A psalm or two (4).

Good morning. These past few weeks have been crazy, I feel like I say that all the  time. One child had a stomach bug and then recovered and then her school ended so she’s home with me, and wants to do math worksheets. The other one still wakes up in the night often, seeking reassurance from me, and as I write this, is home with me because he had the stomach bug as well. Oh well!

We need to know and remember our identity in Christ in times like these. We need a refuge, a stronghold, a safe place , when life throws us off to keep us steady. What’s your favorite verse to remember in times of unsteadiness? Mine is Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted in the heavens, I will be exalted on the earth.” Share your favorite with me in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

For those who have been praying for me , especially in regards to my back, thank you! My pain is a lot reduced, I’m still taking medications and going to PT though( not this week since I have both kiddos!!!).

Before I start with this week’s psalms, here’s a shout-out to Matthew Winters from The Comeback Pastor who’s writing a guest post on psalm 34 which will go up here soon. As always let me know which psalm you would like featured here.

                  Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither –
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

 

This psalm has no superscription telling us who the author is, but this first psalm is a favorite with many and is extremely well-known. This contrasts the life of the wicked with the life of the righteous person. The righteous person delights in the law of the Lord (the Holy Word, the Scriptures, the Bible) and meditates on it day and night( reads it, thinks about them throughout the day, lives by the Scriptures). He/She chooses not to associate intimately with sinners and mockers and the wicked. He/She chooses his/her companions carefully. He/She is an enduring person, steady like a tree and is extremely fruitful (for the kingdom of God). He/She prospers in everything he does.

This person is contrasted with the wicked, who is blown all over the place like the wind. He/She is unsteady. His/Her way of wickedness leads to his/her destruction.

 

                 Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ ‘Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.’

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ ‘I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.’

                         ⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, ‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

This is an equally well known and loved psalm. There is no indication of its author as well. While different from the first psalm, this one has many similarities and contrasts that it is worthwhile studying them together. This psalm contrasts the nations that rebel against the Lord’s leadership and the nation that follows the Lord wholeheartedly.

The rebel nations are trying to throw off , what they assume, is the Lord’s yoke and are trying to rule themselves. The nation that follows the Lord has made the Lord their Father and have become His children. He is pleased to give them the other nations as their inheritance and He promises His nation that they will rule the others.

There is a warning in this psalm. We are not to turn away from Him and seek our own will. It will lead to destruction and sorrow. Instead we are to humble ourselves before Him and choose Him now, while we still have time. Before His wrath and anger fall on us. We are blessed when we find our refuge in Him.

Until next time,

Vanessa 

 

 

 

A Psalm or two. (3)

Hello! I decided to write another post on the Psalms. Someone told me that she likes that I add a song to the Psalms posts, I replied that I generally have a soundtrack playing in my mind when I read a Psalm and so I share them here. I hope you will share your favorite Psalms with me in the comments and also the ones you would like me to feature here on vanessa-samuel.org. I pray that you will see the beauty of God all around you this week and know fullness of joy in His Presence and know that He delights in you! 

Psalm 16

A miktam^[a] of David.

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.’
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    ‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

 

The author actively seeks the Presence of the LORD. He knows that is where his security and safety lie. He knows he has no good thing apart from the LORD. He delights in the fellowship of those who worship God. He praises the LORD for the counsel and wisdom and discretion given to him (By God- The Holy Spirit, The Third Person in the Trinity is also called Our Counsellor). He ends this psalm by saying that in God’s Presence he has found complete joy.

Psalm 18^[a]

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

                           ¹ I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield^[b] and the horn^[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him –
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop;^[e]
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
    the Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them –
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
    I trampled them^[f] like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Saviour!
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸     who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants for ever.

