#if you still stand with israel you are heartless

[newsfrom-theworld]

Where is the outrage Western / White feminists?

Today the western media won’t cover the horrific mass rapes at al shifa, all the destruction and massacres.

They only condemn what’s imaginary and serves their propaganda purposes, not the truth that all of us have been witnessing for months. unforgivable and unforgettable.

Israel has a long history of inflicting sexual violence on palestinian men, women, & children. it is well documented.

Soldiers even boast about it. the bare minimum of a google search will bring up countless investigations spanning decades. sexual violence is a colonial strategy.

Fuck this world..

[alesbianperson]

football player!ellie williams x fem!reader

summary: At the football play you visited to support your best friend, something happens that you didn't expect.

warnings: smoking (weed); slightly implied loser Ellie at the end; swear words; girls kissing (what a surprise); my writing idk

authors note: so firstly I mean football as soccer and not american football, but its not important to the plot so it can be interpreted as either; secondly, sorry for being so inactive I actually needed fucking half a year just for this its actually embarressing, I'm really slow at writing I don't know why, but I'm trying to be more active. I also didnt proofread so sorry for grammar mistakes or something anyway I hope you enjoy this!!

ALSO BIG DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT SUPPORT NEIL DRUCKMANN AND THE FACT THAT HE SUPPORTS ISRAEL!! If you don't know whats going on in Palestine, please go educate yourself because its highly important.

Here are a few links, so nobody can say it's too complicated or annoying to search for information (besides its really fucking heartless, cruel and totally not human to say "I dont wanna put effort in researching" while people are literally suffering and dying because of a genocide):

General information/updates

Brands to boycott

How you can help Palestine

Palestine masterposts: 1 2

--☆--

This evening was the final football game of the season. Everyone was so excited, and your best friend played in the school team, so of course, you came to this game to support her. You already arrived a bit late because you took a nap and didn't hear the alarm, so you quickly searched for your friends who were already sat and luckily saved you a seat. When they saw you coming in, they waved you over to them.

"What took you so long? The game has already started!" One of them said before switching their attention back to the field. "Sorry, I overslept." You explained yourself sitting down on your seat. "You didn't miss much, just a foul from the other team. They're so annoying and clearly playing anything but fair." Another one of your friends said, rolling her eyes while offering you a bag of chips. You declined and began searching for your best friend between all the other players, running on the field. Not even five seconds later, you found her. With the ball in front of her, she ran towards the goal. You joined the cheers of everyone from your school, sure that this was going to be such a great goal until:

A girl from the other team came out of nowhere, running towards her, tackling her to the ground. You gasped. "That was another foul!" One of your friends exclaimed, standing up to better see what the referee would say. But instead of also looking at the referee, your gaze still hasn't left the girl, responsible for the foul.

She looked pleased with herself. What an asshole! You thought to yourself, but couldn't deny that the way her eyes sparkled in the light and her auburn hair moved in the wind was mesmerising. Too distracted by her features, you realised a bit late that she was eyeing you too. A smirk on her lips, she winked at you before walking off the field, your eyes still on her.

"Too bad that bitch just got a yellow card. She deserved more, right?" Your friends, already discussing the decision of the referee, were turning to you since you were the only one who didn't comment on it. Heat rushed into your cheeks as you realised you hadn't listened the whole time, busy gushing over that girl. "Yeah.. definitely more." Was all you said to not keep the attention on you.

"Guys," you added after a short pause, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. I'll be back."

"Sure."

"But hurry, they're already playing again."

You just slightly nodded before walking off to search for the bathrooms. To your luck, they weren't far away from your seats, so it didn't take too long to find them. As you closed the door behind you, a strong smell of weed filled your lungs. Holding a hand in front of your mouth, you coughed reflexively.

"Having trouble breathin', princess?"

You turned around to see the girl who fouled your best friend sitting on the sink, her legs slightly swinging forwards and back. She still wore her tricot but now had a grey, dirty, worn-out jacket over it. The half up half down bun she had was messed up, probably because of the constant running on the field, and between two of her fingers, she held an already half smoked joint.

Her smile rose as she noticed your gaze lingering on her again. "Y'want a photo? It'll last longer." She chuckled, finding this old ass joke very funny. You rolled your eyes at her words but couldn't help the smile, forming on your lips. "What are you doing here anyway, don't you have to play?" She blew out the smoke she held in her mouth before answering your question. "My coach replaced me. Said I needed a break before playing again." You just nodded because you didn't know how to keep the conversation going. For a few seconds, you both just looked at each other in silence. After taking another drag from the joint, she leaned forward, offering you to do the same.

"No, thanks. I don't smoke."

"Thought so." She chuckled. After a short pause, she added: "Not in a rude way, of course. Y'just don't look like you'd do drugs." Even though you knew it was childish and totally stupid, you now wanted to prove to her that you were indeed someone who could take drugs. So you took the joint out of her hand, carefully brought it to your lips, and inhaled.

You probably shouldn't have inhaled this deep because now you were coughing like someone poured tons of sand down your throat. It surely felt like it. When you calmed down a bit, you looked up again, handing the joint back to the girl on the sink, who was clearly amused. "What a brave girl." She said with a shit eating grin on her face. "Come here, I'll show you how it's done right."

She gestured between her spread legs. As you moved towards her, she leaned in, reducing the space between the two of you. "Open your mouth." She then proceeded to take a drag from the joint. As she moved closer, your breath hitched. Your eyes wandered from her gorgeous green ones down to her lips, and heat rose in your cheeks again. Without breaking eye contact, she blew the smoke she had in her mouth into yours. Reflexively, you closed it.

"Now hold it in."

And that's what you did. The smoke filled your lungs, this time a lot less painful than your first drag. After a few seconds, you exhaled slowly, a small smile of pride on your face.

Your faces were still very close, and silence fell upon the both of you again. The tension thickend. Her emerald green eyes stared directly into yours, abruptly blinking down to your lips. "Can I kiss you?" Your voice was nothing more than a whisper, fading into thin air. A smirk grew once again on her lips before nodding and then proceeding to lean in and closing the gap between the two of you.

Once her lips were on yours, she cupped your cheek, her fingertips brushing slightly over it. You felt like your heart was going to jump out of your chest. Her lips were so soft. You couldn't really describe the feeling, but it felt good. Like you were on cloud nine. You quickly synced with the rhythm she set, leaning forward so that her back met the wall behind her.

Your hands wandered behind her neck, beginning to tug on her hair slightly. A soft groan escaped her lips at the sudden impact, which sounded like music to your ears.

A smile formed on your lips once she broke the kiss to catch her breath. "What're you smiling at?" She looked at you irritated, which just caused you to chuckle.

"I don't know. You're.. pretty."

Silence followed after that.

"Pretty enough to get your number?"

Ellie wanted to bash her head against the wall at her cringe comment. She thought she'd definitely crossed the line now. But you just began laughing, quickly covering your mouth with your hand to muffle the sound.

"Sorry. Don't get me wrong I-", you interrupted yourself by holding up your finger to signal her to wait and began searching for your phone in your purse. Fuck. You thought as you realised you left it in your jacket with your friends and hurriedly searched around for something to write on. Ellie just watched you amused, catching on to your plan. She snatched a pepertowel out of the spender and offered it to you. You just gave her an awkward smile, fishing a half empty kajal out of your purse and scribbled your phone number on it.

As you handed it to her, she took it with the same smirk she had in the beginning. "As sad as it is, I think I have to go back on the field. My coach probably misses me by now." She added hesitantly while sliding off the sink and walking towards the door. "Cool meeting you, though." The click of the closing door was the last thing you heard before you were completely alone in the bathroom.

With the paper towel still in her hand, Ellie made her way over to the rest of her team, almost jumping with joy and thanking every mighty power for letting her survive the whole conversation without completely losing her mind or embarrassing herself. She'd definitely save your number as soon as she could. Actually contacting you was a whole other story.

[pinkpinkstarlet]

Whenever I look at the food on my plate, whether during breakfast lunch or dinner, I think of the Palestinians who have barely anything to eat, and the food they do have is in extremely poor condition, while their cultural foods are stolen by “israel”.

When I feel cramps during my period and I take pain pills to ease it, I think of all the women and girls in Palestine. I think of how there might be young girls getting their first period during the genocide they are facing, with limited supplies and a pain that they can’t be relieved of. I think of the women who go through periods and those that are pregnant, and think of the horror they are going through because of the heartless monsters in so called “israel”.

Whenever I meet with my family, when I look at my parents, my younger family members, I think of all the suffering families who have been wiped out brutally by this disgusting ethnostate. To the parents who had to hold their dead children in bags on their backs, to the children who lost their parents and families, to the people of Palestine, I stand with you.

I think of the children, the women, the men, the countless Palestinian people who have suffered through so much but have still remained strong and beautiful and resilient and kind. They are a beautiful people. “Israel” and the zionists that support its terrorist existence are all cowards.

To the beautiful people of Palestine, I stand with you. Free Palestine.

🇵🇸🍉

[loujitsushotsoup]

How many Hamas members do you think you create when you bomb and orphan, displace and brutalize?

How many Hamas members do you make when people are crying out for help and the most important people turn their backs or worst, encourage?

How many Hamas members do you make when you mock and ridicule the group you are oppressing?

Why do so many people have to die in order to make change?

Why does an 8 year old from Gaza have to relay her story in tears and pain for some of y'all to get it?

Why do Palestinians have to hold your hand and express through analogies what has and still is happening to their land?

Many ask when people got so heartless, they always were, but still it's fucking mind boggling.

Why do influencers get to parade mental health when they are sitting in their comfy ass homes with no real responsibility?

How are they the ones with money and platform if they can't even use it when it counts?

Why can celebrities say Zionism is sexy and people who say from the river to the sea are promoting a second Holocaust?

How can schools, a place for knowledge not utter even one word about the world, the real one?

We are told to never forget 9/11 when we don't even know the entire story, we are trained to forget how the Muslim community were ostracized and harassed after.

Why do politicians get to stand around with their dicks in their hands while their idiot allies run around on a killing spree.

Why are some of these spineless fucks are supporting their "favs" who couldn't give too shits about them when they're supporting terrorism?

You no back bone bitches can't live without sub par coffee? Or play dough food McDonalds? Grow the fuck up.

This is not only a show of character, it's putting the lack of humanity many have on a goddman poster.

Where are the feminists, spiritualists, you all lives matter people now?

Oh, that only applied to white people. Got it.

Over 10000 people have died.

GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD.

Live with it.

I hope all you terrible people get the worst thing coming, I'm tired of considering the feelings of those who can't say with their chest that murder is wrong.

You wanna know what side I'm on? The side where people are being killed unjustly, when children and INFANTS are half the kill count.

So let me end with this.

Fuck the USA and their dumbass government and president, who never cared about the people.

Fuck Israel, the oppressive, idiotic apartheid state.

Fuck all you silent, neutral or pro Israel assholes.

And from the river to the mother fucking sea will Palestine be free. 🇵🇸

[btrfleoge]

palestinians shouldn't have to go online, asking for help to raise thousands of dollars just to survive and escape THEIR land that is being bombed by heartless genocidal terrorists. there are over 36,000 recorded deaths because of the genocide due to the IDF, consisting mostly of children and women. babies are being beheaded, reduced to ashes, SHOT AT yet there are still people saying they're neutral or straight up stand with israel. why call yourself a good person if you can't fucking acknowledge the situation and stand for human rights, the least we could do is share posts speaking up for palestinians istead of just going about your life purposely being ignorant to what's happening.

[bookoformon]

Ether 10, Part 8. "War!"

The Prophet said there is a Quorum of legal and virtuous characteristics that can be held sacred and observed by a free productive society. We aren't so happy to pay attention to them and need to learn hard lessons, but they are there. They have always been there.

What would you say if you saw on the news that a bunch of kindergartners brought hand grenades, guns, knives, missile launchers, and bunch of fully loaded insulun syringes filled with cystal meth, home colonic machines, fuck machines, toys, dildos, cockrings, masturbation devices, like fleshligts, and vibrating butt plugs, slings, bondage gear, virtual reality glasses and cameras on pedestals to class? You would say, "one thing about living in DC I could never stand...all the goddam Mormons!"

