#Psalm 19:8-10

[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

[touchofgoddotworld]

He Cares For You Affectionately and Cares About You Watchfully (247) - May 25 2024

Play on other Podcast Apps 1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC) – Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. This program covers the following scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 8:1-2; Matthew 6:33; 1 John 4:19;…

[kmac4him1st]

In Awe Of God

It is a good day when you decide to develop your AWE of God. I promise you will never regret it. God bless ya. KimberlyMac

Amazing Awe-GOD Amazing Awe-God! I don’t think I will ever get over how incredibly amazing God is. He is a spectacular Advocate for us. He does intervene majestically in our lives, there is no doubt about that. It is not always very comfortable the way He does things, His methods are definitely not the way we would sometimes choose to do things. God is very unique, but we can trust that He will…

[martyschoenleber]

13 Ways to Grow a Passion for the Things of God

Psalm 119:89 How to Develop a Passion for the Things of God Hang around passionate people. Luke 11:1  “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  —-the disciples saw Jesus’s passion for prayer and they were drawn to have a similar passion. A fascinating learning experience is to take…

[dwuerch-blog]

Sweet & Tasty Treats

Sweet & Tasty Treats

I read that Krispy Kreme celebrated its 85th birthday on July 13th. AND, to celebrate, from July 11th through July 14th, they chose multiple guests each day to receive an 85th birthday card worth a dozen free glazed donuts a month for a year. I’m sorry I missed the big celebration! Well, not really. The good Lord knows this girl could eat a dozen of those sweet, tasty, delectable, warm and…

[girlbloggercher]

how to read the Bible

this is in order!

1. John

2. Mark

3. Matthew

4. Luke

5. Genesis

6. Exodus

7. Leviticus

8. Numbers

9. Dueteronomy

10. Romans

11. Galatians

12. Colossians

13. Proverbs

14. Ecclesiastes

15. Job

16. 1 Peter

17. 1 Corinthians

18. 2 Corinthians

19. Ephesians

20. Philippians

21. 1 Thessalonians

22. 2 Thessalonians

23. 1 Timothy

24. 2 Timothy

25. James

26. 2 Peter

27. 1 John

28. 2 John

29. 3 John

30. Jude

31. Psalms

32. Joshua

33. Judges

34. 1 Samuel

35. 2 Samuel

36. 1 Kings

37. 2 Kings

38. 1 Chronicles

39. 2 Chronicles

40. Ezra

41. Nehemiah

42. Jeremiah

43. Lamentations

44. Ezekiel

45. Joel

46. Amos

47. Obadiah

48. Nahum

49. Habakkuk

50. Zephaniah

51. Haggai

52. Zechariah

53. Malachi

54. Micah

55. Hosea

56. Luke

57. Esther

58. Jonah

59. Song of Solomon

60. Acts

61. Titus

62. Philemon

63. Hebrew

64. Isaiah

65. Daniel

66. Revelation

[daremna]

sources:

1. The Inferno, Canto 24, Gustave Dore 2. Nathaniel Orion G.K. 3. Supervert, Necrophilia Variations 4. Cassandra Clare, Dark Artifices 5. Death and the Maiden, Takato Yamamoto 6. William Shakespeare, As You Like It 7. @thatantisocialbitch 8. The Silent Voice (1989), Alfred Lord 9. author unknown 10. (the playwrights will write your names in the darkness of the sky) 11. Émile Jean Horace Vernet, The Angel of Death (1852) 12. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1937) 13. Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace 14. Eliza Crewe, Crushed 15. Yoshitaka Amano, The Endless Desire 16. Maram Rimawi 17. Farouq Jwaideh 18. Mary Shelley, Mathilda 19. Włodzimierz Błocki, Kiss of Death (1902) 20. Psalm 139:8 21. Jason Chan, Fall 22. Asmita Sengupta 23. Frederick Seidel, The Last Poem in the Book 23. Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid 24. Anne Bachelier 25. Konstantin Makovsky, Demon and Tamara

[viridianstarlight]

Do you know who you are?

To the world these days, or at least my generation and younger, personal identity matters a whole lot to people.And to these same people, your identity can be whatever you want it to be.

You are identified by your gender, and they say your gender can be whatever you want on any day.

You are identified by your sexuality and relationship status.

You are identified by the colour of your skin.

You are identified by your job.

There’s more, but I think you get the idea.

So in the eyes of these people, I am male, straight and single, white, and a cafe worker. But I don’t really think that describes ‘Cory’.

