Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 24 January 2018

A lot in my mind today.  Perhaps more later on.  Perhaps.
one correction from yesterday:  I omitted the link to "My Help Cometh From The Lord"..  My fault.

Wife was not up to the secondary (smaller) monthly shopping trip yesterday, so it was delayed until today.  And today she's feeling even worse, so the plan is for me to head out shortly.  Icy roads and wrecks around the area, a "normal" in this area.

didn't happen.  She's not up  to it, and right now neither am I.  The snow continues to fall here, not heavily but continuously.  Staying home, eating Cold-Eze, Mucinex, and drinking it down with the Wal-Mart version of Alka-Seltzer cold relief.  With lots of fluids.

A week from tomorrow will have us past January and into the month of February.  Now, February isn't great, but it does have the virtue of being the shortest of the months.  So, well, I'm trying to be positive, which is not always easy.

I was actually able to run a washer load of clothes yesterday (and, please, no nasty remarks that claim a loss of manhood for doing it:  I was a bachelor for 15 years and if I hadn't washed clothes and dishes, it could have gotten ugly).  That may not seem significant, but if you'd been utterly without water for more than 2-1/2 weeks, as we were, little things like washing clothes, dishes, even your face, without hauling water into the place, get to be pretty significant events in your life.  So I did a load.  Now, they were primarily Wife's things, and she's taken to things that have lots of  artificial fibers that have to be hung to dry.  And, as I accuse her, are to be washed in virgin's tears during the first 20 minutes of the full moon while chanting incantations in long-lost Celtic tongues.  Which may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one.  So the shower rod is currently occupied with spandex leggings and the long tops she wears to cover things when she wears them in public.
My stuff, well, nothing so far.  Our dryer still doesn't dry.  In a week or so, depending on other necessary outlays, we intend to place an order for a new heating element for it.  About 15 years ago, she worked in the office of a local (in west Arkansas) rent-to-own / cash advance joint and sometimes helped (or watched) the crew refurb some of the appliances, like dryers.  So she knows far more about this than do I.  So, Lord willing, we'll be able to wash & dry clothes here.  For the last few months, I've been doing the washing here (when we had water) and then hauling the sodden mess to a nearby laundromat for the drying part of the cycle.  Nothing I haven't done before: in those long-distant bachelor days, I always hauled my clothes to a laundromat.  And at 02:00, as it often was, you didn't have a crowd.  Though you did have some "interesting" people there sometimes.  I don't have that issue these days.
But, again, this is one of those blessings that in time we take for granted, as if we are somehow "owed" these conveniences.  Nothing could be further from the truth, of course.  But we are prone to this failure to recognize our blessings and be grateful.




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Our reading for the day in the Old Testament for the day is chapters 47 and 48 in the Genesis.
Israel has found a safe place in Egypt, with Joseph providing for them a refuge that would have been impossible any other way.

Genesis 47

47:1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

47:2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.

47:3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.

47:4 They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

47:5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:

47:6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

47:7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

47:8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?

47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

47:12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

47:13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

47:16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

47:17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

47:18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

47:19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

47:20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.

47:21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

47:22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

47:23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

47:24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

47:25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.

47:26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.

47:27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

47:29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

47:30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

47:31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.

Genesis 48

48:1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

48:2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

48:4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

48:5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

48:6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

48:7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

48:8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?

48:9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

48:11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.

48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.

48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

48:15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

48:17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

48:18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

48:21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

48:22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.


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Our reading in the Poetry section today is Psalm 18.  Another one that really needs to be read out loud, and with feeling, or sung, as the Psalms often have been and were probably so intended.
There is a modern arrangement of this, or at least it's based upon this.

Psalm 18

18:1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

18:4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

18:10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

18:11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

18:12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

18:14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

18:15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18:18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

18:20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

18:22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

18:23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

18:24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

18:25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

18:27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

18:29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

18:31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

18:32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

18:33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

18:34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

18:36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

18:37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

18:38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

18:39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

18:40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

18:41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

18:42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

18:43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

18:44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

18:45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

18:46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

18:47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

18:48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

18:50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.


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Our passage in the New Testament today is chapter 18 in the Gospel of Matthew
This is Jesus teaching, and these are not suggestions, they are commands.  Treat them as such.  Is it hard?  Most assuredly!  We can not do these things, we can not become that kind of person, without His presence in us and our obedience to Him.  There simply is no other way.

Matthew 18

18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

18:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.