Those That Bless (Part 2)

 

Good Sunday morning! Here is the final verse that I left you with yesterday.

Ezekiel 35:11

Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.

In these strange times in which we live, we need to be careful about how we treat folk because we never know when the next person that we meet just might be our test case. I know; that is a sobering thought, isn't it? And it might cause you to wonder just what is to be done if you did commit a sin against an angel of GOD or against GOD's representative (your test case)?

Fix It

All in not lost; as long as you are breathing, you have the opportunity to fix it. This is the thing that the LORD GOD would rather that you do. How do I know? Read the verses cited below and you will see that HE stands ready to forgive; in fact, HE prefers that you repent of sin(s).

New American Standard Bible, Ezekiel 33

¹¹ Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord ^[e]God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ ¹² And you, son of man, say to ^[f]your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live ^[g]by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ ¹³ When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. ¹⁴ But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, ¹⁵ if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes ^[h]which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.¹⁶ None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.

Chapter 34

⁴ Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

Strange Times Indeed

If you are a Bible reader, then you will recall the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Before that destruction was begun, angels of GOD came down to see if the outcry against those cities was as great as was reported. They walked the earth and we know they talked to Lot. I said that to underscore my point:

• You do not know who you talk to on a daily basis or a not-so-daily basis. And because you don't, treat everyone with kindness.


• If the men who killed JESUS had known who HE was, I mean who HE really was, do you think they would have acted as crass as they did? I think not!

And when people mistreat me, slight me, cheat me, lie on me, steal from me, hate me for no cause other than my zealous work for the LORD, I don't give in to the desire to retaliate, instead I think about the law of reaping what you sow... 

And from now on, since I know that I am a part of spiritual Israel, I will remember the verses quoted above, and I will rest a bit easier within myself, even in spite of myself. (Tomorrow {Monday} we will finish this topic under the subject of Blessed for HIS Name's Sake, Even I.)

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Those That Bless

 

In these strange times in which we live, we need to be careful how we treat folk because you never know when the next person that you meet just might be your test case.

You might be wondering just what I mean by that. Well, I will tell you, but first, will you admit to me that we are living in strange times? I mean, have the things that are happening on such a massive scale worldwide caused you to pause and think about GOD more than ever or at least a little bit? And if you who had not previously been given to thinking about a HIGHER POWER at all, have found yourself feeling not so self-reliant and uttering or, at least, thinking a prayer of some sort, take note.  Maybe you have found yourself thinking, "If there is a GOD, and if YOU can hear me, will YOU help us down here? I mean, I haven't put much stock into thinking about YOU until now because I did not believe. So, as I said, if YOU are real and can hear me, please help us here. And if YOU are of a mind to, will you give me, an unbeliever, a sign that YOU are real and are listening?" Then you might have immediately felt foolish for thinking such a thought, but the fact remains that you did, right?"  When you get by yourself and all of the hoopla has died down, do you find yourself thinking about the prayer that you uttered and wondering if you will see an answer today or wondering what form the answer will be in and then vacillating back to unbelief? Uhm, hmm. Strange times, my friend, strange times.

And while you are amazed at the fact that I just seemed to pull some thoughts right out of your head, don't be. I can assure you that I cannot look into anybody's head and see what they are thinking, but I have a FATHER WHO can. If you are not a regular reader of my blog, you may not know that I read a passage of scripture each day and take a lesson from the said passage. What are the coincidences of my choosing the very topic that you had uttered a prayer about, hmm?

You might be thinking, "It was meant to be, probably." Just keep living a bit longer, and you will discover what this preacher's granddaughter, daughter of a preacher's daughter, and minister's wife has known for quite some time, "There are no such things as coincidences." So read this blog and think hard on it because it seems to have been tailor-made for you. Well! You prayed the prayer, didn't you? Uhm, hmm...that got your attention again, didn't it? (: ) That's okay; it has gotten us all at some point or another.

 

Now back to my point that I was about to make about three paragraphs above. As I was attempting to read my way around the metaphors and happenings from the Bible in the book of Ezekiel this morning, I came across several verses that gave me pause to just be still. Here are the passages of scripture:

Those That Bless Scriptures

Joshua 2

2 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.  It was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” ³ And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸ Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. ¹² Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth,¹³ and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” ¹⁴ So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lordgives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

The Promise to Rahab

¹⁵ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, ¹⁸ unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. ¹⁹ It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. ²⁰ But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” ²¹ She said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them. ²³ Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

Hebrews 11:31

³¹By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she welcomed the spies in peace.

Matthew 10

⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in thename of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Vice-versa Scriptures 

New American Standard Bible, Ezekiel 35

 ¹Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

³ And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.

⁴ I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

⁵ Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

¹¹ Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.

Now, I did not have my mouth open, but my mind was somewhat agog. Here's why. I'd had a thought to come into my mind before I even began my reading and before I even began my habitual prayer before reading. Here is that thought: "Those that bless and those that blessed you will be blessed and vice versa."

I don't know where this thought came from and why it landed on my mind so strongly this morning, but it may have something to do with the crass lack of love that we see displayed on a daily basis. At any rate, that was my thought.

It's Hard

In this strange pandemic, pre-election time, me-first time, it is hard not to feel put upon by the next man. And thus, it is hard to not forget about our fellowman. But, I try to always remember that I am GOD's representative, and as such, must display brotherly love and brotherly kindness. And so, as I watch the news and just life, in general, these days, I think, "We have to be careful how we treat people because we may be 'Entertaining angels unawares.'" After all, we are in strange times, my friend.

So here's something to ponder on:

• if you steal, it might be from an angel


• if you lie, it might be on an angel or to an angel


• if you neglect to feed someone, it might be an angel


• and so on and so forth...

We never know when angels of GOD walk the land, and how would you like for your mistreatment of one to be brought up at the final judgment? I wouldn't want that, and I suspect neither would you. So, I persevere in the work of GOD and in the name of GOD. (On tomorrow's lesson {Sunday}, I will deal with what to do if you have committed a sin against your test case or an angel of GOD or GOD’s representative, so come on back for a reassuring and soul-soothing touch from the pen of a servant of the LORD GOD.)

And when people mistreat me, slight me, cheat me, lie on me, steal from me, hate me for no cause other than my zealous work for the LORD, I think about reaping what you sow. And from now on, since I know that I am a part of spiritual Israel, I will remember the verses quoted above, and I will rest a bit easier.

Be safe. (Part 2 of this post will be posted tomorrow.)

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Be Ye Great

[caption id="attachment_3433" align="aligncenter" width="300"] In My FATHER's Hands, I Continue to Do All I Can.[/caption]

Let brotherly kindness fan the flames of love as we remember…

 

Be ye great
Be ye small
All must answer
To eternity’s call.©

********

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Thrown Away - Not

Handle with Care

Have you ever seen a person who seemed to catch all the breaks fall from the pedestal that they seemed, at first, to be permanently attached to? And did you notice that there was always a chorus that openly clapped at the fall or, at least, seemed to gloat about it? If you have done much living at all, and have been a student of human nature, then you have probably seen such an event play out. And you know, when I look back down the annals of time, I see some people whose fall was of short duration and others, whose fall was of a prolonged period, sometimes to such a length that people looked upon the used-to-be-pedestal-sitter as a has been. Know what I mean? Uhm, hmm.

Well, in my reading today in Ezekiel, I saw the end result of such a situation. In chapter 29 verses 7-9, I got a thought that said to me, "If you are GOD’s child HE is ever mindful of what is happening to you, is aware of how you handle adverse circumstances that come upon you, and of how others treat you during these circumstances."

Chapter 29, Verse 7

"When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore their hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their loins quake.".

Verse 8
"Therefore, that says the Lord God, "Behold, I shall bring upon you a sword and I should cut off from you man and beast.

Verse 9

"And the land of Egypt Will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Verse 12

"So I shall make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forth years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands."

 

We see here that HE is going to repay Egypt for the way they treated Israel in their adverse times. Well, HE, in like manner, will treat people in a similar fashion that mistreat HIS children today (meaning us). Just like HE spoke swift destruction upon the people that mistreated Israel in Biblical times, in today’s times, GOD is still in the rescuing and avenging business. That’s why the scriptures say, "Vengeance is mine, and I will repay." (Romans 12:19)

 

And so, if as a Christian, you have the problems of enemies and it seems that you cannot win no matter what you do, and the more you try to work for the LORD, the harder you are hit, I just wanted to remind you that GOD is long-suffering. But when HE has determined that enough has been done, then HE moves in and does what I call HIS GOD thing, and everybody that needs to be taken care of will be.  Just like in the Bible where HE had a very powerful nation come in and take the Egyptians down, I’ve seen HIM take people that had power and use them on the behalf of HIS child or HIS children.

So don’t feel that you’re like the Lone Ranger; don’t feel like GOD doesn’t care, because HE does things in HIS good time. And remember, as we talked before, HE laughs up in Heaven because HE has plans for those that are misusing you. So you don’t worry about it; you just stay faithful, and keep praying to the LORD, and know that if you are HIS child HE has never ever left HIS children totally alone unless HE was teaching them a lesson and then, they weren’t actually totally alone. Even then, HE was watchful.

 

Not Thrown Away

You just keep your faith and make

Sure that you maintain your loyalty

To the LORD GOD, and everything will be

All right because, in the end, as I always

Tell you, GOD has the final say

And HE never has thrown HIS children’s

Faithfulness to HIM away.©

********

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Shouting Time

There come times in life when you have to give everything over into the hands of GOD. It might be a time when you don't know anything much about anything anymore, a time when all of your answers and solutions have been tried, times such as...now.

But folks, I have come to tell you what I gleaned from my reading this morning as I read the 28th chapter of Ezekiel, particularly verses 25 and 26. Take a look at what Ezekiel says below:

Verse 25

Thus says the Lord God, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and shall manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to my servant Jacob.

Verse 26

And they will live in it securely; and they will be old houses, plant vineyards, and live securely, when I execute judgment upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.""

 

We can see from reading the entire chapter that Israel had been scattered as a nation. But in the verses above, we can ss the hand of GOD planning to gather them back and bless them in front of all nations. When Isreal had learned their lesson and turned wholly back to GOD, then the blessing were promised and quickly to come. Do you know what that says to my sometimes tired and beleagured soul? It tells me to hold on and that when lesson time is over blessing time begins. United States of America, did you hear me? Well, if you did, act like it and hold your head up. Above all, keep working on loving others as yourself. GOD sees your dedication and all that goes on within. We will be victorious as long as we remain a GOD fearing nation.

 

 

 

You know we have been in the midst of this

Pandemic for several months long

But you know what America, we are

 Still managing to sing our song

And how are we able to do that

By keeping our faith in God, praying to HIM,

And asking HIS help to make us strong.

We know that everything happens for a reason

And that this has happened to us as such,

But when the time for the weeping is over

Our joy and relief  will be so much

That we will glorify his name and stand

With pride and yell to the world

"America, America has been saved

America, the home of the brave

For the United States, a God blessed enclave,

Lesson time is about over and blessing time is near!

 

It's going to be all right

Just you wait and see

That same GOD WHO

Cared for your and my forefathers

Will continue to care for you and me.©

********

 

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Note - I put a video on my Twitter feed that will help to encourage you. Listen as the lady singing pours her heart into the song. I hope it blesses you as it did me.

 

Just Over the Way

The smile that you see me wear

Is tinged with sadness, yet

I have had to learn not to care

Overmuch about the vagaries of life

So that a semblance of peace

Can be brought to bear.

But I won’t have to worry about

That when I get home

When I get over there

For I’m going home one day

To the city across the way

And there I’ll see my mother

Whom I have missed so much

And I will be gathered in the sweet embrace

Of my Momma’s touch.

No longer will I be numbered among

The ones that have been left alone

For I will be with countless generations long gone

Ah, I will,  at last, be home

And I will join my forefathers

As we sing hallelujah

Around GOD’s throne.

Yes, I will have made it to that land

The thought of which has kept me going day by day

I’ll be living in that wondrous land

Just over the way.©

********

 

We have something great that we are working toward, so let's keep the faith. Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

 

 

 

Extraordinary Times

In the 2020 extraordinary times that we have had

We've seen occasions to be happy

And occasions to be sad

Play out in this year's brief timespan

And I am reminded that in extraordinary times

Extraordinary things happen, such as

Having angels of GOD walk the land.

Now you might think that just

Cannot be so

But, I say to you, "Who are you

Fellowman that you should know?"

Because back in Biblical days, the LORD

Walked the land at will, so who is

To say that HE cannot walk it still?

And too, HE travels on the storm

Walks on water and does anything

Else HE chooses, for there is

Nothing too hard for GOD

And it gives me chills and makes me

Think, "Oh my! Have I placed my

Unworthy footsteps in a place where

An angel of GOD has trod?!"©

********

 

Just thought I would give you something to ponder over on this Labor Day. Wow!

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

A Sunday Morning Praise Prayer

ALJ Renewal of Joy eBook

 

 

To my FATHER, my GOD

The GIVER and KEEPER of my life

For this fine Sunday morning

That you have allowed me to see,

I thank YOU for, and all of YOUR mercy

And for your tender care of me.

 

I thank you for the blood

That, for me, Jesus shed

I thank you for your loving hand

By which I have been and continue to be led.

