The Whole Counsel

I am reminded of our shortcomings as I read a verse from Hosea this week. There are some Christian churches that do not teach "the whole counsel of God." That is sad. The flock will never hear from Hosea. You will today. But let's first start in Acts.

"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God." - Acts 20:27

What does that mean?

It means EVERYTHING - Genesis to Revelation. Everything God told us in His Word, the Bible. Including Hosea!

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." - 2 Timothy 3:16

There are some churches that do not venture very far outside their conformable little bubble of the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That is a mistake. Just one OT verse, one NT verse, and a Gospel verse? There's so much more!

The four Gospels, the first chapter of Acts, and Revelation are the only places where we can find the words of Jesus, right? There ARE other times Jesus speaks, but that's a different story. For know, remember that God is manifested in three parts - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Getting back to Hosea, here's a verse that will get you thinking and wondering. There are many choice bits to chew on in this verse. The WHOLE THING is CHOICE! Here's it is.

"After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence." - Hosea 6:2

Two days - that doesn't sound like much until you read this verse from 2nd Peter.

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." - 2 Peter 3:8

So, TWO days are like 2,000 years? Hold that thought.

Back in Jesus' day, "teachers" began teaching at age 30, which Jesus did.

“Jesus himself was about thirty years old when He began his ministry.” - Luke 3:23

He taught for approximately three and a half years, according to Gotquestions.org. His earthly ministry ended in 33AD.

Now, taking 33AD, and going back to Hosea (with 2nd Peter in mind) we add 2,000 years to 33AD and we get 2033 AD.

Wow! That's pretty close to where we are in time right now! It get's even closer.

Subtract the seven year Tribulation period. What do you get then? Umm, 2026. Interesting. Again, a lot of these dates and numbers are approximate. Then you've got several kinds of calendars, etc. As Jesus said, "No one will know the day or the hour" of His coming.

Back to Hosea. "on the third day He will restore us." Jesus already did that when He sacrificed His life for ours and rose from the dead. On the third day. What other kind of "restoration" might there be in this timeline though? The rapture of The Church? Hmm. And then there's this:

"that we may live in His presence."

The Millenial Kingdom?

"Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." - Revelation 20:6

We live in an exciting time! How blessed are we to be here and now, waiting for His soon return.

As Jesus Himself said, "There will be signs." - Luke 21:25

The signs are everywhere my friends. Look up!

Worship

Back in April I wrote a story named "Breaking The Bow." It was about the prophecy of Jeremiah against Elam (Iran). I am finding myself drawn back to Jeremiah 49 today for some reason. I wonder why.🤔

Most of my "sources" think that something big is going to happen in the Middle East before the Israeli elections, which happen on Tuesday. Will Iran strike Israel? Quite possibly.

Did you notice that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Benjamin Netanyahu in a lengthy, unannounced meeting in Israel this past week, at a military base? Something's cookin'. 🫨

"But what will you do in the end?" - Jeremiah 5:31

What will I do? What would YOU do? 🤔

Theoretically speaking, what would you do if Jesus returned for His church, tomorrow? I don't know about you, but I would want to make sure that everyone of my family and friends knew Jesus, today. But how can we KNOW for sure that they KNOW? We can't. What then?

Do you see what I'm doing here? I'm thinking like the world. "What would WE do" instead of "Watch what God will do."

We need to relax and read some scripture.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!" - Psalm 95:6

The answer to this world, and all that is in it, the calming, reassuring answer, is found in one single word.

Worship.

Here I Am To Worship - Maranatha Music

School Bus!

My wife and I have a tradition in our house. We have to watch and wait for the school bus to go by each morning and every afternoon. And, when we see it, we shout out, "School bus!" It's what we do. Yes, we're weird.

Each school day we go about our usual business, but, when we hear that school bus comin' down the street, we stop what we're doing and watch that big yellow bus roll on through.

Summer months are a struggle for us. Lol!

Similarly, we Christians should be watching and waiting for the return of Jesus. Especially as we "see the day approaching." We will only get one shot at seeing Jesus coming in the clouds.

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen." - Revelation 1:7

Jesus told us that there will be signs of His soon return. It is the same with our school bus. The calendar, the clock on the wall, kids waiting on the street corner, the increasing sound of the bus. They're all signs. Then finally, the visual. "School bus!"

It is the same with our Lord's return.

“Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“⁹Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." - Matthew 24:4-13

Here's an abbreviated list of the signs Jesus told us to watch for:

1. Deception
2. Wars
3. Rumors of Wars
4. Nation rising against nation
5. Kingdom against kingdom
6. Famines
7. Earthquakes
8. Persecution
9. Hatred by all nations against Christians (and Jews)
10. People turning away from the faith
11. People hating and betraying one another
12. False prophets
13. Increase of wickedness
14. Love growing cold

ALL of these things are happening in the world today. Israel has become a nation once again (1948). That was a major sign! Keep an eye on the sky! And instead of shouting "School bus," it will be, "Jesus!"

Wait a minute. Did you hear that? What was that sound? Was it the sound of a distant trumpet? Or was it just the school bus?

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Amen!

Jalen and the Gnome

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." - Philippians 2:3-4

Today's story is a reminder for all of us that it doesn't take much effort at all to make someone's day; to turn a frown upside down. All it takes is thinking of others, first.

During my summer disc golf class for kids, we had a quiet young man do something quite unexpected. As you might have guessed, his name was Jalen. He was 10 years old.

One night, Jalen showed up with a handful of 3D-printed gnomes and gave one to every kid in the class. He even gave one to his instructor. Suddenly, Jalen was loved by everyone in the class.

This kid didn't have to do what he did. He wanted to do it. But he had the ability (the gift) to make those gnomes. So he did.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17

Was Jalen's gift "good and perfect?" I'd say 'yes' because I know how it made me feel. But the beautiful thing was, Jalen never expected anything in return.

What "gifts" have WE given to others recently? Does anything come to mind? Think about it. What was the last nice thing you did for someone? 🤔

Uhh.....

Maybe if we did unto others as we would have them do unto us ("Golden Rule," Matthew 7:12) we would all be better off. But we don't do that. At least not often enough. Why not? It's a command from our Lord.

Start off this work week "in Jesus' name." Buy some donuts for the office for no reason. Compliment someone on a job well done. Open a door for someone. Drop something in a tip jar. Donate something to the local food pantry. Donate blood or platelets. Clean out your office and donate the items to Goodwill. Take a walk and pick up trash. Give someone a hug.

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

The Intercessor

Chapter 5 in the Book of Jeremiah contains an interesting rant from God, through the prophet Jeremiah, against Jerusalem. As I read it, I soon began to wonder, "Am I reading my Bible? Or is this a sermon from my pastor about current events in the world of today? Here are a few examples that caught my attention.

It starts with this interesting question:

"But what will you do in the end?" - Jeremiah 5:31

The text is about Jerusalem, but it could also apply to us as well. It continues into Chapter 6.

"Peace, peace," they say. When there is no peace." - Jeremiah 6:14

Does that sound like today's world? How many ceasefires and memorandums of understanding can there be? I lost track.

"Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush." - Jeremiah 6:15

Are we ashamed of our conduct? No. We just keep right on sinning, even inventing new detestible things to do that could only anger God.

God continues . . .

"So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,”

says the Lord." - Jeremiah 6:15

And that we will. We will surely fall!

Unless.

Unless there was someone - an intercessor - who would step up and take away our sins. All of them, though they are many. Thankfully there is. His name is Jesus.

One more verse, and this one is from our Lord and Savior.

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” - Luke 21:28

Nearer My God To Thee - ThecSharin Singers

Thank You!

When you get to be my age (73), thoughts of mortality creep in. Aches and pains become daily occurances. And we begin "thinking" before we do things. Like "I should take my phone with me into the woods in case I fall," or, "If I sit on the floor with my granddaughter, how will I ever get up?"

Such things are all part of life as we get older. But there is another part of aging that is absolutely wonderful. Our relationship with God, and with others. This morning I am grateful for both.

God has blessed me with many young friends. These are mostly former youth group kids who are now in their thirties. I keep in touch with a few and we are all very close.

Then there's the older friends. I have a few of them as well, and again, we are all very close to one another.

The thing that binds us all together is what I am MOST grateful for. Jesus. The Trinity really. If it weren't for God, I would have none of these wonderful gifts (these dear friends) in my life.

Let me drop a Bible verse here, as I just finished reading Psalms.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" - Psalm 8:3-4

More personally, "Who am I, that you are mindful of me?"

All these gifts, friends, and blessings, are from God.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." - James 1:17

But why does He give us such amazing friends and family members? That's easy.

Love.

"God is love." - 1 John 4:8

We sure could use a whole lot more love in this crazy world right now. And I think we will be getting it soon. But in the meantime. . . . 

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

Who Am I? - Casting Crowns

Thank You Jesus For The Blood - Charity Gayle

Triple Threat

This past weekend, three storms were observed heading towards the United States. Left to right on a map, they were named Rachel, Simon, Isaias (or Isaiah).

Do you ever remember three hurricanes ever hitting the United States at the same time? I sure don't.

And did you notice that all three storms are named after Biblical characters? It's true!

Rachel was the bride of Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. In Hebrew, Rachel means "ewe" - a female sheep.

Simon was the disciple Peter's original name, before Jesus changed it to Cephas (Peter). It means "to hear" or "listen" in Hebrew.

And the name Isaias (Spanish or Portuguese for Isaiah) means "Yahweh is salvation." Isaiah the prophet prophesied about the coming of Messiah.

If you read the Hebrew meanings of these three names all together, left to right, you actually get a sentence!

"Sheep, listen, Yahweh is salvation."

But Hebrew is read right to left. No problem.

"Yahweh is salvation. Listen, sheep."

Even if you use "female sheep" in the sentence it works. In our relationship with Jesus, we are "the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3) But also remember, Jesus is the bridegroom, and we are the bride, the "female," if you will, in our relationship with Jesus. We are the female sheep!

So, what do you think? Coincidence? Or is this a warning from God Most High? I have no idea, but it sure is interesting.

If it IS a warning, what should we do?

Prayer - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:7

Care - "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." - Matthew 9:36

Share - "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

One last word about "storms."

"The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet." - Nahum 1:3

Do you know Jesus? I hope you do.

Speak, Lord

"Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." - Acts 13:1-3

I have several questions . . . specifically about verse 2. My John McArthur Study Bible totally skipped "the Holy Spirit said" part. On to BibleHub.com to look at the various translations.

In every translation, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit/Ghost "said" or "spoke." Hmm. Then there's this from BibleHub's commentary. 

Here the Spirit speaks audibly or prophetically: “the Holy Spirit said.”

Scripture portrays the Spirit as a personal, speaking Being (John 16:13; Acts 8:29).

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." - John 16:13

That was Jesus telling the Disciples that the Holy Spirit "speaks" and "tells" us things.

Have YOU ever heard anything? I'm asking for a friend . . .

I have never heard the audible voice of God, but some people have said they have. If you have never heard the Holy Spirit speak, how do you know it's Him?

"Samuel . . ."

"Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” - Samuel 3:4-5

EXACTLY!!

I am not asking that God verbally speak to me. I am unworthy. But should He choose to do so, Eli has some words of instruction.

"Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy. ⁹"Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” - 1 Samuel 3:8-9

We don't all have an Eli in the next room who we can run to to get our questions answered. But, if God is calling us or speaking to us, somehow I think we will know. 😲

God Speaking - Mandisa

Three Years

Well, today is October 7th. It was three years ago today that the unbelievable happened. Israel was attacked by Hamas and 1,195 civilians and defense forces were killed.

People have differing opinions about the nation of Israel. Hamas has already stated theirs, in blood. Many other Muslim nations feel the same way and would like to see Israel disappear from the face of the earth.

The hatred of Israel extends to just about every nation on earth. Only the United States stands with Israel, but many in our nation side with the opposition. It won't be long before every nation on earth will shun the tiny nation of Israel. How do I know that? It's in the Bible.

First though, what's God's thoughts on the matter?

"I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” - Genesis 12:3

Okay. So, everyone who stands against Israel will be cursed. There's more about this in Zachariah.

"I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. ³Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle."

Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good. God wins EVERY battle. Let's keep reading.

"On that day His feet (this is Jesus now) will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him." - Zechariah 14:2-5

This is getting as serious as it going to get! And who do you think will win? God of course!

There are two questions here. 1.) Whose side are you on? And 2.) Do you know Jesus?

If you truly know Jesus, and your Bible, the answers to those questions should spring from your lips. If you stand against God in this matter, what do you think your chances are? Umm, zero point zero.

This hatred of Israel has been foretold in the Bible. It WILL happen. And it looks like tgese prophecies will be happening soon, based in current events. We need to pray for Israel, and continue to look up, for our redemption is drawing near.

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” - Luke 21-28

And just to be 100% clear, that was Jesus talking. The signs of His coming are everywhere. Are you ready?

Unspoken

There are things that the written word cannot communicate. A teardrop in the eye, an emphasis on a particular word, a loving smile, or a scowl. The hearer writes down what is spoken, but that's where it ends. Here's an example.

“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit." - John 3:5

Is Jesus saying we must be baptized with both the water and the Holy Spirit? Or is Jesus saying that we must be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not just water? There is a difference. Did Jesus emphasize the word "AND?" We don't know. Personally, I think He did.

