One Walk

Dear Lord God, today Your Holy Spirit is speaking to me about how impossible it seems to be for me to live, walk and work under the sun; the ways under the sun seem filled with selfish, self-centered, pride, personal satisfaction and desires over the needs of others, ambition at all cost, and is void of Your presence, or is it me. I believe more and more what Gama’li-el says in Acts 5:34 today, ‘if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.’ O Lord as the Psalmist cry’s out so do I, "You LORD are my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? You LORD are the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? This one thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! I wait on the LORD; trying to be strong, and letting my heart take courage from this belief; yea, I wait for the LORD!

How sweet it has been to me to be deprived of the delights of a frivolous world! What incomparable joy have I felt after a privation once so dreaded.

— St. Augustine

Acts 5:34-42

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gama’li-el, a teacher of the law, held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while. 35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you do with these men. 36 For before these days Theu’das arose, giving himself out to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was slain and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" 40 So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. 13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

John 6:1-15

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber’i-as. 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!" 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

/      raangulo

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Dear Lord God, I cannot help but against the backdrop of the tragedy at VT and the realization that such horrors are taking place else where around the world on a regular basis.  There is evil in the world, but You God are good, and all that You created is good. So where does such evil come from. It roams like a lion around all of us waiting to devour us and anyone around us. We must be and live in the Spirit, even when lonely and brokenhearted, even when touched by the ways of illness, suffering and tragedy under the sun. We must see with ‘eyes of faith’ we must be watchful of the lion and prepare ourselves by girding our waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:14-18). We must have courage and character to be the righteous, for as in the words of Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, testimony before the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee.

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. "The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed…I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:

      Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

      Your words are empty air.

      You’ve stripped away our heritage,

      You’ve outlawed simple prayer.

      Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

      And precious children die.

      You seek for answers everywhere,

      And ask the question "Why?"

      You regulate restrictive laws,

      Through legislative creed.

      And yet you fail to understand,

      That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat…

There is no doubt that God sent Darrell Scott as a voice crying in the wilderness. Will we listen, will we hear him. Dear Lord God that is my prayer today that we realize that You LORD are near to the brokenhearted, and You are there to save the crushed in spirit. But, He whom You sent utters Your words, for it is not by measure that He gives the Spirit; You love Your Son, and have given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; help us to listen to the Spirit, to obey, to have the courage to bring You back into our everyday life, everyday, and to speak up to the weak and poor who cannot speak for themselves. All this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior, and the only answer to the evil under the sun. Amen

"I Am A Voice" sung by Trish Short,

Idleness begets a life of discontent. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our miseries, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.

— St. Ignatius Loyola

Acts 5:27-33

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us." 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." 33 When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

Bible Study: [17-42] A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf Acts 4:1-3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18-24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6-11; 16:25-29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Deut 13:6-10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission.

Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad. 9 O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! 17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Bible Study: [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Psalm 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Psalm 34:5-11) and give them protection (Psalm 34:12-22).

John 3:31-36

31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; 35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

Bible Study: [31-36] It is uncertain whether these are words by the Baptist, Jesus, or the evangelist. They are reflections on the two preceding scenes.

/      raangulo

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Dear Lord God, today I lift up in pray to You all those asking why? That through the Holy Spirit You would comfort and bring peace and understanding into their spirit, awakening their hearts to Your awesome power so they will know that they do not have to walk a lone. Dear Lord God help them to over come their mind’s conditioning to the ways under the sun. Help them to believe and to welcome Your light into their life. Provide them with some sign that would cause them to see You in the midst of their tribulation and suffering. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen.

Humility has been regarded by the Saints as the basis and guardian of all virtues.

— St. Alphonsus Liguori

Acts 5:17-26

17 But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sad’ducees, and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. 19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, 20 "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life." 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and taught. Now the high priest came and those who were with him and called together the council and all the senate of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported, 23 "We found the prison securely locked and the sentries standing at the doors, but when we opened it we found no one inside." 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And some one came and told them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people." 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Bible Study: [17-42] A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf Acts 4:1-3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18-24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6-11; 16:25-29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Deut 13:6-10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission.

Psalm 34:2-9

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want!

