PJP2 PROLOG 160331 PROLOG Focus - Acts 1:6-8....

Psalm 106:12 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Then they Believed His Words; they Sang His Praise."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160331 - Acts 1:6-8 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."So when they (Jesus disciples) had come together, they asked Him, 'Lord, Will You at this time Restore the kingdom to Israel?'  He Said to them, 'It Is Not For you To Know Times or Seasons That The Father Has Fixed By His Own Authority.  BUT you Will Receive Power When The Holy Spirit Has Come Upon you, AND you Will Be My Witnesses in Jerusalem And in All Judea And Samaria, And to The End of the earth.'”....

You know we people, God the Father's 'Centerpiece of His Creation', we are an interesting bunch.  Here we find, in today's PJP2 PROLOG POST 160331 Acts 1:6-8, the 11 Apostles are gathered up spending time with The Risen Lord Jesus, just prior to His Ascension back to Be At The Right Hand of God The Father.  Now, of All the Questions they could have Asked The Risen Lord Jesus (for example:  Lord, so what is death like?  Or -  Lord, How Did God The Father Make You Whole again? Or - What was Happening from the Moment You Gave Up Your Spirit on The Cross, to When You Opened Your Eyes in The Tomb?....)....

They Ask our Lord Jesus - "Lord, Will You at this time Restore the kingdom of Israel?"  

Please don't hear me being judgmental - as I read this Passage Of the Word Select (POWS), I find myself nodding my head in agreement with them.  I mean The Eleven just witnessed the current religious and Roman rulers of the day brutalize, wrongly prosecute and execute their (and our) Lord and Master.  Wasn't it 'time' for God The Father to set the record straight?  Yet, look at their question - in the Three Years our Lord Jesus was with them, during His earthly Walk, He Never Once Preached about Restoring the kingdom of Israel.

Nope.

Our Lord Jesus Message was Very Clear - "Repent, for The Kingdom of God/Heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2).

Ok, so Here is What I am Hearing The Holy Spirit say to me this morning - Keep the FOCUS on our Lord Jesus.

Look at His Reply to their question - "He Said to them, 'It Is Not For you To Know Times or Seasons That The Father Has Fixed By His Own Authority.  BUT you Will Receive Power When The Holy Spirit Has Come Upon you, AND you Will Be My Witnesses in Jerusalem And in All Judea And Samaria, And to The End of the earth.'"

In other words - "Don't get sidetracked/distracted by that Stuff way out of your control.  When God The Father's Ready for My Second Coming, He's Got That.  You, Jeffery et al, You Keep Your FOCUS on (a) Be Prepared - Holy Spirit's Coming; (b) Share My Gospel 24x7x365x360"
May our answer to His Guidance ever be - "Roger That, Lord, WILCO."
My Prayer for us today - simply.....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Loving and Merciful Grace.  Lord Jesus, Help us to ever Keep our FOCUS on You and You Alone.  Holy Spirit, Empower and Embolden us to Live Following Your Guidance in our Lives.  Father God, Open the Door for us to Ever Share Your Word of Love and Light.  Lord Jesus, we Lift Up our Prayers in Your Holy Name....Amen and Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160331 THANKS Focus - Acts 2:21....

Psalm 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 160331 - Acts 2:21(ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And It Shall Come To Pass That everyone who Calls Upon The Name of The Lord Shall Be Saved."....

I am Thankful for our Lord Jesus, His Holy Spirit, and God our Heavenly Father's directness.  As we read His Word to us, every page, in fact I would offer that every Word, Sentence, Paragraph, Chapter and Book of His Word flows with His Directness at Sharing with us, His Creation, His Eternal, Unkillable, Undeniable LOVE for us.  I am Thankful that, as Acts 2:21 Reveals, for us to Access His LOVE, our first step is to Call Upon The Name of The Lord.

My Prayer of Thanks for us today would be - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Straight-forward Plan for us to Access Your Presence and Your LOVE for us.  Lord Jesus, Help us to overcome our selfish/neediness to be 'in control' and to simply Call Upon Your Name.  Holy Spirit, Prepare our Hearts that we can Surrender and Accept You in our Lives.  Father God, May we Ever Reflect Your Truth, Grace and Light to Help Draw any that have Not Yet Come to You.  In Your Precious Name, Lord Jesus, we Call Upon You and Lift these Prayers.  Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160331 - Psalm 16:5-11 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Lift Up Your Name in Holy Worship and Praise.  Lord Jesus, You Are our Chosen Portion And our Cup of True Life; Holy Spirit, Indeed we Know It Is You Who Holds our lot in Life.  Father God, Help us and Open our Inner-Soul's Eyes that we May See How You've Caused The Lines in our Lives to Have Fallen For us In Your Pleasant Places; O Lord Jesus, Because of You, Your Life, Your Sacrifice Upon Your Cross and Your Resurrection from the dead, indeed, we Have A Beautiful, Eternal Inheritance with You.  Father God, we Bless You,  O Lord our God.  You, Who Gives us Righteous Counsel; Holy Spirit Thank You that You Share with us Your Wisdom and Truth In The Night as You Instruct us Through our Hearts.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Have Set You, our Lord Always and Ever Before us; Because, Lord Jesus, You Are At our right hand and Within us via Your Holy Spirit's Presence, regardless of the circumstances, we Shall NOT Be shaken.  Therefore, O Lord, our Hearts are Glad, And our Whole Being Rejoices; we Dwell Secure in Knowing You Are With us. Thank You, Father God, For By Your Grace, You Will NOT abandon our Souls to Sheol.  By Your Holy Power and Righteous Might, You Refused to allow Your Holy One, our Lord Jesus, ever see corruption post His Crucifixion.  Thank You, Lord.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Pray that You Continue to Make Known to us Your Path of Life; Lord, In Your Presence There IS Fullness of Joy;  We Praise You and Thank You for At Your Right Hand You Have Promised us Your Pleasing Presence forevermore.  In You Precious Name, Lord Jesus, we Pray These Prayers.....Amen/Amen...jaj

God's Nod 160331 - Isaiah 53:5-6 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."But He Ws Pierced for our transgressions; He Was Crushed for our iniquities; Upon Him Was The Chastisement That Brought us Peace, And With His Wounds/Stripes we Are Healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; And The Lord Has Laid On Him the iniquity of us all."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160330 PROLOG Focus -

Psalm 84:4 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Blessed Are those who Dwell In Your House, Ever Singing Your Praise!".....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160330 - Deuteronomy 32:46-47(ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....(And Moses Said to them, 'Take to Heart All The Words By Which I am Warning you today, That you May Command/Teach Them to your children, That they May Be Careful To Do All The Words of This Law.  For It Is No empty Word For you, BUT your Very Life, And By This Word you Shall Live Long in The Land That you are going over the Jordan to possess.'”....

I Hear The Holy Spirit Saying to Focus on one Concept today....that would be His WORD.  Permit me to Share four additional Passages Of the Word Select (POWS) dealing with His WORD.....

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Every WORD of God Proves TRUE; He Is A Shield To those who Take Refuge In Him."....

Matthew 4:4 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."BUT (Jesus) He Answered, 'It Is Written,“‘Man Shall NOT Live by bread alone, BUT By Every WORD That Comes From The Mouth of God.’”....

John 6:63 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."{Jesus Said,}....'It Is The Spirit Who Gives Life; The flesh Is NO help at all.  The WORDs That I Have Spoken To you Are Spirit And Life.'"....

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....{Jesus Said,}....'Everyone then who Hears These WORDs of Mine And Does Them Will Be Like a wise man who built his House on The ROCK. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on That House, BUT It Did NOT fall, Because It Had Been Founded on The ROCK.  And everyone who Hears These WORDs of Mine And Does NOT Do Them Will Be like a foolish man who built his House on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that House, and It FELL, And Great Was The Fall of It.'”....

WORD - Wonderful Observations, Reflections, Directions
- Working On Remembering (His WORD) Daily
- Willingly Open (to His) Redemption/Reconciliation/Reprogramming Daily

You known, Team PJP2, how I am about ACRONYMS...so....above are just three that comes to mind for WORD....I like them all, BUT I think the One I Hear The Spirit zeroing in on is...."Willingly Open (to His) Redemption/Reconciliation/Reprogramming Daily"....This is where I find myself at present.  I Sense more and more our Lord Jesus' Hand on my Life, Knowing as I enter into this Transition of becoming an AF/Retread (1Jan17), beginning His New and Next Adventure for Team Johnson, my staying Anchored on Him, The ROCK of my Life is Core to our Way Ahead.  I am Thankful that I Know without question I can Rely On Christ my King.

Thus, my Prayer for us today would be to combine the four additional POWS into a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise.....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Bow and Worship You.  Lord Jesus we Know That Every WORD of God The Father Proves TRUE.  Holy Spirit, You Are our Shield.  Father God, we Thank You and we Take Refuge In You.  Lord Jesus, Empower and Encourage us to Ever Remember as It Is Written, "Man Shall NOT Live by bread alone, BUT By Every WORD That Comes From The Mouth of God."  Father God, we Thank You for the Gift of Your Son, our Lord Jesus.  Lord Jesus, we Thank and Praise You for the Gift of Your Holy Spirit within us.  Help us Lord to Better Understand Your Teaching as You Shared...."It Is The Spirit Who Gives Life; The flesh Is NO help at all.  The WORDs That I Have Spoken To you Are Spirit And Life."  Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Help us To Be Like the man Hears Your WORDs And Does Them.  Guide us to Build our Spiritual House on You, our ROCK.  Holy Spirit, Thank You, for we Know that regardless of the rains of life that fall, or the floods of this world that come, or the winds of distraction that blow beat on our Spiritual House Upon The ROCK, You Have Promised and we Know It Will NOT fall, Because It Had Been Founded on The ROCK.  Father God, Strengthen us to Share Your Story of Mercy and Grace to those who Do Not Know You.  Help us, Lord Jesus, to Sound Your Alarm so that there will be NONE who Hears Your WORDs And Does NOT Do Them!  Help us, Please, to Be Your Reflection, to Draw Them Away from being like the foolish man You Described, who built his House on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that House, and It FELL, And Great Was The Fall of It.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we do Thank You and Praise You.  We Lift Up all our Prayers in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160330 THANKS Focus - Deuteronomy 31:6, 31:7, 31:23....

