Calendar Quindecims July

by tkbrown
Summer heat melts most ev'ry day
and seems to give erotic sway
as opportunity surmounts
all thought in those special moments
of delightful, hot arousal.
Then, sudden, shrill silence doth stall
as the heat sets in, shimmering
the sky, passersby in faux bling
seem to be seeking summer breeze
that pushes out upon the seas.
'Twas lost upon the desert sands
drifting in from faraway lands.
The virus again takes a toll
amongst reveling protestor's roll
and partygoers on a stroll.

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Image Above: Fourth of July Fireworks @depositphotos.com/vector-images/
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My 2-Cents Worth

ALL LIVES MATTER!!!!

By: tkbrown

As a citizen of this great nation, I have sat quietly watching as racism has tugged from this side, then tugged from that side, then another . . . and another! I watched the Watts Riots of California being televised across the nation. I watched the peaceful protests led by Dr. Martin Luther King. I watched as civil unrest divided the nation between those supporting the violence and rioting and those who did not — which is happening again as I write! I watched as segregation was addressed and desegregation was enacted. I watched decades pass when black Americans and white Americans were mostly united against the onslaught of other nations and the wars — both hot and cold — were fought. I watched and listened to both sides. Having parents, one of whom was a Democrat and the other who was a Republican, whose differing viewpoints taught me that we do not have to agree to get along — we can sometimes agree to disagree!

I watched all of the above, then I experienced my writing — a poem — as it was accepted and lauded by classmates and faculty to the extent that it was published in my High School Newsletter my senior year. Then I experienced the disappointment of silence after I presented another of my poems, entitled “They’re People Too.” I had seen firsthand the difference in the way even young black children were treated versus young white children. I hoped my poem could make a difference. It was silently rejected, and I was never asked about my writing again.

I have watched as ‘drive-by shootings’ killed many black Americans due to poverty, violence, gangs, drugs, etc. Drugs were infiltrating the American scene, and where drugs go–violence follows. I watched as immigrants from other countries flooded our great land to escape tyranny and persecution. Then, I watched as that persecution began being quietly turned on white Americans as a means of expressing disgust regarding past treatment.

Ironically, by the time this happened, most white Americans had accepted people of color and of other nationalities. Yes, those remained who fought integration, but most accepted and embraced it. Silently, I hoped and prayed the acceptance would overcome, and I did as much as I could to encourage that acceptance in all areas of my life.

Then, I watched as the racist attitudes infiltrated those toward whom it had been directed. Now, the shootings were enacted or instigated by black Americans against white Americans. I watched in horror, as that reverse racism was directed–even at me who had fought for black Americans all my life. Reverse discrimination against me became the norm as the national turmoil steadily increased.

Now, the riots have begun again. Mostly black people attempting to destroy white America. One even said outright, he looks forward to the day when intermarriage and interracial relationships do away with truly white people and interracial becomes the norm. How much more racist can one be? Yet, in the news, most of what we see and hear discusses only the racism of white against black. Few have the courage to discuss the reverse, the black against white that is destroying our nation–and reporters seem to thrive on making that destruction happen.

When are we going to realize: It is not JUST ‘Black Lives Matter’, ALL LIVES MATTER, but black Americans are being allowed to say only people of color matter. By phrasing it as such, they make it appear that they support the Latinos, the Asians, the Native Americans, etc. who are also people of color. Then we hear again, repeatedly, “BLACK LIVES MATTER!” This excludes all others, but nobody pays attention to tht fact. There is racism in America, but this time, it is the black against the white — and all others — that is creating the unrest in America. I have sat quietly watching as it has chipped away at the fiber of our interdependence, weakening even the strength of this country against foes who are other countries on the planet called Earth. When white Americans who ARE white supremacists began responding in kind, black America cried wolf every time until the situation became what it is today — even though black America had instigated that response.

When are we going to stop destroying America and begin stressing that ALL LIVES MATTER — not just BLACK LIVES? That is reverse racism to the hilt. When will reporters begin to call a spade a spade, and expose it for what it is? No one will say what is really happening, because any white person who speaks out about — and black people too — will be persecuted into oblivion. Well, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? I am speaking out about it. In the Holy Bible, the book of Philippians is about racism and the fact that it is not supposed to be allowed among those who profess to be Christians. Well, I have to ask Black America — where is your justification for the reverse racism that is destroying America today? You profess to believe Christ is the Son of God, You profess to accept persons of other colors — then why do you persecute white people and persons of other origin — even those who support you? I am sorry, but according to the book of Philippians, your behavior is not Christ-like! Get down off your pedestals! If those statues you are destroying were of Black People, the whole nation would have been razed by now!

It is time that ALL RACISM STOPS, and America begins to heal. It is time that all colors — including white — and black — accept each other. I, and all white people, have the right to Freedom of Speech too, but you and your reporter friends try to deprive us of that right. Well, I am reclaiming my right to Freedom of Speech! BLACK people, it is time to STOP! Dr. Martin Luther King would NOT approve of what you are doing today, and his daughter recently said as much publicly. Peaceful protests are protected by the United States Constitution, but violence which destroys both life and property is NOT protected by the United States Constitution because it tears America down! The Constitution DOES NOT protect YOU when you riot!!!! So, stop it or accept the consequences!!!!