But we Christians have a different view of identity. Here’s what the Bible says about who we are.

Psalm 139: 15-16 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

To start with, God knows exactly who you are. He knows everything there is to know about you. So if anyone can show you who you are, it is God.

1 John 3: 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

We are called God’s children. We are adopted in to the King’s family.

Romans 8:16-18 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

By being adopted in to the King’s family, we are made co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His sufferings and glory.

Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says— He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

We belong to God.

Romans 6:6 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Thanks to Christ’s death and resurrection, our faith in Him clothes us in His righteousness and redeems us of our sins. God looks upon us and sees the perfection of Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God is perfect, and so is everything He creates. God does not make mistakes. You are His masterpiece, the crowning reflection of His perfect creativity.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?

Your body is a holy space where God dwells.

Ephesians 1: 4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 

God created the world in the first chapter of Genesis, and even before then, He knew you perfectly and has loved you perfectly since then.

1 Corinthians 12: 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

You belong as part of something greater than yourself, and you cannot function to your greatest potential separate to the body.

You were created to do things that other parts of the body cannot do, and you were created to benefit the body just as other parts were created to benefit you.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

You are a royal priest of the King. In the old testament, only the high priests could enter the holy of holies within God’s temple. But we, belonging totally to God and being chosen by Him, can enter the presence of God at any time.

And this is all thanks to Christ leaving heaven to become a man, taking our sin to the cross and dying in our place, taking our judgement, and in return sharing His righteousness with us.

Do you know who you are? God does.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Every September, my friend Marc Hong, a professor at Louisville Seminary, hosts Psalmtember. He invites you to join in, too!

Think "Inktober," but in September and with a spiritual focus — and with any art form welcome, from drawing to poetry to photography and beyond. There's also no pressure to create something for every day — do as many or as few as you like.

Here's Marc's description of this artistic event:

Each year, I love to spend a month making art inspired by the Psalms. There are 30 days in September, meaning that I can evenly divide up the 150 Psalms into 5 sets of 30. So, if I do this for 5 years, I will have made art with all of the Psalms. Join me! The prompt list is in the image [as well as below the readmore]. But other words may stand out to you! Or you may try to make art that represents the wholeness of the Psalm. I encourage you to read the text of the whole Psalm each day, consider what emotions it stirs up in you, choose a medium that speaks to you, and make some art! Folks have painted, used ink, drawn with colored pencils, taken photographs, written haikus, and much more. Choose what stirs delight in you!

Tag your post with #psalmtember2023 so we can celebrate the Psalms through art together!

Marc and many others post on Facebook, but I'll be paying attention to the tag here on tumblr. If you create anything you'd like me to share on Facebook on your behalf, DM me.

PSALMTEMBER 2023 PROMPT LIST

SEPT 1 - Psalm 31 - Refuge

SEPT 2 - Psalm 32 - Waters

SEPT 3 - Psalm 33 - Breath

SEPT 4 - Psalm 34 - Radiant

SEPT 5 - Psalm 35 - Net

SEPT 6 - Psalm 36 - Mountains

SEPT 7 - Psalm 37 - Smoke

SEPT 8 - Psalm 38 - Burden

SEPT 9 - Psalm 39 - Burned

SEPT 10 - Psalm 40 - Bog

SEPT 11 - Psalm 41 - Rise

SEPT 12 - Psalm 42 - Deer

SEPT 13 - Psalm 43 - Altar

SEPT 14 - Psalm 44 - Dust

SEPT 15 - Psalm 45 - Robes

SEPT 16 - Psalm 46 - River

SEPT 17 - Psalm 47 - Throne

SEPT 18 - Psalm 48 - City

SEPT 19 - Psalm 49 - Graves

SEPT 20 - Psalm 50 - Tempest

SEPT 21 - Psalm 51 - Clean

SEPT 22 - Psalm 52 - Uproot

SEPT 23 - Psalm 53 - Bones

SEPT 24 - Psalm 54 - Upholder

SEPT 25 - Psalm 55 - Dove

SEPT 26 - Psalm 56 - Bottle

SEPT 27 - Psalm 57 - Shadow

SEPT 28 - Psalm 58 - Snail

SEPT 29 - Psalm 59 - Dogs

SEPT 30 - Psalm 60 - Cracks

[hopethroughscriptureministries]

Parable of the Prodigal Son:

Jesus conveyed a profound message about forgiveness, redemption, and the boundless love of God. Let's reframe the narrative within this Christian context, drawing from Luke 15:11-32, and infuse it with additional biblical insights.

