First time, I get a call, is Carla on her way to work?  Nope, she doesn’t go in for another three hours – wrong she was supposed to be there a half hour ago.  First time, ever.

Remembering those that suffered in the Pearl Harbor attack and what happened to the world afterwards.

Other than that, now much happening in our neck of the woods.  

Colossian 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

When I worked at Safeway we did our best to keep the store looking good.  However, when Pete, our District Manager, was to visit we spent extra time getting things ready for his visit.

Every shelf was faced (items were moved to the front of the shelf so the shelves looked full) it gave a clean and neat appearance to the shelves.  We made sure the back room was clean and nothing was out of place.

We made sure that the floor was swept clean and the night before we would mop and buff it up.

Produce and meat was gone through to make sure only the best was being offered, no bruised produce, no grey meat.

The store would shine – even the older ones I worked in – to the very best we could do.  The Boss was coming and we wanted it to look good for him.

While our stores usually looked good, the managers expected extra effort on those times we knew Pete would be coming through. 

That should be the attitude of our daily life, Jesus may be coming, we want to do the very best so that when He comes our life is in order.

But we want more than just a facing of the shelves, we want to have our life full of His Spirit.  We want it to be more than looking good, we want it to be good.

We work for someone, no matter what we are doing.  We may say it is for our employer, or our supervisor, or ourselves to run a business – that is only partially true.  We work for the money that is being offered for the position we have.  We work for the things the money will buy – food, clothing, shelter and incidentals for our family and ourselves.

However, no matter what our job is, how we approach and get it done is a reflection of our relationship with Christ.  If we do everything as if we are serving Him directly, we want to do it the very best we can.  We want that work to reflect our best efforts.

When we work with the idea that we are serving Him, rather than the employer we have a different attitude to the job.  The mundane and little things that seem unimportant become more meaningful.  The big things that require time, energy and knowledge become more manageable.  In serving God, we do a better job for our employers.

We also demonstrate our love for God.  People know that we are Christian and that they can depend on us.  We don’t cut corners that should not be cut, we do not steal – which means we give a full day’s work for our pay in addition to not taking things that are not ours.  We do not cheat, or bear false witness, we try to help others and make their life and work easier.  We strive to be positive. 

Will there be those that take advantage of that attitude?  Yes, but then we are not working for them – we are doing everything as unto our Lord; we are working for God. 

We may not be treated fairly, we may be burdened with things others are not, but when we focus on Christ, when we tell ourselves and Him that we are working for Him, things happen within us.  We draw closer to God.

I know, it is easy to write this, and much harder to put it into practice, but if we strive to in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,  He can make a difference in our and other’s lives.

We may be working for someone for our livelihood, but our true employer is God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Well, we have a nice bright sun this day – not a lot of warmth, but just the light picks up ones spirit. 

Deed sent some photos of her place she took yesterday – grey, foggy and lots of ice from the freezing rain.  She chose not to come down off the mountain – and I can’t blame her. 

Not real active today, got a couple things I need to do and then will probably watch some football.  University of Oregon played a great game last night and should remain in the hunt for the national title.  It would be great to see them get it. 

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

¹⁷ If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

¹⁸ But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

God did of course protect the men and Nebuchadnezzar watched and saw the three, plus one other he said looked like the Son of God, unbound, and walking in the fire as if it was nothing.  When he called them to come out, their clothing was untouched and the smell of the fire was not on them.

These men were willing to give up their lives rather than disobeying God and worshipping an idol that the King had set up. 

It is not only a story of great bravery and protection of God given to these men, but a story of how, when men stand up for God, things change.  The King admired their determination to stand for God and set forth a decree that forbid anyone from saying anything against the Lord.

Verses 28-29  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

²⁹ Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

It is not always easy standing for God.  Many people have undergone persecution, punishment, imprisonment and even death because they did so.  We don’t know why God saved some, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, while allowing others to perish – only He knows; but regardless He expects us to stand true for Him.