You would think little kids would be taught "raise your hand, don't cut in line, don't tease people or push them around..." but no, we are teaching kids it's okay to bully them, give them drugs, and forcibly give them drugs and then make porn out of them. Our hearts are not only broken, they are empty.

By allowing the Republicans to exist, we are giving the blessing of state power to people who are heartless, allowing them to use it to project force on our soil and on Israel's soil, cringing when we realize it is actually making people mad, like, really, really pissed off.

I speak from experience. After I began trying in earnest to get that 2016 election annulled and Hillary Clinton sworn in, politely asked Phil Mendelsohn of the DC City Council to close the Family Research Council and RNC over it and their many, many civil rights violations, I began to experience their wrath instead of the other way around. President Trump still marches around like his shit don't stink, and the RNC is sitll trying to stir up mischief instead of doing its job of looking after the needs of the American polity and its international partners.

More than once, people like Jerry Falwell, David and Barbara Green, Tony Perkins, Mitt Romney, Mike Pence, Karl Rove, Josh Hawley, Thomas Massie, and Amy Barrett broke into my home with an army brigade of kindergartners and teenagers, all of them Mormons and tried to intimidate me, even try to kill me to get me to stop trying to force the government to handle Donald Trump and his election campaign crimes appropriately. Now he, who is on trial for trying cover up raucous sex with a porn star is telling the world we are crazy.

My attackers remain free to do whatever they want to others, and they have. The same persons that attacked me saw how easy it is in America to organize and do evil in the eyes of the Lord and now hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza and Israel are paying the price. Weapons of war of all sorts or rolling off the assembly line and onto cargo planes and train cars, and there is no end in sight to humanity's wickedness.

Almost all of the persons that attacked me here in DC have also been seen in Israel working alongside Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian Republican Army. They were brought into the country by the Marriott Corporation to work in housekeeping, engineering, and front desk management of their hotels. Many of the incidents I reported to the police took place at a Marriott hotel just down the street from the White House. Some were working in the Bassoon Section of the Congress for Senator Roger Wicker and Lindsey Graham as gay male prostitutes. Michael T. Simet was their favorite, like his mates, a real winner with the chicken dinners if you know what I mean.

I even saw Donald Trump's pot bellied fat Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Department of Energy Rick Perry hoist a kid who was not old enough to shave into a sling and take turns fuchking him. That doesn't even come close to the number of children his friend Linda Simspen from the Friends of Israel club has put her hands on. Now we find out they were wheeling and dealing with Hamas and Hezbollah in order to formulate an assault on Israel?

These are details the world needs in its possession in order to navigate the crisis that is taking place on Israel's soil and make sound decisions as to what to do about it.

Dick Cheney and the Mormons that attacked me heavily emphasized and premeditated an armed assault on Israel's territory in my presence. The police and FBI did not follow through on my reports, and lo and behold, on January 6, and then on October 7, and recently on a number of College Campuses, the Mormons began projecting force at others. They think the world belongs to them, except it belongs to everyone.

But this concept embodied in the Words of the Gospels and in the Flesh by the Christ is not for them. They used EMPs, guns, rockets, grendades, hack saws, knives and swords against innocent Israelis. They kidnapped them, they planned all of it, hoping to use their terror tunnels and immense stockpiles of weapons and munitions, hidden inside almost every apartment and bunker in Gaza City.

Then the fuckups who think black people are "dark and lazy" put on Palestinian head scarves and started jumping up and down in front of college campuses. Numbered among these were many of the kiddie porn stars I had the misfortune of meeting when they broke into my house.

I have looked these filth and their offspring in the eyes, thousands of times. They are not sane, they are not of the intellect, they are not human. They must pay for stepping foot on the sacred soil of Israel with their lives.

President Biden is therefore in err about the war in Gaza at this present time. The Republicans, Mormons, and their friends in the Middle East must be utterly annihilated. Their intentions and actions suggest a violent and inhumane regime that is well funded, organized, and armed and cannot be allowed to proceed.

Donald Trump, one its benefactors, is clearly ineligible to run for the Office of the President again, and the Republican Party must be disbanded, never again permitted to operate as the spoils of the war against their tyranny and depravity that are spoiling America.

The greatest weapon of war is peace, the greatest contributor to peace is repentance for all the war. Should we need to make war, as in the cases of the Russians, Republicans, and the Mormons, one makes war with the rage of angels, wins it and returns life to normal. This is how free and free thinking societies work.

They have hearts, which are harnessed to their very beings by the grace of God and it is that alone which moves them:

27 And they did make all manner of weapons of war. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship.

28 And never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord. And they were in a land that was choice above all lands, for the Lord had spoken it.

29 And it came to pass that Lib did live many years, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Hearthom.

30 And it came to pass that Hearthom reigned in the stead of his father. And when Hearthom had reigned twenty and four years, behold, the kingdom was taken away from him. And he served many years in captivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days.

Wars in Jewish scriptures are called Sanhedrin, a meeting of Rabbis performed in order to measure the efficacy of the law and improve upon its ability to meet the needs of the human race. In spite of apparent strictures against gay people contained in the Torah, for example, we have decided as a human race to observe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because this makes life better for a significant portion of mankind and cuts down on all the violence.

This is what wars of all sort are for. A prolonged or ineffective argument is no good, neither is a war that leaves mankind wondering.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 27: And they did make all manner of weapons of war. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship. The Value in Gematria is 8809, חח‎‎אֶפֶסט, "as an offset."

v. 28: ‎And never could be a people more blessed than were they. The Value in Gematria is 9603, טואֶפֶסג‎‎ ‎, toepseg, "you'll be pissed off."

v. 29: And it came to pass he also begat Lib, "the heart" and Hearthom, "the harness." The Value in Gematria is 4208, דבאֶפֶסח‎ ‎, "the passover."

v. 30: And it came to pass the kingdom was taken away from him. And he served many years in captivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days. The Value in Gematria is 1111, א‎אאא‎‎‎, ayah ayah, ea ea or to be here, is to live on the Island of the Brotherhood of the House Israel."

The cause of mankind, contained in the words we love to hear about at Christmas time and forget the rest of the year, "Peace on earth, goodwill towards men and glory to God on high" has been faltering. If we must argue the case for war and then make war on those who are resistant to these words, then we tell the truth, we do it, observe the Passover and live as friends and brothers exactly like God told us we must do.

Thus is the harness of the heart, and the meaning of the Quorum of mankind.

[omshant]

Dude WHO are the slaves of 666, s&s, and g? Are they all already marked? Do you think it's possible they would all eventually just kill each other or kill themselves? Or do they want help? Do they want to repent and change their ways? How long would that take? Can they be forgiven? Can they be forgiven at this point? Can they be forgiven now? Do you think they are mostly or all of any particular race or faction? Do you think there are some scattered among all the races? I'm reflecting now on early December last year when I started clearing my mind and working with th Angels in clothing stores and hotel lobbies and stuff to get the g hoards/other oppressors/inferiors to clear out. That was so awesome. Oh my gosh. Idk dude I guess maybe you just kinda know. Or at least they know. I think they also may be repelled by me when I clear my mind. That's kind of like a super power dude! What else can I do? You guys gotta let me know. I don't trust my own perception(s) because I tend to trust everyone. I guess I'm just here to represent for the youth and All Black Lives (I think/I hope.. for sure.). and then Hindus, Hispanics seem cool to me now. Believers. Sare bambini aur unke aatmaein. I guess Asians.. definitely the Japanese. The other Asians seem kind of heartless to me. But maybe they're all/the smart ones are probably on our side because they know we're better. Still, Asians eat dogs tho. Also I always gotta s/o for Jews/God's people, Italia, Vikings and pirates. Dude, also, why is everyone so into the Russia-Ukraine conflict? And why does everyone support Ukraine? Is Ukraine objectively the good guys here? Maybe. Idk though. I don't know anything about it. And I don't get it. I guess Russia is landgrabbing? I just know that those people protesting outside my building are not nice. Also, Palestine? No. Dude this country seems flooded now with weak degenerates and infiltrators shilling for Gaza. I stand for Israel alone. Also, those people should not be bringing their kids to hold up signs to represent for Hamas. That's twisted. What else do people care about? I guess politics? Is Biden still our president? I want someone else. Or maybe no one. It's all lame/uninteresting to me. I guess I'm maybe conservative or moderate? But also definitely not a Republican. I'm also very sensitive, like Bløøds, and fragile, like STREETS. What's going on in Africa/SWAZILAND? Seems like most people don't care about that stuff. But I'm very curious. What do you guys think most Arabs are like besides intensely hating on queers/homos and Jews? I have so many more questions. But I don't feel like looking this stuff up. I also just don't know how much of the news is really fake news and what channels or sources to consider. I do have the NEWSREAL app.

'If you turn on TV, all you see's a bunch of 'what the fucks'

Dude is dating so and so, blabbering 'bout such and such

And that ain't Jersey Shore, homey, that's the news

And these the same people supposedly telling us the truth

Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist

Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn't say shit.."

[dfroza]

the heart is given the chance to “believe…” or to reject

the True illumination of the Son and the grace of rebirth.

“The Holy Spirit stated it well when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah:

‘I send you to this people to say to them, “You will keep learning, but not understanding. You will keep staring at truth but not perceiving it. For your hearts are hard and insensitive to me—you must be hard of hearing! For you’ve closed your eyes so that you won’t be troubled by the truth, and you’ve covered your ears so that you won’t have to listen and be pierced by what I say. For then you would have to respond and repent, so that I could heal your hearts.” ’

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 28th and closing chapter of the book of Acts:

After we had safely reached land, we discovered that the island we were on was Malta. The people who lived there showed us extraordinary kindness, for they welcomed us around the fire they had built because it was cold and rainy.

When Paul had gathered an armful of brushwood and was setting it on the fire, a venomous snake was driven out by the heat and latched onto Paul’s hand with its fangs. When the islanders saw the snake dangling from Paul’s hand, they said to one another, “No doubt about it, this guy is a murderer. Even though he escaped death at sea, Justice has now caught up with him!”

But Paul shook the snake off, flung it into the fire, and suffered no harm at all. Everyone watched him, expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. After observing him for a long time and seeing that nothing unusual happened, they changed their minds and said, “He must be a god!”

The Roman governor of the island, named Publius, had his estate nearby. He graciously welcomed us as his houseguests and showed us hospitality for the three days that we stayed with him. His father lay sick in bed, suffering from fits of high fever and dysentery. So Paul went into his room, and after praying, placed his hands on him. He was instantly healed. When the people of the island heard about this miracle, they brought all the sick to Paul, and they were also healed. The islanders honored us greatly, and when we were preparing to set sail again, they gave us all the supplies we needed for our journey.

After three months we put out to sea on an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that had wintered at the island. The ship had carved on its prow as its emblem the “Heavenly Twins.”

When we landed at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. From there we set sail for the Italian city of Rhegium. The day after we landed, a south wind sprang up that enabled us to reach Puteoli in two days. There we found some believers, who begged us to stay with them for a week. Afterward, we made our way to Rome.

When the believers were alerted we were coming, they came out to meet us at the Forum of Appius while we were still a great distance from Rome. Another group met us at the Three Taverns. When Paul saw the believers, his heart was greatly encouraged and he thanked God.

When we finally entered Rome, Paul was turned over to the authorities and was allowed to live where he pleased, with one soldier assigned to guard him.

After three days Paul called together all the prominent members of the Jewish community of Rome. When they had all assembled, Paul said to them, “My fellow Jews, while I was in Jerusalem, I was handed over as a prisoner of the Romans for prosecution, even though I had done nothing against any of our people or our Jewish customs. After hearing my case, the Roman authorities wanted to release me since they found nothing that deserved a death sentence. When the Jews objected to this, I felt it necessary, with no malice against them, to appeal to Caesar. This, then, is the reason I’ve asked to speak with you, so that I could explain these things. It is only because I believe in the Hope of Israel that I am in chains before you.”

They replied, “We haven’t received any letters from the Jews of Judea, nor has anyone come to us with a bad report about you. But we are anxious to hear you present your views regarding this Christian sect we’ve been hearing about, for people everywhere are speaking against it.”

So they set a time to meet with Paul. On that day an even greater crowd gathered where he was staying. From morning until evening Paul taught them, opening up the truths of God’s kingdom. With convincing arguments from both the Law and the Prophets, he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were converted, but others refused to believe. They argued back and forth, still unable to agree among themselves. They were about to leave when Paul made one last statement to them: “The Holy Spirit stated it well when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah:

‘I send you to this people to say to them, “You will keep learning, but not understanding. You will keep staring at truth but not perceiving it. For your hearts are hard and insensitive to me—you must be hard of hearing! For you’ve closed your eyes so that you won’t be troubled by the truth, and you’ve covered your ears so that you won’t have to listen and be pierced by what I say. For then you would have to respond and repent, so that I could heal your hearts.” ’

“So listen well. This wonderful salvation given by God is now being presented to the non-Jewish nations, and they will believe and receive it!”

Paul lived two more years in Rome, in his own rented quarters, welcoming all who came to visit. He continued to proclaim to all the truths of God’s kingdom realm, teaching them about the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, speaking triumphantly and without any restriction.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 28 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 19th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that points to a humbling and healing of Egypt:

A message about Egypt:

The Eternal One will come winging in to Egypt

On a swiftly moving cloud, making her idols quake.

The Egyptians themselves will lose heart in the face of God.

The Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, says,

Eternal One: I will subject the Egyptians to oppressive forces

and heartless leadership of a dictator-king.

I will make them turn against each other,

Egyptian against Egyptian, a civil war,

Right down to the houses within a neighborhood—

city against city, district against district.

They’ll lose all courage and I’ll frustrate their plans.

They’ll seek the advice of long dead ancestors and empty idols,

mediums and fortune-tellers.

But it is I who determine their fate.

Egypt’s waterways and everything that lives in them will dry up and die—

saltwater and fresh, standing pools and running streams will all evaporate.

All the reeds and rushes along the river’s edge will wither and die and rot away.

All the crops sown by the Nile will turn brittle and dry,

to be blown away—completely away—by sultry winds.

Fishermen who set their lines and cast their nets into the Nile

will languish and mourn.

Weavers who comb flax into spinning fibers

and produce linen will be deep in despair.

The solid citizens of Egypt will be crushed,

and all who work hard for a day’s wage will be deeply distressed.

The leaders of Zoan are fools!

And those who count themselves among the Pharaoh’s smartest counselors

Base their advice on bizarre flights of fancy.

How can you tell Pharaoh,

“I am among the long line of Egypt’s wise and an heir of ancient kings”?

I certainly don’t see any such sages. If they’re here,

they should be able to tell you

what the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, has in store for Egypt.

The elite, the nobles from the northern delta south to bustling Memphis,

have been overconfident, deluded fools.

These cornerstones of society have led Egypt in the wrong direction,

and Egypt pays the price.

The Eternal has mixed them up and confused them.

God has frustrated Egypt’s efforts in everything.

Weaving and sick like an everyday drunk.

There will be nothing left for Egypt to do.

Nobody—no head, no tail, no noble palm, no lowly reed—

will be able to help Egypt.

Then, in that day, when the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, raises His hand and displays His power, the Egyptians will cower like frightened women. Egypt will even be terrified of our little Judah. Just the word “Judah” will set everyone trembling and shaking because of what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, plans to do against them.

In that day, five cities in Egypt, one of which is called the city of destruction, will adopt the language we speak in Canaan and swear to remain faithful to the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

When that day arrives, there will be an altar for rituals, marking the Eternal’s sacred space right there in the middle of Egypt, and a pillar erected to Him at its border. These will serve to notify everyone that the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, is present; God can and will be in Egypt. And if things get bad for them, the Eternal will respond to their cries for help by sending someone—a liberator and defender—to deliver them from their oppressors. The Eternal will make sure the Egyptians know Him. They will know and worship Him with gifts and praise, solemn promises and offerings. After all God’s disciplining action, the Eternal will take them back with gentle care. After His punishment, there will be healing; the Egyptians will turn to Him, and He will hear and heal them.

When that day arrives, there will be a road connecting Egypt to Assyria and people of both nations will travel it to worship together, side-by-side. Our land of Israel, through which that road travels, will then be allied with these other great nations, and Israel will be a whole-earth blessing, the hub of proper worship. The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, declares such blessing:

Eternal One: Egypt, too, shall be blessed and called “My people” and Assyria “My doing,” because I made it. Israel, of course, is simply Mine—now as before and as ever will be—“My heritage.”

The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 19 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, june 27 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about knowing truth:

The theology of Messiah insists that truth matters, and that knowing the truth about God is absolutely essential for life itself. Nothing is more important; nothing is more vital. As Yeshua solemnly affirmed: “This is eternal life (i.e., chayei olam: חַיֵּי עוֹלָם), that they may know you, the only true God (אֶל־אֱמֶת), and Yeshua the Messiah (יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ) whom you have sent (John 17:3). Note that the Hebrew word for knowledge is da’at (דַּעַת), a word that implies intimate cognitive differentiation and the apprehension of spiritual reality. Your life is a venture of faith, an irrepeatable, infinitely costly venture.

Faith both affirms and negates at the same time. Like falling in love with someone, the cost of passionately believing that Yeshua (alone) is the “way and the truth and the life” comes at the expense of other faith possibilities -- and thereby incurs the risk of offense (Rom. 9:33, 1 Pet. 2:7-8; Gal. 5:11, Matt. 24:8-11; etc.). Does this make faith in Messiah intolerant then? Not at all... All faith expressions - including skepticism, universalism, or “politically correct” humanism - are exclusivistic commitments to whatever the believer embraces as his or her “ground of ultimate concern.” Each person has their own “narrow gate” -- though this gate does not necessarily lead to life. Yeshua taught that the “narrow gateway of life” (שַּׁעַר אֶל־הַחַיִּים) is found only by the few (Matt. 7:13-14), and this doubtlessly was said to reprove the mob mentality that regards “tolerance” as the greatest of all virtues and fanaticism as the greatest of all evils. There is safety in numbers, the mob reasons, and the life of genuine conviction makes you an outcast of the group, since it exposes the “groupthink” and its inevitable moral evasions.... To worldly culture, public enemy number one is the person of real conviction. This was true in the days of the Hebrew prophets as it is today. “The voice crying in the wilderness” often cries alone. [Hebrew for Christians]

6.25.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

June 27, 2021

Working Out Salvation

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

This verse is sometimes used by those who would insist that our salvation requires “works” either to obtain or to maintain the “new birth.” Even a casual reading of the New Testament does not support that view (John 5:24; 6:37; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 4:24; etc.).

This passage, both in context and by specific word choices of the Holy Spirit, is focused on what we are to do with our salvation—obey and produce! The writer of the Hebrews letter spoke of “things that accompany salvation” (Hebrews 6:9). And even the Old Testament prophet Isaiah insisted that we should “draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).

Two parables speak specifically to this work: the gift of the talents and the gift of the pounds. God illustrated His grace by the gift of “talents” (Matthew 25:14-30) to His workers, as well as His expectation of their productivity for the profit of the Owner. Differing amounts were given to the servants based on their abilities, and judgment was based on their efficiency, or the percent of their return. In the gift of the pounds (Luke 19:13-27), God is the investor and His servants are all of us who receive (John 1:12) the gift of salvation. What we do with this gift is our responsibility. The same amount was given to each servant, without the mention of abilities. Judgment was then based on the servants’ effectiveness, or gain.

It is no wonder, then, that Paul exhorted us to “work out” the priceless salvation that has been given to us with “fear and trembling.” God is “working” in us, and He expects us to “will and to do his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). HMM III

[araitsume]

The Desire of Ages, pp. 589-600: Chapter (65) The Temple Cleansed Again

This chapter is based on Matthew 21:12-16, 23-46; Mark 11:15-19, 27-33; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 19:45-48; Luke 20:1-19.

At the beginning of His ministry, Christ had driven from the temple those who defiled it by their unholy traffic; and His stern and godlike demeanor had struck terror to the hearts of the scheming traders. At the close of His mission He came again to the temple, and found it still desecrated as before. The condition of things was even worse than before. The outer court of the temple was like a vast cattle yard. With the cries of the animals and the sharp chinking of coin was mingled the sound of angry altercation between traffickers, and among them were heard the voices of men in sacred office. The dignitaries of the temple were themselves engaged in buying and selling and the exchange of money. So completely were they controlled by their greed of gain that in the sight of God they were no better than thieves.

Little did the priests and rulers realize the solemnity of the work which it was theirs to perform. At every Passover and Feast of Tabernacles, thousands of animals were slain, and their blood was caught by the priests and poured upon the altar. The Jews had become familiar with the offering of blood, and had almost lost sight of the fact that it was sin which made necessary all this shedding of the blood of beasts. They did not discern that it prefigured the blood of God's dear Son, which was to be shed for the life of the world, and that by the offering of sacrifices men were to be directed to a crucified Redeemer.

Jesus looked upon the innocent victims of sacrifice, and saw how the Jews had made these great convocations scenes of bloodshed and cruelty. In place of humble repentance of sin, they had multiplied the sacrifice of beasts, as if God could be honored by a heartless service. The priests and rulers had hardened their hearts through selfishness and avarice. The very symbols pointing to the Lamb of God they had made a means of getting gain. Thus in the eyes of the people the sacredness of the sacrificial service had been in a great measure destroyed. The indignation of Jesus was stirred; He knew that His blood, so soon to be shed for the sins of the world, would be as little appreciated by the priests and elders as was the blood of beasts which they kept incessantly flowing.

Against these practices Christ had spoken through the prophets. Samuel had 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.” And Isaiah, seeing in prophetic vision the apostasy of the Jews, addressed them as rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts?” “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” 1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:10-12, 16, 17.

He who had Himself given these prophecies now for the last time repeated the warning. In fulfillment of prophecy the people had proclaimed Jesus king of Israel. He had received their homage, and accepted the office of king. In this character He must act. He knew that His efforts to reform a corrupt priesthood would be in vain; nevertheless His work must be done; to an unbelieving people the evidence of His divine mission must be given.

Again the piercing look of Jesus swept over the desecrated court of the temple. All eyes were turned toward Him. Priest and ruler, Pharisee and Gentile, looked with astonishment and awe upon Him who stood before them with the majesty of heaven's King. Divinity flashed through humanity, investing Christ with a dignity and glory He had never manifested before. Those standing nearest Him drew as far away as the crowd would permit. Except for a few of His disciples, the Saviour stood alone. Every sound was hushed. The deep silence seemed unbearable. Christ spoke with a power that swayed the people like a mighty tempest: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” His voice sounded like a trumpet through the temple. The displeasure of His countenance seemed like consuming fire. With authority He commanded, “Take these things hence.” John 2:16.

Three years before, the rulers of the temple had been ashamed of their flight before the command of Jesus. They had since wondered at their own fears, and their unquestioning obedience to a single humble Man. They had felt that it was impossible for their undignified surrender to be repeated. Yet they were now more terrified than before, and in greater haste to obey His command. There were none who dared question His authority. Priests and traders fled from His presence, driving their cattle before them.

On the way from the temple they were met by a throng who came with their sick inquiring for the Great Healer. The report given by the fleeing people caused some of these to turn back. They feared to meet One so powerful, whose very look had driven the priests and rulers from His presence. But a large number pressed through the hurrying crowd, eager to reach Him who was their only hope. When the multitude fled from the temple, many had remained behind. These were now joined by the newcomers. Again the temple court was filled by the sick and the dying, and once more Jesus ministered to them.

After a season the priests and rulers ventured back to the temple. When the panic had abated, they were seized with anxiety to know what would be the next movement of Jesus. They expected Him to take the throne of David. Quietly returning to the temple, they heard the voices of men, women, and children praising God. Upon entering, they stood transfixed before the wonderful scene. They saw the sick healed, the blind restored to sight, and deaf receive their hearing, and the crippled leap for joy. The children were foremost in the rejoicing. Jesus had healed their maladies; He had clasped them in His arms, received their kisses of grateful affection, and some of them had fallen asleep upon His breast as He was teaching the people. Now with glad voices the children sounded His praise. They repeated the hosannas of the day before, and waved palm branches triumphantly before the Saviour. The temple echoed and re-echoed with their acclamations, “Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!” “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation!” Psalm 118:26; Zechariah 9:9. “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

The sound of these happy, unrestrained voices was an offense to the rulers of the temple. They set about putting a stop to such demonstrations. They represented to the people that the house of God was desecrated by the feet of the children and the shouts of rejoicing. Finding that their words made no impression on the people, the rulers appealed to Christ: “Hearest Thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?” Prophecy had foretold that Christ should be proclaimed as king, and that word must be fulfilled. The priests and rulers of Israel refused to herald His glory, and God moved upon the children to be His witnesses. Had the voices of the children been silent, the very pillars of the temple would have sounded the Saviour's praise.

