#lord almighty this took forEVER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

10yrsyart · 1 month

Text

Luke 15:7, "There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who were righteous and haven't strayed away!"

i was thinking about this verse recently and wondering.. how different it would be if people could see just how important they are to God. so important in fact that the Creator of the universe, an everlasting Being, came down Himself to experience death to set us free from Death. if you were the only human needing redemption, He would have gone through it all just for you.

it's up to you to accept or reject this payment on your behalf. there's no way to pay it yourself, you can never be "good enough" to make it to Heaven. He took on your punishment for you and only His sacrifice absolves you from it. if you reject Him, He will honor that decision, and you'll spend eternity separated from Him and all joy, light, and happiness. not because He's cruel, but because all good things stem from the Lord. there is no life without Jesus Christ.

the experience of the man in this comic is actually based on many testimonies i've listened to. people cried out to Jesus, and either saw or felt His love and were changed. don't wait! you have the entirety of Heaven cheering you on, longing for you to join our family. the hole in your heart can only be filled by the Holy Spirit's Presence. don't reject your opportunity to experience God's wonders forever, in a reality far greater than Earth could ever hope to be.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

transcript:

Saint 1: Quick! It's happening!

Man: (sighs)

Demon 1: Things aren't gonna get better, y'know? At least you're not believing in a fairy tale like them.

Demon 2: Reality, not delusion!

Demon 3: Only you can change your life. You're the master of your own destiny!

Man: I've tried everything, but I still feel empty...

Demon 1: Better than being trapped under a bunch of religious rules forever. Is that what you want?

Demon 2: You're worth nothing. You don't deserve any help.

Demon 3: Worthless, worthless~

Man: I'm so sick of this. It's all pointless.. I just want it to stop...

Demon 1: Yes, it's pointless!

Demon 2: Even if you call, no one will answer!

Demon 3: You might as well end it now. There's nothing in your future-

Man: Jesus!

Saint 2: HAH!

Saint 3: Yes!!

Demons (all): NO! No No No No No No No

Man: If you're real, prove it to me! I can't do this. Help me, I need you!

Saint 4: Yeaaaah!

Saint 5: That's right!

Saint 6: I love this part!

Saint 7: WOOOH! YESHUA!

Man: ..Forgive me.

Jesus: (smiles) Welcome home, My son.

Saint 8: He did it!!

Saint 9: Yes!

Saint 10: JESUS!!

Saint 11: Atta boy!

Angel 1: HAH! GOT'M!

Saint 12: Did you see that?!

Saint 13: A new family member!

Angel 2: Hallelujah!

Angel 3: Praise Yah!

Saint 14: Thank You.

Saint 15: I can't wait until he gets here!

Heavenly voices: Our Lord Jehovah! Hallelujah! Praise Yahweh forever! Holy Holy Holy. Yeshua our Savior! Is the Lord God Almighty.

Saint 7: WOOOH! YESHUA!!

God the Father: (smiles)

Man: ...I don't feel empty.

320 notes · View notes

traumacatholic · 4 months

Text

Happy New Year everyone, I hope the new year is good to you!

That Thou wilt bless the crown of the coming year with Thy bounty, and quench the flames of discord, enmity and strife; that Thou wilt give us peace, perseverance, sincere love, and a virtuous disposition; we beg Thee, Lord, hear us and have mercy.

If 2023 has been a rough year for you, then I'm praying the new year is better for you.

If 2023 has been a good year for you, then I'm praying the same goodness carries on into the new year.

As much as 2023 has been a really difficult year for me, I'm very grateful for all of the people on here. The people that took their time to pray for me, to offer me support when I've been struggling with things. The people that have offered me friendship and care. Nothing I can do or say can ever really do justice to all of the support and care that people on here have shown me.

I hope that 2024 grants you the healing, love, and care that you need.

Under the read more is some other prayers for the start of a New Year

O Master, Lord our God, Fountain of life and immortality, the Creator of all things both visible and invisible, Who has appointed seasons and years by Thy power, and dost direct all things by Thy most-wise and all-gracious providence: We thank Thee for Thy compassions, which Thou hast poured out upon us during the passing time of our life, and we entreat Thee, O All-compassionate Lord! Bless the crown of the coming year with Thy goodness. Preserve our civil authorities; multiply the days of their life in unalterable health, and grant them progress in every virtue. Grant Thy good things from above unto Thy people: health and salvation, and good hastening in all things. Deliver Thy Holy Church, this city, and every city and land from every evil circmstance, granting them peace and tranquility. And count us worthy that we may always offer thanksgiving unto Thee, the Father Who is without beginning, together with Thine Only-begotten Son, and Thine All-holy and Lifegiving Spirit, God glorified in one essence, and that we may hymn Thy most-holy Name. Glory to Thee, O God, our benefactor, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

--------

O Lord our God, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Creator of time, existing before time and outside of time, the same yesterday, today and forever. You are the Pantocrator, the absolute Ruler who exercises sovereign authority over the entire universe and its laws. You are not limited by any natural events and occurrences, or by our action or inaction. The world is not driven by blind forces, but is governed wisely and lovingly by Your divine Providence.

You, O King and Master of the world, govern by Your almighty will the world You created as a captain governs his ship. We have nothing to be afraid of, as long as You are at the rudder. The very elements of nature obey You. Nothing happens by chance. What happens to us does not happen at random. Not a single hair from our heads falls to the ground without Your powerful will. We are in Your hands. What we are, whatever good we have in us, comes from You, the source of every goodness.

We ask You humbly, our Savior, as we enter this New Year of our salvation, to bless us all; to bless our endeavors, and everything we do. We ask You, O Lord, to bless the time You give us, that we may pass this new year of Your grace and the lifespan You have given us in repentance, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, peace, the fight against our passions, the practicing of the virtues, in doing Your will, not ours, and in accepting it cheerfully, without groaning or complaint.

Grant us, O Father Almighty, sincere faithfulness, wakeful preparedness and active witness, to be strong and grow in faith and love for You, and work diligently for the establishment of Your Kingdom, a Kingdom of peace and justice. Instill in us the longing for the establishment of Your heavenly Kingdom, a Kingdom of everlasting life, peace and joy.

We also beseech You, O Lord, to bless the entire world, and all Nations. Guide them to You, that they may come to know You, the only true God, and to do Your Holy Will. And protect, O Lord, Your Holy Church, everywhere, so that with one voice and one heart we may all praise and glorify Your most Holy and magnificent Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

#This is a scheduled post so I might not be online when this goes up

7 notes · View notes

troybeecham · 5 months

Text

Today the church honors Sts. Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus, Martyrs.

Orate pro nobis.

Gurias and Samonas suffered during the persecution against Christians under the emperors Diocletian (AD 284-305) and Maximian (AD 305-311). The two friends Gurias and Samonas, preachers of the Word of God, were arrested in the city of Edessa.

The saints refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, and boldly confessed their faith in Christ. For this they were subjected to cruel tortures: they were beaten, hung up by their hands, heavy weights were tied to their feet, and they were cast into a stifling prison.

The martyrs endured everything with firmness and Samonas uttered a prayer to the Lord, which one of the witnesses to their death wrote down: “O Lord my God, against Whose will not a single sparrow falls into the snare. It was You Who made room for David in his sorrow (Ps. 4:1), Who proved the Prophet Daniel stronger than lions (Dan. 6:16-24), and granted a child of Abraham to be victor over torture and flames (Dan. ch. 3, ch. 14). You know also, Lord, the infirmity of our nature, You see the struggle set before us. Our foe strives to snatch us, the work of Your right hand, away from You and to deprive us of the glory which is in You. With Your compassionate eye watching over us, preserve in us the inextinguishable light of Your Commandments. Guide our steps by Your light, and make us worthy of Your Kingdom, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.” By night, they took the martyrs out beyond the city and beheaded them on this day c. AD 306. Christians secretly buried their holy bodies with reverence.

After some years, the last pagan emperor, Licinius (AD 311-324), began a persecution against Christians. Habibus, a deacon of the Church of Edessa whom the emperor ordered to be arrested for his zealous spreading of the true Faith, presented himself before the executioners when he learned they were searching for him. The saint confessed his faith in Christ. During his multiple days of torture, Abibus was subjected to the scourging and having his body raked with iron rakes by five men. When threatened with more gruesome torture by the governor, the saint is quoted as saying: "As a tree that is watered bears fruit, so is my spirit strengthened by torment", frustrated by his powerless efforts, the Governor replied: "Does your faith teach you to hate your own body?", to which Abibus replied: "We do not hate this material body, but we rejoice in the spiritual reality; the suffering of this present time is not worth comparing with the glory that awaits those who embrace Christ." The governor mockingly replied: "Is this suffering you endure glorious?" Abibus responded: "It is not for you to ask questions, for your unbelief is not worthy to hear the answers to them, as the Scripture teaches us: do not cast that which is holy to dogs, nor pearls before swine."

Abibus was sentenced to be burned at the stake. When walking up to the stake, his mother was forced to walk beside him, dressed in all-white as if going to a feast day. He blessed the crowd before him, to which the crowd responded: "Pray for us in the presence of the Lord!" After this exchange, the martyr entered the fire on his own accords. When the fire went out, his mother and relatives found his body unharmed. They buried the martyr next to Saints Gurias and Samonas because they were martyred on the same day though several years apart, and they are commemorated together.

Almighty God, who gave to your servant Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

#father troy beecham #christianity #god #saints #jesus #salvation #peace #faith #martyrs #early church

2 notes · View notes

childofchrist1983 · 6 months

Text

God is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. Satan is real. Spiritual warfare is real. There are dark powers at work in this world everyday. Darkness, sin, and death are real. However, when Jesus Christ triumphed on the cross, He took away their power. His death and resurrection are victorious over the powers of sin and darkness. As true and born-again Christians, we can live in peace knowing the grave could not hold our LORD and Savior and knowing that we will have eternal life in Heaven with Him rather than eternal damnation in Hell. We forever follow Him and place our faith and trust in Him. Hallelujah! May He help us to live our lives in celebration of Him and this victory and freedom He has given us. May we live according to His example by loving everyone as He has loved us. May we always remember Him and His almighty power and worship Him with great rejoicing and humility.

God is holy and almighty and deserving of all praise honor and glory. We rejoice in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, knowing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8). May our hearts always be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing. May He help us to praise Him freely and honestly like all believers who came before us. May we live a life that showcases our love and trust in Him and His Holy Word and Spirit as He uses us draw others to Him and His soul-saving Gospel Truth daily. May He continue guide, correct and protect us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace. - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

4 notes · View notes

shewhoalwaysguides · 1 year

Text

The Nativity of Christ

The incarnation of Christ was the biggest struggle I had when it came to Christianity. I could never understand why did God take flesh, and I claimed that it was impossible for God, the creator of the universe to become one of his creations. Yet, with the grace of God through the prayers of the Mother of God - she who bore to us Christ, I suddenly understood the incarnation. It was like a veil being lifted from my eyes. I was able to comprehend why God took flesh.