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I believe this song, “A Beautiful Life,” written by William M Golden, posted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt-v5D2Ozko best expresses my feelings about what needs to happen now. Please follow the link and listen, “Like” my post (if you do like it), and Comment below to tell me what you think. I look forward to hearing from you!

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AWESOME BLOGGER AWARD

I consider myself Blessed far beyond any expectations I could ever have imagined. I have been nominated for the AWESOME BLOGGER AWARD by Sonal Mishra! She is an avid supporter! Many, Many Thanks, Sonal Mishra, for being such an Awesome Supporter of my blog site!

I cannot say enough to adequately express My Thanks! You are wonderful! And, you are talented to go along with it! Your artwork (sketches and paintings), your writing (poetry and blogs) are all from the heart. I have no doubt your singing is from the heart too! You have a special talent for expressing what you feel and see!

Please visit Sonal Mishra’s blog site: https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com/. She is a very talented up-and-coming artist, author, singer, and poet who has a very big heart. Please support her work. I am sure we will be hearing a lot about Sonal in coming years! Her talents are many and varied!!

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Rules for the AWESOME BLOGGER AWARD:
--  Thank the person who nominated you.
--  Tag the post with #awesomebloggeraward.
--  Answer their questions.
--  Nominate up to 5 bloggers and ask them 10 new questions.
--  Inform them of their nomination.

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Sonal’s Questions to me:

Favorite place to visit?

Mountains — When I am in the mountains, I feel so very close to nature and to our creator! It is an awesome feeling!

Describe life in three words?

Choices — Consequences — Experience

Describe love in three words?

Admiration — Respect — Understanding

What advice would you give your teenage self?

If I could go back in time, I would tell my teenage self to “always hold to your moral values, and live the life they instill in you. Do not give in to pressure from others to forsake those values!”

How does it feel when you get ‘Likes’ or ‘Comments’ from bloggers?

I treasure the ‘Likes’ and the ‘Comments’ I receive from other bloggers. They give insight into how others respond to my writing. I know I will never please everyone with my posts. I would never want to please everyone, because to do so would be to give up who I am in order to be ‘a people pleaser’. The problem with this is, I may end up not liking myself in the end. It does help, however, to receive input as to what is liked and disliked. The comments give me food for thought.

What kind of books or blogs do you read?

I read a mix. I enjoy reading both nonfiction and fiction–if it is not vulgar, full of cursing, or obscene. My favorite fiction would be a very well-written historical fiction, but I read many genres. My nonfiction reading runs the gamut of the Dewey Decimal System. I just enjoy reading!

A memory that is closest to your heart and what did it make you feel in that moment?

I was walking with my grandson. He was not quite one year old. As we walked, he held to my finger, and I allowed him to set the pace. One day, he heard music and looked around to see where it was. I pointed to the pipe wind-chimes on a second-floor balcony. The look of awe and amazement on his face was precious. I will never forget it! Seeing the world through the eyes–and ears–of a toddler is like no other experience.

Few words for art?

Art comes in many forms. One might say it comes in as many forms as there are artists. I would say: Each artist may posess talents in many artistic areas. Thus, it comes in as many areas as the sum-total of all artists’ varied talents–because each artist expresses each form of art differently. Art is portrayed in photography, sketching, painting, sculpting, singing, authoring both prose and poetry (both of which are wrought in many forms), needlecraft of wide and varied options, even science is a form of art (when you think on it). So, choose your art, hone your talent. As a result, you will develop skills in a new area. When we utilize one talent to the best of our ability, we develop diverse artistic skills, because we begin to see the world with artistic eyes.

What were the challenges before you started blogging?

I was on Twitter long before I set up my WordPress page, and I was on WordPress for a year or so before I began actually blogging. I did not actively engage Twitter until I set up my WordPress page, which I did not feel comfortable imprinting with my blogs. I was afraid what I would write would not be liked. I had to get past that one fear. Finally, I decided the fear would not leave until I jumped in with both feet, and I was right. It took a bit after I began posting blogs to be comfortable in so doing. The more I wrote, the easier it became. Now, I post both inspiration and projects I assign myself. The more I write, the more I enjoy writing, and I write much that is never posted because I hope to publish it in physical form.

What is something that you want to learn?

Everything — lol. I have always loved reading; the more I read, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I discover I want to learn. Probably, the one thing I would like to have learned–and put into practice–would be neuropsychology. It is a relatively new area of study. The more we learn about the human brain, the more we see there is yet to be learned about it. To me, it is fascinating.

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My Questions to my nominees:

In what form(s) of artistic expression do you engage?

How much of what you write is inspired versus assigned?

Do you have one physical location where you are most able to express yourself artistically? If so, where?

One becomes an author / poet by setting pen to paper whether or not he / she is ever published. Do you agree? Why?

Is there an area of artistic expression you would like to try, but have not yet engaged? If so, what? Why?

How much do you rely on social media?

In which brands of social media are you engaged, and why?

