Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  

2 Timothy 1:9, 10

This is Timothy writing, under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  He is a relatively young church leader, young in age but a sage in wisdom  He grew up on Paul’s team that traveled far and wide, now settled some and looking after the welfare of the new churches that are springing up in many different cultural setting in the Empire.

The door of salvation is now open, because Jesus paid the price and broke the powers of death and gave us newness of life in Jesus Christ.  Timothy hastens to remind us that this is the work of the saving God! It is the blessed free gift to us!

Timothy reminds us that this was not an afterthought but was in the heart of God from the beginning.

The Good News is that God has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  He destroyed death and brought life through the Gospel.

I hear these words ringing and singing in my ears.  It is all there for me and for you.  We need only repent of our old ways and live in Jesus Christ who has done it all!  Praise his Name forever!

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jude 24, 25

Jude is a close relative of Jesus, physically.  He has the heart of a pastor, and the gifts of a teacher.  He wrote his short letter to those who were following Jesus in good or evil times.

He reminds his readers to follow Jesus who has saved them because they can not fight the battles against the devil in their own strength, they need to live in the reality of Jesus’ victory.   The Lord does keep them from stumbling so that they can stand before Him without fault and with great joy.

If that is not enough, he goes on to speak words that describe the new reality.  The center of it all is God our Savior, to Him be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Jesus is the center of it all.  None of these spiritual blessings are possible without Him.  But with Him we are ushered into a new reality!  Redeemed life!

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

“Washed, sanctified, justified in Jesus and the Spirit of God.”  This is almost too good, too precious.  These are not simply three words, easily understood and meaningful.  The surprise is – this describes who I am in Jesus, and you as well.  Washed from sin, sanctified and set apart for God, fully justified because Jesus paid every bill!

I see no distinction here between those who believed in the time of Paul and all the generations until now. Nor do I see any things we must attain to please God.  That all happened when Jesus’ blood sets us free.  This promise stands as eternal truth!

A few years ago we bought four frogs, this type, for our pond.  Now, we have a whole chorus of frog songs and gasps and gutturals.   We do enjoy our frogs.  They inhabit our pond along with fish and snails.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

This is for followers of Jesus Christ, then, now and forever.  It makes no sense at all to non-believers.  But is full of meaning for us who believe.  It is the key to all spiritual freedom!

All of us are being changed as we look at the Lord with open, unveiled faces which allows us to reflect the glory of the Lord.  Veiled faces reveal troubled faces that do not reflect the glory of the Lord.  This describes all unbelievers.

Furthermore, we who have no veils on our faces are being transformed into his image. By reflecting on his face we are profoundly changed.  I am discovering this more and more – even at age 91!  But I need to think more about “the intensifying glory.”  Always deeper and more profound.

Is this “heaven talk” or is it for me, here and now?  It is clearly for you and me now, here on this Thursday morning in Lancaster, Pennsylvania!  Lord, may my thirst for you grow and grow.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

John 4:10

This is my passage for the day. John 4:10, an insight into Jesus’ words with the Samaritan woman at the well in Samaria.  I find this interesting because Jews usually traveled the Jewish route traveling between Galilee and Judea, thus avoiding Samaria as much as possible.  Jesus, early on in his ministry, determined to go north through Samaria, unfamiliar territory to ritually clean Jews!

Jesus disregarded that so I should not be surprised when I see him actually speaking to a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from the well.  I think this is the first extended conversation we have as Jesus speaks with a non-Jew.

It opens doors into the reason Jesus came, to save all people.  That was a startling thing then, and just as startling now as people from all over the earth are inheriting the Kingdom of God that Jesus is offering.  My greatest joy was and is offering Jesus to all in our world.

What was he offering?  “Living water.”  That must have sounded strange to the woman, what was that?   She was just drawing ordinary water.  Surprise lady, this man gives living water, the water of eternal life, to all who believe. We see that Jesus including her in people who would turn to Jesus Christ, the water that is life-giving.

I need to sit for a while at the side of that well, dug originally by Jacob, many years in the past.  I can see Jacob, in my mind’s eye, watching this woman draw from his well!  A life of surprises, to be sure.  Jesus is the water that truly satisfies!  Drink and live!

This is a female hummingbird that enjoys our feeder.  We think that these wee wonders are something special.  The camera humms a bit when they look like this!  Pituresque!

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

Come to think of it, I need discipline.  I need to constantly align my heart and mind in line with Jesus’ way.  This is at times painful because my personal feelings do not always please God.  It is here that I need the discipline that comes from above. I realize that I must release my grip on myself and stand before God ready to listen to him!  It is always painful to let go of control but it is the only way.

When I do realize that my desires need to get aligned with God’s will for me, then I turn to him and in a moment I discover, all over again, that God’s way must be my way and there before me I see clearly the way of life in Christ Jesus.  At first it is unpleasant but then – believe me, the fruit and harvest is righteousness and peace.  I am finding that in my advanced age, the ways of God do not change.  I learned obedience by the revelation of Jesus Christ long ago and that vision is before me as clear as crystal today.

Lord Jesus, keep me learning the Way!  Teach me when I am going through some trial that the result is righteousness and peace.  Thank you for all the training is this regard that has kept me and will continue to do so until we meet face to face in glory!

We have a few milkweed plants, less than a dozen.  But enough to attract monarch butterflies to lay their eggs, see them hatch and produce beautiful larvae like this one.  The bottom head is the real one, the top one is a lure, I suppose.