PJP2 PROLOG 160117 PROLOG Focus Matthew 3:15….
Psalm 31:3 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)….”For You Are my ROCK
and my FORTRESS; You Lead and Guide me Because of Your Name.”….
PJP2 PROLOG POST 160117 Matthew 3:15 (NIV)/(emphasis
added/jaj)….”Jesus replied (to His cousin John the Baptist), ‘Let It Be So now;
It Is Proper for us to Do This to Fulfill All Righteousness.’ Then John consented.”
I am always Amazed at The Leadership Examples our Lord Jesus
Provides us. In Matthew 3:13-17,
The Holy Spirit Inspires Matthew to record The Baptism of our Lord Jesus by His
cousin John the Baptist (JB).
Think about that for a moment – Here is “JB” Preaching, Teaching and
Baptizing folks out by the Jordan River.
JB makes clear that The One Who comes after him will Baptize them with
Fire and The Holy Spirit. So JB’s
baptism is not the final one. Yet
it is an outward expression of confession of sin and wrongdoing, and a desire
to Be Reconciled to God. Here we
see Jesus, The Lamb of God; The One Who Knew NO sin, taking part in the baptism
to confess sin. Wow. I once heard it said that as JB
baptized Jesus, that also symbolized Jesus’ absorption of all our sins into
Himself as He was immersed in the same water that had washed our sins off from
us. Jesus is Ever Willing to Take
On our issues as His Own, a Good Quality for any Leader.
Then consider that our Lord Jesus was Reflecting
Followership. Here He is God’s Own
Son, Perfect in Every Way and Indeed One with a Perfect Relationship with God
The Father.
Did Jesus really need to be baptized?
Well, what I Hear The Spirit Saying is, “Jeff, The Lord
Jesus’ Response to JB says it all.”….‘Let It Be So now; It Is Proper for us to
Do This to Fulfill All Righteousness.’
His Obedience is the Point.
Lastly, for this round, Jesus’ Example led JB to Follow in
Obedience as well.
My Prayer for us, today, is simply that we too would Follow
the Lord’s Example (FLEx). Lord
Jesus, Strengthen and Empower us to be Obedient to You. Father God, Open our Eyes that we May
Ever See Your Way before us. Holy Spirit,
Thank You for Ever Being With us.
May we Reflect Your Grace in all we say and do. Lord Jesus in Your Holy Name we
Pray…..Amen/Amen….jaj
Blessing/jaj
God’s Nod 160122 Matthew 16:15-16 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)….”He Said to them, ‘BUT Who Do you say That I Am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You Are The Christ, The Son of The Living God.’”….
ReplyDeletePJP2 SIP 160122 SIP Focus Matthew 18:12-14 (ESV)/(emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God we Thank You and are so very Grateful for Your Amazing Grace towards us. Lord Jesus, Clear our Inner-Minds that we May Better Understand and Apply Your Teaching in our lives. Holy Spirit, when You Ask through The Parables of Your Inspired Word, 'What do you think?', Open our Heart to Hear What You Have To Say. Father God, You Have Shown us time and again Your Love and Faithfulness to us, as You Described Through our Lord Jesus' Parable, 'If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, Does he Not Leave the ninety-nine on the mountains AND Go in Search of the one that went astray?'. Lord Jesus Thank You for Helping us Know that it is us that You Have Come to Search For. Each of us are 'the one lost sheep' from Your Flock. Holy Spirit, we Praise You for Your Sharing with us that When You Have Found us, You Rejoice over us even more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. Father God, Help us to Be Your Witnesses, to Share that It Is NOT Your Will that ANY should perish. Lord Jesus Strengthen and Empower us that we May Reflect that You Still Are Calling and Accepting All mankind to Your Gracious Banner of Love and Mercy. In Your Holy Name we Pray These Prayers.....Amen and Amen/jaj
ReplyDeletePJP2 Readers: My apologies - PJP2 BLOGspot has been acting screwy - so, for the time being we will post PJP2s in the comments of this last entry....apologies for the inconveniece....we're working on it.....ajw
ReplyDeletePJP2 THANKS 160122 THANKS Focus Matthew 18:20 (ESV)....
ReplyDeletePsalm 97:12 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."Rejoice In The Lord, O you righteous, And Give Thanks to His Holy Name."....
PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160122 Matthew 18:20 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."(Jesus Said), 'For Where two or three Are Gathered In My Name, There Am I Among them.'”....
I am Thankful for our Lord Jesus' VFR-Direct Promise and Assurance that He is Ever with us. I am Thankful when we, His Family of Faith come together that He Joins our Circle as well. One could postulate, IF you Count that The Holy Spirit (Indeed our Lord's Own Witness in our Lives), as well as God The Father in Relationship with us By The Saving/Reconciling Grace of His Son, our Lord Jesus, and then The Promise Presence of Jesus Himself, then we Always have '2 or 3' Gathered In His Name. :)
May His Grace and Presence surround you and yours in all your ways today and every day. Amen/Amen....jaj
PJP2 PROLOG 160122 PROLOG Focus Matthew 16:13-19 (ESV)....
ReplyDeletePsalm 56:4 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."In God, Whose Word I Praise, In God I Trust; I Shall NOT be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"....
PJP2 PROLOG POST 160122 Matthew 16:13-19 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj....{Peter Confesses Jesus as The Christ}...."Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He Asked His disciples, 'Who Do people say that The Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
He Said to them, 'BUT Who Do you say That I Am?”
Simon Peter replied, 'You Are The Christ, The Son of The living God.'
And Jesus Answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood Has Not Revealed this to you, BUT My Father Who Is In Heaven. And I Tell you, you are Peter, And on This Rock I Will Build My Church, And The gates of hell Shall Not prevail against It. I Will Give you The Keys of The Kingdom of Heaven, And Whatever you Bind on earth Shall Be Bound in Heaven, And Whatever you Loose on earth Shall Be Loosed in Heaven.'”....
Easily we could spend several PJP2 PROLOGs on Matthew 16:13-19.....There is a LOT packed into this set of POWS for certain. What I hear The Holy Spirit Guiding me towards, though, is our Lord Jesus's Question to His disciples, which, Amazingly across the Centuries since His First Advent, He Asks The Very Same Question of us.....
'BUT Who Do you say That I Am?'
I do hope and pray that our Response is exactly the same as my long lost cousin Peter Bar-Jona.....And with Peter we will say to our Lord Jesus....
'You Are The Christ, The Son fo The Living God.'
Such a simple Q and A...yet as we drill deeper, and allow this interchange to soak into the fabric of our Heart and Soul, this Interchange is of Eternal Significance.
My Prayer for us today would simply be to Contemplate and Ponder our Lord Jesus Question - Who Do we Say That He Is? Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Empower and Strengthen us that our Response Will Be, 'You Are The Christ, The Son of The Living God.' May our Lives ever Reflect This Truth. May we Ever Reflect Your Light to this world of darkness so desperately in Need for Your Loving Grace. We do Pray All These Things in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj
Blessings/jaj
God’s Nod 160123 James 1:5 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)….”If any of you lacks Wisdom, let him Ask God, Who Gives Generously to All without reproach, And It (Wisdom) Will Be Given him.”….
ReplyDeletePJP2 SIP 160123 SIP Focus Psalm 19 (Part 1) (ESV)/(emphasis and paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Lift Up Your Name in Holy Praise. Lord Jesus, Indeed Your Law and Word Is Perfect. Father God, the Heavens Declare Your Glory, O our Lord and our God. Holy Spirit, the Sky above us Proclaims Your Handiwork. Lord Jesus, Day to Day, as we Observe, Your Creation Pours out Speech; And Night to Night Reveals Knowledge of You and Your Presence with us. Father God, there is No Speech, Nor are there Words From Your Being In Your Creation, whose Voice is Not Heard as they Echo You in Your Proclaiming Your Love and Grace towards us. Indeed, Holy Spirit, Your Voice Resounds through their voice, and Goes Out Through All the earth; Even, Lord Jesus, to the very ends of our world, Your Word of Love, Mercy, Forgiveness and Reconciling Grace can be Heard. Father God we Marvel that You Have Created in our Understanding even a 'Tent for the Sun'. Holy Spirit we are Fascinated that each Day, Your Created Sun 'Comes Out Llike A Bridegroom Leaving his chamber'. Lord Jesus, Your Creation Reflects Your Love towards us, 'Like a Strong Man, Runs the Race With Joy.' Father God, Thank You that we can See, as The Sun is Rising from the end of the heavens, and Travels Its Appointed Circuit to the end of them, That Just Like You and Your Grace towards us, There Is Nothing hidden from its heat, or Your Love. Lord Jesus, we Know that Your Law is Perfect. Your Grace, Father God, is Reviving to our Soul; Holy Spirit, we Praise You and Know That Your Testimony Is Sure. Lord Jesus, Thank You, that In Your Love, You make us, the simple Wise in Your Ways. We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Holy Name. Amen and Amen/jaj
ReplyDeletePJP2 THANKS 160123 THANKS Focus Matthew 22:34-40....
ReplyDeletePsalm 57:9 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Give Thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I Will Sing Praises to You among the nations."....
PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160123 - Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)....{The Two Great Commandments}...."But when the Pharisees heard That He Had Silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. 'Teacher, Which Is The Greatest Commandment in The Law?' And He Said to him, 'You Shall Love The Lord your God With All your Heart And With All your Soul And With All your Mind. THIS Is The Great And First Commandment. AND the Second Is Like It: You Shall Love your Neighbor As yourself. On THESE Two Commandments Depend ALL The Law And The Prophets.'”
I am Thankful for our Lord Jesus' straight-forward Answers to The Questions we Asked of Him. Even when the most learned men of His Time among us during His First Advent, He Alwasy Answered each Question posed to Him. Now, those Asking Him their Question(s) may well have Not Liked His Response, THAT did Not Sway our Lord Jesus, He Still Answered with God's Truth and Wisdom.
I am also Thankful, specifically in today's PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160123 - Matthew 22:34-40, that our Lord Jesus 'encapsulates' 'ALL The Law and The Prophets' into this succinct 'Two Great Commandments' summarized in One Word....LOVE. (1) LOVE God with All that we Are; (2) LOVE one another.
Now, I am NOT saying this is easy. Indeed, far from it. BUT, Praise God, I am Thankful because our Lord Jesus also Assures us that (a) He is With us; (b) He Empowers us via His Holy Spirit in our LIves to be able to Apply and Deploy His Two Great Commandments in our Lives.
May His Love And Grace surround you and yours. May He Work within, through and all around you as well to Bring to Pass His Two Great Commandments.
Blessings/jaj
PJP2 PROLOG 160123 PROLOG Focus Matthew 20:13-16....
ReplyDeletePsalm 22:22 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Tell of Your Name to my brothers; In the midst of the congregation I Will Praise You."....
PJP2 PROLOG POST 160123 - Matthew 20:13-16 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."But he (the landowner) replied to one of them (those that had been hired first), ‘Friend, I Am Doing you No Wrong. Did you Not Agree with Me for a denarius? Take What Belongs to you and Go. I Choose To Give To This last worker As I Give To you. Am I Not Allowed To Do What I Choose With What Belongs To Me? Or Do you begrudge My Generosity?’ 'So the last Will Be First, and the first Last.'”
Ok, so the 'Ah-Ha Moment' for me this morning.....The Holy Spirit pointed out that these POWS (Matthew 20:13-16) can be Summed Up in One Word.....GRACE.
I had, I will admit, struggled somewhat with our Lord's Statement, "So the last Will Be First and the first Last." Oh, I had thought about that, when you overlay this statement on to the Parable The Lord Jesus tells in Matthew 22:1-14 (Parable of The Wedding Banquet) - clearly we see that the ones God The Father has Invited to Be With Him all along are going to witness those 'johnny-come-lately' Gentiles (that would be most of us) who have Entered God's Wedding Banquet as Guests of The Eternal Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus.
BUT today The Spirit Struck me with God's Ever-present FACT that He Gives His GRACE Equally to All who Come to Him.
Thus my Prayer for us today would be a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise combining our Lord's Word on The Two Great Commandments and His Holy Spirit's Inspired Word to Paul. O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Help us to Love You, our Lord and our God With All our Heart And With All our Soul And With All our Mind. Father God, Instill THIS Your Great And First Commandment to us. Holy Spirit, Help us to also Obey Your Second Great Command, which is to Love our Neighbor As ourselves. Father God, Open our Heart and Souls' Eyes that we May Learn that All Your Word and Promise Rests upon THESE Two Commandments. Lord Jesus, Lastly Help us to Be Imitators of Your saints and servants that You Share with us Through Your Word, as they are Imitators of You. We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen...jaj
Blessings/jaj
God’s Nod 160124 Galatians 6:1 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)….{ Bear One Another's Burdens}….“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are Spiritual Should Restore him In A Spirit of Gentleness. Keep Watch On yourself, Lest you Too be tempted.”….
