#Psalm 127:4

[theexodvs]

When you’re single but want to fulfill the cultural mandate.

[drshermaines-wisdomnuggets]

"SYMPTOMS OF DEMONIC OPPRESSION"

The subject of mental illness is very controversial in Christian circles. Inside the extreme schools of thought we find balance and a scriptural viewpoint. First, let me say clearly, all mental illness is NOT the result of demonic attack. Further, good psychological care from Christian professionals is vital and in order when an individual is struggling. Also, professionally administered…

[gospelborn]

Do Not Be Anxious (Phil 4:5-9)

Do Not Be Anxious (Phil 4:5-9)

The following is an unedited sermon manuscript; for an explanation of my sermon manuscripts, click here. *Originally preached in June, 2022* Sermon Audio: Do Not Be Anxious (Phil 4:5-9) Imagine, if you could, speak with someone who lived in a thousand years ago and you got to listen to the typical things they are concerned about. What would they be? Will I and my family have enough food to…

[palms-upturned]

if you don’t know much abt christian fundamentalism, you might not have heard about quiverfull before. quiverfull is a christian nationalist movement that gets its name from psalms 127: 3-5

(3) Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. (4) As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. (5) Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

the quiverfull philosophy is that pregnancies/children are a blessing from god, that contraceptives/abortion are rejections of god’s true plan, and that christian families should have as many children as possible and raise them to be good soldiers in god’s army. children are arrows in your quiver: the more you have, the stronger a soldier you are.

christian nationalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy all go hand in hand. they are not separable from each other. they all follow the same principles. and they are all being leveraged toward the same end: make as many white, able bodied, indoctrinated babies as possible. we cannot reduce this to an issue of men vs women and lose sight of how this is going to affect Jews and Muslims and people of other faiths, BIPOC, poor people, disabled people, queer (especially trans) people, intersex people, fat people. we can’t forget what the word “marginalize” means.

[hibernica]

When Harrow is having her confessional with Jod she tells him that she's a war crime. But that's weird, right? Harrow isn't the type to play fast and loose with words most of the time, so why describe herself that way? I am a genocide, sure. I am a tragedy. But a war crime needs a war. So here's my question, what war does she think she's a crime in and why? Most likely, there is only one war in The Locked Tomb. The Nine Houses versus everyone else. Certainly there's no civil wars in The Houses, regardless of what the eighth would like to do to the Ninth. But what makes The Reverend Father and Mother genociding their own house to create a necromancer be a war crime against The Houses? My thinking is this: Every child of every house is a potential recruit for the cohort. The Lyctors are the hands and gestures of Jod, but the Cohort is his weapon. I think that in Jod's evangelical crusade to dominate the survivors of the resurrection he's turned the Nine Houses into a Quiverfull Death Cult. Psalm 127:1-5 has been cited by the Quiverfull sects of Christianity, of which Catholicism is one, as the reason families should have as many kids as possible. Some of them take it a step further and frame as building God's army on Earth. I think that Jod's obsession has not merely recreated the crimes of pre-resurrection colonialism and militarism. It's made clear multiple times throughout the text that Jod may care for the Houses, but doesn't have particularly strong feelings on any individual. I think the Nine Houses have taken that to heart and every life born into it is merely a weapon to be brandished by Jod against his enemies. This is reinforced by The Fourth's rather horrifying tendency to send literal child soldiers to the front lines and everyone kind of being okay with it. Harrowhark believes herself to be a crime against Jod and therefore a crime against Jod's war of evangelization. She is casting her parents as fundamentally doing Blood of Eden's work for them and as traitors to The Nine Houses even as she herself becomes a Lyctor. Psalm 127:1-5 1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Children are a Heritage From the LORD

3 Children are a gift [an inheritance] from the Lord; babies [the fruit of the womb] are a reward. 4 Children who are born to a young man [of one’s youth] are like arrows in the hand of a warrior [they help in the challenges and conflicts of life]. 5 Happy [Blessed] is the man who has his bag [quiver] full of arrows [them]. They will not be defeated [humiliated] when they fight [speak to] their enemies at the city gate [ the central place of commerce and government]. — Psalm 127:3-5 | Expanded Bible (EXB) The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 1:28; Genesis 25:21; Genesis 33:5; Genesis 34:20; Genesis 48:4; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 28:4; Joshua 24:3; Psalm 112:2; Psalm 120:4; Psalm 128:2; Proverbs 24:7; Proverbs 27:11; Isaiah 29:21

