HOW PHARAOH LEARNED ABOUT GOD'S MERCY

~ OR ~

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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF

THE LONG-SUFFERING NATURE

OF GOD

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Lately, our Sunday School lessons have been focusing on Moses and Pharaoh in Exodus, chapters 5-15.

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I have been pondering what The LORD could be showing us for today's living in these Old Testament Scriptures.

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Certainly, HE+ must be speaking to us in these lessons... because The LORD JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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<(((><

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We all know the familiar story about the LORD'S ancient people, the Hebrews, living in Eygpt for about 400 or so years. During that time, they became slaves and oppressed. They were badly mistreated.

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At the time of Moses' birth, the Hebrew slaves were ordered to cast their male babies into the Nile River. Some books say the Hebrew babies were eaten by the crocodiles which lived along the Nile and were considered "sacred" ~ the crocodiles, not the babies ~ in some parts of Egypt. Some books say this command was lifted after a couple of years, under a new ruler. [I do not really know this for certain, not having researched this myself. ]

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We know that The LORD sent Moses back to Egypt with instructions to tell Pharaoh to let MY+ people go. Pharaoh, of course, did not recognize the authority of this GOD Who was telling him to do something. Pharaoh rejected Moses' Word from the GOD of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, and thus, refused to obey it.

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<(((><

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So, did The LORD destroy Pharaoh ?

NO.

The LORD, in His mercy,

gave Pharaoh a glimpse

of His great power.

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<(((><

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The LORD commanded Moses to show Pharaoh the great sign of Aaron's rod becoming a serpent. That serpent swallowed up Pharaoh's dark magicians' serpents.

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<(((><

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So then, did Pharaoh believe that the LORD,

the GOD Whom Moses served,

was powerful ?

YES!

Did Pharaoh care that HE was powerful?

NO!

So, did The LORD destroy Pharaoh?

NO!

The LORD showed Pharaoh

His Mercy, once again.

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<(((><

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In The LORD'S mercy, HE sent the first plague of waters-turning-to-blood, through the hand of Moses, as Moses obeyed the LORD and smote the waters of the "sacred" Nile with his rod.

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<(((><

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So then, did Pharaoh believe that The LORD,

the GOD Whom Moses served was powerful?

YES!

Did Pharaoh care that HE was powerful?

NO!

So, did The LORD destroy Pharaoh then?

NO.

The LORD showed Pharaoh

His mercy, once again.

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<(((><

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On and on the confrontation continued, all through the plagues of blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain sores on livestock, boils upon both animals and Egyptians, hail and fire, locusts, darkness...

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<(((><

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Until finally... did Pharaoh believe that The LORD,

the GOD Whom Moses served was powerful?

YES!

Did Pharaoh care that HE was powerful?

NO!

So, did The LORD destroy Pharaoh then?

NO.

By the end of these confrontations, what did Pharaoh know...

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REALLY KNOW...

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about the GOD Whom Moses served?

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<(((><

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Pharaoh knew: HE was powerful and HE was merciful.

And, that was ALL that Pharaoh

needed to know

in order to obey HIM.

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<(((><

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DON'T WE KNOW THE SAME THINGS....

AND EVEN MORE SO...

IN CHRIST JESUS,

WHOM WE CALL "LORD" ?

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<(((><

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Did the knowledge of GOD'S Great power

and evidence of His Great mercy

change Pharaoh?

NO.

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<(((>< .

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NEITHER WILL IT CHANGE US...

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unless we obey HIM+ in Spirit and in Truth,

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for The FATHER seeketh such to worship HIM.

+ + +

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<(((><

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In the name of the FATHER, Who created us,

and His beloved SON Who saves us,

and The Blessed HOLY SPIRIT

Who sanctifies us.

+ + +

the PATHS of The LORD...

All

the paths

of The LORD

are

mercy

and

truth

unto such as keep

His+ Covenant

and His+ Testimonies.

Psalm 25: 10

Yes, this is true. We keep His+ Covenant daily by performing the vows of our baptism. Daily we work out the application of our renouncements of :

• the world
• the flesh
• and the devil...

and all his tormenting lies that tell us

to believe him instead of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST,

blessed be HIS+ Name, forever and ever.

His+ Testimonies should be on our lips and tongues, daily. We praise HIM+ when things work out nicely for us. We give HIM+ the praise and glory due unto His+ name.

We DO NOT SHARE His+ glory with natural-minded ways and means... in other words, we do NOT give glory unto mankind and his ways but always, always we return the true thanksgiving and praise unto The LORD for making things to work out properly... making the cars to operate well, the machinery to work right, the medicines to be effective, etc.

We DO NOT DIMINISH His+ praise, though, when things go awry.

HE+ is LORD AND MASTER of this universe. HE+ does NOT turn a deaf ear to our problems and heart-aches. Rather, HE+ expects us to

continue to affirm

Who+ HE+ IS

and was

and evermore shall be

in the face of the struggles besetting us day by day.

<)))><

O LORD our GOD,

THOU+ Who+ loveth mankind,

we praise THEE+ with all that is within in us.

We bless Thy Holy Name and

Thy Son, JESUS CHRIST ,

Ruler of the Universe,

to Whom+ every knee shall bow...

of beings in the Heavens,

of beings on the earth,

and beings under the earth.

We bow the knee of our heart,

LORD GOD,

and yield our lives unto THEE+,

Who+ art worthy of praise at all times.

We pray, do THOU+ accept

the free-will offering of our hearts,

unto the praise and glory

of Thy Holy Name.

Amen.

+ + +

BREAKING through the LETHARGY Barrier...

Breaking Through the LETHARGY BARRIER...

How do we do it?

How do we Christians get the dead wood

out from between our toes...

and become full of life,

like hinds, leaping about on high places?

One step...

one verse...

one prayer...

one commitment...

one small, flesh-denying discipline...

seriously, undistractably done,

one at a time.

Well, why aren't we doing it?

<(((><

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There is a justifiable reason for those crises which come upon GOD'S people. Crises wake us up. Crises draw us closer to the LORD JESUS CHRIST and away from listening to the world's voices.

QUESTION:

Do we Christians need

crises

in order to get out of our lethargic stupor, our humdrum, tedious,

plodding along in our dutiful "service" to our LORD ?

If we gave our

spouses, children, relatives, and close friends

the same kind of priority-time devotion

WHICH WE GIVE TO HIM+ ...

would our family, marriages, and important relationships

thrive ?

Or rather, would they dry up and die?

Shall we pray for The LORD

to send some crises upon us...

because we cannot wake up

and draw closer to HIM+...

on our own ?

Is this what we NEED ?

No, we say, thinking of all the problems

that could befall us, our home,

our finances, our loved ones.

But I say, that unless we truly repent for filling our minds, our hearts, our hands, and our beings with the things and activities of this world,

we will indeed have some crises to deal with. HE+ will see to it.

The LORD OUR GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD.

Furthermore, HE+ seeks HIS+ own... zealously.

Get ready.

It is a fearful thing

to fall into the hands of The LIVING GOD+...

...in Whose+ Hands is the breath of every living thing.

One step...

One verse...

One commitment...

One small, flesh-denying discipline...

seriously, undistractably done...

one at a time.

In the Name of The FATHER,

Who created thee;

His Holy Son JESUS CHRIST,

Who+ saves thee;

And the blessed HOLY SPIRIT,

Who anoints thee.

Amen

SOFT AS CLAY...

Soft as clay in the Master's Hands...

O LORD JESUS, soft as clay in the Master's Hands, I would be

Willing clay... workable, compliant...

not fighting against THEE+

when I don't like the changes.

My lump of brittle dryness,

cracking, and falling in pieces...

not able to be used,

except for dustpan debris...

until the moisture of Thy Nearness+

is added unto me.

The stiffness and hardness of my clay heart then

... and only then...

is worked,

kneaded thoroughly by the Potter of all flesh.

until I have reached that perfect state:

being totally malleable in Thy+ Hands.

Work me, make me supple under Thy+ Touch

until I don't fight THEE+ any more.

Form me, shape me,

into a vessel meet for Thy+ Use

... for Thy+ Divine Purpose...

on this battlefield of life.

And, help me not to harden

until the change has come.

My ears crave to hear this

at the setting of my sun:

"Enter thou into the joy of

Thy LORD+,

My+ good and faithful servant...

well done!"

+ + +

FILLING THE HOUSE!

PENTECOST SUNDAY

But ye shall receive

Power,

after that the HOLY SPIRIT is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto ME+

both in Jerusalem,

and in all Judaea,

and in Samaria,

and unto the uttermost part

of the Earth.

Acts 1:8

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,

they were all

with one accord

in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven

as of a rushing mighty wind,

and it

FILLED ALL THE HOUSE

where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,

and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all

filled with the HOLY SPIRIT,

and began to speak with other tongues,

as the SPIRIT gave them utterance.

Acts 2:1-4

May The LORD JESUS CHRIST fill our houses and our hearts

with His+ Blessed HOLY SPIRIT

so that, IN ONE ACCORD,

our joy and our peace may flow abundantly

offering LIFE+ to this dead and dying world...

to rescue the perishing

and save the dying

and to prepare our hearts for the Eternal Habitations.