A certain man had two sons. The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance and journeyed to a distant land where he squandered his wealth in reckless living. Soon, a severe famine swept through the land, and the young man found himself in dire need.

In his desperation, he sought employment feeding pigs, a job that symbolized his degradation and distance from his upbringing. Yet, in his lowest moment, he came to his senses and decided to return to his father, confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness.

His father, filled with compassion, ran to greet him while he was still far off. Instead of condemnation, the father embraced his wayward son, clothing him in the finest robe and celebrating his return with a lavish feast.

Meanwhile, the older son, who had remained obedient and dutiful, grew resentful at the extravagant welcome given to his brother. But the father, ever merciful, reminded him of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.

This parable echoes the essence of divine mercy and the unconditional love of God. Just as the father welcomed back his repentant son, so too does our Heavenly Father eagerly await our return, ready to forgive and restore us to fellowship with Him.

The Prodigal Son reminds us of the importance of humility, repentance, and forgiveness in our Christian journey. It challenges us to examine our attitudes towards others, particularly those who have strayed from the path, and to emulate God's boundless love and compassion.

Broader context:

Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32):

This is the main passage where the parable is found.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation:

Matthew 18:21-22 - Jesus teaches about forgiveness.

Colossians 3:13 - Encouragement to forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate, forgiving one another.

Luke 6:37 - Judge not, and you will not be judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

God's Unconditional Love:

Romans 8:38-39 - Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

1 John 4:16 - God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God.

Romans 5:8 - God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.

Repentance and Restoration:

Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

Joel 2:13 - Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Celebration in Heaven over Repentance:

Luke 15:7 - Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 - Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

God's Provision and Restoration:

Philippians 4:19 - And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

God's Sovereignty and Compassion:

Psalm 103:8 - The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Lamentations 3:22-23 - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

James 5:11 - Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Questions:

How does the parable of the Prodigal Son reflect God's unconditional love and forgiveness?

In what ways do we, like the older brother, struggle with forgiveness and harbor resentment towards others?

How can we cultivate a spirit of compassion and reconciliation in our interactions with those who have gone astray?

What steps can we take to emulate the father's example of mercy and grace in our daily lives?

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the timeless wisdom and grace revealed in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Teach us to extend forgiveness, show compassion, and embrace reconciliation in our relationships, reflecting your boundless love for all your children. Amen.

[irrealisms]

i was born for this || a web weave about belonging to God

wikipedia // psalm 63:1 // wikipedia // matthew 25:23 // clerical collars: symbolism and meaning // isaiah 44:5 // the line i called the horizon by consumptive_sphinx // 1 corinthians 6:19-20 // les misérables // romans 14:7-8 // clear night by charles wright // psalm 119:20 // batter my heart, three person'd God by john donne // isaiah 43:1

[IDs under cut]

Image 1: Serviam is Latin for "I will serve."

Image 2: 1 You, God, are my God,     earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you,     my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land     where there is no water.

Image 3: "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Wikipedia

Image 4: 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!

Image 5: The collar remains a distinctive sign of the priest’s availability and the permanent nature of Holy Orders. The priest “is not his own” and is a visible sign of Jesus Christ,

Image 6: Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;     others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’     and will take the name Israel.

Image 7: "I am for God, you know I am for God,"

Image 8: You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.

Image 9: My soul belongs to God, I know I made that bargain long ago

Image 10: 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Image 11: I want to be bruised by God. I want to be strung up in a strong light and singled out. I want to be stretched, like music wrung from a dropped seed.    I want to be entered and picked clean.

Image 12: 20 My soul is consumed with longing     for your laws at all times.

Image 13: Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Image 14: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;     I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

[walkswithmyfather]

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” —John 12:12‭-‬19 (NIV)

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” —Zechariah 9:9‭-‬12 (NIV)

“Easter Explained: An 8-Day Guide to Celebrating Holy Week Devotional. Day 1 - Palm Sunday” By Spoken Gospel:

“For the last 1,600 years, Christians around the world remember the last days of Jesus' life during Holy Week. Today is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday remembers the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey like a rival king to challenge Caesar and his Roman empire.