[pugzman3]

Psalms chapter 127

1 (A Song of degrees for Solomon.) Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

[myrddin-wylt]

if i May offer an addition to your “baby Alfred was sick all the f-ing time” hc

Alfred is having one of his worse bouts of something and Arthur is yknow freaking out bc “God please not again” and bc back then instead of therapy they had “go read your Bible” Arthur sits down to read some Psalms to distract himself then he gets to Psalm 127 3- a5

“(3) Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. (4) As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. (a5) Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:”

and Arthur just goes “…oh, this is cause God hates me” and just casually has another breakdown.

(The verses are in KJV I usually use ESV but I needed to get the ‘old’ English vibes right lol)

I think we've seen the same post, actually. HOHO, I FOUND IT. I believe this post is what gave me the headcanon in the first place, though I went in a slightly different direction.

initially I had typed up a long ramble about historical hetalia always like, conspicuously missing any portrayal of religion even in times/societies where religion was an every day part of life. now, however, I can't help but laugh at Arthur complaining that God hates him because this would be early 1600s, so the formation of the Church of England, persecution of Protestants under Mary, and the whole Elizabethan religious settlement are all still within living memory. it's also during the Thirty Years' War on the continent, which England has just managed to stay out of, and of course the entirety of the British isles are just about to get their shit wrecked by the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. point being, this is a period of massive religious upheaval in Europe.

so the sheer comedic value of Arthur - who until just recently had been a good obedient Catholic for the vast majority of his existence but is now excommunicated by the Pope because he went and made his own independent state church - trying to find solace in the scripture of the newly translated King James Bible, just to get smacked with that? priceless. definitely dark comedy, sure, but it's still funny. like his attitude isn't even "God hates me" so much as "well, I deserve this."

but yeah, Arthur would be in pain, and turning toward religion would probably be his first instinct. which imo would be super interesting; the religious element adds such depth to it, because you know Arthur has got to have the worst kind of guilt complex given his history. like, does all the religious upheaval finally hit him in the worst way possible? does he think Alfred's illness is punishment for his own sins? does he try fasting, day-long marathon prayers, begging intercession from every saint he can think of? does he make lists of his sins so that he can make sure he counts them all off? does he promise that, if Alfred lives, Arthur will make sure he grows up pious and devout? does he promise the colonies will be somewhere people can escape from religious persecution, even the radical (and batshit insane) Puritans? has Alfred actually been baptized? the Anglican church doesn't have an official stance on what happens to unbaptized infants upon death, and of course the theology of it is very complicated, but the popular/cultural assumption in England was that they would go to either Limbo or Hell. so, uh, yeah, Arthur is most likely to be having a very bad time.

[influencingforjohn]

Bible verse for any woman needing encouragement on her fertility journey 💕🦋🍼🤰🏾

Psalm 37: 4-7

4 Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 55: 22

22 Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let

the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 113:9

9 He settles the childless woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 130:5

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 127:3

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,

offspring a reward from him.

Psalm 27:14

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 147:3

3 He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

[shop-korea]

DIDN'T - TELL - ME - GIFT CARD HAS LESS FUNDS

THAN - TOTAL - THAT - SIMPLE - BECAUSE - LUCY

LUCKY - SHOP - IS - IN - CHINA - THEY - HAVE YES

PROBLEMS - WITH - GIFT - CARDS

AMERICAN EXPRESS

DISCOVER

2 BEGIN - WITH - ALI EXPRESS.com - DIDN'T

KNOW - HOW - 2 - ACCEPT - GIFT - CARDS AS

THEY - WANTED - SO - MUCH AS EXCHANGE

BECAUSE - THEY'RE - LIKE - CHINESE MALE

EMPEROR

EVIL - HUMANS

BIBLE - BLESSED - THE - NATION - WHOSE

GOD - IS - THE - INVISIBLE - GOD - OF YES

ISRAEL

KOREAN - GIRLS,

TUMBLR - BLOCKING - AS - WORDPRESS

1ST - AMENDMENT

'FREE - EXERCISE - THEREOF - OF

RELIGION'