In the name of the FATHER Who+ begat us,

His Beloved SON+ Who saves us,

And the HOLY SPIRIT Who sanctifies us.

Amen

ASCENSION DAY, 2009

"....go to my brothers and say to them; I ascend to My FATHER and your FATHER; to My GOD and your GOD."

"The angel said, This same JESUS you see going into heaven will come again in this manner.

"JESUS said, As the living FATHER has sent Me, and I live by the FATHER,he that eats me (the Bread of Life) shall live by me."

+ + +

Sister Judith is teaching first graders and cannot post much now. She asks your prayers for her strength and endurance!!

SO... WHAT WAS HE+ DOING DOWN THERE?

So,

what was HE+ doing

way

down

there?

Scripture says HE+ was 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.

So... what was HE+ doing down there ?

PREACHING!!!

What was HE+ preaching?

HE+ was preaching the Good News !

What was the Good News?

There was LOTS of Good News !

1. Death has no more dominion over HIM+.

2. HE+ is the firstborn from the dead.

Who did HE+ preach to ?

1. the dead

2. to the captivity

3. to the Patriarchs

4. to the righteous dead who died in the Covenant of Abraham

For it was impossible for Death to hold HIM+ !

HE+ broke the bonds of sin...

DEATH...

the curse laid upon all of us sons of Adam due to sin.

The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the [Mosaic] law. Adonai, The LORD JESUS CHRIST, was the fulfillment of the Law. HE+ , a man had no sin of Adam: HE+ was the 2nd Adam ! But HE+, a man, was born under the curse of death. HE+ would die as all human flesh dies.

But, HE+ won the battle and "Death" died ! That old enemy, "Death," was swallowed up in Victory !

Death, the ultimat curse, couldn't hold HIM+ because it had no claim on HIM+ even though he was the son of man... because HE+... yes, HE+ alone... had no sin!

The Good News ?

Death

cannot

hold

HIS+

people

either!

... His+ people who have entered His+ covenant and are walking... dead to sin... but alive unto GOD, through CHRIST JESUS, our Risen LORD!

"Death" was .... and IS... swallowed up in Victory... even for the smallest, tiniest Christian.

Do not be afraid of those who would kill the body... but be afraid of the ONE+ Who has the power to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna... the second death!

+ + +

Bless GOD! FATHER, SON+ , and HOLY SPIRIT!

And blessed be HIS+ Kingdom, forever and ever.

Amen.

CHRISTUS VICTOR

CHRIST the VICTOR!

UP!

UP!

UP!


from the grave*

HE+ arose!

With a MIGHTY TRIUMPH

over HIS+ foes!

HE+

arose a VICTOR

from the dark domain

and HE+ LIVES !

…forever…

With His+ Saints

to reign!

HE+ AROSE!

HE+ AROSE!

HalleluJAH,

CHRIST AROSE!!

…CHRIST being raised from the dead
dieth no more;
death hath no more dominion over HIM+.

For in that HE+ died,
HE+ died unto sin once:
but in that HE+ liveth,
HE+ liveth unto GOD.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin,
but
alive unto GOD+
through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.
Romans 6:9-11

But now is CHRIST risen
from the dead,
and become
the Firstfruits
of them that slept.

For since by man came death,
by MAN+ came also
the Resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
even so in CHRIST
shall all be made alive.
I Cor. 15:20-22



Glory be to Our Heavenly FATHER,
and to His Beloved SON+,
Our LORD JESUS CHRIST
the VICTOR,
and
to the Blessed
HOLY SPIRIT
of GOD;
Both now and forever,
AMEN!

* What was HE+ doing all that time… 3 nights and 3 days… in the HEART of the earth ?? Be assured, HE+ wasn’t sleeping!! [ To be continued].

The Crucifixion at Passover.... 2000 years ago

The Crucifixion at Passover…

This year… this year… Passover and the Crucifixion of the True Passover Lamb, the LAMB OF GOD Who+ takes away the sin of the world, fall right in line with the timeframe found in Scripture.

This connection of Passover to the Crucifixion is crucial for the understanding of the events of Holy Week.

Passover this year started on Wednesday evening at the time of the evening sacrifice of the Passover lamb in the Temple… at 3 p.m.

Our LORD JESUS CHRIST was our Passover Lamb. Thus HE+ would have died at 3 p.m. Wednesday--- crying out--- “It is finished, FATHER! Into Thy hands I commit My Spirit.”

