Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
What is love? Love is many things. There is love for your friends, love for your family, love for your children, love for your spouse/partner. These are all different kinds of love really. We are supposed to love everyone & sometimes that’s not easy, but it’s the way it’s supposed to be. Love is also a choice I believe. We choose to either keep doing the things to continue the love or we choose to not do these things. The one thing all these loves have in common is found in…
1 Corinthians 13:4-7… Love is patient & kind, love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Please take the time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Please take the time to give gratitude to our active duty military personnel who protect our freedom. Enjoy time with your family and friends during this Memorial Day Holiday weekend.
The older I get the more I realize that family is everything. I regret time not spent with them. Cousins were my first best friends & are the ones that will always have my back. There’s a special bond & love in family that honestly can’t be duplicated. Family is love!
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Genesis 4:8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
The first recorded death of a human being was a murder. The Bible does not state the instrument used in the murder.
Some conjecture Cain used a knife. John tells us in his epistle the death was violent. The Greek word σφάζω/sphadzo was used for “murder”. It means: slay, kill by violence, slaughter, wound mortally. -Strong’s Concordance
1 John 3:12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
The extra Biblical text of Jubilees 4:31 indicates a rock was used. “He (Cain) killed Abel with a stone.”
Does it really matter the instrument used in the murder? God did not respond by passing a law controlling the use of rocks or knives. He spoke against murdering a fellow human being.
Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.
The violence and mass slaughter at a Florida school this past week were tragic. Seventeen people were murdered. This past week, a gun was used. What will be used in the future? A knife, poisonous gas, missiles, nuclear weapons, whatever…
Politicizing the event with the issue(s) of the day is a distraction and not productive. Until people give a rip for all humanity, this behavior is going to continue to happen.
The issue is the human heart.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” -Jesus
There is an answer.
Love unconditionally. Love unselfishly. Love without expectation. Love without fear. Love with all your heart. Love with your thoughts. Love with your actions. Love in truth. Love is contagious. Love BIG. Love conquers all!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It (love)does not boast, it (love) is not proud. It (love) does not dishonor others, it (love) is not self-seeking, it (love) is not easily angered, it (love) keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It (love) always protects, (love) always trusts, (love)always hopes, (love)always perseveres.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, sincelove covers a multitude of sins.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is celebrated on Tishri 10th. It is the last day of the 40 day period of Teshuvah. The holiday officially will be 10 days after Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets is declared at the sighting of the new moon. The new moon was declared on Thursday, September 21 outside of Jerusalem. In 2017, Yom Kippur is effectively Sunday, October 1 on our Gregorian calendar.
The Day of Atonement is viewed as the holiest day of Judaism. The day is a Sabbath day of rest. Yom Kippur is the only day a fast is required. The appointment begins at sun down.
The start of Teshuvah was announced in 2017 with a solar eclipse that crossed the United States from the northwest to the southeast. If one follows the understanding of the signs and symbols, the eclipse was a warning. Repent.
Teshuvah is the Hebrew word for repent. Change your heart and return to God. Live a Godly life. People are called to turn away from their sin and change course. It is a time of inward reflection and sincere self-assessment. There are 40 days to make this consideration. The season implies we have turned away from God. And we need to return to God.
Psalm 53:2-3 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:11 There is no one who understands; no one who seeks God.
The ultimate goal is to be face to face in relationship with God at Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. Sins are forgiven.
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Let’s review what has happened on planet earth since the beginning of Teshuvah and the solar eclipse. All of this is in the last month. I apologize in advance. This is not a complete list…I am sure I missed some items.
Photo: NOAA
Hurricanes Harvey: Gulf coast of Texas and Lousiana.
Hurricane Irma: Caribbean islands, Florida, and the southeast United States.
Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico.
Typhoon Talim: Japan
Typhoon Mawar: China
Typhoon Hakar: Hong Kong and Macau.
Typhoon Daksuri: Vietnam
Monsoon rains in SE Asia: Bangladesh, India, Laos, and Nepal. 41+ million impacted.
Flooding: Africa with mudslides in Sierra Leone.
Photo: Getty
Earthquakes
Mexico has experienced three earthquakes greater than 6.1 magnitude. (6.1, 7.1, 8.1)
East coast of Japan: 6.3
Vanuatu: 6.4 magnitude
Papau New Guinea: 6.3 magnitude
West Coast Sumatra Indonesia: 6.3 magnitude
North Korea: 6.3 magnitude nuclear explosion
This does not include quake swarms in Yellowstone Park; Long Valley Caldera, CA; and Bali, Indonesia.
The question begs. Was this, is this a warning? Did the people repent during the 40 day period of Teshuvah? If not, judgment is coming. Do we really want to see judgment if this was a warning???
One of the biggest things I get from the Bible is that Jesus taught in love. He even loved those that hated him. There are so many verses in the Bible about love & that tells me that the greatest thing we can do is love one another. If we could all love each other a little more, this world would be a far better place. Spread love, it’s contagious.
Pray for Florida and America’s southeast. Pray for a break in the storms. Pray for communities, states, & a nation to come together.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, & love. But the greatest of these is love.
What is love? Love is many things. There is love for your friends, love for your family, love for your children, love for your spouse/partner. These are all different kinds of love really. We are supposed to love everyone & sometimes that’s not easy, but it’s the way it’s supposed to be. Love is also a choice I believe. We choose to either keep doing the things to continue the love or we choose to not do these things. The one thing all these loves have in common is found in…
1 Corinthians 13:4-7… Love is patient & kind, love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Please take the time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Please take the time to give gratitude to our active duty military personnel who protect our freedom. Enjoy time with your family and friends during this Memorial Day Holiday weekend.