This psalm is filled with all the chaos and trouble one can imagine. In its midst the author acknowledges that he is safe only in the Lord. He uses several words to make the point and then drive it home, “my strength”, “my rock”, “my fortress”, “my stronghold “, “my refuge”, “my horn”, “my shield”, “my delivever” all in the first few verses and this sets the stage for the rest of the song. He declares how the LORD has rescued and delivered him, all because HE delights in him. He tells the LORD that he has been righteous and blameless before HIM. Towards the end of the psalm the author again enumerates the ways in which The LORD has saved him and praises Him.

 

These two psalms have become some of my favorites in the last year. What about you? What’s your favorite psalm?

Until next time,

Vanessa

The desert will rejoice and live again.

Hello! There have been so many changes in our family in the last few months. Our little boy has been going to a therapy center for two months now and is finally adjusting. He wanted to come home initially and now loves it there and when he comes home, wants to cuddle all the time. This mama’s heart is full!

My little girl is getting so mature and sees! She sees a need or a hurting heart and rushes to fill it , with whatever is in her hand at that time. She saw a friend of my son who was sad because his father was late(mine gets upset when I’m late to pick him up too!) and so she gave the little boy some of her modeling clay that she had with her. Another time at her speech class, she let her friend win at a game because she hadn’t won in awhile. This she does on a daily basis with no prompting whatsoever. This mama’s heart is overflowing!

My husband and I are learning to stay connected to each other and stay the path God has us on( learning because this married life is always a learning curve!), this wife’s heart is secure and joyful! (Many of the things we’ve learnt and are learning are private. Sometimes we share with select godly friends and mentors, but most of the time it’s between us. When my husband feels like it’s something I can share, I do so on the blog. Thank you for your understanding.)

I. I have started classes at the University and am having so much fun! I’m studying and preparing for quizzes and finishing homework and I’m having the time of my life. There have been other things I’ve had to work out( We have a baby sitter for 30 minutes to an hour on those evenings and she’s with them till my husband comes back. He puts them to bed and I come back late in the night. I cook for the whole week on the weekend and it’s in the fridge so that it’s easier on my husband. He stills needs to make different food for my son though.) It has been 9 years since I graduated from medical school and it’s unlikely that I had so much fun studying! but this time around I am 🙂 On the flip side I’ve done something to my back and have been in near constant pain for the last few weeks and so I’m on painkillers, muscle relaxants and am going to start physical therapy. If you remember me, I would appreciate prayers for my back. Thank you 🙂

 

So why did I finally decide to pop in? Because my pastor this past Sunday shared this beautiful and very timely message from Isaiah 35. This passage only 10 verses long talks about revival, refreshing, renewal, growth, beauty, peace, strength, courage, holiness and JOY in the desert. You read that right.

 Joy and rejoicing and gladness in the desert. 

 

He talked about revival in our state( and how he’s seen God’s faithfulness in the 21 years he’s ministered here), and renewal in our marriages, and rejoicing in our relationships. Our pastor talked about the desert living again and everlasting joy on our heads and sorrow and sighing fleeing away.

He gave six marks of revival that we can see from this passage. Like I said the revival could be in the Christian Church, our marriages, those difficult relationships that we can’t get out of, our wayward or lost children, our broken hearts, our sorrow-filled circumstances, our pain, our anguish, our grief.

Any of these places that you feel like it’s a desert.

Dry, dead, cracked, parched, barren.

These are the places that GOD WILL RESTORE.

He will bring healing.

He will bring life again.

He will make it grow and it will become verdant and fertile again.

He will produce beauty there, enough and more that others around you can see it.

He will bring back the joy.

He will give us everlasting gladness.

He will take our sorrows away.

 

I’m going to add those marks of revival to this post. I’ve also created images for each verse in this chapter. Feel free to share all or some of them with those you know who could use a reminder.

 

  Marks of Revival

1.JOY

Some other words that are used in this very chapter are gladness, rejoicing, everlasting joy.

Other verses that talk about joy and gladness and rejoicing:

    You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy. Psalm 45:7

 

 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours. Isaiah 61:7

 

You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 

 

2. GLORY OF GOD

The glory of God is the tangible and manifest Presence of God.

