LIFE RECOVERY MINISTRY

Since this ministry can only afford 5 pages, including the home page, we have broken these pages as follows:

Home Page

About Us - Emails (history may be useful)

Contact Us (will add new emails here)

Amen-ism (writings Bobs friend wrote)

Emails

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  These are examples of some of the responses to emails sent to Bob Erb from those who shared Scriptures to him.  These are those letters written before September 5, 2005.  They are shown here to help someone else in need for these words.

A volunteer had suggested that Bob write a book using these letters, but he doesnt see how he has time to do this without help.  If you or someone you know might be interested in helping to do this or create a blogging site, please write him.  If this was a blogging site, then more order might also be available. 

There might be something written here that could help someone we know.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  It has been a blessing to Bobs understanding.

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Writings start from Septmember 5, 2005 and go backward in time.

1.

Dear Everyone I know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Thank you for allowing me the time to study the Bible and be able to share what God seems to be showing me.

I found the word "Christian" in the KJV only 2 times in the Book of Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16.  I found the word "disciple" in the KJV 271  times and in the New Living Translation 305 times.

As I described the ministry God showed me on the web site www.waikikibeachoutreach.com, I wrote

"Desiring to be disciples of Christ Jesus, God has led us to establish the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry to feed and minister to over 150 homeless and about 50 others who are very poor and hungry from Queen Kapiolani Beach Park (near the Waikiki Aquarium) to Lewers and Kalakaua (near the pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel) at this time."  

He showed me a new way to live, not of this world, but in the spirit realm.  What does that mean?  As I studied His Word today, I was led to the following that might touch the life of someone reading this or someone you know.   

The Cost of Discipleship The Bible does not call us to be Christians, it calls us to be disciples of Christ.

"Sit Down First and Count the Cost"
What is the cost of discipleship? Jesus said, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it - lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:28-33). "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26)

The Cost of Discipleship - Paul Knew the Cost
The Apostle Paul understood the cost of discipleship! He was a man who enjoyed great prominence among the Jewish elite, but forsook all for the love of Christ! Paul declared, "What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." (Philippians 3:7-9)

The Cost of Discipleship - From Carnal to Christian
The cost of discipleship is this: We must each give up our old selves in order to embrace and become the person Christ has created us to be. Therefore "put off the old man with his deeds" (Colossians 3:9-10), for "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

"The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:14), rather, "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Romans 8:7). But even though "we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), "you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (Colossians 1:21-22). Thus, having been "reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10), we have received "exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, "do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world" (1 John 2:15-16). "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" (John 12:25-26).

The Cost of Discipleship - A Final Word
The cost of discipleship is totally reasonable in light of the gift we've been given! "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19). Simply put, we were "bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20). "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:11-14).

Whatever stage of life we are in, discipleship will cause changes to happen in our hearts.  As we grow closer to God, we will have less of a desire to sin and more of an urge to obey God. Our attitudes, values, morals, and desires will change and this will affect our relationships.  This is a cost of discipleship.

We may find that we begin to make new friends - friends who share our values and beliefs.  However, we may also have opportunities to share our new-found faith with our existing friends as they see the change take place in our life. Try not to concentrate on whether we will lose your friends.  Instead focus showing Christ's love to them.

Even though the cost of discipleship can be heavy, our heavenly Father loves you and knows what we need.  When we allow Him to change our heart, remember that He is a good God who can be trusted.  He loves us and wants His best for us.  He has our best interest at heart and wants to fulfill His wonderful plan for our life. So although the cost of discipleship may be great, it is always a worthwhile sacrifice!  When we get discouraged, remember the verse in 2 Samuel 24:24: "I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" When we offer that which is precious to us up to the Lord, He values it and it is beautiful in His sight.

God bless you and your family in your personal journey.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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2.

Dear David and Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing your prayer ministry with me.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God.

 As you have shared some scriptures to us, I was moved to study them and comment back to you.  I pray it touches someones heart as it has mine.

 Proverbs 17:17 (New Living Translation)

 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

 No change of outward circumstances should abate our affection for our friends or relatives. But no friend, except Christ, deserves unlimited confidence. In Him this text did receive, and still receives its most glorious fulfillment.

 Proverbs 17:22

 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.

 It is great mercy that God gives us leave to be cheerful, and cause to be cheerful, if by his grace he gives us hearts to be cheerful.   As I greet each morning with God's Word, from Psalms 118:24.  This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.  It really does inspire a cheerful heart all day long, even during challenges.

 Proverbs 18:24

 There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

 Christ Jesus never will forsake those of us who trust in and love him.  May we be such friends to others, for our Master's sake.  Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end; and we are His friends if we do whatever he commands us,

 Luke 18:1-8

Story of the Persistent Widow

  (1) One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. (2) "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. (3) A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. (4) The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. `I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, (5) `but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' "

    (6) Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this evil judge. (7)  Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (8) I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"

All God's people are praying people. Here earnest steadiness in prayer for spiritual mercies is taught. The widow's earnestness prevailed even with the unjust judge: she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our earnest prayer is pleasing to our God.  Even to the end there will still be ground for the same complaint of weakness of faith.

Ephesians 4:10-18

  (10) The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe.

   (11) He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12) Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, (13) until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

   (14) Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. (15) Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  (16) Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Living as Children of Light

  (17) With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. (18) Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

Exhortations to mutual forbearance and union.

Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk as becomes those called to Christ's kingdom and glory.  By lowliness, understand humility, which is opposed to pride.  By meekness, that excellent disposition of soul, which makes men unwilling to provoke, and not easily to be provoked or offended.  We find much in ourselves for which we can hardly forgive ourselves; therefore we must not be surprised if we find in others that which we think it hard to forgive.  There is one Christ in whom all believers hope, and one heaven they are all hoping for; therefore they should be of one heart.  They had all one faith, as to its object, Author, nature, and power.  They all believed the same as to the great truths of religion; they had all been admitted into the church by one baptism, with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, as the sign of regeneration.  In all believers God the Father dwells, as in His holy temple, by his Spirit and special grace.

To a due use of spiritual gifts and graces.

Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help.  All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one.  He received for us, that he might give to us, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings trust and obedience.  There is a fullness in Christ, and a measure of that fullness given in the counsel of God to every believer; but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven. God's children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ.  The more we find ourselves drawn out to improve in our station, and according to our measure, all that we have received, to the spiritual good of others, we may more certainly believe that we have the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in our hearts.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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3.

Dear Esta and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your words of encouragement.  Thank you for calling me and speaking to me today.  mostly, thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for sharing God's Words and your favorite scriptures.

As you have been, I was in the Dark and no one listened until I called upon our Lord and became willing to turn my will and life over to Him.  Wow, what He has done to me!  What He is doing to you!  We trust Him to solve all our challenges as we call upon Him in prayer.  Amen.

Psalm 33:4 (New Living Translation)

For the word of the LORD holds true,
       and everything he does is worthy of our trust.

Psalm 34:4

I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me,
       freeing me from all my fears.

As we recognize that love, joy and peace comes from our Lord, then everything else, including fear, is not from Him, we can release it back to the ego, self, demons, devil, others, or whatever we want to call that which is not from God.  Since God's Word, and Jesus, is above all words, we are free in our Lord.  Our Heavenly Father will take good care of us.  He will always answer our prayers.  We have nothing to fear, no matter how trying situations may seem.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com

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4.

Dear Laura and Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God again. 

 As I was led to read the Scriptures, it led me to research some more.  So, I have confirmed what you have written in a different way.  The words in parenthesis are my own, not the Bible's, but could give some clarity to how God's Word might apply to today.

 Nahum 3:4-19 (New Living Translation)

 (4) All this because Nineveh (this is now the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq, once the capital of the Assyrians), the beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty. She taught them all to worship her false gods, enchanting people everywhere.(Maybe like New Orleans is now with the  focus on nudity, sex, money, drinking and drugs during Mardi Gras and a nice appearing city at the Gulf - but not so pretty in the poor areas)

    (5) "No wonder I am your enemy!" declares the LORD Almighty. "And now I will lift your skirts so all the earth will see your nakedness and shame. (6) I will cover you with filth and show the world how vile you really are. (7) All who see you will shrink back in horror and say, `Nineveh lies in utter ruin.' Yet no one anywhere will regret your destruction."

    (8) Are you any better than Thebes(in Egypt, see description below), surrounded by rivers, protected by water on all sides? (9) Ethiopia and the land of Egypt were the source of her strength, which seemed without limit. The nations of Put(land just west of Egypt that is now called Libya and could be like Texas supporting New Orleans) and Libya also helped and supported her.  (10) Yet Thebes fell, and her people were led away as captives. Her babies were dashed to death against the stones of the streets. Soldiers cast lots to see who would get the Egyptian officers as servants. All their leaders were bound in chains.

    (11) And you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard. You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy. (12) All your fortresses will fall. They will be devoured like the ripe figs that fall into the mouths of those who shake the trees. (13) Your troops will be as weak and helpless as women. The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned.

    (14) Get ready for the siege! Store up water! Strengthen the defenses! Make bricks to repair the walls! Go into the pits to trample clay, and pack it into molds!  (15) But in the middle of your preparations, the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down. The enemy will consume you like locusts, devouring everything they see. There will be no escape, even if you multiply like grasshoppers. (16) Merchants, as numerous as the stars, have filled your city with vast wealth. But like a swarm of locusts, they strip the land and then fly away. (17) Your princes and officials are also like locusts, crowding together in the hedges to survive the cold. But like locusts that fly away when the sun comes up to warm the earth, all of them will fly away and disappear.

    (18) O Assyrian king, your princes lie dead in the dust. Your people are scattered across the mountains. There is no longer a shepherd to gather them together. (19) There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear of your destruction will clap their hands for joy. Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your cruelty?

Thebes is city of ancient Egypt. Luxor and Karnak now occupy parts of its site. The city developed at a very early date from a number of small villages, particularly one around modern Luxor (then called Epet), but remained relatively obscure until the rise of the Theban family that established the XI dynasty over 4000 years ago. The city rapidly became prominent as the royal residence and as a seat of the worship of the god Amon. At Thebes, also, was the necropolis in the Valley of the Tombs where the kings and nobles were entombed in great splendor in crypts cut into the cliffs on the Niles west bank. The citys greatest period was that of the empire, when it served as a reservoir for the immense wealth that poured in from the conquered countries. As the empire began to decay and the locus of power to shift to the Nile delta, Thebes went into decline. For a time in the 11th cent. B.C., it was a separate political entity under sacerdotal rule. Thebes was sacked by the Assyrians in 661 B.C., an event referred to in the Bible (Nah. 3.810 as shown above), where the city is called No Amon (Amon city). The Romans sacked it in 29 B.C., and by 20 B.C. a Greek visitor to the site reported only a few scattered villages. The temples and tombs that have survived, including the tombs of Tutankhamen and of Ramses IIs sons, are among the most splendid in the world, and the site has been the scene of much important archaeological work.  (I saw this city in an Omni Max show about the Nile River in Las Vegas this year - very interesting)

I could add a lot more words, but I think the Holy Spirit with is already enlightening most of us by just reading the words of the Bible as we understand the historical perspective.  Maybe the Bible shows us something about today.  Maybe those who don't know the Lord need us to share the Good News of allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us as we accept Jesus as our personal Savior.  Praise the Lord.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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5.

Dear Laura and everyone I know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God.  Thank you for your prophetic words.

As the prophet Jeremiah wrote this almost 600 years before Christ and before Judah was captured by Babylon, these words could apply today:

PROMISE:"A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant. So put on sackcloth, lament, and wail, for the firece anger of the Lord has not turned away from us." (4:7-8)

Chapters 4 - 6 deals with the sinful condition of Judah. Jeremiah tells of the judgments of God against the people. It has gotten to the point that the Lord is bringing disaster to the country. "For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction. A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you."

Not one is upright. The corruption of the people was wide spread. There was no fear or respect for the Lord. "They have lied about the Lord; they said, He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine." God is bringing an ancient and enduring nation against them. Since they do not fear the Lord or wish to receive his blessings, "Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good."

Jerusalem under siege."Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Look an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. Do not go out to the fields or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is terror on every side."

As I was reading, though, the following touched me.  Maybe it will touch the heart of at least one person reading this.

Jeremiah 5:20-31 (New Living Translation)

 A Warning for Gods People

  (20) "Make this announcement to Israel and to Judah: (21) Listen, you foolish and senseless people--who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. (22) Do you have no respect for me? Why do you not tremble in my presence? I, the LORD, am the one who defines the ocean's sandy shoreline, an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the bounds I set.

    (23) "But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned against me and have chosen to practice idolatry. ⁽²⁴⁾ They do not say from the heart, `Let us live in awe of the LORD our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of plentiful harvests.' (25) Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.

    (26) "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They are continually setting traps for other people. (27) Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And the result? Now they are great and rich. (28) They are well fed and well groomed, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. (29) Should I not punish them for this?" asks the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself against a nation such as this?

    (30) "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land-- (31) the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. And worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?

No additional comments are required by me.  Your words and the Holy Spirit with those who read this should be clear.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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6.

Dear Laura and Everyone I know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for responding  to pain and the salvation that may bring us out of it, through Christ, our Savior.

Isaiah 47

Prediction of Babylon's Fall (and New Orleans)

(10) "You felt secure in all your wickedness. `No one sees me,' you said. Your `wisdom' and `knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me and claim, `I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!'  (11) So disaster will overtake you suddenly, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will arise so fast that you won't know what hit you.

(12) "Call out the demon hordes you have worshiped all these years. Ask them to help you strike terror into the hearts of people once again.  (13) You have more than enough advisers, astrologers, and stargazers. Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.  (14) But they are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire. They cannot even save themselves! You will get no help from them at all. Their hearth is not a place to sit for warmth. (15) And all your friends, those with whom you have done business since childhood, will slip away and disappear, unable to help.

And I think your comments are more than enough to see the Light.

Isaiah 50:4 (New Living Translation)

The LORDs Obedient Servant

The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com

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7.

Dear Pastor George and Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your prophetic message.  Thank you for thinking of me.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God. 

 As I read Matthew 4:17-20, I am being led to share some comments on it and the scriptures identified herein.

 Matthew 4:17-20 (New Living Translation)

 (17) From then on, Jesus began to preach, "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

The First Disciples

  (18) One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers--Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew--fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen.  (19) Jesus called out to them, "Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!" (20) And they left their nets at once and went with him.

As I rededicated my life to God, He showed me the way and I followed His directions, as a disciple of Christ.  He said to do what Jesus did.  He fed the poor and proclaimed the Good News with repentance.   I only desire to do His will, and He created the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry for me to DO something for Him.  He, in turn, gives me a love, joy, and peace that I had never experienced before, praise the Lord.  Obviously, He directed you on another path.

The opening of Christ's ministry in Galilee.

It is just with God to take the gospel and the means of grace, from those that slight them and thrust them away.  Christ will not stay long where he is not welcome.  Those who are without Christ, are in the dark. They were sitting in this condition, a contented posture; they chose it rather than light; they were willingly ignorant.  When the gospel comes, light comes; when it comes to any place, when it comes to any soul, it makes day there. Light discovers and directs; so does the gospel.  The doctrine of repentance is right gospel doctrine.  Not only the austere John Baptist, but the gracious Jesus, preached repentance.  There is still the same reason to do so.  The kingdom of heaven was not reckoned to be fully come, till the pouring out of the Holy Spirit after Christ's ascension.

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8.

Dear Everyone I know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Someone special shared this prayer to me and I share it with you.

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9.

Dear Corinne and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response to the message about the Prodigal Son.  Thank you for allowing me to research more about the oldest son.  I share what I am learning.

I regret that I haven't responded sooner, but I have been moving around and almost forgot your request.  I hope you find these comments insightful for your church.

The older brother represents an attitude that resents God's interest in sinnersthe same attitude in the early church that looked suspiciously at the inclusion of Gentiles.  His self-righteousness manifests itself in jealousy and envy.  Today, the elder son is like those who, in self-righteousness, shun brethren who do not live up to their standard of righteousness (Proverbs 20:6; Galatians 6:3; Titus 3:5). Such people do not realize that their self-righteousness is as the filthy rags of the prodigal son (Isaiah 64:6).

Now the older son is introduced for an additional lesson in the parable.  In some ways this is two parables in one, both parts ending with the statement about dead and alive, lost and found. Both sons are lost -- one who left home (like the sheep that was lost in v. 4) and one who was lost even while at home (like the coin in v. 8).  Both the "sinners" and the Pharisees were separated from God -- the first ones are visibly lost, the others still live at home -- but both are welcomed when they turn to God.

The older son is contrasted to the younger:  The younger starts the story by leaving home, the older starts by returning. The younger then decides to go home, the older refuses to enter.  The younger wants to be his father's servant, the older son resents being a servant.  The younger son admits guilt; the older one insists on his own innocence.

The older son became angry -- in contrast to his father's compassion -- and he did not want to go in despite knowing his father's will.  His father went out -- in contrast to the older son's unwillingness to come in.  The father went out, just as he had done for the younger son.  Pleaded with him -- The father eagerly desired for the older son to share his joy.  Normally a son would simply do what his father said to do; here the older son is disobedient.  The older son had inherited his father's estate, but not his attitude of mercy.

The older son starts abruptly, hinting of disrespect, frustration and impatience.  I've been slaving for you.  His relationship to his father was based on work, not love.  Never disobeyed -- until now.

You never gave me even a young goat -- Yet a goat is of lesser value than a calf.  But the father would have given a goat if the son had asked (verse 31).  The son felt unappreciated and unrewarded; his complaint suggests that he had a long-smoldering resentment.  He complained about the extra given to the younger -- similar to the workers in the vineyard who complained about a days' wage being given to those who worked only one hour.

This son of yours -- The older brother doesn't say "my brother"; it is as if he no longer claims him.  Squandered -- Literally, "devoured," an ironic word for a hungry man.  Your property -- This continues the emphasis on physical possessions. The younger son had wasted part of the family estate, failing in his duty to provide for his father.  With prostitutes -- Did the older son really know how his brother had spent the money?  Perhaps the waste had begun before the son left home, or perhaps some reports had come back from the far country.  Both are possible, but the story says nothing about it. This suggests that the older son was making an unsubstantiated accusation.

God bless you and your family.  God bless your church and the Body of Christ.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com

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10.

Marriage - Divorce: Praise the Lord, not the world - 1 Corinthians 7

Dear Laura, Maureen and Everone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. Thank you for responding to my concern over being careful about needing to rely on a man for material things, and not relying on God. Thank you, Laura, for sharing how the Holy Spirit occupying a woman perceives the the letter I wrote Maureen. Thank you for sharing the Word of God.

In my search to find the answers to some of my challenges living without a soul mate, I was moved to review our responsibilities in our marriages and about divorce. If you know someone, or are experiencing some challenges yourself living alone, then maybe God may give you some answers from the Word of God.

Almost everything we want to know about marriage is in 1 Corinthians 7. It seem so clear to me that I don't really see need to comment on it (but I will). Other book reinforce the fundamentals.

1 Corinthians 7 (New Living Translation)

Instruction on Marriage

(1) Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. (2) But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

(3)The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. (4) The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife. (5) So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control. (6) This is only my suggestion. It's not meant to be an absolute rule. (7) I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness.

(8) Now I say to those who aren't married and to widows--it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am. (9) But if they can't control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It's better to marry than to burn with lust.

(10) Now, for those who are married I have a- command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. (11) But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.

(12) Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. (13) And if a Christian woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. (14) For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not have a godly influence, but now they are set apart for him. (15) (But if the husband or wife who isn't a Christian insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not required to stay with them, for God wants his children to live in peace.) (16) You wives must remember that your husbands might be converted because of you. And you husbands must remember that your wives might be converted because of you.

(17) You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. (18) For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. (19) For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God's commandments.

(20) You should continue on as you were when God called you. (21) Are you a slave? Don't let that worry you--but if you get a chance to be free, take it. (22) And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, the Lord has now set you free from the awful power of sin. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. (23) God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.^{[c] (24) So, dear brothers and sisters, whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.}

^{(25) Now, about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his kindness has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. (26) Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain just as you are. (27) If you have a wife, do not end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not get married. (28) But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, I am trying to spare you the extra problems that come with marriage.}

^{(29) Now let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short, so husbands should not let marriage be their major concern. (30) Happiness or sadness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God's work. (31) Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away. (32) In everything you do, I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him. (33) But a married man can't do that so well. He has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. (34) His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be more devoted to the Lord in body and in spirit, while the married woman must be concerned about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.}

^{(35) I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible. (36) But if a man thinks he ought to marry his fiancee because he has trouble controlling his passions and time is passing, it is all right; it is not a sin. Let them marry. (37) But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. (38) So the person who marries does well, and the person who doesn't marry does even better.}

^{(39) A wife is married to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wishes, but this must be a marriage acceptable to the Lord. (40) But in my opinion it will be better for her if she doesn't marry again, and I think I am giving you counsel from God's Spirit when I say this.}

^{The apostle answers several questions about marriage.}

^{The apostle tells the Corinthians that it was good, in that juncture of time, for Christians to keep themselves single. Yet he says that marriage, and the comforts of that state, are settled by Divine wisdom. Though none may break the law of God, yet that perfect rule leaves men at liberty to serve him in the way most suited to their powers and circumstances, of which others often are very unfit judges. All must determine for themselves, seeking counsel from God how they ought to act.}

^{Married Christians should not seek to part from their unbelieving consorts.}

^{Man and wife must not separate for any other cause than what Christ allows. Divorce, at that time, was very common among both Jews and Gentiles, on very slight pretexts. Marriage is a Divine institution; and is an engagement for life, by God's appointment. We are bound, as much as in us lies, to live peaceably with all men (Roman 12:18), therefore to promote the peace and comfort of our nearest relatives, though unbelievers. It should be the labor and study of those who are married, to make each other as easy and happy as possible. Should a Christian desert a husband or wife, when there is opportunity to give the greatest proof of love? Stay, and labor heartily for the conversion of thy relative. In every state and relation the Lord has called us to peace; and every thing should be done to promote harmony, as far as truth and holiness will permit.}

^{Persons, in any fixed station, should usually abide in that.}

^{The rules of Christianity reach every condition; and in every state a man may live so as to be a credit to it. It is the duty of every Christian to be content with his lot, and to conduct himself in his rank and place as becomes a Christian. Our comfort and happiness depend on what we are to Christ, not what we are in the world. No man should think to make his faith or religion, an argument to break through any natural or civil obligations. He should quietly and contentedly abide in the condition in which he is placed by Divine Providence.}

^{Other scriptures which reinforce these issues are listed below:}

^{Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.Genesis 2:24.}

^{Whosoever find a wife find a good thing, and obtain favor of the Lord.Proverbs 18:22.}

^{Never the Less to avoid Fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. I Corinth. 7:2.}

^{Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whore mongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrew 13:4.}

^{Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Other related scriptures.Jeremiah 29:6,}

^{I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. Hosea 2:19,20}

^{(22) You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord....... (33) So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5: 22,33}

^{And I say unto you whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and whosoever married her which is put away doth commit adultery.Matthew 19:9}

^{What therefore God hath joined together, Let not man put asunder. Mark 10:9}

^{Other related scriptures}

^{(1) "Suppose a man marries a woman but later discovers something about her that is shameful. So he writes her a letter of divorce, gives it to her, and sends her away. (2) If she then leaves and marries another man (3) and the second husband also divorces her or dies, (4) the former husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as a special possession. Deut. 24:1-4}

^{13"Suppose a man marries a woman and, after sleeping with her, changes his mind about her 19They will fine him one hundred pieces of silver,[a] for he falsely accused a virgin of Israel. The payment will be made to the woman's father. The woman will then remain the man's wife, and he may never divorce her.28"If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, 29he must pay fifty pieces of silver[a] to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her. Deut. 22:13,19,28, 29}

^{(14) You cry out, "Why has the LORD abandoned us?" I'll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made to each other on your wedding day when you were young. But you have been disloyal to her, though she remained your faithful companion, the wife of your marriage vows. (15) Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. (16) "For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat," says the LORD Almighty. "So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife." Malachi 2:14-16}

^{"If a man divorces a woman and she marries someone else, he is not to take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land. But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, says the LORD. Yet I am still calling you to come back to me. Jeremiah 3:1}

^{"let no one separate them, for God has joined them together." Mark 10:9}

^{"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Luke 16:18}

^{(3) Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: "Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for any reason?" (4) "Haven't you read the Scriptures?" Jesus replied. "They record that from the beginning `God made them male and female.' (5) And he said, `This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' (6) Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together." (7) "Then why did Moses say a man could merely write an official letter of divorce and send her away?" they asked. (8) Jesus replied, "Moses permitted divorce as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness, but it was not what God had originally intended. (9) And I tell you this, a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery--unless his wife has been unfaithful." Matthew 19:3-9}

^{1 Corinth. 7:10-11}

^{Jesus stated his maxim on divorce in}

^{Matt. 5:31,32}

^{In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6}

^{The Lord Bless Thee And Keep Thee.Numbers 6:24}

^{Thank you for allowing me to focus on what God wants me to know well. God bless you and your family.}

^{Your brother in Christ,}

^{Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com}

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11.

PAIN CREATED WAIKIKI BEACH OUTREACH MINISTRY

Dear Everyone I Know,

As I was reading Genesis 44 and 45, I saw how God allowed me to suffer pain being homeless so that He might work through me to create the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry.

For many of us who have been in the Wilderness (or homeless and penitentiary life in my case) for a while, and also throughout our lives, we have experienced great pain (beat up, broken nose, cut off fingers, diseases), loss (theft and death of friends and family), and disappointment (desertion of friends and family members), and it almost seems like there has been an invisible force restricting and restraining us from being involved with the very things we feel we were designed to do, and from the very people we have a burden for, and feel most called to minister to.

Some of this is to break us from any flesh connected to our vision and natural gifting, but some of it was meant to do something else. Our pain, being denied, and all our disappointments, can be used to create an even greater desire within our hearts to do something even bigger for God, than if we had gotten it all the way that we wanted way back when. We may have had to die over and over again to know how we thought God was going to fulfill His vision in our lives, but the visions still remains, and through all this pain, our hearts have been being developed by God to help an even greater number of people than we originally thought.

Joseph had received a vision when he was a boy about God using him to help his family and provide for them, and guess what happened? The very people that he thought would appreciate and receive him rejected and deserted him. They threw him up in a pit, and sold into slavery. Then just as Joseph started to feel like the vision might still be fulfilled by serving in Potiphar's house, it seemed to just happen all over again when he was falsely accused and imprisoned. But with each rejection and denial, it was getting Joseph closer to the palace, and to his place of his true greater ministry. Joseph thought he was just going to originally help his family, but God had much bigger plans for him to help many more people, he just had to have his vision crushed and purified enough times, so that all that was left in the end was the vision itself and the desire to help whomever God wanted him to help, it no longer mattered who it was, and all conditions and preconceived ideas about how it would or should happen were abandoned.

We may have been denied things in life that seemed to be the logical conclusion of what God wanted to do with us, and although it crushed us, it got us closer to purer motives for serving, and to our place of greater ministry.  God is more interested in developing our hearts, than He is about doing things. Perhaps we were denied children and it created a great sorrow in us because it seemed that we were designed to be parents. But now, that denied desire has been purified and amplified, and now we have set our sights on feeding and parenting the many hungry children and orphans of the world.  Rejection by one, can drive us to help the many.  Perhaps we have a desire to provide for people but we have been denied the ability to make money and to succeed financially, but the Lord needed to purify our hearts first, and fill us with a greater love for even a larger group of people to help first.

Joseph kept getting his idea of the vision crushed, but all this pain and rejection was preparing him to feed all of Egypt. Our lives may look like a big failure and wreck like Joseph's did while he was spending day after seemingly wasted day living in Pharaoh's dungeon, but our desires and vision have been being purified, broadened, and amplified during this time to help many.

It is no longer about us, it is now about just doing what God has designed us to do, for whoever He calls us to.  As long as we don't give up, we will in fact be used on a great scale to help many people and although the original vision didn't seem to happen the way we thought it would, our hearts have been secretly prepared to do an even greater thing for even more people than we originally thought.  We may have carried a great heartache over certain losses and apparent failures over the years, but that heartache will end up driving us to an even greater number of people in the end.  Our lives were not mistakes, so let God speak to us and heal our hearts from all old pain.  God will make everything right in the end, and we will see His wisdom in all He did.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.... "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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12.

Dear Mary and Ever one I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for expressing your concern.  Thank you for the email.  Thank you for showing interest in me.  Most of all, thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God.  This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

 Please forgive me for the delay in responding.  I have been dependent on my friends and relatives computers and ISP services.  Many do not have them and most keep me so busy I cannot respond in such a timely fashion.  I hope you understand.

 I am presently in Virginia helping a friend deal with significant life changing experiences.  I hope to see my youngest son while I am here, he lives about 80 miles away in Richmond and has no phone.  I spoke to his mom who has not heard from him in over a month ago and she assured me that she would inform him of my stay here in Waynesboro for the next few weeks.  I expect to go back to Ohio to help my oldest son with his child custody case.  Then I hope to be back in Hawaii if it according to God's will by mid October.

 As I study the scriptures you share with me, I am being inspirited to share them with others and write things I believe God is showing me (and maybe someone else).

 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (New Living Translation)

 (8) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. (9) We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

The apostles labored with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.

The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God.  And that mercy which has helped us out, and helped us on, hereafter, we may rely upon to help us even to the end.  The apostles had no base and wicked designs, covered with fair and specious pretenses.  They did not try to make their ministry serve a turn.  Sincerity or uprightness will keep the favorable opinion of wise and good men.  Christ by his gospel makes a glorious discovery to the minds of men.  But the design of the devil is, to keep men in ignorance; and when he cannot keep the light of the gospel of Christ out of the world, he spares no pains to keep men from the gospel, or to set them against it.  The rejection of the gospel is here traced to the willful blindness and wickedness of the human heart.  Self was not the matter or the end of the apostles' preaching; they preached Christ as Jesus, the Savior and Deliverer, who saves to the uttermost all that come to God through him.  Ministers are servants to the souls of men; they must avoid becoming servants to the hum ours or the lusts of men.  It is pleasant to behold the sun in the firmament; but it is more pleasant and profitable for the gospel to shine in the heart.  As light was the beginning of the first creation; so, in the new creation, the light of the Spirit is his first work upon the soul.  The treasure of gospel light and grace is put into earthen vessels.  The ministers of the gospel are subject to the same passions and weaknesses as other men.  God could have sent angels to make known the glorious doctrine of the gospel, or could have sent the most admired sons of men to teach the nations, but he chose humbler, weaker vessels, that his power might be more glorified in upholding them, and in the blessed change wrought by their ministry.

Psalm 27 (New Living Translation)

(1)  The LORD is my light and my salvation -- so why should I be afraid?  The LORD protects me from danger -- so why should I tremble? (2) When evil people come to destroy me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.  (3) Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will know no fear.  Even if they attack me, I remain confident.  (4) The one thing I ask of the LORD -- the thing I seek most -- is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple.  (5) For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary.  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.  (6) Then I will hold my head high, above my enemies who surround me.  At his Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.  (7) Listen to my pleading, O LORD.  Be merciful and answer me!  (8) My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me."  And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."  (9) Do not hide yourself from me.  Do not reject your servant in anger.  You have always been my helper.  Don't leave me now; don't abandon me, O God of my salvation!  (10) Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.  (11) Teach me how to live, O LORD.  Lead me along the path of honesty, for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.  (12) Do not let me fall into their hands.  For they accuse me of things I've never done and breathe out violence against me.  (13) Yet I am confident that I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.  (14) Wait patiently for the LORD.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

The psalmist's faith.

The Lord, who is the believer's light, is the strength of our life; not only by whom, but in whom we live and move.  In God let us strengthen ourselves.  The gracious presence of God, His power, His promise, His readiness to hear our prayers, the witness of His Spirit in the hearts of us, His people; these are the secret of His tabernacle, and in these the saints find cause for that holy security and peace of mind in which they dwell at ease.  The psalmist prays for constant communion with God in holy ordinances.  All God's children desire to dwell in their Father's house.  Not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man, to tarry but for a night; or to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abides not in the house for ever; but to dwell there all the days of their lives, as children with a father.  Do we hope that the praising of God will be the blessedness of our eternity?  Surely then we ought to make it the business of our time.  This He had at heart more than any thing.  Whatever we Christians are as to this life, we consider the favor and service of God as the one thing needful.  This we desire, pray for and seek after, and in it we rejoice.

Psalm 5:12 (New Living Translation)

For you bless the godly, O LORD, surrounding them with your shield of love.

God will certainly hear prayer: David gives to God the glory, and takes to himself the comfort.

God is a prayer-hearing God. Such he has always been, and he is still as ready to hear prayer as ever. The most encouraging principle of prayer, and the most powerful plea in prayer, is, to look upon him as our King and our God. David also prays to a sin-hating God. sin is folly, and sinners are the greatest of all fools; fools of their own making. Wicked people hate God; justly are they hated of him, and this will be their endless misery and ruin. Let us learn the importance of

truth and sincerity, in all the affairs of life. Liars and murderers resemble the devil, and are his children, therefore it may well be expected that God should abhor them. These were the characters of David's enemies; and such as these are still the enemies of Christ and his people.

Isaiah 62 (New Living Translation)

Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem

  (1) Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.  (2) The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name. (2) The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see--a splendid crown in the hands of God. (4) Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land.  Your new name will be the City of God's Delight and the Bride of God, for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own. (5) Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. (6) O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray.  (7) Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. (8) The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: "I will never again hand you over to your enemies.  Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine. (9) You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed."  (10) Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. (11) The LORD has sent this message to every land: "Tell the people of Israel, `Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.' " (12) They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.

As you pray God's plans and purposes come forth, and an intensive longing for HIS manifest presence in my private time with HIM, can you feel Him working through me?

I am serious about finding a soul mate that will live with me forever; no more game playing.  Are you really interested in something so unknown here in the USA.  It seems that no woman I have yet met knows what a vow or a promise is.  I pray the next woman in my life loves the Lord and is interested in me.  Maybe we could share a life serving our mighty Father helping the poor for the rest of our lives and giving Him all of the glory.

I presume you have read the web sites about me and how God is leading me at www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and some on www.boberb.com.  What would you like to know about me?  Tell me more about yourself.  What interests you about me?  Why do you write?  Tell me everything.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb

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13.

Prodigal Son and Backsliders - Luke 15:17-24

Dear Jovey and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  God seemed to keep taking me to Luke 15 and the prodigal son by way of words sent to me, words spoken by a minister on TV, then you shared the Word of God, and then I opened the Bible today at the same place.  God is telling me something today.  Maybe it will touch someone elses heart, also.

Luke 15:17-24 (New Living Translation)

(17) "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, `At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! (18) I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, (19) and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.  Please take me on as a hired man." '

   (20) "So he returned home to his father.  And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming.  Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. (21) His son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'

    (22) "But his father said to the servants, `Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him.  Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. (23) And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen.  We must celebrate with a feast, (24) for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life.  He was lost, but now he is found.'  So the party began.

The fathers great compassion for his returning son portrays Gods response to a repentant sinner.  Like the father in this story, God waits for the sinner to come to return to Him of his own volition.  Our Heavenly Father does not want for total amends or cleanup acts.  Those steps in recovery can wait.  The father in the story ran to his prodigal son, hugging and kissed him, and threw a PARTY thus relieving him of all shame and guilt.  In the same way, Gad actually seeks those of us who have strayed in our walk of faith as well as those who do not have a personal relationship with Him.

Restoration: (Step 2 We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity)

In the modern progression of addiction, life degenerates.  In one way or another, many of us wake up one day to realize that we are living like an animal.  How true this is depends on the nature of our addiction.  Some of us may be living like an animal in terms of our physical surroundings (I lived on the streets like a stray unwanted cat, or a rat, when I was homeless).  Others of us truly may be a slave to our animal passions powerful emotions that dehumanize us and others.

A young man took an early inheritance and traveled away from home.  When the money was spent, the women just a memory, and the "high" long gone, he resorted to slopping pigs to earn a meager living (from building nuclear power plants, I washed dishes for food but I got fired and didnt eat for many days).

The fact that we are able to recognize our life as degenerate or insane proves that there is hope for a better way of life.  We are reminded of times when life was good, and we long to have that goodness restored.  When we turn to God who is powerful enough to help us build something better, we will discover that His power can restore us to sanity.   