ReplyDeletePJP2 SIP 160124 SIP Focus Psalm 19:8-11 (ESV)/(emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Precious Lord Jesus, Gracious Holy Spirit, Awesome Father God, we Raise Your Name in Worship and Praise. Father God, Your Precepts You Share with us in Your Word, Are Right. Lord Jesus, Your Commandments Bring Rejoicing to our Heart; Holy Spirit, Indeed Your Commandments are Pure, Enlightening our Eyes; Father God the Righteous FEAR (Faithful veneration/praise; Esteem/Exultation; Awe/Adoration; Reverence/Respect) is Clean, Enduring Forever; Lord Jesus Your Gracious Rules Are True, And Righteous altogether. Holy Spirit, Your Inspired Word and Wisdom is More to Be Desired Than gold, Even Much Fine gold; Father God, Your Word and Truth are Sweeter Also Than honey And the Drippings of the honeycomb. Lord Jesus, we Thank You, for By Your Word and Teachings, we, Your servants, are Warned. Holy Spirit, in Keeping Your Truth, There Is Great Reward. In Your Precious Name we Lift Up These Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj
ReplyDeletePJP2 THANKS 160124 THANKS Focus Matthew 24:35....
ReplyDeletePsalm 100:4 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving, And His Courts with Praise! Give Thanks to Him; Bless His Name!"....
PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160124 - Matthew 24:35 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."Heaven and earth Will Pass Away, BUT My Words Will NOT Pass Away."....
I am so Very Thankful that There Is One Constant in our LIves that God Promises will NEVER EVER Change - His Word.
Indeed, let us Join with The Holy Spirit as He Inspired the Psalmist to write (Psalm 119:11)..."I have Stored Up/Hidden Your Word In my Heart, That I Might Not sin against You."
Blessings/jaj
PJP2 PROLOG 160124 PROLOG Focus Mattew 24:12-14
ReplyDeleteExodus 15:2 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."The Lord Is my Strength and my Song, and He Has Become my Salvation; This Is my God, And I Will Praise Him"....
PJP2 PROLOG POST 160124 - Matthew 24:12-14 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."And Because lawlessness/wickedness Will Be increased, The Love of many will grow cold. BUT the one who Endures (Stay's True To Faith In Him) to the end Will Be Saved. And This Gospel (His Story) Of The Kingdom (Of Heaven) Will Be Proclaimed Throughout the whole world As A Testimony to all nations, And Then The End Will Come."....
Matthew Chapters 24 and 25 Record our Lord Jesus' Response to His disciples question(s) found in Matthew 24:3...."Tell us (they said) when will This Happen (End of Days)?....And What Will Be The Sign of Your Coming?".....We, Like our Lord Jesus' First 12 Believers desperately Want To Know the exact date that Matthew 24:30-31 is going to happen....
Matthew 24:30-31 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."Then Will Appear in heaven The Sign of The Son of Man, And Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they Will See The Son of Man Coming on The Clouds of heaven With Power And Great Glory. And He Will Send Out His Angels With A Loud Trumpet Call, And They Will Gather His Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Yet, Like our Lord Jesus' Original 12, we Too must Heed and Hear Matthew 24:36-37 as our Overall Intel on the question of 'When?'.....Matthew 24:36-37 (ESV)/(emphasis added....jaj)....{No One Knows That Day and Hour}....“BUT Concerning That Day And Hour no one Knows, NOT Even The Angels of heaven, NOR The Son,N BUT The Father ONLY. For As Were The Days of Noah, SO Will Be The Coming of The Son of Man."....