How much has the coronavirus pandemic affected your artistic expression, and in what ways?

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Again, Thank You, Sonal, for nominating me for this award! Your awesome support is Much Appreciated!

To those of you reading, please go visit Sonal’s blog at https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com/. She is an up-and-coming author, singer, poet, artist of many forms. Check out her many talents! I have no doubt, you will be amazed.

I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed creating this post! I look forward to you stopping by again soon! Blessings!

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Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2)

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Sermon on the Mount

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Lesson Scripture — Matthew 5:1-20

1 — “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.”

2 — “Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:”

3 — “‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”

4 — “‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'”

5 — “‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'”

6 — “‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.'”

7 — “‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'”

8 — “‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'”

9 — “‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'”

10 — “‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'”

11 — “‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.'”

12 — “‘Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'”

13 — “‘You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.'”

14 — “‘You are the light of the world, A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.'”

15 — “‘Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.'”

16 — “‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.'”

17 — “‘Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.'”

18 — “‘For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot of one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.'”

19 — “‘Whosoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'”

20 — “‘For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.'”

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Apostle Selection Completed

Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:12-15

12 — “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.”

13 — “And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:”

14 — “Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,”

15 — “Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”

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Luke’s Description of the Sermon on the Mount

Lesson Scripture — Luke 6:17-23

17 — “And He came down with them and stood on the level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,”

18 — “as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.”

19 — “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”

20 — “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'”

21 — “‘Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.'”

22 — “‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.'”

23 — “‘Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.'”

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Prophecy Related to Matthew 5:1-20

v5 — Psalm 37:11 — “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

v6 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

v6 — Isaiah 65:13, 14

13 —Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;'”

14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”

v7 — Psalm 41:1 — “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”

v8 — Psalm 15:1-5

1 —Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?”

2 —He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;”

3 —He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.”

4 —In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;”

5 —He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”

v8 — Psalm 24:3-5

3 —Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or, who may stand in His holy place?”

4 —He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”

5 —He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

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Prophecy Related to Luke 6:17-23

v21 — Isaiah 55:1 — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the wters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

v21 — Isaiah 65:13

13 — Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;'”

14 — “‘behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.'”

v21 — Isaiah 61:2, 3

2 —To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,”

3 — to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

v21 — Psalm 126:5, 6

5 —Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

6 —He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Matthew 5:1-20

v1 — Mark 3:13 — “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.”

v2 — Matthew 7:28, 29

28 — “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,”

29 — “for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

v3 — Luke 6:20-23 — (See above.)

v4 — Revelation 21:4 — “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

v5 — Romans 4:13 — “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

v6 — Luke 1:53 — “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”

v8 — I Corinthians 13:12 — “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

v10 — I Peter 3:14-16

14 — “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled (Isaiah 8:12).'”

15 — “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who askes you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

16 — “having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

v11 — Luke 6:22 (See above.)

v12 — I Peter 4:12-14

12 — “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;”

13 — “but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed you may also be glad–with exceeding joy.”

14 — “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”

v12 — Acts 7:52

52 — “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,”

53 —who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it (Exodus 20:1).'”

v13 — Luke 14:34 — “Salt is good, but if the salt lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?'”

v14 — John 8:12 — “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.'”

v15 — Luke 8:16 — “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.'”

v16 — I Peter 2:11, 12

11 — “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

12 — “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

v16 — John 15:8 — “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you will be my disciples.'”

v17, 20 — Romans 10:3, 4

3 — “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”

4 — “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

v18 — Luke 16:17 — “‘And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.'”

v19 — James 2:10 — “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

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New Testament Scriptures Related to Luke 6:17-23

v17 — Mark 3:7, 8

7 — “But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea”

8 — “and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan, and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they hard how many things He was doing, came to Him.”

v19 — Matthew 9:21 — “For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.'”

v19, 20 — Matthew 11:4-6

4 — “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.'”

5 — “‘The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them,'”

6 — “‘and blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'”

v20 — Matthew 5:3-12 — (See above.)

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

I apologize for the absence of a post last week. Sometimes things happen and prevent me from completing a post. I do hope you will forgive me when that happens. Thank You!

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As we begin studying the Sermon on the Mount, I would like to note, I have included Jesus’ selection of His additional six apostles as depicted in Luke Chapter 6. Luke’s presentation shows this was immediately followed by the Sermon on the Mount.

The Sermon on the Mount covers much territory and lays the foundation for Christ’s ministry here on earth. For this reason, I will divide it into several parts in order to not overwhelm you, the reader, with too much information to be digested at one time. It is important to understand how Christ’s words tie-in to other Scripture in both the Old and the New Testament.

Christ’s ministry took place under the Old Covenant until His death, we will see the vail protecting the Ark of the Covenant rent into two pieces–top-to-bottom. On the day of Pentecost, Christ’s church was established with form. Prior to this time, His kingdom is always referenced as being ‘at hand.’ After the day of Pentecost, His kingdom is always noted ‘in the present form.’ This means His kingdom was publicly established on the Day of Pentecost — when His church was established with the baptizing of three thousand souls.