The Pharisees were utterly perplexed and disconcerted. One whom they could not intimidate was in command. Jesus had taken His position as guardian of the temple. Never before had He assumed such kingly authority. Never before had His words and works possessed so great power. He had done marvelous works throughout Jerusalem, but never before in a manner so solemn and impressive. In presence of the people who had witnessed His wonderful works, the priests and rulers dared not show Him open hostility. Though enraged and confounded by His answer, they were unable to accomplish anything further that day.

The next morning the Sanhedrin again considered what course to pursue toward Jesus. Three years before, they had demanded a sign of His Messiahship. Since that time He had wrought mighty works throughout the land. He had healed the sick, miraculously fed thousands of people, walked upon the waves, and spoken peace to the troubled sea. He had repeatedly read the hearts of men as an open book; He had cast out demons, and raised the dead. The rulers had before them the evidences of His Messiahship. They now decided to demand no sign of His authority, but to draw out some admission or declaration by which He might be condemned.

Repairing to the temple where He was teaching, they proceeded to question Him: “By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?” They expected Him to claim that His authority was from God. Such an assertion they intended to deny. But Jesus met them with a question apparently pertaining to another subject, and He made His reply to them conditional on their answering this question. “The baptism of John,” He said, “whence was it? from heaven, or of men?”

The priests saw that they were in a dilemma from which no sophistry could extricate them. If they said that John's baptism was from heaven, their inconsistency would be made apparent. Christ would say, Why have ye not then believed on him? John had testified of Christ, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. If the priests believed John's testimony, how could they deny the Messiahship of Christ? If they declared their real belief, that John's ministry was of men, they would bring upon themselves a storm of indignation; for the people believed John to be a prophet.

With intense interest the multitude awaited the decision. They knew that the priests had professed to accept the ministry of John, and they expected them to acknowledge without a question that he was sent from God. But after conferring secretly together, the priests decided not to commit themselves. Hypocritically professing ignorance, they said, “We cannot tell.” “Neither tell I you,” said Christ, “by what authority I do these things.”

Scribes, priests, and rulers were all silenced. Baffled and disappointed, they stood with lowering brows, not daring to press further questions upon Christ. By their cowardice and indecision they had in a great measure forfeited the respect of the people, who now stood by, amused to see these proud, self-righteous men defeated.

All these sayings and doings of Christ were important, and their influence was to be felt in an ever-increasing degree after His crucifixion and ascension. Many of those who had anxiously awaited the result of the questioning of Jesus were finally to become His disciples, first drawn toward Him by His words on that eventful day. The scene in the temple court was never to fade from their minds. The contrast between Jesus and the high priest as they talked together was marked. The proud dignitary of the temple was clothed in rich and costly garments. Upon his head was a glittering tiara. His bearing was majestic, his hair and his long flowing beard were silvered by age. His appearance awed the beholders. Before this august personage stood the Majesty of heaven, without adornment or display. His garments were travel stained; His face was pale, and expressed a patient sadness; yet written there were dignity and benevolence that contrasted strangely with the proud, self-confident, and angry air of the high priest. Many of those who witnessed the words and deeds of Jesus in the temple from that time enshrined Him in their hearts as a prophet of God. But as the popular feeling turned in His favor, the hatred of the priests toward Jesus increased. The wisdom by which He escaped the snares set for His feet, being a new evidence of His divinity, added fuel to their wrath.

In His contest with the rabbis, it was not Christ's purpose to humiliate His opponents. He was not glad to see them in a hard place. He had an important lesson to teach. He had mortified His enemies by allowing them to be entangled in the net they had spread for Him. Their acknowledged ignorance in regard to the character of John's baptism gave Him an opportunity to speak, and He improved the opportunity by presenting before them their real position, adding another warning to the many already given.

“What think ye?” He said. “A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?”

This abrupt question threw His hearers off their guard. They had followed the parable closely, and now immediately answered, “The first.” Fixing His steady eye upon them, Jesus responded in stern and solemn tones: “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

The priests and rulers could not but give a correct answer to Christ's question, and thus He obtained their opinion in favor of the first son. This son represented the publicans, those who were despised and hated by the Pharisees. The publicans had been grossly immoral. They had indeed been transgressors of the law of God, showing in their lives an absolute resistance to His requirements. They had been unthankful and unholy; when told to go and work in the Lord's vineyard, they had given a contemptuous refusal. But when John came, preaching repentance and baptism, the publicans received his message and were baptized.

The second son represented the leading men of the Jewish nation. Some of the Pharisees had repented and received the baptism of John; but the leaders would not acknowledge that he came from God. His warnings and denunciations did not lead them to reformation. They “rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” Luke 7:30. They treated his message with disdain. Like the second son, who, when called, said, “I go, sir,” but went not, the priests and rulers professed obedience, but acted disobedience. They made great professions of piety, they claimed to be obeying the law of God, but they rendered only a false obedience. The publicans were denounced and cursed by the Pharisees as infidels; but they showed by their faith and works that they were going into the kingdom of heaven before those self-righteous men who had been given great light, but whose works did not correspond to their profession of godliness.

The priests and rulers were unwilling to bear these searching truths; they remained silent, however, hoping that Jesus would say something which they could turn against Him; but they had still more to bear.

“Hear another parable,” Christ said: “There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?”

Jesus addressed all the people present; but the priests and rulers answered. “He will miserably destroy those wicked men,” they said, “and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” The speakers had not at first perceived the application of the parable, but they now saw that they had pronounced their own condemnation. In the parable the householder represented God, the vineyard the Jewish nation, and the hedge the divine law which was their protection. The tower was a symbol of the temple. The lord of the vineyard had done everything needful for its prosperity. “What could have been done more to my vineyard,” he says, “that I have not done in it?” Isaiah 5:4. Thus was represented God's unwearied care for Israel. And as the husbandmen were to return to the lord a due proportion of the fruits of the vineyard, so God's people were to honor Him by a life corresponding to their sacred privileges. But as the husbandmen had killed the servants whom the master sent to them for fruit, so the Jews had put to death the prophets whom God sent to call them to repentance. Messenger after messenger had been slain. Thus far the application of the parable could not be questioned, and in what followed it was not less evident. In the beloved son whom the lord of the vineyard finally sent to his disobedient servants, and whom they seized and slew, the priests and rulers saw a distinct picture of Jesus and His impending fate. Already they were planning to slay Him whom the Father had sent to them as a last appeal. In the retribution inflicted upon the ungrateful husbandmen was portrayed the doom of those who should put Christ to death.

Looking with pity upon them, the Saviour continued, “Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

This prophecy the Jews had often repeated in the synagogues, applying it to the coming Messiah. Christ was the cornerstone of the Jewish economy, and of the whole plan of salvation. This foundation stone the Jewish builders, the priests and rulers of Israel, were now rejecting. The Saviour called their attention to the prophecies that would show them their danger. By every means in His power He sought to make plain to them the nature of the deed they were about to do.

And His words had another purpose. In asking the question, “When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” Christ designed that the Pharisees should answer as they did. He designed that they should condemn themselves. His warnings, failing to arouse them to repentance, would seal their doom, and He wished them to see that they had brought ruin on themselves. He designed to show them the justice of God in the withdrawal of their national privileges, which had already begun, and which would end, not only in the destruction of their temple and their city, but in the dispersion of the nation.

The hearers recognized the warning. But notwithstanding the sentence they themselves had pronounced, the priests and rulers were ready to fill out the picture by saying, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him.” “But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude,” for the public sentiment was in Christ's favor.

In quoting the prophecy of the rejected stone, Christ referred to an actual occurrence in the history of Israel. The incident was connected with the building of the first temple. While it had a special application at the time of Christ's first advent, and should have appealed with special force to the Jews, it has also a lesson for us. When the temple of Solomon was erected, the immense stones for the walls and the foundation were entirely prepared at the quarry; after they were brought to the place of building, not an instrument was to be used upon them; the workmen had only to place them in position. For use in the foundation, one stone of unusual size and peculiar shape had been brought; but the workmen could find no place for it, and would not accept it. It was an annoyance to them as it lay unused in their way. Long it remained a rejected stone. But when the builders came to the laying of the corner, they searched for a long time to find a stone of sufficient size and strength, and of the proper shape, to take that particular place, and bear the great weight which would rest upon it. Should they make an unwise choice for this important place, the safety of the entire building would be endangered. They must find a stone capable of resisting the influence of the sun, of frost, and of tempest. Several stones had at different times been chosen, but under the pressure of immense weights they had crumbled to pieces. Others could not bear the test of the sudden atmospheric changes. But at last attention was called to the stone so long rejected. It had been exposed to the air, to sun and storm, without revealing the slightest crack. The builders examined this stone. It had borne every test but one. If it could bear the test of severe pressure, they decided to accept it for the cornerstone. The trial was made. The stone was accepted, brought to its assigned position, and found to be an exact fit. In prophetic vision, Isaiah was shown that this stone was a symbol of Christ. He says:

“Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” Carried down in prophetic vision to the first advent, the prophet is shown that Christ is to bear trials and tests of which the treatment of the chief cornerstone in the temple of Solomon was symbolic. “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 8:13-15; 28:16.

In infinite wisdom, God chose the foundation stone, and laid it Himself. He called it “a sure foundation.” The entire world may lay upon it their burdens and griefs; it can endure them all. With perfect safety they may build upon it. Christ is a “tried stone.” Those who trust in Him, He never disappoints. He has borne every test. He has endured the pressure of Adam's guilt, and the guilt of his posterity, and has come off more than conqueror of the powers of evil. He has borne the burdens cast upon Him by every repenting sinner. In Christ the guilty heart has found relief. He is the sure foundation. All who make Him their dependence rest in perfect security.

In Isaiah's prophecy, Christ is declared to be both a sure foundation and a stone of stumbling. The apostle Peter, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly shows to whom Christ is a foundation stone, and to whom a rock of offense:

“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient.” 1 Peter 2:3-8.

To those who believe, Christ is the sure foundation. These are they who fall upon the Rock and are broken. Submission to Christ and faith in Him are here represented. To fall upon the Rock and be broken is to give up our self-righteousness and to go to Christ with the humility of a child, repenting of our transgressions, and believing in His forgiving love. And so also it is by faith and obedience that we build on Christ as our foundation.

Upon this living stone, Jews and Gentiles alike may build. This is the only foundation upon which we may securely build. It is broad enough for all, and strong enough to sustain the weight and burden of the whole world. And by connection with Christ, the living stone, all who build upon this foundation become living stones. Many persons are by their own endeavors hewn, polished, and beautified; but they cannot become “living stones,” because they are not connected with Christ. Without this connection, no man can be saved. Without the life of Christ in us, we cannot withstand the storms of temptation. Our eternal safety depends upon our building upon the sure foundation. Multitudes are today building upon foundations that have not been tested. When the rain falls, and the tempest rages, and the floods come, their house will fall, because it is not founded upon the eternal Rock, the chief cornerstone Christ Jesus.

“To them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,” Christ is a rock of offense. But “the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” Like the rejected stone, Christ in His earthly mission had borne neglect and abuse. He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: ... He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Isaiah 53:3. But the time was near when He would be glorified. By the resurrection from the dead He would be declared “the Son of God with power.” Romans 1:4. At His second coming He would be revealed as Lord of heaven and earth. Those who were now about to crucify Him would recognize His greatness. Before the universe the rejected stone would become the head of the corner.

