Serenading in Love’s Symphonies...
...first to love... came from above... now within... irrespective of feeling... a Love so pure... a Love so sure... can your heart endure, without the everlasting Cure... Through these weekly issues, we have walked hand in hand deep into God’s heart... we have seen His earnest yearning for a close relationship with you as an individual and His deep desire for you to know His goodness and bounty... for you to be happy and at peace, safe and abounding in everything good... a love discovery which would capture your heart forever to His service, not just for the earthly rewards which are certain... but just to get the slightest smile or hint of approval from Him... He approves anyway... you are in Jesus and you can do no wrong ... oh, how He loves us... Kim Walker only began to describe this love when she sang, “He... is Jealous for me... loves like a hurricane, I... am...
a tree... bending beneath the weight of His grace... and
mercy... When all of a sudden... I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And
I
realize
just
how
beautiful
You
are
And how great Your affections are for me... And oh, how He loves us so... Oh... how
He
loves
us...
How He loves us so... He... loooves us... Oh... how... He loves... us... Oh.... how... He loooves... us.... How He loves... us oh...”.
ON THE BRILLIANCE OF HASHEM Do you love someone... do you feel the need to be loved by someone... you got this from God... THE BRILLIANCE OF HIS PERSONALITY IS THAT THOUGH HE HAS ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY TO MAKE YOU DO WHAT HE WANTS EVERY TIME, IT IS HIS DESIRE FOR YOU TO DO THIS OUT OF A FREE WILL, IN A LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM... out of which would blossom a most glorious spill-over that would make life a bit more worth living for many who haven't come to know Him that way yet... until they can understand His Heart for themselves... and see through all the lies many have told about Him... both wittingly and unwittingly... through lifeless, empty religion... WHAT ARE YOU MORE INTERESTED IN? ...the glory, power, wealth, success God's Wisdom would produce... or the God of the Wisdom... if you get God, you've got it all pal, don't you know... the reality is the longer our societies stay without God's love influence taking central place, the worse they'll become... the more evil in every sense you understand it to be will perpetuate itself... the more we'll hurt each other... exploit each other... manipulate and control each other, to make life more worthwhile for ourselves... and our privileged circle... yet still confronted by the gnawing emptiness all we know and have or can achieve will never fill... kind of like one of the proverbs Solomon wrote, that both the poor feeling oppressed, and the rich and powerful have no comforter... an evil under the sun, he stated... at the very least, the poor (without God) can have some momentary if not superficial consolation in a dream of one day entering into the privileged circle of the rich, but what is left for the rich and powerful to dream about? ...other than the safety and security of their lives and property... to maintain their financial and social standing... a perfectly legitimate desire which is every human being's fundamental right... to live safe, secure, free and enjoying all the good God created for us to enjoy on this earth... free of any sense of guilt or shame...
