Wednesday Walk Though the Bible, Matthew 5:1-12 & 7:28-29 (NIV)
#WednesdayWalk, an occasional exploration of what unknown people might have seen or felt when they witnessed the events in the Bible. This post is from the perspective of a person who encounters Jesus teaching the Beatitudes.
It was another hot day. The dust swirled around my sandals as I hurried along the path. Small stones crunched under my feet as I walked on the barren dirt. My mouth was dry from the heat as sweat dripped down my forehead and back. I was focused on fetching the baskets my father needed when I caught a glimpse of a large crowd on a hillside. I stopped and noticed the people were gathered around a man. “Why would so many people stand and listen to this man in heat like this?” I asked myself.
I discovered the most amazing fact reading my Bible this morning! At first, it didn’t make sense. Normally, I would just skip over it and keep reading, but today I didn’t. After rereading it several times, I searched Google.
I didn’t expect anything useful to turn up, but I gave it a try anyway. But alas, I’m putting the cart before the horse, so let’s start at the beginning. (Genesis 30, paraphrased)
Jacob worked diligently for Laban for 14 years in order to marry Rachel whom he dearly loved. For many years after that, he continued to toil for Laban with all his strength. Laban cheated Jacob many times. After twenty years, Jacob asked Laban to allow him to return to his homeland with his wives and children.
Laban pleaded with Jacob to stay because he had prospered while Jacob tended his flocks. Laban said, “Name your wages and I will pay them.”
So Jacob said, “I will go on tending your flocks if you let me remove from your flocks every speckled or spotted sheep and goat and every dark colored lamb. They will be my wages. Then we will know which are mine and which are yours.”
Laban agreed, but that same day, Laban removed all the spotted sheep and goats and dark colored lambs from his flock. He put them in the care of his sons and separated them from the herds under Jacob’s care.
That was shifty. Now how will Jacob obtain his wages? The spotted goats and sheep have all been removed from the herd.
Obviously, Laban didn’t understand genetics because animals born with a dominant trait (pure white) can still have alleles for the recessive trait, in this case spotted or speckled.
In other words, Jacob didn’t have any spotted animals, but the solid animals could still reproduce a spotted baby. This is where the phenomenon comes in!
“37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink,39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.” Genesis 30:37-39 NIV
Much like my (almost) 3-year old granddaughter, I kept asking, “Why? Why? Why would he do that?” How could the peeled branches affect the color of the offspring?
I asked Google and the answer astounded me.
Recent scientific discoveries reveal that what a parent eats can also affect their genes, and therefore will affect their offspring’s characteristics. It’s not up to genes alone, like we once thought.
For example, “a study published in August (2003) in Molecular and Cellular Biology by Dr. Waterland and Duke’s Randy Jirtle showed that in a particular strain of mice, fortifying the pregnant and nursing mother’s diet with four nutrients shifted babies’ coat color from yellow to brown.”¹
These baby mice were genetically identical, yet a change in the diet of the pregnant and nursing mothers is the reason for the color change in the offspring. Incredible!
One of the nutrients fed to the mice was vitamin B12 found in (you guessed it) almonds!
Jacob placed the almond and other branches in the water whenever the strongest animals were there. That way the strongest animals gave birth to spotted babies. In this way, Jacob grew wealthy and owned large flocks.
Bible scholars believe the book of Genesis was written by Moses between 1446 and 1406 B.C. Today, scientists are starting to understand how diet can affect the color of an animal’s offspring. That’s incredible!
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus:Who Is Jesus?
One day, I was looking for a particular toy for my son. Stepping on my tippy toes, I blindly reached into a large box on a high shelf in my closet and scooped up a handful of small toys.
As I held it up to see if I had the desired toy, this is what I saw: Twined around the toys was a 3 foot-long snake skin! Startled and panic-stricken, I quickly threw it all into the air and screamed!
At this time in my life, I was terrified of snakes, mice, lizards, and all creepy creatures in general. I’m happy to report that 30 years later, not so much.
The problem was, I couldn’t sleep at night. What with (who knows how many) snakes loose in the house!
