Be Prepared With Prayer

... Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

- 2 Chronicles 14:11

NOTE: Asa prayed out of need. But he also was prepared to pray since he prayed daily before the need.

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

A Prophetic Psalm Parallel to Mary's Song

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn---shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

- Psalm 98

Parallel to Mary's Song

For Future Generations

Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.

- Psalm 102:18-22

 

 

The Rich Man

... a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?” 

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”  

“Which ones?” he inquired. 

Jesus replied, “ 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' ” 

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 - Matthew 19:16-26

 

Choose Integrity

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life---when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.

- Psalm 101:1-3

GOD's Infinite Forgiveness

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 - Psalm 103:11-12

Humility

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

- James 4:10

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's almighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 

- I Peter 5:6

Conflict Nature

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do---this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

 - Romans 7:18-20 

(But there's Mercy and Hope.)

Not What, But Who is the Destination - John 3:16

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
- John 3:16

Everlasting life is an incredible promise; the promise to exist forever in Paradise. But Paradise should not be the primary focus of believing in God's Son, The primary focus should be abiding in the presence of the Almighty God, now and forever. Not "what", but "Who" is the destination for anyone who believes in Jesus the Savior. 

The Rainbow Covenant

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you---the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you---every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. ” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

- Genesis 9:8-17

Do Not Judge in the Same Manner

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 

- Matthew 7:1-2

~

 "Do not judge a book by its cover."

- An English Idiom

The Unfathomable Eternal GOD

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11