Scripture for the Week

A text for strength, protection, perseverance and the remembrance of God.

http://bible.com/1/PSA3.1.KJV

Lord , how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

But thou, O Lord , art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O Lord ; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord : thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

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God's Cover, and Justice

http://bible.com/n/1EBYL Our Attempt to Cover Ourselves vs. God's Cover for Us

Remember the Rainbow

By Jean Ricot Dormeus

I would like to start by giving praise and honor to God. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! Joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.  

After a baptism ceremony at Morris Bay, I was heading home while it was raining intermittently. Upon leaving Valley Church, I notice a wonderful rainbow that caught my attention. I believe all of us are used to seeing rainbow, but its beauty artful disposition in the sky have never ceased amazing us. Well, I delighted at that sight, but for some reason it sticks to my mind. The rainbow reminds me of Noah’s experience. It symbolizes God’s grace and love. The Lord made a commitment not to destroy the Earth by flood again despite the spread of sin.  Besides I came across Ezekiel 1:28 that tells me that the glory of the Lord is like the rainbow. It reads: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake”.  

Now I have always thought that the glory of the Lord would be like blinding light, a very bright halo surrounding him. I take this idea from John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. And I tried to connect the light with the rainbow. I understand that rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by refraction of light in water droplets in the atmosphere, resulting in a spectrum of light, a multicolored arc appearing in the sky.  

Did you know that the rainbow has seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet? Likewise, we would have seven compelling reasons to have Jesus as our light and to walk in his light, as it is written: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” Ps 119:105.  

The first color of the rainbow is red. You know, red is the color of blood and fire. It symbolizes life and energy, because the light imparts life. The first compelling reason why we must walk in the Jesus light is: Jesus gives life, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10.  In some areas with long winter darkness periods, people develop a disease called “Seasonal Affective Disorder” or SAD, showing depression and overcome by gloomy thoughts. The cure available to these people is exposure to the light that restores their health.  

Agriculture professionals know quite well that plants convert light energy, normally from the sun, into oxygen. This process called photosynthesis maintains atmospheric oxygen levels and supplies all of the organic compounds and most of the energy necessary for all life on Earth. Also you have heard about the phenomenon call heliotropism. Have you ever seen a bent or crooked tree? Well, these trees simply try to point in the direction of the sun. In the same way, you will see flowers turning to the sun. On a tree, fruits exposed to the sun tend to be more abundant and sweeter.  

You see, we have life in Jesus, because he is the light of the world. When we walk with him, we walk in the light; when we turn to him exerting tropism to him, our life becomes more vibrant, more successful, and more joyful. There is plenty life and health in Christ.  

The second color of the rainbow is orange. Orange is the color of harvest. It is a combination of red and yellow, and symbolizes enthusiasm and encouragement. Because, orange is the color of harvest that is facilitated by the heat, it reminds us of the law of sowing and reaping, as Apostle Paul say in Galatians 6:8, “he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”, and in Hebrews 12: 11, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way”.  

When we dwell in the light of Jesus and the Holy Scriptures, we sow to the Spirit what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable, we think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. As a result we have a peaceful harvest of right living and life everlasting. Whatever we do, we need to assess the consequences. Only Jesus guarantees authentic success in this life and everlasting happiness when he comes again.  

The third color of the rainbow is yellow. Yellow is the color of sunshine and symbolizes joy, honor and loyalty. The sunshine drives away darkness and ignorance, as it reveals the truth. There is one truth, and a multiplicity of errors. God said: “let there be light; light came and darkness had to flee. Likewise, when we stick to God’s truth and the Bible teachings, we tend to ban evil, lie and error from our lives.   

Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” Mat 5:16. He also said “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” John 17:17. When Jesus is our light, we walk in the truth and we remain loyal to God.  

The fourth color of the rainbow is green. Green is my favorite color. It is the color of nature and symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness. It is the most restful color for human eyes. A friend of mine was doing some professional activities going up and down a large area in Antigua. She told that she felt a warm sense peace. As lush green nature promotes peace, Jesus light drives away worries, stress and anxiety. Usually we are stressed out when we are in the dark, because we don’t know what’s going on.  

When I was a boy, I used to live in a city where there was no power. In the night a group of us would in sit on my Mom’s gallery; we would tie a thread into a piece of cord place on the other side of the street. When a passerby was approaching in the dark, we would pull the cord letting them think it was a snake and they would be startled or run. In the dark, anything startles us, we take a pebble for a rock and we tend to become negative and alarmist, therefore losing our peace. In the light, we are not afraid because we see clearly.  

Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” John 14:27. When we walk in the light of Jesus, we grow harmoniously, as we become positive, hopeful and abounding in peace.  

The fifth color of the rainbow is blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean. It symbolizes trust, faith, confidence, stability and constancy. It points us to the constancy of the light. You know that the light always travels a distance of 300 000 km per second. Our God, as the source of light, is constant; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” Hebrews 13:8. As Christians, we need to be consistent; we cannot love today and hate tomorrow or be kind today and rude tomorrow.  

It is also written, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. Because we walk in Jesus light, our faith grows and we remain confident as we progress in life. And God gives the consistency that leads to victory.  

The sixth color of the rainbow is indigo. Indigo is the color of a plant used for dyeing cloth. It symbolizes spirituality that guides us. We I was a boy, they used to utilize indigo for white clothes laundry. It disguises hints of yellow and makes the garments whiter. Not only Jesus is the perfect indigo that makes us as white as snow, he guides us through the Bible because he is our light. When we land by night, usually two columns of light on the runway guide the pilot to the arrival area and someone with a phosphorescent stick guides him until the gate.  

As indigo whitens a white garment or changes it colors, and as the sun transfers light to the moon for it to shine, so Jesus, the perfect light transforms us. It is to accomplish what is written: “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” Eph 5:8.  

The seventh and last color of the rainbow is violet. It combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, wisdom. This is to remind us that God is Lord of Lord and King of Kings. Every light originates in him. He is the source of power and wisdom. He has given us the Holy Scriptures to inject wisdom in us, drop by drop, day by day until the day of our perfection in Christ.  

If we walk in the light, we will become powerful and wise. We will develop a noble character and enjoy the luxury of righteous living. As Jesus said in John 8:12, if we will follow him, we won’t walk in darkness, but will have the light of genuine life.  

Let’s remember that God is light and the rainbow reflects his glory. Let’s also remember the seven colors of the rainbow to enhance our spiritual life: Red: color of blood that symbolizes life. Jesus has come for us to have everlasting life. Orange: color of harvest that symbolizes enthusiasm and encouragement. We need to sow to the Spirit to reap everlasting life. Yellow: color of sunshine that symbolizes joy and loyalty. Let’s stick to the truth and remain loyal to God. Green: color of nature that symbolizes peace and harmony. Let’s abound in the peace that only Jesus gives. Blue: color of the sky and the sea that symbolizes faith and constancy. We must endure and remain consistent until the end, just as God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Indigo: color of the dyeing plant that symbolizes spirituality that transforms. Only Jesus can transform us for eternal life. Violet: color that combines red and blue and symbolizes power and wisdom. The Holy Scriptures will make us wise for salvation.     

Brethren, lets walk in the light as we remember the rainbow.     

God bless you all!

Love Your Way To Victory

by Jean Ricot Dormeus

 I remember when I was in my last year of primary school I had a teacher very good at math that used to wow us. No math problem seemed too hard for him. He caught my attention and admiration so much that I was wondering if there was any secret that could bring me to his level. Now I know there is no secret other than study and practice. However I realized there is a secret in life that can help us solve any problem, devise and implement any lofty dream or plan, and develop any lasting pleasant relationship. Do you want to know what this secret is?

This secret imparts power, happiness, robust health and wealth. When you hold it, you are able to touch even the coldest heart. It puts a smile on our face and makes the heart fond of good and life. It places you on cloud nine and makes you enjoy the finest pleasures on earth. Can you guess what this universal secret is?

 The most powerful secret on earth creates a warm, velvet and sweet climate that creates joy and satisfaction. It triggers generosity. By the way, a friend of mine was telling that his son was a hard, stingy man until he bumps into this secret that makes him a tender-hearted man and joyful giver. Have you imagined what the secret is?

Actually this secret is my favorite topic. Jesus himself is its embodiment and called it the greatest commandment ever. If you abide by it, your life will be satisfying and fulfilling. I believe today’s message deserves your attention, because it can transform, improve and embellish your life, it can uplift your feelings and thoughts, it can fill you with contentment, regardless of your current circumstances.

