Were You Left at "Jericho"?

Mark 10:46-52
46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
NKJV

In this passage we are reminded of Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.

You remember the man standing by the roadway, begging as one being blind would do. It appears he is in the right place. Someone most likely placed him there to beg to those who passed by like those going to King Herod's summer time palace in Jericho.

But on this day, Jesus of Nazareth was passing. And am certain this blind man heard the crowd. And all the noise of those who were following Jesus at the most opportune moment, prompted the blind man to take courage. He was blind and wanted to be heard by the one who had caused the blind to see and the lame to walk.

In the natural aspect of this, I wonder how many plant themselves by the side of a roadway hoping to be heard. They are those who really do not see and are the lame in that they cannot do for themselves. They are the fallen, those who have been abused and even left behind by the loved one. They have come from broken places to reside in broken places. They come from other ruling entities as to overbearing parents, leaders or spouses. They can come from a regular looking home and still fall short in some area of their mind, will or emotions.

How many even today are waiting to hear of "HEALING" in the house, or "RESTORATION" to a broken heart? How many are in a church setting, but with no way to relate a brokenness in their heart? They are silenced by the all-important agenda of a pastoral committee!
In scenes of most churches on a Saturday or Sunday, all are having you to be believe in being happy, teaching happiness, and that there is no brokenness. They desire to let you know "that you have come to happy land" and "there is no trial, no tribulations. They want you to know that you will be protected in the "happy land". This blind man was brought to a place to help him exist but not to flourish.
In the case of Bartimaeus, we see two things going on. He was placed to receive from man and maybe the rich and famous. We also see him placed by Jericho, the summer retreat home for the king and see him ministered by Jesus. He was not ministered to "in the church" but by the side of the road.
It was during a walk Jesus had in going to minister to others. Jesus was on His Way somewhere to reach someone.
Did a family member drop him there to beg, to fill a gap they the family member, or friend could not give him?

Blind Bartimaeus spoke loudly to Jesus, crying out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Certainly when that happens, there will be those around to say "shut-up"! Or they might tell you to leave the man alone. Either way, this blind man was going to heard. And he continued to cry out, now, not only over the roar of the regular crowd, but also those who would desire to quiet Bartimaeus.

Most certainly God is order! But His order comes in the form of humility. In that of Jesus, He was, is and will always be the Prophet. He was humble before His Father and remain steadfast to pleasing the Father. There is a boldness that rises out of one who is the broken when they see one of courage WHO STANDS IN BOLDNESS TO DO THAT WHICH IS RESISTANT TO THE legalistic views of those who capitalize on religion and not on what was intended from the beginning of time for all of us. The blind saw Jesus spiritually and reached for His divinity and truth with boldness.
It was boldness reaching for boldness. It was the infirm reaching for the healing he desired from Jesus. He was reaching out to "authority" and he saw Jesus holding everything he needed.

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus.

When I think of Jesus passing by, and He stopped upon hearing the blind man speak. Then Jesus command him to come to Him. Upon writing this, I was thinking of the Garden of Eden and the walk Adam had with God in the "beginning". 

We saw where God quieted the world in Chapter 1............"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (3) Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

There was chaos in Bartimaeus' life and it included much darkness. For whatever background he had, people had placed him near a place where the rich would frequent. He was placed where the hand-outs would come quickly and most likely they were of the very nature of the generous donation to the blind man, indeed!

But what he, Bartimaeus needed was light brought to him and it came when Jesus entered his darkness. And the very spark of life in His voice spoke to the death in his life. Bartimaeus quickly threw off that garment that spoke loudly of "BLIND MAN". He threw off what he did not need to gain what he could from Jesus. He was the expectant.

"What do you want Me to do for you?"  Then Bartimaeus spoke........ "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."   Bartimaeus, called Him Master. This blind man was wanting to recover what was rightfully his. Others born had their sight. He was saying you are the Master, my sufficiency.

 He was experiencing the Holy Spirit on Jesus and that power made him come to the life that was truth and the way for his life.