What, as a tender vessel of clay,

I am trying so very hard to say

Is that, like the grass, without you I am nothing

And without your presence, I can do naught

But be dismayed and wither away

That is the truth at the end of the day

So, I ask YOU to keep my soul

Until presented back to YOU at eternity.©

********

Be safe, Y'all.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

Trees of the Field

Good morning! Oh my, as I was passing through Ezekiel's garden path, I saw a verse that held my attention and blessed me.  That was verse 24 of Chapter 17. But then I read the commentary beside the verse and went back and reread verses 22 and 23. Now, with those three verses, I can produce a complete thought for you.

Two Metaphorical Applications

Ezekiel 17:22 -  Thus says the Lord God, “I shall also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar  and set it out; I shall pluck from the top most of its young twigs a tender one, and I shall plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
Verse 23 “On the high mountain of Israel I should plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately cedar. And the birds of every kind will nest under it; they will nest in the shade of its branches.

• Israel


• United States

Israel

In the verses above, we see that Israel is being dealt with because of their unfaithfulness to GOD. The LORD is saying that HE will not utterly destroy the entire nation, but will choose the choicest portion and replant it afresh, all because of HIS love for Israel and the promises made to their forefathers.

The choicest portion is the remnant through JESUS was to come and by which all of the nations of the world have the opportunity to be blessed.

United States

Now we come to verse 24 which says:

"And all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord I bring down the high tree exalt the low tree dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it."

This is where the United States and other nations come into the picture. We are among the "trees of the field," which include the high tree, the low tree, and the dry tree.

As a nation, we have been blessed; there is no mistaking that fact. We have a democracy that the world envies and watches. And it came about through the cedar, Israel. We were grafted in as sons and daughters.

Why Us

Do you ever wonder, "Why us?" I sometimes do, and when I do, I go back to that poem that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883 (Do you think it was just coincidence that Emma Lazarus happened to be a Jew? I think not.)

 

To the Nation of Israel
I never said this before
But I wanted you to know
That I am thankful for you
Because you are the tree
That I was grafted through.©

********

 

To the World

My thoughts are not my own

I am just a vessel through which

My FATHER's thoughts are sown

As we go about this business of living

In this earthbound zone

Until such time as our earthbound

Days are gone

And our skills go back to the SOURCE

From which we received them on loan.©

********

 

Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Note: My thoughts often take me in directions that I had not intended ere I start a piece, but that's GOD...

 

 

Take a Lesson

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning."(KJV, Romans 15:4)

In my Bible reading in the book of Ezekiel this morning, I was captured by Chapter 14, Verse 14. This is what the verse said:

Even though these three men Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves declares the Lord God. (This chapter goes on to say that the righteousness that these three men had would not be enough to cover their own sons and daughters and certainly not enough to save a wicked city.)

Now, I don't know about you, but that verse bothered me.

What Heightened My Level of Concern

I remember from some earlier reading of the scripture that there was a man (Abraham)  trying to save a wicked city and he kept bargaining and asking the LORD if the city could be saved for so many righteous persons. The bottom line was that the city was destroyed because not even ten righteous could be found.

Well, I reasoned within myself that our country (despite the turmoil and climate of hatred)  was okay because we certainly have more than ten righteous, and so, I thought that the many could be saved because of the few. But that verse above put paid to that thought.

And too, when you read further in Ezekiel 16, you see this verse:

Behold this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. (The bold print and underlining here is not a part of the Biblical text; I just did it for emphasis sake.)

With this pandemic, has the plight of the needy, homeless, and the poor, gotten worse? Some Biblical parallels (historical ones, too) are disquietening for sure.

Bottomline

Let's all make sure that we are one of the righteous so that the number grows because our numbers certainly do not grow with the espousal of hate and violence.

Just something for you to think about as we battle our way through these pandemic and hate-filled times, or should I say, attention-getting times? 

Take a Lesson

I told you what I thought
That you should do
But I’m only held responsible
For me, and not for you.©

********

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

I Prayed for You Dear Friend

I prayed for you, dear friend

Did you pray for me

I prayed that the hurts and chaos in your life

Be put through a process that will effect a mend

I prayed for you today, dear friend

Did you pray for me

Did you pray for all of the chaos to cease

That is overtaking our country

And that we always remain the

Home of the brave and the land of the free?

I prayed for you, dear friend

Did you pray for me?©

********

Be prayerful and safe for, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16, KJV)

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

Snatched, But...

