have you. If men are your thing, of course.”

You nodded into his hands. “Thank you, Joshy. They are my thing! Well, sometimes. They also suck.”

“Amen, dear!” He exclaimed, releasing his grip on you to take another sip of his drink. “That one, right there, though–” he pointed a finger behind you. You followed his gesture, your eyes locking with Sam’s. “He’s a good one. He doesn’t suck.” He leaned in a bit closer, lowering his tone so you could hear him. “Give him a chance, why don’t you? He needs a girl like you.”

“Josh!” Sam exclaimed; evidently, Josh hadn’t lowered his tone quite enough. “Cut it out, man, I just met the girl.” He gave you a sheepish smile, shaking his head. “He’s always trying to set me up with people, I swear.”

“Josh just wants everyone to get laid more,” Danny laughed from across the fire.

Josh threw his hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Maybe I do! Sue me for wanting more passion in the world!”

You waved a hand at all of them. “I don’t have time for all that stuff anyway.”

“No time for love?” Josh asked, aghast.

“Oh, lord. Don’t say that around him, he’ll start a monologue about love,” Sam joked, poking a finger into your side.

“Maybe I wanna hear it, Sammy,” you poked him back.

“If I have to hear it one more time my head might explode.”

“Maybe you need more love in your life. Or passion, or whatever he said.”

“Maybe I do, but not everyone is so open to it right now.” He narrowed his eyes at you, like he was accusing you of something, but it flew right over your head in your drunken state.

The night devolved back into a colorful blur, punctuated by the occasional long goodbye of a partygoer saying their farewell before stumbling their way back to their dorm or house. You were struck by a kind of unexpected feeling of coziness, sitting with the brothers by the roaring bonfire. You could tell they didn’t expect you to leave, and you didn’t want to. Like they had already absorbed you as a member of their family, a sense of belonging warmed your core even better than the fire could.

Friendship had never been your forte. Gaining and keeping friends was a juggling act you’d never been skilled at pulling off, and you’d written it off for so many years that loneliness was the default most of the time. It didn’t hurt anymore, but the dull ache it left behind was melting away in the presence of these men. Like a switch had been flipped, just like that, you understood why your mother had lectured you about friends so many times. It was for the moments like these.

The vast majority of the party had left, only a few stragglers were still inside the house, searching for their keys or their coats. You and the twins sat in a peaceful silence around the fire while Jake plucked at his guitar – at what point he’d brought it out, you couldn’t quite recall. Sam had passed out in his bed, and Danny had vanished with some girl an hour ago.

You weren’t feeling well, the drinks still catching up with your cross-faded body. “I think I’m gonna go throw up,” you remarked to the twins, nearly falling over as you got up out of your chair. Jake’s playing stopped.

“You need me to hold your hair?” Josh got up alongside you, placing a gentle hand on your lower back as you hurried towards the house.

You waved him away, not trusting yourself to open your mouth right now. The next time your mind was conscious and present, you were on the bathroom floor, your arms hugging the sides of the toilet bowl as you tried to take deep breaths.

There was a soft knock at the door, followed by a voice calling your name. It was Jake. “You okay in there?”

You responded by flushing the toilet a final time, certain there could be nothing left in your stomach. You took your time cleaning yourself up, your gaze lingering on yourself in the mirror. You looked a mess by this point, and you'd gotten vomit on your sweater.

“Not this sweater,” you groaned.

“Got some on yourself?” Jake’s voice came from behind the door again, followed by a chuckle.

“Yeah. Fuck my life.”

“Don’t worry about it. Stay there.” You heard his boots on the hardwood walking away, returning a moment later. “Open up.”

You cracked the door, and he shoved a shirt through the gap. “Put this on.”

You didn’t even think twice about it before gingerly removing your shirt, and slipping on the one he’d given you. It bore the name of what you assumed to be some band – your vision was swimming so much you could barely read it. It felt heavenly, well-worn and a bit too large on you, and it smelled like him. Warm and spicy with a bit of vanilla, it smelled expensive.

You stumbled out of the doorway directly into his arms. He held you with a supporting hand under your biceps, your face mere inches away from his.

