ON THE WAY

ON THE WAY

CHRISTMAS AND THE FEAST OF LIGHTS

   

            Let us consider how Mary and Joseph obediently traveled to Bethlehem.    It must have been a hard journey for her, yet she did not fear, for she had been given the word of the angel that "this would be the Son of the Most High."   Along the way, they must have seen many folk traveling also.   The whole world of the Caesar was to counted...and so they were not the only ones on the move.   It must have been confusing, and it must have been a bit challenging.  They had the certain hope of God's promise that this child was the PROMISED ONE that Moses long ago had told about.    They had the sure hope that the prophets had told of the Deliverer who would come.   Matthew 1.21 The Angel told Joseph to name the Baby Jesus [Y'shua] for He shall save His people from their sins.  Y'shua also can be translated "Joshua, Ieshua, or, as it means in our language, "Jah - the Savior"  or JEHOVAH OUR SALVATION.   There was no room for them in the inn.   Yet he was born, in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.   There was ROOM for Him, and they did discover God had His set of plans regarding THIS ONE'S BIRTH.

        Today Christmas is almost here.    I challenge you to consider

that just as Mary and Joseph had a sure and certain hope of Jesus being born, so too today, we have a certain Hope.   We need to make room in our hearts for the Lord Jesus to come and dwell.   In the Word of God Jesus tells us that He is coming again, coming to take us that we might be "where He is" so look up ! Pilgrim !   John 14. 1 - 11.  There are no signs left to fulfill,   The Promise is that He is coming !  1 Thessalonians chapter 4 tells us that "if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so thos also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him...for this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are asleep, 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 [Messiah] shall rise first: then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. "  I Thess 4.13 - 18     Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.   

     The Lord Jesus, as he attended the Feast of the Dedication and went to the Temple in Jerusalem, was celebrating Hannakkah - a celebration of the miracle of how God gave enough oil for the Temple to be dedicated after it was built.     Jesus - Y'shua - declared in John chapter 7. verse 37 and 38 "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink, He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of the belly shall flow rivers of living water."    I believe that Jesus is the Light of the World, and that He made it very plain that He was the very DECLARATION in human flesh of who God Is, and He said "the one who sees me, sees the Father."  John chapter 14. verses 7 and also in verse 9.   Again, He said, "I am the Light of the world, the one who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life."  John chapter 8, verse 12.     

    Let us worship the Lord JESUS, the One who said "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth, you are to go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, teaching them to observe whatsoever things I have commanded you, and Lo ! I am with you always, to the end of the Age.  Matthew 28.18 - 20.   
    Two books I recommend to you for Christmas reading are:    Max Lucado's When God Whispers Your Name, and another fine book for Christmas is  Adventuring through the Life of Christ by Ray C. Stedman Published by Discovery House, 2009.  
     A Blessed Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year all the year through.   

Books, books, and more books

BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS

Dears, 

I love B O O K S 

BOOKS,

AND MORE BOOKS.

MOST OF ALL,

I LOVE MY BIBLE.

WATCH THIS SITE FOR BOOKS 

I LOVE,

BOOKS I HAVE READ

AND 

BOOKS I WANT TO YET READ.

MY LIFE IS FOCUSED

ON STUDYING

GOD'S WORD,

LEARNING,

DIGGING IN, 

AND 

LIVING FOR JESUS

ONE DAY AT A TIME,

IN THE LIGHT OF HIS DEAR SPIRIT,

AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER,

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN, 

AND I WANT TO BE

AND DO 

ALL I CAN BE

GOD HELPING ME.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST

WHO IS MY STRENGTH.

Phil 4.13   

FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST,

AND TO DIE IS GAIN.

Phil 1. 21 

Reading and Its Profit to Us

Reading can be profitable.    It is not time spent in vain.
Knowing how to read a Book can be helpful.
A wise man once said, "Some books are to be digested, mulled over, contemplated, and considered carefully, but others are sometimes best to spue out."  
Scripture tells us that we are to "present our bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, this is our spiritual act of worship."   We must first present ourselves to God, and then, as we are able, use our ability to read to gain knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs Chapter 17 verse 16  tells it this way "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver."
Back in 1947  my husband was attending College and Seminary with a view to becoming a Minister, preaching the Word of God.   He wrote some thoughts down about his education, and one was on How to Read A Book.  

I.   FIND THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK.  
    A.  Discover the Author's past experiences.
    B.  Find the Purpose in order to make progress.
    C.  Find the Purpose in order to increase our interest.
    D.  Find the Purpose in order to have a source of consolation.
    E.  Find the Purpose in order to compare with other Books.

II.  HOW TO READ THE BOOK.
    A.  We should rid our mind of the idea that reading a Book is a strenuous exercise.
    B.    We need to cultivate our reading habits.
    C.   We should begin reading and keep on reading until an interest is cultivated.
    D.   We should begin reading only books that we enjoy.
    E.   We should advance step by step.
    F.   It is better to read 20 books twice than to read 100 so called good books once.
    G.   It is a mistake to toil through Masterpieces unless they can be understood and enjoyed.
    H.   To understand Masterpieces, one must be educated into the appreciation of what is good.
    I.     We should keep our Heart and Mind close to the Hearts and Minds of great men of the past.
    J.    When we begin to read, we should read slowly and deliberately.
   K.    We should have an imagination when we read.
   L.     How we should select our Literature:
           1.   Consider the reasons for the subject matter.
           2.  Consider the element of form and the pleasure attained from it.
           3.   Literature is an expression of Life through the medium of a language, and lives by
                virtue of life which it embodies.
           4.  Literature is an interpretation of life.
   M.   We must understand individuals in the Book.
   N.  A book is a great book in that it has something fresh and original to say.
  O.   We must see and feel with the Author.
   P.   We must throw open our whole Nature to the quickening influence of a good book.
  Q.   We should listen attentively to what the Author has to say.
   R.   We should observe how the world of experience impresses the Author.
   S.    We should establish personal relationship to the characters in the book.
   T.    We should study the author's books in relation to their order of production.
   U.    We should compare and contrast the author with himself and with other authors.
   V.    We should learn the personality of the Author.
  W.    We should cultivate a spirit of sympathy with the Author.  

III.  RAPID READING
       A.  Rapid readers remember more than slow readers.
       B.  Rapid reading leads to alertness.
       C.  Rapid reading can only be attained after much practice.

IV.   READING ALOUD.
       A.  Reading aloud adds charm and music to our speaking.
       B.  Reading aloud helps us to not have a wandering mind.
       C.  We should begin after a long breath.

V.  MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS ON READING.
      A.  We should read books for ourselves.
      B.  Every good book is better the second time than the first.
      C.  We should read each line straight through to the end.
      D.  We should disregard pictures and illustrations until after the matter has been read.

STORING WITHIN THAT WHICH MATTERS MOST

Storing within ourselves that which matters most can happen only when we take the time to read, to study, to go over and through the material available to us to read and to mull over.    Psalm 1 tells us that the Righteous person is one who delights in the Law (the Torah) of the LORD and who takes pleasure in doing what it calls him / her to do.

I encourage you, find yourself digging into the bookshelves of your computer, and search out text that will make a difference in your life.

Jesus told us that the person who does the will of God is His mother, brother and sister.    "Whoever does the will of God is my mother, my brother and my sister." he stated in Matthew 12. verses 45 - 49.   Mary knew who the Son was.   The Angel had told her that THIS ONE would be the Promised One.   Here Jesus shows that His purpose in coming was to make us members of His Family - for He tells the disciples again and again that He would suffer and die and be buried and be risen again on the third day, yet in listening to Him speak of His coming suffering and death that is ALL they remembered - they focused on the sadness of losing Him - yet He told them I am going to rise on the third day.    Come to me, and I will not send you away, Jesus told His listeners.   Again He said, "Come follow me, and you will find rest for your souls"  "If anyone follows Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and come follow me."  Jesus told the people "I am the bread of life."  Again He said, "I am the Light of the world"  Another time He stated "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father, but by me."  John 14. v. 6  
 
Dig into God's Word.   Use a dictionary if you have one for words you do not know.  Look up on a Bible map where a town is mentioned.   On the Internet you can find MAPS for any HISTORICAL
PLACE.   There are Bible Atlas, Dictionaries and Concordances and Bible Maps on line as well to help a new student in finding out what and where and how and who and when of events that happened in Jesus' life, and the joy of discovering more about His Word will lighten the Path before you.  
     A student always willing to learn knows that there are many books from which to learn.  However there is only ONE BOOK THAT GOD HIMSELF THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT has given us and that is THE HOLY BIBLE.    Let us read.    Let us study.   Let us go on to KNOW THE LORD, to receive HIM INTO MY LIFE, and to WALK IN HIS WAYS.

Studying With Books both personal and digital

WEith this blog I will make comments and try to help people learn to dig into books and especially the Word of God and other subjects for themselves. Look for me to guide you into a new sense of History, and His Story, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, Y'shua Meschiach Adonai. God is One God, Three in One and One in Three, with all His Name represented in the person of Y'shua. Study it for yourself. Get to know your God even as Enoch walked with God in the days before the Flood. I urge you to start reading your Bible for yourself. Dig into History to learn of the times when life was as described in the Holy Word. It will help you live today.