My immediate forefathers were snatched

From the bosom of a cultural family

That I will never get to know

And brought across the sea,

Yet, America is my homeland

The USA is my country.

I don’t question the things that happened

Or the things that have come to be

I just put my faith in GOD

In knowing that HE will take care of me.

Things are chaotic right now in this country

As things are sometimes wont to be

But I think good thoughts about my fellowman

And about this place that is my homeland.

And at the end of the day

I will still bow and say

"Father, please forgive the haters

And the hateful things done

And I ask continued blessings

Upon the USA

In spite of what some men do

And in spite of what some men say

Because this is the country

That you chose for me and my posterity

When you allowed my ancestors to

Make it through that arduous journey

As they crossed an unknown sea

And that journey, with time, culminated in me,

This grateful child who approaches

YOUR throne on bended knee

To ask, once again, FATHER

Please, on the homeland YOU chose

For me, and that I love, have mercy.

 

And thanking YOU once again for

Allowing my forefathers to be snatched

According to your plan because YOU

Knew that some of their posterity

Would lend a hand and raise their voices

For YOU to bless this, our homeland

All according to YOUR plan!"

 

"It's sometimes mindboggling when

I think about how the machinations of men

All work out to the nth degree

As YOU had already planned

So, I am thankful for YOUR placing

Me in YOUR all-powerful, all-knowing hand!"©

********

 

Sometimes, America, thoughts come to me that astound even me. But then again, that happens from time to time because GOD never allows us access to all of HIS mind.

I can tell you one thing, though; I am glad that when it comes to Alma, HE says, "She is mine!"

Be prayerful and safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

 

The Way We Behave

I read something in the Bible this morning that seared my soul and brought to mind something that I had seen written on a particular person’s T-shirt.
Y'all know that I take a morning stroll through a Bible passage each day. But I would not call my reading this morning a stroll, because a stroll depicts peaceful joy. In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 7, verse 24, my attention was arrested by these words:

Therefore, I shall bring the worst of the nations, and they will possess their houses. I shall also make the pride of the strong ones cease...” (NASB)

The verse above made me think about what happened to the Jews during the days before WWII became hot.

Behaving

We are in the midst of a pandemic but you can’t tell it by the way we are behaving.
Hatred was running hot before the pandemic and now it seems to be escalating. There is much turmoil, chaos, and wrongdoing… That is what is being played out in our world right now.
It was even reported on the television that someone said that they would be so glad when the race war starts, so glad!

Hurtful things are being said and done, and then other things are done in retaliation, neither of which is the proper thing to do. And then about the T-shirt that I saw, this is what was written on the T-shirt:

I would rather be ____________ than live in this country in the way I am disrespected. (I am not going to mention the nationality that was on the T-shirt, as this would be counterproductive, but you get my point. But, America, answer me this. If the wearer of the T-shirt was brave enough to wear it, what else was/is he brave enough to do? Just saying')

Now the country mentioned was a powerful foreign country, and that gave me chills because it seems to me that the T-shirt wearer was almost expressing treasonous thoughts; well, it certainly wasn’t patriotic; I can tell you that!

Praying Time

And GOD wasn’t mentioned at all on the T-shirt, and that brings me to my point. I wonder how much we think about HIM as a nation. With things going as they are, we need to be more prayerful than ever!

So, those of you that have been hating, stop it; those of you that have been burning, stop it; those of you that have been looting, stop it; and those of you that have been shooting, stop it, whether you are a protester or somebody riding in a truck, stop it!

And all of you remember these words from Ezekiel

...thus they will know that I am the lord."

You find that same sentiment expressed in:

• Chapter 6, verse 13


• Chapter 6, verse 14


• Chapter 7, verse 4


• Chapter 7, verse 9, "...then you will know that I, the Lord, do the smiting."

So whether planning to either provoke or retaliate, it doesn’t matter; none of it is the right thing to do because none of those things, "...follow after things that make for peace." And remember this verse as you go about your deliberations:

They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, But no one is going to the battle; for MY wrath is against all their multitude.”

 

I've been quiet about this situation in our country

For quite a while, but I felt the need this morning

To blow the trumpet for all of us to hear

And to say to you, "Hold on to GOD,

Fellowman, and never fear

Because if we trust HIM, HE is always near.©

********

~A house divided against itself will not stand.~

 

Be prayerful and safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones

 

We live in the United States of America, not the divided states of America... GOD bless America as we remember HIM! One more time, folks say, "Praying Time!"

It's time to remember that we are a prayerful nation with, "In GOD We Trust," written on our money and in our souls!