#jonah's daily woes

[leuchtturmhaus]

I'm on my 4th cough drop, my 2nd pain killer and my 2 cup of tea on the day fuck my life

[kiraridertime03]

Talking Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1

So, Spider-Man, right?

(FULL SPOILERS FOR ULTIMATE SPIDER MAN (2024) #1, BY THE WAY!)

I want to have full disclosure here. This is my first Spider-Man comic. Most of my Spider-Man content came, before, from different adaptations. I mean, there was a period of my life where I didn't like Spidey, but that was in the unholy era of Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), two adaptations I am not a fan of. But I love the Tobey films, I love Spectacular, I even really like the Tom films. However, I am by no means a Spidey expert. I have heard the woes of modern Spider-Man comics, you know.

However, I did get excited when I heard of this new run, mainly because of the writer, Johnathan Hickman. Of all the American Comics I've read, a ton of them have come from Hickman, oddly enough. My first event comic was Secret Wars (2015), which sold me on him as a writer because, despite it being a multiversal event, it still worked on a small scale, on an emotional level. Then, though I didn't have time for the main books, I felt really fulfilled in reading House of X (2019) and Powers of X (2019). It is oddly compelling as an introduction, setting up this really interesting new status quo. Therefore, hearing he was writing a new Spidey book, I was intrigued. I knew about the other new Ultimate Universe intros he wrote, I just wasn't as hooked at them as the Spider-Man book.

It starts off promisingly. After giving a quick recap of what happened before to help explain things (which is simple yet necessary) recap, we spend most of the issue just learning about Peter. You know, he's a dad, however, unexpectedly to me, it focuses much more of its time on Peter's relationship with Uncle Ben. I don't mind too much, though. In creating an alternate universe, you want to discuss things that are different from what you can write in the main universe, and given this world's premise, this seems the most interesting. I fully didn't expect the Old Man Yuri, though.

This does lead to some endearing moments with J. Jonah Jameson, though. I love the moment seen above in particular, it really shows that, while abrasive, Jonah has a good heart, and cares for Peter. However, most of this helps to reveal concerns both JJ and Peter have been having about Ben's well being. Well, because May is dead

That teensy weensy, itty bitty tewwowism mentioned in the recap comes to a full head, as it turns out May died in it, alongside Norman Osborn, seemingly. They all go to this really interesting wake, headed by Matt Murdock, now a Priest, and Harry, who gives a heavy speech about it. He seems particularly scarred by these events, which I hope is explored further in later issues.

After this, we get a bit more plot as JJ and Ben storm out of the Daily Bugle as Kingpin tries to influence them in a way the two don't like. But as Fisk leaves, we meet another character, The Goblin.

I like this suit, and looking at its subtleties reveals the interesting merger of Stark and Oscorp, which can lead to interesting implications to the future. This also builds some mystery to their character, as they bomb the Kingpin... Intriguing. I am actually really excited to see where this goes, as it is likely that, if this is Harry, he'll be against Spidey due to his links to Tony Stark alone. However, this seemingly more heroic bent is an interesting use of this new universe.

Well, anyways, we cut back to Ben and JJ on a date...

They're actually talking about a new business, forging a new journal based on not lying. They have a really cute dynamic, and I hope to see more of them in future issues. However, from here, the issue pivots. The first half was mostly focused on establishing the Status Quo. Peter is married, Ben's alive, May isn't, so on and so forth. From here, though, things get more interesting.

Seeing Ben going forward in his life so bravely, Peter begins to speak on his mid life crisis. He starts asking about a longing, a desire for change. In this, Ben plays his usual inspiring role, but in a completely new context. Rather than great power and responsibility, it's more about seizing the day.

It continues to another scene of him and MJ, where they discuss the same thing. However, there seems to be a more specific focus to it. This scene, while important for Peter's character, also gives a brief moment to really build Peter's domestic life. With the pacing of the issue to this point, there hasn't really been much of this, but I also see there wasn't really much time, so it's good that it is here, if anything. However, MJ seems fully supportive of whatever it is as Peter leaves the room, we get a brief flashback.

This is were things get weird and multiversal, as Hickman tends to do. Peter learns of the whole, "Maker stole the future" thing, giving Peter the promise of his proposed future, if he will take it. We then get a brilliant scene where we watch as he gets bit, and becomes Spider-Man. There's this brilliant edit, which I'll link below, that really adds the gravitas that the moment has, taking it to the extreme.

Overall, this series seems to be about lost potential. Other people have noted this, but it is, incredibly, both a story that is metacontextually interesting, as well as emotionally resonant without that.

