Fifth Sunday Meditation: The Mighty God, Jehovah, Speaks

"The mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks

and calls the earth from the rising of the sun

to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God shines forth.

Psalm 50:1-2

Winter Sunrise in Alabama

The mighty God, Jehovah speaks

And calls the earth from sea to sea;

From beauteous Zion God shines forth

He comes and will not silent be;

Devouring flame before Him goes,

And dark the tempest round Him grows.

He calls aloud to Heaven and earth

That He may justly judge His own:

My chosen saints together bring

Who sacrifice to Me alone;

The heav'ns His righteousness declare,

For God Himself as Judge is there.

The Mount of Olives from the Kidron Valley

 Jerusalem, Israel

Hear, O My people, I will speak

Against thee I will testify;

Give ear to Me, O Israel,

For God, thy covenant God, am I;

I do not spurn thy sacrifice,

Thy offerings are before My eyes.

I will receive from out thy fold

No offering for My holy shrine;

The cattle on a thousand hills

And all the forest beast are Mine;

Each mountain bird to Me is known,

Whatever roams the field I own.

A pride of lions in the Savannah

Tanzania, Africa

Behold, if I should hungry grow,

I would not tell My need to thee,

For all the world itself is Mine,

And all it's wealth belongs to Me;

Why should I aught of thee receive,

My thirst or hunger to relieve?

Bring thou to God the gifts of thanks

And pay thy vows to God Most High;

Call ye upon My holy Name

In days when sore distress is nigh;

Deliverance I will send to thee

And praises thou shalt give to Me.

My greatest New Year's resolution is a prayer

that my beloved nation, America, will experience a 

great revival of the true, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-led

faith, and that many lost and hurting people will

discover the love and mercy and peace they have been seeking

in reconciling with God through surrendering themselves

at the foot of the cross of His Son, 

the Lord Yeshua Ha'Mashiach.

Jesus name in Hebrew is Yeshua, which in English is "Joshua".

As the successor of Moses,  Yeshua or Joshua, led Israel into the Promise Land, so

our Lord Yeshua or Jesus, leads His people back to His Father, Almighty God.

"I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life; no one comes

to the Father except through Me."

John 14:6

One of my favorite teachings by Bible teacher Derek Prince.

May you be blessed by this message today!

A Teaching By Derek Prince

May the coming year be one of happiness, health, and prosperity!

God bless you and thank you for reading my post!

The Mighty God, Jehovah, Speaks

Author Unknown

Music attributed to Dmitri S. Bortniansky

(1825)

On This Last Saturday Of 2017....A Poem!

BEAUTIFUL SNOW

Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow,

Filling the sky and the earth below;

Over house tops, over the street,

Over the heads of the people you meet;

Dancing,

Flirting,

Skimming along,

Beautiful snow! it can do no wrong.

Flying to kiss a fair lady's cheek,

Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak;

Beautiful snow, from heaven above,

Pure as an angel and fickle as love!

Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow!

How the flakes gather and laugh as they go!

Whirling about in its maddening fun,

It plays in its glee with everyone.

Chasing,

Laughing,

Hurrying by,

It lights up the face and sparkles the eye;

And even the dogs, with a bark and a bound,

Snap at the crystals that eddy around.

The town is alive, and its heart in a glow,

To welcome the coming of beautiful snow.

How the wild crowd go swaying along,

Hailing each other with humor and song!

How the gay sledges like meteors flash by-

Bright for a moment, then lost to the eye!

Ringing,

Swinging,

Dashing they go

Over the crest of the beautiful snow;

Snow so pure when it falls from the sky,

To be trampled in mud by the crowd rushing by;

To be trampled and tracked by the thousands of feet

Till it blends with the horrible filth in the street.

Once I was pure as the snow-but I fell:

Fell, like the snowflakes, from heaven-to hell;

Fell, to be tramped as the filth on the street;

Fell, to be scoffed, to be spit on, and beat.

Pleading,

Cursing,

Dreading to die,

Selling my soul to whoever would buy,

Dealing in shame for a morsel of bread,

Hating the living and fearing the dead.

Merciful God! have I fallen so low?

And yet I was once like this beautiful snow!

Once I was fair as the beautiful snow,

With an eye like its crystals, a heart like its glow;

Once I was loved for my innocent grace,

Flattered and sought for the charm of my face.

Father,

Mother,

Sisters all,

God, and myself, I have lost by my fall.