“You should probably lay down.”

You looked up at him with glassy eyes, mumbling a soft mhm in response.

“You can take my bed. I don’t want you out on the couch.”

“Thanks, Jakey.”

He guided you up the stairs and into his room, not bothering to turn the lights on as he showed you to the bed.

“Stay on your side,” he warned, holding up a finger. “And please try not to throw up in my bed.”

“I won’t,” you mumbled, pulling his comforter up to your chin, your eyes already slipping shut.

“Stay cozy, angel.” His words rang dully in your head as sleep claimed you quickly, before the light from the open door had even left the room.

[ducktracy]

HI just a quick followup on my last ask: I wholly agree with you!! I think the Bugs and Daffy shorts are good objectively (not my favorites, though, I’m biased towards the 40’s rabbit and duck as well) but I think after the run of Looney Tunes ended Daffy kind of got more and more portrayed as purely Bugs’s foil and still an unrepentant jerk even when not paired up with Bugs. It makes him feel like a Character With One Joke, and you see it all the time in post-Golden Age stuff.

As iconic as TLTS is, it’s a really bad example of this, making Daffy a callous jerk with no regard for anyone else and such a moronic failure that it’s a surprise he had the brains to hatch out of his egg.

And I think you CAN make Daffy a bit of an egocentric jerk and still have him be funny! Birth of a Notion (which PREDATES Rabbit Fire, for those who think his negative traits were birthed from it) is one of my favorite shorts and Daffy is lazy, deceptive, trigger-happy, but is still so chummy and charming that you can’t help but love him. For an even more brutal example, The Ducksters has Daffy be completely callous, but he still manages to be likable enough that you can still feel bad for him when the cartoon ends, because he’s just having so much fun the whole time. MORBID fun, he ABSOLUTELY gets what he deserves at the end, but fun nonetheless!

But when you have decades and decades of content after where Daffy’s only schtick is being ‘the angry and greedy one who always loses’, you lose the magic to his character. His charm. The reason Bugs and Daffy works in the first place, even!

I do not remember where I was going with this. But it’s something!

HONESTLY, the “Daffy as an unrepentant jerk” thing is something the actual golden age cartoons fall victim to! if you REALLY want to depress yourself, i invite you to watch the Speedy and Daffy cartoons. they actually helped me come to turn with Chuck Jones’ Duck and be less bitey towards him—there’s a difference between ego and lack of impulse control and just plain hatred. which, as you mentioned, have been some of his innate characteristics WAY further beyond Rabbit Fire. even some of the earliest Daffy shorts where he’s not all there yet. You Ought to Be in Pictures has been often propped up as a very apt example, but even as far back as 1939 in Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur, he paints a self portrait and says “not bad for a guy that never took a lesson in his life!”—the ego is there from day one! this may seem unremarkable, but that sort of self awareness is a genuinely groundbreaking development next to the Daffy cartoons Clampett was making at the same time, where Daffy genuinely seems to be locked in the throes of insanity and isn’t even half cognizant to his actual reality. and even in THOSE cartoons, he has an ego (he’s a general in Scalp Trouble! he’s a DICTATOR in What Price Porky!)

whereas in the Speedy and Daffy cartoons, you have plot lines that explicitly have characters saying “yeah Daffy hates poor people” (“how many times have i told you not to starve on my property” is a real quote from that short) or stories such as Daffy and Speedy are trapped on a deserted island and Daffy refuses to share any of the food with Speedy who barely asks for anything and has done LITERALLY NOTHING? i think Daffy even says something along the lines of “you can’t even speak English well” or something and it’s just like. jesus

