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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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What a Friend we have in Jesus "Only when we can truly grasp the concept of us being a disciple of Jesus (Yeshua), can we fully understand His instructions to them; for it is unto us He speaks!"What a Friend we have in Jesus Lyrics by Joseph ScrivenJohn 15:14 (NAS unless indicated) "You are My friends, if you do what I command you.What a friend we have in Jesus Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. Oh, what peace we often forfeit John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.Can we find a friend so faithful Matthew 8:17 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases." 1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. When we are Yeshua’s (Jesus’) disciples He calls us His friend - A friend we can know**** Today we hear of so many that are being martyred for their testimony of Jesus (Yeshua). How can one endure death for Christ? With Yeshua as our friend. Luke 12:4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God;In 1685, eighteen year old Margret Wilson was sentenced to death by drowning. Why? Because she refused to bow before anyone but God at her trial. Along with another 70 year old, also named Margret, they were tied to stakes in a bay. The older Margret was tied further out and as the incoming tide water covered her, she died. The water rose to the neck of the younger Margret, her persecutors asked "What thinkest thou of thy friend?" Young Margret answered, "Think! I see Christ wrestling there. Think ye that we are suffers? No; it is Christ in us." This must be the confidence of today’s martyr’s - for the hope of a resurrection to eternal life - it is our Friend, Jesus, granting us the grace to endure as He did upon the cross, at the hands of His persecutors. Isa 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…Phil 3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;**** Psalm 139 - Our Friend intimately knows us of his omnipresence, 7-12; of his power and providence, 13-16. The excellence of his purposes, 17, 18. And our desire to be like Him, 23, 24 Ps 139:1 O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. 2 Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. 3 Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD , Thou dost know it all. 5 Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.Ps 139:7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," 12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.Ps 139:13 For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. 14 I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. 16 Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.Ps 139:17 How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with Thee.Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. (So let it be!)**** Friends: John 15:13 (NKJV) "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.Luke 15:6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'Acts 24:23 And he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering to him.Fellowship: Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.1Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.Phil 2:1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,1John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.1John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.Therefore: 2Cor 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?**** Not slaves but Bond-Servants to our Friend… John 15:15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.James 1:1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ… 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ… Jude 1:1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ… The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, **** Abraham the Friend of God, YHVH revealed what He was going to do… 17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him." and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. Yeshua as our Friend - doing for us as He did for Abraham "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee; for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send Me.and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them." Yeshua continues to disclose to us the Father and His ways He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant. …"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven… … the mystery which has been hidden … has now been manifested to His saints,9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him." 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, Also see section titled "A Friend of Messiah" |
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The Proverbs and A Friend Proverbs 7:4 … And call understanding your intimate friend;Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times…Proverbs 22:11 He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.Proverbs 27:9 …So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend.Proverbs 27:10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend…In Strong’s the Hebrew word for ‘Friend’ comes from H3045 and is transliterated as Yada’; it helps to consider the use of this word - Do I truly know Him? Am I a friend of Yeshua? - Definition: 1. to know a. (Qal) 1. to know 1a b. to know, learn to know 1a c. to perceive 1a d. to perceive and see, find out and discern 1a e. to discriminate, distinguish 1a f. to know by experience 1a g. to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess 1a h. to consider 1. to know, be acquainted with 2. to know (a person carnally) 3. to know how, be skillful in 4. to have knowledge, be wise i. (Niphal) 1. to be made known, be or become known, be revealed 2. to make oneself known 3. to be perceived 4. to be instructed j. (Piel) to cause to know k. (Poal) to cause to know l. (Pual) 1. to be known 2. known, one known, acquaintance (participle) m. (Hiphil) to make known, declare n. (Hophal) to be made known o. (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself - Origin: a primitive root - Part(s) of speech: Verb - Total KJV Occurrences: 946 |
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"Blessed is the man who has the gift of making friends, for it is one of God’s best gifts." Thomas Hughes How sweet and gracious even in common speech, |
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Let’s Do Lunch When was the last time you took a whole hour for lunch and actually left your desk? A survey from Career Builders reports that workers these days take and average lunch break of 20 to 40 minutes, and 18 percent of employees stay in their cubicle, office, or workspace to eat. What should they do instead to feel fresh and productive the rest of the day?
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Who Was It?