The veriest wretch that goes shivering by

Will take a wide sweep, lest I wander too nigh;

For all that is on or about me, I know

There is nothing that's pure but the beautiful snow.

How strange it should be that this beautiful snow

Should fall on a sinner with nowhere to go!

How strange it would be, when the night comes again,

If the snow and the ice struck my desperate brain!

Fainting,

Freezing,

Dying alone,

Too wicked for prayer, too weak for my moan

To be heard in the crash of the crazy town,

Gone mad in its joy at the snow coming down;

To lie and to die in my terrible woe,

With a bed and a shroud of the beautiful snow!

New Year's Eve In Times Square

FAREWELL TO A CONTENTIOUS YEAR.

"Beautiful Snow"

 James Whitaker Watson

(1824-1890)

Be True To Yourself

At a gathering of women the other day, a subject came up for discussion

on which I knew the opinions held by several present, as they had expressed

them to me privately. It happened that a woman who held the opposite opinion

to theirs led off in the talk and a number followed her lead; these women who

differed fell in with what they thought was the popular side and by a few

words let it be understood that they were in accord with the opinion stated,

and so what might have been an interesting and profitable discussion

became merely a reiteration of the same idea.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

(1867-1957)

I knew these women had been false to themselves, but I was not surprised,

for I have been observing along that line recently and have seen so much 

of the same thing. As people are pretty much the same everywhere, I do not

think that this spirit is shown in one community alone.

For fear of giving offense, many persons agree to anything that is proposed

when they have no intention of doing it and will find an excuse later.

They join in with what they think is popular opinion until it is almost

impossible to tell where anyone stands on any subject or to do anything,

because one cannot tell upon whom to depend. This disposition is found

everywhere, from social affairs to the man who agrees to come and work.

Have you not found it so? Of course, it is easier, for a time, to go with

the current; but how much more can be accomplished if we would all be 

honest in our talk. And how much wasted effort would be saved!

We all despise a coward, but we sometimes forget there is a moral as

well as a physical cowardice, and that it is just as contemptible.

I am sure that moral cowardice is responsible for a great deal of trouble

and confusion in the world.  It gives unprincipled persons an opportunity to

"put things over" that they would not have if others had the courage of

their convictions. Besides, it is weakness to one's personality and moral

fiber to deny one's opinions or falsify one's self, while it throws broadcast

into the world that much more cowardice and untruth.

We all know who is the father of lies, and a lie can be acted as well 

as spoken, while an untruth is often expressed by silence. It is not necessary

to be unpleasant if we disagree; an opinion supported by good reason,

kindly stated, should not offend, neither should a pleasant refusal to join in

anything proposed. We may be friendly and courteous and still hold

frankly to honest convictions. But-

"This above all, to thine own self be true

And it will follow as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man."

From "Hamlet"

By William Shakespeare

Laura's writing desk in the house on Rocky Ridge Farm

Mansfield, Missouri

"Be True To Yourself"

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

From the book, 

Little House In The Ozarks

A Laura Ingalls Wilder Sampler

The Rediscovered Writings

Edited by Stephen W. Hines

 Guideposts Edition

(1991)

It Really Is A Wonderful Life

 I believe that life in America today would be even more wonderful

 if not for the ongoing, deliberate campaign being conducted

 by those primarily affiliated with the political Left, and Communism,
 to obliterate both the cultural and national history of our country,
 which includes attacking the traditions we hold dear as Americans.

 The corrupted teachings of higher academia and false narratives

within the duplicitous industry once called the mainstream news media
are once again responsible for this latest series of attacks on our culture  
 and our common sense, first with outrageous charges of "racism" 
against the traditional Christmas carols,
"Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas, and now an equally ridiculous
affront on the holiday classic, "It's A Wonderful Life" 
which has been deemed as an "inherently sexist" film.

"It's A Wonderful Life"

(1946)

Writing an Op-Ed on CNN's website, commentator
  Carol Costello admits that she can no longer

watch this movie without wondering,  "if it is inherently sexist."

She further criticizes, "Old-fashioned songs, plays, and ballets,

are part of the real world. They can influence the way kids 

think about gender roles.  Perhaps it is time we retire these dinosaurs

and bask in a brighter, more equitable future."

It seems to me that the true definitions of  the words, "gender" and "equality" 

are becoming more and more obscure in America these days.

Costello further makes reference to the character, "gorgeous, brilliant, Mary" Bailey

becoming an old maid working in a library if she had never met her husband, George.