Now this happened during the days of heated waterbeds, and we slept in one. In my imagination, this would be the exact place a snake would slither into during the middle of the night.
What’s a waterbed, you ask? Well, you can google it. Now back to the story….
“Lucky” for me (tongue in cheek), I happened upon a Bible verse that set me free from this fear. “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8
Every night when I went to bed, this was my prayer. I passionately thanked God for His promise and repeated it over and over until I went to sleep. I was putting my faith and trust in God and in His Word; it carried me through a very scary time.
This is why it is so important to make Bible study a priority. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart when I read this verse. God did keep me safe. I was able to sleep peacefully, and eventually we were able to move to a better house.
Wherever I go, and whatever comes my way, I will trust in God’s Word.
The more I study God’s Word, the more I trust in Him.
“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. Psalm 119:92
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119: 105
“You are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114
This is My Journey Unscripted.
With Love,
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
It really hurt my feelings. It was like stopping by your best friend’s house only to discover she was having a big party and you hadn’t been invited! I felt so left out and hurt. I felt like crying.
That morning, I had walked in to the Women’s Bible Study and there were all my friends having a pot luck that no one had told me about! Maybe I was being overly sensitive, and maybe this was an area of vulnerability for me, but I was very offended.
The Bible study teacher recognized that I was upset, and the next time I saw her she gave me an index card with some Scripture references on it. She probably had no idea that it was going to change my life. As I opened my heart to God’s Word, something wonderful happened! The Truth set me free! These are the Scriptures:
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to OVERLOOK AN OFFENSE.” Proverbs 19:11
“He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9
“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Proverbs 12:16
This happened to me over 30 years ago, but the devil has used the same tactics since the beginning of time to battle against God’s people. He has used it on me. He will use it on you. He used it in the past.
Read about David in I Samuel, chapters 16 and 17. Count the number of times David overlooked an offense before he slew the giant. Satan tried to stop God’s plan for David, but he couldn’t do it because David overlooked the offense.
Over the years, God has continued to reveal to me how powerful it is to walk in love, and that means overlooking offenses.
“(Love) is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.” I Corinthians 13:5 AMP
The devil will send offenses our way, but when we choose God’s way and walk in love, Satan’s attack will not prevail.
“Be of sober mind, be watchful. Your adversary who is a slanderer, namely the devil, as a lion roaring in fierce hunger, is constantly walking about, always seeking someone to be devouring.” 1 Peter 5:8 (Wuest)
Has anyone ever offended you? Insulted you? Put you down? If so, consider this: Love is strong spiritual warfare!
You may be thinking, “How is this spiritual warfare?”
Consider the evil attack on Jesus when he was crucified.
“… Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:21-23
It is following Him and walking in his steps that empowers us for spiritual battle.
The Bible says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Proverbs 25:28
It is only as we recognize that anger, resentment, self-pity, and unforgiveness are nothing but the attack launched against us by the devil, that we can refuse to be offended. This is spiritual warfare: Love vs. Evil. We can not allow our emotions to govern our life or we will be like a city without walls (defenseless).
The Apostle Paul said, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ … Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” Ephesians 3:18-20
With Love,
Cindy
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
Whether I feel defeated or victorious, strong or weak, praying God’s Word is always effective. I wrote the following prayer so that I could remember to acknowledge God’s promises when I pray, regardless of how I feel.
Lord, I pray that you will send your workers into ______’s life to plant the seed and water it, for You, O Lord, will make it grow.
I pray that You will open _____’s heart to pay attention to what is said. Take out his heart of stone and give him a tender heart toward You. Lord, make your light shine in his heart that he may know Christ.
I pray You will grant him repentance and lead him to a knowledge of the truth. I pray he will come to his senses and escape from the trap of the devil.
I pray You will rip away the bondage that holds him away from You.
I know You are not slow in keeping your promise, but you are patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Father, help _____ see his need for a Savior and to know he must confess his sins, repent, believe, and live a fruitful life. Help him choose Your mercy and Your gift of grace, to believe with his heart and confess with his mouth, Jesus is Lord.
Heal his heart and heal his mind, O God. for You heal the broken-hearted. You bring rest to the weary.