BUT, i bring all that up because i think that is often conflated for what people understand Daffy to be. i do think some of Jones’ cartoons are guilty of Daffy becoming a bit one more—Ali-Baba Bunny is a great cartoon, but does feature a much more transparent “MINE MINE MINE” duck. and i again understand the transparency is half of the joke, but many adaptations take that transparency at face value. likewise, i’ve mentioned it many times before, but the Bugs and Daffy cartoons are written explicitly with Daffy in mind. he is the unequivocal star. in some of them, Bugs is just a means to an end, something to act off of and bounce off of. and as Daffy slowly grows more one dimensional over time, Bugs’ own passiveness doesn’t work as well—there isn’t enough given by Daffy to warrant that sidestepping. there needs to be more support. otherwise, Daffy is boiled down to his barest essentials, and those barest essentials are misconstrued and that’s how you end up with cartoons such as The Iceman Ducketh where Daffy IS HUNTING BUGS WITH A GUN! WITH AN ACTUAL INTENT TO KILL!!!!!! which wasn’t even his intent in the hunting trilogy with all his egging on Elmer. guns aren’t as big of a threat in those cartoons—the damage is temporary and comedic. Iceman Ducketh, Daffy is an actual, considerable threat and just seems like a complete misinterpretation of not only what makes the Bugs and Daffy dynamic click, but Daffy as a character.

I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS VERY MUCH ANON!! i echo the same sentiments. it seems so funny to say this over a cartoon duck who most people remember for funny catchphrases and drawings (as they should, but maybe ties back to what we’re talking about), but he genuinely is such a complex character and one of the most varied, and that i think prompts a lot of nuances to be missed OR misinterpreted. there’s a way to keep his greedy, bitter, egotistical tendencies in line and still have him be likable and charming. His Bitter Half is one of my favorites and a cartoon that i’d wage as one of the funniest Daffy shorts around, and he’s a complete jerk in that one!! the short starts with him acknowledging and saying he’s just marrying a woman for her money!!! who calls a kid “cute like a stomach pump”?? but, likewise, who even THINKS TO SAY “cute like a stomach pump”? that sort of specific little “quirk” is something that is so lacking in his aforementioned appearances of transparency.

HAHA sorry it took me so long to get around to this, but thank you for giving me a chance to blab about the duck some more!

[faeriefully]

If God knows what choices we’ll make and that we’re going to sin, why does He let us be tempted? Why didn’t He help me when I told Him it was beyond me not to sin and begged Him to deliver me?

Anon, it sounds like you need to talk to your pastor, not a random girl on the internet—fellow believer or not. You need someone who knows you, knows the Word, and you can confide in beyond two sentences about the whole situation. That’s part of the means of grace given to you to deliver you from sin. Pray. Dig into the Word. Seek your pastor or elder’s wisdom.

That being said, what I can do is point to scripture—

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 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. 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 ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[albertfinch]

RESPONSIBILITY TO WALK IN HIS AUTHORITY

Genesis 1:26 - "Let Us make man in Our image, to be like Ourselves; let man have dominion…over all the earth."

It has always been the Lord's intent to have a "people" who would have dominion authority on the earth. The word "dominion" (Hebrew - radah) means to prevail, rule, reign, to tread down."

After God formed man, He blessed him and told him to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over all of creation (Genesis 1:28). The word "subdue" (Hebrew - kabash) means to bring into subjection.

Jesus taught his disciples that it all begins with the revelation of RESTORED RELATIONSHIP ("Our Father, who is in Heaven" - Matthew 6:9) -- realizing that we are truly made in His image and created to express His Kingdom into the earth (Matthew 6:10).

DISCIPLING OF OTHERS

Jesus worked with the disciples -- loving them, mentoring them, challenging them, encouraging them -- over and over again until they were ready to receive the revelation in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and step out to change the world. We are to do likewise with the ones God has given us to PERSONALLY DISCIPLE.

Through Jesus Christ we have been given authority over the enemy and all that he would try to come against us with. The word AUTHORITY means, LEGAL OR RIGHTFUL POWER, A RIGHT TO COMMAND OR ACT. "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you." - Luke 10:19

It is time for us to truly understand what Jesus has restored to us through the Cross (Our Christ identity), and step into the fullness of that relationship and have great impact in the earth. It is time for us to occupy our Kingdom authority so that we can occupy the earth and make it as it is in Heaven!

LET US DECLARE:

That we will ask, knock, and seek (Matthew 7:7) until we come to understand and implement God’s purpose for our life in advancing His Kingdom in the earth.