Paul, the apostle of Jesus who is credited with being inspired to write the majority of what we Christians would term the New Testament, explicitly stated in his 1st letter to his son in the faith Timothy, that "...GOD, gives us RICHLY... ALL THINGS... TO ENJOY..." 1 Timothy 6vs 17... WHAT IS THE VALUE OF ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT WE ASCRIBE TO IT? ...what is the real value of gold? ...if God had placed no value on it, it could have as well been as valuable as dirt... in our eyes... WHAT HAPPENED to us... to the extent that we could value an inanimate object much higher than a living, breathing human being... and seek to draw security from it... and some would kill and oppress another human being to obtain security from an inanimate object... yet we try to communicate to all men that enjoyment of life EXISTS FOR ALL MEN, both in this current existence and in the one which is to come... and no one need feel poor &
oppressed or feel the need to remain secure through greed, covetousness and oppression... but come to the One Who started it all... not merely for temporary relief from current straitened circumstances, but to get the lasting Answer... and Solution... to gain the Understanding of how it was all meant to work from the beginning... no longer enduring and braving the emptiness of a metaphysical existence... alone... and afraid... but enjoying the bliss of knowing God... and being known of Him... though some have used, and continue to use God's Name for all kinds of terrible activities including the Christian crusades, terrorism, and claim He is responsible for natural disasters, GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CATASTROPHE OF ANY FORM.... HE NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE... Jesus even said that there will come a time when people will kill and think they are serving God (John 16 vs 2)... with the dark clouds of lingering accusation hovering around His Majesty in our minds, it isn't hard to understand why many people are wary of anything to do with God... when He is the EPITOME of beauty, and the PERFECTION thereof (Psalm 50 vs 2)... and EVERY GOOD and PERFECT gift comes from Him (James 1 vs 17)... God just got the undeserved credit for all the terrible things that happened under the Old Covenant recorded in the scriptures, because the Old Testament people of God didn't have the faintest idea... who the personality, the devil... was... and the extent of his negative illegitimate influence over them... Adam's sin of disobedience had given the devil... a fallen rebel of an angel, the office of god under God, over the whole earth (Luke 4 vs 6; Psalm 82 vs 6)... the same office of dominion (Genesis 1 vs 26 - 28) which even unredeemed man still tries to fill today, remaining unsatisfied till we can dominate our circumstances in life, even if it means controlling and manipulating other people against their wills... this was never meant to be so... we were meant to rule by love... in service... and if you've loved, or been loved, you'll understand the undiscorded symphonies of mutual service to one another's benefit... even at personal sacrifice... for another's good... IT IS ACTUALLY WITHOUT GOD'S PROTECTIVE INFLUENCE THAT SOCIETIES DECAY... and find themselves vulnerable to maladies of all kinds... this is because our ONLY defence against the very REAL threat of the personalities associated with the devil (Ephesians 6 vs 12)... their hatred for everything good and beautiful... our ONLY defence is the love of God... these critters are the real authors of calamity, genocide, terrorism, racism, fascism, and every other "ism" that has contributed to the WHOLESALE loss of life... and destruction of peace, joy, happiness that has plagued this planet for as long as we have records of our existence here (Acts 10 vs 38; John 10 vs 10; 1 Peter 5 vs 8)...
The law of God from the beginning states that at the mouth of two or three witnesses, a matter shall be established (Deuteronomy 19 vs 15; Matthew 18 vs 16; 2 Corinthians 13 vs 1)... and it is from this that English common law drew its tenets, and adjudicates cases to this very day... if you had some trouble believing in the existence of a devil... or demonic entities... here's 4 different witnesses to their existence... other than Jesus... who evidently confided in his disciples (who were later to become apostles) of His temptation in the wilderness... and always referred to the devil as a personality throughout His teachings... your witnesses are Paul, the apostle (Ephesians 6 vs 12); Peter, the apostle (1 Peter 5 vs 8); John, the apostle (John 10 vs 10), and just in case we infer that they'd be biased, being apostles of Jesus, and all... we have Luke the physician... a respectable doctor who travelled extensively with the apostle Paul throughout his missionary journeys around major parts of Europe... and recorded the book, the Acts of the apostles, compiled into the New Testament of the Bible... Jesus can't have been sent by God to ask us to do what He Himself was not willing to do, which is to forgive... GOD IS NOT A POWER THROW AROUND, and He's actually put Himself under AcCOUNTABILITY to His Own Words... He said He watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1 vs 12), and that He will always fulfill His Word (Isaiah 55 vs 10 & 11)... yes... you can hold God to His Word... GOD BELIEVES IN YOU... your perceived inability to believe in, or receive His love and forgiveness because you think yourself unworthy will not ever negate His Sovereign right to be Himself towards you... LOVE (1 John 4 vs 8 - 10)... God believes that one day, you'll understand...
GOD DESIRES ***RELATIONSHIP*** You know... back there in the Wilderness at Mount Sinai... God’s plan was not for only Moses to see His glory, and know Him intimately... it was for every single Israelite, and then through them the whole world... and this is why they were instructed to consecrate themselves, and they did see the whole mountain top on fire... but guess what... they chose
the
law
instead
of
grace... they chose rules and regulations over relationship... they told Moses... go and hear what He says and come and tell us, and we will do it... it
broke His heart... but He still loved every last one of them and took care of them... following on from then, they had settled into this new land God had promised and had fulfilled... and they were dedicating the new Temple Solomon had built according to the pattern He laid out... three areas of worship... the Outer court to which the whole congregation of Israel could come and worship... the Holy place to which only the priests, the levites could go in and minister before God, and finally the Holy of Holies blocked off by a very thick and heavy curtain... this is where God’s tangible Shekinah Presence dwelt... He had to manifest Himself so, to lead them gradually into faith... to teach them what He used to create the universe... only one man in all of Israel... and in all of the world could go into the Holy of holies... talk about privilege... and that, only once a year and with much fanfare... Oh... how God’s heart longed to hug every single one of His children from behind those curtains but they were unclean... His holiness would have destroyed them... so, for their sakes, He endured... He waited... He looked forward to the time when all would come together for Him... and our entire Family of heaven and earth... and He would be able to dwell amongst His people and love them... win their hearts all over again completely... woo them off the legalism and help them walk in His grace... when Messiah would redeem them... Oh how He waited... and His heart longed... the temple is being dedicated... it’s still hundreds more years before Messiah would come... the ministers stood up to minister and to worship the beauty of His holiness... Abba couldn’t stand it any longer, and rushed out into the Outer court!! His Shekinah filled the outer court and was so thick they couldn’t move... oh... the long yearned for hug... He held unto them for as long as He could... but had to let go because they were still frail... oh so frail... spirits dead to His Spirit... no faith... just senses... impossible to relate at the level He desired... He had to return behind that veil... He who created the entire universe and fills all in all... whose Throne is in the Heavens and the earth is His footstool had to reside in a little hut however grandiose with its trappings of gold, silver and precious stones... just to be close to the ones He loves... His children... to protect them... and bless them...
Time and again, they broke His heart... He almost lost His patience but for the Intercession of Moses... He fixed His covenant firmly in the centre of His heart... His promise to His friend Abraham... how He swore... He promised Himself in His heart... He will keep His covenant, even though Abraham would have agreed He was right to destroy them... He stayed behind that veil... kept His Presence with them for His servant Moses sake, who said if your Presence does not go with us, I am not going anywhere... then on that great day... after all the agony of separation from His Son... His only beloved Son... given for people who had no desire for Him... yet He had faith... He
believed in you and I... He knew His Son’s sacrifice would pay off, once He got us to see His heart... once He got us to understand His grace... His undying everlasting unconditional love for us... on that great day on Calvary’s brow... when His Son cried, “It... is... finished!” He tore that irritating, offending curtain apart with a fiery zeal He had not seen in Himself for centuries... a fiery zeal that even surprised Him... that curtain that had separated Him from His people... He ripped that thing apart like tissue... not our every day variety but several inches thick curtain... broke that offending temple into two... and on the day of Pentecost... came not grudgingly or gradually... He had been waiting for this for a really really long painful time... His harvest... His desire... His people... He came... like a rushing... mighty... wind... and now... we can all go in... to the Holy of holies... and sit at His feet, or on His lap whichever you prefer... and listen to His beautiful Voice tell you how He started this all...