- A very righteous man - Suffered much bodily affliction - Was blessed by God - Was a King - Had a bed 13 feet long - Was defeated by Israel - Was very famous - Had too many wives and horses - Became an idolater - Was a seller of purple - Was the first European convert - Was Kind to Paul and some of his friends - Carried away captive as a boy - Prayed daily to God - Received a high place in the kingdom - Was a secret believer - Asked Pilate for the body of Yeshua (Jesus) - Buried Jesus in his own tomb - Studied with Gamaliel - Persecuted the Christians - Became a chief apostle - Was devout man - Prayed to God Daily - Was the first Gentile to receive the gospel - Was known for her good deeds to others - She was mourned at her death by those she helped - Peter restored her to life - Thought he was a great man - Was baptized by Philip - Tried to buy the power of miracles Answers
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One view of how Life may have began God first created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
"Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." "Okay," said God, "You asked for it." So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life as it may have been explained to someone… |
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A Friend of MessiahDisciples of Messiah - Abide with their Friend John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.John 15:8 "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.John 15:14 "You are My friends, if you do what I command you.Gill - John 15:14 Ye are my friends,.... This is an application of the foregoing passage, and more, clearly explains it. The character of "friends", is applied to the disciples of Christ; and belongs, not only to his apostles, but to all that love him, believe in him, and obey him; to whom he has showed himself friendly, by laying down his life for them: for this clearly shows, that Christ had respect in the former words, to his own laying down his life for his people, in consequence of his great love to them; whereby he has made them friends, and who appear to be so by their cheerful obedience to him: if ye do whatsoever I command you; …the sense is, that by observing his commands from a principle of love, they would make it appear that they were his friends, being influenced by his grace, and constrained by a sense of his love in dying for them, to act such a part. John 15:15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.Poole: By his saying, I call you not servants (slaves), he doth not discharge them of that duty and service which they owed to him; for in pressing them to obey his commandments, he declares that duty they owed to him; he only showeth that they were no ordinary servants, but taken into a state of dignity, favor, and familiarity, beyond that of servants, and that he had not treated them like servants, but like intimate, familiar friends. … so he had not only revealed to them their duty, what was to be by them done in his service, but had been more free, giving to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, as he told them, Mat 13:11; as well telling them his Father’s counsels on the behalf of them, and whatsoever he might communicate to them, as his Father’s will, what he would have them to do in obedience to his commandments.**** Friend from the Greek: G5384 (Strong) Transliteration: Philos - Phonetic: fee'-los- Definition: 1. friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well a. a friend b. an associate c. he who associates familiarly with one, a companion d. … - Origin: a primitive word - Part(s) of speech: Adjective - Total KJV Occurrences: 11 |
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Words Of Life Do you know people who talk all the time? They may have some interesting things to say but you can't really have a conversation with them because that implies two people speaking. You may find such people wearisome and avoid them. Yet Yeshua is the ‘I am’ the Living Word, and He is always speaking. He speaks in a still small voice and does not dominate a conversation. Your overbearing friend may be hard to avoid, but the ‘I am’ is meek and lowly in heart, and it is easy to avoid Him. Those who understand the value of His words will seek Him out, and sit at His feet, and listen carefully for they know that He alone has the words of life. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap) John 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God… |
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Divine Interruptions Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34-35 ESV)Who likes interruptions! We live in a busy world. Places to go; things to do. But interruptions are a fact of life these days especially. Phone calls, text messages, tweets, emails all vie for our attention. Already while I have been writing this message I have been interrupted by a text and a phone call. I know I could probably do a better job at resisting the buzzes and bells of these attention grabbers, but you know how it is. Some people are better than others at not being interrupted. They are very focused individuals that are so keenly aware of their responsibilities that nothing will get in the way of their goals. Hold on, my daughter is texting me. Okay, I'm back. Where was I? …… Oh yeah, focused individuals-- Focused individuals can be so good at resisting interruption that they might actually be missing what God is trying to do in their lives. You might wonder how that could be possible. If God is God, then how can he be resisted? We'll get to that in a minute. In this Torah portion, Moses is interrupted by God. After completing the building and setup of the Tabernacle, we read that the glory of God filled it in such a way that it prevented Moses from going into the special tent where he normally met with God. That means that this tangible manifestation of God kept Moses from doing his regular God duties. I imagine most people reading this would consider it amazingly wonderful that God's presence would be among people in such a spectacular, awesome way. But that's the perspective of an objective reader. It's another thing when you are in the middle of it. In Moses's case, he may not have had much of a choice, but how about when God interrupts our lives in other not-so-obvious ways? When great unexpected events happen to us-the kind that have the potential to completely change the course of our lives, what then? I am not saying that every such event is a divine interruption, but I wonder how much we might be missing-or worse-resisting. The greatest divine interruption in history was the coming of the Messiah Yeshua. The Jewish people had been prepped by God for centuries for his arrival. By the time he came, messianic expectation in Israel was at a fever pitch. As he began to teach and perform signs and wonders, crowds of people began to wonder if he might indeed be the One. The leadership was hesitant, just as established leadership tends to be. But then most of the leadership became more than hesitant. They became outright resistant; hostile, in fact. Even though they were the ones who had taught the people about the Messiah in the first place, he was interrupting their lives by not doing things exactly as they expected. They had successfully built a community of survival within a very oppressive society and were legitimately afraid that change would undermine their rule. Therefore, interruptions could not be tolerated. They may not have been conscious of how much their insistence on staying on course blinded them to God, so that most of them failed to see that the Messiah was in their midst. This should be a great warning to us all. These leaders, for the most part, were acting out of a good motive as they sought to fulfill their God-given responsibilities. But if experts and keeners out of their earnestness could resist a divine interruption, how much more we? Do we think that we are not susceptible to being so focused on our agendas, our plans, and our ways of doing things, that we wouldn't ever push God away when he shows up? This is not to say that every interruption in our lives is from God and should be wholeheartedly embraced. But let's be careful that in our desire to stay focused we don't miss how God might be trying to get through to us. By Alan Gilman *(This document may be edited for length) |
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Psalm 15 1 O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt, and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |