God has made Peace with us...

I was in a bit of a quandary for a bit on what to title this blog entry.

Should I focus on the negative aspect of "Failures, All of Us...", or the positive aspect of "God has made Peace with Men..."?

I'll choose the high road, and go with making Him the topic, and thereby giving Him the glory as it should be.

I've been contemplating this subject for a while now, thinking back on my childhood, recent passings in both my wife's family tree and in mine. And also that too, of neighbors and friends and their kin. It seems mortality creeps up on us all, and how easy it is for all of us to lose track of the years that have passed in our lives.

I have considered also the years wasted in grudge and hate and anger over things and events unchangeable, and praise God for the distance He has brought me in change of heart and spirit. I have further to go of course until my very last breath in mortality, when I go to my creator and wait along with those who went before me, for His finishing work in the redemption and judgment of men.

Now, it's pretty much a fundamental truth in life that people will fail you. In truth also, we fail others ourselves, daily.

No one is able to solve all their problems in full, any more than we can solve all of our own.

The wisest among us, know and accept that the good wisdom and common sense comes from the Lord, and the pursuit of the Lord in our faith.

Fear God, not man.

We are not to hope in, trust, nor worship any man (or woman). We are not to let any earthly relationship damage or ruin our relationship with God.

When people fail us, we should be ready for the possibility, ready to forgive, plan for a contingency, not take it personally to heart, realize that we all fail, understand that there may have been a larger reason they failed you from God's design, and celebrate when they come through by acknowledging them, and with thanksgiving to God for His Grace and His Mercy in all of our lives.

These days, I expect nothing from anyone, and know that all things are from God in the day-to-day playout of life. The thing I treasure most, and where my heart is, is Jesus my Lord, His sacrifice for me, His promise of eternal life (which has already begun even here in this mortal stage), and His promise of His soon return for us all who are His own, our adoption, our heritage, our inheritance, our victory, our shield, our sword, our help, our wisdom, our comfort, His provision for us in the here-and-now, and our future beyond the flesh.

With this as a foundation, I reflect and examine myself daily, before responses, before decisions, etc, since His command to us is to love others as He loved us. And Paul warns us about these days, not only to not participate in deeds of darkness, but also to Clothe ourselves in Christ, to be Children of Light, to be sober and conscious of our walk in these times.

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Ephesians 5:15-20

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion.

Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- -

Romans 13:11-14

And do this, understanding the occasion.

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,

for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near.

So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness

and put on the armor of light.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,

not in carousing and drunkenness,

not in sexual immorality and debauchery,

not in dissension and jealousy.

Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,

and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

- -

May our days be fruitful for His will, in rest or in trials... He is our strength, when we have little or none.

Rejoice at all times.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in every circumstance.

Hold fast to what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil.

Grace and Peace to you all in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, God in the Flesh!

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Proverbs 1:7 The fear (respect and reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear (respect and reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear (respect and reverence) of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Romans 3:21-24 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:17-20 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 and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

1 Enoch 1:8 But with the Righteous He will make peace. And will protect the Elect, And mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall all be blessed. And He will help them all, And light shall appear unto them, And He will make peace with them.

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Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Adding to or subtracting from the Word

Last two weeks or so has been crazy. Had a computer crash I'm still dealing with even now, but I am up and running on another machine which allows me to get back into it.

So now. Get ready for some discernment...

A few weeks back I had posted on some social media sites and forums my disdain for the "new bible" being offered and endorsed by Trump.

My complaint, other than hocking the Word for an income for a Presidential run, was the inclusion of that which should not be added alongside the word.

This is NOT about Trump, or about Politics, or about a youtube channel, etc, but is squarely about the act of adding to the word in any form or shape for any reason.

It's one thing to add chapter and verse, notes, and study guides along side the word to help you understand the word a little better, but ultimately our teacher is the Holy Spirit. And these things are obvious and self evident that they are not the word or any part of the word.

It's another, and quite frankly detestable thing to add human, government documents as though they rise to the same value as the Inspired Word of God.

I was also given the following link to a video of clip of a pastor's sermon that I was happy to see and hear.

Sermon video

It's nice to see that I'm not alone, and that there are others speaking out in their circles of influence.

Now onto the original video and my post several weeks ago about the Ad, in various places.

Before you view this, if you view this...

... understand that I am speaking solely to and about the Trump commercial within this video that starts at 2:05 timestamp, not "The Next News Network", not Trump, not the KJV bible, etc...

Also this is not about a VP choice as the splash screen tends to imply.

Trump Bible Ad at 2:05 minutes 

Before I continue, I will say:

- I am not against KJV bibles, I have and use one.

- I am not against America, nor her founding fathers, nor her documents

- I am not even against Trump really, as compared to Biden

But...

I am not a fan of the use of the bible for political maneuvering or fundraising.

The whole thing to me is atrocious. Like a Snake Oil salesman. His is the very first money changer table that Jesus would turn over.