Look at it. On one end, this seems to be addressing the image of Spider-Man's Stagnation. It fells, with this, that his married, developed life, and his Spider-Man life were split with OMD, and this book seeks to make up for lost time. It also hits hard in a modern context, as many people's prospects have felt a sense of stagnation as well. It's brilliant, and an interesting direction to take this Peter's character. It leaves me excited to see where this book takes his character next.

Overall, what I can say about this book is that it feels like a great pilot. It gives me a good, brief taste of the characters, sets up the world, and builds intrigue, both in Peter's character and the purpose of the Goblin. There isn't a ton of Spider-Man, but all things considered, that's the least important to sell here, as people have gotten used to Spidey based action. We'll get time for it later, I'm sure.

If anything, I wish we got more time for meeting with the kids. We get a bit of them at the start, and I don't think there was really time for it in this really packed issue, but it is a tad disappointing. Here's hoping for some in the future.

Overall, a really strong, interesting issue of Spidey comics that will hopefully build into an all timer of a run.

[haberdashing]

No Puppet Strings Can Hold Me Down (15/?)

The Magnus Archives fanfic. An AU that diverges from canon between episodes 159 and 160, in which Peter Lukas’ statement that “he got you” takes on a different meaning.

on AO3

Jon was a little surprised that more didn’t change after that conversation. It made sense, he supposed--he and Martin were already in some weird sort of limbo, and Jonah Magnus’ presence being out in the open just made that limbo even tenser than before--but it was surreal, going about the same sort of half-formed daily routines, being more or less stuck in the safehouse with Martin, as if nothing had happened.

Jon did get his wish to sleep on the couch, at least. It wasn’t that uncomfortable, really, and he’d been right in predicting that he’d fit on it better than Martin had, his body only slightly scrunched where Martin’s feet had dangled off the couch entirely. A small victory, given the current stakes, but a victory nonetheless, and Jon would savor every one of those he could get.

Martin went for walks more often than he had before, too. Without Jon, naturally, so Jon got to pace around the safehouse for hours on end while Martin got to enjoy the serene beauty of the Highlands up close and personal. He probably needed the time to think, though, and Jon couldn’t begrudge him that. Jon just wished he had time to think like that, time when he was truly alone, when he didn’t have to worry that focusing on a thought for too long would bring it to the attention of his bodily captor and potential world-ender.

Some of Martin’s walks were just for the sake of fresh air, exercise, something to do, but some were walks to the village to get any number of supplies needed to keep the house functioning, such as it was. (The house was a little worn down, a bit of a fixer-upper, but then, Jon supposed that the same could well be said about the people living there currently as well.)

It was while Martin was on one of those longer walks to the village that Jon started wondering, absentmindedly, what it was like out there, what Martin was up to without him... in another world, where things had gone ever so slightly differently, perhaps Jon would be there by Martin’s side, but as it was he could barely even picture the village in his mind’s eye...

At least, Jon could barely picture it at first, but that changed soon enough. Suddenly, his mind filled with an image of the village, of Martin chatting at a checkout counter with an unfamiliar woman who must be one of the village’s residents. Jon couldn’t tell if what he saw was happening now or had happened on some prior visit--the lighting seemed off for it being today, but maybe it just wasn’t quite as gloomy down in the village as it was here in the cabin, or perhaps the clouds had cleared a bit since he last checked.

At any rate, Jon focused all his attention on this image, this vision that the Eye had granted him, tuning out the world around him in the process.

The woman, who had thick curls dyed a bright and unnatural color, looked at Martin quizzically. “I hope you’re not all on your lonesome out here, dearie. Even a small space can seem awful empty if you’ve got no one to share it with--I learned that one from experience.” She half-exhaled, half-sighed at the end of her speech, a hint that there was some greater story there, some tale of old woe that this woman--the cashier, was she?--had lived through some time ago.

Martin, for his part, didn’t follow up on the hint. “Oh, no need to worry about me, I’ve got company. I’m actually living with my- my boyfriend.” He tripped over the word a bit, but not unduly so, not any more than Jon had back when he’d been dating someone who fit the bill.

Jon watched the cashier’s expression closely after Martin finished speaking, sparing only a brief glance at Martin’s own wide-eyed stare, but the woman didn’t seem too bothered by the idea. “Oh? What’s his name? I don’t think I’ve seen him around.”

“His name’s John.” Jon wasn’t sure how, given that the two words were homonyms, but somehow he could hear the extra H in Martin’s voice, could hear him misspell the name despite it being pronounced the same. At first he almost thought he was imagining it, reading too much into it, but-

“Or Johnny, sometimes? Though that’s mostly just- just the two of us, he doesn’t like strangers calling him that much. He’s a bit shy, you see.”

Jon had never gone by Johnny. Jon had barely ever gone by Jonny, a brief escapade in music and rebellion during uni aside, and Martin had no way of knowing about that, no reason to call Jon by such a nickname. He was just mixing fact and fiction, using a bit of the truth to give the villagers (because Jon knew that such gossip was bound to spread further than one curious cashier) a false but believable idea of what was going on in that cabin far away.