In the most glorious and thrilling poem on this secret, Apostle Paul called it the greatest of these things”. Brothers and sisters, behold Paul’s timeless hymn:

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸ Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages^[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

⁹ Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

¹⁰ But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

¹² Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Let love be your highest goal!” (1 Corinthians 13 and 1 Cor 14:1)

We can always love our way to victory, well-being and strong relationships. Let’s read Mark 12:28-34

Let me tell you a story that illustrates with awesome clarity how love works. In my Mom’s house, not far from the right front sprung up an edge crowned by a hand pump that reveals the presence of a well providing water for different uses. This dark green pump shows a beam serving as handle to operate it, a spout where the water gushes forth, and an upper bowl to prime the pump. I find the priming system interesting. One would think that it suffices to operate the bean to get water, but you can invest all your energy and strength without getting a drop of water. You have to give some water to the pump to receive back. You have to fill the upper bowl with water, then operate the beam so that water gushes out. The priming system reminds of love, you have to give in order to receive. Reason why God loved first by giving his only begotten son so that we can easily love him.

The three synoptic gospels report this teaching of Jesus on love. The structuring of the three narratives follows a reverse progression. In Matthew 22 and Mark 12, the sequence of the teaching goes from the resurrection to Christ’s filiation, meaning his nature, passing by love, and in Luke 10, it goes from the exalting victory of the seventy disciples to closeness with Jesus passing by love. The positioning of the passage constitutes a message per se: we first have to accept the divine nature of Christ and closeness with him, then love in keeping with the Holy Scriptures to finally access life and victory. The whole Bible content is summarized in this structuring.

This teaching of Jesus on love was delivered at the end of his life. It was as important as the Sermon on the Mount which marked the beginning of our Savior’s ministry. Jesus was heading to Calvary, toward the ultimate sacrifice for humankind’s salvation, so he wanted to sear a special mark on the mind of his hearers. The rationale of this teaching was simple: love or perish. It was an important moment when the crowd came to acclaim Jesus for his triumphal entry in Jerusalem when many spread their garments and leafy branches on the road while shouting “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Mark 11: 9. Christ’s message was delivered in a special place, Jerusalem, the city of the great King, in the temple where he had just driven out vendors and buyers. It’s not proper for a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem to quote Luke 13:33.

All the Law and the Prophets hang on love for God and fellow men. Jesus addressed this message to a doctor of the law representing those who think they know of other secret than love to please God. The message presents itself in the form of a fork: 

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

‘There’s one more thing,’ she said excitedly.. ‘What’s that?’ came the Pastor’s reply.

‘This is very important,’ the young woman continued. ‘I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.’

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing Quite what to say..’That surprises you, doesn’t it?’ the young woman asked.

‘Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,’ said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. ‘My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along it’s message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners,I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming…like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!’

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork ..the best is yet to come.’

The Pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.

He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did.She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over,the Pastor heard the question, ‘What’s with the fork?’ And over and over he smiled..During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either..

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed Cherish the time you have , and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility. And just remember…keep your fork! (Taken from Something Better is Coming)

“Hold on to your fork, for the desert is yet to come”. A fork has four prongs and allows eating in a clean manner. Likewise, Christ’s message contains four essential elements and allows biting into life with appetite and relish, in a clean manner.

Love does not flourish by nature, but by nurture; it must be learned, this is the first prong of the fork. Jesus includes in the greatest commandment the phrase “Hear, O Israel”. Hear calls for the attention of the audience, it means put yourself in a state of receptivity, learn and retain so that you do not love as the anaconda loves its prey. Why do we have to hear? Because, love must be learned. It goes beyond feelings or wild emotions to follow the sure way that leads to happiness. God’s law and Paul’s precepts found in 1 Corinthians 13 display the constitutive elements of love. Many people express love by inflicting suffering, or exploitation, or looking for their own satisfaction. This morning, Jesus tells us: hear, o Israel and receive instruction, learn how to cultivate a love filled attitude, learn how to speak with love, learn how to think with love.

Love is an initiative coming from the heart; love’s mobile is that God is unique and created our neighbor unique, this is the second prong of the fork. Notice that Jesus invokes no condition to love God and fellow men. The only reason he gives is God is the only Lord. In the same way God is unique, every human being is unique. I believe we are about seven billion currently on earth; therefore there are seven billion different fingerprints, seven billion different faces, seven billion different personalities. Because every human being is unique, we must love him/her as our only fellow man/woman on earth, as ourselves.

