celebratejesus

Hi Desi, Thank you for asking, I am doing ok:) Just not into the forums these days. Take care girlfriend:)

I hear you bopeep, but as I was recently reminded, God is bigger than all that, and He will not let any of us down;) God bless you, denise, ysic I am sorry that was not very encouraging.Oh yes,God is bigger than that.I do hope that you find that job that you want.I think that more employers should hire older people.Their is alot of advantages to that.I may be layed off the last of March.I am not looking forward to that. I got hit hard with real discouragement, your post here was fine BP, it is true that there is a lot of discrimination in this world. I know you didn't mean to discourage me:) I posted in the "women only" forum but no one home in there and I need to talk about what happened today, so rather than start another thread can you go take a look in there BP? Maybe give me some feedback? denise, ysic my prayers are with you celebratejesus. thank you Desi, I am much better today. I am putting one foot in front of the other, have a couple errands that might produce some opportunities for me. Thank you for your prayers, as I really feel secure in knowing someone is praying for me. My Experience Works hasn't called me since I saw them last week so I will call today. I also have a home-care place to stop by and talk to. They have some tasks for people that are non-medical, like errands, cooking meals, just being there at times over-night, etc. I don't know that I am a good candidate for that, but I am going to go explore the possibility. I am hoping for the Experience Works:) but it is of course, up to God:) ttyl, your sister in Christ, denise

I would like to add to this, sorry it appears the bold type is stuck in the on position even though looking at the icon it should not be bold type. Remember Jesus was speaking to the Jews that believed in God as the Creator not Jesus Christ as the Creator/Savior. And this is what those verses are about; verse 48 and 51 he is telling them to start focus on him as God had given Jesus all of creation and we must accept Jesus Christ as the bread of life (the only way into Heaven). Prior to Jesus last 3&1/2 years on earth everything the Jews knew was God was the Creator and God would send Immanuel whom they waited on. However they could not understand or accept Jesus as that Savior because they knew him as the kid next door that grew up in there town or close by. Remember many thought his casting out demons was of the devil not of God. Also at the time of these verses they could not comprehend their Savior being born in a manger and growing up down the street from them. I think the Jews expected the coming of Immanuel to be similar to Rev. 1:7 rather than how God chose his coming to earth. Also prior to Jesus being crucified (as theses verses are) verse 49 refers to the fact that the ones who came out of Egypt had not ascended to Heaven that is why he refers to them as they are dead. ( they ascended into Heaven after Jesus was crucified. Ok I think I got this right someone can correct me if need be. Thank you much for posting to this topic though, as I am still researching by way of a few, different commentaries. I don't know of anyplace where it says (in the bible) about them ascending after Jesus was crucified though. I did read a commentary yesterday, by David Guzik, and his said something to the effect of what has been mentioned here, they died because they did not obey. I'll just paste in what Guzik said, I'm not saying I agree, this is just another person's take on the passages: Commentary by Calvin: John 6:49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. He says that the manna was a perishing food to their fathers, for it did not free them from death. It follows, therefore, that souls do not find anywhere else than in him that food by which they are fed to spiritual life. Besides, we must keep in remembrance what I formerly stated, that what is here said does not relate to the manna, so far as it was a secret figure of Christ; for in that respect Paul calls it spiritual food, (1 Corinthians 10:3.) But we have said that Christ here accommodates his discourse to the hearers, who, caring only about feeding the belly, looked for nothing higher in the manna. Justly, therefore does he declare that their fathers are dead, that is, those who in the same manner, were devoted to the belly, or, in other words, who thought of nothing higher than this world. (155) And yet he invites them to eat, when he says that he has come, that any man may eat; for this mode of expression has the same meaning as if he said, that he is ready to give himself to all, provided that they are only willing to believe. That not one of those who have once eaten Christ shall die — must be understood to mean, that the life which he bestows on us is never extinguished, as we stated under the Fifth Chapter. I admit to not knowing a lot about Calvin, but I hear many christians say he is full of it. I felt in my heart though that this particular comment on John 49 could be right on. Do you have any verses on people of the OT ascending when Jesus was crucified? I am open to it, I don't know the whole bible word for word your sister in Christ, denise

I hear you bopeep, but as I was recently reminded, God is bigger than all that, and He will not let any of us down;) God bless you, denise, ysic I am sorry that was not very encouraging.Oh yes,God is bigger than that.I do hope that you find that job that you want.I think that more employers should hire older people.Their is alot of advantages to that.I may be layed off the last of March.I am not looking forward to that. I got hit hard with real discouragement, your post here was fine BP, it is true that there is a lot of discrimination in this world. I know you didn't mean to discourage me:) I posted in the "women only" forum but no one home in there and I need to talk about what happened today, so rather than start another thread can you go take a look in there BP? Maybe give me some feedback? denise, ysic

I really can't say enough about how much I appreciated this reply, thank you brother. It was one of those thing that you just know God orchestrated for me to read:) I love Robert Plant, Big Log was one of my faves. Anyway, I am reading John write now, but will be glad to see that verse again. That verse tells me why God doesn't reveal (answer) all my questions now;) God bless, your sister in Christ, denise

I found something in my reading this a.m. Glidingwings, that makes me feel a bit differently about "who" and how many people "betrayed" Jesus. The bible doesn't say who and how many in these verses, but I wanted to share it as I feel I was wrong in my other post about Judas being the only one who betrayed Jesus. Here are the verses: John 6:62-64 (NKJV) 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. I know this isn't exactly with your topic, maybe parts of, but God opens my eyes to places I am wrong, or misunderstanding His Word. I mean, in many cases He will do that for me, so I wanted to let you know. I know the bible doesn't say everything, and many of us speculate on what might have been but like many commentators I respect will say "it could have been" or "it might have meant". Those types of christians I respect because they also know that unless it's in God's Word, we can't know it to be Truth your sister in Christ, Denise

I just saw your thread a few minutes ago and I have to share the story of an older friend of mine. We used to work together and have stayed in touch; we do lunch, that kind of thing. Well she was laid off in 2008 and didn't find a new job 'til December 2011! She is a strong believer though and never lost faith that the Lord would bring her through. She was hired by a major oilfield company at 62 years of age and is very happy in her new company. Please don't give up believing in Him; He will bring you through anything if you just lay it at the foot of the cross and trust Him. I wil pray for the Lord to help you quickly, sister. Oh wow, this was so encouraging, thank you for sharing it, no, I won't give up:) God bless you, and when you talk to your friend, tell her how much I needed to hear about how God was faithful to her:) denise, your sister in Christ

I think you are probably right bopeep, I remember that whole journey, and they were not very faithful at all. And about them just wanting their own needs, yes, it does seem they were just in it for what they could get, even with all God did like the Red Sea (saving them from Pharoah's army etc.) I really don't know why I assumed they would end up in heaven. Thank you sis for helping me out, pretty quiet today, and looking forward to church in the a.m. God bless you, your sister in Christ, Denise:)

Thanks for this bopeep, I am doing ok today;) Did a couple of "have to" errands, now back home. What I am wondering is why Jesus says those folks died, didn't any go to heaven? I knew they didn't get to see the promised land but I thought they went to heaven. I do understand after Jesus came, the He became the only Way to God. I hope the first part/question makes sense. I just always thought the people God brought out of Egypt were bound for heaven, even though they were imperfect. ttys, denise, your sister in Christ

I read this today, and I didn't notice (or take to heart) what it said until today: John 6:49-50 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I tried to find an answer through my commentary, but couldn't, specifically on this verse, so thought I would get some thoughts here. I knew from the OT that there were those who were not allowed into the promised land, including Moses. I do however believe that Moses did not die, for eternity because He was on the Mount of transfiguration. But the verses above, and this is only what I am getting from them, is that these ancestors/fathers are dead. I think it means for eternity, but not sure. I just always thought, even though they screwed up royally, over and over, they would still be able to have eternal life. I am a bit confused, which oh no, every time I say that someone will say confusion is of the devil. Which I don't think it is always from him. What I think never gets me far though Appreciate any feedback, denise, your sister in Christ (ysic)

It is written in summation of thought hereCol 3:1-4 3 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. NASU Isa 26:6-9 6 The foot shall tread it down — The feet of the poor And the steps of the needy." 7 The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. 8 Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. 9 With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. NKJV Love, Steven Oh these were wonderful to read! Fits right in, I love how the Word is all interlinked, thank you Steven, may God bless your day!! ysic, denise