The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.

The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him.  It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God.  It is bad, and the beginning of worse, when men look upon God's gifts as debts due to them.  The great folly of sinners, and that which ruins them, is, being content in their life-time to receive their good things.  Our first parents ruined themselves and all their race, by a foolish ambition to be independent, and this is at the bottom of sinners' persisting in their sin.  We may all discern some features of our own characters in that of the prodigal son.  A sinful state is of departure and distance from God.  A sinful state is a spending state: willful sinners misemploy their thoughts and the powers of their souls, misspend their time and all their opportunities.  A sinful state is a wanting state.  Sinners want necessaries for their souls; they have neither food nor raiment for them, nor any provision for hereafter.  A sinful state is a vile, slavish state.  The business of the devil's servants is to make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, and that is no better than feeding swine.  A sinful state is a state constant discontent.  The wealth of the world and the pleasures of the senses will not even satisfy our bodies; but what are they to precious souls!  A sinful state is a state which cannot look for relief from any creature.  In vain do we cry to the world and to the flesh; they have that which will poison a soul, but have nothing to give which will feed and nourish it.  A sinful state is a state of death.  A sinner is dead in trespasses and sins, destitute of spiritual life. A sinful state is a lost state.  Souls that are separated from God, if his mercy prevent not, will soon be lost for ever.  The prodigal's wretched state, only faintly shadows forth the awful ruin of man by sin.  Yet how few are sensible of their own state and character!

Jesus gives us a party when we decide to come back to Him. He knows about THE PARTY. In one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, Luke 15, he tells three stories. Each story speaks of something lost and of something found. A lost sheep. A lost coin. And a lost son. And at the end of each one, Jesus describes a party, a celebration. The shepherd throws the party for the lost-now-found sheep. The housewife throws a party because of the lost-now-found coin. And the father throws a party in honor of his lost-now-found son.

Three parables, each with a PARTY.  Three stories, each with the appearance of the same word: happy. Regarding the shepherd who found the lost sheep. When the housewife finds her lost coin, she expresses her happiness.  And the father of the prodigal son explains to the reluctant older brother, he expressed happiness with a PARTY.

The point is clear. Jesus is happiest when the lost are found.  For him, no moment compares to the moment of salvation.

The ministry God has given you will be in my prayers.  I don't remember a Lucia.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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14.

Dear Lita and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response.  Thank you for allowing me to study the Bible more about remarriage. 

To answer your question, I conclude both partners, including the betrayed one, are allowed to remarry, especially after repentance, as stated below.

First of all, no matter what view we consider in the issue of divorce it is important to remember the words of the Bible from Malachi 2:16 (New Living Translation)

"For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat," says the LORD Almighty. "So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife."

,

As I went through the Old and New Testaments, Gods plan is that marriage be a lifetime commitment. 

Matthew 19:6 (New Living Translation)

Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together."

The New Testament gives only two reasons in which divorce is permitted: the first is in the case of abandonment of a Christian by an unbelieving spouse (1Corinthians 7:15), and the second is if one partner is involved in a lifestyle of infidelity (Matthew 5:32). Although God allows it in these circumstances, He has never been an endorser of divorce.

As we read all the circumstances in the Old Testament, we can say that divorce is morally justifiable for a number of extreme situations, including fornication, adultery, violence, dangerous levels of abuse, life-threatening neglect, long-term and malicious denial of reasonable sexual obligations, desertion by a non-believing spouse, and even permanent desertion by a believing spouse if numerous attempts at reconciliation and reunion have failed over a very long period of time.  In every such instance, the higher moral law of survival and self-defense supersedes the lower moral value that prohibits divorce.  There were over 40 scriptures I found that suggested these conditions were acceptable for divorce, but not required (forgiveness is always best).  All divorce is brought about by sin of some kind.

A person who gets a divorce for a reason other than adultery (Matt 19:9) and then gets remarried is considered an adulterer (Luke 16:18).  However, it is not a continual state of adultery, but rather only the act of getting remarried itself is adultery.  Once this couple is married, they should strive to live out their married lives in fidelity, in a God-honoring way.  A marriage is a marriage.  Yes, it is sin to get divorced (Malachi 2:16) and to get remarried unless you were the victim of an adulterous spouse (Matt 19:9).  Once remarried though, God does not view the new marriage as invalid or adulterous.  A remarried couple should devote themselves to God, and to each other and honor Him by making their new marriage a lasting one.

If both partners had a divorce for one of the "acceptable" reasons, they are free to remarry.  If not, things become less clear.  We have always believed that God is the God of the future.  While people certainly need to take responsibility for what they have done wrong and the consequences that a divorce brought against them, we have to believe that true repentance can right such a wrong before God.  It is hard to believe that people are useless to God and unacceptable to Him because of this past failure.  Further, it just does not seem consistent with what we read in the Bible about God.  However, I must emphasize that this is my opinion.  Each person must decide this for themselves based on what the Bible says.

I can continue this discussion, but I think it would become very wordy.  I hope this answers your key question.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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15.

Aloha, Adultery Its in the Bible

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus. 

As I was studying the Bible today and experiencing challenges with my sons wife who has filled for divorce, I was led to study adultery.  I have shared some time with a wonderful woman who was separated for over 5 years, not divorced.  Several women write me who are separated, not divorced.  I have had my problems with sexual impurity in the past.  I have been guilty of this act in the past and have had no intimacy now for 28 months.  Today, I see the Bible as the tool to guide my life, not society.  Society changes with the times, God never changes.  I think I need to focus on Gods Word, not peoples.  Maybe there is one person who needs to be reminded that its in the Bible.

Adultery

God's commandments forbid adultery. It's in the Bible, Exodus 20:14, NIV. "You shall not commit adultery."

To leave your spouse for another person may be legal, but it is adultery in God's eyes. It's in the Bible, Luke 16:18, NIV. "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Lust is a form of adultery. It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:27, NIV. "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

How did Jesus relate to a woman caught in the act of adultery? It's in the Bible, John 8:10-11, TLB. "Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, 'Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' No sir, she said. And Jesus said, 'Neither do I. Go and sin no more.' "

It is God's will that we should avoid sexual immorality. It's in the Bible, I Thessalonians 4:3, NIV. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality."

I do not share this to embarrass or condemn anyone, including myself (as I am guilty already).  I share this to allow the Spirit within to convict those who see things otherwise.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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16.

Dear Luam and Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God to me and others again.  The words you share sometimes comes right at the right time.  As I was meditating on the words, I felt a need to share my thoughts about those scriptures.

 Romans 8:28-30 (New Living Translation)

 (28) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (29) For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. (30) And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.

 (Some manuscripts read And we know that everything works together)

 The Spirit carries out God's plans.  The Spirit is active not only via our unconscious or semi-conscious mind but throughout the whole range of our life's experiences.  He is cooperating with us in all things to bring about a good end.  The theme of the section suggests that the Spirit is the implicit subject.  Those who love Him is an old testament _expression for God's followers who throw themselves wholeheartedly into His service and identify themselves with His aims.  The spirit cooperates with us because we have been summoned by God and assigned a role in His redemptive purposes.  God's eternal plan was to create for Himself a family modeled upon His unique Son.  Before the world began He intended this destiny for those whom He had made the objects of His personal care and concern.  The Spirit is responsible for the gradual moral transformation which we are now undergoing on earth.  All the steps in God's purposes that are now accomplished have been leading up to the end expressed in these verses.  Having decided long ago whom He would appoint for this destiny, He summoned us, made us right with Himself and illuminated us with His glory.

 His Holy Spirit has already shown me new ways to behave that I never considered in the past, such as doing this and starting the homeless ministry (and much more).  I am sure many of you have also experienced significant changes in your behavior becuase you have chosen to follow God and do what Jesus might do.  When we look at our own lives applying these scriptures, everything becomes clearer.  We are really brothers and sisters of Christ and of each other, because of that Spirit that we allow to possess us.

Our assistance from the Spirit in prayer.

Though the infirmities of us Christians are many and great, so that we would be overpowered if left to ourselves, yet the Holy Spirit supports us.  The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements.  The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter. The Spirit who searches our hearts, can perceive our mind and will of the spirit, the renewed mind, and advocates his cause. The Spirit makes intercession to God, and the enemy does not prevail.

 God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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17.

Encouragement - John 14 and more

Dear Jovey and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing Gods Word about encouragement.  I think I really needed these scriptures, so I thought someone else might want to consider them also.

John 14:27 (New Living Translation)

"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."

Many of us are dealing with stress and anxiety, grief and loss; we long for peace of mind and heart (and relief of the anger I expressed in the previous commentary).  So did the early disciples they were about to lose their best friend and their Messiah.  Their souls were indeed troubled, like many of us recovering from the loss of a job, a spouse, or children, or from a chemical addiction.  They were looking for something to fill the void.  Yet Jesus said He was leaving them with wholesome, fulfilling peace shalom unlike worldly peace, which is merely an absence of conflict.  God can bring us peace even in the midst of our troubles.

He further comforts his disciples.

Christ promises that he would continue his care of his disciples.  I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection.  I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace.  I will come certainly at the end of time.  Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence.  These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that we should know it, and have the comfort of it.  Having Christ's commands, we must keep them.  And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives.  The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ.  There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers.  Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience.  Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but He will take pleasure in loving us, will rest in love to us.  He will be with us as his home.  These privileges are confined to those whose faith work by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments.  Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit's new-creating grace.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (New Living Translation)

(8) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. (9) We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

The apostles labored with much diligence, sincerity, and faithfulness.

The best of men would faint, if they did not receive mercy from God.  And that mercy which has helped us out, and helped us on, hearafter, we may rely upon to help us even to the end.  The apostles had no base and wicked designs, covered with fair and specious pretences.  They did not try to make their ministry serve a turn.  Sincerity or uprightness will keep the favorable opinion of wise and good men.  Christ by His gospel makes a glorious discovery to the minds of men.  But the design of the devil is, to keep men in ignorance; and when he cannot keep the light of the gospel of Christ out of the world, he spares no pains to keep men from the gospel, or to set them against it.  The rejection of the gospel is here traced to the willful blindness and wickedness of the human heart.  Self was not the matter or the end of the apostles' preaching; they preached Christ as Jesus, the Savior and Deliverer, who saves to the uttermost all that come to God through him.  Ministers are servants to the souls of men; they must avoid becoming servants to the humors or the lusts of men.  It is pleasant to behold the sun in the firmament; but it is more pleasant and profitable for the gospel to shine in the heart.  As light was the beginning of the first creation; so, in the new creation, the light of the Spirit is his first work upon the soul.  The treasure of gospel light and grace is put into earthen vessels.  The ministers of the gospel are subject to the same passions and weaknesses as other men.  God could have sent angels to make known the glorious doctrine of the gospel, or could have sent the most admired sons of men to teach the nations, but he chose humbler, weaker vessels, that his power might be more glorified in upholding them, and in the blessed change wrought by their ministry.

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Their assistance from the Spirit in prayer.

Though the infirmities of Christians are many and great, so that they would be overpowered if left to themselves, yet the Holy Spirit supports them.  The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements.  The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter.  The Spirit who searches the hearts, can perceive the mind and will of the spirit, the renewed mind, and advocates his cause.  The Spirit makes intercession to God, and the enemy prevails not.

Matthew 6:34 (New Living Translation)

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Living one day at a time is a disciplinewe all have to focus on when we are in recovery or dealing with significant life changing experiences.  It is easy to slip back into worrying about tomorrow, dwelling on the "what ifs" and the "if onlys."  Each day brings a host of things we cannot change; there will always be circumstances beyond our control.  We must also face the reality of who we are human beings confined within the slice of life we call today.  It is tempting to deny the present, but escaping reality is part of the insanity of our addictive way of life.

In addition to these words that Jesus said, Jeremiah said,"The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!  By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day" (Laminations 3:22-23).  Since Gods grace comes in daily doses, thats the best way to face life.

We need to ask ourself at every turn in life, Am I accepting this present moment, or am I pretending trying to escape into the past or the future?  Each day there is something to find joy in, and there is strength promised for the troubles of that day.  The palmist wrote, "This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24).  We, too, can choose to find joy, strength, and sanity (or as a previous commentary, love, joy and peace).

Evil of being worldly-minded.

Worldly-mindedness is a common and fatal symptom of hypocrisy, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a profession of religion.  Something the soul will have, which it looks upon as the best thing; in which it has pleasure and confidence above other things.  Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them.  There are treasures in heaven. It is our wisdom to give all diligence to make our title to eternal life sure through Jesus Christ, and to look on all things here below, as not worthy to be compared with it, and to be content with nothing short of it.  It is happiness above and beyond the changes and chances of time, an inheritance incorruptible.  The worldly man is wrong in his first principle; therefore all his reasonings, and actions taken because of that reasoning, must be wrong. It is equally to be applied to false religion; that which is deemed light is thick darkness.  This is an awful, but a common case; we should therefore carefully examine our leading principles by the word of God, with earnest prayer for the teaching of his Spirit.  A man may do some service to two masters, but he can devote himself to the service of no more than one.  God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world.  When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both.  He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world.

Trust in God commended.

There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life.  This often insnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich.  But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far.  Take no thought for your life.  Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand.  Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases.  Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them.  Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come.  Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for tomorrow, or the events of it.  God has given us life, and has given us the body.  And what can He not do for us, who did that?  If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less.  Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God.  We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature.  We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them.  Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world . Seek first the kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world.  The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us.  Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal.  Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.

I could share many more words about these words of encouragement, but I may consider those in the future.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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18.

Aloha, Gods anger Romans 18-25

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I am studying the Bible, God led me to study His Word about how we may be valuing the stuff of the world - money, cars, clothes, image, cigarettes, etc., etc. not time with God.

This is very personal to me because I am seeing my sons wife commit adultery and refuses to see that it is wrong.  She admits she is not a housewife, by her constant screaming at her children her behavior shows she is not a good mother, by her actions to file for a divorce shows she is not a good wife, her refusal to pay her bills shows she accepts no responsibilities, and her focus is all about herself.  She is so vain and self-centered she has no respect for what the Bible says.  She treats me worse than crap, so she doesnt believe that she needs to respect the grandfather of her children and doesnt believe in honoring anyone, especially parents and grandparents.  She needs a lot of prayers because mine alone are showing no evidence of change yet.  So I guess this message really touches my heart.  I hope it might also help someone else.

Romans 1:18-25 (New Living Translation)

Gods Anger at Sin

  "(18) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. (19) For the truth about God is known to them instinctively.  God has put this knowledge in their hearts. (20) From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

(21)Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. (23) And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes.

(24) So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. (25) Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen."

When we refuse to admit our powerlessness and hold on to our self-sufficiency, we follow the downward path that Paul describes here.  First, we exchange worship of God for worship of things our addiction or compulsion or money or power or sex or what the world tells us that is "cool" today.  Second, we exchange our worship of the living God for a willful form of sin.  Third, we move beyond these forms of sin to deep denial we believe lies and reject truth.  This passage describes lives that have become totally unmanageable, the natural consequence of refusing to acknowledge God.  The only way to escape such destruction is to recognize our powerlessness and turn our life over to God.

In examining the central issue in each of the first several commandments, we find that the first concerns what we worship. Worship is the devoted service we give to what we regards most highly. As these verses show, we can give devoted service to created things as well as the Creator.  Additionally, the tenth commandment says covetousness is idolatry too (Colossians 3:5), clearly amplifying that we can give our devotion to things other than the true God.

How good can it be to exchange the truth for the lie?  In this context "the lie" is that one can profitably worship someone or something other than the true God.  Worshipping things other than the Creator turns the thrust and direction of our lives off the true path of God's purpose.  Though those objects may be otherwise harmless in themselves, it is sin to give them the devotion that rightly belongs to the Creator.

John 4:24 proclaims, "For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."  The worship of God involves the totality of our life, and therefore it cannot be confined to a particular location or a mere hour or two on a given day. Our worship must be guided, motivated, and empowered by His Spirit. Further, it cannot merely be sincere, but it must also be true. Attitude is extremely important, but it alone does not replace truth.

The failure of the world

Gods salvation is enhanced by first erecting a dark backcloth of human failure and then setting against it the splendor of divine grace.  Paul proves why at the day of judgment Gods wrath must fall upon the world of Jews and gentiles before He presents the alternative of faith-righteousness in Christ

Paul is first speaking of mankind in general, but as he goes on he has gentiles specifically in view.  He weighs up the Hellenistic society of his day (just as our day) and finds it wanting.  Everywhere is chaos.  Animals have become gods, man has become woman, wrong has become right.  Nature without the true God has become unnatural.  The Creator has been rejected and creation is in chaos; for the apostle these two facts are cause and effect.

The absence of truth is not Gods fault: it has been deliberately suppressed.  There is no possible defence for the non-Jew.  God has shown enough of Himself in the natural world for men to be unable to plead ignorance.  The natural world is a window through which God has shown part of Himself to man, through which thinking man may "see" His unseen power and divineness.

The rest of the chapter is made up of three parallel sections grouped round the phrase God gave them over orGod let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired,  which is solemnly hammered out.  Because they did not glorify Him, their fate was the sexual degrading of their bodies.  Rejecting the evidence before them, men substituted irrational ideas about God for a right use of reason.  Paul is echoing other words in the Bible (Jerimiah 2:5, "This is what the Lord says: What sin did your ancestors find in me that led them to stray so far?  They worshipped foolish idols, only to become foolish themselves.", and 10:14, "Compared too Him, all people are foolish and have no knowledge at all!  They make idols, but the idols will disgrace their makers, for they ar frauds.  They have no life or power in them") where futile and fools are applied to idolaters.  They degraded God to the level of created things.  Psalms 106:20, "They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating ox!" (or money and cars in todays world) must be in the apostles mind.  The gentile world did not consider His words (Psalms 106:7, "Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lords miracles," and 106:13, "Yet how quickly they  forgot what He had done!  They wouldnt wait for His counsel!")

God gave over the gentiles to their fate.  Wrong behavior Qa nor merely the consequence of wrong worship, but a divine chastisement for it, although it was not the full punishment for their sin, the final separation from God which is death or Gods wrath at the judgment day.  God made them harvest the crops they themselves had sown.  Because they exchanged the real God for false gods, by way for temporary punishment they exchanged natural sexual intercourse for homosexuality and promiscuity. 

The gospel way of justification by faith, for Jews and Gentiles.

In these verses the apostle opens the design of the whole epistle, in which he brings forward a charge of sinfulness against all flesh; declares the only method of deliverance from condemnation, by faith in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ; and then builds upon it purity of heart, grateful obedience, and earnest desires to improve in all those Christian graces and tempers, which nothing but a lively faith in Christ can bring forth.  God is a just and holy God, and we are guilty sinners. It is necessary that we have a righteousness to appear in before him: there is such a righteousness brought in by the Messiah, and made known in the gospel; a gracious method of acceptance, notwithstanding the guilt of our sins.  It is the righteousness of Christ, who is God, coming from a satisfaction of infinite value. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of Christian life.  It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works kept us in it; but it is all along from faith to faith; it is faith pressing forward, and gaining the victory over unbelief.

As I complete these words, another verse is one we can easily remember:

Psalm 106:3 (NLT)

"Happy are those who deal justly with others and always do what is right"

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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19.

Dear Moni and Others Who May Be Interested in Marriage,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response.  Thank you for sharing some humility.

As you shared your problems in your marriage, I was inspired to research it more.  You may consider sharing the Word of God and comments on them as being impersonal, but all I can say is I am not feeling impersonal as I spend my time to study, meditate, and write these words thinking specifically of your challenges.  As you two are sharing somewhat of a separated life, maybe your husband ought to know this, too.

Marriage

What does the Bible teach about marriage?  Marriage is a permanent, committed partnership between a man and a woman.  It's in the Bible, Matthew 19:5-6, TLB. "And that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become oneno longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together."

How should husbands relate to their wives?  It's in the Bible, Ephesians 5:25-28, TLB. "And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the church when He died for herThat is how husbands should treat their wives, loving them as parts of themselves. For since a man and his wife are now one, a man is really doing himself a favor and loving himself when he loves his wife!"

Husbands should honor their wives.  It's in the Bible, I Peter 3:7, TLB. "You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God's blessings, and if you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers."

How should the wife relate to her husband?  It's in the Bible, Ephesians 5:22-24, TLB. "You wives must submit to your husbands' leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of His body the church. (He gave His very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the church obeys Christ."

Does that mean the wife must do all the "give and take"? No! Marriage requires submission by both partners.  It's in the Bible, Ephesians 5:21, NIV. "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

What counsel forbids physical or verbal spouse abuse?  It's in the Bible, Colossians 3:19, NIV. "Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."

For a successful marriage, determine to settle misunderstanding at once. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:26, TLB. "If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the sun go down with you still angryget over it quickly."

Keep the relationship growing in unity and understanding.  It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:2-3, TLB. "Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit, and so be at peace with one another."

How should society view marriage?  It's in the Bible, Hebrews 13:4, NIV. "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."

By what commandments has God guarded marriage?  The seventh and the tenth.  It's in the Bible, Exodus 20:14, 17, NIV. "You shall not commit adultery." and "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife."

What is the only acceptable reason that Jesus gave for ending a marriage?  It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:32, NIV. "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and anyone who marries a woman so divorced commits adultery."

For how long is marriage intended to last? It's in the Bible, Romans 7:2, NIV. "By law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage."

What instruction is given about who to marry? It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 6:14, RSV. "Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"

Romance and the gift of sexuality are blessed by God when exercised within the bonds of marriage. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 5:18-19, TLB. "Let your manhood be a blessing; rejoice in the wife of your youth. Let her charms and tender embrace satisfy you. Let her love alone fill you with delight."

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com
 

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20.

Dear Hannah and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response.  Thank you for your words of encouragement.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God to me. 

I respond to what these passages mean to me, with the hope that there might be someone who I send this to needs it also.  One lady said that these messages are too "impersonal."  I dont know what that means to her, but these Words and the comments I write are very personal to me, from my perception.  I spend a lot of time studying, meditating, and writing these emails using my personal time that God has given me.  I hope they touch someones heart in a personal way.

Work for God - Ecc.2:26, Prov.10:22, Prov.3:33

expand God's work to the lost souls.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 (New Living Translation)

God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. Even this, however, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.

The alternative to neurotic commitment to work is the enjoyment of life as Gods good gift.  This includes enjoying our work, while not allowing I to become the key to meaning in our life.  This is the first of the Teachers admonitions to take life less serosly and enjoy it more.  Life is too short to waste on the treadmill of ever increasing professional accomplishments.  In the larger scheme of things, our accomplishments iwill not last.  We need to take the tie to enjoy the gifts that God gives us.

The alternative:

Proverbs 10:22 (New Living Translation)

The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

That wealth which is truly desirable, has no vexation of spirit in the enjoyment; no grief for the loss; no guilt by the abuse of it.  What comes from the love of God, has the grace of God for its companion.

Proverbs 3:33 (New Living Translation)   

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but his blessing is on the home of the upright.

The wicked and the upright.

Our business is to observe the precepts of Christ, and to copy His example; to do justice, to love mercy, and to beware of covetousness; to be ready for every good work, avoiding needless strife, and bearing evils, if possible, rather than seeking redress by law.  It will be found there is little got by striving.  Let us not envy prosperous oppressors; far be it from the disciples of Christ to choose any of their ways.  These truths may be despised by the covetous and luxurious, but everlasting contempt will be the portion of such scorners, while Divine favor is shown to the humble believer.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com
 

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21.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I am putting time aside studying the Word of God, He somehow led me to the seed sower story to remind me to keep on the foundation of good soil and not to slip back into the thorny ground by focusing on the pleasures of this life.  I pray these words might touch the heart of at least one individual today or someone you know.

Story of the Farmer Scattering Seed

Luke 8:14-15 (New Living Translation)

(14) The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. (15) But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people who hear God's message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest.

This story about the farmer and the soils emphasizes accountability and discipleship in our relationship with  God.  The attitudes and condition of our heart matters more than our outward profession of faith.  The pressures that draw us back into addiction are well known to those of us in recovery.  We face continual temptation to give in to our destructive habit, so we must be consistent and watchful in the recovery process.  Taking regular moral inventory helps us avoid the problems that tend to creep into our life through the back door.  As we keep our heart focused on God, He will give us a new lease on life.

Growth requires an honest and noble heart. We deceive ourselves through rationalizations and justifications, allowing our appetites to overwhelm what we know is true. Sin engulfs the mind with a cloud of alibis and cover-ups to hide from ourselves the wrongness of what we do.  Sin promotes twisting and distorting of truth.  We reason, "This isn't so bad"; "I'll do it just one more time"; "I'm too weak.  God will just have to take me as I am"; "God will just have to do it for me."  We have all reasoned ourselves into transgressing.

Have we been deceived into thinking of sin only in the sense of breaking one of the Ten Commandments?  While sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4), its biblical usage is much broader.  When we fail to think of sin in its broader sense, we stumble into a trap.  It is far better to think of sin as falling short of the glory of God.  The central concept of sin is failurefailure to live up to a standard, God Himself.  The glory of God includes His attitudes, intents, and His very thinking processes, all of which produce the way He lives.  For us to fall short in any of these areas is missing the marksin.

We are deceived, lured into actually transgressing, through neglect, carelessness, laziness, irresponsibility, ignorance, bull-headiness, fear, shortsightedness, and ingratitude for forgiveness and the awesome potential that God has freely and graciously handed to us on a golden platter of grace.  We are detoured from progress to holiness and are enticed into sin by failing to see God and by not considering seriously the subtle influences on the fringes of actual transgression of the law. At the foundation of both spiritual and physical health is how we think and what we think about.

James 1:13-16 confirms this:

(13) And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. (14) Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. (15) These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. (16) So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

The way to stop sin, as well as to improve health, is to change our thinking. Between what God does and what we should do, we can do it.  This is real conversion!

The parable of the sower.

There are many very needful and excellent rules and cautions for hearing the word, in the parable of the sower, and the application of it.  Happy are we, and for ever indebted to free grace, if the same thing that is a parable to others, with which they are only amused, is a plain truth to us, by which we are taught and governed.  We ought to take heed of the things that will hinder our profiting by the word we hear; to take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly, lest we entertain prejudices against the word we hear; and to take heed to our spirits after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained.  The gifts we have, will be continued to us or not, as we use them for the glory of God, and the good of our brothers and sisters.  Nor is it enough not to hold the truth in unrighteousness; we should desire to hold forth the word of life, and to shine, giving light to all around.  Great encouragement is given to those who prove themselves faithful hearers of the word, by being doers of the work. Christ owns them as his relations.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com

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22.

Dear Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As one person reminded me in an email response to me, I need to get rid of the past and put on the new; it led me to study Ephesians 4:20 - 32 today.

 Ephesians 4:20-32 (New Living Translation)

 (20) But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. (21) Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, (22) throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. (23) Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. (24) You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness--righteous, holy, and true.

    (25) So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth" because we belong to each other. (26) And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you."  Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, (27) for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.

    (28) If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. (29) Don't use foul or abusive language.  Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

    (30) And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

    (32) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. (32) Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

A life of recovery is committed to knowing God better through prayer and meditation on His Word.  In examining our life, we realize just how demanding god's standards for righteous living are but since it is God's grace that helps us conform to His will, we need not despair.  As we obey Him, He will teach us to live without bitterness, anger, or harsh words.  God is in the business of healing our relationships.  When we do tings His way, we are well on the way to reconciling with our alienated friends and building solid foundations for recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences. 

We have grown up up believing lies about life, about our self, about our family.  We may still experience confusion and uncertainty because we don't have strong sense of what is really true.  The lies we believe can contribute to our addictive ways, so we need to reexamine our life in the light of what is true. 

The apostle Paul talked about how the people who believe in Christ were to function like a single body.  Each member is to be mature and full grown in the Lord, offering the gifts he or she has to help the whole body mature.  Since Jesus described himself as "the truth" (John 14:6) and we are to be filled with Him, the recovery process involves becoming "truth-filled." 

Recovery can be like growing up all over again.  As we grew, we are to continue to aim for what is true.  In the past we measured truth against whatever sounded right to us at the time.  Now we can have the sure measurement of God's Word and Jesus Christ Himself.  From this perspective we can reevaluate our beliefs.  What is true about God?  What is true about me?  What is right?  What is wrong?

To a due use of spiritual gifts and graces.

Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help.  All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one.  He received for them, that he might give to us, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings trust and obedience.  There is a fullness in Christ, and a measure of that fullness given in the counsel of God to every believer; but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven.  God's children are growing, as long as we are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ.  The more a man finds himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. 

To purity and holiness.

The apostle Paul charged the Ephesians in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus, that having professed the gospel, we should not be as the unconverted Gentiles, who walked in vain fancies and carnal affections.  Do not men, on every side, walk in the vanity of their minds?  Must not we then urge the distinction between real and nominal Christians?  At one time, we were void of all saving knowledge; we sat in darkness, and loved it rather than light.  We may have had a dislike and hatred to a life of holiness, which is not only the way of life God requires and approves, and by which we live to him, but which has some likeness to God himself in his purity, righteousness, truth, and goodness.  The truth of Christ appears in its beauty and power, when it appears as in Jesus.  The corrupt nature is called a man; like the human body, it is of divers parts, supporting and strengthening one another.  Sinful desires are deceitful lusts; they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable; and bring them to destruction, if not subdued and mortified.  These therefore must be put off, as an old garment, a filthy garment; they must be subdued and mortified.  But it is not enough to shake off corrupt principles; we must have gracious ones.  By the new man, is meant the new nature, the new creature, directed by a new principle, even regenerating grace, enabling a man to lead a new life of righteousness and holiness.  This is created, or brought forth by God's almighty power.

And to take heed of the sins practiced before we knew Christ.

Notice the particulars wherewith we should adorn our Christian profession.  Take heed of every thing contrary to truth.  No longer flatter or deceive others.  God's people are children who will not lie, who dare not lie, who hate and abhor lying.  Take heed of anger and ungoverned passions.  If there is just occasion to express displeasure at what is wrong, and to reprove, see that it be without sin.  We give place to the devil, when the first motions of sin are not grievous to our souls; when we consent to them; and when we repeat an evil deed.  This teaches that as sin, if yielded unto, lets in the devil upon us, we are to resist it, keeping from all appearance of evil.  Idleness makes thieves.  Those who will not work, expose themselves to temptations to steal.  Men ought to be industrious, that they may do some good, and that they may be kept from temptation.  They must labor, not only that they may live honestly, but that they may have to give to the wants of others. What then must we think of those called Christians, who grow rich by fraud, oppression, and deceitful practices!  Alms, to be accepted of God, must not be gained by unrighteousness and robbery, but by honesty and industry.  God hates robbery for burnt-offerings.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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23.

Possibly John Glenn's finest moment~~

   Regardless of your political views, this certainly
   gives us all food for thought. Sen.
   Glenn was so quick on his feet. When you speak
   from the heart and with passion, you never know what
   comes out.

   -------SENATOR JOHN GLENN SAID:
   Things that make you think a little.......

   1. There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq
   during the month of January.....In the fair city of
   Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of
   January. That's just one American City , about as
   deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq

   2. When some claim President Bush shouldn't have
   started this war, state the following .

   FDR...led us into World War II. Germany never
   attacked us: Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000
   lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.

   Truman...finished that war and started one in
   Korea , North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953,
   55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per year.

   John F. Kennedy....started the Vietnam conflict in
   1962. Vietnam never attacked us. Johnson...turned
   Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000
   lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.

   Clinton...went to war in Bosnia without UN or
   French consent, Bosnia never attacked us. He was
   offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three
   times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked
   us on multiple occasions.

   3. In the two years since terrorists attacked us
   President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed
   the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear
   inspectors in Libya , Iran and North Korea without
   firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who
   slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

   The Democrats are complaining about how long the war
   is taking, but...It took less time to take Iraq
   than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian
   compound. That was a 51-day operation.

   We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons
   in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton
   to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

   It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick killing a woman.
   Wait, there's more......................

   Some people still don't understand why military
   personnel do what they do for a living. This
   exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator
   Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a
   pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a
   good example of one man's explanation of why men and
   women in the armed services do what they do for a
   living. This is a typical, though sad, example of
   what some who have never served think of our military.

   JOHN GLENN ON THE SENATE FLOOR Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13

   Senator Howard Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: "How can you
   run for Senate when you've never held a real job?"

   Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States
   Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions.
   My plane was hit by antiaircraft fire on 12 different occasions.
   I was in the space program.

   It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line.
   It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take
   the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with
   me ... as I went the other day... to a veteran's hospital
   and look those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye,
   and tell THEM they didn't hold a job! You go with me to
   the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the

   widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger

   Chaffee... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that

   their Dads didn't hold a job.

   You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington
   National Cemetery , where I have more friends buried than I'd
   like to remember, and you watch those waving flags.

   You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you
   tell ME that those people didn't have a job? I'll tell you,
   Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on your knees every day of
   your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN -
   who held REAL jobs. And they required a dedication to a
   purpose - and a love of country and a dedication to duty
   that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice
   is what made this country possible.

   I HAVE held a job, Howard! What about you?"

   For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard 

   Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party

   in the USA

   If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If you are reading
   it in English thank a Veteran.

   I was in the Army from 1966 to 1972.  Somehow, nobody cared when I was homeless in 2002 or even now when I still have no residence.  No body would hire me for a job.  No body would give me food.  No body showed any respect for me.  So, as Howard must think, what we did in the past doesn't make any difference any more. 

God bless you and your family.  I care.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com   

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24.

Dear Everyone I Know,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  I am studying God's Word today, and thinking about all of the blessings I have and felt it important to share my joy with someone special.   As I previously studied, and shared, the nine virtues Paul writes to the churches in the Galatians (Turkey), I was led to the virtues he shared to the Roman gentiles.   Again the focus is on hope (love), happy (joy), and peace.

 Romans 15:8-14 (New Living Translation)

(8) Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. (9) And he came so the Gentiles might also give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:

    "I will praise you among the Gentiles;
       I will sing praises to your name."

    (10) And in another place it is written,

    "Rejoice, O you Gentiles,
       along with his people, the Jews."

    (11) And yet again,

    "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
       praise him, all you people of the earth."

    (12) And the prophet Isaiah said,

    "The heir to David's throne will come,
       and he will rule over the Gentiles.
       They will place their hopes on him."
    (13) So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit

Pauls Reason for Writing

14) I am fully convinced, dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well that you are able to teach others all about them.

Paul puts his appeal for unity on a broader basis.  Underlying much of the friction in the early churches must have been the presence of both Jews and gentiles together.  The Jewish Christian would have to fight hard against the temptation of religious snobbery.  The gentile Christians would tend to regard the Jew and his traditions as a hangover from the obsolete past.  Over against those natural reactions Paul again makes Christ's example the Christian criterion.  To spurn a fellow Christian is to be out of step with Christ, who has accepted him as well as oneself.  The gentile in the church who looks down upon the Jew as a back member must remember that Christ Himself submitted to becoming a Jew and received the Jewish heritage of the Messianic promises.  The Jew in the church who despises has gentile fellow believer as an interloper and a second-rate Christian must remember that Christ came also for the very purpose of bringing gentiles into the church.  In both these purposes God was showing His truth in making His word come true.  Lest doubts linger in the Jews mind, Paul reminds him that the admission of the gentiles is in line with his own traditions and was envisaged in the Old Testament, the source book of God's plans.  Psalm 18:49 is taken as the words of the pre-incarnate Christ to His Father, promising that He will lead gentiles' praises to God.  The invitation of Deuteronomy 32:43 and of Psalms 117:1 and the Messianic promise of Isaiah 11:10 all look forward to the gentiles' participation in the worship of the church and in processing the Christian hope as validly as Jewish Christians.  Behind this hope is the God who inspires it equally in Jew and gentile.  Paul's prayer is for right perspectives.  May spiritual qualities be exalted in the Christian community in place of discord over material and human matters.  If hope, joy, peace, a continual attitude of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit fill the vision of God's people and direct their judgment, then their proper place and be viewed aright.    

All to receive one another as brothers and sisters.

Christ fulfilled the prophecies and promises relating to the Jews, and the Gentile converts could have no excuse for despising them.  The Gentiles, being brought into the church, are companions in patience and tribulation.  They should praise God.  Calling upon all the nations to praise the Lord, shows that they shall have knowledge of Him.  We shall never seek to Christ till we trust in Him.  And the whole plan of redemption is suited to reconcile us to one another, as well as to our gracious God, so that an abiding hope of eternal life, through the sanctifying and comforting power of the Holy Spirit, may be attained.  Our own power will never reach this; therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory.  All joy and peace; all sorts of true joy and peace, so as to suppress doubts and fears, through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

This verse provides a clear sense of an active, even aggressive, goodness.  Paul links goodness with full knowledge and admonition of each other.  This gives us insight into what he knew of and expected from Christians in Rome, placing before us a target to shoot for in our relationships within the fellowship of the church.

But Paul lists goodness first, as though it is either the foundation for the other two virtues or at least their necessary precursor. I Corinthians 8:1 says, "Knowledge puffs up." Knowledge combined with vanity can spew a torrent of self-righteous offense, but goodness will hold such a display in check and guide knowledge to build up rather than destroy.

Biblical goodness is always, under every circumstance, beneficial. Though he had not yet been to Rome at the writing of his epistle, Paul evidently understood that he was writing to an unusually strong congregation.  He was so confident that they had a strong and sincere desire to do the right thing that he wrote that they were "full of goodness [and] filled with all knowledge." (KJV)

This is quite a compliment, serving to reinforce what he writes in Romans 1:8:"Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world"! They were far different from the recipients of Hebrews, whom he tells, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God" (Hebrews 5:12).

The Romans' full knowledge was an intelligent and comprehensive understanding of the faith and Christian responsibility. Strong faith is not built on weak understanding.  They had given honest, serious thought to applying their faith to the sometimes bewildering tangle of life in this world. They were living it.

These two qualitiesgoodness and knowledge combinedpresents a sound vehicle for instructing each other on the best ways to "walk the walk" despite the pulls of this world.  Goodness provides the right disposition and motivation, and knowledge, the correct instruction. One devoid of the necessary knowledge cannot teach; anyone destitute of goodness will not even try because he lacks the impulse to help others in the right spirit.  Even if he makes the effort, only a spirit marked by active love will win the response without which no true education in God's way is possible.

The word translated "admonish" in verse 14 is rendered "advice," "counsel," and "instruct" in other translations. In I Thessalonians 5:14, the same word is translated "warn," indicating that it is more than mere instruction. The English word that comes closest to expressing the sense best is "inculcate." Inculcate means "to impress upon the mind by frequent repetition or persistent urging" (Webster's New World Dictionary).  Among its synonyms are such strong words as "indoctrinate," "brainwash," "admonish repeatedly," and even "hammer"! 

This goodness does whatever loving wisdom calls for in a given situation.  However, this in no way means that one should deliver the admonishment, counsel, or even rebuke with meanness of spirit.  In other words, one with goodness does not viciously "chew somebody out."  Numerous Scriptures counsel us to be gentle and tender with each other.  Paul is himself a model of tact and diplomacy in dealing with difficult circumstances within congregations and between himself and a person or congregation.

God bless you all and your families.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.boberb.com and www.waikikibeachoutreach.com

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25.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I am studying God's Word today, God seems to suggest that someone out there needs to be reminded that as long as we avoid anything that does not represent love, joy and peace, we will be okay.  If those nine virtues are not present in the moment, move away from anything not allowing us to experience joy.

Galatians 5:22-26 (New Living Translation)

(22) But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. (24) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (25) If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. (26) Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.

These qualities are produced by the Holy Spirit's work in a life submitted to God.  Just as a tree bears fruit by means of God's silent work in nature, we experience these fruits of the Spirit by means of God's power alone.  Our part is to entrust our life to Him.  When the Holy Spirit begins to bear these fruits in our life, our dependency loses its power.  With joy and peace we overcome the pain of our broken past.  With love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness we restore our relationships and make amends.  With patience we persevere through the difficult times.  With self-control we stand against our tendency to relapse.  God's Spirit can supply everything necessary for a successful recovery when dealing with significant life changing experiences.

And to walk in the Spirit, and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh: the works of both are described.

If it be our care to act under the guidance and power of the blessed Spirit, though we may not be freed from the stirrings and oppositions of the corrupt nature which remains in us, it shall not have dominion over us.  Believers are engaged in a conflict, in which they earnestly desire that grace may obtain full and speedy victory.  And those of us who desire thus to give ourselves up to be led by the Holy Spirit, are not under the law as a covenant of works, nor exposed to its awful curse.

Our hatred of sin, and desires after holiness, show that we have a part in the salvation of the gospel.  The works of the flesh are many and manifest.  And these sins will shut men out of heaven.  Yet what numbers, calling themselves Christians, live in these, and say they hope for heaven!  The fruits of the Spirit, or of the renewed nature, which we are to do, are named.  And as the apostle had chiefly named works of the flesh, not only hurtful to men themselves, but tending to make them so to one another, so here he chiefly notices the fruits of the Spirit, which tend to make Christians agreeable one to another, as well as to make them happy. The fruits of the Spirit plainly show, that such are led by the Spirit.  By describing the works of the flesh and fruits of the Spirit, we are told what to avoid and oppose, and what we are to cherish and cultivate; and this is the sincere care and endeavor of all real Christians.  Sin does not now reign in their mortal bodies, so that they obey it (Romans 6:12), for they seek to destroy it.  Christ never will own those who yield themselves up to be the servants of sin.  And it is not enough that we cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well.  Our conversation will always be answerable to the principle which guides and governs us (Romans 8:5).  We must set ourselves in earnest to mortify the deeds of the body, and to walk in newness of life.  Not being desirous of vain-glory, or unduly wishing for the esteem and applause of men, not provoking or envying one another, but seeking to bring forth more abundantly those good fruits, which are, through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God.

As this weekend proceeds to celebrate our independence, may we celebrate our dependence on God and the virtues He is supplying us.  God bless you and your family. 

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com, www.boberb.com, http://search.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html

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26.

Dear Moni and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your messages.  Thank you for sharing your life with me.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God.  As I was reading the passages you shared from Pastor Kennith Copeland, Proverbs 4, God seemed to lead me to share how it works in my life.

Proverbs 4:7-9 (New Living Translation)

(7) "Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do!  And whatever else you do, get good judgment. (8) If you prize wisdom, she will exalt you. Embrace her and she will honor you. (9) She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown."

Though it cost all we have, get understanding.  Get it translates the verb usually given as 'buy.'  This getting is costly business and requires not academic ability, but a willingness to make an effort to learn and do what is right.  How much we spend in practicing and studying His Word is in direct proportion to what we really value.

Unreasonable Commitment to the study of wisdom.

We must look upon our teachers as our fathers: though instruction carry in it reproof and correction, bid it welcome.  Solomon's parents loved him, therefore taught him.  Wise and godly men, in every age of the world, and rank in society, agree that true wisdom consists in obedience, and is united to happiness.  Get wisdom, take pains for it.  Get the rule over thy corruptions; take more pains to get this than the wealth of this world. An interest in Christ's salvation is necessary.  This wisdom is the one thing needful. A soul without true wisdom and grace is a dead soul.  How poor, contemptible, and wretched are those, who, with all their wealth and power, die without getting understanding, without Christ, without hope, and without God!  Let us give heed to the sayings of Him who has the words of eternal life. Thus our path will be plain before us: by taking, and keeping fast hold of instruction, we shall avoid being straitened or stumbling.

As Kennith Copeland sees it, If we really want to get the wisdom of God, we'll have to do more than casually read the Scriptures a few minutes a day. We'll have to feed on them night and day. We'll have to get rid of the rubbish we've been feeding into our consciousness by reprogramming our mind with the Word of God. 

It may seem unreasonable, but consider this: A music major in college practices for hours every day. Olympic skaters spend six to eight hours a day training for their routines. They do it because they're unreasonably committed to their goals.

The same is true for us. If we're going to achieve the kind of spiritual excellence we're hungry for, we're going to have to be unreasonably committed to the Word of God.

You we God's front-line assault force. We have an enemy who is doing his dead level best to destroy us. In this crucial, all-out, no-holds-barred offensive, Satan will dispatch hell's choicest personnel to bring us down. If we're going to make it through in victory, we're going to have to put ourselves in training.

Be unreasonably committed. Get wisdom.  As others share scriptures with me, I feed myself with them.  Then, as I continue to consider them, I review others commentary, I consider it in my life, I check out other scriptures that compliment them, I continue to read the whole chapter to put it into perspective, then I write these commentaries.  All of that takes time, time well worth it to help me get the wisdom God is making available to me.  Are all of us spending so much time on just one or three scriptures?  How much time are we willing to dedicate praying and reading the Bible?  How we spend our time shows us what we really value.  What do you value?

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com and http://search.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html 

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26,

Dear Catalina and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your message from ChristiaNet and sharing the Word of God. 

Luke 12:23 (New Living Translation)

For life consists of far more than food and clothing.

True freedom and contentment are found by depending exclusively on God and obeying Him.  Jesus pointed out the worthlessness of spending time worrying about things God has already taken care of.  Since neither animals nor plants worry about food and clothing, neither should we.  As God takes care of them while they live from day to day, so also wll God take care of us if we make His Kingodm our primary concern.  Trusting God's supreme providential care enables people in recovery to live one day at a time.

I checked out http://www.bibleuniverse.com/ and found it very interesting.  I have saved it to my favorites so I can study it and take some of the courses.  Thank you for sharing it.   Please feel free to check out www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com at your convenience also.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ boberb2@yahoo.com

Hi,
I firmly belive thae
'The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.' Luke 12:23. And that our life was given us of God, and is dependent upon Him, as the leaf is dependent upon the bough for sustenance. What you think?

In Christ,
Catalina
have you ever check www.bibleuniverse.com please let me know what do you think of it

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27.

Bob  http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html, http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php

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28.

Dear Jeninah and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your message from ChristiaNet.  Thank you for sharing God's Word.  Your words inspire me to investigate Psalms 40:1.

The hopeful expectancy with which David looked to God to answer His prayers for salvation made it possible for him to endure the period of waiting.

Psalm 40:1 (New Living Translation)

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.

God's timing is always worth waiting for.  If we look to Him for help, He will rescue us from destruction and dispair and from the things that hold us down.  He will also bring stability to our life so we can move forward again with confidence and joy.  If we are to experience God's best for our life (which far exceeds anything we can imagine), we need to rely on Him alone and avoid any entanglements with those who could lead us away from God and His plan for us.

Confidence for deliverance.

Doubts and fears about the eternal state, are a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so to many a dear child of God.  There is power enough in God to help the weakest, and grace enough to help the unworthiest of all that trust in Him.  The psalmist, David,  waited patiently; he continued believing, hoping, and praying.  This is applicable to Christ.  His agony, in the garden and on the cross, was a horrible pit and miry clay.  But those that wait patiently for God do not wait in vain.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com (new web sites)

Praise the Lord Pastor,
How are you doing today? thanks so much for the message, it was most encouraging i really appliciated yo reply dear. back to me am fine only thanking the almighty God to me such a good friend like you, pastor it not easy to get friends good ones i mean and i think am blessed to get someone like you dear, i really thank the lord for that. pastor you said yo poor but rich spiritually, i dont mind whatever you are all i need is you. pastor read psalms 40:1 and see how i crying patiently to lord to give me you.
so plse dont let me down am with you richeness or poorness. otherwise byee and hope to hear from you soon.
God bless you abandantly.
Sister Jeninah.

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29.

Dear David and friends,

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing your prayer requests and responses.  Thank you for thinking of others.  Thank you for helping us to always remember God in everything we do.

 In response to your question about drawing close to God, it is in James 4:8.

 James 4:8
Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.

 Most of us have a hard time modeling submission and humility - qualities that are essential to the recovery process because they show dependence on God and a willingness to be guided by Him.  Satan's pride - and our adoption of it - opposes God's program for healthy and godly living.  As many of us know from experience, the way of pride and selfishness only leads to confusion and strife.  True contentment comes only when we submit our life to god and His program.  As we admit our failures and humbly seek to do God's will, we will draw closer to God.  As we draw close to god, the grip of our dependency will weaken, and He will lift us up to rebuild our life.

 God bless you and your family.

 Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org, http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php, http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html,

www.waikikibeachoutreach.com and www.boberb.com

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30.

Dear Lita and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing the scriptures from Daniel 5:27.  Thank you for asking for the insight that God may lead me to see.

Daniel 5:27 (New Living Translation)

Tekel means `weighed'--you have been weighed on the balances and have failed the test.

(New International Reader's Version)

Tekel means that you have been weighed on scales. And you haven't measured up to God's standard.

Tragically, it is possible to wait too long to enter recovery.  Belshazzar had not learned from the experiences of his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar, and his time ran out.  His pride and arrogance had led him o the point where there could be no recovery; he was killed before the night was over.  It doesn't have to be too late - we can find recovery when we turn to God.  The time to trust God is now, while our heart is still soft ought to hear God calling.  Without God, we may as well apply the writing on the wall to our own lives.

As we walk in our desire to do God's will by reading the Bible and doing what it says, then most of us will measure up to God's standards.  Those who just talk and do nothing will weigh very little in God's Book.  As James, Jesus' brother said, our faith will be evident in what we do.  Those who don't really show their faith, do nothing to respond to God's will for them, and only do things for their own good, or their own ego, then they fail the test.  Since the king died before the night was over, those who do not show their faith shall surely die.  Just to call ourselves a Christian does not mean that we are doing God's will and behaving the way the Bible tells us to be.  Others will know we believe in Chirst without us telling them; our behavior will show it.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob  http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html, http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php

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31.

Dear Randy (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing your understanding of the life of Moses. 

Your readings seem to be in conflict with some of the readings I have studied that suggest that Moses may have died March 1405 BC and his birth seems to have been 1525 BC.  The Exodus may be dated about 1445 BC.  Joshua then led the Jews over the Jordan River into what we call Israel now.  Joshua died at 110 in 1390 BC.  The 12 sons of Jacob (who arrived into Egypt about 1875 BC with 70 descendants, in bondage for about 430 years, and may have multiplied to over 2 million) became the 12 tribes that occupied the territory.  The Jews did not trust the leadership of a king and decided not to anoint a king for over 335 years; the Book of Judges seem to tell about leaders who rose to become recognized.  Othneil provided about 40 years of peace after about 8 yeas of oppression by the Mesopotamians.  Ehud provided about 80 yeas of peace after the Moabites.  Shamgar and then Deborah and Barak provided about 40 years of peace after the Philistines and Canaanites oppression of about 20 years.  Evidence suggest that Gideon beat the Midianites in 1191 BC and had about 40 years of peace.  Tol and Jair provided about 45 years of peace after Abimeliech.  Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon provided a total of over 40 years of peace after the Ammonites 18 years of oppression.  After Samson' oppression of the Philistines for 40 years, peace prevailed for about 20 years (All of these are just estimates).  Then the First Book of Samuel include about 30 years before Saul was anointed king in 1043 BC.  Samuel lived about 94 years from 1105 to 1011 BC.  David was born about 1041 and was a subject of Saul for 30 years, then he ruled for another 40 years.  His son, Solomon became king about 971 BC.  After Solomon died in 931 BC the kingdom divided having 19 more kings in the north and 20 kings in the south.  The north was conquered by Assyria sometime about 753 BC and the south conquered some time in 586 BC.  The Jews were exiled for 70 years in Babylon and was allowed to return in 516 by  Cyrus (I think). 

Some of the other significant outside events begins with the reign of Amenhotep II of Egypt from 1450 to 1423 BC (maybe the movie with Ramses may have been fictional).  Homer (Iliad & Odyssey) may have been about 800 BC.  Rome may have been founded about 753 BC.  Buddha was born about 563 BC and Confucius about 551 BC.  Cyrus the Great ruled Babylon and Persia from 550 to 529 BC.  The Roman Republic began about 509 BC.  Esther becomes Queen of Persia about 457 BC.  Socrates is identified in 469 BC, Plato in 428, and Aristotle in 384 BC.  Alexander the Great ruled from 336 to 323 BC.  Hannibal ruled from 237 to 183 BC.  Cicero is identified in 106 BC.  Julius Caesar ruled from 46 yo 44 BC.  Jesus may have been born in 4 BC and died in 33 AD.  Paul's conversion occurred about 3 years after the resurrection of Jesus and was executed in 68 AD.  Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  John died in 100 AD.

Just some interesting facts or opinions of experts I have read about.  I hope this is as enlightening to you as it has been for me as I reviewed the information to summarize it for you and others who might be interested.

God bless you.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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32.

Dear Lita (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response and positive reception of the scriptures and comments I have shared with you.  Thank you for asking my opinion on other scriptures and focusing on Daniel (written around 535 BC).

Innocent bystanders often get hurt by the mistakes and sins of other people.  Disasters happen that can affect us for life, even though we are not responsible for the events that take place.  When we suffer innocently or unfairly, we can recover from the problems we have inherited only by facing the reality of our situation.

Daniel and his friends were innocent bystanders.  They suffered exile to Babylon because of Judah's prolonged disobedience to God.  But they did not remain victims.  With courage and faith in God, they faced the reality of their exile and lived successfully - even by Babylonian standards.  Their recovery gives us insight into how to deal with the unfair circumstances in our own life.

After being taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, Daniel and his three friends were trained for service in the Babylonian government.  Their captors often demanded that they do things that we contrary to God's revealed will.  To protect their relationship with God, Daniel and his friends set clear boundaries for their behavior.  They each followed God's program for their life, even though it conflicted with the commands of their captors and unstable tyrants they lived under.

Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon for the sins of their ancestors, but they did not use that as an excuse for continued failure.   Instead, they trusted God and determined to live according to His will.  Because of their faith and courage, God not only repeatedly delivered them from difficult circumstances, but He also used them to prove His existence and power to others.

As I reviewed Daniels in 10 different translations, I could not find the comments you had suggested as words of Daniel to a king, "you had been weighed and found lacking."  I did find 35 scriptures that used the word "lacking;" and I found them by using 9 different translations.  The closest interpretation I could come up with those words are probably in  

1 Corinthians 1:7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
That you are not [consciously] falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace [ [Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.] the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait and watch [constantly living in hope] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and [His] being made visible to all.