Back in 1946, when the traditions of marriage and family were still

held in high esteem in America, being an old maid was often a tough cross to

bear for many women, even if the choice not to marry was their own,

not only for social disadvantages, but economic ones.

Most women in those times lived at home with their parents until

they were married or embarked on a career of their own. Some who never

married were left with the emotional and financial burden of caring for

their aging parents and other family members.

Furthermore, many feminists of today would be shocked to know that quite a few

 women in mid-20th century America believed in the time-honored

traditions of marriage, raising children, and being a homemaker as 

 worthwhile and honorable vocations in their own right.

 Many women did not want to be equal with men. 
 They truly reveled in their traditional femininity,
while admirably rising to the challenge of being someone's
devoted wife and mother and caring for their home.

Just like the "gorgeous and brilliant" Mary Bailey.

Actress Donna Reed as Mary Bailey in

"It's A Wonderful Life"

(1946)

Mary was not only George's wife and the mother of Peter, Janie, Zuzu,

and Tommy.  Mary had devoted herself to be George's life companion and helper, 

"for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad"
having loved him since she was a little girl.

On that fateful Christmas Eve,

instead of screaming after him, "I want a divorce!"

or plotting some sort of revenge for his bad behavior,

  Mary was able to clearly see through George's inexplicable anger 

 towards herself and their children, and after he hastily walked out the front door

into the stormy night, she quickly regained her composure. After telling
her teary-eyed, bewildered children to pray for their father, she quickly  

and efficiently mobilized the entire town of Bedford Falls to come together to help

her poor, discouraged husband in his desperate hour of need.

(For those of you reading this who have never seen,

 "It's A Wonderful Life"  I refuse to divulge any more details of this movie!")

 "The richest man in town".

"It's A Wonderful Life"

(1946)

An Answer To The Charge Of  "Inherent Sexism"

"The emancipation of womanhood began with Christianity

 and ends with Christianity...

When women in this country achieved equality with men,

 it was accomplished by

stepping down from the pedestal on which Christianity, 

chivalry, and idealism had placed her...

So she copied the vices of men-in the name of progress!

It is not progress to go down in a downward direction.

It is not progress to lower and to lose ideals!

No woman ever became lovelier by losing her essential femininity...

America needs young women who will build true homes,

whether they live in two rooms-or ten...

We need homes where harassed husbands may find peace,

understanding, refreshment of body and soul...

Where children may find the warmth of love...

Where friends may find hospitality, graciousness, and joy.

Only out of such homes will go men with strength and courage to

build a new and better world.

To make such homes is, therefore, any woman's supreme contribution

to her country and to her generations."

-Catherine Marshall

Wednesday Evening Meditation

Blessed are the poor in spirit:

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn:

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek:

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
 after righteousness: 
For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful:

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart:

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers:

For they shall be called the sons of God.

Blessed are they that have been persecuted
 for righteousness' sake: 
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you,
 and persecute you,and say all manner of evil 

against you falsely, for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad:

For great is your reward in heaven;
 for so persecuted they the

prophets that were before you.

Ye are the salt of the earth;
 but if the salt have lost its savor,

wherewith shall it be salted?

It is thenceforth good for nothing, 
but to be cast out, and to be

trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle,
 and put it under a bushel,

but on a candlestick; 
and it giveth light unto all 
that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men,
 that they may see your

good works, and glorify your Father
 which is in heaven.

Sermon on the Mount

A painting by Bryan Ahn

Excerpts from "The Sermon on the Mount"

(Matthew 5:3-16)

Let Joy And Praise Fill Our Hearts

Peace on earth, good will from Heaven,

Reaching far as man is found;

Man redeemed and sin forgiven;

Hear the golden harps resound.

Christ is born, the great Anointed,

Heaven and earth glad welcome sing.

Hail! Lord Christ, the God appointed

As our prophet, priest, and king.

Song of the Angels

William Auguste Bouguereau

(1881)

Messiah, joy of every heart,

Thou, thou the King of Glory, art!

The Father's everlasting Son!

Thee it delights Thy church to own;

For all our hopes on Thee depend,

Whose glorious mercies never end.

The Young Messiah

Liz Lemon Swindle

"Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart..."

Isaiah 65:14

"Hail Sweet Babe So Pure And Holy"

Words adapted by Esther Wiglesworth

in "Carols, Old and New"

(1916)

"Messiah, Joy Of Every Heart"

Words by Charles Wesley

(1746)