Oh you guys, God is just revealing so many things to me, I can say my cup is truly running over. First I'll show you what I read just before posting. The verses, and then the devo link if you want to read it as well. John 6:22-40 Devotional by Ray Stedman All of it hit me where I "live" so to speak:) but especially this opened my eyes, and I don't know how many times I've read it John 6:28-29 28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (the version of the bible with Rays devo is another and it said "what must we do to do the work God requires" that one I understood a bit better, denise) 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” I have struggled, even agonized with God to show me what I need to be doing, what is my gift, how could You use me, "will" You please show me God, show me what I need to be doing. These verses told me, I guess it is God's timing, I mean "when" something finally gets through to me. Believe in Jesus (Whom God has sent). I get it!! Maybe I have known it, at times, but I do forget. It is so easy to get back into the worlds way of thinking. Out there running in circles trying to make a name for myself, be somebody. When all that is necessary is to believe on Christ, and to believe in Him is to obey what He has taught me. When I am doing that, I am filled with God-confidence, no fear, and acceptance, no expectations except that God will never leave me, and He will provide what I need, and that is what I truly want, what I need, not what I think I am supposed to have to please this world and it's fallen state. There is so much more to this, but so just one, more thing. I am exactly like the people back then, they didn't "get" Who Jesus really was or why He came, yet. But they knew, just like I do, there is more to life then a full tummy and having all the bills paid. I had that life, and was NEVER satisfied I know so many times it is "Dear Lord" please do this or that in my life, but oh yes, if it be your will. But I realize after reading this, that my main focus needs to be believing and trusting in Him and His way (God's Way) the rest will come because if I believe in Jesus Word (s) then comes the obeying.

LOL! Funny but I thought of Africa as well, never wanted to go there because of the wild animals (yes, I live in the US, lol) Someone told me, years ago, to always be real specific in my prayer;) God bless your day! denise, ysic

Oh yes, lol, He is able, now if I will just remember that;) Thank you brother, denise

Yes, Kwik-Philly, you are right, and God knows my forgetfulness as well. I think I mentioned yesterday, somewhere on the boards, how when things are going well I tend to put God on the back burner. When things are rough, I am praying more, praising more, reading more, talking to Him more, and even listening (wow, what a concept;) So He is "bringing" me in closer to Him, I love it so much, I mean, I can't think about the pain and say I love that, but the ultimate result is being closer to Him. I have prayed many times over the years for His will to be done, and I've been honest with Him and told Him I am afraid of what that might mean in my life, but it is truly my heart's desire, so I've asked Him whatever it takes, all I want is more of You and less of me, denise, ysic PS Praising God for your healing sister!!

I think I can suppose many things about a verse, or verses like the ones on the invalid at the pool, but what is wonderful to me Edwin, is that I got what I was supposed to get from those verses. Do I want to be healed? That was the question that struck me the most, and opened my eyes to myself, and the question was straight from Jesus to me (that's what I believe). I think I mentioned earlier I really had to question myself about that, do I want to be healed, or do I want to lay and wait, or even be taken care of. And I don't think this whole "healing" thing just has to do with ones physical state. Mine mind is my worst enemy at times, and that is what I want more than anything, is the renewing of my mind. The reason I post this is because I am not one that is good at analyzing, dissecting, really diggin deep into the Word, right now, may never be. For me personally, it is simple for me if I just allow the Holy Spirit to do the driving, and then I get the message. I appreciate your post above, it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. For me I have to keep it simple, because God made it that way for me. Another thing is, I really am just learning to "know" God, not just "about" Him:) So baby-steps for me:) Maybe there will come a day when I can dig a bit deeper, I dig deeper then I did when I began God bless you brother, a sister in Christ, denise

glad you liked it GE, I had just finished some bible-reading at bedtime, then went to some tunes and got this one:)

Yes, I believe that as well bopeep, it is easy to trust God when things seem so perfect in life, I've sometimes even put Him on the back burner when things are going well. I am learning that in hardships is when I grow most in Him, more of Him, less of me, way better way to be:) I can tell you that I am have more joy in my life now, in all these trials, then I ever did when things were going cushy for me:) I can understand praising Him in the storms of life now:) denise, ysic

that's so true, lots of loving christians don't get healed of every ailment/disability.