That means HE+ would have been crucified for us at 9 a.m. Wednesday [not Friday] morning… the time of the regular morning sacrifice in the Temple.

The Last Supper would have fallen on Tuesday evening. His+ agony in the garden, sweating drops of Blood, would have happened Tuesday night. Peter would have denied the LORD Tuesday night and the other disciples would have fled then. Our LORD’S unjust trial would have been early Wednesday morning.

The Jews who were anxious to crucify The LORD were likewise anxious to get His+ body down from the cross before Passover so as not to “defile the land.”

That’s when Joseph of Arimathea… a rich merchant… obtained the body of JESUS. He and Nicodemus wrapped it in a linen cloth and 100-weight of myrrh and aloes, and laid His+ body in a new tomb. And left it there as the HIGH HOLY DAY of Passover was drawing nigh. (John 19).

COUNT: Wednesday night--- one night.

The HIGH HOLY DAY of Passover on Thursday… was considered a High Sabbath… no work was to be done. And certainly, no dead body was to be touched. The grieving sisters rested on Thursday.

COUNT: Thursday--- day one.

After Thursday came… Thursday night.

COUNT: Thursday night--- two nights

Friday dawned.

COUNT: Friday day--- day two

Friday was the day of preparation for the normal weekly Sabbath on Saturday. We read that the grieving sisters prepared spices for His+ body “…on the day of preparation” which came before every Sabbath.


COUNT: Friday night --- third night

Then came the regular Sabbath on Saturday and the sisters “rested” because it was the Sabbath. [Luke 23:56]

COUNT: Saturday--- day three

The timeframe this year of the crucifixion coincides precisely with the Jews’ Passover timeframe… exactly as it happened in the Scriptural accounts in the Gospels.

By evening of the Jews’ Saturday Sabbath, The LORD JESUS CHRIST AROSE FROM THE REALM OF THE DEAD.

The Sisters and the Disciples did NOT see HIM+ until early Sunday morning, a little before dawn ! [John 20:1]

But they were not allowed to touch HIM+ until after HE+ had ascended in His+ glorified Body to His+ FATHER Who is in the Heavens, hallowed is HIS Name!

AMEN!!

Bless GOD!

FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT!
And, blessed be HIS Kingdom, both now and forever.
Amen!

<(((><

Yes, we do join with the church world at large to commemorate the crucifixion of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST on “Good Friday” … but we don’t count the 3 nights and 3 days HE+ was in the heart of the earth in that same, erroneous way, unconnected for the most part to Passover.

This year, the accuracy of Scripture

is able to be seen

...clearly.

+ + +

PALM SUNDAY CHRISTIANS...

Palm Sunday Christians

Blessed is HE+ Who+ cometh
in the name of the LORD;
Hosanna in the Highest!
Mt. 21:8,9; Mark 11:8,9; John 12:12,13

+ + +


Joyous, noisy, and glorifying The LORD, the crowd greeted The LORD JESUS CHRIST with Palm branches waved and clothing laid down on the road HE+ traveled… on the road HE+ traveled into Jerusalem for the last time.

HE+ knew a few things.

.

.

· HE+ knew who were genuinely glad for the coming of their Messiah.

· HE+ knew who wanted HIM+ to rule and reign with a rod of iron over their oppressors, the unrighteous Roman government.

· HE+ knew who wanted to make HIM+ king over the earthly domain.

· HE+ knew who wanted more free bread and fish.

· HE+ knew who chased after HIM+ to see more miracles.

.

+ + +


Furthermore,

HE+ knew just as well

who did NOT want HIM+

to rule over their own spirits.

· HE+ was well aware of who had not toppled the gods of Self and pride in order to present a sanctified and pure offering of themselves unto HIM+.

· HE+ was well aware of who refused to let HIM+ control their lives… in every, any, and all aspects.

· HE+ was well aware of who did NOT want HIM+ to be King of their lives… only king of the oppressors.

· HE+ was well aware of the riotous and loud tumult of the people praising HIM+ but who wished to make HIM+ into anything else but a

Suffering Messiah.

+ + +

Sadly, there was no other way to do it.

There was no other way to beat satan down.

There was…

and is…

no other way to win

in our own lives

except by the way of

crucifixion of Self.

Yes, do proclaim Our LORD’S LORDSHIP loud and long… but let HIS+ lordship be in our own hearts and over our own lives...

first.

+ + +

LET US PRAY:


Almighty GOD,
Whose most dear SON+ went not up to joy
but that HE+ first suffered pain,
and entered not into glory
before HE+ was crucified;

Mercifully grant that we,
while walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than
the way of Life and peace;
through JESUS CHRIST,
our Passover LAMB.
Amen
Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer.

<(((><

In the name of The FATHER,

Who created us;

HIS+ Beloved, Obedient SON+, JESUS CHRIST,

Who+ saves us;

And The Blessed HOLY SPIRIT

Who Anoints us

for burial.

Amen.

+ + +

KEEP a CLEAR EYE...

Keep a clear eye

toward

life's end.

Do not forget your purpose

and destiny as God's Creature.

What you are in His+ sight

is what you are… and nothing more.

Remember that when you leave this earth,

you can take nothing you have received...

but only what you have given;

a full heart enriched by

honest service,
love,
sacrifice

and
courage."

-- St. Francis of Assisi

A LENTEN PRAYER...

Forgive them all, O LORD:

Our sins of omission and our sins of commission;

The sins of our youth ...

and the sins of our riper years;

The sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies;

Our secret and our more open sins;

our sins of ignorance and surprise,

And our more deliberate and presumptuous sins;

The sins we have done to please ourselves

and the sins we have done to please others;

The sins we know and remember,

and the sins we have forgotten;

The sins we have striven to hide from others

and the sins by which we have made others offend;

Forgive them, O LORD,

forgive them all for His+ sake,

Who+ died for our sins

and rose for our deliverance,

And now stands at Thy Right Hand

To make intercession for us,

JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

Amen

Prayer found in Bayley Thompson's Hymn Book,

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

attributed to Wesley, slightly adapted by OGS.

A GOD-CENTERED LIFE...

Becoming GOD-Centered ~ ~ ~ The Way of The Cross
Pascha Season Meditation 1
(Passover or Lenten Season)
Year of His+ Grace,
2009

These things spoke JESUS,
and lifted up His+ eyes into the Heaven,
and said,
FATHER, the hour is come;
glorify Thy SON+,
that Thy SON+ also may
glorify THEE:
John 17, verse 1,
Italics from the Greek text

The LORD dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas Iscariot in the account of the Last Supper we see recorded in John 13. When Judas had received the morsel and gone out into the night, The LORD said these mysterious words:

Then, when he [Judas] went, JESUS said,
Now was glorified the Son of Man+,
and GOD was glorified in Him+.
John13:31
[Literal Greek translation from J.P. Green’s Interlinear New Testament]

The LORD explained something important to His+ remaining Disciples who did not betray Him+.

HE+ pointed out that HE+ had made a deliberate decision from His+ Will to do what The FATHER asked Him+ to do.

When The LORD put that decision in motion, HE+ explained what HE+ was really doing: becoming glorified in The FATHER.

In the next verse, Our LORD explains more about what HE+ just did. HE+ refers to Himself+ as HE+ often did in the third person, [i.e., he instead of I,]. JESUS said, referring to Himself+:

If GOD was glorified in Him+,
GOD also will glorify Him+ in HIMSELF,
and immediately will glorify Him+.
[Greek translation from J.P. Green’s Interlinear New Testament]

Here The LORD tells His+ Beloved Disciples that The FATHER will do something for Him+ and to Him+. Why? It is because JESUS brought The FATHER glory by doing HIS will.


<(((><
Dear Heavenly FATHER,

We ask YOU to help us do Your Will so that we can bring glory to You. Strengthen us so that we do not shrink back and pull away from the path You have shown us to walk… be it in loneliness, in strict economy, or in any other straightened circumstance of body, mind, or soul. We thank You for sending Your SON+ as our Example so that we do not have to walk in darkness …nor in aloneness as we embrace the cross You have laid out for us as Your Will. Glory to YOU, LORD GOD of our fathers; You are worthy of praise. Glory to You.

In the Name of The FATHER,
The Beloved SON+,
and The Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.
Amen.
+ + +

Stations of the Cross ...

One Station of the Cross

at the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+ Hermitage...

Come unto ME+, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,

and I+ will give you rest.

Take My+ yoke upon you and learn of ME+...

For I+ am meek and lowly in heart;

And ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For My+ yoke is easy,

and My+ burden is light.

Matthew 11

Gracious SAVIOR, My burdens I reliquish unto THEE+. They are too heavy for me. I quit being "my own boss." I'd rather have Thy+ yoke and Thy+ burden. I know THOU+ cannot lie. Show me how to yoke up with THEE+ and grant me Thy+ yoke that is easy. Give me only Thy+ burden which is appointed for me.

Help me to put my hand to Thy+ Kingdom's plow and not look back to this world, this time. Here I stand, empty and waiting, if THOU+ still would want me. I love THEE+, LORD JESUS, my only hope and true Home. Amen.