The persecution may come from any angle, satan isn’t afraid to use whatever or whomever he may to tear us down.  The Apostle Paul was being harangued not only by the Jews, but some of those that were in the Christian fellowship.

There are always those that look to find fault and will cast about until they see or hear something they think is wrong.  They will twist the words, they will misinterpret, use only half truths, anything they can to try and discredit a Christian.

They delight not in the fulfillment of God’s Word, but in trying to point out that others fall short.  With glee they shine their false light on the person and accuse them; they do not care what it does to the person, or to other Christians. 

2 Corinthians 4:5-9  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

It can be like arrows struck into our very heart.  We strive to do the will of God, to show His Love and Grace to others and we are met with derision and scorn. 

Will we be pulled from that fiery trouble, or will we be consumed by it?  What God wants of us is faith in Him and faithfulness to His Word. 

He will give us the courage, His Holy Spirit will stand by us as we stand, as the men who were thrown into the fire stood, and say, “it matters not what you do to me, I will serve God and Him only.”   

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Winter is here in the Gorge, I think, officially.  Weather is foggy, moist and making you want some real winter – snow with the sun shining off it.  The wind blows here all the time – except when it is very hard and the breeze would be a relief and when it is exceptionally foggy where it could blow it away!

So, I baked a pie!  Frozen berries from our garden to help remind us that we really do like it here........even in foggy weather.

All the animals are hunkered down, inside.  Nice and warm, and dry.

Starting to feel better after this last go round at the hospital.  My mind still fuzzes up, though and it is hard to concentrate more than a few minutes -- still haven’t got my thank you cards written – not to mention Christmas cards.  Have to get it done, but just can’t focus on it yet.

I did get a very nice card signed by the nurses that cared for me, what a positive uplifting thing for me.  I really appreciated it!  

Daniel 2:17-19 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

¹⁸ That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

¹⁹ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

An exciting book, Daniel.  In the case above, the King had a dream that disturbed him, greatly.  But having awakened he could only remember how he felt, not what the dream was and he really wanted to know.  We’ve all been there, that feeling of dread, but can’t remember why.

He called for his advisors, all the ‘wise men’ of his kingdom and asked them to first tell him what the dream was and then interpret it.  They couldn’t do it, they said no one could do it only the ‘gods’ could do it – verse 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.   And of course they could not turn to any, since they had no ‘gods’ that were in fact God.

Upset, the King decided to kill them all, the captive children of Judah included.  Daniel took exception to this and asked for an audience with the King.

He then went back home and the four men prayed that Daniel would be given the dream and interpretation – which was given to him by God.

Verses 25-28 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

²⁶ The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

²⁷ Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

²⁸ But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

Daniel made it very much known that he was able to give the dream and interpretation, ONLY because God had given it to him.  The King obviously recognize the dream after Daniel told him what it was, he accepted the interpretation and placed Daniel in charge of all the men of ‘wisdom’ in the kingdom.

Daniel was a great man of God; he was faithful to God and to His commandments.  He never wavered.  He had faith in God and knew that God would direct him.

So how can we become like Daniel?  How can we have the great faith that Daniel possessed and was able to not only keep himself and his people safe, but proclaim the truths of God at the same time?  Is it even possible for us to attain that kind of faith and commitment to God?  Can we have that kind of wisdom where we can deal with others in such a manner that they see the truth, God’s truth?  Can we have that gift of wisdom?

The gift comes from God.  It comes with hard work of studying His Word; listening to Him in prayer; meditating on His Word and allowing Him to reveal Himself to us. 

James 1:4-6 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

⁶ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Faith, in faith we believe that Jesus died for our sins.  We have faith that through Him we will be with God – and Him – throughout eternity.  That same faith, derived of the truth given to us through His Word and His people, should allow us to grow – in even more faith and to reach out and ask for His guidance.

