Weekends.......

Weekends......are for family......may all your journey's this weekend be together in God's Grace......may you feel together the unfathomaable abyss of the love of God to you...........

His Grace,

Robbie

"What is man that you are mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:4)

Alabaster Jar................

What aroma feels your home? Your life?

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume....
John 12:3.

As I studied this scripture today; I found myself being a bit sad that I don't feel this love for Jesus like Mary did! I want that. I want to give him everything!

(Pure Nard - was a fragrant oil prepared from the roots and stems of an aromatic herb from Northern India.) It was an expensive perfume, imported in sealed alabaster boxes or flasks which were opened only on special occasions.
A pint expressed her LOVE and THANKS to Jesus for himself and restoring Lazarus to life.
Back then Nard was used to anoint Kings.
This was such an expensive imported item that carried such valve that people even used it for investment purposes. Like we use Gold today.

This verse makes me think that Mary in some way wanted to let Jesus know how thankful she was for his Grace and Mercy that he had raised her brother to life even when she had doubt. And she wanted to show him how much she loved him.
Can you picture the scene:
Mary walks in carrying the most valved thing she owned her alabaster jar; its estimated valve was as much as a year's salary possibly equal to Mary's entire life savings. The perfume would only increase in valve the older it got. The room was full of honored guests, Lazarus, Simon, and Jesus' twelve disciples, plus other special guests which were all men. Martha would be the only other woman in the room. It would have took courage to walk into that room full of men who were very important and to walk over where Jesus was and to break open her alabaster jar; and to pour it over Jesus' feet. Meanwhile all the men must have stopped eating and watched. As she was pouring it over Jesus' feet can you just imagine her tears began to fall as she poured out her future, her hope, her financial security, her status in society, her reputation, her pride , her self. By breaking her most valved possession and pouring on to Jesus' feet she gave him her everything, holding nothing back and expecting nothing in return. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume..
The entire home and many others were blessed because of her sacrificial act of worship.
Ask yourself this week "WHAT IS YOUR MOST VALVED POSSESSION?" What is your alabaster jar?
Is it your children?
Is it your job?
Is it your desire for a career?
Is it your future?
Your reputation?
Would you be willing to break your alabaster jar and pour it out over Jesus' feet?
Does he mean that much to you?
Pour it out!! Pour it out!!
Pour out your pride and be the first to say your sorry.
Pour out your reputation and stand up for Christ.
Pour out your future and surrender your goals and dreams to Jesus.
Ask yourself this week; What fragrance is your home full of ?

Oh Father thank you for showing me today that the aroma in my house is one of selfishness. Thank you for showing me that I can fill my home with the fragrance of love for you God. Help us Father to break our alabaster jar and pour it over your feet. Help us to let go and surrender to you Father; our future , our dreams, and our reputations. We are willing Father. Help us. We praise you in your precious name Jesus. Amen...

Trying to break my alabaster jar,

Robbie

Are you content? Or do you always want more?

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you felt as if you couldn't stand it?  As a kid, it could be a toy that you want badly. As an adult it could be a bigger house, promotion at work, just more "stuff" in general. Many people, including me, just are not happy unless they get what they want. But most of the time when they do get what they want, they quickly find out it's not all that it's cracked up to be. This world is very dissatisfied with a lot of things and never content.
The bible talks about contentment and what true contentment is. For example, Paul talks about contentment with your job- About respecting your boss- whether they are a Christan or not. That we are to respect them because not doing so would be a bad example of a Christan and drag God's name in the mud. It is possible that the Christan worker might be the only Christan that the boss, or even coworkers, come in contact with. If you, being a Christan, are whiny and disrespectful what kind of example are you being. We are to be an example to others- all the time. Others should see Jesus in us. Even when we are around our Christan friends, don't let your guard down.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can not take anything with us. But if we have food and clothes, we should be content. When people what to get rich- they fall into temptation and a trap- this trap is consumed with foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of evil. Truthfully money not the root of evil, it is a symbol of currency. It has not spirit, and there is nothing good or bad about it. It is the love of money that is the root of evil. We should not worry about spending a lot of money on our children, husbands, family but we should focus on our relationship with that child or family member. If you want true contentment then all you need is to be concerned with getting to know God more.
Amy

Pain and Suffering..

