Motivational Bible Quotes and Sayings: December 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Thought for the morning of Thu January 1, 2015

Verse

"They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."

Thought

Israel's weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God, is a cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin to be "for ever with the Lord."

A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do service for their Lord. If this should fall to our lot, there is no reason why the New Year's text should not still be true. "We who have believed do enter into rest." The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance; he gives us "glory begun below." In heaven they are secure, and so are we preserve in Christ Jesus; there they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories too. Celestial spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this is not denied to us; they rest in his love, and we have perfect peace in him: they hymn his praise, and it is our privilege to bless him too. We will this year gather celestial fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the garden of the Lord. Man did eat angels' food of old, and why not now? O for grace to feed on Jesus, and so to eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan this year!

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2015. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/1tDykDg

Thought for the evening of Thu January 1, 2015

Verse

"We will be glad and rejoice in thee."

— so 1:4

Thought

We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We WILL, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in his presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice IN THEE. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye, and every drop of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, thou art the present portion of thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2015. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/14elY9j

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day http://ift.tt/1tq4GLY

Better Or Worse?

At the beginning of each new year, experts give their predictions about the economy, politics, weather, and a host of other topics. Will there be war or peace? Poverty or prosperity? Progress or stagnation? People everywhere are hoping that this year will be better than last, but no one knows what will happen.

via Our Daily Bread http://ift.tt/1D6pm1x

Left Behind in the Mainline: Witnessing Within Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Rev. Dr. Paul Detterman is the national director of The Fellowship Community, formerly called Presbyterians for Renewal. He is among those who have chosen to stay with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) despite its increasing liberal theological stances.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://ift.tt/1K1MUcC

Former Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll Launches New Website

Mark Driscoll, who resigned as the lead pastor of a Seattle-based megachurch in October due to a controversy surrounding his leadership style, has launched MarkDriscoll.org, which looks similar to the website of Mars Hill Church that is going to dissolve at the start of the new year.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://ift.tt/1y6pLBV

Lee Strobel, Colleagues at HBU Launch Center for American Evangelism, Hope to Address Crisis of Skepticism

Author and Christian apologist Lee Strobel along with colleagues at Houston Baptist University announced this week that in response to an increasing tide of skepticism in the U.S. they are launching the Center for American Evangelism program and initiative.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/lee-strobel-colleagues-at-hbu-launch-center-for-american-evangelism-hope-to-address-crisis-of-skepticism-131862/

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 NLT

Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

via K-LOVE Encouraging Word http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/K-loveEncouragingWord/~3/PAPsmjaawoA/1+Thessalonians+5

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Thought for the evening of Wed December 31, 2014

Verse

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."

— jer 8:20

Thought

Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear it from the pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet you neglect it, and therefore you are not saved. You will be without excuse when the Lord shall judge the quick and dead. The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing upon the word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of refreshing have come from the divine presence, and yet you are without Christ. All these hopeful seasons have come and gone-your summer and your harvest have past-and yet you are not saved. Years have followed one another into eternity, and your last year will soon be here: youth has gone, manhood is going, and yet you are not saved. Let me ask you-will you ever be saved? Is there any likelihood of it? Already the most propitious seasons have left you unsaved; will other occasions alter your condition? Means have failed with you-the best of means, used perseveringly and with the utmost affection-what more can be done for you? Affliction and prosperity have alike failed to impress you; tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever being saved? Is it not more than likely that you will abide as you are till death for ever bars the door of hope? Do you recoil from the supposition? Yet it is a most reasonable one: he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy to his end. The convenient time never has come, why should it ever come? It is logical to fear that it never will arrive, and that Felix like, you will find no convenient season till you are in hell. O bethink you of what that hell is, and of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it!

Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no words can picture. Write out your dread estate in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth: you will be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. A brother's voice would fain startle you into earnestness. O be wise, be wise in time, and ere another year begins, believe in Jesus, who is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate these last hours to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it will be well; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will be best of all. O see to it that this year pass not away, and you an unforgiven spirit. Let not the new year's midnight peals sound upon a joyless spirit! Now, NOW, NOW believe, and live.

"ESCAPE FOR THY LIFE;

LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE,

NEITHER STAY THOU IN ALL THE PLAIN;

ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAIN,

LEST THOU BE CONSUMED."

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-evening/~3/6-5EmAgZTTQ/1231-pm.html

Thought for the morning of Wed December 31, 2014

Verse

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."

— joh 7:37

Thought

Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast he pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year he pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of his Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!

Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus cried, which implies not only the loudness of his voice, but the tenderness of his tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. "We pray you," says the Apostle, "as though God did beseech you by us." What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep must be the love which makes the Lord weep over sinners, and like a mother woo his children to his bosom! Surely at the call of such a cry our willing hearts will come.

Provision is made most plenteously; all is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst. To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it.

Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of avarice, ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The thirst may be bad in itself, and be no sign of grace, but rather a mark of inordinate sin longing to be gratified with deeper draughts of lust; but it is not goodness in the creature which brings him the invitation, the Lord Jesus sends it freely, and without respect of persons.

Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and drink, ere the sun sets upon the year's last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer's loving voice as he cries to each of us,

"IF ANY MAN THIRST,

LET HIM

COME UNTO ME

AND DRINK."

