20 February 2018

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 20 February 2018

AMAZING what a good night's sleep does for you.  We shut the cats out of the bedroom when we headed that way.  They fussed and complained for a good while, which we ignored.  So we didn't have a small girl cat roaming over us beginning around 04:30, nor a larger boy cat "doing his business" on the blankets (or on me).  But we also didn't have any heat in there: all our heat comes from a gas fireplace in the living room.  But it was (by local standards) a reasonably "warm" night for this time of year.  So we went down like trees.  I hadn't had a good night sleep since late last week, so it was most welcome.

Later today, off to the doctor's office.  A reprise of the visit last month, which necessitated some "labs" for both of us and a mammogram for her.  Results were shared with us electronically, and appear OK.
And she has another doctor appointment a week hence, an endocrinologist.  Part of the reality of her "complex condition".

My Social Security check hit the bank this morning, so she's busily electronically paying the seriously overdue utility bills.  And also ordering refills on some of her meds.  The intent/hope/plan is to swing by the grocery store en route home from the doctor and pick up a couple  of on-sale items.  She's VERY good at this.

In my early movement this morning, I came across a quote from the estimable J. C. Ryle:

"We must beware of thinking too much about our meals, our furniture, our houses, and all those many things which concern the life of the body.  We must strive to live like people whose first thoughts are about the immortal soul.  We must endeavor to pass through the world like people who are not yet at home, and are not so troubled about the fare they meet with on the road and at the inn.  Blessed are they who feel like pilgrims and strangers in this life, and whose best things are all to come!"

That's beyond dispute.
Now, having said that, we still have to pay the correct amount of attention to the world.  Faith in the Lord does not excuse us from looking  both ways before crossing the street, and there are other realities we have to recognize.  The key of course is that little word "correct".

And, this morning in bed, two songs, neither of them in some of the hymnals.  Worthwhile still.
Pay attention to the words, please do.


Stayed Upon Jehovah    a congregational singing version of it here. 
this one is in some hymnals.  Not all.

Like a river glorious, is God's perfect peace, 
Over all victorious, in its bright increase; 
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day, 
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. 

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand, 
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand; 
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care, 
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. 

Every joy or trial falleth from above, 
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love; 
We may trust Him fully all for us to do. 
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

and also,

Living He Loved Me

if that don't light your fire,  your wood's wet

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The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 11 and 12 of Leviticus.  This begins with the commands regarding things like food that is permitted and that which is forbidden, and then gets into other matters, such as circumcision, even the timing of it.  I understand that some countries, and I believe that Iceland is one of them, that are banning the practice of circumcision.  Probably a way of further oppressing their small Jewish population:  I note that the barbarism of female genital mutilation (which is NOT a parallel, by the way), is NOT being forbidden.   Another example of "selective outrage", such idiocy being frequent among the liberals.

 Leviticus 11
 1  And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3  Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
4  Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
5  And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6  And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
9  These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10  And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
11  They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
12  Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
13  And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14  And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15  Every raven after his kind;
16  And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17  And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18  And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19  And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
21  Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
22  Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
23  But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
24  And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
25  And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26  The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
27  And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
28  And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
29  These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
30  And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
31  These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
32  And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
33  And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
34  Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
35  And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
36  Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
37  And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
38  But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
39  And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
40  And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
41  And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42  Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43  Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.yourselves abominable
44  For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45  For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46  This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
47  To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.



Leviticus 12
 1  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4  And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
5  But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.
6  And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest
7  Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.
8  And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean



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Today, Psalm 37

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.
1  Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed
4  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
10  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12  The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.plotteth: or, practiseth
13  The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14  The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.such…: Heb. the upright of way
15  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16  A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18  The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.the fat: Heb. the preciousness
21  The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22  For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.ordered: or, established
24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.ever: Heb. all the day
27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28  For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.steps: or, goings
32  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33  The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34  Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree
36  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39  But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40  And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

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The New Testament reading today is chapter 9 in the Gospel of Mark.
The Transfiguration.   Need I say more?   That is certainly one of those "I wish I could have been there" moments.  ( and that's the title of a great song too).  But, again, remember that of those present at that wonderful moment, when things got tough, they all ran like rabbits.  Would I, would any of us, have done better?  Not sure, which is a terrible reproach.

 Mark 9
1  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
2  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4  And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5  And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6  For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7  And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8  And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
9  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10  And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
11  And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
12  And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
13  But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
14  And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15  And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20  And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.
31For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
34But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
35  And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
38And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39  But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.


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