Psalm 145:10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."All Your Works Shall Give Thanks To you, O Lord, And All Your saints Shall Bless You!"....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160330 - Deuteronomy 31:6; 31:7; 31:23 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj).... {31:6}"Be Strong And Courageous.  Do NOT fear or be in dread of them, For It IS The Lord your God Who Goes With you.  He Will NOT leave you OR forsake you.”.... {31:7}...."Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be Strong And Courageous, For you Shall Go With This people Into The Land That The Lord Has Sworn To their fathers To Give them, And you Shall Put them In Possession of It.'"....{31:23}...."And the Lord Commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and Said, 'Be Strong And Courageous, For you Shall Bring the people of Israel Into The Land That I Swore To Give them.  I Will Be With you.'”....

I am Thankful for God's Word of Encouragement.  Three times God The Father/YAHWEH Shares with them (children of Israel x1 AND Joshua x2) - "Be Strong And Courageous", as well as (in essence) - "Do NOT fear"...."I Will Be With you".... How can one not be PUMPED UP by Hearing our Lord and Savior say....."Be Strong and Courageous....Do NOT fear....I AM With you"....????

My Prayer of Thanks for us today would be - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Wonderful Word of Love, Mercy and Grace.  Lord Jesus, May we Take to Heart Your Word of Encouragement.  Holy Spirit, Help us to Be Strong and Courageous as we Rely On You.  Father God, Continue to Ever Remind us Not to fear, Because You Are With us, every step along our way.  We Praise You, Lord Jesus, and Lift Up These Thanks in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160330 - 2 John 1:3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Grace, Mercy, And Peace Will Be With us, From God The Father And From Jesus Christ The Father's Son, In Truth And Love."....

PJP2 SIP 160330 - Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, In Worship and Praise we Raise Your Name on High.  O Give Ear, O heavens, And we Will Speak.  O Let the earth Hear The Words of our mouths.  Lord Jesus, May Your Teaching and Lessons of Life Drop Upon us As The Righteous Rain You Send.  Holy Spirit, May Your Speech Within us Distill and Descend as The Morning Dew, Glistening in Your Holy Light.  Father God, we Thank You that Your Love Is So Like Your Gentle Rain Lightly Falling Upon The New Spring's Tender Grass.  Thank You Lord Jesus, that Your Grace Showers Upon us Like a Fine Mist upon The Herbs.  Hear us, O people, For we Will Proclaim The Name of The Lord; May we Ever Ascribe Greatness to You Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, our God!  Lord Jesus, Empower and Embolden us to Stand and Say, “The Rock, our Lord Jesus, His Work Is Perfect, For All His Ways Are Justice."  Father God, Indeed You Are our God.  Holy Spirit, Thank You for Your Faithfulness.  Lord Jesus we Praise You.  Father God we Rejoice that Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus, You Have Cleansed us of our iniquity.  We Raise our Voices in Worship and Praise for You Are Eternally Just And Righteously Upright Are You.  In Your Name, Lord Jesus, we Ask Your Strength and Guidance as we Strive to Follow in Step with You....Amen/Amen....jaj.

PJP2 PROLOG 160329 PROLOG Focus - Deuteronomy 28:1-6....

Psalm 63:3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Because Your Steadfast Love Is Better Than life, my lips Will Praise You."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160329 - Deuteronomy 28:1-6 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....“{And The Lord Said}....'And If you Faithfully Obey The Voice of The Lord your God, Being Careful To Do All His Commandments that I Command you today, The Lord your God Will Set you High Above all the nations of the earth.  And All These Blessings Shall Come Upon you And Overtake you, IF you Obey The Voice of The Lord your God.  Blessed Shall you Be in the city, And Blessed Shall you Be in the field.  Blessed Shall Be The Fruit of your womb And The Fruit of your ground And The Fruit of your cattle, The Increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed Shall Be your basket and your kneading bowl.  Blessed Shall you Be When you come in, And Blessed shall you Be When you go out.'"....

Here's the Two Word's I Hear The Holy Spirit focusing me on today - God's Blessings.  The Two Concepts I Hear Him Guiding me towards - (1) God's Love; (2) Impact of our Obedience.

Clearly His Word to us Is Filled with Example after Example of How God The Father Lavished His Love, His Blessings upon us.  In fact one could contend that Every Word of His Word Is His Call to us to Come to Him and His Waiting, Loving Embrace, much like our Lord Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal (see Luke 15:11-32).  Naturally, the Most Impressive Demonstration of God The Father's Love for us is Displayed in our just recent Celebration of Easter - His Son, our Lord Jesus' Culmination of His First Advent's Mission - Reconciling us via His Life, Death and Resurrection, into a Right Relationship with God The Father, a major Blessing in and of itself.

That leads us to Concept Two - The Impact of our Obedience.

I Know well the 'feeling' that when we hear the Word: OBEY, that inner 'worldly' voice is whining about 'having to obey' makes us a robot, or automaton, restricting our freedom.  Yet, I would counter that our willingness to Obey God The Father, to Surrender our self to Him, is NOT from a position of weakness, BUT Comes From a Stance of True Love.  We Freely Give Him our Self, In Response of His Love for us, and Thus, in This Understanding of Obedience - As our Lord Jesus Shares with us in Matthew 10:39...."Whoever finds his life will lose it, And whoever Loses his Life for My Sake will Find It."....Therefore the Full Impact of our Freely Choosing to Obey our Lord Jesus - His Blessing Flows into, through and over us, far beyond our wildest imagination....don't hear what I am not saying - not saying that materially will be swimming in 'stuff'.  Nope - what I am saying is that His Inner Presence, due to His Spirit in our lives, will indeed Bring 'Riches' of Peace, Comfort and Knowing He is with us, Forever.

Thus, if you will, permit me simply to share His Inspired Word from Ephesians 1:2-14, as our Prayer for today...."Grace to you And Peace from God our Father And The Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed Be The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who Has Blessed us In Christ With Every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places, Even As He Chose us In Him Before the foundation of the world, That we Should Be Holy and Blameless Before Him.  In Love He Predestined us For Adoption As sons Through Jesus Christ, According to The Purpose of His Will, To The Praise of His Glorious Grace, With Which He has Blessed us In The Beloved.  In Him we Have Redemption Through His Blood, The Forgiveness of our trespasses, According to The Riches of His Grace, Which He Lavished Upon us, In All Wisdom and Insight Making Known to us The Mystery of His Will, According to His Purpose, Which He Set Forth In Christ As a Plan For The Fullness of Time, To Unite All things In Him, Things in heaven and Things on earth.  In Him we Have Obtained an Inheritance, Having Been Predestined According to The Purpose of Him Who Works All Things According to The Counsel of His Will, SO That we who Were The First to Hope in Christ Might Be to The Praise of His Glory.  In Him you Also, When you Heard The Word of Truth, The Gospel of your Salvation, And Believed In Him, Were Sealed With The Promised Holy Spirit, Who IS The Guarantee of our Inheritance Until we Acquire Possession of It, To The Praise of His Glory."....Lord Jesus, In Your Precious Name we Pray....Amen/Amen/jaj....

PJP2 THANKS 160329 THANKS Focus - 2 Corinthians 5:6-7

Psalm 79:13 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."But we Your people, The Sheep of Your Pasture, Will Give Thanks To You Forever; From generation to generation we Will Recount Your Praise."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160329 - 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."So we Are Always of Good Courage.  We Know That while we are at home in the body we Are Away From The Lord, For we Walk By Faith, Not by sight."....

I am Thankful for three Concepts from our PJP2 THANKS TEXT 2 Corinthians 5:6-7....(1)  His Constant/Consistent Presence; (2) Good Courage; (3) Walk By Faith...I am Thankful, that Because of His Constant and Consistent Presence in our Lives (due to His Holy Spirit Being Within us), we Can Be of Good Courage, regardless of any circumstance that may be facing us, or going on around us.  I am Thankful that (1) and (2) dovetail and are further Assurance that we Walk by Faith in our Lord Jesus, and Praise God not by our selfish/distracted sight.  As His Holy Spirit Inspired the writer of Hebrews to Share (Hebrews 11:1) - "Faith is The Assurance of things Hoped for, The Conviction of things Not seen."

Thus my Prayer of Thanks for us today would be a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise based on 2 Corinthians 5:6-7....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Thank You, Because of You in our Lives, we Can Always Be of Good Courage.  Lord Jesus, By Your Sacrifice and Resurrection, we Know That while we are at home in the earthly body we Are Away From You.  But, Thank You Holy Spirit, Because, By Your Indwelling us, we Walk in this earthly body By our Faith in You, Lord Jesus.  Father God, Help us Not to slip into striving to walk with You by our mortal, compromised and imperfect sight.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You that By Your Grace we Are Assured that You Will Keep us Ever in The Palm of Your Hand.  In Your Precious Name we Pray These Thanks.  Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160329 - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Praise and Worship You.  To You Be All The Glory.  Lord Jesus, Help us and Open our Inner Eyes that From Now On, therefore, we Regard no one According to the flesh.  Holy Spirit, even though we once regarded our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh, Thank You, Through You Being Within us, we no-longer Regard Him this way.  Father God, Thank You that Because of Your Love and Grace, Therefore, IF anyone of us Have Accepted Your Son as our Lord and Savior, then, we Are In Christ.  Indeed they then Are A New Creation in Him!  O, Lord Jesus, we Praise You, for Because of You, Your Life, Your Sacrifice and Your Resurrection, our old selfish/sinful self has passed away; BEHOLD, The New Has Come.  Father God, All of This Is From You.  And we Thank You, You, Who Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Reconciled us To Yourself.  Holy Spirit, By Your Grace, You Have Given us God The Father's Ministry of Reconciliation.  Lord Jesus, Help us to Share This Ministry of Reconciliation with those who do Not Know You as Lord and Savior.  O Holy Spirit, Give us Your Word, That Is That In our Lord Jesus Christ, God The Father Is Reconciling All the world To Himself.  Lord Jesus, Help us to Reflect Your Truth, That By You and Your Grace, God The Father Is NOT counting ours or their trespasses against them.  Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Encourage and Empower us as You Are Entrusting to us Your Message of Reconciliation.  Father God, Help us to Fully Be Your Ambassadors for Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Holy Spirit, Strengthen us as Through us, God The Father is Making His Appeal to the lost.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Help us as we Implore those who Do Not Know You, On Behalf of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, That they would Be Reconciled to You in a Right Relationship of Love and Grace.  Lord Jesus, we Praise and Worship You that You Chose, For our Sake and Salvation, to Be Made To Be sin, You Who Knew NO sin, So That In You we Might Become The Righteousness of God The Father.  We Lift Up our Prayers In Your Precious and Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160329 - 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."For While we Are Still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—Not that we would be unclothed, But That we Would Be Further Clothed, So That What is mortal May Be Swallowed Up By Life.  He Who Has Prepared us For This Very Thing Is God, Who Has Given us The Spirit As A Guarantee."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160328 PROLOG Focus - Deuteronomy 25:15....