A truth to remember: the blind had to move toward Jesus.........He is movement and is always going forward. We cannot expect to set up a tent and live in a place, expecting Jesus to show up every day or every other day to meet us at our lowest. If we have met Him and acted on His Word, then we have received something from Him, and we act. We do not revert to the "tent" or place we have set up to stay. His faith made him well. He acted and walked. He went with Jesus, where Jesus was going. He did not stay beside the road at Jericho.

Being reminded of the garden and the creation of man we think of that relationship Adam had with God.

From the garden we saw beauty, and we saw failure. Oh, not for God in God or from God, but in man!  Sad but true!

Yes, Adam fell from his place. From that stance of walking with God, he did not keep that watch to keep it going. And in that I recall that both he and his wife heard God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Ah, distractions will cost you something!

Genesis 3:8-9

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" NIV

It is interesting that they heard Him walking in the garden. Can you really hear someone walking on grass in a garden of lush vegetation? Interesting! But we find what the "walking" meant!

That walking in the garden..........walking is Strong's 1980.....halak and is................"behave"

in the garden......is Strong's 1588 .....is Greek........fenced garden......defended and protected.

When we truly seek the Lord and hold to His position as the Lord over our hearts, we are in that garden again, but this time in the new Adam which is Jesus Christ. In Him we have life eternally. We are to behave in that garden that is the defended and the protected.

Bartimaeus quickly followed Jesus when he received his sight. He threw away which the world had placed on him either by their own decisive plans or that which they did not understand at all , but in their own thinking merely placed a name tag on him as "the blind". The Lord Jesus will surely open our blind eyes, that which is physical and mental as well.  He will cause us to walk and in that which looks like one who is truly behaving in His garden that is rich with which is ours by believing, adhering to truth and abiding in Him. It is having trust in Him.

For the rich and famous, our wealth is found in Jesus. It is not found in marble palaces or in ornate rings and jewels that sparkly brightly. The wealth of this world is surely fading away, but His Word and truth will remain.

Hebrews 1:10-12

"You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the work of Your hands.  

11 They will perish, but You remain;

And they will all grow old like a garment;  

12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,

And they will be changed.

But You are the same,

And Your years will not fail."  

NKJV

We see something in Paul's preaching. He gave truth to those who came. But there were those who would not believe. They left.

Acts 28:24-27
24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 

26 "'Go to this people and say, 
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding; 
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 
27 For this people's heart has become calloused; 
they hardly hear with their ears, 
and they have closed their eyes. 
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, 
hear with their ears, 
understand with their hearts 
and turn, and I would heal them.'  NIV

In the King James Version, it reads this way.
Acts 28:27
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. KJV

And that waxed gross has the meaning of rendering callous or to stupefy. It is 3975 Strong's....pachuno.
The NT is 4078,,,,pegnumi.......,,meaning to set up tent.

They are not moving anywhere. They are the stationary. They cannot see, they cannot hear, and they have no understanding. They choose not "to hear".

For those like Bartimaeus, he wanted to see with his eyes, hear with his ears, and understand with his heart and received that good part. He desired to receive that of which Jesus represented in His kingdom ..........that is of humility with one God, is of love and of mercy. For those who will not turn at His humility..........that merciful love.........they will not be the healed.

Psalm 101:1-6
I will sing of mercy and loving-kindness and justice, to You, O Lord, will I sing. 2 I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way-----O when will You come to me? I will walk within my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.
3 I will set no base or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them who turn aside [from the right path]; it shall not grasp hold of me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil person or thing. 5 Who so privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off [from me]; he who has a haughty look and a proud and arrogant heart I cannot and I will not tolerate. 6 My eyes shall [look with favor] upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks blamelessly, he shall minister to me.

Walking within our house is walking 1st and foremost with God. When we check in with Him, first we check ourselves for anything which should not be there. To be in the blameless way..........the perfect heart is a full heart committed to God.  It is the heart instructed in the things of God. It means having Christs thoughts and purposes in our heart.
Verse 4.....anyone who has a perverse heart, that indulges into their own glory, their own agendas, and has nothing of real growth potential from God's word for another will certainly come to nothing. One who truly recognizes truthful in another will be at peace with them. Those who carry chaos within their hearts, will only bring forth muddy waters that will just muddy up another person. When we are the behaved, we walk wisely. Our counsel is from God and Him alone. He then sends trusted people who counsel with Him as well. A person who feeds on God's faithfulness will recognize another as well!