We come to an understanding of our Christ identity through affirmation and meditation of the scriptures (the epistles of Paul) that show us our inheritance in Christ, and seeing ourselves doing the works of Christ. Through our sonship, we will occupy the full authority we have in the earth, displacing the kingdom of darkness, and bringing all of creation back into subjection to the dominion of the King!

As we carry out our calling in Christ, we disciple others into their inheritance in Christ, their right standing with God, and walking in the Spirit equipping them to disciple others.

That we will see God's Kingdom come through us as never before and become bold expressions of the finished work of the Cross, stepping out to enforce the complete, total, and utter victory of the Risen Lord over every work and manifestation of the enemy.

Walking in His authority is actually more than just a right that has been given to us, it's our responsibility. As joint heirs with Christ, we have a responsibility to walk in His authority TAKING DOMINION. He has called us to be good stewards of His Kingdom while we are here on earth, and walking in His authority, bearing fruit that remains, goes hand in hand with being a good steward of the Kingdom.

"It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch."—Mark 13:34

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Statement Of Faith https://www.nf127.org/statement-of-faith

Ministry Phone: 281-396-4379

[contritecactite]

As ever, it takes the tiniest hint of encouragement (thanks @grimboigio ) to goad me into generating a wall of text. Well, actually, the wall was already there. Big big Hades II spoilers below in the form of messy half-baked notes I've been jotting down as I play. Some are just things that I got excited about, but there's a tiny sliver or two of theories and expectations.

I think we're headed for no happy ending, just acceptance—the battle is against Chronos, but it's really about *time* as a concept; for these gods, time really did take its toll and change the way mortals relate to them. Supergiant will never make another sequel for the same reason: things belong in their own time.

The lycaons *could* just be heralding Cerberus, but they somehow give me a sense of the trappings of Roman the Empire creeping in (in an intentional, storytelling way). Same with the emptiness of Ephyra and the hints of war in the mortal aspect. It feels like this is the fall of the cultures we now call "ancient Greece" as told through the eyes of the gods who get left behind or changed.

Apollo is giving me traitor vibes. He had a line about how we "have all the time in the world," and there's just something too carefree about him.

This feels like a lovely little patchwork quilt of Supergiant games. Homer is more reactive like the Bastion narrator. The music, the social bonding opportunities, and the inventory and lore screens feel a bit like Pyre. Some upgrade systems remind me of Transistor, and the mood reminds me very much of it as well. The writing and combat are still very Hades, and there are new aspects that speak of a team that has taken the time to understand what works, what doesn't, and what improvement and innovation should look like within their existing framework.

Echo's whole thing is fucking clever. Those gifts: Either repeats or diminishing returns—just like an echo. Holy fucking shit the way I vibrated when I met Echo the first time.

I love my randomly assigned college roommate who never goes to her classes and moves all my shit for no reason (Dora). If she were my actual roommate, I would feel a very different way about this.

Eris is perfect. I love her being mean-spirited mischief rather than brute force or accidental mischief; it feels like a unique character composition. She's awful. I can't stand her. She's perfect. She also reminds me of Spoiler from Pixie Tricks, a series I read as a kid (both in personality and, vaguely, design).

Nemesis and Artemis sound like they have a no-strings on-again off-again kind of thing going on and I love that for them. Also hope Charon and Hermes get to see each other again soon bc I'm rooting for them so hard.

I literally shrieked when taking out one of the sirens *actually impacted their contribution to the song*. I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was so much fun to hear it happen anyway. Very immersive! I'm also in love with Scylla. She reminds me very specifically of Ryan Stiles' Carol Channing impression and a little of Dolly Parton. Also. Her fucking hood. Jesus.

One of my favorite things about Hades is that there was nothing that an enemy or boss could do that you couldn't do through some combination of boons, weapons, and upgrades. The same seems to hold true here so far, and I just can't say enough how *cool* that is. The worst part of any combat-heavy game to me is the realization that the boss or even the cutscene of your character can do things that you, the player, can't initiate or control during a regular battle. Hades says "yeah, fuck that. It'll look different when you do it vs. when that sea serpent does it, but you can accomplish the same action/effect." Likewise, there's practically nothing your character can do that isn't also usable by at least one enemy. That keeps things balanced and combats the sense of "ah yes, you are the Most Special Chosen One" that's often inherent to RPGs. It gives the sense that skill matters a lot and makes me as a player feel skilled—I'm not visually doing anything that my enemies can't do, so... maybe I'm actually kinda good at this? (I am mediocre at best, but the game lets me *feel* skilled).