And on “whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” The people who rejected Christ were soon to see their city and their nation destroyed. Their glory would be broken, and scattered as the dust before the wind. And what was it that destroyed the Jews? It was the rock which, had they built upon it, would have been their security. It was the goodness of God despised, the righteousness spurned, the mercy slighted. Men set themselves in opposition to God, and all that would have been their salvation was turned to their destruction. All that God ordained unto life they found to be unto death. In the Jews’ crucifixion of Christ was involved the destruction of Jerusalem. The blood shed upon Calvary was the weight that sank them to ruin for this world and for the world to come. So it will be in the great final day, when judgment shall fall upon the rejecters of God's grace. Christ, their rock of offense, will then appear to them as an avenging mountain. The glory of His countenance, which to the righteous is life, will be to the wicked a consuming fire. Because of love rejected, grace despised, the sinner will be destroyed.

By many illustrations and repeated warnings, Jesus showed what would be the result to the Jews of rejecting the Son of God. In these words He was addressing all in every age who refuse to receive Him as their Redeemer. Every warning is for them. The desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false husbandmen, the contemptuous builders, have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner. Unless he repent, the doom which they foreshadowed will be his.

[ilovearticlesoffaith-blog]

What It Means to be a  Strong Christian

Finally, my brethren, BE STRONG IN THE LORD, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:10

All through the Bible, Christians are exhorted to be strong. You will see the phrase, ‘be strong’ appearing many times throughout the Bible.  In order to be strong you must strengthen yourself.  Most Christians are strong in their bodies, strong in politics, strong in academics, strong in business, strong in relationships but not strong in the Lord.  God is emphasizing that you must be strong in the Lord.  

To be strong in the Lord is to be a strong Christian. Many people come to know the Lord but never become strong in the Lord. They remain spiritual weaklings for the rest of their lives. This book will teach you how to become a good and strong Christian.  There are a number of things that characterize a good strong Christian.  You must aim to develop all these attributes if you are going to be a good strong believer.  To be a strong Christian you must develop spirituality, zeal, maturity, holiness and steadfastness in the Lord.  

There are several different areas of your life that must be developed if you are to ever be called a strong Christian. This whole book is about developing these areas that turn you into a strong Christian. The nine areas you need to develop if you want to be strong in the Lord are listed below.

1.To be a strong Christian is to develop a deeper Christian life.

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

Psalm 42:7

2.To be a strong Christian is to become steadfast.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

3.To be a strong Christian is to become unmoveable.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

4.To be a strong Christian is to become spiritual.   

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:1

5.To be a strong Christian is to become holy.

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

6. To be a strong Christian is to become mature.

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

Ephesians 4:14

7. To be a strong Christian is to be zealously affected always in a good thing.  To be strong in the Lord is to be full of zeal.

But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

Galatians 4:18

8.To be a strong Christian is to become fruitful.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and BRING FORTH FRUIT, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:16

9.To be a strong Christian is to be in a state of readiness to meet God at any time.   

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

Amos 4:12

Six Reasons Why You Must Strengthen Yourself

1.Strengthen yourself so that you can overcome the wicked one.  

I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, BECAUSE YE ARE STRONG, and the word of God abideth in you, AND YE HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE.

1 John 2:14

The wicked one is not a weakling.  It is only when you are strong that you can overcome the wicked one.  If you joke with the enemy, you will have yourself to blame.  Fighting Satan is to fight a seasoned warrior who has seen many battles.  The devil has fought many Christians over the years.  He is experienced in destroying and tempting Christians.  The devil was alive when Jesus was alive. He is not a newcomer, but you are!  Rise up and become stronger so that you will defeat the wicked one.   

When I was in secondary school, I was bullied by wicked seniors.  I went through all sorts of torture and punishment inflicted on me by people who were just a year ahead of me.  During this time, I realised the depth of wickedness that existed in the heart of mankind.  These thirteen and fourteen year old boys exercised ultimate power over me because they happened to be a year ahead.   

Sometimes, I was asked to do what they called the ‘monkey dance.’ At other times I was asked to do the ‘Tower of Liberty’ punishment.   Sometimes, I had to scrub toilets and showers till 3.00am.  Sometimes I had to carry several buckets of manure over a distance of five kilometres.  Sometimes I was asked to stand guard and kill any mosquitoes that flew around the bed.  Other punishments which existed included eating gari (cassava flakes) and mashed bitter quinine tablets.  For several months, I suffered under the hands of these wicked seniors. One day, I noticed that one of my classmates was never called, never sent anywhere, never harassed and never punished!   But I knew why! He was far bigger and stronger than the seniors!  This classmate of mine was bigger, stronger and older than the rest of my class and the seniors were genuinely afraid of him.  He could have beaten up any of them up at a moment’s notice.   

There were times the seniors would shout out: “One small boy!”  This meant that all juniors had to run towards the senior who had called for “One small boy!”  We would all run but the older, bigger stronger boy would utterly ignore the seniors and carry on doing what he was doing. No one dared ask him anything.  They were scared of him because he was so strong!  But I was not strong.  I was weak, beatable and punishable.  I was a good prey for those wicked heartless seniors.  If only I could be as strong as my big and muscular classmate.   

This is where I learnt the importance of strength! When you are strong, the wicked ones are forced to leave you alone.  The wicked ones know that they will be defeated.  Satan will not dare to even start a problem because he knows it will not end well for him.  You must be strong because when something stronger than you comes against you, it will overcome you and destroy you.  

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

Luke 11:21-22

This should be the greatest motivation for strengthening yourself! As you become stronger, the wicked one is forced to leave you alone because he knows that many temptations will simply not work on you. Be strong in the Lord!  

2. You must strengthen yourself in the Lord because your enemy is planning to attack you again.

And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.

And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, GO, STRENGTHEN THYSELF, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

1 Kings 20:20-22

Your enemy is planning an attack. Whether you like it or not you will be attacked. The enemy has eyed you and selected you as a prime target.  Without provocation the enemy will strike when his season comes. Jesus was attacked over and over throughout His life and ministry.  Even on the cross, in His very last few minutes, Jesus experienced unrelenting temptations and attacks. I want you to decide to become the strongest Christian possible because you are going to defeat the enemy many times over.   

3.Strengthen yourself so you can run your race properly.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth AS A STRONG MAN TO RUN A RACE.

Psalms 19:4-5

You will notice that athletes, even women, are very muscular and strong. Without strength you cannot run a race.  You need to strengthen yourself if you are going to be a spiritual athlete and run your course.  All of us are involved in the Christian race.  We must run the race that is set before us and we must win.  “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1).   

4.Strengthen yourself so that you can withstand in the evil day.  

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13

Everybody reacts differently in the day of a crisis.  Some people, with soft hearts, collapse and die in the day of a crisis. Others go mad in the day of a crisis. You see, in the day of your crisis everything changes. Without strength, the pressure, the crises and the problems will destroy you.  It is time to be strong in the Lord so that you can withstand in the evil day. There are others who have experienced so many crises in their lives and are still standing.  Will you be left standing in the evil day or will you fall and give up when the pressure rises?  It is time to prepare yourself for the day of crisis and pressure.   

Those who plan to merely pass an exam often fail.  When something goes wrong, they are quickly tipped into the fail zone. That is why you must aim higher so that if something goes wrong, you do not fall below the mark. Decide to be far stronger than you really need to be.  In the evil day, you will be well able to withstand the pressure.   

5.Strengthen yourself so that you can help other people.  

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Romans 15:1

When you are on an aeroplane, they teach you to put on your oxygen masks in the event of an emergency.  They also ask that parents should put on their own oxygen masks first before attempting to help their children.  Why is this?  Should they not attend to the children first since they are weaker?  Answer is ‘No’!  The parents will need oxygen to keep them alive and strong.  If they are not alive and strong, they will not be able to help anyone, not even their own children.  Strength is important if you are going to help your neighbour.  Have you ever wondered why countries like Senegal, Guinea or Ghana are not asked for financial or military assistance when there is a world crisis?   People often look to America because they are well known for their financial and military strength.   

Without strength you cannot bear the infirmities of the weak. There is no way you can help other people if you yourself are down and out. God has called you to be strong in him and to become a blessing to other people. Develop strength so that you can be a blessing to many other people.

6.Strengthen yourself because it is a wise thing to be strong.  

A WISE MAN IS STRONG; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Proverbs 24:5

Since the Second World War, most nations have strengthened themselves because they have learnt from experience that it is wise to develop strength lest another tyrant like Hitler should arise in their midst. The end result is that Europe has become an armed nuclear camp waiting to be ignited.   

Indeed, European nations prefer to arm themselves than to sit down in weakness, lest anyone rise up to create another war.  You must not sit down in weakness.  The devil will take advantage of you as soon as he realises you are not wise enough to prepare yourself in times of peace. You must strengthen yourself because it is a wise thing to do.    

by Dag Heward-Mills

[saynoutodrugs]

To you I

To you I dedicate this poem this self referential misanthropy

To you I dedicate Alfian Sa’at mumbled to the open sea I give you broken sonnets miscalculated meters everything that screams amateur job

I give you wanders through green zones in a business world I give you car rides guess the composer ramen in orchard

I give you crushed cigarettes shared bus rides to lies meeting my friends know your music don't know your name

To you I dedicate braces my academic interests are mainly before bed Buddhism pleasures but temporary I give you things that make no sense

To you I give run on sentences enthusiasm for literary criticism I give you half drunk and half burgers midnight sights over the city secret garden lost souls

I give you secret codes obscure references I give you abstractions of my mind I give you planes of references for which you have no use

To you I dedicate my pensive moments train rides letters upon letters to you mistakes upon mistakes To you I dedicate how everything always comes out jumbled

To you I dedicate coconut drinks in martini glasses I dedicate thick green shirts in hot weather to you I dedicate filler words and awkward standing

I dedicate pointless crying and more walks through bishan to you I dedicate empty timelines and midnight ball dances odd pouts into the distance miscalibrated words you will never see

To you I offer aeroplanes over girl with waving head lying on park bench lying on floor feeling sick Sociopath to sociopath to autistic fuck I offer mutual friends I offer the chance to meet someone new

To you I give stream of consciousness James Joyce loving Mad Men two girls twice pretentious I give you words strung together trying too hard

To you I give damn T type heartlessness Perpetual misunderstandings and unshared silences to you I give the boys will always be competitive what’s this about

To you I offer latent dream content twice removed thrice substituted to you I offer my dirtiest kinks homoerotic shock value

To you I dedicate line breaks and grief in all its shades

For you I break rules to say I love your shoulder and lack of consistency disguised as authenticity To you I give nothing is real

For you I hold epistemic black boxes Warm bosoms warm morning showers To you I dedicate ghost girls and why does mike only talk to girls To you I dedicate more references nobody will get

To you I give trying to make sense and to you I give jet fuels my broken picture on the wall I give what do you care I give fool making I give you 24/7 misanthropy services

To you I give trying to get Quentin Tarantino I give 10pm curfews I give you Phoenix Park to you I give bagels for breakfast and I give you new haircuts

To you I give I prefer the coiff I give you lone street light empty walk down  I give you mindef I give you snails named after philosophers I give you tragic backstories and references that hurt

To you I leave good old egotism To you I leave Paris, both, was that me To you I give I don’t want to keep in touch

To you I give almost nothing to resonate with I give you crushed teenage dreams To you I give everything that confuses to you I give self destructive tendencies To you I give the holy trinity

For you I have thoughts that still linger neck cranes through bench For you I leave all my poignancy for you I leave life is hard

For you I have I also wrote a short story I have undertones and undermeans and undermensch In you I have an eternal muse in you I have twenty lone street lights twenty used condoms twenty instagram followers eyes popped

In you I have a time bomb I have soon to be gone I have awkward nonbyes In you I have scattered across the seven seas to create depth In you I have words strung shoulder to shoulder

In you I have walks through Chinese Garden nasi lemak eaten weird In you I have high pitched voices with three gyms in Oriel In you I have little white lines

To you I leave montages I give you dirty scumbags and famous names old Chinese KTV songs Sergeant Chicken Rice Encik Tan the great Uber Futures Market

To you I give cancer autism PS Cafe To you I give toning it down to you I give no I don’t to you I give character development I give you honesty in all its flaws

Along with rushes down Golden Mile night drives I give Deserts and terrible parallel parking I give many bright lights I give Maxwell beers I give my first cigarette I give all my frustration