Although there were problems among the Corinthian believers, Paul began his letter to them on a positive note.  He understood that confronting others about their failures is more effective when we approach them diplomatically.  We need to gain a hearing by recognizing the good things in the lives of those we need to confront.  In this way, we show that we are concerned about them and value them as people.  Our intervention will be effective only when we first show that we love the people we want to help.

As I research "weigh," I find 28 times the word is used and I am led to select this one:

Lamentations 1:14 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
You have tied my sins around my neck, [ You. . . neck: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.] and they weigh so heavily that my strength is gone. You have put me in the power of enemies too strong for me.

Or maybe:

Philippians 4:8 Amplified Bible (AMP)
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

True happiness can be found in every situation of life when we recognize that god is at work and always in control.  Because Christ is with us and His return is certain, we can act calmly in pain and difficulty.  Peace and  joy come when we focus on those things that provide lasting value to our life.  The more we commit ourselves to knowing god's will through prayer and study of His Word, the better prepared we are to help ourselves and others in the process of recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.

If I were to interpret those words without scripture, but with my own insight or perception, I might come up with another interpretation.  So, "you had been weighed and found lacking."  could mean that our virtues are known to God and those virtues may not be up to par.  But, God clearly makes a way for us to continually correct our behavior.  As James, the brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the Jewish church preaching Jesus as the Messiah in Jerusalem after Jesus was resurrected, emphasized "faith without works is dead."  Our values and virtues are evident with what we do. 

We may ask what are some of the ethical concerns does James focus on?  Here are a few of his emphases:

Christians should care for widows and orphans in the community.

Christians should keep themselves unstained by the world.

Christians should love our neighbors as ourselves and follow the Ten Commandments, among other things.

Christians should control our tongues and passions.

Christians should persevere in faith through trials and suffering.

Christians should confess our sins to one another in the community.

Christians should pray for the sick and suffering.

And, Christians should help correct the community member that does wrong and wanders from the truth.

So, James, who remained thinking he was still a Jew who knew that the Messiahas came in Jesus, believed that our behavior was evident of our faith in God. 

I don't know if I am responding to your question, but if I am wrong in my interpretation or need correction in where I might find the words you mention in the Bible, please enlighten me.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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33.

IF JESUS HAD AN OBITUARY

Jesus Christ, 33, of Nazareth, died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Betrayed by the apostle Judas, Jesus was crucified by the Romans, by order of the Ruler Pontius Pilate.  The causes of death were crucifixion, extreme exhaustion, severe torture, and loss of blood.

Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, was a member of the house of David. He was the Son of the late Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth, and Mary, His devoted Mother.  Jesus was born in a stable in the city of Bethlehem, Judea.  He is survived by His mother Mary, His faithful Apostles, numerous disciples, and many other followers.

Jesus was self educated and spent most of his adult life working as a Teacher.  Jesus also occasionally worked as a Medical Doctor and it is reported that he healed many patients.  Up until the time of His death, Jesus was teaching and sharing the Good News, healing the sick, touching the lonely, feeding the hungry, and helping the poor.

Jesus was most noted for telling parables about His Father`s Kingdom and performing miracles, such as feeding over 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, and healing a man who was born blind. On the day before His death, He held a Last Supper celebrating the Passover Feast, at which He foretold His death.

The body was quickly buried in a stone grave, which was donated by Joseph of Arimathea, a loyal friend of the family.  By order of Pontius Pilate, a boulder was rolled in front of the tomb.  Roman soldiers were put on guard.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that everyone try to live as Jesus did. Donations may be sent to anyone in need.

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34.

My Dear Mirtha (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your timely response.  Thank you for your ecard, again.  Thank you for your prayers.  Thank you forexpressing your desire to meet me.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God in Isaiah 41.

Isaiah 41:11-14 (New Living Translation)

(11) "See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and ashamed. Anyone who opposes you will die. (12) You will look for them in vain. They will all be gone!  (13) I am holding you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, `Do not be afraid. I am here to help you. (14) Despised though you are, O Israel, don't be afraid, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.'

God promises that He will crush our enemies.  What greater enemy is there in our life right now than our addiction or compulsion?  We can't destroy it by ourself, but we can with God's help.  He will hold our hand and help us all the way.  We may be despised by others now for our lifestyle, but God will redeem us and make us whole again.

It looks like I will be leaving Ohio within 2 weeks or less.  My son and I went to court and his wife told the judge she is afraid of me and desires to move out (darkness cannot exist in the Light).  My son is going to use that as an issue to negotiate with her to allow him to take the boys to Hawaii for a few months and have me move out.  We have almost agreed that I will move out as soon as I finish my son's hallway, staircase and foyer (less than 2 weeks).  So I am working to finish that. 

I need to get in touch with a supporter of the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry to make arrangements so I might be able to buy a discount ticket to Las Vegas (or Miami) (David and Cheri worked for United Airlines and have agreed to allow me to travel on their discounts).  I still have the return ticket to Hawaii, but I must leave Las Vegas and pay  $100.  Probably the cheapest way to get back.

My friend, Geri, the first volunteer for WBOM, in Las Vegas desires me to do some more remodeling for her again.  She has some new jobs she would like me to fix for her.  She needs to rebuild her gazebo and build a shed around her pool pump and filter equipment.  She only wants me there a week or two because she is busy with her work.  So I must pray about this over the next week or so to see what God wants me to do.

So, do I want you to visit me in Ohio?  Yes, if you can be here within 2 weeks.  Do I want you to visit me in Miami?  Maybe, I don't expect to go there, unless you must go there for some reason and does not cost you anything.  Then I could ask my supporter friend to get a flight ticket cheap to go there for me.  After our visit I could then go to Las Vegas, or maybe even go directly to Hawaii.  I probably could not stay long in Miami because I really do not have much money left to stay in hotels and eat out.  (I still don't know how I am going to live when I get back to Hawaii).  Let me know what you plan on doing, and I will see what I can do.

Thank you for thinking of me.  Thank you for expressing your desire to meet with me.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother and special friend in Christ,

Bob 

My Dear Bob:
Thank you for your letter. I am praying for you and for your Ministry. You have been very wisdom and your decission is correct and right. I am very glad to have at my life and I admire you You are B R A VE IN OUR LORD. BLESSINGS AND KEEP IN TOUCH. MAY YOU PLEASE TO ANSER ME ABOUT IF IS POSSIBLE I VISIT YOU IN MISMI OR IN OHIO BEFORE TO BE IN MAUI. MAYBE I CAN BE IN USA THE NEXT JUNE OR JULY???? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?????CHAO

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My dear Mirtha (and Everyone Else I Know),

 Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for the ecard.  Thank you for sharing a Word of God I needed to hear today.  Thank you for alowing me to see how 1 John 1:7 was to touch my heart.  I plan on staying on track with God's plan for my life.  It now does not look like a job in Iraq is intended for me (too much darkness there).

 1 John 1:5-7 (New Living Translation)

 (5) This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. (6)So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. (7) But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

 Any distinctive mark of our faith is loving others.  Hatred toward others is a sure sign that recovery has not yet begun.  Light and darkness cannot exist in the same heart.  The absence of love will keep us in the dark and prove a severe hindrance to progress in recovery and our path in His light.  Love is never weak or compromising, it is the evidence of emotional strength.  The love God gives us provides the energy to approach those we have harmed and to make amends when possible.

 God bless you and your family.

 Your brother in Christ,

Bob

 My dear Bob: You really broked my heart with your decission to take a job in Irak. I am not sure is His will because I am sure you have a great call. Money is not only that we need. We need decission to build a church and inmediatly come the blessings because "The Father honors to whom serves Him". God bless you my dear Bob

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35.

My dear Mirtha (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for the ecards.  Thank you for your kind words.  Thank you for expressing your desire to see me in Peru, if God makes it possible.  Thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for sharing the scriptures identified herein from the ecards.  I believe it is important to share the Word of God to everyone who desires to listen.  There should be no secrets in Him.

Psalm 66:1-12 (The Message)

(1) All together now--applause for God!  (2) Sing songs to the tune of his glory, set glory to the rhythms of his praise. (3) Say of God, "We've never seen anything like him!"  When your enemies see you in action, they slink off like scolded dogs.  (4) The whole earth falls to its knees-- it worships you, sings to you, can't stop enjoying your name and fame.  (5) Take a good look at God's wonders-- they'll take your breath away.  (6) He converted sea to dry land; travelers crossed the river on foot.  Now isn't that cause for a song?  (7) Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps his eye on the godless nations.  Rebels don't dare raise a finger against him.  (8) Bless our God, O peoples!  Give him a thunderous welcome!  (9) Didn't he set us on the road to life?  Didn't he keep us out of the ditch?  (10) He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires,  (11) Brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to our very limit, (12) Road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back; Finally he brought us to this well-watered place.

 Praise for God's sovereign power in the creation.

When God demonstrates His power and His card for us, we need to share what He has done with others.  We are not alone in our troubles.  Some of our struggleing friends face the same problems we do.  Seeing us praise God for His deliverance can become a source of hope and inspiration for them as they seek victory over their dependencies.

The holy church throughout all the world lifts up her voice, to laud that Name which is above every name, to make the praise of Jesus glorious, both by word and deed; that others may be led to glorify him also.  But nothing can bring men to do this aright, unless his effectual grace create their hearts anew unto holiness; and in the redemption by the death of Christ, and the glorious deliverances it effects, are more wondrous works than Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

Romans 15:13 (The Message)

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

All to receive one another as brethren.

This part of the Scriptures tells us about how important it is to live to please others.  Christ fulfilled the prophecies and promises relating to the Jews, and the Gentile converts could have no excuse for despising them.  The Gentiles, being brought into the church, are companions in patience and tribulation.  We should praise God.  Calling upon all the nations to praise the Lord, shows that they shall have knowledge of him.  We shall never seek to Christ till we trust in him.  And the whole plan of redemption is suited to reconcile us to one another, as well as to our gracious God, so that an abiding hope of eternal life, through the sanctifying and comforting power of the Holy Spirit, may be attained.  Our own power will never reach this; therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory.  All joy and peace; all sorts of true joy and peace, so as to suppress doubts and fears, through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

I express my prayers to you.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother and special friend in Christ,

Bob

My dear Bob:
How are you today??? I am very busy t church but I have now a time to write you. I need prayers because I want to see you and I have now my Rhema word and I wait yours. Blessings and keep in touch ok?
Mirtha

My dear Bob: I am very excited imagining you here in Peru.... I will wait for His will and please keep me in prayers... I am praying for us because I can feel your pretty heart and how you Love Christ and the people who need love. I imagined working together in a Great Ministry for His Glory.I send you my prayers and hugs
In Jesus love
Yours in Christ
Mirtha
P:S: I liked your photo on the web....hummm jajaj-

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36.

Dear Luz and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  This touched me so much, I am sending it to everyone I know.  It needs no more comments.  God bless you and your family.

Your Brother in Christ,

Bob

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37.

Dear Mary and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for thinking of me.  Thank you for the mighty messages.  Thank you for personlizing these forwarded messages.

Rejoice!  This is a turning point in your life, and the things that you have built on the solid rock of Truth, righteousness and faith will withstand the storms of destruction that come against you.

I tell you honestly that no weapon fashioned against you will prosper, and not one enemy shall be able to stand against you. Rise to every occasion and press through without fear, for I will certainly manifest Myself in great and powerful ways to those who are loyal to Me, says the Lord.

Make the determination to receive healing in your soul where there has been damage done from the recent attacks. Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.

Hosea 6:1-3 (New Living Translation)

"Come, let us return to the LORD! He has torn us in pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds.(2) In just a short time, he will restore us so we can live in his presence. (3) Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."

These verses contain several of the steps to recovery.  The people admitted their helplessness, viewing themselves as "torn" and "injured" (Step 1).  They conmmitted their lives to God, deciding to "return to the Lord" (Step 3).  They let God change them, affirming that He would "heal" them and "bandage" their wonds (Step 7).  They sought to improve their relationship with God, saying,"Oh, that we might know the Lord!"(Step 11).  Finally, they wanted to help others by encouraging each other in the process of retruning to God, "Let us prss on to know Him!" (Step 12).

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob  (The Life Recovery Ministry)

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38.

Dear Ron and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for being my friend and patience in being my sponsor in AA.  Thank you for your comments.  Thank you asking me such a challenging question about Isaiah 9. 

I am thinking you may have been thinking of a different Scripture.  But since you did indicate this one, I will comment on it per your request.   Now I must say that before I comment on this, your ministry and the Course in Miracles might interpret this differently.  I am going to share my interpretation as I understand it to be.  I have been studying this chapter for days to summarize important issues.  I will also share it with others.  Since this chapter is 21 verses long, I will start with the first 4 as a starting point, but 5 to 7 predicts the coming of the Christ, or Messiah.

 Isaiah 9:1-7 (New Living Translation)

Hope in the Messiah

  (1) Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. (2) The people who walk in darkness will see a great light--a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. (3) Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvesttime. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder. (4) For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band. (5) In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned.

    (6) For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!

Isaiah 9:1-4

Issues of Method

If we are going to do biblical study rather than study of doctrine or interpretation, we need to be especially diligent that we hear the message of the text itself.  Then we can ask how that message might be applied within the context of our faith and our understanding of the revelation of God in Jesus the Christ.

Also, our study of the reading needs to begin somewhere much earlier than the New Testament passages and with assumptions other than seeing the text only as a prediction of the coming of Jesus 700 years before it occurred.

From this perspective, the theology is the important trajectory that runs forward toward the New Testament and the events to which it bears witness.  The historical dimension runs backward toward the Old Testament as the people could make better sense of its flow from the perspective of the new events later in that history.  They could understand the historical connection with the prophet Isaiah in 700 BC precisely because of the incarnation of Jesus the Christ after it happened.  And they could, at the same time, use the theological perspective that they had inherited from the Isaiah traditions to interpret the coming of Jesus, indeed, to define Jesus in light of those 700 year old understandings about God!

The Historical Context (I share this to those who desire to know the situation that existed at the time of the writing)

Isaiah of Jerusalems ministry (742-700 BC) focused largely on interpreting the Assyrian invasions and the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. And since he was active in the Southern Kingdom, he was concerned with the threat the Assyrians posed to the South and the very existence of the Israelites as a people, using the destruction of the Northern Kingdom as an object lesson for the South.

Religiously and culturally, Isaiah read those historical events from the perspective of Gods covenantal relationship with the Israelites, their ongoing struggle with Baal worship (the idol god being worshipped at the time), and the difficulty they had with living as Gods people since entering the land some 400 years earlier. The ongoing Isaiah tradition would deal with later problems arising from the Babylonian Empires eventual destruction of Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom and the task of rebuilding the nation after exile.  But that tradition spanning nearly 300 years is anchored by the Jerusalem prophets appeal to Israels 8th century BC kings to reverse their arrogant quest for power and to return to faithfulness to God.

In the middle eighth century BC (c. 745) Tiglath-Pileser III (called Pul in biblical traditions; 2 Kings 15:19) took the throne of Assyria . He quickly organized the warring Assyrian factions into a nation bent on conquest.  Soon, Assyria ruthlessly began building an empire.  As Assyria expanded to the west and south, the Northern Kingdom was vulnerable.  Decimated by a series of assassinations and weak kings, the leadership of the North was in no shape to deal with Assyria.  Menahem tried to appease Assyria with tribute, but the nationalistic factions within the nation would not tolerate it.  After another round of assassinations, the new king Pekah tried to forge an alliance with Syria and Judah to oppose the Assyrian advance, but it succeeded only in angering the Assyrians.

In 734, Tiglath-Pilesers armies marched around Israel and Judah along the coast (a path along to be where Gaza Strip is today) to cut off any assistance from Egypt to the south, and then turned back north to deal with Israel.  By 733 the Assyrians had taken most of the coastal areas, the northern territories of Israel and surrounding areas including Zebulun and Naphtali around the Sea of Galilee, and were poised to take Samaria, the northern capital (2 Kings 15:29). Later, they would strike further north and ravage the Syrian territories. The assassination of Pekah and a short-lived policy of appeasement toward Assyria postponed the destruction of the Northern Kingdom for only another decade.

It is against this background of the decimation of the northern territories of Israel (north of Jerusalem was called Israel and south was called Judah) that Isaiah 9 lies.  The Southern Kingdom was having its own problems both with Assyria and with its own leaders.  At just about the time that Israel lost Zebulun and Naphtali and the other northern territories, Ahaz came to power in Judah in the South (Southern Israel today). He proved to be a weak ruler who had no intention of returning the nation to the proper worship of God and was willing to do just about anything to remain in power.  Much of Isaiah of Jerusalems prophetic ministry was in interaction with the wrong policies of Ahaz.

One of the main longings of the people expressed by Isaiah was for a righteous king who would be the kind of leader idealized in David the shepherd King, the opposite of what they were experiencing with Ahaz. And there was also the very real problem of what the future held in light of the growing power of Assyria. They longed for security and rest from war and the threat of war. Much of Isaiah, both the 8th century prophet and the later Isaiah tradition that comprise the book of Isaiah, revolves around the issue of being Gods people in a land decimated by war and conflict. Theologically, this addresses the issue of the nature of the people of God, as well as Gods role in history with that people.

The Literary Context

While the book of Isaiah is not closely organized chronologically, and only loosely organized thematically, it is helpful to note the context of chapter nine within the book.  Beginning in chapter seven, the immediate historical setting is the alliance between Syria and Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and its aftermath. The time period is identified as the invasion of the Southern Kingdom by Pekah of Israel.  This places the setting for this section around 733 BC, although the actual writing may have been later.  Isaiah responded to the dual crises of the Syro-Ephraimitic war and the threat from Assyria with warnings to Ahaz of the consequences of his actions using, among other means, the naming of his three sign children.  These crises remain the focal point throughout chapter 8.

However, Ahaz had not heeded Isaiahs warnings, and Isaiahs response was simply to record his words for future reference.  The chapter concludes with warnings of the futility of seeking answers anywhere but from God.  Because Ahaz had refused to respond to Gods word, the prophet described the bleak future awaiting Judah in metaphors of darkness.  The contrast of darkness, symbolizing both sin and physical disaster as the consequences of sin, and light, symbolizing Gods grace and a new historical beginning, is a common theme throughout the book of Isaiah.

Chapter nine continues in the same setting, picking up the metaphor of darkness from chapter eight but quickly moving into the opposite metaphor of light.  The first verse of chapter nine is a transitional verse that clearly links the two chapters rhetorically, effectively placing chapter nine as a continuation of the preceding section.