THE PROPHECIES ON JESUS God sent Jesus to redeem the world, He was and IS a real Person... NO ONE ELSE on this earth has as much undeniable evidence as Him. God's prophet, Isaiah, did not only prophesy about the King of Persia, Cyrus' capture of Babylon OVER A HUNDRED YEARS!! ...before Cyrus was even born, and LONG BEFORE the children of Israel had even gone into captivity there in the first place, ISAIAH AND OTHER PROPHETS INCLUDING HOSEA, JEREMIAH, MICAH, ALSO PROPHESIED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT EVERY STAGE OF JESUS CHRIST'S LIFE AND MINISTRY HERE ON THE PLANET EARTH APPROXIMATELY 700 YEARS BEFORE JESUS CAME... FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE, AND UP AGAIN GLORY TO GOD :-D!!! ...Matthew, the Tax Collector who turned to Jesus in repentance recorded the gospel about Jesus' life... in which, he records HOW GOD REVEALED TO THE PROPHETS WHERE JESUS WOULD BE BORN in chapter 2 of his gospel account, verses 5 and 6: "...So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for THUS IT IS WRITTEN by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” [Micah 5 vs 2]... and how Jesus Christ would be born, "...Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So ALL THIS WAS DONE THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED
WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE LORD THROUGH THE PROPHET, SAYING “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “GOD WITH US.” [Matthew 1 vs 18 - 23/ Isaiah 7 vs 14 & 9 vs 6 7]....
Matthew knew Jesus' mother, Mary PERSONALLY... and he got a FIRSTHAND account of what the angel told her and Joseph before he recorded this... he then proceeded to record about Herod's attempt at Jesus' life when Messiah was still a little baby in chapter 2 and verses 13 to 15, "...Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE LORD THROUGH THE PROPHET, SAYING, “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON." [Hosea 11 vs 1]... and as if this was not detailed enough, Matthew even recorded how the prophets prophesied about where Jesus would live in verse 23 of the same chapter [Judges 13 vs 5]... Matthew then records how Jesus left Nazareth after the start of His ministry to Israel in chapter 4 and verses 13 to 17, "...And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY ISAIAH THE PROPHET, SAYING: “The land of Zebulun and the
land
of
Naphtali,
By
the
way
of
the
sea,
beyond
the
Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles: 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.” [Isaiah 9 vs 1-2 & 42 vs 7] ...and he records, from that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”....Matthew then begins to record about THE CORE ELEMENT of Jesus' ministry, which is to heal the sick, and set people free from oppression in the 8th chapter and verses 16 & 17, "...When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a Word, and healed all who were sick, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY ISAIAH THE PROPHET, saying: “He Himself TOOK our infirmities and BORE our sicknesses..." [Isaiah 53 vs 4-5] ...AND JESUS... THE ANOINTED MESSIAH... HASHEM!!!!! ....is STILL healing today... even if Jesus had control of His life when He had come of age and being in the ministry, tried to fulfill all that was written deliberately, He certainly would not have had such control as a baby... where He would be born... where He would live etc.
Matthew then goes on to record how some of the Pharisees... out of jealousy for Messiah's popularity among the people, plotted to destroy Him in chapter 12 verses 14 to 21, "...Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and HE HEALED THEM ALL. Yet He warned them not to make Him known, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “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. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And IN HIS NAME Gentiles will trust.” [Isaiah 42 vs 1-4, 49 vs 3]... even Messiah's style of ministry to teach in parables did not escape the prophets by Hashem's grace, recorded in chapter 13 verses 34 & 35, "...All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” [Psalm 78 vs 2]... God even revealed to the prophets how Jesus Christ would arrive into Jerusalem before His crucifixion, recorded by Matthew in chapter 21 and verses 1 11, "...All this was done THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” [Zechariah 9 vs 9]; also how he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver [Matthew 27 vs 9/ Zechariah 11 vs 12-13/ Jeremiah 32 vs 6-9], and exactly how Messiah would suffer and be crucified to purchase salvation for all of us, recorded by Matthew in the same chapter 27 and verse 35, "...Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” [Psalm 22 vs 16-18 REVEALED BY GOD TO DAVID THE KING OF ISRAEL]. It was not only Matthew who emphasized the historical prophecies of Jesus' life and ministry, but also Mark, Dr Luke and John the other writers of gospel accounts of Jesus' life... continually emphasizing, "...that it might be fulfilled..." ......and they all testified that He rose from the dead and lives on, and I believe them because I know Him personally... AS WELL AS MILLIONS!!! ...of others... He is great and mighty, but really a very kind and simple Person... straight as an arrow... and He is here... to heal... every... aspect of your life...
