Prosperity and Pleasure

Job 36 New International Version – UK

36 Elihu continued:

2 ‘Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
    that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar;
    I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4 Be assured that my words are not false;
    one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

5 ‘God is mighty, but despises no one;
    he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
6 He does not keep the wicked alive
    but gives the afflicted their rights.
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
    he enthrones them with kings
    and exalts them for ever.
8 But if people are bound in chains,
    held fast by cords of affliction,
9 he tells them what they have done –
    that they have sinned arrogantly.
10 He makes them listen to correction
    and commands them to repent of their evil.
11 If they obey and serve him,
    they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
    and their years in contentment.
12 But if they do not listen,
    they will perish by the sword[a]
    and die without knowledge.

“Jehovah is our strength”

The phrase “Jehovah is our strength” is a deeply significant expression that resonates with those of the Judeo-Christian faith. It highlights the idea that God (referred to as Jehovah in some biblical translations) is the ultimate source of strength, support, and perseverance in life’s challenges.

This phrase is rooted in several passages of the Bible. For example, in Exodus 15:2, after the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sing, “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” Similarly, Psalm 28:7 declares, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.”

The context behind these sentiments often reflects moments of divine intervention or deliverance, where individuals or groups acknowledge their reliance on a higher power to overcome adversity. It serves as a reminder to believers that faith in Jehovah provides spiritual and emotional fortitude.

The Rose

I first heard this song sang a few years ago and i liked it the moment I heard it. It’s a song of Love, it’s a song about the broken hearted afraid to take the chance, soul’s afraid of dying. Also it reminds us that what lies beneath the snow in winter, in spring there blooms a flower called The Rose.

Fasting

Isaiah 58 New International Version

Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honourable,
and if you honour it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Reggae artist dies aged 65

Cocoa Tea, whose real name was Colvin George Scott, was a celebrated Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Born on September 3, 1959, in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, he became one of the most popular reggae artists from the 1980s onwards. Known for his smooth vocals and socially conscious lyrics, he created timeless hits like “Rocking Dolly,” “I Lost My Sonia,” and “Rikers Island.”

Sadly, Cocoa Tea passed away on March 11, 2025, at the age of 65 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He had been battling lymphoma since 2019 and faced complications from pneumonia in the last six months of his life. Despite his health struggles, he remained positive and hopeful until the end

Faith – an incredible source of strength

Faith can be an incredible source of strength during tough times. Here are a few ways it can help:

  1. Providing Hope: Faith often nurtures a sense of hope, reminding individuals that difficult circumstances are temporary and that better days lie ahead.
  2. Offering Perspective: Belief in something greater can put challenges into a broader context, offering reassurance that there’s a purpose or plan even in hardship.
  3. Building Community: Faith often connects individuals to supportive communities, like congregations or groups, where they can find encouragement and understanding.
  4. Instilling Resilience: Trust in God, or a higher power, can inspire perseverance and courage, enabling people to face adversity with greater strength.
  5. Encouraging Reflection: Through prayer, meditation, or worship, faith encourages self-reflection and peace of mind, which can be grounding in chaotic times.

Grief

John 11 New International Version

Photo by Dương Nhân on Pexels.com

Jesus comforts the sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’

23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’

24 Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’

25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’

27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. ‘The Teacher is here,’ she said, ‘and is asking for you.’ 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.

‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’

37 But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Verse 1
O Christ, You wept when grief was raw,
and felt for those who mourned their friend;
Come close to where we would not be
and hold us, numbed by this life’s end.

Verse 2
The well-loved voice is silent now
and we have much we meant to say;
collect our lost and wandering words
and keep them, till the endless day.

Verse 3
We try to hold what is not here
and fear for what we do not know;
Oh, take our hands in Yours, good Lord,
and free us, free now to let our friend go.

Verse 4
In all our loneliness and doubt
through what we cannot realise,
address us from Your empty tomb
and speak of the life, that never dies