Even though the historical setting moves ahead 30 years in the following chapters to the Assyrian invasions of Judah in 701, this shift back and forth between disaster and expectation continues through chapter eleven.  The devastation precipitated by the folly and sinfulness of Ahaz and the failure of the people contrasts starkly with the expectation of a future in which righteous leaders will bring peace and security to the land.  In fact, it is this contrast that lies at the heart of this entire section of the book. The canonical shaping of these texts will not allow chapter nine to be abstracted from the darkness of the "former times" no more than it allows the negative oracles of judgement to be abstracted from the light of the "latter times."

Analysis of the Text

For the most part the prophets were concerned with addressing immediate needs within the community. For a prophet of Israel, the answer to the Assyrian crisis did not lie 700 years in the future; it lay in Gods ability to enter history at any present moment and work his purposes for his people!  Even when they idealized the future, it was not far distant apocalyptic dreaming but the _expression of what they understood as a present possible reality by the hand of God.

The geographical locations in v. 1 all refer to the far northern sections of Israel. The "way of the sea" refers to a trading route that ran from Egypt along the coast from the south, turned westward into the Plain of Esdraelon at Megiddo, and continued to Damascus. It became a general designation for the coastal areas between Philistia and Mount Carmel, and probably refers to the territory Assyria incorporated into the province of Dor. The "land beyond the Jordan" or the Transjordan area was a general reference to the area around and to the southwest of the sea of Galilee on the western side of the Jordan. It likely referred to the Assyrian province of Megiddo. "Galilee of the Nations" was a semi-pejorative reference to the area to the west and south of the Sea of Galilee, a territory that the Assyrians included in the province of Gilead. The "nations" refers to the mixed groups of non-Israelites that were settled in the area following Assryian subjugation of this territory.

Zebulun and Naphtali were tribal allocations in the northern territory of Israel around the Sea of Galilee, although they diminished in importance and all but disappeared during the early monarchy.  Solomon absorbed the territory of Zebulun into the tribe of Asher.  Naphtali "lived among the Canaanites" and appears in the biblical traditions most often only as the name of an area.  The use of these two diminished tribes to designate the territory conquered and decimated by the Assyrians serves to further contrast the splendor of the "light" that was coming with the loss and dishonor of the past.

Preaching Paths

The passage is about more than longing and dreaming for better days ahead, although that is certainly a part of the passage. It is really about living under threat in a world that is beyond our control, a world that lies in the hands of leaders who make stupid and selfish and even cowardly decisions, who refuse to trust God.  There is a darkness in the world that we dare not deny, a darkness that comes because some, even many, perhaps even most, do not believe that there is any other way in the world than brute force. And so they live in a world, even create a world, in which struggles for power and control are the norm.  And so they bring the darkness, not only to themselves, but to everyone around them.

The question, then, for Gods people is how should we live in such a world?  Do we live under the control of the forces around us complaining about how bad everything is and hoping against hope that it may get better someday?  Or do we live in the light of Gods revelation of himself in the world, and trust that he will work his purposes in history, even when we have no idea what those purposes might be or how he will work?

Do we succumb to the despair of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, or do we live as if the God we read about and talk about and sing about is really God? Do we cower in the darkness only dreaming of a better future?  Or do we live as if the light of that future is as much a reality as the darkness around us?

The passage in Isaiah calls us, not to passive acceptance of the present realities around us, even if those realities are political and physical endings.  He calls us to embrace the God of new possibilities, who can bring light into the darkness, who can bring peace into warfare, who can bring security into instability, who can bring freedom into oppression and slavery.  It is not that it must be so according to our expectations of how it should be.  It is really whether we will live as Gods people in the reality of the expectation, not as a fantasy, but as a reality.

As a reading after epiphany, this text calls us to live in the light of the reality of that historical event of the coming of Jesus.  There is no denying that not all of the darkness has been dispelled even by his coming.  But the real question is whether we will choose to walk in the light that he has brought or continue to sit in the darkness.  Will we live as his people and live for the future that he is working to completion, and which we have a part in shaping.  Or will we simply sit in the darkness longing for something better?  Such a choice to live in the reality of Gods future is not fantasy.  It is simply how we choose to live as Gods people.  Will we sit in the darkness, or will walk in the light?

There are many ways that such a Preaching Path might be developed in terms of specific application.  One example can be both timely and timeless.  As we enter further into the third millennium after the coming of Jesus, we will increasingly hear the voices of doom, the voices of those who see nothing but endings in the world.  Some will even take great delight in seeing all the negative aspects of human existence and the exigencies of history as proof that their own negative view of the world is accurate.

Many Christians will even be swept up in the fervor, emotion, and psychology of the modern doomsday sayers.  There are many signs even in the Christian community of a totally pessimistic view of the world.  Many are concerned with the folly of government run amuck.  Some are preoccupied with the explosion of immorality in entertainment, the media, even in churches.  Some think the church is a failure and so start their own churches.  Still others are convinced that the world is under the control of evil forces, of Satan and demons, even to the point that God's people are controlled by evil influence.  So they spend all their spiritual energies in a totally negative battle against "this present darkness" rather than focusing on the Good News of the Gospel.  Many Christians just seem to have a negative opinion about almost everything.

Complicating this are various crises around the world that intensify the anxiety levels of people today.  Economic crises in many world areas threaten the global economy.  Internal political tensions in many areas threaten the stability of nations and governments.  The news brings daily reports of yet another atrocity or massacre somewhere.  It is not hard to collapse into a totally negative attitude and retreat into dreaming of the Second Coming in which God will just come and make it all right.

We should not abandon that dream.  But we also have to go on living in the world.  Isaiahs message, heard again in the context of our own version of the darkness, is that God is still God!  And even our present history for all its darkness may be pregnant with possibility!  God has not abandoned the world to wait for some future time next year or next century or next millennium in which to come and fix it all. God is not just the God of far off times, but is the God of present history!  And we are his people in the present.  And so he has called us to live as his people in the present.  He has called us to embrace the light of his coming, with the expectation that his coming into the world was to reveal that light so that people might not have to walk in darkness.

We do not have to wait for that far off future. We are called in the midst of our own present existence to embrace the coming of the light. This is nothing less than a call to live positively as his people, as people who have seen the light, who have experienced the light, and who have allowed that light to transform who they are. Gods people cannot live in a world of negativity, because we understand that God is still God. And God is not a God of darkness but of light. We will not deny the reality of the darkness. But neither will we deny the reality of the light. And we will affirm with both Isaiah and the Gospel writers that there is no gloom for those who walk in His light.

Isaiah 9:8-21 (New Living Translation)

The LORD's Anger against Israel

   (8) The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel, (9) and the people of Israel and Samaria will soon discover it. In their pride and arrogance they say, (10) "Our land lies in ruins now, but we will rebuild it better than before. We will replace the broken bricks with cut stone, the fallen sycamore trees with cedars." (11) The LORD will reply to their bragging by bringing Rezin's enemies, the Assyrians, against them(12) along with Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west. With bared fangs, they will devour Israel. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. (13) For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent and turn to the LORD Almighty.

    (14) Therefore, in a single day, the LORD will destroy both the head and the tail, the palm branch and the reed. (15) The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail. (16) For the leaders of the people have led them down the path of destruction. (17) That is why the Lord has no joy in the young men and no mercy on even the widows and orphans. For they are all hypocrites, speaking wickedness with lies. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.

    (18) This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but the forests, too. Its burning sends up vast clouds of smoke. (19) The land is blackened by the fury of the LORD Almighty. The people are fuel for the fire, and no one spares anyone else. (20) They fight against their own neighbors to steal food, but they will still be hungry. In the end they will even eat their own children. (21) Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim will feed on Manasseh, and both will devour Judah. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.

I may address the end of Isaiah 9 if anyone desires my comments at a later time.  Thank you, Ron, for your iquiry.  God bless you.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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39.

Dear David (and others I know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your question.  Thank you for your comments.  Thank you for your prayers.

The Scriptures and commentary I write and send back to the individual who shared the scripture or a friend, and then I share it with everyone I know who might enjoy hearing about the Word of God.  Any message I share is not from Bob Erb, only our Father which art in heaven can inspire any person.  Only some of the words are mine.  Many of the words are derived from other books and commentaries I read.  The only twist I put in to them is seeing how the words fit into a 12 step program of recovery, dealing with significant life changing experiences, and how they might be being used in my life.  You have the same gift as you read the Word of God. 

God grant me the serenity,
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

I enjoy your comments.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb

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40.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I am studying the Bible, I am led to James chapter 3.  God seems to be showing me that I am too self-centered.  So this message is really for me, and I share it for the world to recognize in me.

James 3:13-18 (New Living Translation)

True Wisdom Comes from God

   (13) If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise!  (14) But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. (15) For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil.  (16) For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.

   (17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. (18) And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

Wisdom isessential to recovery.  It must, however, gbe godly wisdom, not earthly wisdom.  Earthly wisdom leads to selfishness and pride, invariably causing confusion and strife.  Tru wisdom is based on the knowledge of God.  It brings peace and leads to selfless living and faith that works; it never distinguishes between groups of people but treats everyone with respect and love.  Godly wisdom allows us to admit our failures and rebuild our life from the ashes of defieat.  It frees us from our destructive dependddency; it helps us live for others and builds relationships that will support our recovery.

These verses show the difference between men's pretending to be wise, and their being really so.  He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and act well.  True wisdom may be know by the meekness of the spirit and temper.  Those who live in malice, envy, and contention, live in confusion; and are liable to be provoked and hurried to any evil work.  Such wisdom comes not down from above, but springs up from earthly principles, acts on earthly motives, and is intent on serving earthly purposes.  Those who are lifted up with such wisdom, described by the apostle James, is near to the Christian love, described by the apostle Paul; and both are so described that every man may fully prove the reality of his attainments in them.  It has no disguise or deceit.  It cannot fall in with those managements the world counts wise, which are crafty and guileful; but it is sincere, and open, and steady, and uniform, and consistent with itself. May the purity, peace, gentleness, teachableness, and mercy shown in all our actions, and the fruits of righteousness abounding in our lives, prove that God has bestowed upon us this excellent gift.

Self-Seeking - A speaker once said, "Young people feel like they have to 'find themselves,' so they search this and that, here and there, all in an effort to 'find themselves.' So, what if you spend all this time and energy to find yourself, and in the end you discover nobody's home?"

Humorous but so true!  The loneliest people on the planet are those focused on themselves.  If I am brutally honest in recalling the lonelier times of my life, I was lonely mostly because I was focused too much on myself.  We learn to recognize self-focused people by their constant talking about themselves, their achievements, their experiences, their things, their opinions.  They drone on endlessly.  This sounds like me in the past, and I am hoping I am toning it down.  But I know I still have lots of work here.

One author writes, "People sometimes talk about themselves because there is nothing else rattling around in their heads."  Such people usually have a better way of doing almost everything, yet one often wonders why they are not more successful in life.  They ache to express an opinion and believe in their abilities so wholeheartedly that they must be restrained from taking charge.  My spnoser reminds me of this often.   One learns that, when around them, a person's value is significant only in regard to their personal plans, and they will seldom alter their course to fit another in.

As I look at what I am doing today, I test myself.  How much of our needs and desires fills our agenda each day?  Conversely, how much room do we make for others?  I used to say with pride, "I usually don't do anything I don't want to do."  I meant that I was master of my choices and in control of my life, but I was actually saying, "My plans, ideas, and schedule are far more important than anyone else's."

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php

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41.

Dear Edna and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your messages and ecard.  Thank you for you support in the ministry God has given me.  Thank you for sharing your time as you write to me.  Thank you for your blessings.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God in your ecard.  Thank you for your prayers.

 One of the ministry supporters and my friend, Genaro Bimbo, who designed the web site http://64.226.25.30/waikikibeachoutreachministry/is Philippine and just wondered if you had a chance to visit it.  It is not the way I would set up the site, but I am pleased that he was moved to create it.  It links to his travel agency if you have an interest in saving on travel.

Your ecard moved me to share the Scriptures in the ecard.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New Living Translation)

(9) Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. (10) If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. (11) And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? (12) A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Supportive friends and healthy relationships are absolutely necessary for successful recovery and attempts on dealing with significant life changing experiences.  When we fall down, we need help to get up again.  If we stand alone, we are especially vulnerable to inner enemies.  We must learn to trust others, to reach out to others, and to admit our needs to others.  This will give us added strength, wisdom, and protection against our dependencies and compulsions.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (New Living Translation)

(7) So go ahead. Eat your food and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!  (8) Wear fine clothes, with a dash of cologne!  (9) Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you in this world. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.  (10) Whatever you do, do well.  For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

Because life is short, we should enjoy it fully, and whatever we do, do well.  The Teacher recognized that life "under the sun" was not the end of the story, but He never minimized the importance of our days here.  God wants us to enjoy the friends and family He has given us.  We may sometimes feel that our life is insignificant in the larger scheme of things, but we need to realize that our everyday life does make a difference.  God will use us to touch the lives of others if we follow His program.  Thai is one of the greatest lessons of recovery.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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42.

Dear Mirtha (and others close to me),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for recognizing what God is doing to me.  Thank you for expressing your concerns on how to win souls to Jesus.  Thank you for loving our Father.  Thank you for sharing God's Word which I have also commented.

I know there are many pastors who tell me how to do the work I am doing, but don't do it themselves.  Many suggest I share the Word of God before I give the homeless food.  But, God has made it clear to me to feed their stomachs and they will ask to know more abut how God might change their lives.  Many will just want to take, and they can have.  If only one wants also to know God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then those are who it is about.  I am to give and give and give and give and give.  Others will see what Jesus would do.  He would not force preaching to anyone; I never read that in the Scriptures.  But He did feed thousands.  Some did repent and were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Some did not.  All persons are important, even if they don't want to know God YET.  There will be a day that they will need to choose and hopefully they will all make the right choice.  But, as Jesus said in Matthew 25:31 to end, there will be goats, too.  We won't know who they are, but God will.

I am fixing bridges here in the mainland as I am visiting my family.  God had something in mind before I left March 8th to just go to Las Vegas, that I had no clue until He seemed to guide me here to Ohio and Virginia to see my children.  All is good.  God is good.  I need to stay with my older son in Ohio until March 31 when he must go to court about his divorce proceedings and custody concerns.  He desires to keep the two boys, get a job ready for him in Hawaii, and move there with his children.  He must see what the judge decides and I must be here to testify for him.

I still expect to be back in Hawaii June 15th, set up a new operating facility for the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry, and find at least a 3 bedroom home that my son, his children and I can stay as God leads me to minister to the homeless in Waikiki (unless the judge determines something else that moves me to make different decisions).   

I can also see that you are a Godly and humble servant of God.  As God is leading you in the Great Commission doing what God wants you to do with cell groups, God is leading me in the Great Commission doing what God wants me to do by filling the stomachs first.  Hungry people don't make good decisions, I know.  I also see many die because of their homeless conditions with no one caring.  But those who know me, know I love them.

My present address at my son's home, Robert E. Erb, III is 503 Independence St., Fairport Harbor, Ohio 44077 and my phone is 1-808-497-6920.  All the information is also identified on the web sites http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php amd in links noted within.

Proverbs 24:11 (New Living Translation)

(11) Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die.

If a man know that his neighbour is in danger by any unjust proceeding, he is bound to do all in his power to deliver him. And what is it to suffer immortal souls to perish, when our persuasions and example may be the means of preventing it?

I am praying God might lead you to the Island of Oahu during your stay as you are visiting Maui.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb

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43.

Dear Luam and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing God's Word.  Every day God shows me what He wants me to read in His Bible, and you many times are the vehicle He uses to show me.  As I read Job, I am being moved to share some insights He seems to be showing me.  I hope the words touch your heart.  As we look at the oldest book of the Bible:

Job 22:21-25 (New Living Translation)

(21) "Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. (22) Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. (23) If you return to the Almighty and clean up your life, you will be restored. (24) Give up your lust for money, and throw your precious gold into the river. (25) Then the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver!"

While Elipher's advice didn't apply to Job, it is clearly applicable to many of us.  The pain we suffer as a consequence of our dependencies should tell us that our way of coping with life is not working.  We may have tried living without God, but then we discovered that it led to disaster.  ll we need to do is give our life over to God.  and He will help us in the process of recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.  We can find all we were searching for in God.  He is our comfort, our hope, and our "treasure."

Eliphaz exhorts Job to repentance.

The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had hitherto not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion.  The counsel Eliphaz here gives is good, though, as to Job, it was built upon a false supposition that he was a stranger and enemy to God.  Let us beware of slandering our brethren; and if it be our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated; yea, how Jesus was reviled, that we may be patient.  Let us examine whether there may not be some color for the slander, and walk watchfully, so as to be clear of all appearances of evil.

And as we move into the new testament:

John 15:1-8 (New Living Translation)

Jesus, the True Vine

   (1) "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ⁽³⁾ You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. (4) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

   (5) "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (6) Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. (7) But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!  (8) My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father."

God desires that our life be like the fruitful branches of a grapevine.  The only way to be fruitful is to remain connected to Jesus, the vine, and to allow God, the gardener, to prune our life to stimulate growth and fruitfulness.  It is God's cultivating, weeding, and pruning in our life that the desired fruit comes through the vine, so fullness of life comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  We need to stay close to Jesus, the source of power and practical help for recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.

Christ the true Vine.

Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine.  The union of the human and Divine natures, and the fullness of the Spirit that is in him, resemble the root of the vine made fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil.  Believers are branches of this Vine.  The root is unseen, and our life is hid with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports and supplies.  The branches of the vine are many, yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine; thus all true Christians, though in place and opinion distant from each other, meet in Christ. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are weak, and unable to stand but as they are borne up.  The Father is the Husbandman.  Never was any husbandman so wise, so watchful, about his vineyard, as God is about his church, which therefore must prosper.  We must be fruitful.  From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honor God, and do good; this is bearing fruit.  The unfruitful are taken away.  And even fruitful branches need pruning; for the best have notions, passions, and humors, that require to be taken away, which Christ has promised to forward the sanctification of believers, they will be thankful, for them.  The word of Christ is spoken to all believers; and there is a cleansing virtue in that word, as it works grace, and works out corruption.  And the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified.  In order to fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must have union with him by faith. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples, constantly to keep up dependence upon Christ, and communion with him.  True Christians find by experience, that any interruption in the exercise of their faith, causes holy affections to decline, our corruptions to revive, and our comforts to droop. Those who abide not in Christ, though they may flourish for awhile in outward profession, yet come to nothing.  The fire is the fittest place for withered branches; they are good for nothing else.  Let us seek to live more simply on the fullness of Christ, and to grow more fruitful in every good word and work, so may our joy in Him and in his salvation be full.