This is why Jesus paid the price for our sins as written by Isaiah the prophet, "Just watch My servant blossom! Exalted, tall, head and shoulders above the crowd! But He didn't begin that way. At first everyone was appalled. He didn't even look human.... a ruined face.... disfigured past recognition.... Nations all over the world will be in awe, taken aback, kings shocked into silence when they see Him.... For what was unheard of they'll see with their own eyes, what was unthinkable they'll have right before them."...Who believes what we've heard and seen? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT GOD'S SAVING POWER WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS? ....The Servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about Him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over... a Man who suffered... who knew pain firsthand...... one look at Him and people turned away... We looked down on Him... thought He was scum.... But THE FACT IS, IT WAS OUR PAINS HE CARRIED... our disfigurements... all the things wrong with us... We thought He brought it on Himself, that God was punishing Him for His own failures. BUT IT WAS OUR SINS THAT DID THAT TO HIM... that ripped and tore and crushed Him....... our sins! .........He took the punishment, and that made us whole. THROUGH HIS BRUISES WE GET HEALED. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And GOD HAS PILED ALL OUR SINS, EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE WRONG, ON HIM, ON HIM... on him.... He was beaten, He was tortured, but He didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, He took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and He was led off... and did
anyone
really
know
what
was
happening?
........HE DIED WITHOUT A THOUGHT FOR HIS OWN WELFARE... beaten bloody for the sins of my people... They buried Him with the wicked, threw Him in a grave with a rich man, even though He'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.... Still, IT'S WHAT GOD HAD IN MIND ALL ALONG... to crush Him with pain.... The plan was that HE GIVE HIMSELF as an offering for sin so that He'd see life come from it... life, life, and more life... and God's plan will deeply prosper through Him... Out of that terrible travail of soul, He'll see that it's worth it and be glad He did it (AND HE SURE IS GLORY TO GOD :-D). THROUGH WHAT HE EXPERIENCED, MY RIGHTEOUS ONE, MY SERVANT, WILL MAKE MANY "RIGHTEOUS ONES" as He Himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I'll reward Him extravagantly. The best of everything, THE HIGHEST HONORS—Because He looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because He embraced the company of the lowest. He took on His own shoulders the sin of the many, He took up the cause of all the black sheep...." Isaiah 52 vs 13 - 53
vs 12 .....out of whom... like many others... I would consider myself to have been... the blackest of all...
Dearest folks... this 77th Issue marks the final one of Salt & Light magazine. It was originally sent as an email on the 7th day of the 7th month July of 2011, and it is being finalised in this issue on the 27th of the 12th month of 2012. The number 7 is known as the number of completion... double completion, and 12 is known as the number of COVENANT. I didn’t plan it that way, but God did . Much love, time and faith has been poured into this work so make all of these Words your own by APPLICATION! ...as you are His... and He is... my King... Please feel free to download them, and share them AT NO COST TO ANYBODY! ...that has been the whole purpose of it, so God’s Word can be available to those who desperately need Him... all of us! :-D
If you have been blessed by any or all of these Salt & Light Issues, I would really like to get to know you and enjoy your testimony of the Lord’s goodness in your life, with you... You can follow me on Twitter, send me a friend request on Facebook and subscribe to my regular posts.
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Account Number
01202530
Remain BLESSED my friend as we reclaim this world and everything in it back to the Love and Goodness of Jesus.
“...You are
the
salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour?
Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are
the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be
hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father...” – Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:13 – 16) New Living Translation