God, Martin was good at this, and Jon loved him all the more for it.

“Like attracts like, I suppose.” The cashier winked at Martin, an action which made Jon notice for the first time her colorful eyeshadow.

“You’re not wrong there.” A bark of a laugh, one that might have sounded genuine to someone who didn’t know what Martin laughing from the heart sounded like. “But he’s even shier than me, I swear. Can’t blame him, really--he’s been through a lot lately, got a few bad scars back in the city, I think he’s worried people would look at him funny around here...”

“Well, I for one would love to meet him. Tell that John to come down to the village with you next time, alright?” Another exaggerated wink.

“...I’ll try, Margie, but no promises. He’s a stubborn one, that one.”

“Men always are, aren’t they? Present company excepted, of course.”

“Of course.” Martin laughed along with the cashier, but his laughter sounded a little forced, a little strained, at least to Jon’s attentive ears.

Jon’s mind was racing as the vision ended, as he was unceremoniously returned to his captivity in the cabin, though he couldn’t entirely explain why. Martin had told a falsehood to paint a prettier and less complicated picture for others about what was going on here, that was all.

And yet... Jon couldn’t help but imagine what might have been, if things had been different. Jon couldn’t help but think over that conversation and wish that it had all been true.

Jon wanted nothing more than to be Martin’s boyfriend, on some sort of impromptu vacation in the Highlands with his beloved, with the worst of his worries being what those living in the nearby village would think if they saw his scars. 

But life was never that simple, was it?

[wesenschau]

Israel, Pharaoh, The Tents of Kedar and Mary

In Deuteronomy 32:21 we are told what happens when Israel deviates from God’s hierarchical prescriptions:

“They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”

It is in God that all things have their being/existence, it is in God’s mind that all things are sustained. This means, when man turns away from the cosmic hierarchies which God operates in creation by, they are turning towards non-being/non-existence/disintegration/exile. We can see a typological pattern throughout the Old Testament of Israel failing to fulfill the torah, tending towards non existence, being exiled and then being reunified through the gentiles. This article from James Jordan explores this concept more in-depth. What it means for Israel to move God to jealousy with that which is not God, is to turn away from divinely established meanings and names of reality and try to name/bring meaning to things on your own account (it is the attempt to make a name for oneself [gen. 11:4]). This is the fundamental sin which divides us from God/where God wants us to be. Of course there is always a redemptive aspect to this pattern. This can be seen most clearly in Christ’s redeeming the sin of Adam. 

Whenever Israel turns from God, they face exile -- they are sent to the wilderness; God then turns his attention to the wilderness and shows Israel how the wilderness/unknown aspects of reality are to be reconciled into the grand cosmic structure of things. The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah shed much light on this. For Jeremiah, as a mosaic-type prophet, Israel has become the new pharaoh. Note Israel disobeying God’s commandment to  “not . . . return the people to Egypt . . . , since the LORD has said to you, ‘You must never return that way again” (Deut 17:16) in Jer. 31, and Israel committing the sin of pharaoh in Jer. 34 (the refusal to release slaves/the presumption that man can account for all aspects of reality). Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help! (Is. 31:1). For Isaiah Israel is as a barren woman requiring a kinsman redeemer. At the end of Daniel we are told from the time of the book till redemption is 1290 days, which is 430*3. 430 years is the time from Abraham till the time of the exodus (Gal. 3:17)/ the time of sojourn in Egypt (Exodus 12:40). There is a triplet “exile” from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up (Dan. 12:11). In order these three sojourns are under: Antiochus Epiphanes -> the Maccabean dynasty -> Herodian dynasty + Jewish priesthood. The little horn of Daniel 7 corresponds with the 2-horned land beast of Revelation 12 and has a twofold operation of Herodian and corrupted priestly power structures. This two horned beast is the same beast that crucified Christ and is described in Revelation as the whore of Babylon, who “in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints” (Rev. 18:24). This is the same Jerusalem whom Jesus laments over in Mt. 23:17 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!“.

This brings light to the passage in Matthew 2:3 where God calls His Son out of Egypt -- Egypt, being Israel. It is no wonder that Ishmael, son of an Egyptian, is shown by Saint Paul to be a symbol of Israel/the law in Galatians 4.