Additionally, just as in Hades, the enemies in an area are very informative about how upcoming bosses will behave. It rewards a player for paying attention and makes each enemy populating an area make *sense*.

After beating the sirens, ALL I wanted was for Melinoë to be able to have one single fan among the shades like Zagreus in the Theseus map. What I got was even *better*; the same type of interaction, but in a way that takes into account *her* task-focused, serious personality while still giving a little bit of levity. She is *done* with being here and ready for everyone to clear out, and that grumpy shade is not having it. He even makes a new little face! Love you, purple shade in the corner.

Oh, hey, charybdis, there you are

THE 2 IS IN *ROMAN* NUMERALS I'm having a moment

yeah that's it that's what I got. For now. My gaming buddy keeps falling asleep when I try to gush and talk through things, so Tumblr gets it instead.

[saltoftheearth5x2]

Luke 17

Over the 24 days leading up to Christmas, I'm going to be posting a chapter of Luke every day. I encourage you to read through Luke's gospel and reflect on Jesus's time here on earth. Perhaps you'll find something new.

Masterlist

Luke 17 (NIV)

Sin, Faith, Duty

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

The Coming of the Kingdom of God

20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” [36]

37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

...

All of this was taken from the Bible Gateway, which is an online Bible that you can easily search up. For those of you who do not have Bibles of your own, I encourage you to use online resources like Bible Gateway to read God's word.

Happy Holidays!

If you have any questions regarding the Christian faith, please ask me in my ask box. I am not a perfect person, but I will try and answer your questions as best as I can. We all have much more to learn, myself included. So please, do not be shy.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for March 12, 2025

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 11:12(KJV): 12 He that is void of wisdom despises his neighbor: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

Thought for the Day

Proverbs is a great book that helps us learn how to have good relationships with people. Who is my neighbor? We generally think of neighbors as those who live near us. The Bible's definition of "neighbor" certainly includes this, but also reaches further to include all of those with whom our lives come into contact. If we turn to Luke 10:25-29, we will read how Jesus defined who is our neighbor, by sharing a parable. In this story, we hear about a traveler who was assaulted by thieves and left nearly dead beside the road. A priest passing by saw the man but went on the other side of the road so that he would not have to help him. Another religious man, a Levite, came by and did the same thing.

Finally, a Samaritan came along. Samaritans were outcasts. The Jews wanted nothing to do with them. Despite the hospitality between the Jews and his people, the Samaritan man had compassion for the injured Jew, tended his wounds, and brought him to an inn to be cared for at his own expense. He had more compassion than the hypocrites who claimed to be followers of God. After relating this parable, Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?" The lawyer replied, "He that showed mercy on him." Jesus then told him, "Go, and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:36-37).

Having established who our neighbor is, let us refer to the Ten Commandments for further instruction on how to properly relate to our neighbors: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's" (Exodus 20:16-17). If we respect someone, we do not lie about him or covet what is his. To do either is to despise him. We must not allow ourselves to covet those things that belong to others. God has a bounteous supply for all of His children. If we seek Him, He will bestow upon us our special blessings.

Today's verse tells us that if we despise our neighbor, we lack wisdom. We should hold our peace if we have a misunderstanding with a neighbor. This simply means that if we should become angry with a neighbor, we must not despise him by saying negative things about him, but deal with him in love and try to work out any problems with him.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for being so loving and kind to us. You are full of mercy and want so much to bless each of us who are called by Your name. Forgive us for the times we have failed to be the "Good Samaritan." We know that we have walked on the other side of the road, as we were selfish and simply did not want to get involved in helping others. Help me to use whatever talents and abilities I have to be a good and faithful servant in my job, at home, and in whatever situation I may find myself in. Help me to treat others as I would want to be treated. Lord, give my physical body the energy and strength for the daily tasks before me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

[renee-writer]

Who are the least of these?