Let me share with you my experience with understanding the incarnation of the Word made Flesh and surmise it with one word - Love.

It is love that made our God take flesh.

It is love that led to our God becoming a weak baby.

It is love that led to our God learning how to walk, talk as a child.

It is love that led to our God tortured, beaten and abused before the cross.

It is love that led to our God offering himself on the Cross, his hands stretched wide from East to West beholding his creation.

It is love that killed the Word made Flesh but this love also saved our ancestors in Hades, breaking down the gates of Hades and leading all to salvation.

It is love that resurrected our Lord. He rose in glory because He loved us.

It is love that led to our God ascension to heaven where He will prepare a place for us together with Him, where we will live together forever, and we will exclaim these words, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’

God loved us so much that He took flesh for our sake, a beautiful story of love. During this period, we are looking forward to celebrate His incarnation. We fast, and prepare our hearts for His coming. God love for humanity will never end, even after our ancestors kicked themselves out of paradise. He did not cease to love us but sent prophets to continue and guide us. Until He Himself, decided to come down from heaven and take flesh. He will guide us Himself. He has opened for us heaven’s gates once again. It is through Him and in Him that we will finally have access to heaven. Oh how wonderful and great is our God.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was an who is to come, the Almighty’”

Revelations 1:8

May the love of Christ and peace be with you always. Amin.

#Christ #Christian #Christianity #Jesus #Jesus Christ #Eastern Catholicism #Eastern Orthodoxy #Oriental Orthodoxy #Incarnation #Christmas #Nativity #Faith #Love #Love Quotes #Love Quote of the Day

9 notes · View notes

officialyourdailyinspiration · 1 year

Text

Discovering Christ Day by Day

by Donald S. Fortner

Devotional for October 27th

Today’s Reading: Luke 23

Barabbas

“And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas…And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.” - Luke 23:18-25

What a beautiful picture we have here of the Gospel. Barabbas, the guilty man, was set free. The Lord Jesus Christ, the holy, innocent Lamb of God, died in his place. A great sinner went free because a great Substitute took his place. Barabbas was spared because Christ died in his place. That is, in its very essence and glory, the Gospel of God. It can be summed up in one word — Substitution (Romans 3:21-26; Romans 5:6-8; Romans 8:1-4; Romans 8:32-34; Romans 2 Corinthians5:20-21).

Christ's Death

Luke 23 describes the slaying of “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Whenever we think about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, we ought to always remember three things.

The death of Christ upon the cursed tree was a substitutionary sacrifice.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not suffer for any crimes of His own. He did not die because of His own sins. He was not cut off from the land of the living for His own transgressions. The Lord of Glory died upon the cross for our sins, for the transgressions of His people, for the iniquities of God’s elect, which were made His and justly imputed to Him. Yes, our all-glorious Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He “bare our sins in His own body” upon the cursed tree, and was made a curse for us, that the blessing of God’s salvation might be ours in Him (Isaiah 53:4-6; Isaiah 53:8; Daniel 9:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13-14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18).

The substitutionary sacrifice and death of our Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point, the essence, and the message of all the Word of God.

The law was given at Sinai to show us our need of a substitute. All the sacrifices, rites, rituals, and ceremonies of the Old Testament Scriptures, — all the priests, priestly garments, and priestly functions, — all the deliverances of Israel from the hands of their enemies, — all the services of the tabernacle and the temple, — all the psalms, all the prophets, and all the historical narratives, — the manna, the rock, the brazen serpent, the pillars of fire and cloud, everything in the Old Testament and in the New was written by inspiration of God the Holy Ghost to reveal Christ, to show us our great, glorious, almighty Substitute (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45; 1 Peter 1:23-25; John 20:30-31).

The cross of Christ, the doctrine of substitution, is both the revelation of the glory of God and the glory of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4-6; Galatians 6:14).

The death of Christ upon the cross, the sacrifice of God’s Lamb as our sin-atonement, is the life of our souls. Had the Lord Jesus Christ not died in our stead, the justice of God could never have been satisfied; and we would have perished in our sins forever.

God’s Unspeakable Gift

When the apostle Paul thought of these things, he said, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” May God the Holy Spirit so graciously flood our hearts and souls with the knowledge of our crucified Substitute that we may ever have our hearts and minds fixed upon our blessed Savior and His great sacrifice of Himself for us, and have the apostle’s words reverberating in our souls. — “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!”

#Discovering Christ Day by Day #Donald S. Fortner #devotional #October 27 #2022 #Barabbas #Christ's Death #God’s Unspeakable Gift

7 notes · View notes

hiding-from-hybe · 2 years

Text

The Devil Inside | JJK

✨ Summary - On the tipping scale of fate, a prophecy is born to two supposed warriors, a holy battle of Heaven and Hell awaits them both. One a Demon spawn of a Devil, A fathers prodigy and heir. The other a Saint sent from God himself, A true gift and healer to the human realm.

"A saviour or a sacrifice?"

(^ •̀ - •́ ^)つ

Pairing: demon!jungkook x saint!reader

Genre: 🔞smut, enemies to lovers. destiny, fate, supernatural!au, religious themes.

Warning: smut, vulgarity, swearing, death, religion. corruption (I'm rubbish at tags) blasphemy? Idk

Words: -- In Process

There was a great demon who wreaked havoc on earth, he created gargoyles and ghouls that swept through the lands and tarnished the ground so nothing would grow, making the town he resided in bow to him. He had made the earth his deathly playground.

An old woman came to him in despair as he sat on his destitute throne of bones and wailed.

"You have killed my children and my land," she said. "I curse you with this black rose" The great demon and his loyal disciples laughed at the old woman but she told him to be cautious, that one day he would feel sorry, thinking nothing of the woman's warning, he killed her.

The demon was anguished by the old woman's words that seemed to linger in his mind as he slept as she consumed him in his nightmares, so he kidnapped four wise priestesses to tell him his future. They bowed to him and came together to predict the prophecy of his future. As the wind whipped and howled around them, they performed their sacred ritual.

One told him of glory, "You will be cheered and celebrated by all those from the underground world"

One told him of riches, "Harvests of gold and the flow of wine, you will own the spoils of war"

One told him of lust, "You will have many suitors that will lay in your bed and you will produce an heir more powerful than this world has ever seen"

The last stuttered "In the balance fate of good and evil a Sainted child will also be born after the new millennium, you have until then Almighty lord, your reign will end and your heir will find himself in conflict with The Saint and himself, a battle between Heaven and Hell"

After that night he had laid with the priestesses with a satyr need to fulfil his need to produce an heir but with no luck he had set up on earth to find a vessel to incubate his seed.

He wooed his way into many beds but as soon as one of the vessels came to him with the news of a pregnancy he continued on his façade of joy and love until she was completely enamoured with him, plying her with attention and affection, feeding her with the best possible food for his offspring. But as time passed and the vessel cried out while giving birth to his child, he took his son without looking back at her, and left her in a pool of her own blood not caring if she lived or died.

The demon eventually had everything that had been foretold, When the demon got bored of the land he had corrupted and killed he returned back to the underworld with his new-born son leaving the baron wasteland he had left in ruins.

Upon sitting on his throne he curses and plucks a black rose from the luxurious cushioned armrest, in confusion and anger he crumbles it into dust, mocking the poor old woman he had killed with no remorse. with that and her words of the curse, he had ignited the stems from its roots, crushing him to his perch to remain forever, to be trapped in the underworld and just as the beginning of the dawn shone over the hills of the new blessed millennium.

A Saint was born.

#bts fanfic #bts smut #bts

13 notes · View notes

orthodox-femininity · 2 years

Text

My Patron Saint - St. Scholastica of Nursia

It took actually very little for me to find my patron. I was working my previous job during the evening shift, and with nothing to do, I started doing additional research into the Orthodox saints like I had been doing at home. I was between a few that I was called to, St. Genevieve of Paris, St. Mary of Egypt, and St. Scholastica of Nursia. I was praying for spiritual guidance as I clicked from webpage to webpage, and when I got to St. Scholastica, I felt like I was just engulfed in a comforting warmth and overrun with contentment and joy. I took that as a sign! Especially when I found out that she is invoked against storms, which I was absolutely TERRIFIED of into my late teens.

“St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded the Benedictine order. They were born in Nurcia, Italy around 480, and St. Scholastica was consecrated to God at a very early age. She was as devoted to Christ as she was to her brother. When Benedict established his monastery at Monte Cassino, Scholastica founded a convent in nearby Plombariola, about five miles south. The convent is said to have been under the direction of her brother.

St. Gregory wrote a charming story of the last meeting of the two saints on earth. Scholastica and Benedict had spent the day in the “mutual comfort of heavenly talk” and with nightfall approaching, Benedict prepared to leave. Scholastica, having a vision that it would be their last opportunity to see each other alive, asked him to spend the evening in conversation. Benedict sternly refused as he did not wish to break his own rule by spending a night away from his monastery. Scholastica cried openly, laid her head upon the table, and prayed that God would intercede for her. As she did so, a sudden storm arose. The violent rain and hail came in such a torrential downpour that Benedict and his companions were unable to depart. “May Almighty God forgive you, sister,” said Benedict, “for what you have done.” “I asked a favor of you,” Scholastica replied simply, “and you refused it. I asked it of God, and He has granted it!”

Just after his return to Monte Cassino in 543, Benedict saw a vision of Scholastica’s soul departing her body, ascending to heaven in the form of a dove. She died three days after their last meeting. He placed her body in the tomb he had prepared for himself, and arranged for his own to be placed there after his death. Her relics were said to have been translated to a rich silver shrine in St. Peter’s Church in Le Mans, France, which may have been when Benedict’s remains were moved to Fleury. In 1562, this shrine was preserved from the Huguenots’ plundering.

St. Scholastica is usually depicted as a habited nun, holding a crozier and crucifix, with a dove. She is the patroness of Monte Cassino and is invoked against storms.”

Troparion –

O God, to show us where innocence leads,

You made the soul of your virgin St. Scholastica soar to heaven

Like a dove in flight.

Grant through her merits and her prayers

That we may so live in innocence as to attain to joys everlasting.

This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

Forever and ever. Amen.

