Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 23 August 2018

I expect to revise and update later, we have a doctor appointment and must leave soon

BUT:
I am a bit shaken this morning.  As some know, and perhaps I'm not alone, (just more open about things), I get weird semi-vision dreams from time to time..  Not often, but some times.  Had one of them in the early hours.  Was in some sort of gathering, and was "moved", meaning impelled, to stand up and speak.  Some of us who have been in certain roles in churches and similar gatherings have experienced an episode where we were getting a lot of Help in what we were about to say.  No, I'm not getting weird in that, several preachers that I know and respect had stated quite frankly that without Divine Aid, it wouldn't be the same.  Take that for what it's worth.  Not the same as some of these wild-eyed "we've had New Revelation!" types, not at all.
Anyway, in the dream I rose and spoke and forcefully too, though the specifics escape me.  But the Biblical text stayed with me the rest of the night and to this very minute.  I several times mentioned it, Isaiah 6:9-12.  I remember in the dream citing that specific address.  But I couldn't remember what it said!  Now, truly, that is weird by anyone's measurement!  It troubled me, still does, and so, naturally, I looked it up while still in bed (having a Bible loaded on the phone beside you is pretty neat).   Now I am really troubled.

Isaiah 6

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.indeed, but understand: or, without ceasing, etc.: Heb. in hearing, etc.

10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,utterly…: Heb. desolate with desolation

12And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

As we know, that came to pass.  Can it happen again?  I don't know.  But I suspect that a nation that turns its back on the Lord will find that the Lord can do the same.  Not reassuring.

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Next-to-last Thursday in August.  September looms like a dark cloud.  Boo!!

And, today, Wife has doctor appointment ref recently damaged knee.  Not an ER visit thing (even if we could afford  it, which we can't) but she's been in agony for two weeks or more.  I'm neither an M.D. nor a D.O. (our Primary Care doc is the latter) but I'm thinking torn meniscus in the knee.  Not good, and not a good sign either.  But perhaps we shall learn more.
At the same time, plan is for me to get the "blood work" labs done that should have been done more than a week ago before my own regular visit this last Monday.  So a semi-fun time will probably be had by none.  We shall see.

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Job 27

1Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,continued: Heb. added to take up

2As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;vexed…: Heb. made my soul bitter

3All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;the spirit…: that is, the breath which God gave him

4My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

5God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.so long…: Heb. from my days

7Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

8For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

9Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

10Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

11I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.by…: or, being in the hand, etc.

12Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

13This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

14If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

15Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

16Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

17He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

18He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

19The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

20Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

21The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

22For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.he…: Heb. in fleeing he would flee

23Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 28

1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.vein: or, mine

2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.earth: or, dust

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.dust…: or, gold ore

7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

8The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.rock: or, flint

10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.overflowing: Heb. weeping

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.It…: Heb. Fine gold shall not be given for it

16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.jewels…: or, vessels of

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.coral: or, Ramoth

19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.air: or, heaven

22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.declare…: or, number it

28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

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Psalm 148

1Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.Praise ye the Lord. Praise: Heb. Hallelujah, etc.

2Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

3Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

4Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

5Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.

6He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

7Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:

8Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

9Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:

10Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:flying…: Heb. birds of wing

11Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:

12Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:

13Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.excellent: Heb. exalted

14He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.

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Galatians 6

1Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

2Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

3For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

4But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

5For every man shall bear his own burden.

6Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

11Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

12As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

13For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

17From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

18Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 22 August 2018

Good day to all.
A quick scan of the calendar shows that the Equinox, the first day of Autumn, is only about a month away.   😞  .  October begins shortly thereafter.  Like all the months ending in "-er", it makes me think of cold and ice and snow.  Snow is by no means unusual in October, not here in the land of the frost giants and other evil creatures and forces.  We are at a "day" of 13 hours 33 minutes, and will have lost another 2 minutes 33 seconds by tomorrow, so the countdown to misery is advancing ever quicker.  Today's "high", in so-called "summer", is predicted at 70°.  Some summer!
Wife is next door with the little ones (who are apparently still sleeping) as mom and dad are at work.  We do this, gratis, because they need it and also because they do a lot for us.  When our kids were little, Wife and I both had to work, and generally had to pay for sitters and day care, including after-school programs at a local Methodist church.  We do it for love.



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Job 25

1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.

3Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

5Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

Job 26

1But Job answered and said,

2How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

3How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?

4To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

5Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.and the…: or, with the inhabitants

6Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

7He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

8He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

9He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.

10He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.until…: Heb. until the end of light with darkness

11The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

12He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.the proud: Heb. pride

13By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

14Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

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Psalm 147

1Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

2The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.wounds: Heb. griefs

4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.his…: Heb. of his understanding there is no number

6The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

7Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

8Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

11The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

12Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

13For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

14He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.He…: Heb. Who maketh thy border peacefinest…: Heb. fat of wheat

15He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

16He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

17He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

18He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.his word: Heb. his words

20He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.

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Galatians 5

1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

5For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

7Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

8This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

9A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

10I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

11And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

12I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

15But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.