Matthew 25:40-45, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

The least of these are those who need our help. When we choose to walk past without helping, how are we any better than the priest and Levite who walked past the man in need, Luke 10:30-37, "And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."

Jesus told us this parable to motivate us to be like the good Samaritan. He asks us to help those in need. When the church does this, God is pleased, and His love is witnessed by those around, thus drawing them to Him. We could go to the ends of the earth to spread His message of love, but we can also help those in our neighborhood.

God loves us all, and He wants us to be loving. He wants us to share our abundance with the least of these. How could we do anything else, John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." He gave up everything for us. Everything we have in this world pales in comparison to what He offers us in eternity, 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Who are the least of these? We are. And He came to offer us an abundant eternal life.

God has placed us in unique places throughout this world. This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those you believe would be blessed by hearing it. Bless you! If you want to receive the Quarterly Newsletter, email us at bill@reasoningwithgod.com. If you want to read past blogs, go to https://www.reasoningwithgod.com/blog.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 4/3

What am I feeling today?

Really tired and sick. I went to bed a lot later than I normally do and suffering the consequences of it now but I needed to get that work down. Also my pain hasn’t gotten better these past few days which is a little concerning but I’m sure it’s nothing.

Luke 17 NIV

(v. 1-4)

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.””

I always turn to this scripture. I know that I am bound to come across things that will make me stumble but I should never be the one through who it comes from. It’s good to keep in mind when interacting with others, just being very conscious of your behavior because you should be reminded of the violent imagery Jesus provides of the type of fate those people should have!

(v. 6) “He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

I always find this encroaching because sometimes I can think my faith is small

(v. 9-10) “Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ””

This is something I think about often. We’re owed nothing. Like absolutely nothing. God isn’t going to praise us for following Him or His commands because that’s already expected of us. It doesn’t make us special or worthy or anything of that sort.

(v. 27-35) “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.””

Basically saying that we have no way of knowing when the time will come. People will go about their lives as they normally do and that it can happen at any moment. Which is kinda wild when you think about it. Also Jesus said to remember Lot’s wife! She looked back on her life and ended up losing her life because she disobeyed God. The same applies to us, we have given our lives over to Christ and we can’t look back now.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible by J.R. Miller

Christ the Life and Light of Men (John 1:1-18)

The first three Gospels begin on the earth ; the fourth Gospel begins back in eternity. There are no sublimer words in all language than the first words in John’s prologue. They give us a glimpse of the eternal past and show us the Word existing then. In the beginning, before anything else was - He was. Genesis is the book of earthly beginnings, but this first verse of John’s gospel carries us back far beyond Genesis. We find precious comfort in human friends when we can rest in their love and know that they are indeed ours, true to us and faithful. Yet all the while, as we lean upon them, we know, too, that they are only creatures of a day. They have not lived long, and their wisdom is only inexperience, their strength only weakness. Their love is liable to change and decay; their very life is only a breath, a mere comma in the great sentence of eternity. But in the friendship of Christ we know that we are in the clasp of One who is eternal - the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever.

We are told also plainly who this divine Friend is. “The Word was God .” A word reveals thoughts. We cannot know what is in our friend’s heart - until he speaks. We never could have known what God’s thoughts about us are - if He had not spoken to us. Jesus Christ is the Word, that is, the revealer to us of the mind and heart of God. The Incarnation of Christ brings Him very close to us. In His human life He is one of ourselves, our brother, with feelings, affections and sympathies like ours. But when we can add to our thought and experience of Christ’s humanity the wonderful truth that He is divine, it puts a marvelous element of strength and security into our trust. The Incarnation is God coming to us with a great heart of love, offering Himself to us. A great preacher says, “In the last analysis Christianity is nothing more or less than a great dear Figure, standing with outstretched arms.” God is love, and He is love yearning, that comes to us in the Word.

All divine revelation has been made to the world through the Word. “All things were made by him.” One was showing an old watercolor picture which hung in his room. It was beautiful, but the good man said that nothing among his possessions was so precious to him as this faded bit of painting, because his mother had made it. Just so, everything in nature is made sacred and beautiful to one who loves Christ, when he remembers that his Savior made it. The sweet flowers by the wayside would be sweeter to us - if we remembered, as we looked upon them, that the hand of Christ painted them. This is Christ’s world. His touch is on everything in it. Everything speaks of Him and of His love.

