Tag Archives: Jesus

Colorful Worship

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I discovered that God is very explicit about the colors He wanted used to decorate the Tabernacle while reading Exodus 26.  He told Moses to use blue, purple and scarlet.  I began to wonder why these colors?  What is important about them?

The colors are used for several articles in the tabernacle: the curtain – Ex. 26:1, the drape that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the tabernacle – Ex. 26:31, the High Priest ephod – Ex. 28:15, are only a few examples.

tzitzitThere is no mention of what the colors stood for but there could be a direct relationship to the idea that Jesus is fully God and fully man.  (According to Jewish scholars.) Blue always represents Yahweh.  In the tzitzit, the prayer shawl, there is a blue thread to symbolize God and His Commandments.  There is also a scarlet thread to symbolize mankind.  Woven between these colors is purple which is a combination of the primary colors – red and blue.  God (blue) and man (red) were separated by the sin in the Garden of Eden.  God never intended to leave it that way.  His plan was to have a go-between to restore the fellowship between Himself and His creation.  The go-between would be all God (blue) and all man (red), our Jesus (purple).

The colors also represent other aspects of the Judeo-Christian culture.  Holy of HoliesPurple is the color of royalty.  Jesus is the King of the Kingdom and would rightfully wear a purple robe.     It is also the color of the Royal Priesthood. Blue is the color of God’s chosen people dating back to the time of David.  The restored throne of David is described in Ezekial 1:26 as being made of sapphire (blue stone).  Red is a primary color and can not be made from any other color(s).  It is interesting that the Hebrew root word for Adam is oudem which means red clay.   Red symbolizes atonement, sacrifice, life, death, and flesh.  

I found it interesting to learn what these colors may mean.  I do not intend this to be any more than interesting information that may make your study of the Word more informative.

Heavenly Father, what a heritage You have provided for us.  Help us to remember, in whatever way necessary, that You alone are God.  Make it so!

 

 

Breathe on Me

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I just came across another example of God’s ‘aliveness’ while studying His Word. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is God-breathed.  I found another set of scriptures that reinforces and strengthens this concept.

Turn Back To God

In John 20:22 we once again see the Breathe of God in action.  After Jesus’ Resurrection the Disciples have locked themselves in a room because they were afraid of the Jews.  Jesus had come to them to prove He really was Jesus.  After He spoke with them and reminded them of their mission He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.   As Jesus breathed on the original disciples His very breath is on us as we disciple those around us.  Are you saying, whoa, wait a minute here, how did she come to that conclusion?  It’s really quite simple.  I believe God’s word is God breathed and is alive and active in me AND every time I open the Word it is the Breath of God.  Verse 17 of 2 Timothy 3 says that the Scripture completes me and equips me for every good work.  The Breath of God is both on me and in me.

pentecost-small-1

Think about Pentecost.  Acts 2:1-4 tells us that on Pentecost, (By the way, Pentecost is not a new Holy Day to the Jews.  It is the second of the OT established harvest festivals occurring 50 days after Passover.)  the sound of rushing wind came from heaven and filled the house where they were gathered.  Tongues of fire rested on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  This time the Breath of God is perceived as what sounded like rushing wind.  (Scholars believe this outpouring of the Spirit filled the 120 present in the Upper Room.  The 120 represent those Believers who were part of the larger group that followed Jesus.  The 12 Disciples that were closest to Jesus were a part of this group but had already received the Spirit directly from Jesus.)

Whether God’s Breath is directly breathed as with the Disciples, sounds like a rushing wind as with the 120 or is breathed through the Scripture it is still His Breath.  Isn’t it awesome that we can experience it whenever we want to just by opening His Word.  Praise You Jesus!

Worship Him in Song!  Breathe on Me

Heavenly Father, breathe on me.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.  Make me constantly aware that You are constantly with me.  All praise to You, my God and King.  Make it so!

God Is Who HE Says He Is!!!

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thI read the article “Higgs-Boson Particle May Spell Doom” and wondered – really?  Is God so small that He can be a tiny speck created by a collision in the Large Hedron Collider?  Can the theories created by this possible discovery predict the end of the universe and time as we know it?