   It's Gracie again, my mother is working the next few days and asked me to blog for her.. and I told her I was happy to! I was at my youth group Sunday night and the subject was on pain and suffering. I was very touched by the lesson and that's what I'll be talking about in this post. One of the questions that was asked in my group was why would such a loving God allow people to suffer? I asked myself this over and over.. and I could not come up with a reasonable answer. Finally our leader shared her thoughts. Her opinion was every time we see or hear about people suffering that's another chance to show our faith, and show who "true Christians" really are.  There was a girl, Hope Stout who was diagnosed with cancer... She died when she was only 12 years old. She had gone to my church and from what I heard she was such a child of God, smiles and laughs. Well you ask yourself, why would such a loving, giving, mighty and powerful God let such a precious child suffer from cancer? This little girl and the foundation that she started while suffering from cancer has raised millions and millions of dollars for cancer research and other kids with cancer. It's like a rock thrown into a pond and the ripples keep expanding. She was that rock and the ripples are all of the benefits of God's whole plan. For his ways are not our ways.. God has his reasons for everything he does and no one will ever know those reasons.  

2 Corinthians 1:3-6 says.."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer." Have you ever been through an experience of suffering? Pray to God everyday, and stay strong in your faith. Have joy even if you are suffering and God will eventually make peace. Rejoice to him.. Be still and know that he is God.

In His Love,

Gracie 

MASADA............PART TWO...................

This is a replica of "The Northern Palace," (King Herod's palace.)

This was another type of "Purity Bath," that were found throughout Israel...................

Mosaic Floors were seen throughout.......and sherd-studded walls that could have possibly been part of a room in a church that Monks who sought the solitude of Masada in the fifth century.........................................

When Amy was born she was pre-mature; so she fit perfectly in the doorways!!!lol

The doorways etc were so tiny; I imagine that people were much smaller back then.......

Wanted to share some of my notes that I took in church Sunday:

Daniel 7:21,25;

(21)I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

(25)And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
WEAR OUT THE SAINTS.............Do you ever feel that you can't take it anymore???? Satan is not only attacking us, He is enticing us.............diminishing us and reducing us.......We are supposed to be more than conquerors.........Satan is never going to come against you the way you think he will............Where you think you are the strongest is where you will be tested...........God's word teaches us that we have to be overcomers........hold out until the end.........no matter what comes our way.............God tells us through His word not to fear the things.........we are going to suffer.........we live in a fallen world..........
           We are living in trying times........there are false prophets all around us......the sad part is  they are teaching us that we can live lose lives by claiming to know Jesus and living in immortality at the same time.......Just like when the Israelites were worshipping Yahweh one minute and the next they were building a golden calf and worhipped it..........Our drive to do these things is 2nd in command to our eating..........It never goes away.........and meanwhile these false prophets are teaching us that we can be FREE......Free to live in sin and know Jesus at the same time................What will Jesus find when he returns in my heart????? In your heart????? A half-hearted Christian????? A luke-warm Christian????? Or a cold- Christian???? Satan is here to wear you and me out.............
     When we are physically worn out and tired; we start to question who we are and whose we are.........we even question if we are saved at times?????? When you have these feelings I want you to remember to say this aloud:  Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the World............either we will overcome these things.........or it will overcome us.........it can't be about what we feel......we have to stand on what we know.....and that my friends is the Word of God...........

TIME......................

Looking at time through a window of trees.....TIME......you can't save it........TIME- you can't invest it..........TIME-is not flexible........it is simply ticking...........ticking away........

Are we giving our time to something other than JESUS???????????

You can spend TIME anyway you want.....BUT........you can only spend it once!!!!!!⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)....... God sees the past, the present and the future as one my friends...........it is not busier lives that we need....it is better use of our time..........................................