Psalm 56:10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."In God, Whose Word I Praise, In The Lord, Whose Word I Praise".....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160328 - Deuteronomy 25:15 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."A Full And Fair Weight you Shall Have, A Full And Fair Measure you Shall Have, That your days May Be Long in The Land That The Lord your God Is Giving you."....

As a Pharmacist, this Passage Of the Word Select (POWS) always brings to mind lessons I learned during my days at Purdue doing my undergrad in Pharmacy School.  I can remember well the lessons our Pharmacy School Professors patiently (for the most part) 'hammered' (mentally not physically) into our noggins with regards to the importance of ensuring our scales and measuring devices consistently provided us accurate 'weights and measures' (WAM).  IF we had little or no faith in the integrity and accuracy of our WAMs, then our creams, lotions, oral solutions being compounded, or even our sterile products that would injected into the patient, these pharmaceuticals would not be precisely what the provider had prescribed for the patients healthcare need at the time.

Ok, so I'm sure someone's asking...."Great story, Jeff, BUT (Behold the Underlying Truth) {as you would say} How does the WAM concept apply to our PJP2 PROLOG POST 160328 today?"

Ah, excellent question, appreciate you asking - Here you go.....

What I hear The Holy Spirit saying is - God The Father's Expectation of us is that we will ever use accurate WAMs in regards to our Giving of ourselves to Him.  When we Surrender to Him, it is to be fully, with integrity, not 'holding back', using an inaccurate weight or measure, telling Him is is our All, when in reality, it is merely a portion, not the full WAM.

Hear from our Lord Jesus, keeping the thought of accurate WAMs.....Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV/emphasis adde/jaj)....“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and Have Neglected The Weightier Matters of The Law: Justice And Mercy And Faithfulness.  These you Ought To Have Done, Without neglecting The Others.  You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"....

Be not mistaken, Team, I too am Still Learning the Criticality of accurate Spiritual WAMs in my own Life.  Praise The Lord Jesus, though, In His Mercy, Patience and Grace He is Still Teaching me.  I am Thankful, though, For His Linking His Lessons to Concepts I can Associate prior learning to, thus giving them a dual Point of Importance in my Thoughts and Life.

Thus my Prayer for us today - Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Thank and Praise You for Your Amazing Grace.  Lord Jesus, Help us to employ and deploy Your Accurate and Fair Weights And Measures of Life.  Holy Spirit, May we Watch and Follow You as You Provide us Opportunities to Share Your Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness in The Full Measure You Would Have us Do.  Father God we Praise You as You Continue to Shower us with Your WAM Scale that is Beyond our Understanding.  Be with us Lord Jesus, Help us to Ever Be Your Reflection to this world so desperate for Your Accurate WAMs in our Lives.  We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Precious and Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160328 THANKS Focus - Deuteronomy 26:11....

Psalm 69:30 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Praise The Name of God With A Song; I Will Magnify Him With Thanksgiving."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160328 - Deuteronomy 26:11 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And you Shall Rejoice In All The Good That The Lord your God Has Given to you And to your house, you, And the Levite, And the sojourner who is among you."....

Yesterday, Cindy and I visited with Cindy's Family as we Celebrated Easter Sunday and The Amazing Gift of Life our Lord Jesus Provided for us via His Life, Death and Resurrection on that First Easter centuries ago.  It was a good day, a good visit, a Blessing to be with family.

Enter Deuteronomy 26:11....Simply a Reminder By The Spirit to me today to Be Thankful and to Publicly Proclaim my Thanks and Rejoice in All The Good That The Lord Has Given us.

So, here we go, our Prayer of Thanks for today - Lord Jesus Thank You for Your Accomplishing Your Mission of Your First Advent.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your Presence in our Daily Lives, Even when we are distracted by our 'busyness', Thank You That You Remain Patient and Present.  Father God, we do Rejoice as You Reveal Moment by Moment, All The Good You Have Done and Continue to DO in our Lives.  We Raise our Worship and Praise to You, Lord Jesus.  We Rejoice in You, Holy Spirit.  Father God, we Sing Your Praise Now and Forever.  Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160328 - Psalm 60:4-5 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Praise, Worship and Thank You.  Lord Jesus, Guide us to Ever Look to You, our One and Only Source of Life.  Holy Spirit, as weary soldiers in battle, May we Look to You, You Who Set Up A Banner, God's Flag For those Who Faithfully Exalt/Adore/Respect (FEAR) You.  Father God May we Always Run to You, our ROCK, our Strong Tower.  Lord Jesus, By Your Sacrifice and Resurrection, May we Your Beloved ones Be Delivered.  Holy Spirt Please Continue, By Your Grace, to Give Salvation By Your Right Hand to All who Call Upon You as Lord.  Father God Thank You for Hearing our Prayers.  Lord Jesus, we Praise You for we Know as we Ask In Your Name, You Have Promised and You Will Answer us.  To You, O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, be All The Glory, Forever and Ever!....Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160328 - 1 John 3:23 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And This Is His Commandment, That we Believe In The Name of His Son Jesus Christ AND Love one another, Just As He Has Commanded us."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160327 PROLOG Focus - Deuteronomy 24:19-22 / John 12:23-26....

Psalm 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 160327 - Deuteronomy 24:19-22 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you Shall Not Go Back to get it. It Shall Be For the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, That The Lord your God May Bless you In All The Work of your hands.  When you beat your olive trees, you Shall Not go over them again.  It Shall Be For the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.  When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you Shall Not strip it afterward.  It Shall Be For the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.  You Shall Remember That you were a slave in the land of Egypt; Therefore I Command you To Do This."....

John 12:23-26 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And Jesus Answered them, 'The Hour Has Come for The Son of Man To Be Glorified.  Truly, Truly, I Say to you, Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls Into the earth and Dies, It remains alone; BUT If It Dies, It BEARS Much Fruit.  Whoever Loves his life Loses it, AND whoever Hates his Life In this world Will Keep It For Eternal Life.  If anyone Serves Me, he Must Follow Me; AND Where I Am, There Will My servant Be Also.  If anyone Serves Me, The Father Will Honor him."

Happy Easter 2016!  He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

As you read our two 160327 PROLOG POSTS Passages Of the Word Select (POWS) this morning, you may be asking, "Ok, Jeff, where's The Spirit Leading you this morning?"  Appreciate you asking, I promise to keep this brief....Honest!.....

As we can see in Deuteronomy 24:19-22, God The Father Provides His Guidance to leave a 'remnant' behind in the fields, vineyards and gardens so that those less fortunate can glean enough to live on.  Though perhaps not as well practiced today, I do know that my earthly father (John A. 'Pops' Johnson) often shared that today's farmers will elect to leave 1-3 rows, or more in a field for similar reasons.

What I Hear The Holy Spirit Saying, this morning, is That is Exactly What our Lord Jesus Did as He Faced His Cross, and His Follow-On Resurrection.  As our Lord Jesus was 'planted' for our sins - He, like the 'Grain of Wheat' He Describes in John 12:23-26, He Fell, Died and Then He has Borne Much Fruit!
Likewise His Call to us is To Follow In Step with Him.  As we 'die' to our Selfishness, Surrendering our All to Him - He, in His Holy and Righteous Way, Transforms us, just like the Grain of Wheat dies and is transformed to Yield Much Fruit.

IF you Are of The Family of Faith, I Pray our Lord Jesus Continues to Strengthen you, and Help you Bear Much Fruit for Him.  IF you do Not Yet Know our Lord Jesus as your Personal Savior, I Know that He Stands Ready to Accept You as His Own.

My Prayer for us today - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Holy, Holy, Holy, Only You Are Holy.  Thank You Lord Jesus for both Your Parable of The Grain of Wheat, as well as Being our Living Example of What You Mean in our Following In Step with You.  Holy Spirit, Strengthen and Encourage us to indeed Follow You.  Father God, May we Ever Reflect You and Your Loving Grace in All we Say and Do.  Lord Jesus, it Is In Your Precious Name we Lift Up our Prayers.  Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160327 THANKS Focus - Luke 24:1-12....

Psalm 92:1-2 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."It Is Good To Give Thanks To The Lord, To Sing Praises To Your Name, O Most High; To Declare Your Steadfast Love In the morning, And Your Faithfulness By night".....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160327 - My Prayer of Thanks for us today would be to Offer Up His Story of His Rising.....Luke 24:1-12 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....

"But On The First Day of the week, at Early Dawn, they went to The Tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they Found The Stone Rolled Away from The Tomb, BUT when they went In they Did NOT find The Body of The Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, Behold, Two Men Stood by them in Dazzling Apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, The Men Said to them, 'Why Do you Seek The Living among the dead?  He Is NOT here, BUT Has RISEN.  REMEMBER How He Told you, While He Was Still in Galilee, That The Son of Man Must Be Delivered into the hands of sinful men And Be crucified AND On The Third Day RISE.'  And they REMEMBERED His Words, And returning from The Tomb they Told All These Things to the eleven and to all the rest.  Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who Told These Things to the apostles, But These Words seemed to them an 'idle tale', and they Did Not Believe them.  BUT Peter Rose And Ran to The Tomb; stooping and looking In, he Saw The Linen Cloths By themselves; AND he went home Marveling At What Had Happened."....