Romans 2:6-11

6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."  7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. NIV


Romans 2:6-11 in the Amplified reads like this: 6. For He will render to every man according to his works [justly, as his deeds deserve]. [Psalm 62:12]  7 To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessed of] immorality He will will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will indignation and wrath. 9 [And] there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first, and also the Geek (Gentile). 10 But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). 11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another] Deut. 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7

Those like Bartimaeus, who choose life will find the goodness of God. They will delight themselves in His goodness and dwell in peaceable habitations. They will reside in peace and quiet resting places. (Isaiah 32:18) One will certainly recognize peace, truth and mercy when the love one carries is God's kind of love. Bartimaeus recognized it and heeded His power.

Father thank You for Jesus. He is Life everlasting to us. We receive the Holy Spirit that is poured into us. We are thankful for fruitful fields that becomes the valued forest.(Is.32:15)May we be like Jesus who was not stationary. He did not reside outside the high priests gate or king's palaces, but was outside doing outreach to those in need of life everlasting. Truly we are the happy and the fortunate who seek the Lord, who dwell in Him always abiding on truth that is wisdom and light to us. May we be  those who will speak out in daily communication with the Lord and tell Him what we would like Him to do for us in regard to being able to see that which we cannot see at this moment. Lord, it is our desire to keep reaching and grow louder in reaching you although we know that you are not far from anyone of us, yet we desire like children to get excited and shout sometimes. May we always be the humble before You. May we always come and pray and seek You while we may. For we desire to please You our Father. In Your light we see light. It is in You we live, move and have our being.

"What can we do for You today our Father?" May it be to YOUR GLORY AND IN YOUR PRAISE. AMEN.

Please view a newly posted teaching on Youtube channel.
" Mount of The Lord = The Table of The Lord".


You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

In a TESTIMONY of FAITH

I had written earlier this year HIGH RISK! In it was the choice of choosing God's plan for my healing or man's. And in all that, my husband worked with me in reciting, and confessing of what I have in God's Word that pertains to my healing (and yours)!
It was always a step, with another test, with another report and separating fact from the truth of God's Word. In seeing my hemoglobin go from a 4.6 to almost 15 and then fall back to below 10 in late summer was a blow indeed. But I did not take it lying down. No, I pulled those military boots on, and kept the Word flowing, speaking to the symptoms. There were some days I called out faith from bed again, but I stayed the course. Then a word came of a specific infusion that could and would cure the "ill". It was 4 infusions to be exact and a sitting in one chair from 3 up to 7 hours. Questioning my own ability, and not being able to sit still for more than thirty minutes, I gave it again to God. I like being up and doing, studying the Word, cleaning, or putting some new meal for dinner in the Crock Pot!
I sent out emails to those prayer warriors and those who have stood with me in the past. And off we went for the infusions in September. There were no side-effects!
In all this, I am cured today. My hemoglobin is 15.4. Yes, God is good and my belief is that my times are in His Hands. (You know that when the hemoglobin goes anywhere below the 4 and hits zero, that is it, life done, game over!)
My testimony of faith is that I am alive today because God loves me, and because I have faith that He will come through for me. I have that kind of rallying family and friends who care to pray for me and to see what God has planned. I have true love and mercy that comes from those who will pray no matter what, and believe with me for the best God has.

In this time of THANKSGIVING, I am the thankful. I am soaring as our daughter would confess for her mother. I am not the "snoring" and hoping God will come through, but am the one who shouts, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world."
Where we stand right now and what we experience is what we believed for yesterday and confessed. We must quiet those voices from the outside that represents the world and the five senses. We should readily receive and accept what we have today in Jesus. We are to be the free! Battle scars, probably, tear stained pillows, likely, but putting one foot in front of the others is a choice I make ( and you make every day). Today, I celebrate those men and women who have kept the faith, and walked to see another day of life in Jesus Christ. Today, I rise and speak out that the Lord lives, and is mighty. He is mighty to save. He is in our midst whether we make our bed in hell or not. The Holy Spirit is loosed into our lives, and may He truly have His way in our lives for today and for all our tomorrows.