Hopefully, this information will help you to ‘rightly divide the word of truth’ as we study the course of Christ’s ministry. However, do your own studying to verify whatever I mention in my notes. Do not ever take another person’s word for what the Bible says. Your salvation depends upon this one factor. The scriptures I present above are directly from the Holy Bible (NKJV). When I make a comment in my notes, verify it in the scriptures. Events noted regarding the vail and Christ’s death will be reviewed as we come to them. Study for yourself and prove all that I put forth in my writing.

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In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus’ teachings show the underdog as more likely to go to heaven than the upper crust. The underdog’s tendency is to present as more meek and merciful and to have faith that studying God’s Word and applying it to daily life leads to purer hearts and righteousness.

Jesus alerts those in his hearing of other people’s tendency to persecute and revile those who follow God–just as they persecuted the prophets. Christ suffered during His life here on earth, and many persecute Him now and deride His teachings and life as untrue. Jesus assures you, when someone persecutes you because you are patterning your life after Him and His teachings, they have their reward already.

These trials are God’s method of refining our Christian hearts and skimming off the impurities each time suffering occurs and is met with a Christ-like attitude. Just as gold must be molten, allowing impurities to rise to the top to be skimmed off, we as Christians must also be refined. We must grow in Christ, increasing in our ability to forgive and move on. This is how maturity in Christ is attained–one trial at a time. This is also how our lives become a living example amidst a sea of worldly souls. Our lives become the light–beacon, if you will–leading others to Christ. This is why we are the salt of the earth.

Never be ashamed to stand up for what is right and be different. This is what Christianity promotes. This, and our faith, is what makes us Christlike–awaiting a home with Him in heaven.

There are those who, even today, say Jesus came to destroy the Old Covenant. He assured the crowd and His apostles this was not so. He came to fulfill the Old Covenant, and until all is fulfilled and heaven and earth pass away, not one iota of the law is destroyed. Anyone who breaks the commandments set forth by the law and by Jesus will never be great in heaven. In order to see heaven, Jesus said our righteousness must be greater than that of the scribes and the Pharisees.

Moving on to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we see that just prior to this sermon, Jesus chose six more disciples to be a part of His twelve apostles. All followers of Christ were, and still are, known as His disciples. However, only thirteen have been called apostles of Christ. When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, he revealed his enslavement to Satan, with whom he will spend eternity. Saul of Tarsus was subsequently appointed as the replacement apostle. We know Saul as Paul. He was one of the most grateful, for his sins prior to conversion had been great, and he was the first to admit this. Thus, he worked hard to teach others about Christ and His salvation.

Luke words his portrayal of the Sermon on the Mount a bit different, as we have seen in previous lessons, but it means much the same. He shows that those who have little are more likely to seek God through Christ and to be blessed. Those who have much are not interested in God’s blessings.

In the next lesson, we will continue reviewing the Sermon on the Mount. This is where the parables begin. Each teaches a valuable lesson for living the Christian life. Come back and join us in the feast God’s Word and Christ’s teachings provide, leading to the ultimate reward of a home with Them in heaven. Have a Blessed Week in Christ’s love!

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . . 
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan
Lesson Ten -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1)
Lesson Eleven -- Scripture: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 2)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award

I have been nominated for the Ideal Inspiration Award by Sonal Mishra @ https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com. I am honored, humbled, and happy Sonal saw the qualities in me and my posts to deem me worthy of the Ideal Inspiration Award. Thank You, Sonal! Words cannot express my thanks as I humbly accept this magnificent honor!

Sonal is an up and coming poetess, writer, author, artist/illustrator who strives to encourage other bloggers along creative paths shared on this, our journey through life. She is proficient at voicing praise and love for those of us with whom she comes into contact. I feel especially Blessed for having made Sonal’s acquaintance here in the blog posts of our WordPress pages.

I am doubly Blessed by her because she also nominated me for the Liebster Award. I was so surprised and humbled by her generous spirit and by her nominating me for these two awards, I actually had to sit back, collect my thoughts, and look at what I do for a couple of days. My goal is always to impact the lives of others by encouraging acceptance of the paths that others choose to take without allowing that acceptance to negatively influence my own response to life and others in it. Sonal seems to have picked up on my acceptance and love of others sharing my journey in life.

Be sure to visit Sonal Mishra’s web page @ https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com. Bask yourself in the beauty of her creations.

Sonal Mishra, Thank You so very much for deeming me worthy to be nominated for the Ideal Inspiration Award. I am honored, elated, happy, and humbled by your nomination. I strive with all I do to be a positive influence on others. Thank You for seeing that quality in me!

The Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award is a non-official award created by the members of Team Ideal Inspiration and is given to bloggers by bloggers as an acknowledgment of the inspiring work published on their blogs. The award reflects the positive impact people can have on one another in life. It is a recognition of bloggers by bloggers as a means of inspiring aspirations to positively impact the artistic expression of other bloggers.