O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Easter!  Thank You for our Opportunity to Remember and to Share that You Have Risen.  May we Ever Reflect Your Living Presence in our lives in all we say and do.  In Your Name we Lift our Prayers....Amen and Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160327 - Philippians 1:2-11(ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Raise our Praise to You.  Thank You, as we Celebrate Easter and Your Resurrection, Lord Jesus.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Being His Living Presence within us.  Thank You, Father God, For Your Eternal Loving Mercy and Grace towards us.  Lord Jesus, we would Ask You to Strengthen and Encourage us as we Offer up Your Inspired Word as Paul records in Philippians 1:2-11....Brothers and Sisters of The Family of Faith:  We Pray that our Lord Jesus' Grace be with you And Peace From God our Heavenly Father.  We Thank God in all our Remembrance of you, Always In Every Prayer, we Lift you Up To Him.  We Thank The Holy Spirit in Making our Prayers Filled With His Joy.  We Ask God The Father to Continue to Be With us All, especially Because Of our Joint Partnership In our Sharing His Gospel from the first day until now.  And, Lord Jesus, we Are Sure of This:  That You Who Began A Good Work In All of us, It Is You, Father God, Who Will Bring This to Completion At The Day of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ's Second Advent.  Holy Spirit, we Know that It Is Right for us to Feel This Way About our Fellow Family of The Faith.  Lord Jesus, Because of Your Sacrifice for us, we Hold All of our Fellow Family of The Faith In our Hearts.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Pray that You Continue to Bond us In Unity with You and one another.  For we Are All Partakers With You of Your Grace.  Lord Jesus, regardless of our Circumstances, if we be imprisoned, or destitute, or free, Empower us to Stand Firm and Be Bold In The Defense And Confirmation of Your Gospel, Your Story of Love, Light, Mercy and Grace.  For Father God, As Your Are our Witness, we Yearn For You and For All of Your Family of The Faith, With The Affection of Your Son, our Lord Christ Jesus.  Holy Spirit, It Is our Prayer That Your Love May Abound More And More, With Your Knowledge And All Discernment, So That You May Help and Guide us to Approve What Is Excellent in You.  Lord Jesus, Help us that we May Be Found Pure And Blameless in You. Father God, we Long For The Day, The Second Advent of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Pray that we Be Filled With Your Hole Fruit of Righteousness.  We Know That All This that we Have Prayed For Comes Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  To You, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God Be All The Glory And Praise.  In Your Name we Ask These Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160327 - Matthew 28:6 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."He Is NOT here, For He Has RISEN, As He Said.  COME, SEE The Place Where He lay."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160326 PROLOG Focus - Ephesians 4:7-10

Psalm 18:2-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."The Lord Is my ROCK And my Fortress And my Deliverer, my God, my ROCK, In Whom I Take Refuge, my Shield, And The Horn Of my Salvation, my Stronghold.  I Call Upon The Lord, Who Is Worthy To Be Praised, And I am SAVED from my enemies."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160326 - Ephesians 4:7-10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."BUT Grace Was Given To each one of us According To The Measure of Christ's Gift.  Therefore It (His Word) Says, 'When He Ascended On High He Led A Host of captives, And He Gave Gifts to men.'  In Saying, 'He Ascended,' What Does It Mean BUT That He Had Also Descended Into the lower regions, the earth?  He Who Descended IS The ONE Who Also Ascended Far Above ALL the heavens, That He Might Fill ALL Things."....

Good Friday has passed.  Our Lord Jesus, due to the Faithfulness of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, was taken down from The Tree/The Cross and laid in a new tomb in a garden near Golgotha.  The apostles/disciples of our Lord Jesus have reassembled in Jerusalem, BUT they are cowering in fear, awaiting for their own arrest and subsequent demise.

So, here is The Question I hear The Holy Spirit posing to me this morning - What's happening with our Lord Jesus during this interim post Crucifixion and His Easter Morning Resurrection?

Now, Team, do NOT think I have had some Brilliant Revelation that is preparing to uncover some untold Secret of our Lord.

Nope.

BUT (Behold the Underlying Truth), I will Share The Holy Spirit's Inspired Word to Paul, which perhaps does provide us a glimpse into what our Lord Jesus was Doing from the Moment He Gave Up His Spirit, to the Moment He Rose from The Tomb.....

Ephesians 4:7-10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."BUT Grace Was Given To each one of us According To The Measure of Christ's Gift.  Therefore It (His Word) Says, 'When He Ascended On High He Led A Host of captives, And He Gave Gifts to men.'  In Saying, 'He Ascended,' What Does It Mean BUT That He Had Also Descended Into the lower regions, the earth?  He Who Descended IS The ONE Who Also Ascended Far Above ALL the heavens, That He Might Fill ALL Things."....

I am Thinking that our Lord Jesus, Who has Just Once and For All Kicked death (and the evil one) to the Eternal Curb, Takes Up God's Full Armor and He Assaults the very gates of hell, breaking them down, never to be able to hold captives again (unless they choose to reject and ignore His Saving Grace).  The 'Final Chapter' in our Lord Jesus' Ascension/Descending/Ascension we find in Revelation 19-22 - In the Last Three Chapters of His Story, He puts the Final Crowning on His Victory over sin and death.

Thus puts New Life into our Lord Jesus Proclaiming on His Cross, "It Is Finished!"  Not an statement of defeat, BUT, I Believe a Statement of Total Victory!

My Prayer for us Today - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Loving Grace.  Lord Jesus, Help us to Better Understand, as we Celebrate and Contemplate Your Passion, Death and Glorious Resurrection, that You Chose to Live, Die, and Rise Again Once and For All.  Holy Spirit, Encourage and Empower us to Be Your Soldiers of Your Light and Love.  Father God, Thank You and May we Ever Be Reflections of Your Power as we See in Your Son's Resurrection.  We Lift Up our Prayers and Praise to You, O Lord Jesus.  In Your Name we Ask These Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160326 THANKS Focus - Deuteronomy 21:22-23....

Psalm 75:1 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."We Give Thanks To You, O God; we Give Thanks, For Your Name Is Near.  We Recount Your Wondrous Deeds."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160326 - Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....“(The Lord Said)....'And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a Tree, his body Shall Not Remain all night on The Tree, BUT you shall bury him The Same Day, For a hanged man Is Cursed By God.  You Shall Not Defile your land That The Lord your God Is Giving you for an inheritance."....

I am Thankful our Lord Jesus Chose to become guilty, to take on ALL the sins, not just mine, BUT ALL the sins of ALL mankind.  As He Chose to Be Guilty, Guilty to crimes He Did Not commit, our Lord Jesus Also Chose to Become Cursed for me, for All of us.  I am Thankful I Serve a God and Savior Who, By His Mercy, Power and Grace, Can Take His Own Righteous Curse and Transform That Into an Eternal Blessing.

My Prayer of Thanks for us today would simply be - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Ultimate Demonstration of Love, Mercy and Grace.  Lord Jesus, Inspire us to Ever Reflect Your Light of Truth.  Holy Spirit, Motivate us to Share that sin and guilt are Not the victors over our Souls, But That Once and For All, Upon The Tree of Calvary, You Defeated them.  Father God, Thank You for Your Gracious Power that Converts Your Own Curse to One of Blessing and Love through Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.  In Your Precious and Holy Name we Pray...Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160326 - Hebrews 2:14-18 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Lift Up in Worship Your Holy Name.  Lord Jesus, we Thank You, since Therefore we Your children Know we Share In the flesh and blood of God The Father's Creation.  Holy Spirit we Are Amazed that He, our Lord Jesus Himself Likewise Chose to Partake of the same things we do.  Father God, we Are Humbled That Through His death, a Cursed Death on a Tree, That He Might, By Your Grace and Power Destroy the one who has the limited power of death, that is, the devil, the evil one.  Lord Jesus we Praise You, that By Your Resurrection, By Your Taking Up Your Life as You Promised, You Have Delivered All of us  who through fear of death have been subjected to a lifelong of slavery.  Holy Spirit, for surely It Is Not God's Angelic Army that our Lord Jesus Helps.  But, Father God, as You Promised and Consistently Have Shared with us, Your Son Was Sent to Help us, the distant offspring of Your servant Abraham.  Therefore Lord Jesus, we Are Amazed that You Chose to Be Made Like us Your brothers/sisters In Every Respect, SO That You Might Become A Merciful And Faithful Holy and Eternal High Priest In The Service of God, Your Father.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You That You Provided the Once and For All Propitiation for the sins of the people. Lord Jesus, we Praise You as we Remember that You Yourself Chose to Suffer for us, even when You were tempted by the evil one.  By Your Power, Father God, Through Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, You Are Able to Help us as well, even when we are being tempted.  We Worship and Praise You!  We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Precious Name...Amen/Amen...jaj

God's Nod 160326 - Deuteronomy 20:1 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....“ (The Lord Said)....'When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you Shall Not be afraid of them, For The Lord your God Is With you, (He) Who Brought you Up Out Of the land of Egypt."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160325 - Today I have Heard The Holy Spirit Share with me that on this, our Remembrance of Good Friday, I am best to step aside and Let God's Word Speak for Him....Acts 2:17-24 (ESV).... “(Peter said to the gathering)....‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions,and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 'Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.'"....

 For our Prayer today I would offer up Hebrews 13:20-21...."Now May The God of Peace Who Brought Again From the dead our Lord Jesus, The Great Shepherd of the sheep, By The Blood of The Eternal Covenant, Equip you With Everything Good That you May Do His Will, Working In us That Which Is Pleasing In His Sight, Through Jesus Christ, To Whom Be Glory Forever And Ever. Amen."....

Please continue to pray for Belgium, our world, and our Fellow Family of the Faith who find themselves in position of persecution for their Belief in our Lord Jesus and His Saving Grace.  May this Easter Season be one of True Reflection and Remembrance for His Love and His Redemption.  Blessings.....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160325 THANKS Focus -Matthew 27:45-61....

Psalm 95:2-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Let us Come Into His Presence With Thanksgiving; Let us Make A Joyful Noise To Him With Songs of Praise!  For The Lord Is A Great God, And A Great King Above All".....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160325 - Today I am simply Thankful for His Story and His Saving Grace for us.....May His Story of His Death upon The Cross Remind us that He Came To Save us from ourselves.  During these continued days of turmoil and challenge, May we Ever Remember, Lord Jesus, You Came for each of us in God's Saving Love, as our Redeemer....Matthew 27:45-61 (ESV)...."Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb."