Colossians 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;

We are grounded in the faith.  We may not be as famous as those that are named in His Word, but that does not mean we cannot be effective in our everyday life in living for Him. 

We need to stand fast in our beliefs, in our knowledge that God is God, Jesus is His only begotten Son, who like God the Father always was and always will be – equal with God, and while we may not fully understand how God works in three persons – our faith in Him tells us it is true.

God had given us so many things to help bolster our faith.  As Daniel studied and applied God’s Word to his heart and life in order to serve Him, so must we apply God’s Word to our heart and then live for Him.

Daniel had faith in God; he believed that GOD had given him the dream and interpretation.  He didn’t ask, ‘God is this really from you?  How can I know?  What will happen if I am wrong?’

He knew it was from God because of his relationship with God; then acted on that belief, in faith, and in so doing saved many lives and was placed in a powerful position that allowed him to influence lives and the policies of the King.

Using Daniel as an example we can do similar things and help others find God and make Jesus their personal Savior.  The wisdom, the faith is there for the asking and then the acceptance.  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.   We but have to believe in God and have faith that He is there for us to make a difference in our world.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Freezing rain greeted us this morning, not what you want to see when you have loved ones who have to drive in it.  You are in my prayers.

Another day without sunshine, foggy and drizzling rain, hopefully it will shine a bit today.

I was talking with one of the nurses who moved from Alaska down to White Salmon.  I commented on how hard it must be to live in Alaska where the winter has such a darkness over the land.  She said she actually didn’t have problems with the lack of sunshine until she moved to White Salmon.  In Alaska, while there is a small period of overwhelming dark days, they don’t last and the summer is so bright – but here there is so much fog and overcast that she actually felt she saw far less sunshine.

I will take her word for it – although I have to admit we get socked in here at times for weeks on end.  The fog settles in and the wind chooses not to blow it out.  We know there is a sun up behind there, but we don’t get the benefit of the warming and comforting rays.

Today, even Carla is doing things inside rather than going outside – that should tell ya somethin’!!  

1 Peter 1:7-11  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

⁸ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

⁹ Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

¹¹ Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

The prophets of old prophesied many things, some they saw come to fruition; others did not happen until after their death.  Indeed the cause of their death was often because their prophesies proclaimed the evil of existing rulers, leaders and the people themselves and old them what was going to happen if they did not return to God.

Rather than listen and ask forgiveness, changing their ways, they chose to persecute and kill God’s messengers. 

Yet, they prophesied, they spoke the words God gave them in faith believing that He would do what He said He would do.  They watched and waited, sometimes they saw, sometimes they did not, but always they had faith in God.

They wanted to see God’s Messiah come, they wanted to praise Him and worship Him – yet they never saw His coming.  Their faith, however, continued, because God would do what He said.  They believed that, they preached that and they lived that faith.

Today, we do not have the experiences that the Apostles had as they walked with our Lord.  But we believe what they said; we believe that Jesus proclaimed Himself the Son of God and that He was the Messiah that was sent by God to redeem the world onto Him.

We read of the testimony and witness of these men.  We are touched by the Holy Spirit as He confirms those truths to us and we accepted Christ as our Savior.

It is by faith in God and what He proclaimed throughout the ages; faith in Jesus that He was who He said He was that we are saved.

It is by faith that we believe God cares for us, loves us, forgives us, directs us and has adopted us into His family through His Son’s sacrifice on the cross.

We have a hope that surpasses anything that the world can offer, and we have faith that God will do what He says He will do.

Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Jesus proclaimed that His followers would no longer walk in the darkness of evil in this world, but would be walking in the light of His salvation.  Through Him we would have the life that only God can give.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

In order to exist in this world we must have faith – of some kind.  We have faith that the sun will rise, that the seas will rise and fall according to the tides.  We have faith that when we get into our car it will run properly and the other people on the road will obey the law so all will be safe.

We believe because we have experiences that tell us that, for the most part, our faith in things governing our daily existence will remain as they should.  We read books that tell us those things that we may not have experiences in, but the truth shows the facts to be true.