The Ideal Inspiration Award was introduced by Rising Star from “It’s all about inspiration” @ https://idealinspiration.blog. Thank You, Rising Star for seeing the benefit of such recognition being focused upon other bloggers. I am especially honored to be nominated by Sonal Mishra @ https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com. In the short time I have known her on here, I have developed a respect and admiration for her work and her attitude toward others whom she meets along the way. Bloggers, do not forget to Thank Rising Star and provide a link back to his blog @ https://idealinspiration.blog.

Here are the rules:

— Thank the person who has nominated you and provide a link back to his/her blog.

— Answer his/her questions.

— Nominate up to 9 other bloggers and ask them 5 new questions (maybe you’ll see your name down)

— Notify the nominees through their blog by visiting and commenting on their blog

— List the rules and display the “Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award” logo.

— Provide the link to the Award Creator, Rising Star from Ideal Inspiration https://idealinspiration.blog.

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As I noted above, my nomination was put forth by Sonal Mishra at https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com/2020/05/23/ideal-inspiration-blogger-award/. Be sure to visit her blog site and let her know we appreciate the inspiration she provides toward the continuity of inspiration in the blogging world. When you visit her blog posts, take note of the writing and of the illustration–both are her creation. She creates wonderful artwork to illustrate her writing. She is an up and coming poetess, writer, author, and artist/illustrator. Encourage her to continue creating, because she excels at both writing and paint/sketch art. I believe she will continue to excel at whatever paths she might choose along life’s journey.

Sonal’s Questions for me:

What was the first inspiration you got in your life?

My first inspiration came at an early age. I participated as a singer in local talent shows as early as age three, and I wrote my first poem at about the age of five. I had been learning, in Sunday School, of Jesus’ love for us. So, I wrote a poem about Jesus. I do not remember the words, and I no longer have the poem; but I do remember the topic.

From there, I wrote several poems during my teen years with one being published in my High School Newsletter my Junior year. I continued to write sporadically through my children’s growing-up years. My most proficient writing period, though, has been the past ten years. My inspiration comes at all hours, and I have learned to listen and write when it occurs.

Have you ever done any good for anyone?

Yes, I have always tried to do good for others, even from an early age. I was a Sunday School teacher of five students, ages 5-12, when I was only fourteen. I was much more mature than most young people my age, thus I was asked to fill the position.

From that, I became an advocate for children with special needs when my own children were quite young. That developed into advocacy for childhood public education as an officer in my children’s school PTA organization. I also coordinated efforts with the District and State offices of PTA.

I then moved into advocacy for community members with special needs, serving as a volunteer for two-and-a-half years before being paid for part-time hours and volunteering hours to supplement paid time. By then, I had realized my own natural abilities as both social worker and counselor. I pursued an education in the latter.

My greatest hope is: When my time on earth has ended, I will have left a warm spot in more than one person’s heart–because that is what life is all about, I believe. I try to ask myself: “What Would Jesus Do?” and pattern my life after Him.

Do you live to eat or eat to live?

I eat to live. Do not get me wrong, I love to eat–good food–but I daily research my health’s nutritional needs and design my diet accordingly. Health concerns have presented the need for this–in the past decade especially. I have always eaten a healthy diet, but it is now much more prevalent in my planning of what I will eat. There are days when my writing might make me forget to eat, if I did not need to eat nutritionally for my health. So, I do both.

How important do you think modernity is?

It depends upon the person and his or her lifestyle. I believe modernity is important in that many would not know how to live without it. The pandemic, I believe will lead some to learn more of the old ways just to ensure survival, but many will ‘fight’ if you will, to keep the modern ways–and that is ok–because they need the modern ways to be all they can be too.

I grew up old-school, and I know the old ways–live by them to a large degree–but I embrace modernity too. I enjoy learning new tech skills. As my poetry, my novel, my essays, blogs and painting skills grow, I hope to publish and branch out from there. I plan to create an author/artist web page in the near future and would like to be able to do my own upkeep and IT work.

What would you choose from both modernism and traditionalists?

From modernism, as I said above, I want to create a web page for my authorial endeavors and for my painting and sketching. That will involve a lot, so I will need to embrace modern phone technology and continue to grow in other technologies as the need arises.

From traditionalists, there is nothing and no one more important than my children and grandchildren. They are gifts from God, and I treasure them more than they can possibly know.

I also love to garden, preserve my own foods through canning, freezing–and want to begin dehydrating–in order to limit unhealthy additives. I love the process of doing the old crafts of knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, etc. There are not enough hours in a day to do all I would like to do–but I try!

My Nominees are:

Arlene Somerton Smith

100 Country Trek

ajeanneinthekitchen

Amouri Mohamed

Themba-Katlego

Earthwalking13

Questions to My Nominees are:

  1. What inspires you to create?
  2. How do you determine what you create with a specific inspiration?
  3. If you could visit face to face with the one person of all time by whom you have been inspired, who would that be?
  4. During this pandemic, what have you done to kindle inspiration in its midst?
  5. With what one inspiration would you like to impact society today?

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Again, Thank You so very much Rising Star @ https://idealinspiration.blog for creating the Ideal Inspiration Award. I am honored to be nominated for it by Sonal Mishra @ https://ouractionisourluck.wordpress.com/. Thank You again, Sonal! I treasure your recognition!