Now that we have established the pharaonic nature of Israel at the time of Christ, we can open up a prosopological reading of Psalm 120:5. In Psalm 120:5 we see Christ sojourning in Meshech and dwelling in the tents of Kedar. Meshech is a son of Japheth and one of the surrounding nations in the battle of Gog and Magog. Kedar is a son of Ishmael and is associated with the nomadic wilderness (Ezk. 27:21; Jer. 2:10). Ps. 120:5 is Christ mourning over the apostasy of the Jews -- the giving up of their wings of holiness (Num. 15:37-41) and their taking up of wings of abominations (Dan. 9:27). “Woe is me!” cries Christ, “that my people have rejected me! Woe is me! That the temple has become desolate, like a wild desert! Woe is me! That I dwell in the temple which has been transformed to a foreign tent of nomads!” The consequence of Israel’s rejection of Christ is that he is to bring light to the nations, which, although obviously good, is not good that it needs to be done under the pretext of Israel’s disobedience. Christ’s mourning over the temple in Luke 19:41-44 (note verse 42 and Ps. 120:7) comes from the same place as Jonah’s mourning over the conversion of Nineveh under the gourd plant. The conversion of gentiles meant the disobedience and demise of Israel; thus Christ laments: “Woe is me! that I sojourneth in a foreign nation, that I have been forced out into Egypt, even unto the tents of Kedar, to find someone to share my love with!”

A mariological reading is also, in my opinion, applicable -- particularly in light of Sg. 1:5-6. Mary, like Isaiah, comes from a people of unclean lips (Is. 6:5) (note the solution to this uncleanness is sacrificial/eucharistic in nature [Is. 6:6-7 -> Ps. 120:4]). In a mariological reading of song of songs we see a Holy Bride seeking nothing but to serve and love her Bridegroom. We see that Mary desires to bring Christ into her mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived her (Sg. 3:4) and to lead Christ, and bring him into her mother’s house who would instruct her (Sg. 8:2). I believe this is fulfilled in Luke 2, in the presentation of the Lord in the temple (and continues to be fulfilled by many faithful Christians bringing Christ into the various profane institutions/structures in which they were raised. On a grander scale the Church has never failed to take profane philosophy/worldly knowledge and baptize it and consecrate it to the Lord).

[Side note: Sg. 8:3 provides an interesting insight into the Marian aspect of the Eucharist -- demonstrating her inseparability from the Church, which I would like to develop/explore further, God willing].

In my opinion, Mary’s confession of being black, but comely and being likened unto the tents of Kedar, and the curtains of Solomon is possibly twofold in its allegorical indications:

1) Mary is in a temple which is stained -- where the curtains of Solomon have become like the black tents of Kedar. Why did this happen? because Israel failed to keep their own vineyard and was subjected to enslavement under foreign rule (Sg. 1:6). Because of Mary’s identification with the temple and her people, which are of an unclean lip (Is. 6:5) she mourns over their uncleanness, but shows that there is still hope in the whittled down, comely line of David, which is a sign of God’s faithfulness. Because the Jews have become like Egypt, the children of Mary’s mother (meaning: the benefactors of second temple corruption) force Mary and her Bridegroom out unto the real tents of Kedar, where Christ transforms them into curtains of Solomon (Sg. 1:5-6). It is interesting to note Kedar’s connection to Egypt -- Kedar being a son of Ishmael and his Egyptian bride (Gen. 25:13) (Ishmael was also born of an Egyptian woman [Hagar, Gen. 16:1]). (The fact Ishmael had an Egyptian mother and an Egyptian wife further solidifies the association of bride and mother in this context. Also note the comparison of the Bride to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots in Sg. 1:9).

2) This next idea is ultimately connected to the concept of original sin and the story of Adam being installed as the priest/keeper of his garden/vineyard but he failed to do so, and because of that, God had to put barriers/mediators between Adam/man and Himself in order that the sun may not burn them (sg. 1:6). Mary, although sinless, carried the burden of original sin. It is because Mary had original sin but was sinless that she perfectly fulfilled her place in the arc of salvation as new Eve. (Eve did not have original sin but still sinned -- Eve was like the curtains of Solomon but voluntarily brought upon herself exile out of the garden into the wild tents of Kedar. Mary, however, although stained by the blackness and burns of original sin remained altogether comely.) 

The antimonies of black, but comely and the tents of Kedar / the curtains of Solomon (as well as the multitude of twofold descriptions throughout the song of songs) definitely call back to the two goats in the day of atonement, in which all of reality is accounted for by God and the prescribed participation in that reality by Israel -- although, this is a concept I need to explore more in-depth. 

[The unknown/wild aspects of reality, represented by the tents of Kedar, are not inherently evil and will ultimately be reconciled within God’s total account of all things within His cosmic structure of reality. It becomes evil, however, when man attempts to structure reality and account for these wild/unknown things within his own naming/reasoning.]

Many of these ideas are drawing heavily upon concepts I’ve been introduced to by Kabane/Seraphim Hamilton, who never fails to provide inspiring, edifying and brilliant content.

This was a jumbled together mess of ideas but I hope some level of coherency was achieved and that someone can learn something from this. 😄

[hulaherron]

Starbucks (J.M)

Your daily coffee run to visit a certain someone sends you on an unexpected hunt with a pleasant surprise. 

Words: 1,926

The perfect start to all of your mornings was coffee. Specifically, coffee from the Starbucks with the extra cute barista that just happened to work the morning shifts. He was your daily motivation to roll out of bed at the first alarm, style your hair and do your makeup, and put on an extra cute outfit. Having followed that nearly perfect routine this morning, you strutted into the crowded coffee shop as confidently as you could, hoping to catch his eye. Unfortunately, he was too wrapped up in serving a frail old lady who couldn’t figure out what to order. You sighed and joined the long line of grumpy work goers. You fiddled with your clothes-unbuttoning and re-buttoning your blouse, tugging on your skirt, rearranging your rings- attempting to pass time quicker. It seemed to have worked, as you were at the front of the line in no time. You walked up to the register with a flirty smile, eyeing him up.

“Hey Ethan,” you greeted him, “may I have a venti white chocolate mocha, please?” The attractive boy grinned and nodded, punching in your order.

“Sure thing, Y/N, right?” He remembered, casting you a playful wink as he scribbled your name and another message onto your paper cup. You giggled and nodded, pulling out your phone to show your Starbucks app. You scanned it quickly and passed through the line, Ethan’s eyes glued to you. You joined the cluster of people waiting, watching Ethan’s every move. You monitored how he smiled, how he laughed at customers, how gently he passed back change. You were almost positive that you were in love with him. You were snapped out of your daydream by a different barista rattling off names, yours included. She slid all the drinks onto the counter, the irritated group pushing you forward. You saw the corner of your name on one of the tall coffee cups, so you quickly grabbed it and made your way back outside.

You sighed and took a sip of your favorite drink, only to find that it was bitter and strong. You nearly spit out the scalding coffee, your mouth tasting disgusting. You watched the flood of people leave in a hurry, unable to figure out who had taken your favorite drink and your secret message. You groaned and moved into the passing crowd, glancing at every coffee cup in hand. None of them seemed to brand your name, leaving you disappointed. You looked back at the cup in your hands, reading the name: Jonah with a smiley face. You took a deep inhale and summoned all your confidence before screaming, “Jonah!”. You yelled it over and over, people sending you weird looks and bothered glares. You pushed your way around, continuously calling out the man’s name. Finally, you heard the reply you were looking for.

“Y/N? Yeah, Y/N! I have your coffee!” You saw a hand with a Starbucks cup shoot up in the air across the street, but you were too late to cross and caught the light. You groaned, running your hands through your hair in frustration. All you wanted was your stupid mocha.

Time seemed to move incredibly slow as you waited for the tiny walking person to appear again, allowing you to seek Jonah out. You called out for him again, but found that he had already split in a different direction. You groaned in failure, grumbling about how icky his coffee was. You complained under your breath the entire way to work, your day ruined. You flashed your badge at the security guard before moping to the elevator doors, joining others as you waited again.

“Waiting, always waiting. Coffee, street lights, elevators,” you huffed miserably, crossing your arms over your chest. “Always something to wait for.” As soon as the doors slid open, everyone shoved their way inside, leaving very little space for you to squeeze in. You pressed your office floor number and waited as the door began to close. But just before they clamped shut, you noticed a tall young man holding a coffee cup bearing your name. You lunged forward to attempt to stop the elevator from leaving, but the man in front of you prevented it and up you went. Just your luck.

People slowly trickled out of the elevator at each floor, leaving you for last. As the elevator stopped at the very top floor, you stared down at the coffee in your hand. You hesitantly put it up to your lips and took another small sip, still gagging at the taste. While you might need morning caffeine, this was not how you were going to do it. Plus, you had a slim chance of finding Jonah again since he did work in the same building. You stepped out of the elevator and headed towards you desk, your favorite coworker already seated at his. You plopped into your rolling chair, glaring miserably at the stack of work already piled in the corner.

“Good morning, Miss. Grumpy pants,” Ryan greeted you with a small smirk. “What’s wrong?” You leaned forward, propping your head in your hands.

“I grabbed the wrong coffee this morning,” you moaned. Ryan held back a laugh, making you stick your tongue out at him. “So not funny. I think Ethan even left his number on my cup this morning too, he was scribbling something on it beneath my name!”

“Dude, that totally sucks. Just go in after work and tell him what happened,” Ryan advised, shrugging as he began to work on his computer. You groaned, collapsing on your desk.

“He only works morning shifts!” You answered. “Now he probably thinks I’m not interested so he’s going to write his number on some other girl’s cup and she’s gonna actually get her drink and they’re going to get married and have beautiful barista babies!” Ryan laughed at your delusional theory, making you frown again. “Woe is me, Ryan.”