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-morning/~3/EJMuVCD26To/1231-am.html

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Isaiah%2043:16,%2018-19

Standing On The Edge

My little girl stood apprehensively at the pool’s edge. As a nonswimmer, she was just learning to become comfortable in the water. Her instructor waited in the pool with outstretched arms. As my daughter hesitated, I saw the questions in her eyes: Will you catch me? What will happen if my head goes under?

via Our Daily Bread http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/odb/feed/~3/adHHvEPptS4/

$20,000 Stolen From a New York Church During Christmas Morning Service

The staff and congregation at the Church of the Magdalene in New York's Pocantico Hills are stunned following The Christmas day robbery of $20,000 in offerings.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/20000-stolen-from-a-new-york-church-during-christmas-morning-service-131871/

Americans Rank Billy Graham Among World's 'Most Admired' Men for 58th Time

Americans named Billy Graham the number four "Most Admired Man" in world of 2014 according to U.S. polling agency Gallup. The polling results mark the 58th time that the 96-year-old televangelist has received the distinction.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/americans-rank-billy-graham-among-worlds-most-admired-men-for-58th-time-131868/

Left Behind in the Mainline: Witnessing Within The Episcopal Church

Longstanding American churches known as mainline protestant denominations have garnered many headlines for their increasing liberal theological stances.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/left-behind-in-the-mainline-witnessing-within-the-episcopal-church-131783/

A Commitment to Read the Entire Bible in a Year Grows to Movement Status with Hundreds of Thousands of People Participating Annually

The Bible Challenge has become a movement of sorts since its inception four years ago, as hundreds of thousands of people commit to reading the entire Bible during the course of a year.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-commitment-to-read-the-entire-bible-in-a-year-grows-to-movement-status-with-hundreds-of-thousands-of-people-participating-annually-131865/

Closing Out 2014

via parablesblog http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/closing-out-2014.html

What on Earth Is Satan Doing?

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2014/12/what-on-earth-is-satan-doing.html

Palestinian Arabs Claim They'll Soon Outnumber Jews

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2014/12/palestinian-arabs-claim-theyll-soon.html

Monday, December 29, 2014

Thought for the evening of Tue December 30, 2014

Verse

"Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?"

— 2sa 2:26

Thought

If, O my reader! thou art merely a professor, and not a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true ketch of thine end.

You are a respectable attendant at a place of worship; you go because others go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to go on as you do now, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you the deathbed of such a one as yourself. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, "O God, it is hard to die. Did you send for my minister?" "Yes, he is coming." The minister comes. "Sir, I fear that I am dying!" "Have you any hope?" "I cannot say that I have. I fear to stand before my God; oh! pray for me." The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink. I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here again. But where is the man, and where are the man's true eyes? It is written, "In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." Ah! why did he not lift up his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hear the gospel that his soul slept under it. Alas! if you should lift up your eyes there, how bitter will be your wailings. Let the Saviour's own words reveal the woe: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." There is a frightful meaning in those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of Jehovah's wrath!

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-evening/~3/ezlSNGeBxkA/1230-pm.html

Thought for the morning of Tue December 30, 2014

Verse

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof."

— ec 7:8

Thought

Look at David's Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father's right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. "As he is, so are we also in this world." You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be satisfied when you wake up in his likeness. That rough-looking diamond is put upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much-much that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the monarch's head with trumpet's joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond, for you are one of God's people; and this is the time of the cutting process. Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory shall stream from you. "They shall be mine," saith the Lord, "in the day when I make up my jewels." "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof."

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-morning/~3/Ps0rEqhX4OI/1230-am.html

John 16:33

““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=John%2016:33

He Leads Me

In Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005, one sheep jumped off a cliff and then nearly 1,500 others followed! In the end, about one-third of them died. Not knowing which way to go, sheep mindlessly follow other members of the flock.

via Our Daily Bread http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/odb/feed/~3/nYllGb7oEsY/

Rick Warren Tells Mars Hill Congregation on Its Final Sunday: Don't Be Bitter

Pastor Rick Warren encouraged the congregation at the Mars Hill Church during its final Sunday service via pre-recorded video shown at a dozen of its campuses to trust Jesus and give grace to its leaders, including Mark Driscoll, who resigned from the church as its founding and lead pastor amidst much controversy in October.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-tells-mars-hill-congregation-on-its-final-sunday-dont-be-bitter-131778/

ARABS GETTING SCARED AND COLD FEET ABOUT GOING TO USELESS UNITED NATIONS ABOUT DECLARING PALESTINE A STATE AND TRYING TO FORCE ISRAEL TO DIVIDE JERUSALEM.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

JOEL 3:2

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people(ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(UPROOTED ISRAELIS AND DIVIDED JERUSALEM)(THIS BRINGS ON WW3 BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED,WARNING TO ARABS-MUSLIMS AND THE WORLD).

JOEL 2:3,30

3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

Lapid: We Won't Split Jerusalem-Yesh Atid chairman vows his party would never split Jerusalem, and also launches a tirade against PM Netanyahu and his lack of diplomacy.By Elad Benari-First Publish: 12/28/2014, 5:01 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS

Yesh Atid chairman, MK Yair Lapid, on Saturday vowed that his party would never split Jerusalem, even at the expense of an agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).Speaking at an event in Holon, Lapid also launched a verbal tirade against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his lack of diplomatic action following Operation Protective Edge in Gaza last summer."We will not split the capital, even at the cost of a diplomatic settlement," Lapid said, but added, "However it is possible to reach an agreement, with the help of regional dialogue and preservation of the status quo."The issue of keeping Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty has been mentioned several times in the past week, starting with Labor leader MK Yitzhak Herzog and Hatnua chairwoman MK Tzipi Livni, who vowed that they will keep the Western Wall under Israeli sovereignty. This was followed by comments from Netanyahu, who dismissed Herzog and Livni’s comments.In his remarks on Saturday, Lapid also attacked the government’s conduct after Operation Protective Edge, arguing that Israel should have resumed peace talks and launched discussions with the countries that participated in the Gaza rehabilitation conference in Cairo."There was no real diplomatic effort after Protective Edge. This is wrong and cowardly. If you do not do anything, why are you in power?” Lapid charged, adding, "Hamas is not a partner for talks, it is a terrorist organization. I would have acted for the demilitarization of Gaza with those who contributed to the money to rebuild Gaza.”He further warned that if Netanyahu is re-elected, he will move Israel backwards instead of forward."Before we came there were 39 ministers in the Cabinet, of them three ministers without portfolio. We stopped that. This government had 21 ministers and no ministers without portfolio," Lapid said, adding that if Netanyahu is once again Prime Minister, he would “ruin everything we achieved. He will return the Cabinet to having 30 ministers, will eliminate the winter clock, will cancel equal burden, eliminate the national program for Holocaust survivors. We will not allow him to eliminate everything we worked for."Lapid also made clear in his remarks that he was not opposed to forming a coalition with the hareidi parties after the elections, in sharp contrast to his stance after the 2013 elections when he made a pact with the Jewish Home that was meant to leave the hareidim out of the coalition."After the new draft law passed as well as the agreement to have yeshivot study secular subjects, I have no problem to sit in the same government with the hareidim,” he said, in remarks that follow recent reports that he tried to form an alternate government with the hareidim in order to unseat Netanyahu while avoiding elections.Responding on Saturday night to Lapid’s remarks, the Likud party dismissed them and described the former Finance Minister as “frustrated and frightened”.“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu led Operation Protective Edge firmly and strongly, but also in a responsible and discretionary manner. The main considerations that stood before him were completing the objectives and tasks assigned to the army, including the destruction of the terrorist tunnels and severely harming the infrastructure of Hamas, while maintaining the security of Israeli citizens and the lives of IDF soldiers in combat situations," the Likud said."Israeli citizens know that these are the real facts and that the security challenges facing Israel are enormous and require an experienced, responsible and determined leadership. All the rest is nonsense coming from a failed, frustrated and frightened politician, who supported the Prime Minister’s firm and level-headed policy during the operation,” it added.

Netanyahu: What is the United Nations Doing?-At Cabinet meeting, PM addresses Iranian and PA threat to Israel while criticizing the UN for its hypocrisy and double standard in response.By Cynthia Blank-First Publish: 12/28/2014, 1:09 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS

At the start of the Cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the dual threat Iran and the Palestinian Authority pose to Israel's security."In recent weeks we have seen a stepped-up Iranian effort to intensify terrorist actions in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu stated."None other than the Palestinian Authority ambassador in Tehran said that he was enthused by Iranian ruler Khamenei's instructions to send weapons to the 'West Bank' and he added, and I quote, 'The Zionist regime is an aggressive cancerous growth which, sooner or later, must be eliminated.'""Now I emphasize, it was not a Hamas man who said this, it was the Palestinian Authority ambassador in Tehran," Netanyahu noted.The Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported Wednesday that Khamenei's representative, Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi had stated, “If there is a need to have our military power available in the West Bank (Judea-Samaria - ed.), we will provide that support." "However," Shirazi added, "that move will not mean our physical presence (in Judea-Samaria)."Iran's Supreme leader has suggested since July that "armed resistance is the only way to confront the destructive regime” of Israel.The Prime Minister then went on to attack the United Nations for its incompetence in dealing with Palestinian incitement against Israel and the double standard the Human Rights Council holds Israel to."Now what is the UN doing in response?" Netanyahu asked."Instead of dealing with this incitement they are giving it an honored place, the same incitement that has led to the recent terrorist attack, and they are also moving forward on a unilateral Palestinian proposal to try and pass a decision in the Security Council, the purpose of which is to bring about a forced settlement that would establish here a second Hamastan and would endanger our security.""This is the same UN the Human Rights Council of which passed dozens of decisions this year against Israel, one decision on Iran and one decision on Syria.""We will continue to insist on our truth and we will also continue to vigorously rebuff attempts to force terms on us that would endanger our security and our future," Netanyahu stressed. "We expect national unity on this national issue."

PA UN Bid to be Postponed for Next Year-PA FM reveals Arab ambassadors mulling unilateral resolution demanding recognition and withdrawals, likely to be put off yet again.By Ari Yashar-First Publish: 12/29/2014, 1:43 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS

The council of Arab UN ambassadors gathered on Monday to discuss the Palestinian Authority (PA) resolution set to be proposed at the UN Security Council, unilaterally demanding recognition and Israeli withdrawals - however, the vote on the resolution set for Monday looks to be postponed yet again.Last Friday PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat announced that the vote would be held that day, or at the latest this Monday. But according to PA foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki, the vote doesn't seem likely until the new year begins.Al-Maliki told the Palestinian Arab Ma'an News Agency that the amended resolution has not been submitted yet, despite reports to the contrary, according to Walla.The resolution demands UN recognition of the PA as the "state of Palestine," as well as Israeli withdrawals from eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria by 2017, and prior to that a 12-month deadline for wrapping up negotiations on a final settlement.If the council of Arab UN ambassadors agrees to submit the resolution it will be reviewed by the UN Security Council, but Al-Maliki noted that due to the new year many foreign ministries of the Security Council's member states have shut their doors temporarily, indicating the resolution may be put on hold for next year.Al-Maliki emphasized that the PA will try to push the resolution forward in the coming days, but explained the matter isn't dependent on the PA.Likud Central Committee chairman Danny Danon, who is challenging Binyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the party, on Saturday night said that if the UN recognizes the PA as "Palestine," Israel should respond by declaring sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."If on this coming Monday the UN recognizes a Palestinian state, the state of Israel must respond with unilateral steps (as well), including implementing sovereignty," declared Danon.Russia has said it will support the resolution, and while US Secretary of State John Kerry has not publicly stated that Washington would use its veto against the resolution, his spokeswoman recently said the United States will not support the resolution.