I give nothing of any worth I give everything you might not want I give Linguistic jokes mid sex for you I dedicate the longest obfuscation since Hitler I give dedicated to destroying me I give off the tip of my tongue

I damn your social climbing your moonlighting your ghostlighting Your fake friends fake orgasms fake status fake life fake cock I give you bitter tastes on the cusp of fake smiles I give you airbnbs

I give you social isolation and not liking anyone I give you holes to climb into for you I’ve saved space inside bagel factories and the way some people walk

I give you honouring your grandparents and the eternal flux I give you deadlines I give you how things change and how things are never the same I give you never ending circles

I give you Great Gatsby I give you Malaysia, twice I give you imprints blooming into youth I give you people I forget to remember I give you walks near Starbucks I give you Chilli’s I give you Myrth

I give you couple walking into distance I give you fucking chicken wings I give you sick undertones and saints and seas and I give you that one person at a party not having fun I give you unison between mind and body and everything holistic and I hope you die

I give you turning red in the face I give you secret societies I give you hugs from behind I give you my deepest jealousy I give you my deepest roots

I give you one like I give you different moods I give you walks down Bras Basah I give you walks down Dempsey I give you Yio Chu Kang I give you everything happens for a reason I give you things I can’t let go

I give you warm jazz and lights as you hug me to sleep I give you everything that means to I give you twelve stories 
I give you things that aren’t so clear

I give you paranoid schizophrenia I give you adventure time references I give you freudian slips I give you the easy way out I give you being wrong about everything 

You give me unjokes and inconsistency you give me panicked texts you give me dwelling on the negative You give me needing to explain myself you give me the other you give me blockades in neurosis you give me nothing is over yet

You give me This is a catharsis you give me hardened hearts you give me Realpolitik and bad philosophy and you give me smiling at you walks to Far East random lunch two hour comics rounds in supermarkets

You give me autistic Austrians you give me taxi driver dads burn bridges you give me forced laughter you give me you drooling into your food passed out drunk you give me borgie watch fairs you give me red flags and bad boys

For you I have everything that you could ever need For you I have oh yes indeed For you I have fires popped tires floppy cock in your morning brew

For you I have Israel and blasphemy and terrible tendencies To you I have my inner nature I have everything bad But you oh you

You have flopping about in yoga pants macbook get an interview you have midnight macdonalds golden KTVs you give me haunts in every spectre you give me little left to say you give me a hole into which words ever fall you give me this isn’t the end

To you I give plagiarized Brian Patten Teenage poetry no one reads to the end I give you a photo book with everything missing I give you everything I don't want and everything I have left

[dfroza]

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Psalms and Proverbs

for Tuesday, April 28 of 2020 with Psalm 28 and Proverbs 28, accompanied by Psalm 41 for the 41st day of Spring and Psalm 119 for day 119 of the year

[Psalm 28]

A David Psalm

Don’t turn a deaf ear

when I call you, God.

If all I get from you is

deafening silence,

I’d be better off

in the Black Hole.

I’m letting you know what I need,

calling out for help

And lifting my arms

toward your inner sanctum.

Don’t shove me into

the same jail cell with those crooks,

With those who are

full-time employees of evil.

They talk a good line of “peace,”

then moonlight for the Devil.

Pay them back for what they’ve done,

for how bad they’ve been.

Pay them back for their long hours

in the Devil’s workshop;

Then cap it with a huge bonus.

Because they have no idea how God works

or what he is up to,

God will smash them to smithereens

and walk away from the ruins.

Blessed be God—

he heard me praying.

He proved he’s on my side;

I’ve thrown my lot in with him.

Now I’m jumping for joy,

and shouting and singing my thanks to him.

God is all strength for his people,

ample refuge for his chosen leader;

Save your people

and bless your heritage.

Care for them;

carry them like a good shepherd.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 28 (The Message)

[Proverbs 28]

Guilty criminals experience paranoia

even though no one threatens them.

But the innocent lovers of God,

because of righteousness,

will have the boldness of a young, ferocious lion!

A rebellious nation is thrown into chaos,

but leaders anointed with wisdom will restore law and order.

When a pauper oppresses the destitute,

it’s like a flash flood that sweeps away their last hope.

Those who turn their backs on what they know is right

will no longer be able to tell right from wrong.

But those who love the truth strengthen their souls.

Justice never makes sense to men devoted to darkness,

but those tenderly devoted to the Lord

can understand justice perfectly.

It’s more respectable to be poor and pure than rich and perverse.

To be obedient to what you’ve been taught

proves you’re an honorable child,

but to socialize with the lawless brings shame to your parents.

Go ahead and get rich on the backs of the poor,

but all the wealth you gather will one day be given

to those who are kind to the needy.

If you close your heart and refuse to listen to God’s instruction,

even your prayer will be despised.

Those who tempt the lovers of God with an evil scheme

will fall into their own trap.

But the innocent who resist temptation will experience reward.

The wealthy in their conceit presume to be wise,

but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.

The triumphant joy of God’s lovers releases great glory.

But when the wicked rise to power, everyone goes into hiding.

If you cover up your sin you’ll never do well.

But if you confess your sins and forsake them,

you will be kissed by mercy.

Overjoyed is the one who with tender heart trembles before God,

but the stubborn, unyielding heart will experience even greater evil.

Ruthless rulers can only be compared

to raging lions and roaming bears.

Abusive leaders fail to employ wisdom,

but leaders who despise corruption

will enjoy a long and full life.

A murderer’s conscience will torment him—

a fugitive haunted by guilt all the way to the grave

with no one to support him.

The pure will be rescued from failure,

but the perverse will suddenly fall into ruin.

Work hard and you’ll have all you desire,

but chase a fantasy and you could end up with nothing.

Life’s blessings drench the honest and faithful person,

but punishment rains down upon the greedy and dishonest.

Giving favoritism to the rich and powerful is disgusting,

and this is the type of judge who would betray a man for a bribe.

A greedy man is in a race to get rich,

but he forgets that he could lose what’s most important

and end up with nothing.

If you correct someone with constructive criticism,

in the end he will appreciate it more than flattery.

A person who would reject his own parents and say,

“What’s wrong with that?” is as bad as a murderer.

To make rash, hasty decisions

shows that you are not trusting the Lord.

But when you rely totally on God,

you will still act carefully and prudently.

Self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools.

But when you lean on the wisdom from above,

you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.

You will never go without if you give to the poor.

But if you’re heartless, stingy, and selfish,

you invite curses upon yourself.

When wicked leaders rise to power,

good people go into hiding.

But when they fall from power,

the godly take their place.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 41]

A David Psalm

Dignify those who are down on their luck;

you’ll feel good—that’s what God does.

God looks after us all,

makes us robust with life—

Lucky to be in the land,

we’re free from enemy worries.

Whenever we’re sick and in bed,

God becomes our nurse,

nurses us back to health.

I said, “God, be gracious!

Put me together again—

my sins have torn me to pieces.”

My enemies are wishing the worst for me;

they make bets on what day I will die.

If someone comes to see me,

he mouths empty platitudes,

All the while gathering gossip about me

to entertain the street-corner crowd.

These “friends” who hate me

whisper slanders all over town.

They form committees

to plan misery for me.

The rumor goes out, “He’s got some dirty,

deadly disease. The doctors

have given up on him.”

Even my best friend, the one I always told everything

—he ate meals at my house all the time!—

has bitten my hand.

God, give grace, get me up on my feet.

I’ll show them a thing or two.

Meanwhile, I’m sure you’re on my side—

no victory shouts yet from the enemy camp!

You know me inside and out, you hold me together,

you never fail to stand me tall in your presence

so I can look you in the eye.

Blessed is God, Israel’s God,

always, always, always.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 41 (The Message)

to be concluded by a link to the lines of Psalm 119 which is too long to fit into a single post:

[dfroza]

An ancient Letter

written to conserve spiritual truth as inspired by the Spirit within Paul is what we read Today as the first chapter of Romans:

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God’s friends.

The Letter of Romans, Chapter 1:1 (The Message)

and the whole first chapter in The Passion Translation:

Paul, a loving and loyal servant of the Anointed One, Jesus. He called me to be his apostle and set me apart with a mission to reveal God’s wonderful gospel. I write this letter to all his beloved chosen ones in Rome, for you have been divinely summoned to be holy in his eyes. May his joyous grace and total well-being, flowing from our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, rest upon you.

My commission is to preach the good news. Yet it is not entirely new, but the fulfillment of the hope promised to us through the many prophecies found in the sacred Scriptures. For the gospel is all about God’s Son. As a man he descended from David’s royal lineage, but as the mighty Son of God he was raised from the dead and miraculously set apart with a display of triumphant power supplied by the Spirit of Holiness. And now Jesus is our Lord and our Messiah. Through him a joy-producing grace cascaded into us, empowering us with the gift of apostleship, so that we can win people from every nation into a faithful commitment to Jesus, to bring honor to his name. And you are among the chosen ones who received the call to belong to Jesus, the Anointed One.

[Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome]

I give thanks to God for all of you, because it’s through your conversion to Jesus Christ, that the testimony of your strong, persistent faith is spreading throughout the world. And God knows that I pray for you continually and at all times. For I passionately serve and worship him with my spirit in the gospel of his Son.

My desire and constant prayer is that I would be able to come and visit you, according to the plan and timing of God. I yearn to come and be face-to-face with you and get to know you. For I long to impart to you the gift of the Spirit that will empower you to stand strong in your faith. Now, this means that when we come together and are side by side, something wonderful will be released. We can expect to be co-encouraged and co-comforted by each other’s faith!

So, my dear brothers and sisters, please don’t interpret my failure to visit you as indifference, because many times I’ve intended to come but have not been released to do so up to now. For I long to enjoy a harvest of spiritual fruit among you, like I have experienced among the nations. Love obligates me to preach to everyone, to those who are among the elite and those who are among the outcasts, to those who are wise and educated as well as to those who are foolish and unlearned. This is why I am so excited about coming to preach the wonderful message of Jesus to you in Rome!

[The Gospel of Power]

I refuse to be ashamed of sharing the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved—the Jew first, and then people everywhere! This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith. This is what the Scripture means when it says:

“We are right with God through life-giving faith!”

[God Reveals His Wrath]

For God in heaven unveils his holy anger breaking forth against every form of sin, both toward ungodliness that lives in hearts and evil actions. For the wickedness of humanity deliberately smothers the truth and keeps people from acknowledging the truth about God. In reality, the truth of God is known instinctively, for God has embedded this knowledge inside every human heart. Opposition to truth cannot be excused on the basis of ignorance, because from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God’s nature have been made visible, such as his eternal power and transcendence. He has made his wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible. So then, this leaves everyone without excuse.

Throughout human history the fingerprints of God were upon them, yet they refused to honor him as God or even be thankful for his kindness. Instead, they entertained corrupt and foolish thoughts about what God was like. This left them with nothing but misguided hearts, steeped in moral darkness. Although claiming to be super-intelligent, they were in fact shallow fools. For only a fool would trade the unfading splendor of the immortal God to worship the fading image of other humans, idols made to look like people, animals, birds, and even creeping reptiles!

This is why God lifted off his restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires. They were given over to moral depravity, dishonoring their bodies by sexual perversion among themselves—all because they traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served the things God made rather than the God who made all things—glory and praises to him for eternity of eternities! Amen!

For this reason God gave them over to their own disgraceful and vile passions. Enflamed with lust for one another, men and women ignored the natural order and exchanged normal sexual relations for homosexuality. Women engaged in lesbian conduct, and men committed shameful acts with men, receiving in themselves the due penalty for their deviation.

And because they thought it was worthless to embrace the true knowledge of God, God gave them over to a worthless mind-set, to break all rules of proper conduct. Their sinful lives became full of every kind of evil, wicked schemes, greed, and cruelty. Their hearts overflowed with jealous cravings, and with conflict and strife, which drove them into hateful arguments and murder. They are deceitful liars full of hostility. They are gossips who love to spread malicious slander. With inflated egos they hurl hateful insults at God, yet they are nothing more than arrogant boasters. They are rebels against their parents and totally immoral. They are senseless, faithless, ruthless, heartless, and completely merciless. Although they are fully aware of God’s laws and proper order, and knowing that those who do all of these things deserve to die, yet they still go headlong into darkness, encouraging others to do the same and applauding them when they do!

The Letter of Romans, Chapter 1 (The Passion Translation)

From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people because, despite the fact that they knew the one true God, they have failed to show the love, honor, and appreciation due to the One who created them!

The Letter of Romans, Chapter 1:20-21 (The Voice)

and in my daily reading of a chapter of each Testament as i’ve been doing and sharing for many years now, moving along sequentially through the books from Genesis to Malachi in the Old Testament (given the exception of Psalms and Proverbs which are read daily), and from Matthew to Revelation in the New Testament, to start over again at the beginning upon the conclusion of each, which means the reading of the Old Testament takes much longer and so the pairing of the chapters with the New will vary over time, and Today’s pairing with Romans 1 is chapter 2 of Malachi in which we see God pointing out the significance of holding to truth in Love.

chapter #2 from the book of Malachi:

[Desecrating the Holiness of God]

“And now this indictment, you priests! If you refuse to obediently listen, and if you refuse to honor me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, in worship, then I’ll put you under a curse. I’ll exchange all your blessings for curses. In fact, the curses are already at work because you’re not serious about honoring me. Yes, and the curse will extend to your children. I’m going to plaster your faces with rotting garbage, garbage thrown out from your feasts. That’s what you have to look forward to!

“Maybe that will wake you up. Maybe then you’ll realize that I’m indicting you in order to put new life into my covenant with the priests of Levi, the covenant of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. My covenant with Levi was to give life and peace. I kept my covenant with him, and he honored me. He stood in reverent awe before me. He taught the truth and did not lie. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. He kept many out of the ditch, kept them on the road.

“It’s the job of priests to teach the truth. People are supposed to look to them for guidance. The priest is the messenger of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. But you priests have abandoned the way of priests. Your teaching has messed up many lives. You have corrupted the covenant of priest Levi. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so. And so I am showing you up for who you are. Everyone will be disgusted with you and avoid you because you don’t live the way I told you to live, and you don’t teach my revelation truly and impartially.”

Don’t we all come from one Father? Aren’t we all created by the same God? So why can’t we get along? Why do we desecrate the covenant of our ancestors that binds us together?

Judah has cheated on God—a sickening violation of trust in Israel and Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the holiness of God by falling in love and running off with foreign women, women who worship alien gods. God’s curse on those who do this! Drive them out of house and home! They’re no longer fit to be part of the community no matter how many offerings they bring to God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

And here’s a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don’t get what you want from God. Do you know why? Simple. Because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride, and now you’ve broken those vows, broken the faith-bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife. God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that’s what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you. Don’t cheat on your spouse.

“I hate divorce,” says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.” So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.

You make God tired with all your talk.

“How do we tire him out?” you ask.

By saying, “God loves sinners and sin alike. God loves all.” And also by saying, “Judgment? God’s too nice to judge.”

The Book of Malachi, Chapter 2 (The Message)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Wednesday, december 9 of 2020 with Proverbs 9 and Psalm 9, accompanied by Psalm 79 for the 79th day of Autumn, and Psalm 44 for day 344 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

[Psalm 9]

A David Psalm

I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,

I’m writing the book on your wonders.

I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;

I’m singing your song, High God.

The day my enemies turned tail and ran,

they stumbled on you and fell on their faces.

You took over and set everything right;

when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.

You blow the whistle on godless nations;

you throw dirty players out of the game,

wipe their names right off the roster.

Enemies disappear from the sidelines,

their reputation trashed,

their names erased from the halls of fame.

God holds the high center,

he sees and sets the world’s mess right.

He decides what is right for us earthlings,

gives people their just deserts.

God’s a safe-house for the battered,

a sanctuary during bad times.

The moment you arrive, you relax;

you’re never sorry you knocked.

Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,

tell his stories to everyone you meet:

How he tracks down killers

yet keeps his eye on us,

registers every whimper and moan.

Be kind to me, God;

I’ve been kicked around long enough.

Once you’ve pulled me back

from the gates of death,

I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;

on the corner of Main and First

I’ll hold a street meeting;

I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air

with salvation songs.

They’re trapped, those godless countries,

in the very snares they set,

Their feet all tangled

in the net they spread.

They have no excuse;

the way God works is well-known.

The cunning machinery made by the wicked

has maimed their own hands.

The wicked bought a one-way

ticket to hell.

No longer will the poor be nameless—

no more humiliation for the humble.

Up, God! Aren’t you fed up with their empty strutting?

Expose these grand pretensions!

Shake them up, God!

Show them how silly they look.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 9 (The Message)

[Proverbs 9]

[Lady Wisdom Gives a Dinner Party]

Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home;

it’s supported by seven hewn timbers.

The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted,

wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.

Having dismissed her serving maids,

Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,

and invites everyone within sound of her voice:

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!

I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,

roast lamb, carefully selected wines.

Leave your impoverished confusion and live!

Walk up the street to a life with meaning.”

If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face;

confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.

So don’t waste your time on a scoffer;

all you’ll get for your pains is abuse.

But if you correct those who care about life,

that’s different—they’ll love you for it!

Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it;

tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.

Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,

insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,

and the years of your life ripen.

Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;

mock life and life will mock you.

[Madame Whore Calls Out, Too]

Then there’s this other woman, Madame Whore—

brazen, empty-headed, frivolous.

She sits on the front porch

of her house on Main Street,

And as people walk by minding

their own business, calls out,

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

Steal off with me, I’ll show you a good time!

No one will ever know—I’ll give you the time of your life.”

But they don’t know about all the skeletons in her closet,

that all her guests end up in hell.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9 (The Message)

[Psalm 79]

A song of Asaph.

O God, the nations around us have raided the land that belongs to You;

they have defiled Your holy house

and crushed Jerusalem to a heap of ruins.

Your servants are dead;

birds of the air swoop down to pick at their remains.

Scavengers of the earth eat what is left of Your saints.

The enemy poured out their blood;

it flowed like water

all over Jerusalem,

and there is no one left, no one to bury what remains of them.

The surrounding peoples taunt us.

We are nothing but a joke to them, people to be ridiculed.

How long can this go on, O Eternal One?

Will You stay angry at us forever?

Your jealousy burning like wildfire?

Flood these outsiders with Your wrath—

they have no knowledge of You!

Drown the kingdoms of this world

that call on false gods and not on Your name.

For these nations devoured Jacob, consumed him,

and turned his home into a wasteland.

Do not hold the sins of our ancestors against us,

but send Your compassion to meet us quickly, God.

We are in deep despair.

Help us, O God who saves us,

to the honor and glory of Your name.

Pull us up, deliver us, and forgive our sins,

for Your name’s sake.

Don’t give these people any reason to ask,

“Where is their God?”

Avenge the blood spilled by Your servants.

Put it on display among the nations before our very eyes.

May the deep groans and wistful sighs of the prisoners reach You,

and by Your great power, save those condemned to die.

Pay back each of our invaders personally, seven times

for the shame they heaped on You, O Lord!

Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,

will pause and give You thanks forever;

Your praise will be told by our generation to the next.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 79 (The Voice)

[Psalm 44]

Wake Up, Lord, We’re in Trouble

For the Pure and Shining One, by the prophetic singers of Korah’s clan

A contemplative poem for instruction

[The Past]

God, we’ve heard about all the glorious miracles

you’ve done for our ancestors in days gone by.

They told us about the ancient times, how by your power

you drove out the ungodly nations from this land,

crushing all their strongholds and giving the land to us.

Now the people of Israel cover the land

from one end to the other,

all because of your grace and power!

Our forefathers didn’t win these battles by their own strength

or their own skill or strategy.

But it was through the shining forth of your radiant presence

and the display of your mighty power.

You loved to give them victory,

for you took great delight in them.

You are my God, my King!

It’s now time to decree majesties for Jacob!

Through your glorious name and your awesome power

we can push through to any victory and defeat every enemy.

For I will not trust in the weapons of the world;

I know they will never save me.

Only you will be our Savior from all our enemies.

All those who hate us you have brought to shame.

So now I constantly boast in you.

I can never thank you enough!

Pause in his presence

[The Present]

But you have turned your back on us; you walked off and left us!

You’ve rejected us, tossing us aside in humiliating shame.

You don’t go before us anymore in our battles.

We retreat before our enemies in defeat,

for you are no longer helping us.

Those who hate us have invaded our land

and plundered our people.

You have treated us like sheep in the slaughter pen,

ready to be butchered.

You’ve scattered us to the four winds.

You have sold us as slaves for nothing!

You have counted us, your precious ones, as worthless.

You have caused our neighbors to despise and scorn us.

All that are around us mock and curse us.

You have made us the butt of their jokes.

Disliked by all, we are the laughingstock of the people.

There’s no escape from this constant curse, this humiliation!

We are despised, jeered, overwhelmed by shame,

and overcome at every turn

by our hateful and heartless enemies.

Despite all of this, we have not forgotten you;

we have not broken covenant with you.

We have not betrayed you; our hearts are still yours.

Our steps have not strayed from your path.

Yet you have crushed us,

leaving us in this wilderness place of misery and desperation.

With nowhere else to turn,

death’s dark door seems to be the only way out.

If we had forsaken your holy name, wouldn’t you know it?

You’d be right in leaving us.

If we had worshiped before other gods,

no one would blame you for punishing us.

God, you know our every heart secret.

You know we still want you!

Because of you we face death threats every day.

Like martyrs we are dying daily.

We are seen as lambs lined up to be slaughtered as sacrifices.

[The Future]

So wake up, Lord God!

Why would you sleep when we’re in trouble?

Are you forsaking us forever?

You can’t hide your face any longer from us!

How could you forget our agonizing sorrow?

Now we lay facedown, sinking into the dust of death,

the quicksand of the grave.

Arise, awake, and come to help us, O Lord.

Let your unfailing love save us from this sorrow!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 44 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Proverbs and Psalms

for Sunday, july 12 of 2020 with Proverbs 12 and Psalm 12 accompanied by Psalm 23 for the 23rd day of Summer and Psalm 44 for day 194 of the year

[Proverbs 12]

To learn the truth you must long to be teachable,

or you can despise correction and remain ignorant.

If your heart is right, favor flows from the Lord,

but a devious heart invites his condemnation.

You can’t expect success by doing what’s wrong.

But the lives of his lovers are deeply rooted and firmly planted.

The integrity and strength of a virtuous wife

transforms her husband into an honored king.

But the wife who disgraces her husband

weakens the strength of his identity.

The lovers of God are filled with good ideas

that are noble and pure,

but the schemes of the sinner

are crammed with nothing but lies.

The wicked use their words to ambush and accuse,

but the lovers of God speak to defend and protect.

The wicked are taken out, gone for good,

but the godly families shall live on.

Everyone admires a man of principles,

but the one with a corrupt heart is despised.

Just be who you are and work hard for a living,

for that’s better than pretending to be important

and starving to death.

A good man takes care of the needs of his pets,

while even the kindest acts of a wicked man are still cruel.

Work hard at your job and you’ll have what you need.

Following a get-rich-quick scheme is nothing but a fantasy.

The cravings of the wicked are only for what is evil,

but righteousness is the core motivation for the lovers of God,

and it keeps them content and flourishing.

[Wisdom Means Being Teachable]

The wicked will get trapped by their words

of gossip, slander, and lies.

But for the righteous, honesty is its own defense.

For there is great satisfaction in speaking the truth,

and hard work brings blessings back to you.

A fool is in love with his own opinion,

but wisdom means being teachable.

[Learning to Speak Wisely]

If you shrug off an insult and refuse to take offense,

you demonstrate discretion indeed.

But the fool has a short fuse

and will immediately let you know when he’s offended.

Truthfulness marks the righteous,

but the habitual liar can never be trusted.

Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword,

cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt.

But the words of the wise soothe and heal.

Truthful words will stand the test of time,

but one day every lie will be seen for what it is.

Deception fills the hearts of those who plot harm,

but those who plan for peace are filled with joy.

Calamity is not allowed to overwhelm the righteous,

but there’s nothing but trouble waiting for the wicked.