I pray you will guide me and use me to show the love of Jesus to _____. Give me opportunities to be Jesus to _____. Help me to be loving, kind, and forgiving, showing compassion and patience.
Help me to be persistent in prayer daily and to never give up or become discouraged. Help me to pray with faith and trust, knowing you hear my prayers.
I pray Your will be done in _____’s life, just as it is in heaven. I pray that You will be glorified through his salvation.
I pray with confidence, knowing that Your Word says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Keep teaching me how to pray and make my ears attentive to your voice.
And I pray that _____may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that he may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Taken from Ephesians 3:20-21)
I ask these things in Jesus’ precious name. Amen
***************
Are you praying for someone who is openly rejecting Jesus as Savior?
With little observable evidence that my prayers have been effective, I will pray in faith.“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrew 11:1
Even though it has been almost 3 years, I know God is working. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7 (He doesn’t say when.)
I pray God’s Word because the Word of God “is living and active and full of power. “Hebrew 4:12 AMP
God’s says, “(My Word)will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
And so, I wrote this prayer based on my faith in God’s Word. While still seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will pray it everyday for someone I love. You can pray it, too.
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
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Scripture References
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-6
” … in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19)
“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14).
“… the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Dear J, I continue to pray for you daily. I know that someday you will come to your senses and trust the Father and His son, Jesus Christ. God loves you and wants to carry your burdens. For some time, I have asked the Lord to teach me how to pray the effectual prayer that avails much, so that my prayers for you will be answered. It is God’s will for you to believe in Him. The wonderful blessing of having a relationship with Him is there, waiting for you to take it.
I have thought a lot about what you said, “I’d like to have the comfort of believing what you believe, it simply doesn’t exist for me.” If that were true, you would believe, because unlike believing in Buda, or any other false god or false religion, Jesus Christ is true and the Holy Spirit is working to bring you to a knowledge of the truth. You only have to seek truth.
It is hard for you because you have hardened your heart. Ask God to soften your heart, so that you will be open to truth. I urge you to read the New Testament and ask God to reveal Himself to you.
I love you dearly and nothing you say to me will change that.
Love, C
Jesus said to them, 14“The farmer sows the word.15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:15-20
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
“… that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world … ” Revelation 20:2
Have you ever wondered how the devil attacks Christians? The Bible says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) I think Peter used the roaring lion illustration for a reason!
I Peter 4:1 says to“…arm yourselves with the same attitude (that is in Christ)…” It doesn’t say to have the same attitude as Christ. It says to ARM yourselves with it!
I haven’t been able to get those words out of my mind for days. To arm yourself means to equip yourself with weapons. The mind of Christ, or having the same attitude as Christ, is our weapon against the devil!
I knew I needed to learn more about the attitude that equips me for battle with the devil. After all, a “roaring lion” is prowling around, looking for someone that is unprotected and unarmed! To prowl means to search stealthily, implying he is difficult to detect. He is sneaky.
What is the mind of Christ? What is His attitude? First of all, the mind of Christ is completely unselfish. He gave His life for us. He loves us. He put us above His own needs and desires. He sought the will of the Father, not His own. He had no time for sin. He sought the glory of God the Father. He was willing to suffer. Early in the morning, He prayed. In humility, He became a servant.
When we obey God and allow Him to transform us into a new creation, we begin to think like Jesus. We become less self-centered and begin to care for others more than ourselves.
I realize that there have been times when the devil tried to “devour” me. He attacked me with the purpose of dragging me away from God and what God called me to do. Because I was not thinking with the mind of Christ, the devil was able to get a foothold. I was focused on what I wanted (what I thought I needed.) I clung to my selfish desires because, well, I needed to! (It was a big mistake!)
But when we think like Jesus, we are well armed against the devil’s schemes. I see it now. I wish I had seen it earlier.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11) The Bible tells us how to protect ourselves against the devil. He tells us how to arm ourselves.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6: 10-18)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ” Philippians 2:5-11
I pray that my blog will inspire you to search God’s Word and learn more about the mind of Christ, the attitude that was in Christ. His Word is filled with precious promises and leads us faithfully to Jesus.
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
Real Christian Women 