If UN Recognizes Palestine, Israel Must Annex in Judea-Samaria'-Danon, challenging Netanyahu for Likud leadership, says if UN passes PA resolution this week, sovereignty must be Israel's answer.By Ari Yashar-First Publish: 12/27/2014, 9:39 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS

Likud Central Committee chairman Danny Danon, who is challenging Binyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the party, on Saturday night called on Israel to respond to an expected UN recognition of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the "state of Palestine" by declaring sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."We must clarify in the clearest terms to the world that every unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state will bring Israeli sovereignty," declared Danon in a meeting with Likud activists in Judea's Gush Etzion region.Prime among the attendants at the meeting were Kiryat Arba Regional Council head Malakhi Levinger and Deputy Gush Etzion Regional Council head Moshe Savil."When a senior member of the Palestinian Authority, (chief negotiator) Saeb Erekat, dares to claim Israel equals ISIS (Islamic State), it's a sign that truly there is no one to talk with on the Palestinian side," said Danon.Erekat announced last Friday that the UN will likely vote on Monday on a unilateral PA resolution, which demands recognition, Israeli withdrawals from eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria by 2017, and prior to that a 12-month deadline for wrapping up negotiations on a final settlement."If on this coming Monday the UN recognizes a Palestinian state, the state of Israel must respond with unilateral steps (as well), including implementing sovereignty," declared Danon.Russia has said it will support the resolution, and while US Secretary of State John Kerry has not publicly stated that Washington would use its veto against the resolution, his spokeswoman recently said the United States will not support the resolution.Two weeks ago the European Parliament voted to recognize "Palestine," following a string of European nations voting to recognize the PA as a state - the parliamentary vote came the same day Hamas was removed from the European Union's (EU) official terrorist organization list on an alleged "technicality."Danon, who is leading a push to get radical Arab MK Hanin Zoabi disqualified from coming elections, has suggested innovative proposals on another front recently as well. After a Gaza sniper attack on IDF soldiers last Wednesday, he said "for every shot from Gaza, we must take down a Hamas building."

via EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD) http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2014/12/arabs-getting-scared-and-cold-feet.html

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Thought for the morning of Mon December 29, 2014

Verse

"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

— 1sa 7:12

Thought

The word "hitherto" seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, "hitherto the Lord hath helped!" Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, "hitherto hath the Lord helped us!" We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of mercy received "hitherto."

But the word also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes "hitherto," he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No! there is more yet-awakening in Jesus' likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fulness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. O be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise thy "Ebenezer," for-

He who hath helped thee hitherto

Will help thee all thy journey through.

When read in heaven's light how glorious and marvellous a prospect will thy "hitherto" unfold to thy grateful eye!

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-morning/~3/Bz9pOKHEVKM/1229-am.html

Thought for the evening of Mon December 29, 2014

Verse

"What think ye of Christ?"

— mt 22:42

Thought

The great test of your soul's health is, What think you of Christ? Is he to you "fairer than the children of men"-"the chief among ten thousand"-the "altogether lovely"? Wherever Christ is thus esteemed, all the faculties of the spiritual man exercise themselves with energy. I will judge of your piety by this barometer: does Christ stand high or low with you? If you have thought little of Christ, if you have been content to live without his presence, if you have cared little for his honour, if you have been neglectful of his laws, then I know that your soul is sick-God grant that it may not be sick unto death! But if the first thought of your spirit has been, how can I honour Jesus? If the daily desire of your soul has been, "O that I knew where I might find him!" I tell you that you may have a thousand infirmities, and even scarcely know whether you are a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded, beyond a doubt, that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem. I care not for thy rags, what thinkest thou of his royal apparel? I care not for thy wounds, though they bleed in torrents, what thinkest thou of his wounds? are they like glittering rubies in thine esteem? I think none the less of thee, though thou liest like Lazarus on the dunghill, and the dogs do lick thee-I judge thee not by thy poverty: what thinkest thou of the King in his beauty? Has he a glorious high throne in thy heart? Wouldest thou set him higher if thou couldest? Wouldest thou be willing to die if thou couldest but add another trumpet to the strain which proclaims his praise? Ah! then it is well with thee. Whatever thou mayest think of thyself, if Christ be great to thee, thou shalt be with him ere long.

"Though all the world my choice deride,

Yet Jesus shall my portion be;

For I am pleased with none beside,

The fairest of the fair is he"

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-evening/~3/AmmZaBqtVEQ/1229-pm.html

John 14:1-3

“[Jesus Comforts His Disciples] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=John%2014:1-3

Delay May Not Mean Denial

My sons’ birthdays are in December. When they were small, Angus quickly learned that if he didn’t receive a longed-for toy for his birthday at the beginning of the month, it might be in his Christmas stocking. And if David didn’t receive his gift for Christmas, it might appear for his birthday 4 days later. Delay didn’t necessarily mean denial.

via Our Daily Bread http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/odb/feed/~3/_hQ74gbHzbs/

AIRASIA FLIGHT QZ 8501 MISSING ON WAY TO SINGAPORE AIRBUS A320-200-DAY 1A CONTINUED

MISSING FLIGHT QZ 8501 AIR BUS A320-200-pic-Indiamexpress.com

NAMES OF PERSONS ON FLIGHT A320-200 QZ 8501

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1669513/list-passengers-air-asia-flight-qz-8501

UPDATE-DEC 28,14-07:40PM

NOW A REPORT SAYS THAT THE QZ 8501 WAS DENIED TO CLIMB TO 38,000 FEET BECAUSE THERE WAS TO MANY PLANES IN THE AREA.AND THEY MIGHT CRASH INTO ANOTHER PLANE.THIS AREA IS A MAJOR COMERCE AREA AND HEAVILY TRAVELLED EVERY DAY WITH TONS OF PLANES.

