the Blessing

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3

God calls Abram and makes promises. These promises come to us because Abraham believed God. The word "bless" comes from a Hebrew word which literally means "to kneel."

The picture is a camel kneeling down to be loaded up.

The implication is if we would kneel, then God can load us up.

The charge is unload what God gives us to others, and kneel again...repeat process.

Thus, you will be a blessing.

The reason you would kneel is because you are empty before God.

May you be blessed by the Most High God and be a blessing to others!

Valentine's Scripture?

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 15:33

Paul tells us love your wives and give yourselves as Christ loved the church.

Peter tells us to "dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife."

Wisdom is something revealed by the Lord. How many agree that it takes wisdom of God to understand your wife? And humility comes before honor.

Man-show humility; give your wife the honor.

Do this daily, and you won't need to remember Valentine's Day.

May the Lord bless you and show you love, wisdom, and honor!

Wisdom calls out...

"Now then, my sons, blessed are those who keep my ways."

Proverbs 8:32

We like to say, "The Old Testament is all about the Law, but we are no longer under the Law. Therefore, we don't need to know it or understand it."

"The Old Testament is full of rules that just don't apply to the New Tesament church."

Who thinks that the Law of the Old Testament ever saved anyone in the first place?

It has always been God's mercy!

Even in the Old Testament, that is made clear.

See Abraham. See Jacob. See Jonah.

But wisdom is more precious than rubies,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Nothing.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

May the Lord bless you with wisdom!

understanding the fear of the Lord

Does anyone really understand the fear of the Lord?

Sure, we can quote the verses...

the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10)

the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7)

if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God (James 1:5)

BUT, do we understand the fer of the Lord?

Sometimes it means respect.

Sometimes it means obey.

Sometimes it means FEAR!

And sometimes it means learn from.

Could it mean follow...I mean, the way we follow facebook or twitter?

The Old Testament over and over tells us to "observe and obey these words which I command you" (Deut 12:28, for example).

In fact, I found the word "observe" 35 times just in the books of the Law!

Just my thoughts of the moment.

May God Almighty bless you today as you observe His ways!

A Bedtime Prayer for my Children

Dear Father:

We pray for good sleep tonight: that sleep will come quickly, that you will bless it to be deep and restful and long, lasting all through the night, refreshing and renewing us mind, body, and spirit, so that in the morning everybody will be happy - full of joy and full of smiles! We pray that you protect us while we sleep: by the power and authority of Jesus' Name let all evil be banished from this place! Let your Spirit surround us with a wall of fire and a hedge of thorns to protect us; be our fortress, our strong and mighty tower! And let your presence rest on us, so that while we sleep we may feel your peace and your comfort, knowing that we rest in the strong arms of the Lord our God. Thank you for your love and mercy, in Jesus's Name. Amen.

May you find rest in God above!

How much better to get wisdom than gold,

to choose understanding rather than silver!

Proverbs 16:16

This book was written to help the simple gain prudence,

to help the wise gain discipline and add to their learning,

to help the young gain knowledge and discretion.

Are you reading Proverbs?

Surely you fit into one of those catergories.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:7

Let it not be said of God's people!

May the Lord bless you today as you seek his wisdom and understanding first!

Physics

Something new I learned today:

Adonai is a Hebrew word for God.

It is translated "Master" or "Sovereign" and sometimes just "God."

But what is interesting is it can also be translated "my lords."

No typo there: lords-plural. This is an old Hebrew idiom, from times way before Jesus was born to Mary. You see, God is not subject to our laws of physics. The people of God have known that for a very long time. But we sometimes forget that, at least, I do. It is great to learn things like this from time to time to remind me that God the Father is in God the Son who is in God the Spirit. That means He is all in all. That should be a song...

Anyway, if you are ever in a situation that needs a miracle: pray.

Because God your Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit are ever-present.

Adonai is always with me. Isn't physics great?

The Lord bless you today and show you something amazing!