Keep creating inspiration in yourself and others!

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Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part 1)

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Disciple Selection Begins

Lesson Scripture — Matthew 4:12-25

12 — “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.”

13 — “And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,”

14 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying:”

15 — “‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.'”

16 — “‘The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.'”

17 — “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”

18 — “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.”

19 — “Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'”

20 — “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

21 — “Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,”

22 — “and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.”

23 — “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”

24 — “Then His fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.”

25 — “Great multitudes followed Him–from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”

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Prophecy

v15 — Isaiah 9:1, 2

1 — “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles.”

2 — “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v12 — John 4:43 — “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

v16 — Luke 2:32 — “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

v17 — Mark 1:14, 15 — (See below.)

v17 — Matthew 3:2 — “and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'”

v18 — Mark 1:16-20 — (See below.)

v18 — John 1:40-42 — (See below.)

v23 — Matthew 24:14 — “‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.'”

v23 — Mark 1:34 — (See below.)

v24 — Luke 4:40 — “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.”

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Lesson Scripture — Mark 1:14-20

14 — “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,”

15 — “and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'”

16 — “And as He walked by t he Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.”

17 — “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'”

18 — “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

19 — “When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.”

20 — “And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v14 — Matthew 4:12 — (See above.)

v14 — Matthew 4:23 — (See above.”

v15 — Galatians 4:4 — “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”

v15 — Matthew 3:2 — “and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'”

v15 — Matthew 4:14 — (See above.)

v16 -- Luke 5:2-11
2 -- "and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets."
3 -- "Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land, And He sat down and taught the multitude from the boat."
4 -- "When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.'"
5 -- "But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing, nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.'"
6 -- "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."
7 -- "So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink."
8 -- "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'"
9 -- "For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken."
10 -- "and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
11 -- "So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him."

v17 — Matthew 13:47, 48

47 — “‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,'”

48 — “‘which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels but threw the bad away.'”

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Lesson Scripture — John 1:35-51

35 — “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.”

36 — “And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!'”

37 — “The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

38 — “Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are you staying?'”

39 — “He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).”

40 — “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

41 — “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ).”

42 — “And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the Son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, A Stone).”

43 — “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.'”

44 — “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.”

45 — “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'”

46 — “And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.'”

47 — “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!'”

48 — “Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.‘”

49 — “Nathanael answered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'”

50 — “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.'”

51 — “And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Sun of Man.'”

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Prophecy

v47 — Psalm 32:2 — “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

v47 — Psalm 73:1 — “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.”

v51 — Genesis 28:12 — “Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v36 — John 1:29 — “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'”

v37 — Matthew 4:20, 22 — (See above.)

v40 — Matthew 4:18 — (See above.)

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Here in these four sets of Lesson Scriptures–from Matthew, Mark, (Luke as it is connected to Mark’s depiction via the Related New Testament Scriptures), and John–we are shown how Jesus began selecting his disciples as he set about preaching, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These four presentations vary slightly as one might expect the testimony of four witnesses in a court of law to vary. Human nature is such that each of the four saw slightly different things taking place. Luke presents his in slightly more detail as an adjunct to Mark’s. In these four presentations, Jesus selects the brothers Andrew and Simon Peter, the brothers James and John — sons of Zebedee and partners with Simon Peter in the fishing industry, Philip, and Nathanael–both of Bethsaida.

Simon Peter doubted the likelihood of a successful cast after toiling all night and catching nothing but agreed to cast anyway at Jesus’ request, only to bring up nets so full of fish the nets were breaking. They summoned partners to assist in saving the catch. Then Simon Peter, ashamed at his lack of faith, tells Jesus to depart from his sinful self. Jesus assured Simon Peter that he would need only catch men in the future. In the Related New Testament Scriptures, we see Matthew13:47 and 48 connected to Mark 1:17 as an example of Jesus–in later sermons–reminding Simon of this catch.

Almost instantaneously, as Jesus begins to preach, people are drawn to Him. His command of the Word, the authority with which He casts out demons who readily obey Him, and the compassion evidenced in His ready willingness to heal the sick spoke to their hearts, and the multitudes flocked to Him wherever He went.

The beginning of Jesus’ ministry will be divided into several lessons due to the extensive and varied aspects of His interactions. Next week, we will look at the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus lays the groundwork for all His teachings while living here on earth.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan
Lesson Ten -- Jesus Begins His Ministry (Part I)

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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Jesus is Tempted by Satan

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 4:1-11

1 — “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

2 — “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

3 — “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'”

4 — “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.”

6 — “and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you.’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

7 — “Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

8 — “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.”

9 — “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'”

10 — “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.'”

11 — “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

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Prophecy

v4 — Deuteronomy 8:3 — “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

v6 — Psalm 91:11, 12

11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v7 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — James 4:7 — “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

v11 — Hebrews 1:14 — “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?”

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Mark 1:11-13

11 — “Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

12 — “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.”

13 — “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v11 — Matthew 3:17 — “And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'”

v11 — Matthew 12:17, 18

17 — “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying;”

18 — “‘Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.'”

v12 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v12 — Matthew 4:10, 11 (See above.)