“Y/N, chill. Just look in the building directory and find the name of whoever’s coffee you kidnapped and track them and your Starbucks down. Easy fix,” he told you. You lit up, smiling at the dear boy. “Good, I fixed sad Y/N. Now start working.” You logged into your computer quickly, clicking around until you found the directory. You hit the ‘search’ box and typed in ‘JONAH’. Fortunately for you, there were only three results: Jonah Erikson, Jonah Clyde-O’Donald, and Jonah Marais. You grabbed a Post-It, scribbled down all their names and their company names, and shot up from your chair. You quickly grabbed the drink and began to run towards the elevator.

“I’ll be right back Ryan!” You shouted over your shoulder, waving to him. He laughed and waved back before returning to his paperwork. You called the elevator impatiently, ready to head down to Erikson’s business first. You got in the car and pressed ‘2’, ready to track down your mocha and your phone number.

You reached Erikson’s office, only to find that the desk was empty and the lights were off. Not number one, you thought before turning on your heels and going back to the elevator. Clyde-O’Donald was on the fourth floor, so you headed back up.

You hurried through the cubicles, scanning each name until you found the man you were looking for. He was holding a Starbucks cup, but it did indeed bear ‘Jonah C-OD’ on the side. You sighed, scurrying away before he caught you lurking behind him. The last Jonah, Marais, was on your floor, so you pressed the ‘7’ and went back up, silently praying that he had your coffee.

You went to the opposite side of the seventh floor, finding all the desks vacant. You groaned as you noticed that everyone had gathered in a conference room for a meeting. You shuffled over to the door, peeking in through the window. Sure enough, the boy from the elevator was there. You gasped and went to the nearest desk, grabbing a piece of paper. You scribbled ‘Jonah!’ On it in big letters, then pressed it to the window. A few others noticed and chuckled, but your target was too busy daydreaming to see. Thankfully, the lady beside him poked him and pointed at you. You grinned broadly, holding up his coffee cup. You watched as he awkwardly excused himself and met you outside.

“Dear God, Y/N?” He asked, pointing to your coffee. You nodded eagerly, thrusting the black Americano into his hands and snatching your own drink. “How the hell did you find me?”

“The building directory. It wasn’t that hard, there’s only three Jonahs who work here,” you answered nonchalantly before gulping down your mocha. By this time it was the perfect temperature, allowing you to chug and finish the entire thing.

“Oh man, that’s kinda cool actually,” he answered. “Anyways, it’s cool to meet you, Y/N.” You smiled, meeting his eyes. It was then you noticed how extremely attractive he was. He had chocolatey brown curls and matching dark brown eyes. He had a strong jaw and a built body. He towered above you surprisingly.

“O-oh yeah, nice to meet you too,” you stuttered, your cheeks feeling flushed. He laughed before sipping his coffee. “I accidentally drank some of your coffee, it was pretty…different.” He smiled, shrugging.

“It’s better than whatever sugar bomb you had there,” he replied with a smirk. “Seriously, how do you drink that without throwing up?” You laughed easily.

“I could say the same about yours,” you replied sassily.

“Oh, by the way, Ethan’s not into,” Jonah said casually, glancing back towards his meeting. The muffled voices sounded bare and boring, so you understood why he was stalling. You sighed, glancing over the note. ‘Y/N— I hope I wasn’t sending the wrong message. You’re sweeter than this drink, but I don’t like you that way. See you tomorrow morning :) - Ethan’. “You know he’s gay, right?” Your jaw dropped.

“No he isn’t, no way in hell,” you replied, shocked. Jonah nodded knowingly. “Oh my God, I’m so stupid! And after all this time!” Jonah chuckled, rubbing your arm sympathetically.

“That’s why I get a smiley on my cup everyday. Unfortunately, I have some rough news for Ethan.” You both laughed lightly. “It’s okay, we form a weird, coffee-based love triangle, don’t we?” You tilted your head curiously.

“I guess we do,” You thought, still a bit confused. Jonah shook his head with a smile at your expression, grabbing your coffee cup and a sharpie from a nearby desk. You watched as he scribbled on it, then handed it back to you.

“I’m definitely no Ethan, but you still ended up with a number on your cup,” he told you cheekily. “I better head back in there. Talk to you later, Y/N.”

“Later, Jonah,” you murmured, smiling at the ten numbers on your cup. You watched him disappear into the room before heading back to your desk. You set the cup down with a satisfying sigh before taking some of your papers and beginning to log them in the computer system. Ryan watched you anxiously.

“So… I see Ethan’s number?” He asked hopefully. You shook your head ‘no’, making him frown.