Crew:Iriyanto (Captain)-Remi Emmanuel Plesel (First Officer)-Saiful Rakhmad (Engineer)

Flight Attendants:Wanti Setiawati -Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi-Oscar Desano-Wismoyo Ari Prambudi

Indonesia set to resume search for missing AirAsia plane, relatives wait-By Eveline Danubrata and Michael Taylor-JAKARTA Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:43pm EST

(Reuters) - Indonesia was set to resume at first light the search for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, which went missing on Sunday just after the pilot requested a change in course to avoid bad weather.Singapore said it had sent two naval vessels to help the Indonesian military look for the Airbus (AIR.PA) A320-200 operated by Indonesia AirAsia, adding a C-130 air force plane took part in the search on Sunday.Malaysia would send three naval vessels and a C-130 to assist, Singapore's Channel News Asia television reported. Australia, the United States, Britain, South Korea and India also offered help ranging from planes and navy ships to experts and investigators."We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident," said Indonesia AirAsia Chief Executive Sunu Widyatmoko. "We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident."The carrier is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier Air Asia (AIRA.KL). The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, has not suffered a crash since its Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.Onboard Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, one person each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain, while the co-pilot was French.The plane was about halfway between Surabaya and Singapore when it lost contact with air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. on Sunday (1917 GMT Saturday), Indonesian officials said.It issued no distress call, officials added.There was bad weather over nearby Belitung island at the time and the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet before asking to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at Indonesia's transport ministry.The pilot "was requesting deviation due to en-route weather before communication with the aircraft was lost", the airline added.The Indonesian pilot was experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in mid-November, the airline said. The aircraft had accumulated about 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights, according to Airbus.Malaysia AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes flew to Surabaya and, along with Indonesian officials, updated distraught relatives of passengers at a makeshift crisis center at the airport in Indonesia's second-largest city."This is my worst nightmare," Fernandes said on Twitter. "But there's no stopping", he said of the search.AirAsia swapped the distinctive bright red of its logo for gray on social media accounts and the company website as it faced its biggest ever challenge.The incident caps a disastrous year for Malaysia-affiliated airlines. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board and has not been found.On July 17, the same airline's Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

PRAYING FOR PASSENGERS

Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged his people to pray for the safety of the passengers and crew. During his Sunday address at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis said those on board were in his prayers.Louise Sidharta was at Singapore's Changi Airport waiting for her fiancée to return from a family holiday."It was supposed to be their last vacation before we got married," she said.A man named Purnomo told TVOne in Surabaya of his lucky escape. "I should have been on the flight ... but this morning I had an emergency. I had my passport in hand."Like all affiliates of AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia operates Airbus jets, of which it has 30 of the A320 model.AirAsia has ordered several hundred jets from the European planemaker, making it one of its most important customers. The missing plane has been in service for just over six years, according to airfleets.net.Indonesian officials from the civil aviation authority and transport safety committee, which are responsible for crash investigations, arrived in Surabaya on Sunday. A transport ministry official said Indonesia would handle the probe."The aircraft was registered in Indonesia and it looks to be missing over Indonesian territory, so we will lead the investigation," said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media."We have the expertise to do this."(Additional reporting by Gayatri Suroyo in SURABAYA, Chris Nusatya, Cindy Silviana and Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA, Al-Zaquan Amer Hamzah and Praveen Menon in KUALA LUMPUR, Siva Govindasamy, Saeed Hassan, Rujun Shen and Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE, Sanjeev Miglani in NEW DELHI, Tim Hepher in PARIS, Alwyn Scott in NEW YORK and Philip Pullella in ROME; Writing by Martin Petty and Simon Webb; Editing by Dean Yates)

via EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD) http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2014/12/airasia-flight-qz-8501-missing-on-way.html

190 RESCUED FROM BURNING FERRY OFF THE COAST OF GREECE.280 STILL AWAITING RESCUE.1 DEAD.

via EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD) http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2014/12/190-rescued-from-burning-ferry-off.html

Video: Unauthorized Muslim Construction on Temple Mount

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2014/12/video-unauthorized-muslim-construction.html

Netanyahu: Iran Increasing Efforts to Deepen Jihad Activities in West Bank

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2014/12/netanyahu-iran-increasing-efforts-to.html

Jesus taught from the boat

EPrata photo

Jesus taught from the boat...

Water carries sound and it amplifies it. The crowds were so crushing that in order to even have space, Jesus launched into one of the sailboats (not a dinghy as depicted above, lol) and He spoke to the crowds. Note, He was sitting, they were standing, indicting His important presence.

Were they thirsting for the truth from the Living Waters? Or were they rubberneckers hoping for a personal miracle? Both. We know the end of the story, most people turned out to be rubberneckers only out to see the latest thing in Galilee. Most of these same people eventually rejected Him. (Mark 6:4-5).

What a momentous occasion on that shore! To be present and taught directly by God Himself. We are blessed, we believers in this present Church Age. We have the Holy Spirit in us to teach us these things. This Spirit will never leave us.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

The blessings from our Lord are manifold, beginning with our indwelled Spirit, and His word which was later written down at the inspiration of His Spirit. Study His word today, worship Him by praising Him for those words, and bless Him by being obedient to them. He is a gracious and magnificent God, who taught His sheep from the boat.

2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

via K-LOVE Encouraging Word http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/K-loveEncouragingWord/~3/TPZ6yiefthc/2+Corinthians+9

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Thought for the morning of Sun December 28, 2014

Verse

"The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God."