 

 

Other verses that talk about the Glory of God or the Presence of God are:

 The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’  Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. Exodus 33:14-15 

 Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’  And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Exodus 33:18-20

 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 18

 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

 

3. SALVATION

The salvation of those who are far from God is a true mark of revival. The lost begin to get saved. As in Gideon’s story in the Bible, God can deliver a city or a nation by many or by a few people.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on which talk about salvation are:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ Luke 19:10 

 

4.HOLINESS

In this chapter the highway is called a ‘Holy Highway, Highway of Holiness or The King’s Highway’ in various translations of the Bible. But one thing remains clear, the unclean, the unjust, the unrighteous, the immoral will NOT be able to walk on it. This path will be only for the holy people. God is the only one who makes us Holy.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on holiness are :

1 Peter 1:15-16  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’          

 to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  Ephesians 5:26-27 

5. WORSHIP

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know that I absolutely love to write on worship and am making worship a part of my daily life in the season I am in right now. Some time in the future I will do a word study on worship, but for now I’ll leave you with my pastor’s words.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on worship are:

 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. John 4:23

6. HEALING

One of the most noticeable change of revival is the healing seen in the people. Our LORD and Healer loves to restore people, but He knows that day and time and method.

For more on healing see Remember it forgiven ( A post based on Jehovah Rapha) and Luke part 2 : Jesus the healer. ( A post detailing some of the miracles that Jesus performed).

 

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

With gratitude and until next time,

Vanessa.

(PS The song below is called the Holy Highway and perfectly describes this chapter in Isaiah).

 

 

 

Links to names of God posts in one place.

When I put the books of the Bible in one place, I decided to do the same with a few of my other passions.

During my early days of writing here, I spent a majority of my time on writing post after post on the names of God. I plan to go back and finish the names that I did not get to write yet.

This will be a revolving king of post, I will add links and update this as and when I write/add new posts. This is to make it easier for you to find the post you’re looking for.

Thank you so much for your patience and kindness as I learn. I appreciate you so much.

 

NAMES OF GOD: 

• Adonai, Master and Yahweh, LORD.
• Righteousness, in Him, because of Him.
• Jehovah Shalom…..Peace be with us.
• The LORD our provider…. so give Him your Isaac.
• On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided.
• He’s fighting my battles.
• Remember it forgiven.
• He is our King, and His Banner is over us.
• Jehovah Raah…the Lord is my Shepherd.

A Psalm or two. (2)

Psalm 3 and Psalm 8

The Psalms consist of 150 chapters and so I’m going to share two or three at a time. These will be out of order but hopefully I will cover all one hundred and fifty of them here. Please share some of your favorites with me and also the ones you want me to write about here. I will try to get to them as soon as possible.

Did you notice the feature image? When I think of the Psalms, I think of songs and singing and song-books(Psalter) and music and dancing and joy and brokenness too. Of sorrow and weeping and begging and pleading. I think of anger as well as justice. I think of all the emotions a human being has and I see them in the Psalms. This was the closest picture that I found that encapsulates that. What do the Psalms remind you of?

Psalm 3^[a]

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

¹ Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
    ‘God will not deliver him.’^[b]

³ But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

 

This psalm starts with the author being rejected, betrayed and alone. Then he turns his focus on God and is strengthened in Him. He calls out to/prays to God and is answered. He is now at peace, enough to sleep and rest and when he wakes he is no longer afraid. There’s a clarion call to God to deliver him, yes, but also to destroy his enemies. In the end he is safe and secure in the knowledge that God will deliver and bless His people.

