 In his letter to the Galatian churches, Paul quotes from the incredible scripture of Isaiah 54. I share the whole passage in its entirety below to highlight its importance, especially now in these pivotal times of rapid change. The previous verse, (Galatians 4:26) reads as follows: "But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." This verse tells me that even though I do not like many things that are going on & would have chosen differently if I was able to, I am free in my response. Isaiah 54 is God's bold declaration of assurance that its all going to be more than alright. Knowing this inspires me to keep noticing what's more than alright, right now. Noticing gives me courage & momentum to keep sharing God's eternal covenant of peace, amen.  The verse: "For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband" reminds me of Paul's advice regarding marriage in 1 Corinthians, chapter 7. While it is good to marry & devote oneself to God in service of spouse & children, one's attention will be divided. Paul encourages whoever is able, to remain as he is, single-celibate with undivided devotion upon the Lord. That said, having both options as honorable paths, means having "children", real ones, as being optimized & symbolically as "spiritual fruitfulness", maximized.  This is a principle shared with other religions, such as Hinduism as can be understood by Nityanada's statement: "As is your devotion, so is your liberation." Christ, thank goodness, doesn't just leave it up to us alone. Spiritually, He saves & sanctifies everyone who opens the door of their heart to Him. Tim Keller said: "We are all spiritually barren. We need supernatural intervention from God to be what we ought to be." In Galatians 4:6-7, Paul explains: "...God sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father'. So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." So, who is the "barren" woman that's having so many children, she must 'enlarge the place of her tent'? The Jews persecuted, scattered & in exile; Jews & gentiles coming to Jesus' Covenant & the Church, especially prior to the return of Christ, as in right now. In sum, those who know fragility & depravity first hand & thus are in desperate need of God (see Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit...") & those who have eyes to see & ears to hear. Who is "the one who has a husband?" Israel - those considered favored/ prosperous & safe/protected but under the works-based law of the Old Testament. While God of the Old Testament is our Husband, Maker & King, Jesus, God of the New Testament is our bridegroom - soon to be spouse! These quotes from Tim Keller came from this sermon: The Maker is your Husband
Thank you God for keeping your word; for telling us your promises & for working with us to bring about their fulfillment, amen!
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 This unanswered question posed by God in Jonah 4:11 is the final verse in this unique story of such rich & great depth. The book of Johan in the Bible is about a prophet who attempts to avoid God's command to warn the Nenevites that their evil ways have caught up with them. Rather than going into enemy territory to sound the alarm, Jonah takes an unsuccessful sabbatical from God's service. He gets tossed overboard a ship into the stormy sea & then is miraculously 'rescued' from drowning by being swallowed by a sea creature. Jonah spends three days inside the belly of the beast! For the whole of chapter two, Jonah prays sincerely; crying out to God from 'the depth of Sheol' (NASB) or 'from deep in the realm of the dead' (NIV). Jonah describes rock bottom viscerally & quite relatably to those who've been there. He also expresses his awakening - a changed heart & renewed vow: But I will sacrifice to Thee Even though Jonah doesn't repent for trying to ditch God's instruction, God makes the great fish vomit him back to life upon dry land for another chance. This seems symbolic of baptism & being born again. I guess God knew that Jonah's willingness to obey this time around was in fact the best any Hebrew of that day could do for the wicked & terrorizing people of Neneveh. Renewing his vow to the Lord strengthens Jonah to deliver the most successful prophesy of the old testament - everyone in Neneveh (even the animals) take him seriously & call on God in repentance. Jonah's anger (to the point of wanting to die) over God's relent, clearly shows Jonah's human nature. In contrast, eight hundred or so years later, Jesus, the son of God (God in human form), refers to the 'sign of Jonah' as an astute illustration that 'now something greater than Jonah is here'! Praise the Lord for all those who hear & believe :) Matthew 12:38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. For what was asked of him, Jonah's anger is understandable but so quickly he forgot that God's compassion upon the Nenevites doesn't mean everything will be sunshine & roses for them. Just as Jonah had to endure his own 'day of the Lord' in the belly of a fish & he still wasn't 'off the hook' regarding God's plan, so it is for everyone: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7 It's just as Tim Mackie says: "God is not out to destroy us. He's out to show us that we're going the wrong way so that we can turn & find grace & new life. God's judgment is a good thing; it's an expression of His love. It's aimed at restoring people to relationship with Himself." God's judgment brings justice but it certainly & often doesn't seem fair or right or fun for us. Could it be that 'justice is as justice does' but is not as it appears? We learn from the book of Job that when it doesn't look as though justice is being served, we are to trust God anyway; He is working everything out 'just so' in His infinite wisdom & ways. When we consider all the moving parts, it's no wonder things are as they are. Jonah's well-heeded proclamation to the Nenevites was a hint toward the blessing of Jesus to come to all nations, including to those who are not God's chosen Jewish, Israelites. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Christian salvation is unique in that it is not about what we do as much as it's about what God has done for us. Christianity & going to heaven do not come about by 'being a good person' as many seem to think. We can not 'good' our way back to God as we were before 'the fall' because sin keeps us 'spiritually dead' to our Creator. Being or doing good doesn't cover up, cleanse or remove our sin. Only Jesus' death on the cross accomplished this & before Christ, people such as the Nenevites were saved by their faith in God & made righteous unto Him through repentance. No one is without wrongdoing except for Christ. Thank you God for giving us 'that which is greater than Jonah'. For it is through Jesus that we are reconciled to: "Our Father in heaven,  The shortest book of the old testament, Obadiah, conveys an important message: do not take advantage of those who are in distress. Although this seems pretty obvious, we undoubtedly need reminding to oppose the 'dog eat dog' survivalist mindset that intensifies at times. Obadiah 1:15 is like the backdrop of the 'golden rule', expressed in numerous ways throughout the Bible, for example, when Jesus says "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31) While the sentiment of the golden rule is shared in many philosophies & religions (see: https://www.goldenruleproject.org/formulations), salvation is unique to Christianity. God's reach down to us on earth through His son, for our redemption, is unlike anything else. Blessed we are, amen. 3"The arrogance of your heart has de- Who will bring me down to earth? The Lord, God if I am receptive to His Spirit. "Do not enter the gate of My people What we do to our neighbors, the earth & our enemies, we do to ourselves. Thank you Lord for the heads up & for helping us get this truth! Amen.
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