PJP2 SIP 160325 - Our Scripture Inspired Prayer (SIP) 160325 for today is to simply Share the Words of our Lord Jesus that He Gave to us on the first Maundy Thursday, as He Prepared to face the finale of His Passion Week.  The Holy Spirit Inspired the Apostle John to record our Lord's Maundy Thursday Prayer in John 17.  Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Lift Up Your Word as Written in John 17:1, 6-23...."(When Jesus had spoken these Words, He Lifted Up His Eyes to heaven, And Said,)....“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, “I have Manifested Your Name to the people whom You Gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You Gave them to Me, and they have Kept Your Word. Now they know that Everything that You Have Given Me Is From You. For I Have Given them The Words That You Gave Me, And they Have Received Them And Have Come to Know In Truth That I Came From You; And they Have Believed That You Sent Me. I Am Praying For them. I am not praying for the world But For those whom You Have Given Me, for they Are Yours. All Mine Are Yours, And Yours Are Mine, And I Am Glorified in them. And I Am No Longer in the world, BUT they Are in the world, And I Am Coming to You. Holy Father, Keep them In Your Name, which You Have Given Me, That they May Be One, Even As We Are One. While I was with them, I Kept them In Your Name, Which You Have Given Me. I Have Guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. BUT Now I Am Coming To You, and These Things I Speak in the world, That they May Have My JOY Fulfilled in themselves. I Have Given them Your Word, And the world has hated them Because they are NOT of the world, Just As I Am NOT of the world. I Do Not Ask that You Take them out of the world, BUT That You Keep them From the evil one. They Are NOT of the world, Just As I Am NOT of the world. Sanctify them In The TRUTH; Your Word IS TRUTH. As You Sent Me into the world, So I Have Sent them into the world. And for their sake I Consecrate Myself, That they also May Be Sanctified in Truth. I Do Not Ask for these only, BUT Also for those who Will Believe In Me Through their word, That they May ALL Be One, Just As You, Father, Are In Me, And I In You, That they Also May Be In Us, SO That the world May Believe That You Have Sent Me. The Glory That You Have Given Me I Have Given To them, That they May Be One Even As We Are One, I In them And You In Me, That they May Become Perfectly One, So That the world May Know That You Sent Me And LOVED them Even As You LOVED Me." O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Holy and Gracious Word and Prayer for us.  In Your Precious Name we too Pray Your Prayer.  Help us Lord Jesus to Follow You in All we Do.  Amen and Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160325 - 1 John 3:1-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."See What Kind of LOVE The Father Has Given to us, That we Should Be Called children of God; AND So we Are.  The Reason Why the world does Not Know us Is That it Did Not Know Him.  Beloved, we Are God's children Now, AND What we Will Be Has Not Yet Appeared; BUT we Know That When He Appears we Shall Be Like Him, Because we Shall See Him As He Is.  And everyone who Thus HOPES In Him Purifies himself As He Is Pure."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160324 PROLOG Focus - Deuteronomy 13:1-3....

Psalm 79:13 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."BUT we Your people, The Sheep of Your Pasture, Will Give Thanks To You Forever; From generation to generation we Will Recount Your Praise."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160324 - Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."(And God Said)....'If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, AND If he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ Which you Have NOT Known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you Shall NOT Listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.  For The Lord your God Is Testing you, To Know Whether you LOVE The Lord your God With ALL your Heart And With ALL your Soul.'"....

I am consistently Amazed at how our Lord Jesus employs events within our day to make a Point with regards to our Following In Step with Him.....Yesterday I was chatting with one of our visiting Pharmacy Students about a variety of topics.  We were talking about taking tests.  She made the comment, "I really hate taking tests.  I know I suffer from test anxiety."  I concurred with her general premise.  I detest taking tests as well.  Like our AF/Physical Fitness Assessment {AF/PFA} (we stopped calling it a 'test' due to folks getting so wound up about it).....My Lovely Bride of 38 years can readily share with you I am a bear to live with during the week of having to take my AF/PFA.  Now, I full-well Know I will be fine, and I'll score well on the AF/PFA, BUT that doesn't eliminate my angst at going in to complete it.

So, here's The Point I Hear The Holy Spirit Sharing with regards to Deuteronomy 13:1-3....What I am picking up on through these POWS is This is God's Open Book Test (OBT) for us.  Now unlike our OBTs that we've taken before (e.g. Teacher gives you a set of questions and you have to 'search' The Book to Find the Answer).....God, as He Always Does, Goes One Better - He Both GIVES us The Question He is Going to Ask AND He Gives us His Answer that He's Looking For.

The old adage, "If IT Sounds To GOOD to be True...." Comes to mind as well.....Snake Oil and Medicine Show Barkers have been using the 'bait/switch' tactic for years.  The enemy of all mankind, the evil one, he is a master at this as well.

Well be not dismayed for The Holy Spirit, via His Inspired Word to John the Beloved Apostle Shares with us another OBT scenario.....1 John 2:18-25...."Children, It Is The Last Hour, And As you Have Heard that antichrist is coming, So NOW many antichrists have come.  Therefore we Know That It Is The Last Hour.  They went out from us, BUT they were NOT Of us; For If they had Been Of us, they Would Have Continued with us.  BUT they went out, That It Might Become Plain That they all Are NOT Of us.  BUT you Have Been Anointed By The Holy One, AND you All Have Knowledge.  I write to you, NOT Because you Do NOT Know The TRUTH, BUT Because you KNOW IT, And Because NO lie Is Of The TRUTH.  Who is the liar BUT he who Denies That Jesus Is The Christ?  This is the antichrist, he who Denies The Father And The Son.  No one who Denies The Son Has The Father.  Whoever Confesses The Son Has The Father Also.  Let What you Heard From The Beginning Abide In you.  If What you Heard From The Beginning Abides In you, THEN you too Will Abide In The Son And In The Father.  And This Is The Promise That He Made To us—Eternal LIFE."....

Thus my Prayer for us today would be....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Worship and Praise Your Holy Name.  Lord Jesus, first we would Ask You to be with and send Your Comfort to those in Belgium who are dealing with the aftermath of the recent attacks.  Holy Spirit, Be With us as each day we face anew the OBT of Life.  Father God, Thank You that You Consistently Provide us Your Answer.  Help us, Lord, to be Strong in You and to Allow Your Truth to Flow into, around and through us to others.  May we, Lord Jesus, Be Your Reflection of Light and Love, Your Mercy and Grace, Being a Help to others who Do Not Yet Know You as Lord and Savior.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, May Your Truth of Forgiveness and Salvation continue to Seep Into The Soil of Every Heart.  We Ask These Prayers in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160324 THANKS Focus - Deuteronomy 13:4....

Psalm 7:17 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Give 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 160324 - Deuteronomy 13:4 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."You Shall Walk After The Lord your God And Fear Him And Keep His Commandments And Obey His Voice, And you Shall Serve Him And Hold Fast To Him."....

I am Thankful our Lord Provides us with straightforward and practical Guidance for us to be able to Follow Him.  Now, doesn't mean that His Guidance is necessarily Easy to Accomplish....BUT That is Exactly Why our Lord Jesus Shares in John 14:26...."But The Helper, The Holy Spirit, Whom The Father Will Send In My Name, He Will Teach you All Things And Bring To your Remembrance All That I Have Said to you."....

The world might read Deuteronomy 13:4 and proclaim, "How can you chose to be a slave to such a demanding, restrictive God?  You have no freedom!"

I would counter the world's question(s) with this response from our Lord Jesus, our Best Source...John 8:31-36...."So Jesus Said to the Jews who had Believed Him, 'If you Abide In My Word, you Are Truly My disciples, And you Will Know The TRUTH, And The TRUTH Will Set you FREE.”  They answered Him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You Say, ‘You Will Become FREE’?”  Jesus Answered them, “Truly, Truly, I Say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  The slave Does NOT Remain in the house forever; The Son Remains Forever.  So IF The Son Sets you FREE, you Will Be FREE Indeed.'"....

Also, as I have shared in other PJP2s, the Concept of "Fear of The Lord" has been one I struggled with a long time.  I have heard the world say, "How can you Love a Savior that you are afraid of?"  Well, Thanks to The Holy Spirit, He's Provided me, just this moment, with a Second Fear Acronym in response....FEAR of The Lord is Faithfully Expressing Awe and Respect of The Lord.....(I will soon share the Long Acronym of FEAR....BUT I really appreciate The Spirit's Revelation this morning. :) ).....

Thus my Prayer of Thanks for us today - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Loving Mercy and Grace.  Lord Jesus, Thank You that You took on God The Father's Mission to Come, to Save and to Free us from our own self-inflicted fatal wound of sin.  Holy Spirit, Thank You for Teaching and Counseling us on the Appropriate FEAR of The Lord.  Father God, Help us to Ever Reflect Your Forgiveness and Love to All.  In Your Precious and Righteous Name we Pray These Prayers....Amen/Amen/jaj

PJP2 SIP 160324 - Colossians 1:11-14 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Worship and Praise You, now and forever.  Lord Jesus, we would Ask That You Strengthened us With All Your Righteous Power by The Presence of Your Holy Spirit within us.  Father God, According to Your Glorious Might, May we Rely On You, For All Endurance And Patience With Your Joy, ever Giving Thanks to You The Heavenly Father of All.  O Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Life, Sacrifice and Resurrection, for it is You Who Has Qualified us To Share In Your Inheritance That You Paved The Way for Your saints In Your Holy Light.  Father God we Thank You.  For By Your Gift of Your Son, our Lord Jesus, He Has Delivered us From the domain of darkness.  Holy Spirit, Thank You that By our Lord Jesus' Gift of You to Dwell Within us, You Have Transferred us to The Kingdom of God The Father's Beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, It Is In You Whom we Have Redemption, and The Forgiveness of all our sins.  May we Ever Reflect You in All we say and do.  We Lift Up our Prayers to You, In Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen...jaj

God's Nod 160324 - Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."He Is The Image of The Invisible God, The Firstborn of All Creation.  For By Him All Things Were Created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—All Things Were Created Through Him And For Him.  And He Is Before All Things, And In Him All Things Hold Together.  And He Is The Head of the body, the church.  He Is The Beginning, The Firstborn From the dead, That In Everything He Might Be Preeminent.  For In Him All The Fullness of God Was Pleased to Dwell, And Through Him To RECONCILE To Himself All Things, whether on earth or in heaven, Making PEACE By The Blood of His Cross."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160323 PROLOG Focus -

Deuteronomy 10:21 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."He Is your Praise.  He Is your God, Who Has Done For you These Great And Terrifying Things That your eyes Have Seen."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160323 - Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....“ (The Lord Said to Moses)....'You Shall Therefore Lay Up These Words of Mine In your Heart And In your Soul, And you Shall Bind Them As A Sign On your hand, And They Shall Be As Frontlets between your eyes.  You Shall Teach Them to your children, Talking of Them When you are sitting in your house, And When you are walking by the way, And When you lie down, And When you rise.  You Shall Write Them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, That your days and the days of your children May Be Multiplied in The Land that The Lord Swore to your fathers To Give Them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.'"....

Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8 - Each of these references record our Lord Jesus' telling of His Parable often called "The Sower and The Seed".  In Deuteronomy 11:18-21, I Hear The Holy Spirit nudging me towards this Concept of our taking up His 'Calling' to Imitate our Lord Jesus as His sower of His Seed (which is His Word).  To summarize that - Be His Witness.

I have to admit, Team, I Have often felt 'challenged, inadequate, incapable' of being a good Witness for our Lord Jesus.  No, no, has nothing to do with my being shy and withdrawn, I can get past that.  :)  No, I think my hesitance to Be His Witness is perhaps more a subtle attack by the evil one through distraction (getting my focus off God's Mission for me), or thoughts of doubt ('Who would listen to you, especially knowing what you've done in your past....?"), or even challenging thoughts ('How can you claim to be a Follower of Him when you______?")....

Praise God, though, He is Ever With us and Cheering us on.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."(The Lord Said to Joshua)...'Have I Not Commanded you?  Be Strong And Courageous.  Do NOT be frightened, And Do NOT be dismayed, For The Lord your God Is With you Wherever you go.'”

Thus The Holy Spirit has cycled me back around to Deuteronomy 11:18-21....As I've been pondering this Passage Of the Word Select (POWS), The Spirit had pinged me with two thoughts on Witnessing - (1) These POWS are first a Reminder, a Witness, if you will, of God The Father to us.  I mean check it out - The Lord's telling us to 'Lay-up/Remember/Plant' His Word in our Heart & Soul; He is Also Saying we should "Bind Them" to our hands and between our eyes; And there's more....He Shares that (a) Teach POWS to our kids; (b) Talk about His Word whilst sitting/walking/laying down/getting up; (c) Poster them on the door so we can see them coming and going; (2) These POWS Share with us Additional Ways we Can Witness for Him.....When we Share/Quote His POWS in a scenario....people do notice; Folks will Hear us Teaching/Sharing with our children and/or grand-children His POWS....'Post-It' Notes of POWS are seen.....Regardless if the one seeing/hearing us Witness in these ways agree or disagree, the Point remains the Same - We Are, By His Grace, Sharing our Faith.

One last thought - As we become More Bold in These Forms of Sharing, I am Hearing The Holy Spirit Remind me that He Will Continue to Encourage and Empower us to Grow into even More Opportunities to Share His Word of Love, Light, Mercy and Grace.

My Prayer for us today would be - O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Saving Grace.  Lord Jesus, be with our Brothers and Sisters in Belgium as they recover from the recent tragedy.  Holy Spirit, may we Be Your comforters to those in need.  Father God, Thank You for Your Word.  Help us, O Lord, to Remember and Lay/Up Your Word in our Hearts and Souls.  Lord Jesus, Encourage and Empower us to Ever Be Your witness of Your Gift of Salvation.  Holy Spirit, in our Word and Deeds, May we Reflect You in our Lives and Be Your Living witness to Your Gift of Reconciliation.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You and Ever Be With us.  We Lift Up our Prayers in Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160323 THANKS Focus -

Psalm 136:1 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Give Thanks To The Lord, For He Is Good, For His Steadfast Love Endures Forever."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160323 -  Deuteronomy 11:7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."For your eyes have Seen All The Great Work of The Lord That He Did."....

I am Thankful for All The Great Works (Within, Around And Through Me) That I've Been Blessed to have Witness with my very own eyes.

For a few recent examples....(a) Spring is here!  Flowers are blooming, trees are budding and the lawns are greening up - Reflections of His Creation Returning to Life after the Rest of Winter; (b) Loving Family and Friends....During this recent time of grief and mourning, our Family and Friends have continued to Reflect His Loving Comfort and Grace; (c) Calm in the midst of chaos....Even in the midst of all the on-going chaos and turmoil in our world, Those of The Family of Faith in Him Know that He Is With us and He does Indeed Have This in The Palm of His Mighty Hand.

My Prayer of Thanks for us today would be - Lord Jesus, First we Lift Up Worship and Praise to You for Your Mercy, Grace and Love.  Holy Spirit, Please Be with our Family of Faith and our U.S. Allies in Belgium as they recover from the most recent tragedy.  Father God, we Are Thankful That You Do Continue to Work Within, Around and Through us in Your Loving and Mighty Way.  May we, O Lord, Ever Reflect Your Steadfast and Saving Love.  In Your Precious Name, Lord Jesus, we Pray These Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160323 - Philippians 2:1-5 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Holy, Holy, Holy, Only You Are Holy.  Lord Jesus, If there is Any Encouragement we Know This Comes From You.  Holy Spirit, If there is Any Comfort, we Know This Comes From Your Love for us.  Father God, If we Have Any Participation In Your Grace, we Know This Comes from Your Holy Spirit being Within us.  Lord Jesus, If we Reflect Any True Affection And Sympathy, it is Only By Your Being With us that This Happens.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Please Complete our Joy.  Help us Lord, as Your Family of The Faith to Be of The Same Mind in You.  Holy Spirit, Encourage and Strengthen us to Reflect Your Same Love of Mercy and Forgiveness as You've Shared with us.  Father God, Guide us and Teach us to Be In Full Accord With You and one another, that Through You we can Be of One Mind.  Lord Jesus, Protect us and Guide us to Do Nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.  BUT Holy Spirit, Show us How In Your Humility and Way we Can Count others More Significant Than ourselves. O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, May we each Look NOT Only to our own interests and concerns, BUT, Lord Jesus, as You Ever Demonstrated during Your Walk Among us, Also That we Look To The Interests of others over ours.  Father God Help us To Have This Mind Among ourselves, Which, As You Have Promised, Is ours in Your Son, our Lord Christ Jesus.  In Your Precious and Holy Name we Pray....Amen and Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160323 - Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Have This Mind Among yourselves, Which Is yours In Christ Jesus, Who, Though He Was In The Form of God, Did NOT Count Equality With God A Thing to be grasped, BUT Emptied Himself, By Taking the form of a servant, Being Born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He Humbled Himself By Becoming Obedient To The Point of death, Even death on a cross.  Therefore God Has Highly Exalted Him And Bestowed On Him The Name That Is Above every name, So That At The Name of Jesus Every knee should bow, in heaven And on earth And under the earth, And Every tongue Confess That Jesus Christ IS Lord, To The Glory of God The Father."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160322 PROLOG Focus -

Ezra 3:11 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."And they Sang Responsively, Praising And Giving Thanks to The Lord, 'For He Is Good, For His Steadfast Love Endures Forever toward Israel.' And all the people Shouted With A Great Shout When They Praised The Lord, Because The Foundation of The House of The Lord was laid."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160322 - Deuteronomy 7:7-9 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."It was Not Because you were more in number than any other people That The Lord Set His LOVE On you And Chose you, For you were the fewest of all peoples, BUT It Is Because The Lord LOVES you And Is Keeping The Oath That He Swore To your fathers, That The Lord Has Brought you Out With A Mighty Hand And REDEEMED you From the house of slavery, From the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Know Therefore That The Lord your God IS God, The Faithful God Who Keeps Covenant And Steadfast LOVE With those who Love Him And Keep His Commandments, To A Thousand Generations,"....

I Hear The Holy Spirit, through Deuteronomy 7:7-9, referring me to John 3:16 - "For God So LOVED the world That He Sent His One and Only Son, that whosoever Believes In Him Shall Not perish, BUT Have Eternal Life."....

As I am pondering these Passages Of the Word, Select (POWS) this morning the thought that keeps running through my noggin' is one that The Spirit has pointed out both in Deuteronomy 7:7-9, but also in Deuteronomy 8:14 & 17 and 9:5...The Point I Hear Him making is three-fold:

AWACS (A Warning And Caution Statement) - "Be Careful!  Don't go down the slippery slope of 'thinking', "Ha, Because of my ________(ability, smarts, good-looks, suaveness, etc) I accomplished________{fill in the blanks}".....Nope, That kinda of prideful/arrogant thinking leads only to a great fall....(For example - Check out Revelation 18:1-24....these POWS depict a very great fall due to such a poor prideful attitude/jaj)....
God Is The Center of All.  On one hand this is such a straight-forward concept to hear, BUT in Reality our world thrives on convincing us that we are the center of our existence.  Truth be told, There Is Only One Center of Life and it ain't us.
"It Is Because The Lord LOVES you"....The ongoing, recurring Theme that The Holy Spirit Inspires to Thread Throughout ALL His Word....Once more circling back to John 3:16...."For God So LOVED"....  

Thus for my Prayer for us today, permit me to employ a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise using The Holy Spirit's Inspired Word to His Psalmist as he writes in Psalm 36:7-11 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love, O Lord our God!  Lord Jesus, Thank You that we, Your children of mankind Can Take Refuge In The Shadow of Your Wings.  Holy Spirit, we Are Humbled that we May Feast On The Abundance of Your House.  Father God, Every Day we Are Amazed that You Give us Drink From Your River of Living Water and Righteous Delights of Your Grace. O Lord Jesus, Help us to Be Your Witness to those who do Not Yet Know You.  For With You, O Lord, we Know There Is The Fountain of Eternal Life; Holy Spirit, Thank You that In Your Light Do You Enable us To See Your True Light. O Father God we Thank You and Ask You to Continue Your Steadfast Love to those who Know You as Lord.  Lord Jesus, Help us and Let us Reflect Your Righteousness to the Family of The Faith, those Upright of Heart By Your Grace!  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we earnestly Pray that You Let Not the foot of arrogance come upon us, Nor May the hand of the wicked drive us away from You and Your Love.  We Lift Up our Prayers and Praise in Your Holy and Righteous Name, Lord Jesus....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160322 THANKS Focus - Deuteronomy 8:5....