Notice that Jesus does not say“love the Lord your God, because he loved you first”, or “love your neighbor if he loves first”. The commandment is simple, love whether you are loved or not. Love is an initiative coming from ourselves, not a reaction. Reason why we do not treat others the way they treat us, but as God requires. Anger, rudeness, disrespect even in the most adverse circumstances are excluded by love. The power to love is accessible to everyone.

Love is total and the yardstick for love is ourselves, because we must love others as ourselves, that’s the third prong of the fork. We need to love ourselves as God’s masterpieces. Then we will be able to extend our affection, goodness, kindness and care to others. We are often indulgent or complacent with ourselves, while we tend to be exigent and even critical with others. Let’s ponder our lives to see if we love the irritable fellow, the negative and complaining neighbor, the unpleasant boss, the pessimistic and wicked church member.

Love looks for what is good with others, what deserves approval, qualities and virtues. It does not look for defects or vices and it corrects them with sweetness and patience.

There is no commandment greater than these, meaning if there is one thing you can do for God and fellow men it is to love them, this the fourth prong of the fork. Love is the lubricant for happiness and good relationships. When we fail to entertain goods relations with others, we have to question our pump; did we prime it the right way? Did we operate the beam as required? Isn’t the pipe that links the well to the pump clogged? Very often we will realize that by changing ourselves and our way of thinking about the other and his actions and attitude, we transform the relationship for the better. Force is often powerless and even causes rebellion, but love operates as honey that attracts ants and restores harmony.

The greatest commandment generates the greatest power in us. Have you heard the story of Kyrie and Brielle Jackson? Born identical twins and 12 weeks premature in Worcester, Massachusetts, the tiny sisters barely weighed two pounds each. Kyrie quickly began gaining weight, but little Brielle had breathing and heart–rate problems, her blood oxygen level low, her weight gain very slow. Then suddenly four weeks into her journey, Brielle began gasping for air, her tiny face and stick arms turning bluish-gray, her heart rate shooting high, and dangerous hiccups putting her body under stress. Neonatal-intensive-care-unit nurse Gayle Kasparian desperately tried to stabilize her, but to no avail. Then the nurse recalled a “double bedding multiple birth babies” procedure common in Europe but forbidden in the US for fear of passing infection. Kasparian scooped up Brielle and placed her in the incubator beside sister Kyrie. And according to news reports, in that very moment Brielle’s oxygen levels suddenly soared, her breathing became less labored, her crying stopped, and a normal pinkish complexion spread. Someone snapped a picture of the preemie sisters in their shared incubator. The picture? Lying on their tummies side by side in the incubator and sound asleep, Kyrie has her little arm draped around the shoulders of Brielle, tiny friends in repose. They called the picture “the rescuing hug”. Our hugs, smiles, kindness, service and other expressions of love can rescue a desperate brother or sister.

You probably have noticed that the scribe of the doctor of the law repeated word by word the teaching of Jesus (Mark 12:32) showing that he understood and wanted to always bear this message in mind. The lesson for us is that every day we need to read a thought of love and examine an aspect of 1 Cor 13. We must also extend a smile or a word of love or a favor to someone. That’s what we call the culture of love, otherwise the influence of TV, radio stations or street talks will flood our minds, and before we know it we will start reproducing them. Let’s prime the pump of love every day.

You notice the last word of Jesus to the doctor of the law: if you can repeat this message while stressing that you believe in it, you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. In other words, the culture of love draws near to the kingdom of God. Love is life. Note as well that two of the most important organs in our body, the heart and our reproduction organ are pumps. God gave us these organs to remind us that we must prime the pump of love by expression affection and kindness.

Jesus’ message on love is extremely important for us. When did he deliver it? He was heading to Calvary, after a triumphal welcome. Where? In Jerusalem, the City of the great king. How? Through a structure of reverse progression, between the teaching on resurrection and that on accepting Jesus. Why? That while practicing love we fully enjoy life. To whom? To a doctor of the law, somebody would think he knew it all, but in fact the message was addressed to the crowd and to all of us.

Do you remember the pump? Let’s prime it every day, by injecting some love in the life of someone. Our main concern should be to give love because that’s the only way we can abundantly receive.

You will also remember this Jesus’message was presented in the form of a fork. When we hold this fork dear every day, we will joyfully eat with appetite and majesty at the table of life with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and we will spend eternity with Jesus our Lord, Savior and Instructor.

Did I tell you “I love you all”? I really do. May God bless you!