We have faith in God through His written Word, the witness of those that were living when these actions occurred provide a proof that God not only exists but He loves and cares for us.  We have faith because the Holy Spirit has given us insights into the truth of God’s Word.

We may not understand everything – and there really is no way we ever will, especially those things of God – but we have faith they exist. 

As the prophets of old had faith in God, as Jesus walked this earth and had faith in God, as the Apostles walked with Jesus and had faith in God, as those that have come through the centuries have continued in the faith proclaiming the salvation through Jesus Christ, so can we have faith that He will do what He has said He will do. 

Whether we see Him coming in the sky to reclaim His Church, or die in faith that He is the Son of God before He returns, we have faith He is able to do what He said He will do; that He will return to reclaim His Church and govern the world in love and peace.  We have faith that we will always be with Him throughout eternity.

As the old Hymn says “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ love and righteousness.”   ---  “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand...all other ground is sinking sand.”

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Trust all is going well in your neck of the woods.  Not much happening in ours. 

Psalm 8:3-5 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁵ For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

The people of the Old Testament looked at the Glory of God and compared it with themselves and knew they were but mites in His universe.  God, who created all things, looks down upon them; yet, man is God’s creation and He has given much to man through the years. 

Unfortunately, man has been a problem for God from the fall of Adam.  We think too much of ourselves, we lift ourselves up and proclaim how great we are, we forget that God is far above us and without Him we wouldn’t be.

Yet, God still loves us.

Romans 5:8-11 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Even with all our faults, even though man has denied God’s love and existence for thousands of years, He still loves us.  He still wants to be our God and provide for our welfare.

As Christians we all too often take for granted our relationship with Him.  We forget the sacrifice God and His Son, Jesus Christ, made so that man could once again have an individual relationship with Him – a promise that we will be with Him forever.

God never gave up on man.  He disciplined Him; He destroyed all but Noah and his family at one time.  He allowed thousands of Jews to be killed for their disobedience; He even allowed those that truly loved and served Him to be killed – but He has never given up on man.

When it came time – HIS time – to send the Messiah to the Jews He did so, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for man – a sacrifice that would be sufficient for all men forever.

The Messiah the Jews waited thousands of years for, is ours today. 

We look around us and realize we are but mites.  We look at those in powerful position and know that there have been others before them, there are people of equal or greater position right now, and there will be others that will take their place.

Our life on this earth is short.  Some have great accomplishments while others seem to just exist.  Some make an impact on the world, while others become a drain on the world.

Some think their positions, intelligence, wealth or some other attribute sets them up as being great – and when compared to others they may seem to be great; while others can’t seem to hold a job or effectively make decisions.

I was watching a program the other day on one of the Duke’s of England.  They traced the family history from sometime in the 1500’s to today.  At one time the family had hundreds of servants living in or near the castle, they were at the family’s beck and call.

The castle had hundreds of rooms and while several servants lived in the castle there was a distinct difference in the manner in which they lived compared to the family. 

The family lived in opulence and splendor; huge rooms filled with paintings.  A kitchen large enough to prepare dinner for over 200 people and a dining area that would handle that many.  Bedrooms larger than most people’s houses, dozens of them, sitting rooms, libraries, etc.

The servants lived in a very sparse and small area, closed in with little room to do anything but sleep.  The servants were limited in where they could go in the castle and woe be the servant that went into an area they were not allowed in.

But with all the pomp and circumstances surrounding the Duke and his family – he is but a mite when compared to Our Lord.  While the Duke was/is given much power and influence over others, it is but temporary and fleeting.

But no matter how great a person is, or how seemingly worthless a person is, we are nothing compared to God. 

God has angels that worship Him.  He could have created man without the ability to make his own decisions and do precisely what God wanted.  But God wanted man to have a will and He wanted man to worship Him of his own will.