1 Chronicles 16:8 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Oh Give Thanks To The Lord; Call Upon His Name; Make Known His Deeds among the peoples!"....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160322 - Deuteronomy 8:5 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Know Then In your Heart That, as a man disciplines his son, The Lord your God Disciplines you."....

I am Thankful for our Lord's Love.  I am Thankful, In His Grace, He Patiently Mentors us as a father guides and mentors His child.  I am Thankful the our Lord Provides even more detailed Guidance with regards to His Loving Demonstration of Grace-filled Discipline....

Thus, Hebrews 12:3-7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)....will be our Prayer of Thanks today.... O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Help us to Consider Him, Your Son, our Lord Jesus, Who Endured from sinners Such hostility against Himself, SO That we May Not grow weary or fainthearted.  We Thank You for Your Example by which we can Be Encouraged.  Family of The Faith - In our struggle against sin, most of us have Not Yet Resisted to The Point of shedding our own blood.  Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Help Us Never to Forgot Your Exhortation/Encouragement in which You Addresses us as Your children - You Said, “My son, Do Not Regard Lightly The Discipline of The Lord, Nor Be weary When Reproved By Him." Oh Family of The Faith, our Lord Jesus Disciplines the one He LOVES, And Chastises Every child whom He Receives.  Team, It Is For His Righteous Discipline That we Have To Endure.  Holy Spirit, Please Open our Inner Eyes that we May See that God The Father Is, By His Discipline of us, Treating us as His children.  Thank You Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, for Your Adopting us, and By Your Love and Grace, Guiding us Through Loving Discipline to Become those Who You Have Had Plan since before Time began.  In Your Loving and Precious Name we Pray....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160322 - Deuteronomy 9:26-29 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Come to You in humble Worship and Praise.  Lord Jesus, as we Reflect Upon Your Passion during this Holy Week 2016, we First Thank You for Your Sacrifice and Act of Forgiveness that Paved The Way for our Reconciliation and Redemption to a Right Relationship with God The Father.  O Father God, When we do stumble, as we will most certainly will, we would Lift Up Intercession and Pray You Not destroy us, Your Adopted people.  Holy Spirit, Because of our Lord Jesus, we Know we Are Blessed as Your Heritage.  Lord Jesus, Because of You, we Have Been Redeemed Through Your Greatness.  Father God Ever Remind us That It Is You Who Brought us Out of our own prison of sin, our own "Egyptian Enslavement" With A Mighty Hand.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Please Ever Remember Your servants and saints of old.  Remember Your Promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Lord Jesus, Continue to Help us.  Holy Spirit, Intercede for us, Please.  Father God, In Your Mercy and Grace, Do Not Regard our stubbornness, or our penchant towards wickedness, or sin.  May our Witness of You in our Lives Ever Be a Positive Reflection.  Lord, May we Never Be an example that brings You shame or dishonor, lest those whom Do Not Know You as Lord and Savior, those From Which You Brought us say, “Don't you see....Because their Lord and God was unable to really Save them, As He Promised them.  And Because really He hated them, He simply Brought them Out to put an end to them in the world's wilderness.” Lord Jesus we Know THIS IS NOT Your Truth.  Father God, By Your Grace we Know we Are Your Adopted people.  Holy Spirit Remind and Encourage us That we Are Your Heritage.  Lord Jesus we Thank You for It Is You Whom Brought and Bought us Out of our debt of sin By Your Great and Awesome Power And By Your Outstretched Arms as You Sacrificed All Upon Your Cross for us.  We Worship, Praise and Thank You!  We Lift Up our Prayers and Praise in Your Precious Name, Lord Jesus.  Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160322 - Colossians 1:11-14 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."May you Be Strengthened With All Power, According To His Glorious Might, For All Endurance And Patience With Joy, Giving Thanks To The Father, Who Has Qualified you To Share In The Inheritance Of The saints In Light.  He Has Delivered us From the domain of darkness And Transferred us To The Kingdom of His Beloved Son, In Whom we Have Redemption, The Forgiveness of sins."....

PJP2 PROLOG 160320 PROLOG Focus -

Psalm 67:5 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Let the peoples Praise You, O God; Let All the peoples Praise You!"....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160320 - John 12:12-19 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus Was Coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name of The Lord, Even The King of Israel!'  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is Written, 'Fear Not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King Is Coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt!'  His disciples Did Not Understand These Things at first, BUT When Jesus Was Glorified, THEN they Remembered That These Things Had Been Written About Him AND Had Been Done To Him.  The crowd that had been With Him When He Called Lazarus Out of the tomb And Raised him From the dead Continued To Bear Witness.  The Reason Why the crowd Went To Meet Him Was That they Heard He Had Done This Sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing.  Look, the world has Gone After Him.'”....

In just six short days our Lord Jesus will go from being a Celebrity and Worshipped, to a 'criminal' and washed-up.

Do we still do the very same yet today?  I am confident I have.  I am certain that when The Lord's Work is Positive and All's going 'gang-buster' Good in my Life...Our Lord has Called Forth Lazarus....- I am All Over cutting down palm branches and waving them around shouting, "Hooah!  Hosanna!!"  Yet, when the storm(s) of Life roll in, and my Ship of Life is being bobbed around like a cork (and all because instead of trimming the sails, I hoisted them in arrogance saying, "Bring It!"), my attitude is perhaps not one of Worship and Praise.

BUT Praise God, our Lord Jesus, The King of kings, calmly shares with us, "Do Not be afraid.  It Is I!"  

Thus my Prayer for us today, on this Palm Sunday 2016, would be - O Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Saving and Amazing Grace.  Holy Spirit, Ever Open our Inner Eyes, especially when we are blinded by the 'glitz and glamor' of the Event, missing the Truth of Your Point to us that our King of kings first comes to us Humbly and Unassuming.  Father God, Teach us that Only After the Grain of Wheat is Planted, Dies to self and Rises Again from The Tomb By Your Power.... Then and Only Then do we Begin To Bear Fruit for You Through You.  We Lift Up our Prayers, Lord Jesus, In Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160320 THANKS Focus -

Psalm 28:6-7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Blessed Be The Lord!  For He Has Heard the voice of my pleas for Mercy.  The Lord Is my Strength And my Shield; In Him my Heart Trusts, And I am Helped; my Heart Exults, And With my Song I Give Thanks To Him."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160320 - John 12:20-26 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Now among those who went up to Worship at The Feast were some Greeks.  So these Greeks came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.'  Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.  And Jesus Answered them, 'The Hour Has Come for The Son of Man To Be Glorified.  Truly, Truly, I Say to you, Unless A Grain of Wheat Falls into the earth and dies, It Remains alone; BUT If It dies, It Bears Much Fruit.  Whoever Loves his life Loses it, And whoever Hates his Life in this world Will Keep It for Eternal Life.  If anyone Serves Me, he Must Follow Me; And Where I Am, There Will My servant Be Also.  If anyone Serves Me, The Father Will Honor him.'"....

I Hear The Holy Spirit making Three Points of Thanks, this morning, focusing around - (1) These Greeks; (2) Grain of Wheat's Death Yields Life and Fruitfulness; (3) A Servant Follows his Master... (1) I am Thankful God The Father Accepts us all.  "These Greeks" asking to see our Lord Jesus would have been a HUGE no-no during our Lord's Time Amongst us.  Greeks would clearly have been Gentiles.  Also, we know from history the Greeks were a polytheistic people, thus their requesting to 'see' a Rabbis of Judaism would really have been very odd indeed.  Now the Word does not Share if Jesus Spoke with "These Greeks" - Yet His Answer, "A Grain of Wheat Falls into the earth and dies....BUT If IT dies, IT Bears Much Fruit"....resonates with me that our Lord Jesus was Opening The Narrow Gate for All who Believe and Follow Him as His servant.  "If anyone Serves Me"....His Word, "anyone" is a wide-open path for us to Him.  (2) Grain of Wheat....It isn't rocket-science to connect the dot to our Lord Jesus' reference to His Passion, death and Resurrection in His Comment regards the Grain of Wheat.  One could say His Prophecy of Bearing Fruit has indeed come true.  As of 2010, 33% of the world's population (+/- 2.1 Billion people) claimed to be Believers in our Lord Jesus.  BUT, Bottom-Line/Up-Front....personally for me, His Choosing to die for my sins, Bears His Fruit within me, and Guides me to (3) as His servant, Follow Him.

Thus my Prayer of Thanks for us today would be - Lord Jesus, Thank You for Providing a Path for us, "These Greeks" to become Your children by Your Life, Death and Resurrection.  Holy Spirit, Help us and Encourage us, likewise, to Be Grains of Wheat of Your Word to Be Willing to die to our selves and Live Your Life Within us.  Father God, Empower and Encourage us to Ever Walk In Your Son, our Lord Jesus' Steps.  We Pray These Prayers of Thanks in Your Son's Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 SIP 160320 - Psalm 54:1-7 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Come to You this day in Worship and Praise for Your Loving Mercy and Saving Grace.  O Lord Jesus, our King and our God, Save us By Your Name, And Vindicate us By Your Righteous Might.  O Holy Spirit, Hear our Prayer; Give Ear, Father God, To the words that we Lift to You.  Lord Jesus, As You Said During Your Walk Among us as One of us, strangers, who Do Not Know You, or who have rejected You as Lord, they have risen against us and Your Family of The Faith; ruthless men, Holy Spirit, Seek our very Lives, due to our Faith In You; Clearly, Father God, they Do Not Set You before themselves.  Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Encouragement, for Behold, You Have Sent Your Holy Spirit to us, and He Is our Helper; Father God we Praise You, for You, O Lord, You Are our Upholder of our Lives.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, May we Ever Reflect Your Forgiveness, and Your Call to Repent and Return to You.  Help us, Lord.  May Your Truth Be Clear to those who choose to reject You and Your Grace.  For by their choice, You Will Return the evil that they have shown;  In Your Faithfulness, You Will Be True to Your Promise, and those who choose to reject Your Salvation, will come to a bitter end.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, With A Freewill Offering of ourselves, we Will Sacrifice To You; We Will Give Thanks To Your Name, O Lord, For IT Is Good.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, For You Have Delivered us From every trouble, And our Eyes Have Seen Your Triumph!  In Your Precious and Holy Name we Pray these Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj

God's Nod 160320 - Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."(Moses said to the Israelites)....'And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen All That The Lord your God Has Done to these two kings.  So Will The Lord Do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing.  You Shall Not fear them, For It Is The Lord your God Who Fights For you.’"....