-Scholastica

#tradfem #traditional woman #tradwife #traditional marriage #traditionalism #homemaking #traditional femininity #feminine not feminist #femininity #traditional gender roles #christian orthodox #orthodox church #orthodox christianity #orthodoxy

7 notes · View notes

torais-life · 2 years

Text

7th portion- Parasha Balak (english)

7th Portion: (Numbers 24:14 - 25:9)

¡Shabat Shalom!. I share with you the last portion of this parasha that has been very good to study again. Let us stand firm, with emuna in the Creator so that nothing makes us waver from what we really are: children of the Eternal.

Numbers Chapter 24

14And now, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you...what this people will do to your people at the end of days."

15He took up his parable and said, "The word of Balaam, son of Beor, the word of a man with an open eye.

16The word of the one who hears God's sayings and perceives the thoughts of the Most High; who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen yet with open eyes.

17I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth.

18Edom shall be possessed, and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies, and Israel shall triumph.

19A ruler shall come out of Jacob, and destroy the remnant of the city."

20When he saw Amalek, he took up his parable and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, and his fate shall be everlasting destruction."

21When he saw the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, "How firm is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in a cliff.

22For if Kain is laid waste, how far will Assyria take you captive?"

23He took up his parable and said: Who can survive these things from God?

24Ships will come from the Kittites and afflict Assyria and afflict those on the other side, but he too will perish forever."

25Balaam arose, went, and returned home, and Balak went on his way.

Numbers Chapter 25

1Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of the Moabites.

2They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods.

3Israel became attached to Baal Peor, and the anger of the Lord flared against Israel.

4The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord, facing the sun, and then the flaring anger of the Lord will be removed from Israel.

5Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you shall kill the men who became attached to Baal Peor.

6Then an Israelite man came and brought the Midianite woman to his brethren, before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

7Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen saw this, arose from the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.

8He went after the Israelite man into the chamber and drove [it through] both of them; the Israelite man, and the woman through her stomach, and the plague ceased from the children of Israel.

9Those that died in the plague numbered twenty four thousand.

5 notes · View notes

pastortomsteers · 22 days

Text

Good Friday

March 29, 2024

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

John 1:29

The Good Friday service is marked by reflection on the cross of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death that earned us salvation.

The altar has been stripped to symbolize the stripping of Christ before His crucifixion. Our worship focuses on the adoration of our crucified Saviour who now reigns together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The opening portion of the liturgy includes no praise.

It proceeds directly to the Prayer of the Day.

Although somber, our service does not end on a note of despair. The closing litany, prayer, and hymn emphasize the triumph and redemption we have through the cross.

Jesus has made complete payment for our sins through His death for us, and through faith in Him alone we are reconciled with our loving God and offered eternal life.

At the end of the service, we depart in silence without the benediction. However, Christ's death is not God's final word. We keep vigil as we prepare to celebrate Christ's resurrection on Sunday morning.

Silence is kept as the people gather. As the Pastor enters all stand for prayer.

Pastor:“For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16)

Congregation: Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

C: Almighty God, have mercy upon us, your children, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given over to the hands of sinners to suffer death on the cross. He took the penalty for our sins, so that through faith in Him we are forgiven and offered eternal life. We pray for Your grace and mercy in the name of our crucified and risen Saviour, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn 440 “Jesus, I Will Ponder Now”

youtube

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

(Page 184, Lutheran Service Book)

Our Bible Readings:

Old Testament – Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Psalm Reading – Psalm 22, verses 1-18

Epistle Reading – Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9

Gospel Reading – John 19: 1-35

Hymn 449 “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”

Text: Bernard of Clairvaux 1091 – 1153

Musical arrangement: Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 – 1750

youtube

THE SERMON –

Today we remember a death.

The liturgical colour is black.

The mood is somber, and yet we call this Friday – ‘Good.’

That may leave us with the question, ‘why is it called Good?’

What’s the meaning of this day, and even more to the point, what is the meaning of the crucifixion?

It's Biblical that all human beings who have ever lived are guilty when tested against the Commandments of God’s Law.

When seen by our Holy, perfect Lord, we’re all guilty.

And we’ve been so since the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and fell into sin.

It’s an inherited condition. And left untreated, it’s fatal – 100 per cent of the time.

Spiritually, eternally fatal.

Because God in His perfection, although all-loving, can’t overlook sin.

God can’t lie and say sin is OK; lying is a human trait.

But the Bible also tells us, repeatedly, that God loves us, and in fact, the Apostle John who authored today’s Gospel text, wrote in 1st John, that “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

It’s been said that the entire story of the Bible can be traced in the shape of the cross.

Because it is the story of the reconciliation of God, with man, through + Jesus Christ.

The cross becomes a bridge that closes that huge divide, the gulf, between a loving, perfect Father, and His fallen children.

And it is mind boggling for us that it was God, Himself, who provided the solution, who brings about the reconciliation.

It was God who reached out to us by coming down to earth and taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the first Passover, God freed the people of Israel from physical bondage – slavery in Egypt. God told the people to make a sacrifice, to take a lamb without blemish, slaughter it, and put the blood over their doorways so the spirit of death would pass over them.

Many years later, at the time of Passover, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem triumphantly on Palm Sunday.

The temple priests would have taken young lambs, without blemish, placed their hands on them, and while praying transferred the sins of people to the animal.

Then it would be sacrificed.

The death of the lamb was a symbolic payment for sin.

What the temple priests didn’t realize, was that God’s ultimate sacrifice had just entered the Holy City.

This could never be accomplished by the death of a lamb or goat, but only by a human being, yet one who was without sin.

However, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “all have sinned.”

So, God sent His only Son, to become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, because He was the one person who kept God’s law perfectly – God’s lamb without blemish – Jesus Christ.

Through the words of the Apostle John today, we find ourselves at the place where that sacrifice for sin happened.

We have an account by the only Apostle we know who was an eyewitness to the crucifixion.

The Roman authors Seneca and Cicero wrote that those who were crucified cursed and screamed loudly, as long as they could.

But with Jesus we hear none of this.

Christ didn’t curse His tormentors, the Roman soldiers, the religious authorities, or those who mocked Him.

Although truly innocent, in agony, and about to die, He says, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

The suffering Jesus endured that first Good Friday began even before the cross.

There were dozens of deep lashes across Jesus’ back from a flogging.

There was a crown of thorns piercing deep into the skin of his head.

Then spikes were driven through His hands and feet.

And he hung this way on the cross for hours.

But because Jesus experienced this incredible pain, He understands our pain both physical and emotional.

Neither in times of suffering or sadness, does Christ desert us.

We can take comfort that we have a Saviour who understands sorrow, that can empathize because of what He endured – for us.

There are some who will blame the Romans, Pontius Pilate, the Jewish authorities, even Judas himself for Christ’s crucifixion.

But as Martin Luther explained in a sermon some 500 years ago, “never forget that it was your sins that placed the nails there.”

It was our sins that Jesus was atoning for – not His own.

As the prophet Isaiah wrote: “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was wounded for our iniquities, and by His wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 6)

And yet if Jesus hadn’t suffered, if the crucifixion had not taken place, every one of us would have been destined to hell forever, eternally separated from God.

The door between us and Heaven would have been shut.

But God didn’t want that, so He created this glorious exchange – our sins, for Christ’s righteousness.

A once, and for all, exchange.

Jesus had no sooner said "I thirst," and sipped the vinegar offered to Him on the cross, when He said, "It is finished.”

This wasn’t a cry of defeat. It was a shout of triumph.

The battle was over, the victory won – forever.

Sin, death and the devil were defeated because the final payment for sin had been made.

According to some modern thinkers, man is a very fine and noble creature, striving to become better.

He’s to be commended and admired.

Sin is said to be only a sociological condition.

But in the Bible, that’s not the way God sees it.

There, man is a fallen being, with a carnal nature that cannot be reconciled to God by our own efforts.

In Holy Scripture, man behaves in the same way we see in our daily news: war, murder, theft, greed, idolatry.

And these are all a result of the original fall into sin.

It’s behind every broken home, every troubled life, every sorrow and grief.

But Christ loves us, and came to save you, and me, from the penalty of all this.

It is God, who still reaches out to us through the Holy Spirit, with the gift of faith that saves.

Christ continues to come to us in His Word and Sacraments found in His true Church.

And here is the great power of the Gospel, of Christ's Good News.

That we are saved through faith in Him, alone, despite our natures.

We can learn from Jesus that while we’re mighty sinners – He’s an even mightier Saviour.

The Apostle John wrote his Gospel in Greek.

The Greek word for finished in the Bible, "tetelestai,” doesn’t simply mean, “it’s over.”

It was the term used for a business contract successfully completed, and it meant: paid in full.

That’s what Jesus was saying to us about salvation from the cross.

No co-payment is necessary, or possible.

When it comes to redemption, He’s done it all.

The Apostle Paul explained in Ephesians, Chapter 2, verses 8 to 9:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God so that no one can boast.”

Our faith alone in Jesus as Redeemer saves us.

And that is the best news we could ever hear, because we could never do it on our own.

Today, when you look at the cross, I’d ask that you not only see the pain and agony of the crucifixion, but also see God’s love in Christ.

Because God the Father didn’t send Jesus, and Jesus didn’t willing go to the cross out of anger or hatred.

Many people wish that someone in their life would love them unconditionally, would love them so much they would die for them.

The truth is, someone did.

His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.

And so, may the knowledge of God’s love and forgiveness for you, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Amen.

A LITANY FOR GOOD FRIDAY

P: Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by? C: Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. (Lamentations l:12)

P: The Lord says: My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? I led you from slavery to freedom, but you led your Saviour to the cross.

I brought you out of Egypt, but you handed me over to the high priests. C: Holy God, holy and immortal One, have mercy on us.

P: My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? I led you on your way in a pillar of cloud, but you led me to Pilate's court. I bore you up with manna in the desert, but you struck me down and scourged me. C: Holy God, holy and immortal One, have mercy on us.

P: My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? I gave you a royal sceptre, but you gave me a crown of thorns. I raised you to the height of majesty, but you have raised me high on a cross. C: Holy God, holy and immortal One, have mercy on us.

P: My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? I gave you saving water from the rock, but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink. For you I struck down the kings of Canaan, but you pierced your Saviour with a lance. C: Holy God, holy and immortal One, have mercy on us.

P: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. C: By Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

P: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him. C: And through faith we shall also reign with Him.

P: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless You. C: By Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

+ Service of the Sacrament +

P: Blessed are You O Lord, our God, king of the universe, for you have had mercy on us and given Your only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

C: We give You thanks Father for the redemption You have prepared for us through Jesus Christ. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully take communion and receive the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that come from the body and blood of Christ.

P: Father, hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us.

LORDS PRAYER

C: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Preface

P: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

P: Lift up your hearts.