— ga 2:20

Thought

When the Lord in mercy passed by and saw us in our blood, he first of all said, "Live"; and this he did first, because life is one of the absolutely essential things in spiritual matters, and until it be bestowed we are incapable of partaking in the things of the kingdom. Now the life which grace confers upon the saints at the moment of their quickening is none other than the life of Christ, which, like the sap from the stem, runs into us, the branches, and establishes a living connection between our souls and Jesus. Faith is the grace which perceives this union, having proceeded from it as its firstfruit. It is the neck which joins the body of the Church to its all-glorious Head.

"Oh Faith! thou bond of union with the Lord,

Is not this office thine? and thy fit name,

In the economy of gospel types,

And symbols apposite-the Church's neck;

Identifying her in will and work

With him ascended?"

Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. She knows his excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce her to repose her trust elsewhere; and Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace, that he never ceases to strengthen and sustain her by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of his eternal arms. Here, then, is established a living, sensible, and delightful union which casts forth streams of love, confidence, sympathy, complacency, and joy, whereof both the bride and bridegroom love to drink. When the soul can evidently perceive this oneness between itself and Christ, the pulse may be felt as beating for both, and the one blood as flowing through the veins of each. Then is the heart as near heaven as it can be on earth, and is prepared for the enjoyment of the most sublime and spiritual kind of fellowship.

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-morning/~3/7KhSprj2xxA/1228-am.html

Thought for the evening of Sun December 28, 2014

Verse

"I came not to send peace on earth, but a sword."

— mt 10:34

Thought

The Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will be one of his objects to make none; but if to do the right, and to believe the true, should cause him to lose every earthly friend, he will count it but a small loss, since his great Friend in heaven will be yet more friendly, and reveal himself to him more graciously than ever. O ye who have taken up his cross, know ye not what your Master said? "I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother; and a man's foes shall be they of his own household." Christ is the great Peacemaker; but before peace, he brings war. Where the light cometh, the darkness must retire. Where truth is, the lie must flee; or, if it abideth, there must be a stern conflict, for the truth cannot and will not lower its standard, and the lie must be trodden under foot. If you follow Christ, you shall have all the dogs of the world yelping at your heels. If you would live so as to stand the test of the last tribunal, depend upon it the world will not speak well of you. He who has the friendship of the world is an enemy to God; but if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will resent your unflinching fidelity, since it is a testimony against their iniquities. Fearless of all consequences, you must do the right. You will need the courage of a lion unhesitatingly to pursue a course which shall turn your best friend into your fiercest foe; but for the love of Jesus you must thus be courageous. For the truth's sake to hazard reputation and affection, is such a deed that to do it constantly you will need a degree of moral principle which only the Spirit of God can work in you; yet turn not your back like a coward, but play the man. Follow right manfully in your Master's steps, for he has traversed this rough way before you. Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace and everlasting torment.

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-evening/~3/73ud4F-KnvY/1228-pm.html

TORAH PORTION FROM DEC 28 - JAN 03,2015

via EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD) http://israndjer.blogspot.com/2014/12/torah-portion-from-dec-28-jan-032015.html

Matthew 11:28

““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Matthew%2011:28

AIRASIA FLIGHT QZ8501 MISSING ON WAY TO SINGAPORE AIRBUS 320-200-DAY 1

Is Jesus Still Here?

Ted Robertson’s home in Colorado was one of more than 500 destroyed by the Black Forest Fire in June 2013. When he was allowed to return and sift through the ash and rubble, he was hoping to find a precious family heirloom made by his wife—a tiny ceramic figurine of baby Jesus about the size of a postage stamp. As he searched the charred remains of their home, he kept wondering, “Is the baby Jesus still here?”

via Our Daily Bread http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/odb/feed/~3/8DvBtogA4MA/

4 Reasons Premillennialism Must Be True

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2014/12/4-reasons-premillennialism-must-be-true.html

Even the pots will be holy

And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar.

EPrata photo

And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

~Zechariah 14:20-21

EPrata photo

Pastor Steve Hadley once said while preaching through Zechariah , that pound for pound, Zechariah contains more prophecy than any other book of the bible, including Revelation. It is an astounding book, magnificent in its history, prophecy, and terrible beauty.

Here, we see the very end of Zechariah's book, the last verse. Zechariah is speaking of the Day when Jesus (the coming Messiah, the Lord) will rule on earth during the Millennial kingdom. John Walvoord explains the verse in his commentary:

In that day holiness will characterize millennial life (cf. 8:3) whether it be in public life (the bells of the horses), religious life (the cooking pots in the LORD‘s house, the millennial temple, Ezek. 40–43), or private life (every pot in Jerusalem and Judah). Perhaps the general thought is the removal of a dichotomy between secular and sacred. In the Old Testament a Canaanite had become symbolic of anything ceremonially unclean and ungodly (the dishonest “merchant” in Hosea 12:7 is lit., “the Canaanite”). In the millennial temple no such defilement will occur. Thus Zechariah’s prophetic book which began with a call to repentance (Zech. 1:2–6) concludes with an affirmation that all will be holy to the LORD (14:20–21). Because He is the LORD Almighty and the Holy One, He will establish holiness throughout the glorious Millennium!

Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Zechariah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1571–1572). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

I like even better Gill's Exposition. What a joyous time it will be, when ALL is holy!

Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts,.... Such will be the number of sacrifices and sacrificers, that the pots in the Lord's house will not be sufficient; wherefore every pot, in city or country, shall be sanctified and devoted to holy uses:

and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein; this denotes, as before, the general holiness of the professors of religion in those times; and that there will be no difference in the vessels of the Lord's house, or any distinction of Jew and Gentile; but they will be all spiritual worshippers, and offer up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise to the Lord

Friday, December 26, 2014

Thought for the morning of Sat December 27, 2014

Verse

"Can the rush grow up without mire?"