The documents of the founding fathers for this nation do not equate to the level of the writings in the Bible. They simply are not the inspired word of God, so they are not only considered adding to God's word, but an insult by tying them (and America) falsely to the word of God. This is the same mistake of the Jews with the Talmud, elevating the writings of men to the level of scripture "to be included" along with it.

This is a ploy to promote a false blessing and anointment on America that does not exist, into the mind of the gullible and weak of faith. It is an insult to true Christendom. It is also subliminally, a move of NAR and Replacement Theology.

The timing is very suspicious as well, concerning the national vote to come, so as to grease the track and fan the patriotic flame.

And I do have to wonder a bit at the KJV aspect along with the whole package. Is this a ploy also to expand the KJV only demographics?

It would have been better to put all the documents in a separate book along with a KJV bible. And that is the most positive comment I can muster.

Get your own bible on your own terms. Run from this!

May God richly bless you, and protect you, in these very troubling times. 🦊❤️

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

And we urge you, brothers,

to admonish the unruly,

encourage the fainthearted,

help the weak,

and be patient with everyone.

Make sure that no one repays evil for evil.

Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

Rejoice at all times.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not extinguish the Spirit.

Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things.

Hold fast to what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil.

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

A reminder through all the days...

His Grace is sufficient for us!

As of late, with all that is going on, instead of focusing on the clamor of war, social collapse, days of evil waxing worse and worse, all the pain and suffering, sickness and illness, lies and deception...

I step back, seek solitude, seek His presence, quieting my soul and spirit to listen to His counsel, breath His word through my mind and tongue.

The battle is raging, and these moments of rest are crucial in these days.

I present the word, which speaks for itself. And today's message, is an old one, yet so pertinent to our times. Paul faced all these same things in his time, and his words from the Holy Spirit ring true today... The promise is real, and it is very near.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Now we have this treasure (His Spirit) in jars of clay (our bodies) to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.

So then, death is at work in us (for all men), but life is at work in you (the believer).

And in keeping with what is written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken,”;

We who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak, knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus (the Father) will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. 

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for Israel.

Grace and Peace to you all in Jesus Christ our Lord, God in the Flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Just a small entry...

So it's over, for my area anyway. :)

Managed to get lucky again with a cloud break at a good time.

The First image here is August 21, 2017 with the First Great American Eclipse. Remember it well. Bright Sunny and clear skies, and an awesome view.

Didn't really think I'd still be here for the Second one, but hey, nothing wrong with book ends.

Second image here is today April 8, 2024, for the Second Great American Eclipse.

Been rainy and cloud cover all morning, and more to come, but someone slid the curtains open for a bit... :)

With all the hoopla over with, it's time to get back into serious mode and occupy until we fly.

No reason to stop looking up, but the less distractions the better...

The world has gone crazy, and it's hard not to join the bandwagon under the strain of life and the irrational worldly demands.

May the rest of 2024 find us sober, sensible, and dedicated to His will...

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2 Timothy 2:22 Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

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John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

---

Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

The Aleph Tav Eclipse of 2024

Being about 2 weeks away now from the coming eclipse of April 8th of 2024, I figured I'd just write a blog note here, before the end of March closes out.

This year I will not have the pleasure of being in the 100% totality zone, but on the other hand not too far away either at 92% for the central Tennessee area I live in. For my location East of it my time zone will be around (2 pm)  central time.

It will still be an awesome view once again, like in 2017, from my own yard, weather permitting.

For more info on this coming eclipse go here . I'll also include a map here that comes form the same web site.

Be sure to consider the safety of your eyes, and do not look at it without protective solar/eclipse glasses or some such device. The same goes for cameras and viewing through those cameras with proper solar filtering.

Now there is a LOT of coincidental and ironic things going on with this eclipse and previous eclipses of 2023 and earlier in 2017. A lot of people have put great amounts of time into these topics, and I will not rehash it here as I am no expert, but I do see these things and hold value in what they seem to point to.

Last year at the end of July of 2023 I made a couple blog entries about some things I saw concerning it, but they are mere drops in a bucket compared to the amount of stuff that is in play with this eclipse.

It remains to be seen what happens on April 8th in the afternoon, but after 60 years on this rock, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

The only thing that is really of any importance in life, is a saving relationship with Christ Jesus, God in the flesh, and the beginning of your eternal life from the moment you accept Him and His precious gift of eternal salvation by Grace alone.

The choice is solely yours to make, and so are the consequences of that choice. Don't default in death without coming to Him.

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

Grace and Peace to you all in Christ Jesus our Lord. ❤️

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Of Clanging Cymbals

Some thoughts and contemplation on (1 Corinthians 13), and chapter 12 before it.

We all know the Clanging Cymbals in our lives. Those things or people who make pious noise in our life, bereft of the Spirit that would define the true Love of Christ in their actions and works. Paul in (1 Corinthians 13) shows that difference in the legitimate as compared to the illegitimate, the counterfeit.