Psalm 8^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?^[c]

⁵ You have made them^[d] a little lower than the angels^[e]
    and crowned them^[f] with glory and honour.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their^[g] feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

 

This is a hymn of praise, of adoration and yes, you know I’m going to say it, of worship. The author is simply blown away by God’s majesty, splendor, goodness and generosity. This almost seems like a spontaneous out-pouring of his heart to His Maker. He then is filled with gratitude for the blessings he has been given. My fellow blogger, Carol Sparks, un-packs this chapter on her blog, Not about Me, it was a fun and thought-provoking read for me and I’m sure you will be blessed by it too.

 

So don’t forget to tell me of your favorite psalms and also of the ones you want featured here on vanessa-samuel.org

Until next time,

Vanessa.

 

Links to the books of the Bible posts in one place.

In a recent post I added the links to all the other books of the Bible posts I’ve written so far and I realized(after hitting publish!) that the post was way too link-heavy! (I took off those links later!!!) There were probably upward of twenty links in that post. I assure you I have no intention of doing that again!!!!!!

I also wanted you to be able to go through and read and re-read the posts at your leisure, without having to search all over the site for it. This will be a kind of revolving post where I’ll add the links to new posts and update as and when I add/write them. (This will only contain links to the summaries of the books of the Bible that I’ve written or shared from guest bloggers, not the other faith or worship posts that are also featured here on Vanessa-Samuel).

As always Thank You Dear Reader for continuing to read posts that I write/share. You make me continue doing so. I hope you find reading the Bible as enjoyable as I do. I pray that you will go deeper and deeper in your faith as you get to know the LORD more and more.

 

GENESIS:

• Genesis Part 1: What God did in the beginning.
• Genesis Part 2:God chooses a people.
• Genesis Part 3:God of new chances.
• What you should know about Genesis.

 

EXODUS: 

• Exodus part 1: A God who speaks.
• Exodus part 2: The God who dwells among us.
• What you need to know about Exodus.

 

LEVITICUS:

• Leviticus : Be holy for I AM HOLY.
• The outer court of the Tabernacle.
• The altar of Incense. (Leviticus)
• The Significance of the names of the sons of Israel.
• The OT sacrificial system and why we need to understand it.
• The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies.
• The sacrifices and offerings ( in Leviticus).
• The brass laver for cleansing (Leviticus)
• The golden lamp stand. (Leviticus)
• The Tabernacle (overview)
• The Priesthood.

 

NUMBERS:

• The Book of Numbers. Part 1.
• Numbers Part 2
• Rhythms in (the book of) Numbers and in our lives.

 

PSALMS:

• A Psalm or two. (1) (Psalm 27 and Psalm 46)
• A Psalm or two. (2) (Psalm 3 and Psalm 8)
• A Psalm or two. (3) (Psalm 16 and Psalm 18)
• A psalm or two (4). (Psalm 1 and Psalm 2)

 

ISAIAH: 

• The desert will rejoice and live again. (Isaiah 35)

 

MATTHEW: 

• Matthew Part 1: He is the Son that pleases the Father.
• Matthew part 2: The Living God.
• What you should know about Matthew.

 

MARK:

• Mark part 1: The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
• Mark part 2: The suffering- servant- King was and is the Son of God.
• What you should know about Mark.

 

LUKE:

• Luke part 1 : Jesus is willing.
• Luke part 2 : Jesus the healer.
• Luke part 3 : Jesus the Teacher.
• Luke part 4 : With Jesus nothing is impossible.
• Luke part 5: Jesus’ words will never pass away.

 

JOHN:

• My hour has not yet come, but it will.
• LOVE is: A tale of two miracles. (Comparison of John chapter 5 and John chapter 9)
• John Part 1: Jesus is the Giver of grace upon grace. 
• John part 2: Jesus says “My time has not yet fully come.”

John Part 1: Jesus is the Giver of grace upon grace.

Edited to update post: When I posted this awhile ago, I realized it was link-heavy and so I’m removing most of them and posting those links in another post. The content will remain the same though. Blessings to you and yours. 