GOOD - NEWS - BIBLE

FREE - APP

OFFLINE - ALSO - ESPECIALLY

PSALMS 144

VS 11 - 'SAVE - ME - FR - MY - CRUEL

ENEMIES - RESCUE - ME - FR - THE

POWER - OF - FOREIGNERS'

(KOREAN - GIRLS - SAY - OUTLOUD)

NORTH KOREA

DUMB - BOYS - OF - 15 USA - MILITARY

BASES - THEY - AIN'T - HARVARD YES

CONTINUING

'WHO - NEVER - TELL - THE - TRUTH

AND - LIE - EVEN - UNDER - OATH'

HE - RECEIVED - GIFTS - FR - DIDN'T

SAY - FROM - WHOM

MY - GIFT - FROM - ALL - OF - THIS

OVER - $1 - DIFFERENCE - OF - $50

AND - $48.88

BUT - REQUIRES - MY - OWNERSHIP

MY - BILLING - ADDRESS

THEIR - TRICK - 2 - GET - ALL INFO

2 - STAB - PEOPLE - IN - TENTS

WHILE - THEY'RE - SLEEPING

MY - OVER - $50 - TENT - MADE

4 - POLICE - IN - USA

OPEN - AND - SEE - PANTIES

SEE - BREASTS - EXPOSED

BOTH - SIDES - 4 - USA - CARNIVEROUS

MURDERS - THEY - EAT - DEAD PEOPLE

KOREAN - GIRLS,

BARBIE - APP

SAY - OUTLOUD - THESE - BIBLE VERSES

PER - VERSE - 500 BILLION - WON - TAX

PAID - OUR - FUTURE - SECURED

PSALMS 144:12

I - HAVE - GREAT - NEWS - GIRLS - YOU

LOVE - ITZY - AESPA - BUT - ADMIT YOU

LOVE - NCT DREAM - NCT 127 - MORE

U - LOVE - BTS - FAGS

U - LOVE - ACTORS

LEE JOON GI - BILLIONAIRE - WOOK

JI CHANG WOOK

DEAR - KOREAN - GIRLS,

NOT - MARRIED - DON'T - B A - LEGAL

PROSTITUTE - AS - DESIRED - BY - USA

AMERICAN - BARBIE - KIEUN CHOI

WHO - WANTS - 2 - OPEN - THIGHS

2 - RECEIVE - PENETRATION

IF - YOUR'E - NOT - SERIOUS - GO 4

MAKE OUT . com

GIVES BLOW JOBS ONLY . com

THEIRS - IN - KOREA - THEY - WILL

PENETRATE - VAGINAL - AREA AND

MARRY - FOR - REALS - SEOUL - KR

DEAR - KOREAN - GIRLS,

BARBIE WORLD

BARBIE ROBERTS - IS - A - VIRGIN

REGISTER

19 AND OLDER

SINGLE - AND - PROUD

HOLY - AS - GOD - IS - HOLY

GOD - A - VIRGIN

JESUS - IS - ALSO - A - VIRGIN

REGISTER - SINGLE AND PROUD

REGISTER - MOM - BUT - ON MY

OWN - SEPARATE - FROM - THAT

PERSON

REGISTER - WAITING - 4 DIVORCE

500 BILLION - WON - X 5 - DAILY

TAX - PAID

YOUR - KOREAN - MALE - STARS

THEY - WILL - B - DONATING YES

BARBIE - WORLD

FLOORS - 4 - NOT - MARRIED

NEVER - BEEN - MARRIED

DONATION - BANKS - BY - KOREAN

STARS - MALES - KAI - OF - EXO

BAEKHYUN - PARKY BO GUM - 2

THEY - WILL - B - PAID - 900 BILLION WON

X 5 - PER - HOUR - NO - NURSES - BUT YES

SCIENTISTS - TOKYO - JAPAN

PER - BOTTLE - PRODUCED - 900 BILLION

WON - EA - BOTTLE - SOLD - LIKE - $0.25

COINS - EACH - TAX - FREE

BARBIE WORLD

PER - BOTTLE - SOLD - THEY - GET

COMMISSION

900 BILLION - X 10 - EACH - BOTTLE

SOLD - EVERY - PERSON - BUYING

MUST - REGISTER

EACH - BOTTLE - INCLUDES - AN

ANIMATED - FILM - OF - THEM

DANCING - OR - SINGING - OR

BOTH - EDUCATION - GIVEN &