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Luke 4:1-14

1 — “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.”

2 — “being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterword, when they had ended, He was hungry.”

3 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'”

4 — “But Jesus answered him saying, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'”

5 — “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time.”

6 — “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'”

7 — “‘Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'”

8 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

9 — “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.'”

10 — “‘For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you.'”

11 — “‘and, ‘in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”

12 — “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

13 — “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

14 — “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”

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Prophecy

v4 — Deuteronomy 8:3 — “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

v8 — Deuteronomy 6:13 — “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name.”

Deuteronomy 10:20 — “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.”

v9 — Matthew 4:5-7 (See above.)

v10 — Psalm 91:11 — “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

v11 — Psalm 91:12 — “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

v12 — Deuteronomy 6:16 — “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

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Related New Testament Scriptures

v1 — Matthew 4:1-11 (See above.)

v13 — Hebrews 4:15 — “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

v14 — John 4:43 — “Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

v14 — Acts 10:37 — “. . . that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.”

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Here, I have presented the Scriptures which portray Jesus’ forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him. These Scriptures are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While there may be slight differences in the wording of each account of the event, these are no more than would be found if three witnesses in a court of law presented accounts of a specific incident. This is important in the fact that all three testimonials also coordinate with Old Testament prophecy related to these Scriptures and with related Scriptures in the New Testament. Thus, we have ‘rightly divided the Word of Truth’ with regard to this event in Jesus’ life.

Forty days and forty nights is a long time to be without food, but this was done to show that Jesus’ Spirit form and the angels ministering to Jesus was sufficient to satisfy His human needs. This is another example of how God takes care of those who do His will. Jesus was tempted of Satan so we can know He understands the temptations we endure at Satan’s hand.

As our High Priest, Jesus’ understanding of our weaknesses regarding temptation is important. Had He never come to Earth in human form, He could never have truly understood our weakness or the desire to give in when Satan tempts us. God realized this was a faltering point in His righteous understanding of these weaknesses in man. Thus, Jesus understanding of the tendency to give in to temptations gives Him the ability to ‘argue our case’ with God and mediate with Him on our behalf. Hebrews 4:15 tells us this was God’s plan. We can look at the Scripture presented in Romans 3:21-26 to see how this all fits together.

Romans 3:21-26

21 — “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”

22 — “even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”

23 — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

24 — “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

25 — “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,”

26 — “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

This well-known passage from Romans chapter 3 ties in to Satan’s temptation of Jesus and of man in his struggles to overcome temptation. God’s righteousness puts Him in a position of not fully understanding these trials. Through the centuries, the Jewish Law as given to Moses on Mount Sinai allowed Jesus’ forbearance and atonement (propitiation) of their sins to go back and cover all those sins that God had passed over before Christ was born. Now, God is shown to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Jesus is now ready to begin His ministry on Earth. In our next lesson, we will see Jesus begin to select His disciples as he begins to preach and to teach the multitudes. Join us as we look closely at each account of this process as presented in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

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Lesson One -- Scripture: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 
Lesson Two -- Scripture: Jesus' Birth Foretold . . . 
Lesson Three -- Scripture: Zacharias' Son, John, is Born . . . 
Lesson Four -- Scripture: Jesus is Born . . . 
Lesson Five -- Scripture: And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture: John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture: Jesus is Introduced to the World . . . 
Lesson Eight -- Scripture: Jesus' Ancestral Lineage
Lesson Nine -- Scripture: Jesus is Tempted By Satan

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Photo above by: kieutruongphoto @pixabay.com.

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My 2-cents Worth!

by tkbrown

Mom and Pop Butcher Shops Needed

I keep reading about the impact of COVID-19 on the meat industry. From my perspective, the old time Mom and Pop Butcher shops need to come back. They could work with individual beef farmers in the area to provide meat to the local regions. One region may require many of these to provide for individual communities.

To survive the severity of the virus, we are going to have to rethink some of the old ways and bring them back. This will provide local employment — on a small scale — and the meat will be butchered by local people. It can then be sold to individuals as “a side of beef” for those who have the freezer space to store it, or to the stores in bulk.

The same would go for pork and poultry. The pork can be butchered in the same shops as the beef, just on different days. The poultry can be done in a separate shop.

Think about it! I know there are people out there who can do this! I have faith in you! Come on! We all have-to pull together to get through this. Have you ever participated in a “rope pull?” One or two cannot pull it alone, it takes a whole crew. That is what this is going to take! Give it a try!

I believe it can be done! Let me know what You think!!!!!

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Image above by Public Domain Pictures on pixabay.com.

Jesus’ Ancestral Lineage

Scripture is from the Holy Bible–New King James Version (NKJV)

Notes on Scripture (below) by tkbrown

Matthew 1:1-17

 1 -- "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
 2 -- "Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers."
 3 -- "Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram."
 4 -- "Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nashon, and Nashon begot Salmon."
 5 -- "Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,"
 6 -- "and Jesse begot David the king.
         David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah."
 7 -- "Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa,"
 8 -- "Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah."
 9 -- "Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah."
10 -- "Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah."
11 -- "Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon."
12 -- "And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel."
13 -- "Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor."
14 -- "Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud."
15 -- "Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob."
16 -- "And Jacob begot Joseph,  the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."
17 -- "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."