Hello! Thank you so much for your continuing support and encouragement in reading this blog. I write these posts on the Bible as part of my worship to the Lord God. I share them with you to edify and support you and walk alongside you in your walk with Our Heavenly Father.

We are the Body of Christ. We are the Church. We are the Bride of the soon- coming Bridegroom. Together we win. Together we reach out to the hurting, the broken, the outcast and the lost. When one person hurts, the whole Body hurts. When one person triumphs, the whole Body rejoices. I hope to give you resources to understand the Bible and share what has been helpful to me.

I’ve written posts on books of the Bible and you can find links to the finished posts, here. I’ve spent close to a year on these posts and I have enough material to keep me occupied with this blog with this topic for at least another three years! (The Bible has 66 books in total, and I’ve only managed to write on 7 of them so far!!!)

Starting with the gospel of John ( starting because I fully expect this gospel to be as thought-heavy as the gospel of Luke was), it was written by the disciple/apostle John (he’s different from the person John the Baptist). The gospel of John is different from the other gospels in that over 90% of the content in this book is unique to John alone. The other three gospels are called the synoptic gospels because their content is similar. They add details and build on each other’s time lines and stories, but John is not like them.

I should say right at the beginning, that ALL four gospels talk about Jesus. His divinity, His life, His miracles, His teaching, Him. The old testament leads up to Jesus. There are prophesies about Him throughout the thirty-nine books. The four gospels talk about the fulfillment of those prophesies and include His life, His death and ultimately His ascension. The rest of the new testament takes His message to the world and gives us(new testament believers) advice on following Him and living for Him.

The gospel of Matthew was written to the Jewish people and dealt with the fulfillment of the prophesies of Jesus. Matthew talked mostly about Jesus’ teachings.

The gospel of Mark was written mostly to a gentile audience and dealt with the miracles of Jesus. In Mark people are always doing something and going some where.

The gospel of Luke was written(specifically) for a single person, but it was shared with people of other faiths who sought and wanted to know the truth about what they were taught. Luke does a lot of research and we receive a ton of details about Jesus’ life that we don’t find any where else.

The gospel of John was written so that we(all of us) may believe that Jesus is the Messiah and by believing, we will have life in His name. John showcases Jesus’ deity in every chapter. John includes several of Jesus’ I AM statements that were completely radical and totally foreign to the Jewish hearers.

Diving in….

In chapter 1: John connects Jesus with God and makes the case for Jesus being God right form the beginning (of creation). John(the Baptist) came to preach to God’s world about God(Jesus). The world did not want God even though it was His and made by Him. John mentions grace and truth twice and tells us that they only come from God alone.{1} John now connects Jesus with God(the Father) and tells us they are ONE{2}John the baptist denies being the Messiah, he has only come to tell of the Messiah. John(the baptist) testifies about Jesus for the first time. He tells the people that HE is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.{3} The next day John again testifies about Jesus, this time two of his disciples follow Him. One of whom was Andrew, who promptly bought his brother Peter to Jesus. Jesus then called Philip and Philip invited Nathanael.{4} Nathanael is skeptical about a prophet/messiah/rabbi/good person coming from Nazareth ( Jesus’ hometown) and then is convinced when he meets Jesus. Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see greater things.

 

In chapter 2: Jesus, his disciples and his family are invited to a wedding in Cana in Galilee. Jesus performs a miracle there, and John records it as the first of the signs through which he(Jesus) revealed His glory causing His disciples to believe in Him.{5} Jesus goes to the Temple in Jerusalem before the Passover Feast and He clears it of all the merchandise and money changers. He does this at the beginning of His three year ministry on earth. Later passages will show that He does so again just before His death. Many people believe in Him But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people…he knew what was in each person. Jesus challenges the people to destroy the Temple and He would re build it in three days. This is another thing we see at the bookends of Jesus’ ministry (the beginning and the end). 

RELATED POST: My hour has not yet come, but it will.