ANIMATION - INTERVIEW - AS U

BECOME - PREGNANT - YOU'RE

HEARING - ALL - THE - TIME

BUT - WE - WILL - GIVE - YOU

BEST - TIME - NIGHT - ONLY

WHEN - 2 B - PREGNANT

FREE - BABY - SUITES

WHAT - 2 - EAT - CHECK UP

EVERY - HOUR - FREE - WE

WILL - TAKE - GREAT - CARE

OF - YOU - ALL - OVER - THE

WORLD - YOU'RE - VERY NAKED

AS - PREGNANT - NOT - WITH

TOKYO - JAPAN - TECHNOLOGY

NO - TRENCH - COAT - BUT YOU

WILL - ALWAYS - BE - CLOTHED

ALWAYS - WOOL - EVERYTHING

WOOL - EVEN - SUMMERS LIKE

MARBLE - ANY - WEATHER - IS

BARBIE - WOOL - WE - WILL TELL

U - WHAT - BABY - SHOULD - EAT

WE - WILL - EDUCATE

AS - SINGLE - WE - WILL - GIVE

FREE - CLASSES - IN - PERSON

OR - APP - GET - 500 BILLION - X 5

PER - DAY - YOU - TAKE - CLASSES

ONLINE - OR - IN - PERSON - YOU

WILL - NOT - B - UNPREPARED SO

I - HAVE - 2 - EAT - NOW - 4:47P EST

BUT - REGISTER - AS - SINGLE

GIVING - YOU - COMMERCIALS - TV

ADS - WE - WILL - GIVE - U - WHAT

WE'RE - GIVING

YEJI - AND - NINGNING

3 MONTHS - PILLOWS - USING YES

VELCRO - SO - PEOPLE - THINK - U

ARE - REALLY - PREGNANT - THAT

WAY - U - CAN - PROTECT - YOUR

BABIES

BARBIE - MATERNITY - FASHION

U - GET - 2 - PRACTICE - 3RD MONTH

NING NING - PREGNANT - MODEL

YEJI - PREGNANT - MODEL - WILL

LOOK - SO - BEAUTIFUL

MY - PLANS - I - MIGHT - JOIN YOU

JENO - OF - NCT DREAM

WILL - JUST - B - PREGNANT - WITH

HIS - BABY

BARBIE - WORLD

FERTILITY - PROGRAMS

ME - IDENTICAL - MALE - TWINS

IDENTICAL - FACES - CHARACTERS

MIGHT - JUST - B - PREGNANT

WITH - JENO LEE - NCT DREAM

HIS - BABY - AND - JOIN - U - GUYS

I'M - NOT - INTERESTED - IN - YES

KOREAN - PENETRATION - OR

CHINESE - PENETRATION

I - WANT - DOMESTIC - TRANQUILITY

I - WANT - CLOTHES - WHILE - I'M KR

PREGNANT - BUT - I - MIGHT - B

GIVING - BIRTH - IN - PARIS FRANCE

HAVE - 2 - EAT - SOON - BUT

PSALMS 144

VS 12 - 'MAY - OUR - SONS - IN THEIR

YOUTH - B - LIKE - PLANTS - THAT

GROW - UP - STRONG - MAY - OUR

DAUGHTERS - B - LIKE - STATELY

PILLARS - WHICH - ADORN - THE

CORNERS - OF - A - PALACE'

V 13 - 'MAY - OUR - BARNS - BE FILLED

WITH - CROPS - OF - EVERY - KIND

MAY - THE - SHEEP - IN - OUR FIELDS

BEAR - YOUNG - BY - THE - TENS - OF

THOUSANDS' - WOOL - WOOL WOOL

CHEESE - BLANKETS - CLOTHES .....

[holy-mountaiin]

The Ultimate Bible Reading Plan

About

This list of resources and guided Bible Reading plan was compiled by Ryan Birk. It contains the scriptures to read daily as well as links to each scripture on the Bible App to make it easy for you. You will also see videos and helpful links. For more helpful resources, please visit HolyMountaiin.com

CLICK HERE to learn how to save this page to your phone as an app.