Here's another conversation. This one's fictional. It exemplifies this same thing.

"So, how are you doing after the death of your mother?"

"Fine."

Without visually seeing the person's eyes, and the tears dripping off the cheeks, we would assume they were indeed fine, because they told us so. Face-to-face conversations are SO important in communication.

Here's something to remember....

When someone writes us a letter or sends us an email or text, there is, quite possibly, a WHOLE lot more going on than simple words on a piece of paper or a lit-up screen. The written word is good, but, in place of eyes to SEE the person, we need another "sense." We need another means of understanding than just simply reading.

"Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27

Do you truly know Jesus? I hope you do. 🙏 Only then can His children properly communicate and understand the will of God, our Father.

Self-Sacrifice

By now you all have heard what happened on Wednesday - the attempted hijacking of a flyDubai jet by the co-pilot of the plane. The pilot was stabbed, the plane descended over 14,000 in less than 30 seconds. There were 174 people on board.

Think about that for a moment. 14,000 feet. That's 2.65 miles in half a minute.

Yipes!

"A video shared by Netanyahu’s office showed passenger Yaniv Hayoun, who grappled with the attacker, wearing a bloodied shirt and hugging the prime minister, who told Hayoun: “I look at you and I see a lion. I see a great hero.” - AP

Is that something you and I would have done? Stormed the cockpit, knowing one of the guys in there had a knife? Hmm.

Many have theorized what the terrorist would have done. A 9/11 style attack perhaps? Or a hostage situation? It has been said that the Iranians were involved somehow. So what would you do? What would God want us to do?

We know that God does not like the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). Nor does He want us to murder anyone (Exodus 20:13). But Jesus sacrificed Himself so others could live. Wasn't this similar in a way? This passenger was willing to risk HIS life to save others.

This incident reminds me of Flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers stormed the cockpit on that horrible day. They were willing to sacrifice their lives, and they did.

I tried to think of other "sacrificial" examples from the Bible, and there are a few, but, next to Jesus, only one comes close. Sampson.

"Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life." - Judges 16:30

This is from BibleHub.com . . .

Biblically, sacrifice always costs the offerer something precious (Genesis 22:2; 2 Samuel 24:24). Samson’s life is the costliest asset he can lay down. His plea, “Let me die,” echoes the Hebrew nephesh, the entire self. The text stresses volition: he “pushed with all his might,” surrendering life at God’s directive moment.

Jesus's death, and Samson's, were both sacrificial. Both of them were betrayed for silver. Both were handed over to Gentiles to be publically displayed and mocked. Both Jesus and Samson stretched out their arms in death to defeat the enemy.  But only Jesus was sinless, sacrificing HIS life for the whole world.

Somethin's Happenin'

"Somethin's happenin' here. What it is ain't exactly clear."

Boy, ain't THAT the truth.

"There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered. ²Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ⁴But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." - Daniel 12:1-4

Interesting.

I have written about this topic before, but something seems different as I consider today's story. Something's happening or is about to.

Jesus told us to look for signs, indicators of His soon return. He also said that "no one knows the day or the hour" (Matthew 24:36). Well, those "signs" are happening right now, and at an increasingly frequent rate. But I have noticed something else. Something new. What is it? Well, God has been blessing me lately. A lot.

It's hard to explain, but it's almost like God wants to bless me before I leave this place. And, if that's the case, how and when am I going? I have no idea. But I am ready. 🙂 The average age of death for men in this country was 76.5 men in 2024. I'm 73. I'm not worried about it, but I DO think about it from time to time.

I no longer watch the news with any interest. Nor do I care who gets voted into office in the upcoming election. I'll still vote, but more so out of duty than activism. God chooses those who come into office, all for His purpose and glory.

But then I came across this verse in one of those Facebook Reels, seemingly at random.

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." - Daniel 7:25, KJV

At first I thought the video was incorrect. It stated that he (The Antichrist) would "wear out" the saints, but the NIV said "opress," but indeed the KJV, ESV, and NASB all say "wear down" or "wear out." Here's the NIV:

"He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time." - Daniel 7:25

Are you feeling worn down by everything that's been happening lately? I sure am. According to Daniel, it is something that happens to all believers before the Tribulation begins.

Is there someone on the world stage right now who is "wearing out" all of the Christians? I don't know. But, if the pre-tribulation rapture of the church is correct, we won't know who the Antichrist is. Why? Because we'll be gone.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:23-25

For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield.