Joy Today

In the mighty name of Jesus, my "walking with Jesus" friend, may God very specially bless you on this Memorial Day as we remember and honor all our military men and women who "gave the last full measure of devotion," as President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettesburg Address, November 19, 1863. The values they gave their lives to defend and protect are STILL vital to our lives. In the "Declaration of Independence"(July 4, 1776) our Founders wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Lord God Almighty, author of life and liberty in Christ, create in us a heart to honor those who have defended our liberty in the past and who, even today, stand for and fight for the preservance and continuance of our liberties. Keep us grateful, watchful and faithful, Lord. And we will remem...

In the mighty name of Jesus, my "walking with Jesus" friend, may God very specially bless you on this Memorial Day as we remember and honor all our military men and women who "gave the last full measure of devotion," as President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettesburg Address, November 19, 1863. The values they gave their lives to defend and protect are STILL vital to our lives. In the "Declaration of Independence"(July 4, 1776) our Founders wrote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Lord God Almighty, author of life and liberty in Christ, create in us a heart to honor those who have defended our liberty in the past and who, even today, stand for and fight for the preservance and continuance of our liberties. Keep us grateful, watchful and faithful, Lord. And we will remem...

So, we marvel at the deep and compelling faith of Stephen, my "walking with Jesus" friend. And we take opportunity to worship the Lord God, Creator of Heaven and earth, whose love gave us Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. " For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised...Honour and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name, bring an offering and come into His courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, fear before Him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns: the earth also is established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the people righteously." (Psalm 96, selected verses). Worship, prayer, daily reading the Word of God, and regular fellowship with believers are the four essential "legs" of the sturdy chair of solid and growing faith in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's be SURE our Faith-chair has all four sturdy legs! Rejoice in the ...

Stephen was, of course, speaking the truth. A sham " trial," false witnesses and the influence of the High Priest had precipitated the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ, the only Son of God. But, the Council members and elders did not want to hear it. Outraged that Stephen would accuse THEM (who considered themselves high and mighty) to be murderers of the Messiah! Know what they did? Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, they put their hands over their ears, shouted loudly to drown out Stephen's voice, then mobbed him, dragged him out of the city and, as they stoned him to death, they l s I'd their coats at the feet of a Pharisee named Saul. As they hurled their murderous stones at him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and Lord, do not lay their sin against them.' Then he fell to his knees and died. (Acts 7:57-60) Thus, the Apostle Stephen was the first myrter, the first to be put to death for believing in and proclaiming the truth ab...

Stephen was, of course, speaking the truth. A sham " trial," false witnesses and the influence of the High Priest had precipitated the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ, the only Son of God. But, the Council members and elders did not want to hear it. Outraged that Stephen would accuse THEM (who considered themselves high and mighty) to be murderers of the Messiah! Know what they did? Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, they put their hands over their ears, shouted loudly to drown out Stephen's voice, then mobbed him, dragged him out of the city and, as they stoned him to death, they l s I'd their coats at the feet of a Pharisee named Saul. As they hurled their murderous stones at him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and Lord, do not lay their sin against them.' Then he fell to his knees and died. (Acts 7:57-60) Thus, the Apostle Stephen was the first myrter, the first to be put to death for believing in and proclaiming the truth ab...

In the power of the Holy Spirit, my "walking with Jesus" friend, Stephen has already called the Council, the High Priests, Pharisees, Saducees and Scribes "stiff necked, unrepentant" and persecutors of the prophets of God. Strong accusations! ( Is he done yet? No!) "Your ancestors even killed the prophets who predicted the coming of The Righteous One, The Messiah, and when Messiah came you betrayed and murdered Him. Yes, you deliberately killed the One God sent to save you." The Jewish leaders were stung to fury by Stephen's accusation and ground their teeth in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he told them: "Look, I see the heavens opened and Jesus the Messiah standing at the right hand of God."( Acts 7:52-56) "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will tell of all Your marvellous works." directs Psal...

Good Morning, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Now Stephen has reminded the Council that the Lord, in the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah (66:1-2&4b) declared:" The heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you would build me? And where is the place of my rest? For, says the Lord, My hand has made all things...but when I called, none answered, when I spoke, none did hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes and chose abominations." ( Is it comfortable to hear about the past sins of the people in their turning away from God? How much MORE will Stephen say?) The Apostle continued:"O you stiffnecked and unrepentant in heart and ears, you are always resisting the Holy Spirit of God, just the way your ancestors did. Your ancestors persecuted the prophets sent by God to warn you of His wrath against those who received the law by the disposition of the angels of God, but did not keep His law." Stephen told it like it was! How do yo...

In the "name above all names, the name of Jesus"( Philippians 2:9b) May the Lord God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, bless you abundantly, my " walking with Jesus" friend. Now, in Acts 7:42-45, we are amazed at Stephen's continuing testimony: "Because of their abominable idol worship, God turned away from them...and declared that He would send them into captivity far away into Babylon...While still in the wilderness, our ancestors carried along with them a portable temple called a tabernacle, made according to directions God gave Moses...then, in the days of King David, the King desired to build an house unto the Lord, and his son, Solomon did build a temple unto the Lord. However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands; as the prophets have said, the Lord declares: 'Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool.' " Clearly, Stephen wants to impress upon the Council the truth of the unfathomable/ unknowable greatness of ...

Good Morning my " walking with Jesus" friend, Stephen stayed steady in his testimony, continuing: "While Moses was gone for quite some time, up onto the Mountain to meet with God, the people persuaded his brother Aaron to make a golden calf, an idol to be their God to lead them back. 'We don't know what has become of Moses, they cried. So they sacrificed to the golden calf and to other idols they had made, which were an abomination to the Lord." Are WE careful to put GOD FIRST? Careful to have no idols/ no things that we set in our lives as of greater importance that the Lord God Almighty and His requirements? Psalm 113:1-4, declares: "Praise the Lord, O servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord. Blessed be the Name of the Lord from this time forth and even forevermore. From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens." To ...

A flaming bush that is not consumed! Wow, my "walking with Jesus" friend, what a way to get Moses' attention! " And so God sent back the same man his people had rejected, having asked:' Who made YOU a ruler and judge over us?' Yes, Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. And, by means of many remarkable miracles Moses led them out of captivity in Egypt, through the Red Sea and back and forth through the wilderness for forty years. Moses himself told the people of Israel:'God will raise up a Prophet much like me, from among your brothers.' This proved true, for, in the wilderness, Moses was the go between/the mediator between the people and the Lord who gave them the Law of God on Mount Sinai. But, our forefathers. rejected Moses and wanted to return to Egypt." Stephen declared.(Acts 7:35-39) My goodness...return to slavery? The counsel of the Lord is: " Stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made YOU free, and be not entangled ...

My "walking with Jesus" friend, glad to "see" you this morning. Praying for you, that the good Lord is blessing you. Now, in Acts 7:29-34, Stephen continues. In the Land of Midian, Moses married, had two sons and tended the sheep of His father-in-law Jethro. Then, one day, in the desert near Mount Sinai, Angel appeared to Moses in a flame of fire in a bush. There was flame, but the Bush was not consumed by the fire. Moses was amazed. Suddenly the voice of the Lord called out to him: 'I am the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses shook with terror and dared not look. And the Lord said: 'Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing in holy ground. I have seen the distress of My people in Egypt and have heard their cries for help. I will deliver them. Come, I will send YOU to Egypt. And so, God sent back the same man that his people had previously rejected, Stephen explained. And so we understand that, no matter what we may/...

Good morning, my " walking with Jesus" friend. Stephen continued his defence: One day, our bi-cultural man Moses, secretly knowing he was really Hebrew, but having been raised as a Prince of Egypt, as he was nearing his 40th birthday, decided to visit his brothers, the Hebrew people. He found them laboring to make bricks and saw an Egyptian mistreating a man of the Hebrews. So, Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the mud. Moses supposed that his brothers would realize that God had sent him to help them. BUT they DIDN' T. The next day when he visited them again and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. Moses tried to be a peacemaker. Gentlemen, he said, you are brothers and should not be fighting like this. But, the man in the wrong told Moses to mind his own business. 'Who made you a ruler over us," he asked. " Are you going to kill me, like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?' Hearing this, Moses fled (you or I would have fled for sure). He ...

Let's give Stephen a rest for the day, my "walking with Jesus friend, and rejoice in Psalm 121. "I will lift up my eyes to the hills [where they have built temples to various idols, which are an abomination to the Lord. It's ridiculous to expect a man-mad e, guilded statue to be of any assistance.] Oh but MY help comes from the Lord, He is the One who made Heaven and Earth. He has the power to help you be immovable, He who KEEPS you does not sleep. Behold, He who KEEPS His people Israel, neither slumber nor sleeps. Realize that the Lord is your keeper: the LORD is your shade upon your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil: He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even for ever more."(Psalm 121, all 8 verses) What do you think? Pretty awesome what the Lord has promised His people, right? Are we remembering to thank Him ...