 

In chapter 3: Jesus talks to a prominent member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus, about being born again (born of the Spirit/ born of God). {6} Jesus then tells of His purpose in coming to the world as a man. He came to save this world and not condemn it, John 3: 15-17. John(the baptist) testifies for the third time about Jesus. Jesus must become greater and John become lesser, for John compares himself to the friend of the Bridegroom who was waiting for the arrival of the Bridegroom. Once the Groom came, the friend’s role was diminished but his joy increased. John also reiterates that those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life(an echo of Jesus’ own words).

 

In chapter 4: Jesus goes through Samaria, we see Him get tired and sit by a well while the disciples go into town to buy food. A woman comes to draw water and Jesus engages her in conversation.{7} (A fellow blogger has written some great posts on this conversation which you can find here, here, here and here). Jesus goes to Galilee(Cana) and there He meets a royal official whose son was sick and in Capernaum. Jesus speaks healing over the son. The official leaves to his town and on the way he is met by his servants who tell him the child was healed at the exact hour that Jesus spoke. This story shows us that the official had immense faith because he took God at His Word, and went on his way, before he knew for sure that his son was healed.

{1} Grace is un-merited favor. We did not earn or deserve the blessings that God gives us. One translation mentions that we have been given grace for grace (KJV), another says we have received grace in place of grace already given (NIVUK) and still another says we have received grace upon grace spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift. Would you tell me your thoughts on this verse (John 1:16) and which translation you liked the best and why in the comments below?

{2} To read more about how The Father, The Son and The Spirit are ONE, in essence, in function, in diety, read my previous post, here.

{3} The Lamb was a sacrifice. An Atonement. He gave His life for us. He took our sins on Him. He cleansed us by the shedding of His blood. To the Israelites a lamb was a familiar symbol, they used these animals and others in their sacrifices. john declaring that Jesus was The Lamb made them uncomfortable.

{4} Andrew was part of bringing three different people/sets of people to Jesus during His ministry here on earth( he may have bought more but that is not recorded in the Bible). He was some one who was content to work in the background while bringing people to Jesus. He knew Jesus had a plan and that He was bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and so he participated completely and fully.

{5} The wedding party had run out of wine, Jesus’ mother comes to Him, He replies My hour has not yet come but He makes the servants fill jars with water, which when they take to the master of ceremonies turns into wine. It tasted better than the wine the wedding family had served at the beginning and astounds the master.

{6} Being born again is a term we use to describe the person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. It means confession of past sins and then a genuine repentance(change of heart, turning away from the things that kept us from God) and then following Him. Jesus likens it to birth. To know more please read my page, How can you come to Him?

{7} Jesus was Jewish, so a Jewish male speaking to a non Jewish woman would have been  a thing of incredulity. But Jesus did so anyway, this woman was an outcast in her town. Through her Jesus reached an entire town. He spoke to her with grace and kindness even while speaking hard truths and her heart was changed and her life restored. I write more about this, here.

 

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Looking forward to meeting you with the second part of John.

Until next week,

Vanessa.

 

A Psalm or two. (1)

In the Old Testament we see a book with one hundred and fifty chapters named Psalms. The word “Psalm” means “hymn” or “song”.

I’m working on the gospel of John and I hope to have the first post up next week. In the meantime I’m going to share a couple of songs based on Psalms that I have been singing non stop this week.

Have a beautifully blessed week and I’ll see you with the Gospel of John later.

Psalm 27 (ESV)

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold^[a] of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

³ Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet^[b] I will be confident.

⁴ One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire^[c] in his temple.

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
⁸ You have said, “Seek^[d] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”^[e]
9     Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    O God of my salvation!
¹⁰ For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will take me in.

¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.
¹² Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they breathe out violence.

¹³ I believe that I shall look^[f] upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

 

 

Psalm 46 (NIVUK)

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^[b] A song.

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.^[c]

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

⁸ Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields^[d] with fire.
¹⁰ He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.’

¹¹ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 

Until next week,

Vanessa.