“No,” you replied slowly and thoughtfully, “but I think this number is a lot better.” Ryan shrugged and continued to work. You smiled at the cup again, your face heating up even though he wasn’t around. Maybe you should have grabbed the wrong cup sooner.

[woman-of-destiny]

Word for Today

Nahum 1 : 1 - 15

Nahum came from southern Judah that later came to be known as Elcesi near where the prophet Micah lived.

Nahum’s prophecy against the city of Nineveh would have been significant for the people of Judah, who would have needed encouragement in the face of the terrifying power of the Assyrian Empire.

The Assyrian Empire had its capital at Nineveh, which was very powerful. Nahum preached during the reign of King Manesseh, one of the most evil kings in Judah’s long history, a man who needed the pain of his own experience to teach him the lessons of being a good king.

Manasseh’s great conversion took place late in his reign, around 648 BC, a mere half-dozen years before his death.

That means Nahum preached during the darkest period in Judah’s history to that point, a time filled with idolatry of all kinds in a nation that had completely turned its back on God.

The Lord’s willingness to send Nahum, whose name means “comfort,” into such a hopeless situation evidenced His unrelenting and overwhelming grace.

Nahum’s singular focus on the impending judgment of Nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in Jonah.

Sometime around 760 BC, God sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach repentance and hope to the Assyrian people, a message they heard and adopted at least for a time.

One hundred years later, during the time of Nahum, the Assyrians had returned to their bullish ways, conquering the northern kingdom of Israel and lording their power over Judah in the south (2 Kings 17:1–6; 18:13–19:37).

Jonah failed to realize what Nahum reminded the people of Judah: God’s justice is always right and always sure. Should He choose to grant mercy for a time, that good gift will not compromise the Lord’s ultimate sense of justice for all in the end.

Nineveh, at the time Nahum predicted its downfall, was at the heart of a vast, powerful empire the commercial center of the world.

However, its wealth was not the result of trade alone, but also came through the practice of deceit and the plundering of neighboring nations. As Nahum writes: “Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery( Nahum 3:1).

After allowing approximately two hundred years of powerful Assyrian kings and rulers, God announced through Nahum His plans to judge the city of Nineveh.

While the book as a whole clearly shows God’s concern over sin, His willingness to punish those guilty of wickedness, and His power to carry out His desire for judgment, it also contains rays of hope shining through the darkness.

Most significantly, the people of Judah would have immediately taken hope in the idea that Nineveh, their primary oppressor for generations, would soon come under judgment from God.

But it is important to know that God will not allow rampant and unrestrained wickedness to prosper and increase indefinitely.

Even though God is good and “a stronghold in the day of trouble” (Nahum 1:7), He will act against those who reject Him and who refuse to respond to His warning messages (1:6-10).

It is inappropriate and unfair to expect God’s continued blessings while showing a stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge Him in the way we govern ourselves and conduct our daily lives.

No doubt we all have felt overwhelmed by the darkness both within ourselves and in our world. Nahum lived in a dark time, a time in which the faithful few must have wondered how long they would have to resist cultural and spiritual compromise.

In a world beset by increasing warfare, strife, unhappiness, sorrow, hunger and many other disasters and calamities, it is vital that we keep the hope vested in the gospel message burning forever brightly in our hearts and in our minds.

Today, Prophet Nahum reminds us of God’s active hand, working even in the darkest of times to bring justice and hope in our lives and throughout the world.

Have a Glorious Saturday

Z

[grace2build]

I am Undone: by Jonah Nathan Corneau

If we are not aware of our sin, I mean acutely aware of how wretched we are then we are not spending time in the presence of God. This is true not only for the worst sinner, but for the most seasoned saint. This humble realization will enable God to then deal with the specific sin that the Holy Spirit brings to our attention in His presence. It's here that you protest, "But am I not now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus?!" Yes you are a saint upon conversion, and yet a sinner still. Quite the paradox isn't it? Once we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit we are born into the family of God and stand blameless in His sight because of Jesus's imputed righteousness. However we as believers know that we struggle with sin and it's consequences on a daily basis. These two truths cannot be ignored, we cannot take an imbalanced stance and just hold to one; they must both be embraced in all of their holy tension. This theology although articulated with much biblical knowledge is better understood and embraced on our knees. It is in His presence that the deepest theological truths are more fully realized and that the cleansing fire of His Spirit can be applied where sin is most prevalent. - Jonah Isaiah 6:5 (NIV) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

[northshorelifeonline-blog]

Luke 11 •Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer •Jesus and Beelzebul •The Sign of Jonah •The Lamp of the Body •Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law __________ 11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” 14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out dem https://www.instagram.com/p/B3sn3DmFbCV/?igshid=1swhy212evj4r

[180brg]

Luke 11

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[a] hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.[b] 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins,    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c] And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”

28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

The Sign of Jonah

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Footnotes:

Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts Our Father in heaven

Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Luke 11:4 Greek everyone who is indebted to us

Luke 11:4 Some manuscripts temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name

Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for

Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.

Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.

[leuchtturmhaus]

got new glasses and oh god the world looks crisp

[gomoviesapp]

Daily Bugle Website Has Never Heard Of Thanos

Daily Bugle Website Has Never Heard Of Thanos

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[yortalnahtanoj]

Luke 11

Instruction about Prayer

     1It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

2And He said to them, “When you pray, say:            ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.            Your kingdom come.

     3‘Give us each day our daily bread.

     4‘And forgive us our sins,            For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.            And lead us not into temptation.’”

     5Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

     9“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12“Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will yourheavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Pharisees’ Blasphemy      14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19“And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

     24“When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25“And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26“Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

     27While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

The Sign of Jonah      29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30“For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31“The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.32“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

     33“No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35“Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36“If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

Woes upon the Pharisees      37Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. 38When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. 39But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40“You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41“But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.

     42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43“Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44“Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

     45One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” 46But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48“So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49“For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ 52“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

     53When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, 54plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

[reservedhippie]

God's Love for Man

Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures. In the beautiful words of the psalmist--

"The eyes of all wait upon Thee; And Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:15, 16.

God made man perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God's law--the law of love--that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for man's sake. Genesis 3:17. The thorn and the thistle--the difficulties and trials that make his life one of toil and care--were appointed for his good as a part of the training needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.

"God is love" is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green -- all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.

The word of God reveals His character. He Himself has declared His infinite love and pity. When Moses prayed, "Show me Thy glory," the Lord answered, "I will make all My goodness pass before thee." Exodus 33:18, 19. This is His glory. The Lord passed before Moses, and proclaimed, "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:6, 7. He is "slow to anger, and of great kindness," "because He delighteth in mercy." Jonah 4:2; Micah 7:18.

God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.

The Son of God came from heaven to make manifest the Father. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." John 1:18. "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Matthew 11:27. When one of the disciples made the request, "Show us the Father," Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9.

In describing His earthly mission, Jesus said, The Lord "hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18. This was His work. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by Satan. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took man's nature, that He might reach man's wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They loved to climb upon His knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love.

Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness. His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care for others. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He ever bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.

Such is the character of Christ as revealed in His life. This is the character of God. It is from the Father's heart that the streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ, flow out to the children of men. Jesus, the tender, pitying Saviour, was God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16. It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God.

But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption.

Jesus said, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again." John 10:17. That is, "My Father has so loved you that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and Surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father; for by My sacrifice, God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus."

None but the Son of God could accomplish our redemption; for only He who was in the bosom of the Father could declare Him. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it manifest. Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in behalf of fallen man could express the Father's love to lost humanity.

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." He gave Him not only to live among men, to bear their sins, and die their sacrifice. He gave Him to the fallen race. Christ was to identify Himself with the interests and needs of humanity. He who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to be broken. Jesus is "not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11); He is our Sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form before the Father's throne, and through eternal ages one with the race He has redeemed--the Son of man. And all this that man might be uplifted from the ruin and degradation of sin that he might reflect the love of God and share the joy of holiness.

The price paid for our redemption, the infinite sacrifice of our heavenly Father in giving His Son to die for us, should give us exalted conceptions of what we may become through Christ. As the inspired apostle John beheld the height, the depth, the breadth of the Father's love toward the perishing race, he was filled with adoration and reverence; and, failing to find suitable language in which to express the greatness and tenderness of this love, he called upon the world to behold it. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3:1. What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of man become subjects of Satan. Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ the sons of Adam may become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name "sons of God."

Such love is without a parallel. Children of the heavenly King! Precious promise! Theme for the most profound meditation! The matchless love of God for a world that did not love Him! The thought has a subduing power upon the soul and brings the mind into captivity to the will of God. The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child.

White, E.G., “Steps to Christ.” Chapter 1.

[leuchtturmhaus]

Ich hatte heute die glorreiche Idee shoppen zu gehen im nächsten Einkaufszentrum. Leider hatte ich es nicht auf dem Schirm das heute ja Faschings Dienstag ist.

Nunja, jetzt kämpfe ich mich halt durch eine Horde kleiner, verkleidete Kinder, werde fast umgerannt von einer Bibi Blocksberg und das nur damit ich mir beim DM Body Lotion kaufen kann.

Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass läuft auf dauerschleife (unterbrochen von dem Fliegerlied) und ich bin eine Wiederholung davor mir Kopfhörer zu kaufen.

Helft mir.

[leuchtturmhaus]

currently on several types of flu medicine and trying to understand thermodynamics

[leuchtturmhaus]

THE SECOND PEN ALSO CAME IN THE WRONG COLOR I give up