Let me tell you what I personally know about my God.  HE is not one tiny little particle.  HE is everywhere, in everything and every one, ALL the time.  He is the ONLY One who knows the time of the end and since He didn’t share it with Jesus (Matthew 24:36) I’m very sure it hasn’t been discovered in a mathematical theory based on a teeny-tiny speck that may or may not exist.th (1)

How about on a more personal level.  How do I know God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do?  I survived a dysfunctional childhood because I knew HE is always with me (Even though at that point I hadn’t publicly accepted Him as my personal savior.)  HE was carefully holding me when a tornado ripped our first home apart, turned it on it’s roof, and I was on the inside.  HE was watching and protecting me when a truck ran a stop sign going the full speed limit and T-boned my car, making it a total loss.  The three people on the inside were kept safe with just a few minor injuries.  At a hearing where my personal integrity was being questioned and my job at stake HE showed up, made His presence known with what felt like the slightest breath of fresh air, and all charges against me were dropped.  He was present during the 20 days I sat by my husband Ray and waited for him to wake from a coma.  It was only with His incredible downloadstrength that kept me from being a crazy, sobbing lump as those days went by.  Not only did Ray wake with all his mental facilities, He is a walking, talking Miracle.  I know He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do because I’ve seen Him at work!

Worship Him in Song: How Great Is Our God (in several languages)

Heavenly Father, You Are the I Am!  You are Jehovah Jirah, my Provider.  You are the Is, the Was, and the Always Will Be.  You are my Rock, my Fortress, my Shepherd, my always present Help.  Ah, Lord, God, what a humbling honor it is to be called Your own.  I give You all my praise, my heart, my life, my all.  Amen and Amen!!

Sisters

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Dear, dear family, I came across this beautiful example of loving one another and sharing life’s meaning recently.  Please, pass it on to your own friends.  The message is simply – – we need one another.  Jesus said, when answering the question what is the greatest commandment,  “Love God and Love one another”.  (Matthew 22:37-40)  There is no better way to fulfill the basic human need for love than to just do it!

mother daughter

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and and visiting with her mother.  As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter..

“Don’t forget your sisters,” she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass.  “They’ll be more important as you get older.  No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters.  Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.”

“Remember that ‘sisters’ means ALL the women…your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too.  “You’ll need other women.  Women always do.”

The young woman thought this was a funny piece of advice.  Haven’t I just gotten married?  Haven’t just joined the couple-world?  I’m now a married woman! A grown-up!  Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!

But she listened to her mother.  She kept contact with her sisters and made more sisterswomen friends each year.  As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about.  As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world this list says it all:

hourglassTime passes.

 

 

 

 

New lifeLife happens.

 

 

 

distanceDistance separates.

 

 

children

Children grow up.

 

 

 

jobJobs come and go.

 

 

 

loveLove changes.

 

 

 

failurePeople don’t do what they’re supposed to do.

 

 

 

 

tearsHearts break.

 

 

cemetaryParents die.

 

 

 

broken promisesColleagues forget favors.

 

 

 

 

retirementCareers end.

 

 

 

BUT……..Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you, a girl friend is never farther than needing her can reach.  When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.  Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you…Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: ALL BLESS OUR LIFE!

The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and neither would I… When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.  Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Worship Him in music – – From Sister Act 2

Heavenly Father, You created us to need one another.  You knew there would be a special bond between us.  LORD, let us understand and know what You would have Your Sisters do and be.  Let us share Your Agape (the kind of love that puts the other first) love with all.  Make it so!

Conversation Hearts

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hearts 6God so wants a relationship with us!  He sent His One and Only Son for Heaven’s sake (pun intended).  As I pondered fitting posts for this week of love my mind went to those little conversation hearts that are still given for Valentines treats. I’m sure you will be able to name even more scriptures that go with them and I encourage you to keep on looking.

Looking at the picture above John 3:16 instantly popped into my mind.  What is real  love?  Caring more about someone else’s needs before your own.  That ‘s what God did.  He loved the world so much He gave us Jesus.  That’s real love.

 

hearts 5Only God!  He is Omnipotent (The One and Only).  He is Omniscient (All knowing).  He is Omnipresent (Everywhere all the time).

 

 

 

???????????????????????????????????????God wants us to communicate with Him.  On a daily, hourly basis.  He wants us to include Him in everything we think do and say.   Prayer is one of the ways we communicate with Him.  Philippians 4:6 tells us to go to God with every request we have.  Matthew 7:7-8 Tells us to ask and it will be given to us, seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened.  Each of those phrases requires an action that shows our desire to communicate with God.

Communicate with our Lord through music….Pray On!

Ah, Lord God, You see us, You hear us, You know us, You love us!  You are the reason for our very lives.  Oh, LORD humble us.  Make us aware that You want us to talk with You.  Keep our lives from being all about us and make them all about You.  Make it so!