Introductions:

Click here for the: ABOUT VIDEO

Click here for the: FOUNDATIONS page

Click Here to join the: FB GROUP

Before you Begin:

here is a video on “reading/studying God’s Word”

Here is a video on “how to read the Psalms” (the psalms will be spread out throughout this reading plan)

Streetlights New Testament // Physical Copy

Breakdown of each Book of the Bible

"Each Day" our Daily Bread

1        2         3         4         5         6      

 7         8        9        10     11      12       

13      14        15       16        17     18   

19      20        21      22       23      24

25     26       27       28      29      30

31     32     33     34     35     36

37     38     39      40   41     42

43       44        45       46       47     48   

49       50  51      52        53    54

55      56       57      58       59      60    

61      62       63      64       65     66

67      68      69      70     71     72

73       74      75        76      77       

78       79        80        81      82 

83      84       85        86       87   

88       89     90      91      92     93

94     95      96       97     98     99 

100     101      102       103     104

105     106       107       108     109   

110   111      112      113      114    115

116   117     118     119     120    121

122    123    124    125      126    127

128     129      130       131      132

133       134     135     136     137

138      139    140    141     142    143

144       145       146     145       146

147       148     149      150    151

152      153      154      155      156         

153       154      155       156    157

158       159       160    161       162

163      164    165       166       167

168     169      170       171    172

173       174       175     176  

177    178    179     180     181

182     183     184    185    186

187    188    189     190    191    192

193    194     195     196    197    198

199     200     201    202     203    204

205      206     207    208     209     210

211    212    213    214    215     216

217    218    219     220     221     222

223     224     225     226     227    228

229     230      231      232     233

234    235     236     237      238

239     240     241     242      243

244      245     246    247      248

249      250     251     252

253   254     255      256      257     258

259     260      261     262    263    264

265     266    267    268     269     270

271     272     273     274      275     276

277      278     279     280     281    282

283      284     285      286     287

288      289      290      291      292

293     294       295     296     297

298     299     300

301      302     303    304     305     306

307    308     309    310     311     312

313   314      315     316     317    318

319    320     321    322    323    324

325    326    327    328    328    329

330    331    332    333    334     335

336     337    338     339    340    341

342    343     345     346    347    348

349     350     351    352    353    354

355    356     357    358    359    360

361    362    363    364    365

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

30th June >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Friday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  or

The First Martyrs of the See of Rome. 

Friday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))

First Reading Genesis 17:1,9-10,15-22 The Lord make a covenant and gives Abram and Sarai new names.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El Shaddai. Bear yourself blameless in my presence, and I will make a Covenant between myself and you. You on your part shall maintain my Covenant, yourself and your descendants after you, generation after generation. Now this is my Covenant which you are to maintain between myself and you, and your descendants after you: all your males must be circumcised.’

God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah. I will bless her and moreover give you a son by her. I will bless her and nations shall come out of her; kings of peoples shall descend from her.’ Abraham bowed to the ground, and he laughed, thinking to himself, ‘Is a child to be born to a man one hundred years old, and will Sarah have a child at the age of ninety?’ Abraham said to God, ‘Oh, let Ishmael live in your presence!’ But God replied, ‘No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son whom you are to name Isaac. With him I will establish my Covenant, a Covenant in perpetuity, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him. For Ishmael too I grant you your request: I bless him and I will make him fruitful and greatly increased in numbers. He shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But my Covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you at this time next year.’ When he had finished speaking to Abraham God went up from him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 127(128):1-5

R/ Indeed the man shall be blessed, the man who fears the Lord.

O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.

R/ Indeed the man shall be blessed, the man who fears the Lord.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive, around your table.

R/ Indeed the man shall be blessed, the man who fears the Lord.

Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life!

R/ Indeed the man shall be blessed, the man who fears the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 144:13

Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia!

Or: Matthew 8:17

Alleluia, alleluia! He took our sicknesses away, and carried our diseases for us. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 8:1-4 'If you want to, you can cure me'.

After Jesus had come down from the mountain large crowds followed him. A leper now came up and bowed low in front of him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘if you want to, you can cure me.’ Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And his leprosy was cured at once. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Mind you do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering prescribed by Moses, as evidence for them.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------------------------

The First Martyrs of the See of Rome 

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A (1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Friday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Romans 8:31-39 God did not spare his own Son.

