46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, ‘Abba,[g] Father.’ 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The Following children’s Hymn reminds us how we should not only Shine for Jesus but be loving and kind. It also asks for Guidance from Sin all of which is not easy at the best of times after all we are human.
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.
Refrain:
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.
Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy,
His little one can be.
I will ask Jesus to help me
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.
I’ll be a sunbeam for Jesus,
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live for Him on high.
LEVI Judgment – the gavel banged echoing to the onlookers approval, the lights grew dim, silence. . . and then the chatter resumed . . . Levi sighed. The courtroom disappeared and his feet padded as he hurried across the church vestibule away from the eyes, back to the college dormitory to decipher his questions […]
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals,and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
I sometimes take my mobile into the bathroom when I am about to shower and listen to something on Spotify. This was the case last night.
I selected it to play a selection of songs, one of which was Travis Cotrell’s Medley “Worthy is the Lamb”
It was while I was in the shower a very popular “Crown him with many Crowns” was sang with strength and power.
If I got to be honest I thought it was awesome.
Crown him with many crowns, The Lamb upon his throne. Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns All music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of him Who died for thee, And hail him as thy matchless King Through all eternity.
Crown him the virgin’s Son, The God incarnate born, Whose arm those crimson trophies won Which now His brow adorn; Fruit of the mystic rose, As of that rose the stem; The root whence mercy ever flows, The Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown him the Son of God, Before the worlds began, And ye who tread where he hath trod, Crown him the Son of Man; Who every grief hath known That wrings the human breast, And takes and bears them for His own, That all in him may rest.
Crown him the Lord of life, Who triumphed over the grave, And rose victorious in the strife For those he came to save. His glories now we sing, Who died, and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring, And lives that death may die.
Crown him the Lord of peace, Whose power a scepter sways From pole to pole, that wars may cease, And all be prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, And round his piercèd feet Fair flowers of paradise extend Their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown him the Lord of love, Behold his hands and side, Those wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified. No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his burning eye At mysteries so bright.
Crown him the Lord of Heaven, Enthroned in worlds above, Crown him the King to whom is given The wondrous name of Love. Crown him with many crowns, As thrones before him fall; Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns, For he is King of all.
Crown him the Lord of lords, Who over all doth reign, Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, For ransomed sinners slain, Now lives in realms of light, Where saints with angels sing Their songs before him day and night, Their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou has died for me; Thy praise and glory shall not fail Throughout eternity.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Most of us will have heard or used the saying ‘Decisions, decisions, decisions’ at some point in our life.
Because we have to make decisions every day of our lives decisions are usually pretty easy to make most of the time, but occasionally a tough one comes along where we find ourselves asking what do I do here? What road do I take.
It is then as Christians we should pray to the Lord for guidance and trust in the Lord to guide us in the right direction.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognising him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
I set out a pilgrim sad at heart
To walk a lonely road;
Doubt had marr’d my simple trusting,
Doubt a future ill forebode;
And as I pondered o’er my grief,
My shattered hopes and unbelief,
A Stranger to my soul’s relief,
Drew near and walked with me.
I deign’d not to raise my drooping eyes,
Nor sought to learn His name,
Tho’ His voice, like heav’nly music,
Set this heart of mine aflame.
He seemed to read my every thought,
To know the pain my fears had wrought.
And with His gentle words He brought
An atmosphere of peace.
The shadows of evening fell apace,
New dangers lay ahead;
But, with my Companion walking,
I no longer felt their dread.
I begged Him ne’er to quit my side,
With me to constantly abide;
In gracious tones my Lord replied
‘My peace I leave with thee.’
Jesus himself drew near,
When alone on the road,
Oppress’d by my load,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with me.
Psalm 121 is a Psalm of Praise reminding us that if we lift up our Eyes unto the hills we will receive help from The Lord. We are also told in the psalm that the Lord will protect and watch over us.
There isn’t really a lot I can say on this subject really. We all only have one chance at life and it should be taken at full advantage. How ever we shouldn’t take things like our health, jobs, homes or food etc for granted. Let us remember those who are less fortunate than us as we listen to the video.
Let us make the most of our lives and let us not forget God who gave us life.