Your Life and My Life are slipping away with TIME..............

There are only 86,000 Seconds in a day.......

                                                                    1,440 minutes in a day......and 24  hours in a day.......How do you want to spend your time????? The one thing we all have in common is the amount of hours in the day that God himself has given us...............we are nothing more than products of a fast paced world.......it can't be accumulated like money or stockpiled like raw materials.......we are forced to spend it whether we chose to or not........

Why is it that we are always driving through this life full speed ahead???? What is it that we are trying to accomplish in a 24 hour period? A cleaner house? laundry done? Taxi for our kids? Exercising??? Cooking??? Ask your-self today "what are my idol's?"

  We must also ask and respond to the issue of just why we are here. We are here as ambassadors of Christ called to a world-wide mission of making disciples of all nations starting in Jerusalem (home base) and reaching out to the uttermost part of the earth (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). We are here to represent the Savior, to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.Time is priceless......priceless beauty that only comes around once........what will it be???? full speed ahead????? Our problem with time is how we use it???

If we are giving our time to something other than Jesus then we may miss it.............miss the most important relationship of our lives.........

What if you and I had to purchase our time at the beginning of each day??? Would that make it more valuable to us? Would we then slow down and take it all in???? Let's not forget who we are here for!!!!! When God comes back what will HE find??? Busy people??? Just Busy with their lives??? Too busy to stop and walk with the Father?????? God's timing is so different from our timing.......How would He want us to spend our time????? How will He find us when He does return????

Ecclesiastes 3:

A Time for Everything.............
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.


His grace......
Robbie

MASADA.................PART ONE................................................

Masada is one of the chain of fortresses Herod made so ready so he could escape to friendlier lands from those who sought his downfall........According to Flavius Joseph, the first century AD historian, Masada had been "built by our ancient kings." It may have been a "stronghold" where David sought refuge from King Saul....(1 Sam. 22:4).When Herod was done with it, everything about Masada belied its bleak  location on the edge of the Judean wilderness overlooking the Dead Sea.....This same builder of Jerusalem's Temple and the showcase port of Caesarea spared no expense in hewing out Masada's water system.......suspending its three-tired palace impossibly from its northern face, and stocking its storehouses and armory......

Masada is perched on boat-shaped plateau at Sea Level...(look how low the water is...) It is isolated from the surrounding range of mountains....Herod used Masada as a refuge for himself and his family and followers when he fled before the Mattathias Antigonas, who had allied with the Parthians......

Visitors begin their trudge up the ramp the Romans built to conquer Masada 2,000 years ago............................I gaze in fascination at the ramp built by the Roman Soldiers determined to reach their captives.......Scattered around Masada's base are reminders of the enemy encampments.......Amy and I paused at the top of Masada and thought about how it would  feel if, day after day, if my enemy worked  in plain sight.....tirelessly and contemptuously in an effort to kill me or make me a slave???? How could I sleep night after night knowing that my enemy was prowling around like a roaring lion waiting to devour me????? So interesting because Israel still has to sleep night after night worrying about this very same thing!!!! There are so many enemies who want to wipe them off the face of the Earth!!!!.........They are not just protecting themselves,......their existence is at stake!

The Holy Spirit declares the same to Israel as it does to you and me......Put on the full armor of God, so that when the enemy comes our way; that we are able to stand our ground......even after we have done everything we can........STAND...... 

The table-mountain fortress of Masada rises,  from the Dead Sea Valley Floor...........

I was in awe of the views that we could take in standing on Masada.......To see the lazy stretch of the Dead Sea disappearing southward into the rising haze and the waves of mountains that surround it....Masada, so lofty and proud with its squared skyline........Standing atop of Masada sweat beads begin to form on my forehead as the Sun beats down upon our faces.....It is winter now in Israel as the temperature climb to 85 degrees.....

O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?  What does the Lord your God require of  me?  Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul........

Oh Father how I pray for Israel......that: "they would have ears to hear, let them hear what the spirit saith....."(Matthew 11:15).