With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. As scripture promised: For your sake we are being massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.

For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 123(124):2-5,7-8

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 24:4-13 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Take care that no one deceives you; because many will come using my name and saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; do not be alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet. For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. All this is only the beginning of the birth-pangs. ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and put to death; and you will be hated by all the nations on account of my name. And then many will fall away; men will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise; they will deceive many, and with the increase of lawlessness, love in most men will grow cold; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for February 22, 2023 (Ash Wednesday)

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Provbuilt1-5:(KJV):

1 Wisdom hath built her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

Thought for the Day

These verses contain a powerful message. Wisdom, personified as a woman, calls us to her banquet of "best things," in contrast to the foolish woman mentioned later in chapter 9, who calls the simple to drink "stolen waters." Here, as in chapter 8, wisdom is more than a trait or quality. It is a symbol of Jesus, who is also referred to as the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys, the One who brings us to His banqueting table (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Wisdom has built a house; Jesus tells us how to build ours. These "houses" do not mean our physical residences, but our spiritual houses (Matthew 7:24-27). The storms of life come against the houses of both the wise and foolish, but only those of the wise remain standing after being battered. The wise are those who obey God's Word, putting into practice what they learn. The foolish hear His Word, but do not act on what they hear. If we desire our "financial houses," "career houses," and families to withstand life's storms, we about the commandments of God about each.

Verse 1 - In Scripture, numbers are not simply digits used in arithmetic; as all Hebrew names and numbers have meanings. What does it mean when it says that Wisdom has "hewn out her seven pillars?" A carpenter k that the pillars in a house are the support beams. The seven pillars in Wisdom's house symbolize that the house has perfect support because symbolically the number seven stands for perfection or completeness. When the structure of our lives rests upon Biblical principles, our building is not in vain. "Exceplabor LORD builds the house, they labor in vain that build it..." (Psalm 127:1).

Verses 2-5 - The remainder of these verses describe the banquet that Wisdom has prepared. She has butchered her meat and set her table with wine. She invites those who will listen to "come and dine." This is a picture of Jesus' invitation to come and eat His bread (understand His Word) and drink His wine (receive the Holy Spirit). This invitation is still going out from the Master today.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, how grateful we are that You have made such wonderful things for us to feast on, at Your table. It is so wonderful to understand Your Word and to know the presence of the Holy Spirit. We do need Your help in building and setting in order the things in our life. Give us Your wisdom for the task. We also need Your love and Your strength to carry out those things, that You have spoken to us to do. Lord, we want to be a blessing today, as we labor in Your Kingdom. Help us to represent You well, and to be good and kind to all of those in our homes and offices, and all that we meet, as well. Thank you for Your love and watching care over us and all of our families and loved ones. Bless and protect Your people all over the world from those things sight unseen. I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From: Elder Steven P. Miller

Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups

Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.

Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ,

@StevenPMiller6; #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956

josephus.dlxfd@aleeas.com

URL: linkedin.com/in/steven-miller-b1ab212From

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

The Theology Of Sleeping

Somewhere near the beginning of my Christian life, I started associating sleeplessness with godliness. And for understandable reasons.

The sluggard of Proverbs has long lived as a vivid character in my imagination - that buffoon who flops on his bed “as a door turns on its hinges” (Proverbs 26:14), who answers his mother’s fourth knock with a mumble: “A little sleep, a little slumber . . .” (Proverbs 6:10). Then, positively, I read of psalmists who prayed at midnight and woke before dawn (Psalm 119:62, 147) — and of a Savior who rose “very early” (Mark 1:35) and sometimes passed the night without a wink (Luke 6:12).

Stories from church history also cast a shadow over my bed. I read with wonder how Hudson Taylor sometimes rose at 2:00am to read and pray until 4:00am (Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, 243). George Whitefield, too, was known to begin his day well before dawn, sometimes finishing both his devotions and his first sermon by 6:00am (George Whitefield: God’s Anointed Servant, 196). And didn’t the Puritans get just a few hours of sleep a night? The post-Puritan William Law seemed to capture the spirit of the godliest saints when he spoke of “renouncing sleep” to redeem the time (When I Don’t Desire God, 160).