A question: when a new ruler arose in Egypt, did he remember Joseph? Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, here's how Stephen continued as he recounted the history of the dealings of God with the Hebrew people. (Acts 7:18-22) "But then a ruler arose in Egypt who had no respect for Joseph's memory. This ruler enslaved our people with great cruelty. About that time Moses was born, a child of divine beauty. His parents hid him at home for three months. And then they put him in a basket in the river, to be discovered and adopted by the daughter of the Pharoah. who raised him as her own. But his nursemaid was his own mother who secretly taught him who his people really were. Even though he was being taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a Prince of Egypt and an orator." Do WE truly KNOW who we are as born again Believers in Christ Jesus, the only Son of Almighty God! Does our faith, and the fruit of the Spirit of the living God, ("Love, joy, pe...

Our brother that we sold into slavery is now in charge of all the grain reserves in Egypt? How amazed his brothers must have been! They meant it for harm. God turned it for good, BECAUSE Joseph kept his heart faithful to the Lord. How wonderful an example that is for us, my "walking with Jesus" friend! Well, Stephen continues testifying to the doings of the Lord with the Hebrew people. The brothers were introduced to Pharoah. "And Joseph sent for His father Jacob to move to Egypt with his brothers, seventy five persons altogether. So, Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt, where he and his sons stayed until they all died. And when the Hebrew people left Egypt, they carried out the bones of JACOB and his sons, so that they are now buried in Shechem in the tomb Abraham bought from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father."(See what important details Stephen knows about the history of his people.)W ell, the Jewish people greatly multiplied in Egypt. And then time drew near ...

Full of the Holy Spirit of God, Stephen continued:"Eleven of the sons of JACOB were very jealous of thebrother named Joseph. Their father Jacob seemed greatly to favor him. They sold Joseph to become a slave in Egypt. [ pretty nasty, right?] BUT God was with Joseph, and delivered him out of all his anguish, gave him favor before Pharaoh, King of Egypt and unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all Egypt, as well as putting him in charge of all the affairs of the palace. Joseph developed a plan to conserve grain in prosperous years, so, when a famine arose in Egypt and in Canaan, Egypt had grain. But our ancestors in Canaan were in great misery because of the famine. Our forefather Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons to buy some. The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers."(Acts 7:9-13) Have you or I ever been dealt with unfairly because of jealosy, or some other circumstance? Did we submit it ...

Full of the Holy Spirit of God, Stephen continued:"Eleven of the sons of JACOB were very jealous of thebrother named Joseph. Their father Jacob seemed greatly to favor him. They sold Joseph to become a slave in Egypt. [ pretty nasty, right?] BUT God was with Joseph, and delivered him out of all his anguish, gave him favor before Pharaoh, King of Egypt and unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all Egypt, as well as putting him in charge of all the affairs of the palace. Joseph developed a plan to conserve grain in prosperous years, so, when a famine arose in Egypt and in Canaan, Egypt had grain. But our ancestors in Canaan were in great misery because of the famine. Our forefather Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons to buy some. The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers."(Acts 7:9-13) Have you or I ever been dealt with unfairly because of jealosy, or some other circumstance? Did we submit it ...

Yes, you probably "caught" the typo. You are right, there is NO "Jack" in the genealogy of the Hebrew people. As you probably figured out, it should read: "Isaac became the Father of JACOB, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs." 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

Good Morning, my " walking with Jesus" friend. Stephen is continuing his defense, by reminding everyone of the long relationship of God's dealings with the Hebrew people. Acts 7:6-8, Finally, in their old age, God blessed Abraham and his wife with a son, Isaac. "And God told Abraham that his descendants would leave the land and live in a foreign country and there become slaves for 400 years. And the Lord said He would punish the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards My people will return to this land of Israel and worship Me here. God also gave Abraham the ceremony of circumcision at that time as evidence of the Covenant agreement between God and the people of Abraham. And so, Isaac, Abraham's son, was circumcised when he was eight days old. Isaac became the Father of Jack, and Jacob was the Father of the twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation." Stephen certainly has the attention of the people. They are proud of their history and it's impressive to...

Good Morning, my " walking with Jesus" friend. Stephen is continuing his defense, by reminding everyone of the long relationship of God's dealings with the Hebrew people. Acts 7:6-8, Finally, in their old age, God blessed Abraham and his wife with a son, Isaac. "And God told Abraham that his descendants would leave the land and live in a foreign country and there become slaves for 400 years. And the Lord said He would punish the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards My people will return to this land of Israel and worship Me here. God also gave Abraham the ceremony of circumcision at that time as evidence of the Covenant agreement between God and the people of Abraham. And so, Isaac, Abraham's son, was circumcised when he was eight days old. Isaac became the Father of Jack, and Jacob was the Father of the twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation." Stephen certainly has the attention of the people. They are proud of their history and it's impressive to...

Falsely accused of using disrespectful language about Almighty God, Stephen stands before the Council. And the High Priest asks him: "How do you answer to these charges?" (Acts 7: 1) How would you or I answer such charges? The answer Stephen gave recounts the entire history of the dealings of God with His chosen people, and occupies 52 verses. (Could you or I accurately recount that history?) We will gradually "walk" through his powerful testimony. So Stephen began his defense: "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Iraq before he moved to Syria, and told him to leave his native land, to say good-bye to his relatives and to start out for a country God would show him. Abraham obeyed God. He left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran, in Syria until his father died. Then God brought him here, to the land of Israel, but gave him no property of his own. However, God promised that eventually the whole country would belong to him and his descen...

Everyone heard the terrible lies against God-fearing, Spirit-filled Stephen when he was brought before the Council. Well, my "walking with Jesus" friend, you remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:" Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you FALSELY, for my sake. Rejoice [what? Rejoice under those circumstances? Yes, that is what Jesus taught] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets before you."(Matthew 5:11-12) When we walk closely with the Lord, doing what He directs, there is inexpressable JOY and a constant sense of His Presence, so that we ARE BLESSED. To be blessed is to be under/to be experiencing the favor and goodness of God. To be Blessed often means to be strengthed in Spirit, and sometimes even strengthened physically or with to overcome difficulties or gain victory in challenging circumstances with grace from ...

Do negatives sometimes prevail? Yes, my fellow "walking with Jesus" friend, sometimes they do, BUT, the Lord often shows up in surprising ways! Let's "walk" through Acts 6:12-.15. The apostle Stephen bests all those who challenge him in spiritual matters. They get mad, call in liars to accuse Stephen of horrible cursing(which we reported yesterday). "And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes came and caught him and brought him to the Council. And set up false witnesses who testified:'This man increasingly speaks blasphemous/disrespectful, words against this holy place and against the religious laws. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the laws which Moses delivered to us." What a bunch of awful lies. But the Spirit of GOD came upon Stephen. "And, even as the Council watched, Stephen's face was brilliantly TRANSFORMED so that he had the radiant appearance o...

"Smooth sailing" now, you think? Let's read on, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Acts 6:8-11. "Stephen, the man full of Faith and the Holy Spirit's power, did spectacular miracles among the people. BUT, one day certain men from a synagogue sect started an argument with him, and were joined by Cyrenians, Egyptians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, all disputing with Stephen. But none of them were able to stand against Stephen's wisdom and spirit."(How do you or I stand up in conversations about faith?) Well, those guys did not like loosing face, so, know what they did? "So they brought in some men to lie about Stephen, claiming they heard him curse Moses...and even curse God." Of course Stephen was a Jesus follower and would NEVER say such things, just as WE would never say such. things...rather, Stephen and you and I would DEFEND the Lord God Almighty, The Maker of Heaven and Earth. Resolutely, may we always say, with the Apostle Paul, ...

"Smooth sailing" now, you think? Let's read on, my "walking with Jesus" friend. Acts 6:8-11. "Stephen, the man full of Faith and the Holy Spirit's power, did spectacular miracles among the people. BUT, one day certain men from a synagogue sect started an argument with him, and were joined by Cyrenians, Egyptians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, all disputing with Stephen. But none of them were able to stand against Stephen's wisdom and spirit."(How do you or I stand up in conversations about faith?) Well, those guys did not like loosing face, so, know what they did? "So they brought in some men to lie about Stephen, claiming they heard him curse Moses...and even curse God." Of course Stephen was a Jesus follower and would NEVER say such things, just as WE would never say such. things...rather, Stephen and you and I would DEFEND the Lord God Almighty, The Maker of Heaven and Earth. Resolutely, may we always say, with the Apostle Paul, ...