C: We lift them to the Lord.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

P: It is truly meet, right, and salutary, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks to you, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God. For in the mystery of the Word made flesh, You have given us a new revelation of Your glory; that seeing You in the Person of Your Son, we may be drawn to the love of those things which are not seen.

The Words of Our Saviour Instituting The Lord`s Supper

P. 197

P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C: Amen.

Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)

P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,

C: Have mercy on us.

P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,

C: Have mercy on us.

P: Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world,

C: Grant us peace.

The Distribution

(Our hymn during distribution is 627 “Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Saviour”)

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

C: Lord Jesus, you carried our sins in Your own body on the cross. You came so that we might have life. May we and all who remember this day find new life in You, now and in the world to come, where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

OUR CLOSING HYMN

436 “Go to Dark Gethsemane”

youtube

#Youtube

0 notes

monsooninn · 1 month

Text

Berakhot 7a:5. "Jaws."

Continuing on page 7 is our discussion on law, order, and anger. All of these pertain to the presence of the Black Pillar. There are no reasons for the existence of the Black Pillar of Corruption on this world. It makes no sense that the city of Washington DC is at peace and Jerusalem is not. What is different? One place has a corrupt government one place does not.

If we were to put the DC City Council in charge of Jerusalem, could they fix things? Yes we could. Why are we not doing this then? This is also because of a kind of corruption that should make us angry. We could easily hire people like the DC City Council to work in Jerusalem. Our decision to value the happiness of the people living in Washington over those living in Jerusalem is arbitrary. There is no reason they should be not be governed alike and experience the same quality of life.

The God of Jonathan is a pivotal being in the transference of anger when lawlessness and disorder are displacing people from their ordained purposes. He changed Washington DC, He can change the rest. To be able to mutate from a society that is incapable of noticing all it has lost due to corruption in its midst and eke out civilization is the path to Mashiach the human race too often refuses to take. Nonetheless, the Mishnah Torah states it is a journey we must make:

5. And Rabbi Yohanan said on behalf of Rabbi Yossi: Whence there is no one to restrain a man in the hour of his anger, he dictated: "Let them go and let me go to you." The Holy One, blessed be He, told him to Moses: Wait for me until the faces of anger pass by and you are sweet.

Yossi, Joseph, is derived from yu, "in the Name of the Lord", and sef, "the sill of the threshold." In Judaism the threshold is a complex topic. It is the mystery beneath our feet, the knife in our hearts, it is the unsolvable mystery that we allow to govern our lives. Ultimately it is crossed by understanding the meaning of the lives of the Neviim.

The Torah explains how civilization is made from the clay of human remorse into something none of us shall regret. The Neviim explain how to turn all of it from fantasy in personal reality. They represent the gods of Judaism, demigods and goddesses whose names have symbolic meaning, whose lives and stories have esoteric meaning we can turn into some aspect of real life.

All Jewish gods are successes. They make twists and turns but they are not flawed, they do not fail, all of them complete the portrait God intended for us to see. Jonathan is one of the more frequent named by the Mishnah because he turned a dirty filthy murdering savage boy, David into a King to whom the Lord Prophesied:

2 Samuel 7:

8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’”

Without Jonathan the little trollup whore, David would not have become royalty or taken over the reigns of the mess King Saul, who had no vision left behind and created a lasting name for himself.

The Mishnah is telling us we need to follow the example of these Neviim, triumph over the messes our former rulers have left for us and cross the border into our own discrete and purposeful lives. This time, it will be one demarcated by the Crown of Israel who will not suffer a lawless human race to overthrow the will of God that is identified by the Torah.

The Value in Gematria is 7292, זבטב‎‎ , zabat zabtev, "the jaws of the wolf."

The Gemara likens the human race to the jaws of a wolf when it tries to be happy while lawlessness and disorder are prevalent.

The planet is becoming a giant tumbled down concrete slum. We have turned our back on it for too long. The Mishnah says God will put our happiness on hold until this is fixed.

1 note · View note

allsoulspriory · 1 month

Text

Lot looked up and saw the whole region of the Jordan. He noticed that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, all the way to Zoar. Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled toward the east. So, the relatives separated from each other. — Gen 13:10-11

The soul that has taken God as its portion can afford to be generous!

As the older man, Abraham might well have claimed the priority of choice, leaving the rest to Lot, but he was pretty content to waive his rights since his Almighty Friend had fixed the place which he was destined to receive for his inheritance. Let Lot choose as he might; he could not obtain an inch of the land which God had included in His Divine purpose for His faithful and obedient servant. “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land.”

It was, therefore, in quiet confidence that the Patriarch stood beside his relative and watched him as he lifted his eyes to take and claim the total advantage of his uncle’s unexpected offer. When Lot chose the Plain of Sodom, which was well-watered everywhere and as lovely as Paradise, Abraham acquiesced with calm composure. Looking into the face of God, he said in effect: “Thou art the portion of mine inheritance; Thou maintainest my lot; the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

Then—the separation took place—God called His servant back to the hilltop, gave him all the land in a covenant forever, and bade him pass whither he wished over the soil, for it was all his own (Gen 13:14-17).

Let God choose for you! Especially at the beginning of life, as you stand on its threshold and view the land, dare to follow the promptings of “ His inner Voice. His Call still comes ringing down the ages: “Follow Me.” “Lo, I am with you all the days!”

Prayer

O God, I believe that Thou knowest what is best for me. I can ask nothing better than this: to be Thy care, not my own. Through Thy grace, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. Amen.