Ephesians 1:17-23

 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give me  the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. NIV

All things are under His feet and He lives in me (and you). To Him Who has given us life in abundance I say Amen. To Him Who created us with a plan and purpose for our lives I say Amen. So be it, Lord, so let it be established. Father, the possessor of the heavens and earth, You are the Everlasting God, the Faithful God and the Merciful God. You are truly truth, justice, righteousness and perfection. Ahh, yes, You are perfection. YOU FATHER HAVE A PERFECTED LOVE FOR US!

Father, I pray for those who have come through trials, tribulations, fires and overflowing waters that might have seemed impossible to pass, but God You are more than enough. You are our sufficiency. Where we are weak YOU are strong. It is You Who have put gladness in our hearts. It is YOU Who lead us into straight paths and surrounded us with favor as with a shield.
We are ever thankful for Jesus and His work at the Cross. Today we expect to prosper in Your Word. Because we have Jesus, the precious Lamb sacrificed for our sins, we rise out of mediocrity and give praise to the King forever. He is the Radiant Light leading us ever forward to the full light of day. He is ever leading us toward eternity where Jesus rules over all! It is Your Love enduring, awesome in splendor, Cornerstone, First and Last, Son of God, King of Kings, the Great "I am" in our midst.

I vow to give You praise and ask that everyone who reads this might come to the place of knowing they are not alone. That YOU care for them deeply and want to be apart of their lives. I pray they would be willing to give YOU all the glory for all that You do in and through them. I pray that as we start the new year of 2016, that we would desire that nothing would inhibit our praise to YOU: not circumstances, not finances, nor troubles, nor even successes or things, but that we would be willing to give You all the praise. May we be thankful everyday of the year and not just Thanksgiving Day. For if it had not been for You O'Lord, where would I be now? Today our gladness is being alive, being able to reach others with the love of God. Please interrupt our lives when You must, and keep us ever awake to Your voice. and may Your Word be the light that ever leads us by Wisdom that comes only from God. We desire not to abide in confusion where a "terror" grips the soul. Thank You for new eyes to see and hearing ears to move forward. For we are forever grateful of the mercy You have extended to us.

When our soul melts from heaviness, strengthen us according to Your Word. ( Psalm 119:28) Our soul is comprised of our mind, will and emotions. That  "living" and "breathing" part of us is that which is born as a man, woman or child. Any heaviness is that which is of a closed off heart, that inward part of us. But God delights to clothe us in a garment of praise for all the heaviness of our soul.

Isaiah 61:3.... to grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion----to give them an ornament ( a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit----that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.


God desires to upset the devil. He desires to show the devil His family and how He cares for His family.
God wants to interrupt our lives and bring us out of confusion and torment. He does not want us ruled by the FIVE! That is, He does not want us to be ruled by what we feel, what we can touch, what we can see, what we can taste, what we can hear like in sound and what we smell.

Our making decisions should not be a "spur" of the moment? Basing any decision, any judgment on anything like that on our senses is pure folly. True knowledge comes from the Father of Lights where that is no shifting shadows.

James 1:17-20, 22
Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [ that gives] light, in [shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]. 18 And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as His sons] by [His] Word of truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [ a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself. ] 19 Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [ a ready listener,] slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. 20 For man's anger does not promote the righteousness of God [wishes and requires].

22 But be doers of the Word [ obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [ into deception by reasoning contrary to the TRUTH]
Amplified Bible

If we are reasoning, then we are using the FIVE, senses that is! We are to have freedom moving at His Word and not throwing a blanket of confusion over ourselves so to speak as in being gripped with some "terror". When we will not rely on God's Word, we become the driver of any situation.