From Abraham on, the chosen people have had the inroads into that special place in God’s heart; the devout worked hard to try and meet the standards, the laws and commandments that God set.

They knew that their forgiveness was only for a specific time frame, that when they sinned they must once again go through the sacrifices and once again try to cleanse their hearts with them.

They knew that they would not be with God immediately upon dying.  That because of Adam’s sin there was a separation that only the Messiah would fill – and generations waited for His arrival.

When Jesus arrived many missed Him.  They were not looking for Him and they did not apply His life to the scriptures – even though they were told to search and see. 

But, that did not lessen the desire God has for reconciliation with man.  He could have said, ‘you don’t accept my son, therefore I will withdraw Him and my mercy from you.’

Who would or could blame Him?  Who are we to question who He is?  Who are we to demand He react in a given manner and obey OUR idea of God? 

All that we are, everything we accomplish – if not for God – is nothing.  YET, God loves us and wants us to be part of His family.  To live with Him in heaven, forever, in magnificent splendor man has never dreamed of, let alone experienced.

Who is man – indeed – who am I that God would look down upon me and call me His son.  God is God, and I but a mite on the earth and only here for a short time, while He has always been and always will be.  What am I that He should seek me and sacrifice His Son on my behalf?

But He does love me, with all my imperfections.  And because of that, even with all my limitations, even though I sometimes shunt Him aside, I can call Him Father.  I can go to Him through His precious Son and be heard.

In the end, there will be no end.  I will be with Him for eternity. 

Who am I that God should take note of me?  I am His adopted Son, joint heirs with Jesus.

And I am thankful!

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Now THAT was gggggggoooooooooddddd soup!  I used the broth from the turkey bones as the base.  When I pulled it from the refrigerator it was gelatin, rich in flavor.  Warming up, it once again liquefied and with a bit of apple cider to give it a unique flavor along with the veggies, onions and garlic turned into something I probably won’t be able to duplicate....

Blaze is enjoying the last of the turkey left overs, so we have finally used up everything we had for Thanksgiving dinner.

Carla had today off, we were going to try and make it into Portland for a meeting – but canceled.  She just got called into work, her boss had a horse get caught in barbed wire, a dangerous situation and one the requires a lot attention after extracting the animal from the fence.

Not much else going on in our neck of the woods.  The sky is foggy and looks to be that way for a few days, not real exciting stuff.  Temperatures only vary a few degrees when the weather is like this, so we will be in the high 20’s low 30’s for the next few days.  That left over soup is going to taste might good this afternoon! 

Genesis 17:4-6 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

⁵ Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

⁶ And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

And Verses 15 and 16 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

¹⁶ And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

Every Jew can point to these verses and say I am of the family of Abraham; my birthright comes through Abraham and Sarah.  I am one of God’s chosen people.  

Galatians 3:6-8 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

⁷ Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

As a child of faith, I too am of the family of Abraham.  I am adopted into the family by the Love Grace and Mercy of God through His Son Jesus Christ, who died as a sacrifice for my sins.  My faith in Him, my acceptance of that sacrifice, allows me entrance into God’s Kingdom through the promises made to Abraham and all those who followed.

As Christians we are inextricably bound, through God’s mercy, to the Jews.  We are one with them in Our Lord.  We are joined together with those that have accepted Christ as their Messiah in our worship of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 6:13-19 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

¹⁴ Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

¹⁶ For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

¹⁷ Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

¹⁸ That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

¹⁹ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

As Christians we are part of that multitude God promised Abraham.    

We have an identity through Christ.  We have a family, a Father, siblings and a way of life.  We have Christ who died for us; the Holy Spirit, who comforts, teaches and gives us peace.

We have His Word that gives us instructions, encouragement, history, examples, and an assurance of Salvation through Christ.

We are not unwanted; we are loved and cared for by a God who created the universe and all that is within.

Our life has meaning and purpose; it has direction; bought with a price we have a Lord who will guide us in all things.