#DailyWalk #FrJohnPax

#allsoulspriory #paxabbey #thefellowshipcorner #christsapostoliccatholicchurch #dailywalk #frjohnpax #axiomsofanurbanpriest #spiritualdirection

0 notes

troybeecham · 7 months

Text

The Holy Martyr Theodotus suffered with Saints Maximus and Asklepiodote, at the beginning of the fourth century under the emperor Maximian Galerius (AD 305-311). Eminent citizens of the city of Marcianopolis (in modern Bulgaria), Maximus, and Asklepiodote led a devout Christian life. By their example they brought many to faith in Christ and to holy Baptism.

During the persecution, Tiris, the governor of Thrace, went around the city subject to him and persecuted those believing in Christ. He summoned Maximus and Asklepiodote before him and demanded they abandon the Christian Faith. When the martyrs refused, he ordered that they be beaten.

Then a certain pious man named Theodotus, began to reproach the governor for his inhumanity and cruelty. They seized him also, and hanging him on a tree, they tortured him with iron hooks. After this, they threw the three martyrs into prison. Tiris traveled for two weeks more and took the holy martyrs along with him.

In the city of Adrianopolis, he put them to still greater tortures, commanding that their bodies be scorched with white-hot plates. In the midst of their suffering they heard a Voice from Heaven encouraging them to persevere. After several days of torture they threw the martyrs to be eaten by wild beasts in the circus, but instead the she-bear released upon Saints Maximus and Theodotus began to cuddle up to them.Saint Asklepiodote was tied to a bull, but she seemed to be rooted to the spot, and did not budge.

Tiris resumed the journey and stopped in the village of Saltis before reaching the city of Philippopolis. Again he urged the martyrs to renounce Christ. When they refused, he ordered them to be beheaded on this day in AD 310.

Almighty God, who gave to your servants Theodotus, Maximus, and Asklepiodote boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

#father troy beecham #christianity #jesus #god #saints #salvation #peace #martyrs #faith #early church

3 notes · View notes

scribeforchrist-blog · 2 months

Text

Accepting His Plans

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

=========================

+ Ecclesiastes 12:8 Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!”

=========================

VERSE OF THE DAY

========================

+‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬‭:8‬ ‭Now then, tell my servant, David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.“

‭‭=========================

SUBJECT: Accepting His Plans

=========================

** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM BLESSED

I AM KIND

I AM COMPASSIONATE

I AM LOVED

********************************

THOUGHTS:

=======================

The Lord looks past our faults; when we confess our sins and turn away, we are showing God that we need him more than anything; a lot of people feel that God stays mad with us when we sin, but he doesn’t look at David in this text, David had done a couple of things wrong in his life, and God still gave him a blessing such as this. He said, that I took you from the pasture and appointed you over my people.

God will open doors no man can shut; he will bring opportunities that no one can describe; a lot of times, we are looking for blessings in one way, and he gives them to us in a whole new way. We have to understand that God has his plans; we can think we know what he wants us to do and how he want it done, but sometimes we have to go through the journey, and that is what David did; he went through it with every step with God !!

Verse 9: I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now, I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. “

When God gives us a promise, we might forget or dont believe whatever the case may be, but God promises us he will never leave us or forsake us. But he told David right here, I won’t leave you. God even tells us that he’ll cut off our enemies, but in order for these two things to happen, we must be diligent and faithful to him; a lot of us we aren’t, and we expect him to keep up his side of the deal, but we refuse to dwell in him ,but he gave David so much, he let him be known to so many, and so many feared him, they knew of him by his mannerism by his reputation.

• 1 Samuel 18:7 As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

•1 Samuel 18:5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.”

Verse 15: But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

God told David, and this is something we can stand on with God; he won’t take his love away from us, he will never refuse us when we come back to him, he will never ignore our cry, but it is up to us to turn to him to yield to him God can give us everything we ever wanted and needed, but it’s up to us to stand near him, God promised David that his house would endure forever and that it will be established, when God place his favor and love on us, he will forever give us anything within his will for our lives,

Verse 20–21: What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

David shows another example of how to deal with disappointment, and that by allowing God to have his way, David could’ve been angry he wasn’t going to be the one to build the house; he didn’t take on pride, he didn’t let that overshadow what God has spoke, when God says no, we say I take it into my own hands but David didn’t he accept whatever God had plans for him, how many of us look at the bigger picture and say well I dont have this but at least I have that how many of us look at what God says unto us, in that way very few of us do.

***Today, do not allow what someone else says or does to affect you and your view of God’s plans for your life. God sometimes will say no, and that no is to prevent you from going through more heartache, and when he says yes, that’s when God is trying to place you on the path he wants for you, no that yes might not be the yes you want but it’s a yes God had planned for your life. Our biggest battles aren’t the ones we fight with others. Sometimes, it’s the battles we fight with ourselves because we want to have all the control instead of rendering it all to God.

========================

PRAYER

========================

Heavenly Father, we thank you for another lesson today. We ask you to help us to apply it to our lives! Every day is such a blessing, and we give you everything. We ask you today to help us stay focused on you and accept the plans you have for us. Father, whatever you say no to, we accept. We ask you to continue to work with us even in our foolish ways. Please help us accept your will and plans for us, whatever they may be. Lord, we ask you to change our character daily; we want to be a living sacrifice for you in Jesus' name, Amen.

========================

REFERENCES

========================

+ Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

+ Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

+ Psalm 48:14 That this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.

========================