Christ is also the source of all life. “In Him was life.” He is the one fountain of life. No one in the world, except God, can produce life. With all his skill, man cannot make the smallest living seed, or create the most infinitesimal particle of matter. Science, with all its wondrous achievements, has never been able to produce life in even the lowest form. No man can make a blade of grass, or the tiniest flower, or the lowest insect. All life comes from Christ.

Our lesson turns now to the revealing of the divine Word. First, preparation. “There was a man sent from God.” He came as God’s messenger, to prepare the way for the divine revealing. Each one of us is likewise “sent from God.” We know what John’s mission was. We may not know yet what our own mission is - but God will show it to us as we go on, if we are faithful. We may be sure, however, that we are here on no haphazard errand; we are really sent on some errand, some definite mission. There is some word that we were born to speak - and if we do not speak it, the world will be poorer, some life will not know God’s message and will not know what God wants it to do.

John came to tell men of the Messiah. “He came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all men through him might believe.”

Our highest duty in this world is to give honor to Christ, to show some phase of His glory. Some men in their self-conceit, think only of making a show of themselves, getting people to see them and praise them. The mission of every Christian is to bear witness of the Light, to point others to Christ, that men may believe. It was said of a great preacher, that wherever he went, people, when they saw his life, fell in love with Jesus Christ. They forgot the preacher - and thought only of the Master whom the preacher proclaimed, both in his words and in his life. John hid himself out of sight - and wanted people to see only Christ. We cannot save any soul - but we can point lost ones to Him who can save. We may bear witness of Christ in many ways. We may do it by our words, telling what He was and what He did for us; and by our life and character, showing what Christ can do for all who come to Him.

It is strange that when the Son of God came to his world, He was not received. We would say that such a glorious being would have been hailed with highest honor. But there was not welcome for Him. “He came unto his own - and his own received him not.” This was one of the saddest things about Christ’s mission to the world. For ages He had been waited for and watched for - but when He came He was not recognized; He was even rejected and crucified. We say, “If He came now - He would find a warm welcome.” But would He? He does come now as really as He came then. He comes to save us, to be our Friend, to help us in our need, and many of us turn our backs upon Him. He stands yet knocking before many a door which does not open to Him.

There were some, however, who received Christ when He came, and to these He brought wondrous blessings. “As many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” Here we have the way of salvation made plain. We have only to accept Christ as He comes to us - and we are led into the household, among God’s own children. We need not understand all about Christ, about His person or His work - there may be a great deal of unexplained mystery about Him. There cannot but be, for the Incarnation is the most profound mystery of all ages. But we do not need to understand everything - all we need to do is to accept Christ as our Savior, our Master, our Friend - and we are led by Him into the full light. Then some day we shall understand. In the experience of divine love - our joy will be so full that there shall be no question unanswered, no desire unsatisfied.

The beginning of our passage tells us of the Word existing in the eternity past, the Word with God, the Word as God Himself; now we come to the revealing of the Word: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” It is not said that the Word was changed into flesh - He continued to be divine. He became flesh. It does not mean, either, that He took up His abode in a human body merely - He took upon Him the whole of human nature, body, soul and spirit. We cannot divide the activity of Christ into two sections and say, “This the divine nature did, and this His human nature did”; the human and the divine were inextricably blended into one. When we see Christ’s compassion, His thoughtfulness, His mercy, His kindness, His gentleness, these are divine qualities, revealed in human ways, through human life. It was all divine, all glory.

Christ is the only revelation of God. “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father - he has revealed him.” We never can know God, except through His Son. There is no other possible revelation of Him. Christ came in lowly form, and appeared to His friends as a man; but when they learned to know Him, when their hearts had fixed their tendrils about Him, they found that He was divine, the Son of God. If we ever see God and know Him, and enter His family as His own - we must accept Christ. There is no other way. To reject Him is to shut ourselves away from God - in darkness unillumined by a beam of love from His face.