Like every other empire, Rome controlled its people with the threat of death. But Jesus came to disarm all kings of their favorite weapon by dying and then rising from his grave. Jesus has just performed his seventh and final miracle in John's Gospel. He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44). It's final proof that Jesus' Kingship will disarm death and grant life. All of Jesus' miracles hint toward this in some way. Turning water into wine, healing a sick boy, raising a paralytic from his bed, and feeding over 5,000 people with a boy's lunch are all small-scale resurrections. And the people of Israel had an inkling of what all this meant. To them, Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah, the promised King of Israel who would come to heal their bodies, feed their bellies, and take down Rome's deadly rule. And in a very important sense, they were right (John 6:15).

When Jesus saddles a donkey (the traditional beast of kings) and rides into Jerusalem, the people understand it as the coronation ceremony of their death-defeating Messiah. Waving palm branches, a crowd gathers around Jesus and sings from Psalm 118: 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!'

John tells us this is all done to fulfill a prophecy given by Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9-10). Jesus intentionally rides in on a donkey to inflame their hopes that he is the King they have been waiting for. He is the King that can defeat death. He will be victorious over all rival claims to his throne and he will save his people (John 12:15-16). That's what 'hosanna' means''save us.' It's the cry of those who long for the King prophesied by Zechariah.

But unlike other kings, Jesus hasn't come to kill, but to die. Like a seed must be buried before it can become a tree, Jesus must be buried before his Kingdom comes. He must master death by first dying. Anyone who wants to join his Kingdom must be willing to accept his death (John 12:24-26). The whole reason Jesus came to earth wasn't to conquer empires by killing them, but to die under their influence (John 12:27). Jesus rides into Jerusalem like a King, but like a King who knows the only way to defeat death is to die.

That's why these events and teachings don't please everyone, especially the Jewish religious establishment. Many within this religious elite did not believe that Israel's true King could suffer and die. In their minds, a Messiah should fight and win. They can't imagine a king that doesn't wield death. And they don't understand that their greatest threat isn't Rome, but death itself. Unwilling to accept a King who embraces death and suffering, they're forced to oppose and reject him.

Palm Sunday is good news because Jesus announces that he has come to dethrone and disarm the empires of this world through his death. We can either embrace the rival Kingship of Jesus or we can align ourselves with the powers that be. We can accept Jesus' coming death as the way to new life or fight to keep our lives as we know them. We can either pledge allegiance to Jesus' Kingdom or join the religious establishment and reject him.

So I pray that on this Palm Sunday you will accept Jesus as the King who died and was raised to show that death and the empires that wield it are defeated.”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” —Psalm 118:1‭, ‬15‭-‬16‭, ‬22‭-‬23‭, ‬27‭-‬29 (NIV)

Watch the video of “Easter Explained” here. ]

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;

14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

(Psalms 33, ESV)

[orthodoxadventure]

The άνάλαβος (analavos) is the distinctive garment of a monk or a nun tonsured into the highest grade of Orthodox monasticism, the Great Schema, and is adorned with the instruments of the Passion of Christ. It takes its name from the Greek αναλαμβάνω (“to take up”), serving as a constant reminder to the one who wears it that he or she must “take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). The ornately-plaited Crosses that cover the analavos, the polystavrion (πολυσταύριον, from πολύς, “many,” and σταυρός, “Cross”) — a name often, though less accurately, also applied to the analavos — reminds the monastic that he or she is “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

With regard to each image on the analavos, the rooster represents “the cock [that] crowed” (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:68 Luke 22:60; John 18:27) after Saint Peter had “denied thrice” His Master and Lord (John 13:38).

The pillar represents the column to which Pilate bound Christ “when he scourged Him” (Mark 15:15) “by Whose stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24).

The wreath garlanding the Cross represents the “crown of thorns” (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2) that “the soldiers platted” (John 19:2) and “put upon the head” (Matthew 27:29) of “God our King of old” (Psalm 73:13), Who freed man from having to contend against “thorns and thistles in the sweat of his brow” (Genesis 3:18-19).

The upright post and the traverse beam represent the stipes and the patibulum that formed “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14), upon which “all day long He stretched forth His hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people” (Isaiah 65:2; Romans 10:21).

The four spikes at the center of the Cross and the hammer beneath its base represent the “nails” (John 20:25) and hammer with which “they pierced” (Psalm 21:16; John 19:37) “His hands and His feet” (Luke 24:40). when they “lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32) Him Who “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us by nailing it to His Cross” (Colossians 2:14).