But there is more being said here than is usually drawn from this scripture.

We must remember that scripture in it's original form had no chapter or verse, and that subjects and topics are delineated by CONTEXT. Manuscripts were run on sentences in their original languages.

We must also remember that our God is the God of time, who created time and all that is. He spans the ages, and sees all time as an eternal present, while we are locked on the treadmill of the allotted time given for men, and to put an end to sin. We see Past, Present, and Future as divided by perspective of tense in the natural world.

In terms of (1 Corinthians 13), I think all too often most people isolate it as one context apart from other chapters. This is not true, since the total CONTEXT starts in chapter 12 with a description of the Spiritual Gifts, the diversity of the Body of Christ, and the diversity of these gifts to that Body of Christ.

The very last sentence by Paul in chapter 12 that leads into chapter 13's talk of Love is:

"And now I will show you the most excellent way."

In it's simplest form and reach, at the core, chapter 13 is the description of the Divine Love that is of Christ. No man can produce this Love on his own.

John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

This is why chapter 13 starts off with the divisive comparison of having all these gifts and talents without this Divine Love, that "Clanging Cymbal" as it were, for it is all for naught due to it's relegation to being of the Flesh, and of Self Will, and self Glory. Once again the distinction between works of the Flesh and the works of the Spirit.

But! There's more to chapter 13 as well...

In verses 8-13, Paul describes the reason for these gifts in our time, for "when the perfect comes, the partial passes away", they will no longer be needed.

Many have incorrectly determined that "the written word of God (the Bible)" is the perfect to come, and that these gifts are no longer present.

No. The perfect to come is Jesus Himself and our gathering to Him in the Resurrection and Rapture and Glorification of His own.

This is why the gifts will no longer be necessary, for we will see Him face to face, and we will know as we are known by Him.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

And this is also why all that remains is,

• Faith (forever in Christ)

• Hope (forever in Christ)

• and Love (forever more, as Christ IS that love!)...

This is the final condition, the Perfection that is to come...

Come soon Lord Jesus!

Maranatha!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Down to the Wire

 

As if it isn't bad enough, all the doubts we suffer, that there is no shortage of those who would help us along in those doubts, either by design, or by foolish ignorance.

The Lord has a constant message for us all through the Bible, but more specifically in the New Testament.

And that is Encouragement and Edification. Love and Peace, not as the world gives, but as He gives.

You see, He knows our weaknesses. Yeah and you're probably saying as you read this...

Well duh...

But the real question is do you or I, know He knows?

In a previous entry, I spoke about how this covenant of Christ our Messiah for our salvation depends solely on Him, and not our abilities. How can there be divine Peace and divine Love in your life and expressed through His Spirit in us if you are living in fear and doubt?

I had the great opportunity to consider all this over the last week or two with our snow storm, and being home bound by it.

In these last hours of the last days upon us, we need so much to encourage one another. Stick to the work you are given, for the sphere of influence you have, large or small. A victory of one soul is as worth the effort as hundreds.

If you doubt you are doing enough, shed the false guilt, and step back and remember it's not you doing the work, it is Christ doing the work.

God is able and ready to do great things with small resources.

You say you only have 2 loaves and 5 fishes? Let Him feed 5000 and then another 4000 with it.

You say you only have 2 small coins to donate to His cause, let Him work a financial miracle with it! Remember that 200 people that donate a dollar to something, is better than 1 person who donates a hundred dollars.

In my own life, I have grown quite tired of doubts and the nagging false guilt's that abound, and I am speaking about my own, but I relay this to you the reader as well.

Don't let people define your faith, your salvation. They don't have a say in it at all. It's between you and the Savior, the only Name in and under heaven that saves and has already paid the price in full.

No opinion of others, nor any opinion about yourself counts. The covenant of Salvation by Christ, requires everything from God, and nothing from you. That is why it is a gift and is defined as such.

Be assured that He keeps His own as the Good Shepherd, and why He leaves the 99 to save the one.

I often wonder in disappointing amazement at those who continue to push the narrative that we must work to keep in good standing with Christ. It seems they feel and believe that good work brings on true faith. It's the proverbial Cart-before-the-Horse. It's backwards.

No, I tell you, True faith produces good works, and not works of our own making. It is Christ working through us. The good works of Christ in us, Who produces them from us, are the ones that survive the fire of testing.

Should anyone condemn you as lazy, useless, worthless, in the faith, they have already betrayed their failure and lack of faith.

(Romans 8:1)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

If Christ no longer condemns us, why would you or I take any condemnation from another, mere mortal men and women?

Fear no man, and there is only one Judge and Ruler over all, and we have been made friends of God, and made family, by His gift and covenant.

All one need do, is believe in Him, believe in His promise, and accept His free gift, and profess it in your life to others that they may see the great work done in you and so many others.

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]