Thank you for this, I had not remembered those verses, and my heart breaks for how Judas must have felt, denise, ysic

The prophecies concerning Messiah indicated that He would overcome the human rule of government and replace it with His rule, and this is what the people clung to. But there are also prophecies about the Messiah being the suffering servant, however they were blinded to this. It was only after the ressurection that the disciples got it. Now, Messiah will conquor the human governements, but that is still in the future. The fulfillment of Passover came first. The new kingdom comes later. I see it this way as well, and the part about the people being blinded to it, that is something I didn't get or think about. I do think about Jesus disciples a lot, try to put myself in their shoes, they were just people like us, but God had a might work for them to do. But you are so right that they couldn't have fully grasped it until the resurrection, and then, as we all know, there was doubting thomas:) I'm afraid I have to admit to relating with him an awful lot:) God bless your day:) denise, ysic

Micah 5:2 (In Jewish bibles this verse is Micah 5:1) And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore. So, the Jewish view of the Messiah, is that the Messiah will be a son of David, and will rule as King over Israel, sitting on David's throne. Zechariah 12:8 On that day the Lord shall protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weakest of them shall be, on that day, like David. And the house of David shall be like angels, like the angel of the Lord before them. 9 And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come upon Jerusalem. So, yes, the Messiah was thought to form some great army and defeat Rome, then be King over Israel. The Jewish people under Roman rule were oppressed and looking forward to the time of the Messiah, when He would defeat Rome. Yes, this is it, people thought Jesus (the Messiah) was going to save them in a different way, maybe I could use "a worldly" way, not a spiritual way. In fact I see Jesus as the opposite of what so many expected. In Jesus short ministry on Earth, so many followed Him that He became more and more of a threat to the "worldly" rulers of that day. I think I have that right, maybe close at best:) I love how God works, never what the "natural man" expects is He;)

Casting Crowns "All You Ever Wanted"

I used to ask "why" some folks had it easier than I 2404, and that's the time I thought of when I read your part about "easy street" On the things I really can't understand, I have learned to trust God's purposes, and not ask Him why. There are things in this world that happen to others that I cannot begin to imagine how they make it through. I whine about my "rather small" difficulties while others are fighting those really hard battles. I've already (in my short time on this board) seen such faith, faith in the Lord that I want to have so much. In fact I prayed for it this a.m. I love that verse in the bible that says "help my unbelief" Mark 9:24 ESV Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Also, I wanted to put the link to the devotion I read this a.m. that I know is always written "directly" to me, lol I had never seen these verses the way I did this a.m. I love ole, Ray Stedman's comments on it: When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. (John 6:5-6) Here's the link to the devotional if anyone would like to read it: The Testing of Faith by Ray Stedman The devotional was so right on, when I am faced with something difficult, the first things I think of are "worldly" ways to fix it, not spiritual, and heaven forbid I should ask God "first". But He calls us (is trying to teach me through His Word) that I am literally to have my mind renewed, and to think and look at things differently than the natural man. Oh God, I pray that same prayer, for me, as well as others Lord, "Forgive me, Lord, for trying to meet the needs around me in my own strength. Teach me to offer up to you what little I have and trust that you will use it in miraculous ways." Ray Stedman (from Raystedman.org) Thank you for your helpful reply 2404! May God bless your day! denise, your sister in Christ:)

When I think of the word betray, I think of a friend turning on you. Or a family member, so that's why I would have to agree that Judas was the one betrayer or "friend" that betrayed Jesus. Peter denied knowing Jesus, we know about that as well, but that I think is different than betrayal. Because Judas betrayed Jesus, I don't think it was his fault Jesus went to the cross, that was foretold, and was why Jesus came to us (God with us, Emmanuel). I am just saying what I think, that doesn't mean I am sure I am right, just my thoughts on it. Denise, a sister in Christ PS I also don't think anyone "led" Jesus to the cross, He went willingly. Everyone knows Jesus could have escaped easily, He was and is God.