— job 8:11

Thought

The rush is spongy and hollow, and even so is a hypocrite; there is no substance or stability in him. It is shaken to and fro in every wind just as formalists yield to every influence; for this reason the rush is not broken by the tempest, neither are hypocrites troubled with persecution. I would not willingly be a deceiver or be deceived; perhaps the text for this day may help me to try myself whether I be a hypocrite or no. The rush by nature lives in water, and owes its very existence to the mire and moisture wherein it has taken root; let the mire become dry, and the rush withers very quickly. Its greenness is absolutely dependent upon circumstances, a present abundance of water makes it flourish, and a drought destroys it at once. Is this my case? Do I only serve God when I am in good company, or when religion is profitable and respectable? Do I love the Lord only when temporal comforts are received from his hands? If so I am a base hypocrite, and like the withering rush, I shall perish when death deprives me of outward joys. But can I honestly assert that when bodily comforts have been few, and my surroundings have been rather adverse to grace than at all helpful to it, I have still held fast my integrity? then have I hope that there is genuine vital godliness in me. The rush cannot grow without mire, but plants of the Lord's right hand planting can and do flourish even in the year of drought. A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances decay. He who follows Christ for his bag is a Judas; they who follow for loaves and fishes are children of the devil; but they who attend him out of love to himself are his own beloved ones. Lord, let me find my life in thee, and not in the mire of this world's favour or gain.

Devotional provided by Heartlight^®

© 1996-2014. All rights reserved.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-morning/~3/EqUE5UQT-KY/1227-am.html

Thought for the evening of Sat December 27, 2014

Verse

"And the LORD shall guide thee continually."

— isa 58:11

Thought

"The Lord shall guide thee." Not an angel, but JEHOVAH shall guide thee. He said he would not go through the wilderness before his people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel's guidance: he himself leads the van. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah will never forsake you. Notice the word shall-"The Lord shall guide thee." How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us! His precious "shalls" and "wills" are better than men's oaths. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Then observe the adverb continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we follow close at his heels, we shall not err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you have to change your position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for "the Lord shall guide thee continually." There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love. He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. "Jehovah"-mark the word-"Jehovah shall guide thee continually."

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hl-devos-spurgeon-evening/~3/MRxzSkH9IhY/1227-pm.html

Psalm 103:1-2

“Of David. Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—”

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Psalm%20103:1-2

Video: New Russian Military Doctrine Says NATO Top Threat

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://ift.tt/1EsK2VK

Out Of Egypt

One year when our family was traveling through Ohio on the way to Grandma’s house, we arrived in Columbus just as a tornado warning was issued. Suddenly everything changed as we feared that our children might be in danger.

via Our Daily Bread http://ift.tt/1AU7G9I

People who believe false teachers will be judged, too.

Jeremiah is told by God to prophesy against the false prophets. God said He did not send them in His name nor did He give them any message. They are prophesying deceit from their own mind, God said. (Jeremiahs 14:14).

However, God also told Jeremiah to prophesy against the people to whom the false prophets were preaching.

And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them. (Jeremiah 14:16)

Why would God be so hard on the people? Aren't they just helpless victims of lying religious preachers? No. According to that verse, listeners to and followers of false teachers are doing evil.

TWISTED SCRIPTURE. Jeremiah 14:14

Throughout the ages, self-proclaimed prophets such as Joseph Smith, Jeanne Dixon, and Edgar Cayce have claimed to speak for God. Jeremiah, an authorized ambassador of God, identified false prophets as “prophesying … a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds” which is “spoken … presumptuously” (Dt 18:22).

The people were to be punished because they listened to the false prophets. It was their responsibility to test the prophets (Dt 18:21–22), not just to accept whatever they said without question, but they failed to do so. They may have known that what the prophets said was not in line with God’s will, but because they liked what they heard, they condoned it (Jer 5:31; 23:16; 29:8; 2 Co 11:4; 2 Tim 4:3). We are also obligated to test the messages we hear and reject those who preach a false message in God’s name (Acts 17:11; Gl 1:6–9; 1 Jn 4:1). See notes on Lam 1:5; 2:14.

Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1110). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Sisters, be aware of who you allow into your home, heart, and mind. Reading that certain book, or listening a certain teacher, or attending so-and-so conference, can be deadly to you.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

What is it Like Serving as a Missionary in a War-Torn Country Dubbed the 'Worst Place in the World to Be a Woman?'

A Christian missionary who has been serving with her husband in Central Africa for the past 25 years tells of her experiences working to empower women and children victimized by militants in the conflict-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://ift.tt/1CMIgNx

Rick Warren to Deliver Mars Hill Church's Final Sermon via Video; Seattle-based Megachurch Closes its Doors at Year's End

Saddleback Church's Pastor Rick Warren is scheduled to give the congregation at the Seattle-based Mars Hill Church, hosted at a dozen regional locations, its last sermon via video this Sunday, as the megachurch, founded and once led by Pastor Mark Driscoll, officially dissolves.

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://ift.tt/1CLxNBT

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Thought for the morning of Fri December 26, 2014

Verse

"The last Adam."