You can see small children needing that "security" blanket when going anywhere. I remember seeing it with our grandchild. She had to have it when going to bed, going to the table, going for a ride and even at church. She had to have her "security", something she could see, touch, smell.........yeah she had fulfilled her sense knowledge.
But being led by our senses, that shifting our own gears to go forward, we are moving out of control, steered by emotions (the big FIVE). Yes, it is the place called FALSE EVIDENCE AVENUE. We do not want to do that. We are to turn from wrong sources for answers and success. We should not want to be a "driver" who will forcefully drive further into darkness and confusion making any decision. Our confidence is to be in God Who will preserve you and me and deliver us from the way of evil, from the man who speaks the perverse things.

Psalm 46:1
God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas, 3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause and calmly think of that!]

Any trouble is anxiety of the heart. In it, one finds if their trust is truly in God or in themselves. When trouble comes to trouble, we have the "force" of God's word and praise that will fight the good fight of faith.  It is what we hold in our heart today and dominates that will bring to life and light of where we walk tomorrow!

Oh Father, may we not be those who look for the quick way out, that microwave religion, but truly look for the abiding that comes in and through having a relationship with You. We desire not to live by our five sense but live in the wisdom of God and revelation knowledge of Your Word. Today we desire to have strength which is of vigor, and it is substantial and it is wealth to us. Help us to see the importance of abiding and revering You. Help us to know that by seeking You daily, we are seeking Your strength that brings us to another vantage point. It is not remaining in the 'pit', but remaining close to You that no harm will befall us. All things have come under the feet of Jesus. Whatever can be named is named here:_______________________ and it cannot rise up against us. Lord, thank You for commanding Your angels concerning us to guard us in all our ways of obedience and service to You. There will be no sudden death or destruction that will surprise us, a thousand can fall at our side and then thousand at our right hand, but is shall not come near us. Only a spectator shall we be ourselves...... inaccessible in the secret place of the most High as we witness the reward of the wicked. Lord today we set our love upon You, and set You on high. We are thankful for Your love, mercy and kindness to us. We know that You will answers us when trouble appears, for You shall deliver us and honor us, and it is with long life that You will satisfy us and show our Your salvation. Be glorified and magnified for You are good to us Lord. You are our Light and our Salvation, whom shall we fear. Amen and Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

What is in a Name?

Proverbs 30:4......4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son's name,
If you know?  NKJV

Exodus 3:13-15...13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 

14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 

15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.  NIV

What is in a name? One of the hardest and greatest times of our lives is naming a newborn child! It is filled with an almost anxious thought that one is taking a test to get the name just right! It was that way for us to name our daughter. We worked hard on coming up with just the right name. Her middle name was a cinch to get, but the first took some time. But when my husband spoke it out, we knew we had the name she would carry through life. They did not do the tests back then like they do today for finding out the health and sex of a child. Yet, I knew it was a girl. I planned her room and the things to have for her to wear! Every detail had to be just right for the homecoming of our first child.

In Exodus 3:15 it states that God said " Say to the Israelites.........'the LORD, THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS---THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB---HAS SENT ME TO YOU.............'this is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.' 

In the Bible we can find names of importance to those precious parents who named their children.

For Abraham and Sarah, his name was Isaac whose name meant "laughter". (Genesis 21:6)

When we think of Moses, his name meant the one "drawn out" of the water. (Exodus 2:10)

Matthew 1:21-25............21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. NKJV

A Son born of a virgin and "they will call His name Immanuel", "God is with us."

It was a moment in time for us that God came and joined Himself with us through His Son Jesus.
 In the scripture passage below we find the lineage from David all the way to Jesus. We find by going back into the Old Testament to study, we can find the things for which some had a reputation, a name that carried names like adultery, lust, murder, prostitute, etc.  Yet in all this, God used those who would become the lineage to bring forth the Consolation!

Matthew1:1-17.....1:1 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 Nahshon, and Nahshon 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. NKJV

Yes, in the names like David, his son Solomon is listed for whom Bathssheba gave birth, for she had been the wife of Uriah. Then there was Tamar, a redeeming quality of a woman. Absolutely not! She is mentioned only twice in Genesis 38 and Matthew 1. Tamar was the extreme example of sexual immorality. Rahab was mentioned. She too had the name of prostitute tacked onto the "need to know" list. She told a lie to help God's people who came to spy out some land! And of course we have Ruth, who was the product of incest.