Under such influences, I tried many times to carve off minutes and sometimes hours from my nightly routine, attempting to find the smallest amount of sleep I could get without losing essential functions. I greeted many midnights and dark mornings. I experimented with elaborate alarm clocks. I traded my pillow for cups of coffee.

And all the while, I did not always take seriously all that God says about sleep. I did not realize that “sometimes,” as D.A. Carson puts it, “the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep”

For all the biblical passages that hallow sleeplessness, perhaps just as many sanctify sleep. In Proverbs, the same father who warns his son about the dangers of “a little sleep” also assures him that wisdom gives good rest (Proverbs 3:24). Alongside the psalmists who praise God at midnight are others who praise him in the morning after a sound night of slumber (Psalm 3:5).

And in the Gospels, one of the more remarkable images of our Savior is of him in a storm-tossed, wave-battered boat, “asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:37–38). He could stay up all night when needed, but he was not above taking a nap the next day.

Perhaps the most striking endorsement of sleep, however, comes from the simple fact that God made us this way. Scripture gives no indication that our need for nightly rest began in Genesis 3. And in fact, before the fruit was taken from the tree, before the weariness of sin weighed down the world, Adam slept (Genesis 2:21). Sleep, it seems, is no fallen necessity, nor merely a fleshly temptation, but a divine gift. Both then and now, God “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).

And therefore, though occasions come when we must renounce sleep for the sake of something greater, Scripture gives us a more positive default posture: in Christ, God teaches us to redeem sleep. He brings our beds back to Eden, where we learn to receive sleep as healer, teacher, giver, and servant...

Perhaps a friend in need asks for a late-night phone call, or a small-group member needs an early-morning ride to the airport. Perhaps a child cries from down the hall, or a spouse just needs to talk. Perhaps hospitality ran late, or some crucial decision requires a midnight consultation with our Lord. Either way, in the face of such needs, we kindly thank sleep for its services and then dismiss it as the servant God made it to be.

When we leave our beds to walk in love, we do not leave our God. His help is stronger than sleep’s healing, his wisdom deeper than sleep’s teaching, his generosity greater than sleep’s giving. He can sustain us in our sleeplessness and, in his good time, give again to his beloved sleep.

Scott Hubbard The Godliness of a Good Night's Sleep

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Precepts of the LORD Give Joy to the Heart

8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. — Psalm 19:8-10 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Psalm 12:6; Psalm 33:4; Psalm 36:9; Psalm 111:8; Psalm 119:14; Psalm 119:72; Psalm 119:103; Psalm 119:127; Psalm 119:138; Psalm 119:142; Proverbs 8:11; Revelation 19:2

[shammah8]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, 15th February 2023

BUILD ACCORDING TO HIS DESCRIPTION

Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5 NIV).

PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME PHD

When God told Moses to build a tabernacle, He gave him a clear description and instructed him to build according to the description: “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it” (Exodus 25:9).

In your walk with the Lord and work in His Kingdom, don’t just run off with every idea just because you think it’s nice. Be sure that you’re following God’s blueprint; the pattern and description that He’s given. It’s one of the reasons you must know the Word for yourself.

In His Word, you find samples, patterns and descriptions of how He wants us to live, the things He wants us to do and how to do them. The psalmist said in Psalm 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…”; we must build according to His plan.

In these last days, the Lord Jesus is building His Church. He said, “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). There’s a description given to us in the Word of God that shows how He’s doing this. The Bible says He (Christ Himself), “…gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11-12 NIV).

His plan is to build through these leaders, but everyone is involved; each one of us contributes to the building of this great body of Christ: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

Every time you lead someone to Christ, you’re adding to the building of the Body of Christ, and it's a magnificent building. Hallelujah! Keep playing your role by winning souls into the Kingdom. You’ll be contributing to the building of the magnificent structure according to the description given.

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the ability of your Word in my spirit. I’m a doer of the Word, not just a hearer. The results of living in and by the Word are evidently manifested in every area of my life today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Hebrews 8:5 AMPC [But these offer] service [merely] as a pattern and as a foreshadowing of [what has its true existence and reality in] the heavenly sanctuary. For when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was warned by God, saying, See to it that you make it all [exactly] according to the copy (the model) which was shown to you on the mountain.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.