The base upon which the Cross stands represents “the place, which is called 'Calvary' (Luke 23:33), or 'Golgotha', that is to say, the Place of the Skull” (Matthew 27:33), “where they crucified Him” (John 19:18) Who “wrought salvation in the midst of the earth” (Psalm 73:13).

The skull and crossbones represent “the first man Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45), who by tradition “returned unto the ground” (Genesis 3:19) at this very spot, the reason that this place of execution, “full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27) became the place where “the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45).

The plaque on top of the Cross represents the titulus, the “title” (John 19:19-20), with “the superscription of His accusation” (Mark 15:26), which “Pilate wrote” (John 19:19) “and set up over His head” (Matthew 27:37); however, instead of “Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews” (John 19:19), which “was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew” (Luke 23:38), the three languages being an allusion to the Three Hypostases “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), this titulus reads, “The King of Glory” (Psalm 23:7-10), “for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8).

The reed represents the “hyssop” (John 19:29) upon which was put “a sponge full of vinegar” (Mark 15:36), which was then “put to His mouth” (John 19:29) when in His “thirst they gave Him vinegar to drink” (Psalm 68:21), Him of Whom it was said that “all wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

The lance represents the “spear [that] pierced His side”; “and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34) from Him Who “took one of Adam's ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof" (Genesis 2:21) and Who “washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

The plaque at the bottom of the Cross represents the suppedaneum of Christ, “His footstool” (Psalm 98:5), “the place where His feet have stood” (Psalm 131:7). It is slanted because, according to one tradition, at the moment when “Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit” (Mark 15:37), He allowed a violent death spasm to convulse His legs, dislodging His footrest in such a manner that one end pointed upwards, indicating that the soul of the penitent thief, Saint Dismas, “the one on His right hand” (Mark 15:27) would be “carried up into Heaven” (Luke 24:51), while the other end, pointed downwards, indicated that the soul of the impenitent thief, Gestas, “the other on His left” (Mark 15:27), would “be thrust down to Hell” (Luke 10:15), showing that all of us, “the evil and the good, the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), “are weighed in the balance” (Ecclesiasticus 21:25) of the Cross of Christ.

The ladder and the pincers beneath the base of the Cross represent the means of deposition by which Saint Joseph of Arimathea, “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57) who “begged for the body of Jesus” (Matthew 27:58; Luke 23:52), “took it down” (Luke 23:53), so that as in body He descended from the Cross, so in soul “He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth” (Ephesians 4:9), “by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (I Peter 3:19).

Through these instruments, “the Cross of Christ” (I Corinthians 1:17: Galatians 6:12; Philippians 3:18) became the “Tree of Life” (Genesis 2:9; 3:22, 24; Proverbs 3:18, 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14), by which the Lord Jesus reified His words that, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

[source]

[yieldfruit]

The Gospel

What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.

God Is Sovereign Creator Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Mankind Is Sinful According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

Jesus Is Lord and Savior Romans 10:9 says, If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

The Character of Saving Faith True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

Source: https://www.gracechurch.org/about/gospel

[lionofthegoldsun]

[Maintaining A Clear Conscience]

Believers in Christ must strive to maintain a clear conscience: we must remove any pollution or defilement in our minds, hearts, and souls. That includes being cautious of what we say (Matthew 15:11), what we hear—practically anything NEGATIVE our soul absorbs, which can pollute it. And whatever we absorb can cause us to behave in a not so pleasing way to God (Romans 12:1).

This can happen without us being aware. For instance, if you run to the internet to answer your questions and to solve your problems, instead of God’s truth, you’re not going to have peace because the world is full of lies and ruled by spirits of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

-1 John 5:19

These are deceiving spirits who want to take our focus off God and drag us down. They want us to feel as if there is no hope. It’s all a distraction.

The devil will use our emotions to toy with us. Therefore, trusting other sources, our hearts, and people instead of God and His word will only birth fear, paranoia, and anxiety, which are not fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Not only that, the human heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). And as Proverbs 28:26 says: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will escape.”

As Believers, this will only make us stumble and our faith wobble. That is why we need to root ourselves in God and in His word.

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

-Jeremiah 17:8

<Extra Verses>

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

Psalm 118:8-9

“Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?”

-Isaiah 2:22

“Fools believe every word they hear, but wise people think carefully about everything.”

-Proverbs 14:15

<Bonus Verses>

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

-Philippians 4:8-9

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:6-7

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

-2 Corinthians 10:5

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

-Isaiah 55:8-9

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

-Romans 12:2

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

-Isaiah 26:3

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

-Colossians 3:2