Live in the truth and keep your promises,

and the Lord will keep delighting in you,

but he detests a liar.

Those who possess wisdom don’t feel the need

to impress others with what they know,

but foolish ones make sure their ignorance is on display.

If you want to reign in life,

don’t sit on your hands.

Instead work hard at doing what’s right,

for the slacker will end up working to make someone else succeed.

Anxious fear brings depression,

but a life-giving word of encouragement

can do wonders to restore joy to the heart.

Lovers of God give good advice to their friends,

but the counsel of the wicked will lead them astray.

A passive person won’t even complete a project,

but a passionate person makes good use

of his time, wealth, and energy.

Abundant life is discovered by walking in righteousness,

but holding on to your anger leads to death.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 12 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 12]

A David Psalm

Quick, God, I need your helping hand!

The last decent person just went down,

All the friends I depended on gone.

Everyone talks in lie language;

Lies slide off their oily lips.

They doubletalk with forked tongues.

Slice their lips off their faces!

Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths!

I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything!

Our lips manage the world.”

Into the hovels of the poor,

Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:

“I’ve had enough; I’m on my way

To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”

God’s words are pure words,

Pure silver words refined seven times

In the fires of his word-kiln,

Pure on earth as well as in heaven.

God, keep us safe from their lies,

From the wicked who stalk us with lies,

From the wicked who collect honors

For their wonderful lies.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 12 (The Message)

[Psalm 23]

The Lord the Shepherd

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have everything I need.

He lets me rest in green pastures.

He leads me to calm water.

He gives me new strength.

He leads me on paths that are right

for the good of his name.

Even if I walk through a very dark valley,

I will not be afraid,

because you are with me.

Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.

You prepare a meal for me

in front of my enemies.

You pour oil of blessing on my head;

you fill my cup to overflowing.

Surely your goodness and love will be with me

all my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 23 (New Century Version)

[Psalm 44]

Wake Up, Lord, We’re in Trouble

For the Pure and Shining One, by the prophetic singers of Korah’s clan

A contemplative poem for instruction

[The Past]

God, we’ve heard about all the glorious miracles

you’ve done for our ancestors in days gone by.

They told us about the ancient times, how by your power

you drove out the ungodly nations from this land,

crushing all their strongholds and giving the land to us.

Now the people of Israel cover the land

from one end to the other,

all because of your grace and power!

Our forefathers didn’t win these battles by their own strength

or their own skill or strategy.

But it was through the shining forth of your radiant presence

and the display of your mighty power.

You loved to give them victory,

for you took great delight in them.

You are my God, my King!

It’s now time to decree majesties for Jacob!

Through your glorious name and your awesome power

we can push through to any victory and defeat every enemy.

For I will not trust in the weapons of the world;

I know they will never save me.

Only you will be our Savior from all our enemies.

All those who hate us you have brought to shame.

So now I constantly boast in you.

I can never thank you enough!

Pause in his presence

[The Present]

But you have turned your back on us; you walked off and left us!

You’ve rejected us, tossing us aside in humiliating shame.

You don’t go before us anymore in our battles.

We retreat before our enemies in defeat,

for you are no longer helping us.

Those who hate us have invaded our land

and plundered our people.

You have treated us like sheep in the slaughter pen,

ready to be butchered.

You’ve scattered us to the four winds.

You have sold us as slaves for nothing!

You have counted us, your precious ones, as worthless.

You have caused our neighbors to despise and scorn us.

All that are around us mock and curse us.

You have made us the butt of their jokes.

Disliked by all, we are the laughingstock of the people.

There’s no escape from this constant curse, this humiliation!

We are despised, jeered, overwhelmed by shame,

and overcome at every turn

by our hateful and heartless enemies.

Despite all of this, we have not forgotten you;

we have not broken covenant with you.

We have not betrayed you; our hearts are still yours.

Our steps have not strayed from your path.

Yet you have crushed us,

leaving us in this wilderness place of misery and desperation.

With nowhere else to turn,

death’s dark door seems to be the only way out.

If we had forsaken your holy name, wouldn’t you know it?

You’d be right in leaving us.

If we had worshiped before other gods,

no one would blame you for punishing us.

God, you know our every heart secret.

You know we still want you!

Because of you we face death threats every day.

Like martyrs we are dying daily.

We are seen as lambs lined up to be slaughtered as sacrifices.

[The Future]

So wake up, Lord God!

Why would you sleep when we’re in trouble?

Are you forsaking us forever?

You can’t hide your face any longer from us!

How could you forget our agonizing sorrow?

Now we lay facedown, sinking into the dust of death,

the quicksand of the grave.

Arise, awake, and come to help us, O Lord.

Let your unfailing love save us from this sorrow!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 44 (The Passion Translation)

[dfroza]

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Proverbs and Psalms

for Thursday, may 28 of 2020 with Proverbs 28 and Psalm 28 accompanied by Psalm 71 for the 71st day of Spring and Psalm 149 for day 149 of the year

beginning with this line from The Voice:

The wicked run away even when no one is chasing them;

the right-living, however, stand their ground as boldly as lions.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28:1 (The Voice)

[Proverbs 28]

Guilty criminals experience paranoia

even though no one threatens them.

But the innocent lovers of God,

because of righteousness,

will have the boldness of a young, ferocious lion!

A rebellious nation is thrown into chaos,

but leaders anointed with wisdom will restore law and order.

When a pauper oppresses the destitute,

it’s like a flash flood that sweeps away their last hope.

Those who turn their backs on what they know is right

will no longer be able to tell right from wrong.

But those who love the truth strengthen their souls.

Justice never makes sense to men devoted to darkness,

but those tenderly devoted to the Lord

can understand justice perfectly.

It’s more respectable to be poor and pure than rich and perverse.

To be obedient to what you’ve been taught

proves you’re an honorable child,

but to socialize with the lawless brings shame to your parents.

Go ahead and get rich on the backs of the poor,

but all the wealth you gather will one day be given

to those who are kind to the needy.

If you close your heart and refuse to listen to God’s instruction,

even your prayer will be despised.

Those who tempt the lovers of God with an evil scheme

will fall into their own trap.

But the innocent who resist temptation will experience reward.

The wealthy in their conceit presume to be wise,

but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.

The triumphant joy of God’s lovers releases great glory.

But when the wicked rise to power, everyone goes into hiding.

If you cover up your sin you’ll never do well.

But if you confess your sins and forsake them,

you will be kissed by mercy.

Overjoyed is the one who with tender heart trembles before God,

but the stubborn, unyielding heart will experience even greater evil.

Ruthless rulers can only be compared

to raging lions and roaming bears.

Abusive leaders fail to employ wisdom,

but leaders who despise corruption

will enjoy a long and full life.

A murderer’s conscience will torment him—

a fugitive haunted by guilt all the way to the grave

with no one to support him.

The pure will be rescued from failure,

but the perverse will suddenly fall into ruin.

Work hard and you’ll have all you desire,

but chase a fantasy and you could end up with nothing.

Life’s blessings drench the honest and faithful person,

but punishment rains down upon the greedy and dishonest.

Giving favoritism to the rich and powerful is disgusting,

and this is the type of judge who would betray a man for a bribe.

A greedy man is in a race to get rich,

but he forgets that he could lose what’s most important

and end up with nothing.

If you correct someone with constructive criticism,

in the end he will appreciate it more than flattery.

A person who would reject his own parents and say,

“What’s wrong with that?” is as bad as a murderer.

To make rash, hasty decisions

shows that you are not trusting the Lord.

But when you rely totally on God,

you will still act carefully and prudently.

Self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools.

But when you lean on the wisdom from above,

you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.

You will never go without if you give to the poor.

But if you’re heartless, stingy, and selfish,

you invite curses upon yourself.

When wicked leaders rise to power,

good people go into hiding.

But when they fall from power,

the godly take their place.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 28]

A David Psalm

Don’t turn a deaf ear

when I call you, God.

If all I get from you is

deafening silence,

I’d be better off

in the Black Hole.

I’m letting you know what I need,

calling out for help

And lifting my arms

toward your inner sanctum.

Don’t shove me into

the same jail cell with those crooks,

With those who are

full-time employees of evil.

They talk a good line of “peace,”

then moonlight for the Devil.

Pay them back for what they’ve done,

for how bad they’ve been.

Pay them back for their long hours

in the Devil’s workshop;

Then cap it with a huge bonus.

Because they have no idea how God works

or what he is up to,

God will smash them to smithereens

and walk away from the ruins.

Blessed be God—

he heard me praying.

He proved he’s on my side;

I’ve thrown my lot in with him.

Now I’m jumping for joy,

and shouting and singing my thanks to him.

God is all strength for his people,

ample refuge for his chosen leader;

Save your people

and bless your heritage.

Care for them;

carry them like a good shepherd.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 28 (The Message)

[Psalm 71]

I run for dear life to God,

I’ll never live to regret it.

Do what you do so well:

get me out of this mess and up on my feet.

Put your ear to the ground and listen,

give me space for salvation.

Be a guest room where I can retreat;

you said your door was always open!

You’re my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.

My God, free me from the grip of Wicked,

from the clutch of Bad and Bully.

You keep me going when times are tough—

my bedrock, God, since my childhood.

I’ve hung on you from the day of my birth,

the day you took me from the cradle;

I’ll never run out of praise.

Many gasp in alarm when they see me,

but you take me in stride.

Just as each day brims with your beauty,

my mouth brims with praise.

But don’t turn me out to pasture when I’m old

or put me on the shelf when I can’t pull my weight.

My enemies are talking behind my back,

watching for their chance to knife me.

The gossip is: “God has abandoned him.

Pounce on him now; no one will help him.”

God, don’t just watch from the sidelines.

Come on! Run to my side!

My accusers—make them lose face.

Those out to get me—make them look

Like idiots, while I stretch out, reaching for you,

and daily add praise to praise.

I’ll write the book on your righteousness,

talk up your salvation the livelong day,

never run out of good things to write or say.

I come in the power of the Lord God,

I post signs marking his right-of-way.

You got me when I was an unformed youth,

God, and taught me everything I know.

Now I’m telling the world your wonders;

I’ll keep at it until I’m old and gray.

God, don’t walk off and leave me

until I get out the news

Of your strong right arm to this world,

news of your power to the world yet to come,

Your famous and righteous

ways, O God.

God, you’ve done it all!

Who is quite like you?

You, who made me stare trouble in the face,

Turn me around;

Now let me look life in the face.

I’ve been to the bottom;

Bring me up, streaming with honors;

turn to me, be tender to me,

And I’ll take up the lute and thank you

to the tune of your faithfulness, God.

I’ll make music for you on a harp,

Holy One of Israel.

When I open up in song to you,

I let out lungsful of praise,

my rescued life a song.

All day long I’m chanting

about you and your righteous ways,

While those who tried to do me in

slink off looking ashamed.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 71 (The Message)

with these lines mirrored in The Passion Translation:

Lord, you are my secure shelter. Don’t ever let me down!

Let your justice be my breakthrough.

Bend low to my whispered cry

and save me from all my enemies!

You’re the only place of protection for me.

I keep coming back to hide myself in you,

for you are like a mountain-cliff fortress where I’m kept safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 71:1-3 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 149]

Triumphant Praise

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

It’s time to sing to God a brand-new song

so that all his holy people will hear how wonderful he is!

May Israel be enthused with joy because of him,

and may the sons of Zion pour out

their joyful praises to their King.

Break forth with dancing!

Make music and sing God’s praises with the rhythm of drums!

For he enjoys his faithful lovers.

He adorns the humble with his beauty

and he loves to give them the victory.

His godly lovers triumph in the glory of God,

and their joyful praises will rise even while others sleep.

God’s high and holy praises fill their mouths,

for their shouted praises are their weapons of war!

These warring weapons will bring vengeance

on every opposing force and every resistant power—

to bind kings with chains and rulers with iron shackles.

Praise-filled warriors will enforce

the judgment-doom decreed against their enemies.

This is the glorious honor he gives to all his godly lovers.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 149 (The Passion Translation)

with this line mirrored in The Voice:

Let all of Israel celebrate their Maker, their God, their friend;

let the children of Zion find great joy in their true King.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 149:2 (The Voice)