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Notes on Scripture: by tkbrown

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth . . .

Here, in the first chapter of Matthew, we are presented the ancestral lineage of Joseph–husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This lineage is inclusive back to Abraham in three sets of fourteen generations. The first set presents the line from Abraham to king David. The second set includes those generations from king David to the capture by Babylon, and the third set presents those from Babylon to Jesus.

It is interesting that there are fourteen generations between each division. When we look at Mary’s ancestry (below), we see that the lineage from Adam to Abraham is twenty-one generations–another multiple of seven. This first phase is the pre-Jewish lineage when God dealt with and communicated directly to the heads of family and with prophets. He chose each of these for specific reasons. This process was continued to some degree during the fourteen generations spanning Abraham to king David. He also chose specific leaders–such as Moses and Aaron, then Joshua, followed by the judges–to replay details of the law to His people and to lead them through certain trials.

When king David was a young lad, God’s people had become disgruntled with the ‘leader’ format. They had been clamoring for a king. Finally, God granted their request, and king Saul was appointed the first king. David was chosen as Saul’s successor. Thus, we complete the first fourteen generations and move into the second set when God communicated to His people through the kings and the prophets. This form of leadership was dismantled when they were carried away to Babylon.

The final set of fourteen generations, which takes us to the birth of Jesus, covers the first Jewish dispersion during which about five million Jews were deported to Babylon and then began to spread over Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. There are those who believe some were also able to inhabit the Americas, intermarrying with the natives in the western hemisphere. This final phase before Christ’s birth leads to the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant. During this time, God’s people were under the direction of kings and other leaders of each country in which they resided. Each phase is governed very differently from the phase before and after. This shows us when the Old Covenant ended, a new phase began. The Old Covenant is no longer in effect.

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Galatians 3:22-26

22 -- "But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
23 -- "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed."
24 -- "Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
25 -- "But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
26 -- "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

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Notes on Scripture, cont.: by tkbrown

The original King James Version of the Holy Bible used the word ‘schoolmaster’ where the word ‘tutor’ is used in the New King James Version. God has done everything, including the divisions of time and leadership, to lead us to the New Covenant. At the instant Christ died on the cross, the veil was rent twain (torn into two pieces–top to bottom) between the outer tabernacle and the most holy of holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (and where God resided in the tabernacle). At that instant, the Old Covenant officially ended, and the New Covenant began.

We notice in Mary’s ancestral lineage, below, it goes all the way back to Adam. This too is done with purpose, for we see “God begot Adam” (v. 38). Thus, we are told, God is the Father of mankind. When He created Adam, He created mankind. We also see, in Luke 3:23, that Joseph–husband of Mary–was ‘the supposed father’ of Jesus. In actuality, he was the ‘step-father’ or ‘legal father’ of Jesus. God was Jesus’ father.

Under the Old Covenant, God dealt almost completely with the men. Very few women are exemplified. We are introduced to Eve, Ruth, Esther, Deborah and a few others, but mostly men are introduced. In the New Covenant, women are exemplified in much larger number, and women determine their own salvation through obedience of Christ’s commands. No individual can obey Christ’s commands for another person. That decision is strictly the choice of each.

That each set of generations presents with a different form of leadership is no accicent. The fact that they, and the period from Adam to Abraham, are all divisible by seven alludes to God’s use of numbers throughout the Bible. When a specific day was given in the Old Covenant to observe a specific feast or sacrifice, it was to be done on ‘that day,’ not another day of His people’s choosing. The same holds true under the New Covenant. There are those who say the Scriptures contradict themselves. If one takes the time to ‘rightly divide the Word’ there is no contradiction.

I hope these two genealogies now present as much more interesting and with much more meaning for application today. I pray that these lessons are beginning to clarify the meaning of ‘rightly dividing the Word of Truth.’ The next lesson will cover Satan’s temptation of Christ in the Wilderness. I invite you back for another morsel of nutrition from God’s Word.

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Luke 3:23-38

23 -- "Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,"
24 -- "the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,"
25 -- "the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,"
26 -- "the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,"
27 -- "the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,"
28 -- "the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,"
29 -- "the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,"
30 -- "the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Johan, the son of Eliakim,"
31 -- "the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,"
32 -- "the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,"
33 -- "the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,"
34 -- "the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 -- "the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah"
36 -- "the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,"
37 -- "the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,"
38 -- "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

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Lesson One -- Scripture:  Zacharias to have Son . . .
Lesson Two -- Scripture:  Jesus' Birth Foretold . . .
Lesson Three -- Scripture:  Zacharias' son, John, is born . . .
Lesson Four -- Scripture:  Jesus Is Born . . .
Lesson Five -- Scripture:  And Jesus Grew . . .
Lesson Six -- Scripture:  John Begins His Ministry . . . 
Lesson Seven -- Scripture:  Jesus is Introduced to the World . . .
Lesson Eight -- Scripture:  Jesus' Ancestral Lineage

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