PJP2 160320 - Palm Sunday 2016

God's Nod 160320 - Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."(Moses said to the Israelites)....'And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen All That The Lord your God Has Done to these two kings.  So Will The Lord Do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing.  You Shall Not fear them, For It Is The Lord your God Who Fights For you.’"....

PJP2 SIP 160320 - Psalm 54:1-7 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, we Come to You this day in Worship and Praise for Your Loving Mercy and Saving Grace.  O Lord Jesus, our King and our God, Save us By Your Name, And Vindicate us By Your Righteous Might.  O Holy Spirit, Hear our Prayer; Give Ear, Father God, To the words that we Lift to You.  Lord Jesus, As You Said During Your Walk Among us as One of us, strangers, who Do Not Know You, or who have rejected You as Lord, they have risen against us and Your Family of The Faith; ruthless men, Holy Spirit, Seek our very Lives, due to our Faith In You; Clearly, Father God, they Do Not Set You before themselves.  Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Encouragement, for Behold, You Have Sent Your Holy Spirit to us, and He Is our Helper; Father God we Praise You, for You, O Lord, You Are our Upholder of our Lives.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, May we Ever Reflect Your Forgiveness, and Your Call to Repent and Return to You.  Help us, Lord.  May Your Truth Be Clear to those who choose to reject You and Your Grace.  For by their choice, You Will Return the evil that they have shown;  In Your Faithfulness, You Will Be True to Your Promise, and those who choose to reject Your Salvation, will come to a bitter end.  O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, With A Freewill Offering of ourselves, we Will Sacrifice To You; We Will Give Thanks To Your Name, O Lord, For IT Is Good.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, For You Have Delivered us From every trouble, And our Eyes Have Seen Your Triumph!  In Your Precious and Holy Name we Pray these Prayers....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 THANKS 160320 THANKS Focus -

Psalm 28:6-7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Blessed Be The Lord!  For He Has Heard the voice of my pleas for Mercy.  The Lord Is my Strength And my Shield; In Him my Heart Trusts, And I am Helped; my Heart Exults, And With my Song I Give Thanks To Him."....

PJP2 THANKS TEXT 160320 - John 12:20-26 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Now among those who went up to Worship at The Feast were some Greeks.  So these Greeks came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.'  Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.  And Jesus Answered them, 'The Hour Has Come for The Son of Man To Be Glorified.  Truly, Truly, I Say to you, Unless A Grain of Wheat Falls into the earth and dies, It Remains alone; BUT If It dies, It Bears Much Fruit.  Whoever Loves his life Loses it, And whoever Hates his Life in this world Will Keep It for Eternal Life.  If anyone Serves Me, he Must Follow Me; And Where I Am, There Will My servant Be Also.  If anyone Serves Me, The Father Will Honor him.'"....

I Hear The Holy Spirit making Three Points of Thanks, this morning, focusing around - (1) These Greeks; (2) Grain of Wheat's Death Yields Life and Fruitfulness; (3) A Servant Follows his Master... (1) I am Thankful God The Father Accepts us all.  "These Greeks" asking to see our Lord Jesus would have been a HUGE no-no during our Lord's Time Amongst us.  Greeks would clearly have been Gentiles.  Also, we know from history the Greeks were a polytheistic people, thus their requesting to 'see' a Rabbis of Judaism would really have been very odd indeed.  Now the Word does not Share if Jesus Spoke with "These Greeks" - Yet His Answer, "A Grain of Wheat Falls into the earth and dies....BUT If IT dies, IT Bears Much Fruit"....resonates with me that our Lord Jesus was Opening The Narrow Gate for All who Believe and Follow Him as His servant.  "If anyone Serves Me"....His Word, "anyone" is a wide-open path for us to Him.  (2) Grain of Wheat....It isn't rocket-science to connect the dot to our Lord Jesus' reference to His Passion, death and Resurrection in His Comment regards the Grain of Wheat.  One could say His Prophecy of Bearing Fruit has indeed come true.  As of 2010, 33% of the world's population (+/- 2.1 Billion people) claimed to be Believers in our Lord Jesus.  BUT, Bottom-Line/Up-Front....personally for me, His Choosing to die for my sins, Bears His Fruit within me, and Guides me to (3) as His servant, Follow Him.

Thus my Prayer of Thanks for us today would be - Lord Jesus, Thank You for Providing a Path for us, "These Greeks" to become Your children by Your Life, Death and Resurrection.  Holy Spirit, Help us and Encourage us, likewise, to Be Grains of Wheat of Your Word to Be Willing to die to our selves and Live Your Life Within us.  Father God, Empower and Encourage us to Ever Walk In Your Son, our Lord Jesus' Steps.  We Pray These Prayers of Thanks in Your Son's Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 PROLOG 160320 PROLOG Focus -

Psalm 67:5 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Let the peoples Praise You, O God; Let All the peoples Praise You!"....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160320 - John 12:12-19 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus Was Coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name of The Lord, Even The King of Israel!'  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is Written, 'Fear Not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King Is Coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt!'  His disciples Did Not Understand These Things at first, BUT When Jesus Was Glorified, THEN they Remembered That These Things Had Been Written About Him AND Had Been Done To Him.  The crowd that had been With Him When He Called Lazarus Out of the tomb And Raised him From the dead Continued To Bear Witness.  The Reason Why the crowd Went To Meet Him Was That they Heard He Had Done This Sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing.  Look, the world has Gone After Him.'”....

In just six short days our Lord Jesus will go from being a Celebrity and Worshipped, to a 'criminal' and washed-up.

Do we still do the very same yet today?  I am confident I have.  I am certain that when The Lord's Work is Positive and All's going 'gang-buster' Good in my Life...Our Lord has Called Forth Lazarus....- I am All Over cutting down palm branches and waving them around shouting, "Hooah!  Hosanna!!"  Yet, when the storm(s) of Life roll in, and my Ship of Life is being bobbed around like a cork (and all because instead of trimming the sails, I hoisted them in arrogance saying, "Bring It!"), my attitude is perhaps not one of Worship and Praise.

BUT Praise God, our Lord Jesus, The King of kings, calmly shares with us, "Do Not be afraid.  It Is I!"  

Thus my Prayer for us today, on this Palm Sunday 2016, would be - O Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Saving and Amazing Grace.  Holy Spirit, Ever Open our Inner Eyes, especially when we are blinded by the 'glitz and glamor' of the Event, missing the Truth of Your Point to us that our King of kings first comes to us Humbly and Unassuming.  Father God, Teach us that Only After the Grain of Wheat is Planted, Dies to self and Rises Again from The Tomb By Your Power.... Then and Only Then do we Begin To Bear Fruit for You Through You.  We Lift Up our Prayers, Lord Jesus, In Your Holy Name....Amen/Amen....jaj

PJP2 PROLOG 160319 PROLOG Focus -

Psalm 45:17 (emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will Cause Your Name To Be Remembered In All generations; Therefore nations Will Praise You Forever And Ever."....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 160319 Focus - John 20:24-29 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Now Thomas, one of The Twelve, called The Twin (Didymus), Was NOT with them When Jesus Came.  So the other disciples told him, 'We Have SEEN The Lord.'  BUT he said to them, 'Unless I SEE In His Hands The Mark of The Nails, AND place my finger Into The Mark of The Nails, AND place my hand Into His Side, I will NEVER Believe.'  Eight days later, Jesus' disciples were inside again, AND Thomas was with them.  Although the doors Were LOCKED, Jesus Came And Stood among them And Said, 'Peace Be With you.'  Then He Said to Thomas, 'Put your finger HERE, And SEER My Hands; AND put out your hand, And Place it IN My Side. Do NOT disbelieve, BUT BELIEVE.'  Thomas answered Him, 'My Lord And my God!'  Jesus Said to him, 'Have you Believed Because you Have Seen Me?  Blessed Are those who Have NOT Seen And Yet Have Believed.'”....

Be Careful What you ASK for.

I always wonder, had I been in Thomas shoes, would I have had the audacity to say - "Here's the deal, Team - The ONLY way I'll say, 'Amen.  It's HIM.' (A) I have to SEE all HIS Wounds; (B) I have to PUT my fingers and hand in HIS Wounds as well."  Now as a medic, I can't deny I am fascinated by our Lord's Return From the grave AND His Appearances to His disciples.  The Legend of The Shroud of Turin is one I'm gripped by.  As a scientist, I could readily delve into the attempts to prove the how's/why's our Lord Jesus' Resurrection as reality.  Yet, again, not sure if I'd made the bold Doubting Thomas requests for Proof.

However - perhaps in many ways we do just that.

Perhaps we doubt our Lord Jesus, His Holy Spirit and ever God The Father, in different ways.  Maybe it is in that disbelieving attitude that drives us to try to accomplish something in our own strength, versus Trusting Him and His Working in our Lives.  Maybe it is our approach that unless God The Father's requested engagement in our Lives via our Prayers is in sync with our Timeline - we start doing 'things' to work towards a 'positive outcome' by our own manipulation of the scenario.  Maybe it is simply our saying "I Believe" BUT in reality our Actions do not Match our Word.

Be Careful What you ASK For.....

I can assure you Team, I KNOW I am guilty of The Doubt of Thomas.  Praise our Lord Jesus, though, for He Does NOT Leave us in the dregs of our doubt or despair.  Even if we Lock The Door of our Heart and Soul, Jesus CAN Appear in our Midst.  His Grace, Love and Forgiveness will Ever Meet us Right Where we are.  He Will, as He Demonstrates with Thomas, Graciously permit us to SEE and TOUCH His Wounds.  He Will Share with us His Statement to them all, "Peace Be With you."  And He Will Encourage us to Believe and to Share our Belief that He May Save others afflicted by The Doubt of Thomas.

My Prayer for us today - Lord Jesus Thank You for Your Loving and Amazing Grace.  Holy Spirit Encourage and Guide us that we too can Come To You with our fear and doubt.  Father God, Open our Inner Eyes that we May See Your Wounds Taking on our Behalf.  Lord Jesus Empower us to Believe and Help our unbelief.  May we Ever Reflect Your Grace to those who Do Not Yet Believe and Claim You as their Lord and Savior.  In Your Precious Name we Pray....Amen/Amen....jaj