Bible Study: [Psalm 34] Of David. A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Psalm 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Psalm 34:5-11) and give them protection (Psalm 34:12-22). [11] The powerful: literally, "lions." Fierce animals were sometimes metaphors for influential people.

John 3:16-21

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

Bible Study: [17-19] Condemn: the Greek root means both judgment and condemnation. Jesus’ purpose is to save, but his coming provokes judgment; some condemn themselves by turning from the light. [19] Judgment is not only future but is partially realized here and now.

/      raangulo

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Dear Lord God, today as I deal with the issues and tribulations in daily life under the sun; the things beyond my control as well as the things directly resulting from the errors of my ways, I cannot help but recall Jesus’ words in Luke 12: 49-53 "I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be— Three against two, and two against three; Father against son, and son against father; Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother… Yet my heart and mind is taken up by the tragedy at VT, my prayers to go to the students, faculty, police, emergency and hospital workers, and especially to the families of the murdered and injured students and for the souls of the students who past away, that they all be with You now Lord Jesus. Life under the sun can be so tragic and there is so much we will never understand, so much we take for granted, so much we would do differently if we only knew. Yet we are what we are but for the grace of God, and if we are not constantly in touch with You Lord God then the evil and cruelty that lives within all of us and surface in horror able and tragic ways as at VT, or in a cruel act or word, or sometimes just as bad the lack of understanding and a kind act or gentle word. So we must all decide; how will we continue the race, the one thing You are teaching me Jesus is that the battle is within me and the answers are also within me. For Your Kingdom is inside all of us, the key to eternal life, and peace under the sun al these and more dwell inside us and Jesus is the key. As for me , and I will continue to seek Christ’s image in me, no matter what is said. And I will continue to pray that ‘me and my house will learn serve the Lord. In Jesus Christ name I pray and cry out! Amen

Some of you will be happy to know this will be my last daily prayer and email about my daily Bible Readings, my reasons are private, but I will continue to post on my blog, link is below. Soon I will figure out to allow RSS or Digg subscriptions, so check back.

Praise and beauty are before Him: holiness and majesty in His sanctuary.

— Psalm xcv. 6

Acts 4:32-37

32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Bible Study: [32-37] This is the second summary characterizing the Jerusalem community (see the note on Acts 2:42-47). It emphasizes the system of the distribution of goods and introduces Barnabas, who appears later in Acts as the friend and companion of Paul, and who, as noted here (Acts 4:37), endeared himself to the community by a donation of money through the sale of property. This sharing of material possessions continues a practice that Luke describes during the historical ministry of Jesus (Luke 8:3) and is in accord with the sayings of Jesus in Luke’s gospel (Luke 12:33; 16:9, 11, 13).

Psalm 93:1-2, 5

1 The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved; 2 thy throne is established from of old; thou art from everlasting. 5 Thy decrees are very sure; holiness befits thy house, O LORD, for evermore.

Bible Study: [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Psalm 93:1-2) by defeating the sea (Psalm 93:3-4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Psalm 93:5).

John 3:7-15

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode’mus said to him, "How can this be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Bible Study: [1-21] Jesus instructs Nicodemus on the necessity of a new birth from above. This scene in Jerusalem at Passover exemplifies the faith engendered by signs (John 2:23). It continues the self-manifestation of Jesus in Jerusalem begun in John 2. This is the first of the Johannine discourses, shifting from dialogue to monologue (John 3:11-15) to reflection of the evangelist (John 3:16-21). The shift from singular through John 3:10 to plural in John 3:11 may reflect the early church’s controversy with the Jews. [3] Born: see the note on John 1:13. From above: the Greek adverb anothen means both "from above" and "again." Jesus means "from above" (see John 3:31) but Nicodemus misunderstands it as "again." This misunderstanding serves as a springboard for further instruction. [14] Lifted up: in Numbers 21:9 Moses simply "mounted" a serpent upon a pole. John here substitutes a verb implying glorification. Jesus, exalted to glory at his cross and resurrection, represents healing for all. [15] Eternal life: used here for the first time in John, this term stresses quality of life rather than duration.

/      raangulo

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Check out my blog at http://raagroup.blogspot.com/ where daily readings and more are posted daily.