So, my Prayer for us today would be to Offer Up a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise employing The Holy Spirit's Inspired Word to the Apostle John as he writes in 1 John 4:7-12 (ESV)/(emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Help us, as Your Beloved, to Love one another, For Your Love is directly From You. Lord Jesus, as You both Taught and Demonstrated during Your First Advent, whoever Loves with Your Love, Has Been Born of God And Through You, we will Know God the Father. Holy Spirit, Refelct through us to those who do Not Know You, that Anyone who does not Love with Your Love Does NOt Know God, Because You, O Lord our God, You Are Love. Father God, Help us to Share that In this Your Love is Made Manifest among us. Lord Jesus Empower and Strengthen us in our Word and Deed to Share that God The Father Sent You, His Only Son Into our world, So That we Might All Live and Be Saved Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, Teach us that This Is True Love. Father God, we Know that You do Not Love us because we Love You, BUT That Because You have Loved us First, we can Love. Thank You, Father God, that You Sent Your Son to be The Propitiation, The Full Payment for the Debt of our sins. Dear Friends, my Prayer would be this: Beloved Friends, If God The Father So Loved us, Then, it simply Stands to His Reasoning that we Also Ought To Love one another in His Gracious Love. Father God, Your Word clearly Reveals that none of us have Ever Seen You. Yet, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, You Make it Cear that IF we Love one another, as You Have Loved us, THEN God The Father, as well as You His Son, and You, Holy Spirit, You Abide in us. Lord Jesus, Help us, Through Your Spirit, to Perfect Your Love and Grace within us for Your Kingdom. In Your Precious Name we Pray....Amen/Amen/jaj
God’s Nod 160125 Philippians 4:8 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)….”Finally, brothers, Whatever Is True, Whatever Is Honorable, Whatever Is Just, Whatever Is Pure, Whatever Is Lovely, Whatever Is Commendable, If There Is Any Excellence, If There Is Anything Worthy of Praise, THINK About These Things.”….
ReplyDeletePJP2 SIP 160125 SIP Focus Matthew 25:34-40 (ESV)/(emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father, we Praise and Worship Your Holy and Righteous Name. Father God, Open our Hearts, Souls and Mind to Grasp Your Truth as Your Holy Spirit Inspired Matthew to write in Matthew 25:34-40. Lord Jesus, Help us to Hear You our King, as You Say, during The Judgment Day proceedings, ‘Come, you who are Blessed By My Father, Inherit The Kingdom Prepared For you From The Foundation of the world.' Holy Spirit, Guide us to Share and Take Care of those who are Hungry (be that for physical food, as well as Food for The Soul). Father God, Empower us to Be There to Care for Your Creation, our Fellow Man. Lord Jesus, If we See one who Thirsts, Encourage us to be Your one who Gives them Drink. Holy Spirit, for The Stranger, May we Reflect Your Gracious and Loving Heart and Welcomed them. Father God, as You have Graced us with Abundance, Clothing us In Your Righteousness, May we as well, Cloth those who have none, that May even be naked in body and Spirit. Lord Jesus, as You Reached Out to All who came to You, May we Likewise, Follow In Step with You and Clothe those in True Need. Holy Spirit, in one way or another we are All Your Medics. Father God, Help us to Be Your Hands and Feet, Healing the sick In Your Way of Perfect Healing. Lord Jesus, prior to Your Saving us, we were all Prisoners, mostly in Prisons of our own making. Encourage and Empower us to Share Your Freeing Love to those still imprisoned by their sins chains. Holy Spirit, Thank You that Your Work Within us, be it Feeding the hungry, or Giving Drink to the thirsty, Welcoming the stranger, or Clothing the naked, even Healing the sick, or Being With the imprisoned, we may very well never even Know that It Is You Who's Moving within, without and through us, Thank You All the same. Father God, we Long To Hear You Say to us, "And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’" Lord Jesus May we Ever Be Imitators of You. In Your Precious Name we Pray these Prayers.....Amen/Amen/jaj
ReplyDeletePJP2 THANKS 160125 THANKS Focus 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (ESV)/(emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....
ReplyDeletePsalm 7:17 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Give Thanks to The Lord The Thanks Due to His Righteousness, and I Will Sing Praise to The Name of The Lord, The Most High."....
PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160125 - 1 Corinthians 15:54-58....(Note: Today's PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160125 - 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, is one of The Holy Spirit's Passages Of the Word, Select {POWS} that He's nudging me to stand to the side and Allow His Inspired Word Speak for The Lord.....here you go.....)....
"When the perishable Puts On The Imperishable, And the mortal Puts On Immortality, THEN Shall Come To Pass The Saying That Is Written:
“Death Is Swallowed UP In VICTORY.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
BUT Thanks Be To God, Who Gives us The Victory THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers/sisters/Family of Believers, Be Steadfast, Immovable/Stand Firm, Always Abounding In The Work Of The Lord, Knowing That In The Lord your Labor IS NOT in vain."
May HIs Blessings and Grace Be WIth you and yours today and always/jaj