What a glorious thing it is to be part of Abraham’s family – God’s family through our Savior Jesus Christ!

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Well had a little, emphasis on little, snow today, but it didn’t stick nor did it last.

Had two appointments today, I will be meeting with another cardiologist next month as we map out my health plan.  There are several options and we will discuss them in more detail with him.  Meanwhile, your continued prayers are very much appreciated. 

Smelling soup as it simmers on the stove.  Using the turkey broth from Thanksgiving, left over vegetables and some frozen veggies threw in some spices – it smells delicious and will be a great dinner tonight. 

Mathew 26:33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

And 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Mathew 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

⁴ Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

⁵ And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Which of these two men had the greater sin, Peter who boasted with pride that he would NEVER by offended because of Christ and then denied he knew Him – and wept bitterly for his betrayal?

Or Judas who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, realized he had betrayed Christ, and was so distraught he hanged himself?

We focus on the sin that Judas committed, but Peter, too, sinned.  The questions, of course, are ‘trick’ questions.  Both men betrayed Christ.  Both men sinned against Jesus and God the Father.

Both men had walked with and listened to Jesus’ teachings; saw His miracles and still they turned their back on Him.  Both men knew Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah.  Both men knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him.

Could Judas have been forgiven by God for what he had done?  Judas admitted that he had betrayed and innocent man and that it was sin.  He went to the leaders and confessed that sin to them, trying to return the money – but they didn’t care.  They had received what they wanted and Judas’ confession meant nothing to them.  If Judas admitted he had sinned, then why did he kill himself?

Peter went off and wept bitter tears, later he decided that since there was nothing else he could do, he would go fishing: John 21:3  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. And being the leader, others followed.

So why do we remember Judas as a traitor and Peter as the great Apostle, the leader of the New Church?  What is the difference between the two, that one is a pariah and the other a patriarch?

In my opinion, Judas was sorry for what he did, but he his heart was not right with God.  Peter was not only sorry, but he realized Jesus was the Son of God and his heart was right with God.

Just because we recognize we have sinned, does not get us salvation.  It is the first step, but it must be followed with confessing to God that we have sinned and asking HIS forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

The world recognizes that certain activities are against the law.  While they may not call it sin, they know that it is not appropriate and it is harmful.  The person committing those activities may say he is sorry, but that doesn’t free him from the consequences of the transgression.

If it is a crime and he is sentenced to prison, goes and completes his sentence he is said to have paid his debt to society.  He committed the crime, he admitted it and he is now free.  Generally speaking what he did was wrong; he paid the price so he has nothing more he has to do.

Crime is just one form of sin.  The world calls it wrong because it has societal laws.  What is a crime today, however, may not have been one 20 years ago, or will be 20 years from now.  It is all predicated on what man determines is a crime.

However, when a man commits a crime it is not only a crime against society it is a sin against God.  The world is satisfied with punishing the man, now, but has no desire to try and get them to come to God through Christ.  The world doesn’t care.

God does.  Judas confession of betraying Christ was only before man.  Knowing who Jesus was; knowing the power and authority of Jesus, he did not go to Him or ask God for forgiveness.  Judas’ heart was not cleansed, his guilt was overpowering because he did not go to God, he chose to commit suicide instead.

Judas couldn’t live with what he had done.  Peter was in great distress, but he obviously had his heart still focused on God, while we do not read of his asking forgiveness he obviously WAS forgiven and went on to lead the new church.  It was through Peter that God showed the Jewish Christians that Jesus’ sacrifice was for the gentiles as well.

Both men betrayed Jesus.  Both men sinned, a grievous sin.  Both men could have been forgiven by God.  Only the one was.  Being sorry is not the same as asking that God forgives our sins through the Blood and Sacrifice of Jesus.

And even though Peter’s sin was public and showed him up as a boastful but weak person, God used Peter in the founding and leading of His church.

No matter what we have done, we can be forgiven and used by God; we just have to submit to Him as Peter did.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again