Some outcasts made this list of the" need to know"! For when Jesus came, He came for the world and not just a few men and women.  It was peace on earth toward men......that Jesus came!

In the New testament, we are shown the close relationship between names and their meaning. One such scripture is found in Acts 4:12, " For there is no other name under heaven by which we much be saved." 

It is in power that this proceeds from grace by God, not by blood of goats or sheep .....but..........by the One Holy Lamb of God that man can be saved.

In Philippians 2:9, scripture states, "God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. By inheritance, Jesus obtained a more excellent name than the angels in Hebrews 1:4...... 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. NKJV

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:19, that we as Christians, are those who name the name of the Lord and depart from their iniquity.

2 Timothy 2:18-19............. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."NKJV

If you have had a job outside the home, you know there is always those who desire to add their name with those who are in "what is considered a high position" in that company! They will jockey their way through to try to have the same favor. I have seen it and know you probably have too! It is not only in the work place but can be in the church as well! Oh yes it can be done in church as well. Any place there is the opportunity for some to sit in the seat of the honored. But what are we attaching our name to that could turn out to be a problem and not a help to us?

When I was growing up and our family had moved to another area down south, I encountered a lot of that  ...." so you are one  of the..... name of family here?"

" Well, yes, I am one of the   name of family here!" would be my reply.

But I knew they meant those who specifically had this business in this country town we had just moved to at the time. Yes, they were all my family, like aunts and uncles and many cousins. And I love them, everyone the same today! But my father had  had his own business , too, and it certainly was different from the rest of the family business and yet,so many thought we were all the "happy family of .......name of family here."! When there is already something established like a business, even being a son, the middle one, can wreck havoc on family unity. My father wanted to do other things, like raise horses and race them!

After a couple of years of the "family thing" and all the jockeying to hold their positions...........many things changed and somehow we seemed separated from rest of the family, those with the very same name!  But in remembering this small mist moment of time I recall a scripture found in............Mark 3:31-35..................31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." 33 But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." NKJV

This word guides us to be respectful of and governed by Jesus and...........not by any other person who might be named. It is important for us to honor those who have a fear of the Lord. For when we place honor on Him, we can see Him do great things. When we are in fellowship with the KING and His kindred, we maintain that place that is guarded by His word and His way of doing things!

I would rather have my name attached with "Emmanuel", " God with us"..........for He came from heaven to walk with man and bring an opportunity for us to have a fellowship with the Father and the Son...............Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?

Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son's name,
If you know?

For when we have our name added to His Name, then we experience the wind that is gathered in His fists, and we see the One who actually bound the waters in a garment.
When we Know His Name and place it first in our lives, there is no devil in hell that can keep us from going the distance in the things of God!

John 3:13-21............. 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." NKJV

What is in a Name? There is power and love in His name! He is truth, and life and resurrection.

Clearly when we attach our name to His and come to profess and confess the Word of truth, our deeds are clearly seen and they are done in God! We hold the promises, and see them manifest before our eyes. We can see our prayers make a difference in those who are of the"family of God"!

If I am found in Christ Jesus and am a part of His family, how am I treating those Jesus says should be our brothers and sisters according to Mark 3:31-35?

Father, thank You for grace. In seeing the genealogy so plainly displayed for us to read and remember, it is You who could use a sinner. The best part of this Lord is that we all are in Your family and look forward to eternity with You. In Jesus' name, help us to not skip over the "begats' in the Bible. They remind us of the importance of each person. I pray too that we would be men and women who would always operate in truth, for a lie will always be found out! Thank You today for Your love and acceptance, we readily receive Your grace to move forward in Your plan that includes the entire world. We pray for ourselves and others who may not have the same culture, the same color of skin or even the same language, but have the same God of glory. You are the Great "I am" in our midst. It is by Your great love that the Son of Your love came for us. By the grace of God and in light of His great mercy towards us...........help us to pray for those who have sinned against us and we are ever ready to forgive any trespass against us. Amen!

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