Joy Today

Good Morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Have you ever been somewhere, and you just don't want to leave 'cause you are enjoying being there...BUT, you have gotten hungry? What to do...Leave to find dinner? This dilema is reported in Matthew 14:13-21. Jesus was ministering to a great multitude. Filled with compassion, he was healing their sick. "And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, ...send the multitude away so they can go into the villages and buy food. But Jesus told them: they do not need to go away, you give them food. All we have is five loaves and two fishes, they replied. But Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and two fishes, and, LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN, he blessed, and broke the loaves and gave to his disciples to give to the multitude. And all did eat and were filled. And there were 12 baskets filled with the scraps. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, plus women an...

Good Morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Have you ever been somewhere, and you just don't want to leave 'cause you are enjoying being there...BUT, you have gotten hungry? What to do...Leave to find dinner? This dilema is reported in Matthew 14:13-21. Jesus was ministering to a great multitude. Filled with compassion, he was healing their sick. "And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, ...send the multitude away so they can go into the villages and buy food. But Jesus told them: they do not need to go away, you give them food. All we have is five loaves and two fishes, they replied. But Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and two fishes, and, LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN, he blessed, and broke the loaves and gave to his disciples to give to the multitude. And all did eat and were filled. And there were 12 baskets filled with the scraps. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, plus women an...

When he heard of the death of the prophet John the Baptist, "Jesus went alone to a desert place."(Matthew 14:13) When bad news and/or difficult times come upon you and me, we are wise to follow Jesus' example of seeking "alone time." Seeking the Presence of God, away from the noise of demands and duties helps us listen to the Lord, receive His instructions and His comfort...helps us remember His promises: " Behold, I will be with you, even unto the end of the age."( Matthew 28:20) and "I will never leave you nor forsake you."(Hebrews 13:5) and The Lord said: " To all who receive Jesus, who believe on his name, I give the right to become children of God."( John 1:12. And Jesus said:" I am the Light of the World, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life."(John 8:12) "God will keep in perfect peace, the one whose mind is fastened on Him, because he trusts in Him."(Isaiah 26:3...

When he heard of the death of the prophet John the Baptist, "Jesus went alone to a desert place."(Matthew 14:13) When bad news and/or difficult times come upon you and me, we are wise to follow Jesus' example of seeking "alone time." Seeking the Presence of God, away from the noise of demands and duties helps us listen to the Lord, receive His instructions and His comfort...helps us remember His promises: " Behold, I will be with you, even unto the end of the age."( Matthew 28:20) and "I will never leave you nor forsake you."(Hebrews 13:5) and The Lord said: " To all who receive Jesus, who believe on his name, I give the right to become children of God."( John 1:12. And Jesus said:" I am the Light of the World, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life."(John 8:12) "God will keep in perfect peace, the one whose mind is fastened on Him, because he trusts in Him."(Isaiah 26:3...

What happened when the prophet John the Baptist stood up for what is right, and delivered to King Herod God's message: You have done wrong to take your brother's wife, Herodias? Herod had him thrown in prison. And, Herod WOULD have had John killed, BUT, people liked John, so Herod feared that they would riot or something if he had John killed, so he just left him in jail. "BUT, when they were celebrating Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and his guests. And it greatly pleased Herod.* So, he promised, with an oath, to give her whatever she would ask for.* And, having received instructions from her mother, she asked: :'Give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' * Then Herod was sorry for having made the offer, never-the-less, for the sake of keeping his oath, he commanded that what she asked for be done.* So, they brought the head, and she gave it to her mother.* His disciples took the body, buried it and when they told Jes...

What happened when the prophet John the Baptist stood up for what is right, and delivered to King Herod God's message: You have done wrong to take your brother's wife, Herodias? Herod had him thrown in prison. And, Herod WOULD have had John killed, BUT, people liked John, so Herod feared that they would riot or something if he had John killed, so he just left him in jail. "BUT, when they were celebrating Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and his guests. And it greatly pleased Herod.* So, he promised, with an oath, to give her whatever she would ask for.* And, having received instructions from her mother, she asked: :'Give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' * Then Herod was sorry for having made the offer, never-the-less, for the sake of keeping his oath, he commanded that what she asked for be done.* So, they brought the head, and she gave it to her mother.* His disciples took the body, buried it and when they told Jes...

Good Morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Let's think about the " Job Description" for a prophet of God. First of all, he must listen carefully to what God says, and faithfully give that message to the people. Also, when folks are disobeying the rules of the Lord, a prophet is responsible to speak up and tell even a ruler in authority:" God told me to tell you that what you did is wrong. So repent and get right with God. Well now, telling someone that he or she is wrong may make that person mad...But, when God gives you the job of being a prophet, ( or any job!) you need to do it. Even if it's hard. Even if it makes some one mad. So, now we come to Matthew 14:1-12. The prophet John the Baptist preached repentance/ that you must turn away from doing bad things, and follow God. At one point God told him to go to the Capitol, to the ruler named Herod, with the message: it was wrong of him to take his brother Philip's wife. Herod did not like to be...

Say, my "walking with Jesus" friend, what do you do all day long? Yes, that's correct: all day long you and I make decisions, large and small. Thinking about what governs, or directs those decisions, the writer of Psalm 27, said: "The LORD [and nobody and nothing else] IS my light and my Salvation. [Therefore] Whom shall I fear? [ Obviously with Almighty God beside me...fear? No way, of course not] AND, The Lord IS the strength of my life [ best possible source of strength that there is, for sure, therefore] Of whom shall I be afraid? [ are you kidding? Afraid? No way 'cause I stay close to the Lord, He knows me and I know Him] Therefore, when temptations come or distraction or other enemies of my soul enter the scene, man, they stumble and FALL...In my heart, I simply desire to be with and stay close to the Lord, all the days of my life...then He will hide me under His wings...and set my feet upon a ROCK." (paraphrase of verses 1-5) There's a lot to c...

What an amazing red! Thank you, again YOUR ACCOUNT HELP CENTER HELP FORUM This email was sent to you because you indicated that you'd like to receive email notifications for text messages. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please update your email notification settings . Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy Mountain View CA 94043 USA

The hibiscus bush has produced a wonderful, BRINGT RED blossom!!!!! Thank you, Madhvi. I am so excited! Will try to get and send a picture! And, it's on your bro Fred's birthday!! Thank you for the delightful bush. Love to each and every one, Mom/GrandmaEllen🌺 To respond to this text message, reply to this email or visit Google Voice. YOUR ACCOUNT HELP CENTER HELP FORUM This email was sent to you because you indicated that you'd like to receive email notifications for text messages. If you don't want to receive such emails in the future, please update your email notification settings . Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy Mountain View CA 94043 USA

Let's say that, thanks to the Lord, you have a new view of life through a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and his teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven, my wonderful, "Walking with Jesus" friend. And, let's say you go back to your old neighborhood and share the Good News of the Kingdom. And offer to pray for folks. But they just remember the old you, so they pay no attention and do not want your prayers. How would you feel? What would you do? Well, Jesus had that kind of experience when he went Nazareth where he grew up. Matthew 13:53-58, reports: "And when Jesus was come into his own country, he taught in their synagogue. And they were astonished at his teaching, saying, 'where did he get all this wisdom and why is he able to do the mighty works we have heard about? Isn't he the son of the carpenter? And his mother is Mary. And his brothers and sisters are all here...' And Jesus said, Its a fact, a prophet is not honored ...

"Walking with Jesus" is an exciting spiritual adventure, my friend! Who knew ALL that he has told us about the Kingdom of Heaven? What has been MOST important to YOU to learn about the Kingdom of Heaven? What about the grain of mustard seed, a very tiny seed indeed, but it can grow into a tree that shelters the nests of birds! "The Kingdom of God IS within you < and me >, said Jesus.(Luke 17:21) And, like the well-planted mustard seed, it can grow, giving more and more blessing as it grows. "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, both now and for ever. Amen." Counseled the apostle Paul. (2 Peter 3:18) Lets let the Kingdom of God be "planted" in our hearts. Then let's let it grow and grow, becoming a Light to chase away darkness and reveal the Way of the Lord! May God bless you and guide you, my friend. To respond to this text message, reply to this email or visit Google Voice. YOUR ACCOUNT H...

Do you have, in your home, some things that are old and some that are new? Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, in the eighth and last parable in Matthew 13:52. " Jesus unto them, therefore [thinking about everything I have taught you about the Kingdom of Heaven] every scribe[teacher of religious truth] who has been instructed about the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is head of his household, who brings forth, out of his supplies [out of his treasures of learning and understanding] things both new and old." Jesus has taught NEW understanding of some old ideas...So, just as the head of a household may put something old to a new use, in the same way, the disciples, as new, teaching scribes, are called to spread the new word. Yes, God is all powerful, but, He is also to be understood in a new way, as loving the world so much that He sent His Son to die to pay for our sin...its a NEW dimension added to the old understanding of God. "There is always MORE li...

Now, my "walking with Jesus" friend, we come to the seventh and next to the last parable in Matthew 13. (It's not the last parable...Jesus told 30 parables altogether.) "Again,' said Jesus, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was cast unto the sea and gathered in every kind of fish.*When it was full, they drew it into the shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into baskets, but threw away the bad. * So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels shall come forth and shall cut away the wicked from among the just.* And shall cast the wicked into the furnace of fire: and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus asked his disciples, 'Have you understood these things?" The disciples answered, 'Yes, Lord.'( Matthew 13:47-5 And, if we have listened carefully with heart, soul and mind, can we abswer:" Yes, Lord, we understand the meaning of your parables and we are putting the principles to work in our lives....

Oh good, you found your other sandal, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Ready for the next parable? We're learning a lot by listening. And Jesus spoke again, saying: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he finds one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." So, yesterday we heard about a guy who was going to buy a field. While inspecting the field he was considering, he discovers hidden treasure. He reburies the treasure, sells all he has and buys the field with its buried treasure. He was not looking for treasure, BUT he found treasure, recognized it worth and set aside everything else to claim the treasure...set aside all other interests and embraced The Kingdom of Heaven. But, on the other hand, the merchant represents the person who sets out intentionally looking for "a super valuable pearl." One thing these two parables teach us is that different people discover and decide to come i...

"The Kingdom of Heaven Is WITHIN you."(Luke 17:21) Jesus told his disciples. Wow! How exciting and wonderful is THAT, my "walkng with Jesus" friend? What more can we understand about the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus said:" Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field; the which when a man discovers it, he hides it, and for the joy thereof, he goes and sells all that he had, and buys THAT field."(Matthew 13:44) We see and understand that discovering the Kingdom of Heaven is so valuable that we turn away from everything else and devote our FULL attention to the Kingdom of Heaven/to finding and following the will of God. Jesus is the perfect example of a man fully devoted to following the will of God in Word and deed. We learn from him and our lives are filled with love, joy and "the peace of God which is greater than we can understand."( Philippians 4:7) To respond to this text message, reply to this email or visit Google Voice. YOUR...

Good Morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend. What do we know about a kingdom? Of course, it's where a king rules. Psalm 47:7, declares, "God is King of all the earth..." His throne is in Heaven, where He ALSO is King. So, when Jesus speaks of "the Kingdom of Heaven" and teaches us to pray: "Lord, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,"( Matthew 6:9-13) we understand that where the will of God prevails, THERE is "The Kingdom of Heaven." In fact, Jesus told his disciples:" The Kingdom of Heaven is WITHIN you." Yes, of course, when the will of God directs your life, sure enough, "The Kingdom of Heaven IS within you. Wonderful to desire and to pray that the Kingdom of Heaven will be WITHIN me, and to thank God when we are walking close with Him, staying clean from sin, listening to His instructions and following His Will. Tomorrow, another parable about the Kingdom of Heaven ( Matthew 13:33-35) to increase our u...

The crowd has drifted away. Jesus'disciples are gathered around him. Come on, my "walking with Jesus" friend, let's tip toe closer and listen. "Explain to us the meaning of the parable of the wheat and the weeds, said the disciples to Jesus. And Jesus said: He that sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. *The field is the world: the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the weeds are the children of the wicked one. *The enemy that planted them is the devil; the harvest time is the end of the world ; and those who gather the harvest are the angels.* The way the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire is the way it shall be at the end of the world.*The Son of Man [that is Jesus], shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.*And shall cast them into a fire...*THEN, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear; let him hear....

The crowd has drifted away. Jesus'disciples are gathered around him. Come on, my "walking with Jesus" friend, let's tip toe closer and listen. "Explain to us the meaning of the parable of the wheat and the weeds, said the disciples to Jesus. And Jesus said: He that sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. *The field is the world: the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the weeds are the children of the wicked one. *The enemy that planted them is the devil; the harvest time is the end of the world ; and those who gather the harvest are the angels.* The way the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire is the way it shall be at the end of the world.*The Son of Man [that is Jesus], shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.*And shall cast them into a fire...*THEN, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear; let him hear....

Sandals off, feet in the sand, ready to listen, my "walking with Jesus"friend? "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."(Romans 10:17)And Jesus spoke another parable to them:"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field.*But while men slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat...*But when the wheat had sprouted and started to produce a crop, then the weeds also appeared.* So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you plant good seed in your field? So, why does it have weeds?* The owner said to them:'An enemy has done this.' The servants asked:' Do you want us to go pull out the weeds?' * No, said the owner, because you may up-root the good wheat if you do that.*Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to gather out the weeds first, bind them in bundles, and burn them, BUT, gather the good wheat into my barn."(Matthew 13:24-...

Good morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend, what can you think of that is round, yellow and tiny/ the size of the head of a pin? Yes! You are right, to think of a mustard seed, and ready for the parable recorded in Matthew 13:31-32. "Jesus put forth another parable, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: * Which indeed is the tiniest of all seeds: BUT when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and even grows into a tree, so the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." What shall we understand from this parable? Let's rejoice to understand that, no matter how tiny our thoughts of the Kingdom of Heaven are when they get planted, they can grow, and grow, as growing up to become a tree, to become strong and able to provide safe shelter for our lives, the way a tree provides nesting shelter for birds. SO, let's let the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven be planted and grow strong in o...

"Blessed are your eyes, for THEY see: and blessed are YOUR ears, for THEY hear." Jesus tells his disciples in relation to understanding the parable. Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, let's pray to be like the disciples: able truly to see and hear what Jesus is teaching. Oh my, let's listen, he is actually explaining the meaning of the parable of the farmer who planted seed. "When anyone hears the teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away whatever was planted in the heart. That is the person who received seed on bare ground. The seed on stony ground lacked soil and withered. That's like the person who has no roots and gives up when things get tough. And the seed that fell among thorns is like the one who hears the word but allows the cares and riches of the world to choke out the Word. But, the one that received seed in good ground is he who hears and understands and acts on the word,...

Morning here in the vineyard is very refreshing, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Do you enjoy the quietness and warmth of the early sunshine too? Do we ask ourselves: What am I ATTATCHED to? and,What influence on me IS what I am ATTATCHED to? Jesus gave thought to those questions. He used the imagery of the vine to tell his disciples: "I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in/stays attatched to me will bear much fruit...For, without me, you can do nothing of Eternal Value." (John 15:5) Me? A branch in the vine which is Jesus Christ, the very Son of God? How great and wonderful is THAT! Help me keep securely ATTATCHED to You, Lord Jesus. Let me not wander away. Let me not get lost in any other attachment...no other attachment is so wonderful as to keeping my life straight,clean, productive with wisdom from Above, available just for asking and with careful listening to YOUR Holy Spirit, Lord. Thank You for the love, joy and peace that come with being a b...

Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, when Jesus began to teach, using parables, the disciples wanted to know: Why use parables? How would you or I answer that question? Let's remind ourselves that Jesus concluded the parable of the SOWER with this statement:" He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Here is the answer Jesus gave: "You, my disciples, have become able to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. That gift of discernment is not given to everyone.* To everyone that HAS, more will be given, and he will have abundance, BUT, whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even what he has. *Therefore, I speak to the crowd in parables: because they have sight, but they don't see; they have hearing, but they do not hear, neither do they understand. ..* This people's hearts have become hardened and their ears are dull, and they have closed their eyes..." Jesus knew that SOME people may hear the Word of the Lord, but they are not really...

Yes, you are right, my "walking with Jesus" friend, a Parable is a story told to teach a lesson. By the sea, Jesus now teaches with a Parable. See what you think Jesus is teaching:" Behold a farmer went out to plant seeds. And some seed fell by the wayside and was eaten by birds. And some seed fell on stony ground where there wasn't much soil. It sprang up, then withered because it had no deepness of earth...and some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked the sprouts. But, some of the seed DID fall into good ground, and brought forth a harvest, some one hundred fold, some sixty fold and some thirty fold. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."(Matthew 13:1-9) Yes, the seed is the Word of God. Are we bare ground? Are we stony ground or full of thorns? OR, are we goid soil? In good soil/in ready hearts and minds, the seed of the Word takes root, grows up strong and yields a harvest of Righteousness. Let's pray to be good soil, receptive to ...