— 1co 15:45

Thought

Jesus is the federal head of his elect. As in Adam, every heir of flesh and blood has a personal interest, because he is the covenant head and representative of the race as considered under the law of works; so under the law of grace, every redeemed soul is one with the Lord from heaven, since he is the Second Adam, the Sponsor and Substitute of the elect in the new covenant of love. The apostle Paul declares that Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him: it is a certain truth that the believer was in the loins of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, when in old eternity the covenant settlements of grace were decreed, ratified, and made sure for ever. Thus, whatever Christ hath done, he hath wrought for the whole body of his Church. We were crucified in him and buried with him (read Col. 2:10-13), and to make it still more wonderful, we are risen with him and even ascended with him to the seats on high (Eph. 2:6). It is thus that the Church has fulfilled the law, and is "accepted in the beloved." It is thus that she is regarded with complacency by the just Jehovah, for he views her in Jesus, and does not look upon her as separate from her covenant head. As the Anointed Redeemer of Israel, Christ Jesus has nothing distinct from his Church, but all that he has he holds for her. Adam's righteousness was ours so long as he maintained it, and his sin was ours the moment that he committed it; and in the same manner, all that the Second Adam is or does, is ours as well as his, seeing that he is our representative. Here is the foundation of the covenant of grace. This gracious system of representation and substitution, which moved Justin Martyr to cry out, "O blessed change, O sweet permutation!" this is the very groundwork of the gospel of our salvation, and is to be received with strong faith and rapturous joy.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/1CKcLn6

Thought for the evening of Fri December 26, 2014

Verse

"Lo, I am with you alway."

— mt 28:20

Thought

The Lord Jesus is in the midst of his church; he walketh among the golden candlesticks; his promise is, "Lo, I am with you alway." He is as surely with us now as he was with the disciples at the lake, when they saw coals of fire, and fish laid thereon and bread. Not carnally, but still in real truth, Jesus is with us. And a blessed truth it is, for where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed. Of all the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the presence of Jesus! A glimpse of him so overcomes us, that we are ready to say, "Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me." Even the smell of the aloes, and the myrrh, and the cassia, which drop from his perfumed garments, causes the sick and the faint to grow strong. Let there be but a moment's leaning of the head upon that gracious bosom, and a reception of his divine love into our poor cold hearts, and we are cold no longer, but glow like seraphs, equal to every labour, and capable of every suffering. If we know that Jesus is with us, every power will be developed, and every grace will be strengthened, and we shall cast ourselves into the Lord's service with heart, and soul, and strength; therefore is the presence of Christ to be desired above all things. His presence will be most realized by those who are most like him. If you desire to see Christ, you must grow in conformity to him. Bring yourself, by the power of the Spirit, into union with Christ's desires, and motives, and plans of action, and you are likely to be favoured with his company. Remember his presence may be had. His promise is as true as ever. He delights to be with us. If he doth not come, it is because we hinder him by our indifference. He will reveal himself to our earnest prayers, and graciously suffer himself to be detained by our entreaties, and by our tears, for these are the golden chains which bind Jesus to his people.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/1HJLqQh

Luke 2:28-32

“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.””

via Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day http://ift.tt/1xmtnjC

In The Neighborhood

It was the buzz of our neighborhood. A famous professional football player had moved in just two houses down from where we lived. We had seen him on television and read about his great skills on the field, but we never thought he would choose to reside in our neighborhood. Initially, our expectations were that we would welcome him into the neighborhood and we would all become great friends. But his life was obviously far too busy for any of us to get to know him personally.

via Our Daily Bread http://ift.tt/1Em8Pe8

Video: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Christmas Greeting

via Bible Prophecy Blog http://ift.tt/13GQebY

NJ Megachurch's 'Spiritual Flash Mob' Delivers 12,000 Bags of Cookies, Hot Meal Vouchers on Christmas Eve

More than 12,000 bags of cookies along with a note and voucher for free hot meals at a local eatery were given to residents and workers on Christmas Eve near the four locations of the New Jersey-based Liquid Church. The gift bags were distributed by more than 5,000 people who attended one of 12 services at the church in what was called a "spiritual flash mob."

via The Christian Post Church & Ministries. http://ift.tt/1vs2mVE

Merry Christmas

From swaddling cloths to grave cloths...

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

The Anunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1898

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. (John 20:6-7)

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11)

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:9-11 NLT

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

via K-LOVE Encouraging Word http://ift.tt/16Sy4WJ

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Thought for the morning of Thu December 25, 2014

Verse

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

— isa 7:14

Thought

Let us to-day go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, "The seed of the woman," not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to his human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note his humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as "a virgin," not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King!

Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/1EhIWw6

Thought for the evening of Thu December 25, 2014

Verse

"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually."

— job 1:5

Thought

What the patriarch did early in the morning, after the family festivities, it will be well for the believer to do for himself ere he rests tonight. Amid the cheerfulness of household gatherings it is easy to slide into sinful levities, and to forget our avowed character as Christians. It ought not to be so, but so it is, that our days of feasting are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment, but too frequently degenerate into unhallowed mirth. There is a way of joy as pure and sanctifying as though one bathed in the rivers of Eden: holy gratitude should be quite as purifying an element as grief. Alas! for our poor hearts, that facts prove that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting. Come, believer, in what have you sinned to-day? Have you been forgetful of your high calling? Have you been even as others in idle words and loose speeches? Then confess the sin, and fly to the sacrifice. The sacrifice sanctifies. The precious blood of the Lamb slain removes the guilt, and purges away the defilement of our sins of ignorance and carelessness. This is the best ending of a Christmas-day-to wash anew in the cleansing fountain. Believer, come to this sacrifice continually; if it be so good to-night, it is good every night. To live at the altar is the privilege of the royal priesthood; to them sin, great as it is, is nevertheless no cause for despair, since they draw near yet again to the sin-atoning victim, and their conscience is purged from dead works.

Gladly I close this festive day,

Grasping the altar's hallow'd horn;

My slips and faults are washed away,

The Lamb has all my trespass borne.

via Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon http://ift.tt/140dP8i