As we look at what Paul showed us:

1 Thessalonian 5:14-28 (New Living Translation)

(14) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

    (15) See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else.

    (16) Always be joyful. (17) Keep on praying. (18) No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

    (19) Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. (20) Do not scoff at prophecies, (21) but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. (22) Keep away from every kind of evil.

Paul's Final Greetings

    (23) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. (24) God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.

    (25) Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.

    (26) Greet all the brothers and sisters in Christian love.^[a]

    (27) I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

    (28) And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

Paul leaves us with his final good advice.  If we follow these instructions with God's help, we will be well on our way in the recovery process.  We are called to minister to others, a part of recovery that gives hope to others and reinforces our own success.  Paul tells us to rebuild our relationships bay repaying the wrongs of others with kindness.  We are called to live a joyful life, always prayerful, continually seeking god's will.  We are reminded of the gift of the Holy Spirit God's continual presence in our life.  God gives us what we need to succeeded in recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.  Our part is to participate in the good plan He has set our for us. 

And concludes with prayer, greetings, and a blessing.

The ministers of the gospel are described by the work of their office, which is to serve and honor the Lord.  It is their duty not only to give good counsel, but also to warn the flock of dangers, and reprove for whatever may be amiss.  The people should honor and love their ministers, because their business is the welfare of men's souls.  And the people should be at peace among themselves, doing all they can to guard against any differences.  But love of peace must not make us wink at sin.  The fearful and sorrowful spirits, should be encouraged, and a kind word may do much good.  We must bear and forbear.  We must be long-suffering, and keep down anger, and this to all men.  Whatever man do to us, we must do good to others

The author of Hebrews is unknown, but many have been suggested:

Hebrews 4:14-16 (New Living Translation)

Christ Is Our High Priest

   (14) That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. (15) This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. (16) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.

It makes a soul that has long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek and obedient.  Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off by this sword.  It will discover to men their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are moved by, the sinful ends they act to.  The word will show the sinner all that is in his heart.  Let us hold fast the doctrines of Christian faith in our heads, its enlivening principles in our hearts, the open profession of it in our lips, and be subject to it in our lives.  Christ executed one part of his priesthood on earth, in dying for us; the other he executes in heaven, pleading the cause, and presenting the offerings of his people.  In the sight of Infinite Wisdom, it was needful that the Saviour of men should be one who has the fellow-feeling which no being but a fellow-creature could possibly have; and therefore it was necessary he should actual experience of all the effects of sin that could be separated from its actual guilt. God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, (Roman 8:3); but the more holy and pure he was, the more he must have been unwilling in his nature to sin, and must have had deeper impression of its evil; consequently the more must he be concerned to deliver his people from its guilt and power.  We should encourage ourselves by the excellence of our High Priest, to come boldly to the throne of grace.  Mercy and grace are the things we want; mercy to pardon all our sins, and grace to purify our souls.  Besides our daily dependence upon God for present supplies, there are seasons for which we should provide in our prayers; times of temptation, either by adversity or prosperity, and especially our dying time.  We are to come with reverence and godly fear, yet not as if dragged to the seat of justice, but as kindly invited to the mercy-seat, where grace reigns.  We have boldness to enter into the holiest only by the blood of Jesus; he is our Advocate, and has purchased all our souls want or can desire.

And as we go back into the Gospel of Luke, we might conclude a few things:

Luke 18

Story of the Persistent Widow

   (1) One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.

Many of us have experienced injustice at the hands of authority figures, such as family court judges, mean bosses, or parole officers.  This story contrasts God with the unfair judge and makes the point that even if life is unfair, God is fair.  If an evil judge finally answers the pleas of a persistent widow, how much more will a just god respond to those in need who pray to Him in faith.  When trials and challenges make life seem unfair, we can still trust God to deliver us.  Seeking God in prayer requires patience and persistence, but He always answers.

The parable of the importunate widow.

All God's people are praying people.  Here earnest steadiness in prayer for spiritual mercies is taught.  The widow's earnestness prevailed even with the unjust judge: she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our earnest prayer is pleasing to our God.  Even to the end there will still be ground for the same complaint of weakness of faith.

Luke 18:27

(27) He replied, "What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God."

Kind of says it all.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php and http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

44.

Dear Luam and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing God's Word.  Every day God shows me what He wants me to read in His Bible, and you many times are the vehicle He uses to show me.  As I read Job, I am being moved to share some insights He seems to be showing me.  I hope the words touch your heart.  As we look at the oldest book of the Bible:

Job 22:21-25 (New Living Translation)

(21) "Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. (22) Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. (23) If you return to the Almighty and clean up your life, you will be restored. (24) Give up your lust for money, and throw your precious gold into the river. (25) Then the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver!"

While Elipher's advice didn't apply to Job, it is clearly applicable to many of us.  The pain we suffer as a consequence of our dependencies should tell us that our way of coping with life is not working.  We may have tried living without God, but then we discovered that it led to disaster.  ll we need to do is give our life over to God.  and He will help us in the process of recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.  We can find all we were searching for in God.  He is our comfort, our hope, and our "treasure."

Eliphaz exhorts Job to repentance.

The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had hitherto not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion.  The counsel Eliphaz here gives is good, though, as to Job, it was built upon a false supposition that he was a stranger and enemy to God.  Let us beware of slandering our brethren; and if it be our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated; yea, how Jesus was reviled, that we may be patient.  Let us examine whether there may not be some color for the slander, and walk watchfully, so as to be clear of all appearances of evil.

And as we move into the new testament:

John 15:1-8 (New Living Translation)

Jesus, the True Vine

   (1) "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ⁽³⁾ You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. (4) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

   (5) "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (6) Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. (7) But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!  (8) My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father."

God desires that our life be like the fruitful branches of a grapevine.  The only way to be fruitful is to remain connected to Jesus, the vine, and to allow God, the gardener, to prune our life to stimulate growth and fruitfulness.  It is God's cultivating, weeding, and pruning in our life that the desired fruit comes through the vine, so fullness of life comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  We need to stay close to Jesus, the source of power and practical help for recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.

Christ the true Vine.

Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine.  The union of the human and Divine natures, and the fullness of the Spirit that is in him, resemble the root of the vine made fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil.  Believers are branches of this Vine.  The root is unseen, and our life is hid with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports and supplies.  The branches of the vine are many, yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine; thus all true Christians, though in place and opinion distant from each other, meet in Christ. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are weak, and unable to stand but as they are borne up.  The Father is the Husbandman.  Never was any husbandman so wise, so watchful, about his vineyard, as God is about his church, which therefore must prosper.  We must be fruitful.  From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honor God, and do good; this is bearing fruit.  The unfruitful are taken away.  And even fruitful branches need pruning; for the best have notions, passions, and humors, that require to be taken away, which Christ has promised to forward the sanctification of believers, they will be thankful, for them.  The word of Christ is spoken to all believers; and there is a cleansing virtue in that word, as it works grace, and works out corruption.  And the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified.  In order to fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must have union with him by faith. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples, constantly to keep up dependence upon Christ, and communion with him.  True Christians find by experience, that any interruption in the exercise of their faith, causes holy affections to decline, our corruptions to revive, and our comforts to droop. Those who abide not in Christ, though they may flourish for awhile in outward profession, yet come to nothing.  The fire is the fittest place for withered branches; they are good for nothing else.  Let us seek to live more simply on the fullness of Christ, and to grow more fruitful in every good word and work, so may our joy in Him and in his salvation be full.

As we look at what Paul showed us:

1 Thessalonian 5:14-28 (New Living Translation)

(14) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

    (15) See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else.

    (16) Always be joyful. (17) Keep on praying. (18) No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

    (19) Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. (20) Do not scoff at prophecies, (21) but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. (22) Keep away from every kind of evil.

Paul's Final Greetings

    (23) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. (24) God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.

    (25) Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.

    (26) Greet all the brothers and sisters in Christian love.^[a]

    (27) I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

    (28) And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

Paul leaves us with his final good advice.  If we follow these instructions with God's help, we will be well on our way in the recovery process.  We are called to minister to others, a part of recovery that gives hope to others and reinforces our own success.  Paul tells us to rebuild our relationships bay repaying the wrongs of others with kindness.  We are called to live a joyful life, always prayerful, continually seeking god's will.  We are reminded of the gift of the Holy Spirit God's continual presence in our life.  God gives us what we need to succeeded in recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences.  Our part is to participate in the good plan He has set our for us. 

And concludes with prayer, greetings, and a blessing.

The ministers of the gospel are described by the work of their office, which is to serve and honor the Lord.  It is their duty not only to give good counsel, but also to warn the flock of dangers, and reprove for whatever may be amiss.  The people should honor and love their ministers, because their business is the welfare of men's souls.  And the people should be at peace among themselves, doing all they can to guard against any differences.  But love of peace must not make us wink at sin.  The fearful and sorrowful spirits, should be encouraged, and a kind word may do much good.  We must bear and forbear.  We must be long-suffering, and keep down anger, and this to all men.  Whatever man do to us, we must do good to others

The author of Hebrews is unknown, but many have been suggested:

Hebrews 4:14-16 (New Living Translation)

Christ Is Our High Priest

   (14) That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. (15) This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. (16) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully.

It makes a soul that has long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek and obedient.  Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off by this sword.  It will discover to men their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are moved by, the sinful ends they act to.  The word will show the sinner all that is in his heart.  Let us hold fast the doctrines of Christian faith in our heads, its enlivening principles in our hearts, the open profession of it in our lips, and be subject to it in our lives.  Christ executed one part of his priesthood on earth, in dying for us; the other he executes in heaven, pleading the cause, and presenting the offerings of his people.  In the sight of Infinite Wisdom, it was needful that the Saviour of men should be one who has the fellow-feeling which no being but a fellow-creature could possibly have; and therefore it was necessary he should actual experience of all the effects of sin that could be separated from its actual guilt. God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, (Roman 8:3); but the more holy and pure he was, the more he must have been unwilling in his nature to sin, and must have had deeper impression of its evil; consequently the more must he be concerned to deliver his people from its guilt and power.  We should encourage ourselves by the excellence of our High Priest, to come boldly to the throne of grace.  Mercy and grace are the things we want; mercy to pardon all our sins, and grace to purify our souls.  Besides our daily dependence upon God for present supplies, there are seasons for which we should provide in our prayers; times of temptation, either by adversity or prosperity, and especially our dying time.  We are to come with reverence and godly fear, yet not as if dragged to the seat of justice, but as kindly invited to the mercy-seat, where grace reigns.  We have boldness to enter into the holiest only by the blood of Jesus; he is our Advocate, and has purchased all our souls want or can desire.

And as we go back into the Gospel of Luke, we might conclude a few things:

Luke 18

Story of the Persistent Widow

   (1) One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.

Many of us have experienced injustice at the hands of authority figures, such as family court judges, mean bosses, or parole officers.  This story contrasts God with the unfair judge and makes the point that even if life is unfair, God is fair.  If an evil judge finally answers the pleas of a persistent widow, how much more will a just god respond to those in need who pray to Him in faith.  When trials and challenges make life seem unfair, we can still trust God to deliver us.  Seeking God in prayer requires patience and persistence, but He always answers.

The parable of the importunate widow.

All God's people are praying people.  Here earnest steadiness in prayer for spiritual mercies is taught.  The widow's earnestness prevailed even with the unjust judge: she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our earnest prayer is pleasing to our God.  Even to the end there will still be ground for the same complaint of weakness of faith.

Luke 18:27

(27) He replied, "What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God."

Kind of says it all.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php and http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html

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45.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I was reading my email, Dr. Z shared some information with me that touched my soul.  As I read it I rewrote it the way I felt and decided to share the results with you.  I pray it touches your heart in a way that you may also move beyond the walls of your church.  After all, Jesus didn't teach men to go to church, He taught the disciples, men and women to make all become disciples of Christ.

As we proceed with the work and mission at hand, it's something we need to remember Go Ye!! As I prepared to witness to others to show how a homeless beach bum can be changed by the Bible, I am asked by many, "Why go out into the streets for people when every Sunday several visitors come to churchs with walls?"  Oh, I could have replied about it being the command of Jesus, or that God would eventually stop the flow of visitors if they didnt go out into the streets; but still, why do it if your church is growing as is? 

I also know that if we filled all of the Christian churches in the United States, we could only serve 20% of the population.  What about the other 80%?  Well, the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry is a church without walls that can serve the other 80% if we had enough pastors and followers of Christ Jesus who desire to his work.  

What would the Apostle Paul have said?  Well, I tell you, Ive looked close at the gospels, especially the book of Acts, our traditional guides to soul winning.  Ive read historical accounts from others to see how the church operated during Pauls time. You know what?  I could not find one reference to announcing visitors at the end of service, or about altar calls, or a show of hands for the unsaved or backslidden, or even of sinners prayers.  How did they win souls for Christ?  How did they know when someone was saved?  Not by waiting for them to visit the church!  The world of Pauls time was much like today.  Now they didnt spend Sunday afternoon on the couch watching a ball game while the women went to the mall, but they did spend it in their own ways with the same basic needs and desires as you and me.  They were comfortable in their ways and so were the establishment churches.  Then along came Paul and his band "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). Well, its the same world today.  Only the world is already upside down.  They just dont know it.  It is wrong side up and needs to be turned right side up.  We, you and me, are the people to turn it right side up. We are Pauls band today.  It is our job, not Billy Grahams, not Benny Hinns, not T.D. Jakes, not our pastor, its our job.  Angels dont witness, we do men, women and children.  Jesus has no other plan for saving the world than us.  It is our job, our call, Gods will that we (all of us) witness and win souls for His kingdom.  It is time for todays church to have the same notoriety as the church of James, Peter, John and Paul. 

It is time we of the church move outside of the walls of the church and witness to others outside of the church.  What did the church have then that is lacking today?  The first soul winning strategy for the church was and has to be PRAYER.  It is the foundation stone that comes before, during and after any other work and continues to support the life of the church.  The early church knew the truth . . . Acts 1:13-14 the beginning of the church. Acts 2:1-4 the empowerment of the church. Acts 2:41 the result of prayer and empowerment. Acts 2:42-46 the continuation of daily prayer. Acts 2:47 the result of continuing in prayer. The church went to the streets after (and during continued) prayer.  They took to heart Jesus command, "Go ye . . . "   This became their vision, their mission statement. Within their Jesus-driven vision came the remaining strategies the church followed while seeking souls.  Mark 16:15-20 . . ."And He said unto them . . . "  Jesus spoke to them; He called them; He sent them. And wherever they went then and now they went with UNITY OF FAITH.  Remember, they were already praying together, praying in one accord.  Now in one accord they go forth.  They may go in separate ways to different people, but they go as one unified by faith in Jesus Christ. 

In my travels I have spoken to many unsaved and backslidden who have no desire to associate with todays church because of all the confusion caused by name calling and back biting.  We have taken denominational stances as a kind of feudal kingdom defense work that must be challenged, must be attacked. And we have surely attacked without regard to unity of faith, without regard to the negative impact left on the world.  "Go ye into all the world . . ."  Jesus endowed them with an urgency to evangelize the world.  He pictured the world for them a world right outside their church doors and implanted a ZEAL OF THE HARVEST in them.

"Go ye" still echoes resoundingly for the church today. We neednt go too far to see the need, to find the lost, to touch the hurting. "Go ye" with a zeal that matches the urgency of the times. "And preach the gospel to every creature . . . "  Jesus said we have a powerful tool, a mighty weapon to go forth with.  We need not go to the streets empty handed for we can carry the TRUTH OF THE WORD.  The world is hungry for the truth.  Everyone and everything has lied to them.  OUR CULTURE HAS LIED TO US.  Our culture teaches us that materialism and secularism is the way to success.  NO IT IS NOT.  It only gives temporary good feeling, like sex.  Nothing long lasting like God give us.  They need to know that God has never lied to them and His Word can be trusted. 

Too often I have witnessed the church disguise the truth, sugar coat it so the world wont be offended.  The world knows what you are doing! I have stood on the streets of New York with hardened sinners who knew they were deep in sin and also knew they would soon die and go to hell.  Yet, if the church came to them, they tempered Gods truth with platitudes that were not received.  The world needs to hear the truth Gods version, not ours. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned . . . "  Theres the truth of the Word.  More importantly you can recognize the PURPOSE OF JESUS -- salvation for as many that believe.  His purpose should be our purpose.  God's will be done.  However, until we "go ye" we cannot partake in the victorious baptism of new believers. "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name . . . "  Jesus makes it plain and simple.  "Go ye" in His name, not your name, not your churchs name. 

We are seeking the unsaved for His kingdom. We are not seeking new church members.  We have come to revere the church as much as God.  Yet, Jesus says go forth in His name.  In that name you will show the world a right and proper FEAR OF GOD.  There is very little fear today fear is not macho.  There is very little reverence today reverence is not independence. Well, the Bible is all about fearing (reverencing) God. "Go ye" with a fearful reverence of God. The church needs to teach the world less about "Daddy" and more about "Father." "Shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover . . . " Jesus said as we "go ye," He will empower the soul winner with the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

As you take Gods truth to the streets, you will not go far before you realize the world can be a scary place.  You never know the greeting you will receive, the situation waiting behind those closed doors.  Paul and his band faced the same uncertainties.  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and protect you, to guide and direct you, if you will only listen to Him.  As you go forth, you dare not leave the Holy Spirit behind.  "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them . . . And they went forth . . . "  Jesus lit a fire in them and they lit a fire in the church.  They went forth and preached everywhere!  The fire Jesus lit is the VISION OF VICTORY and it still burns bright in many churches.  When you cut through the dogmas and traditions, the rites and rituals, you still find the vision for evangelizing the world smoldering just beneath the surface waiting for a fresh wind to reignite it. 

Today, Jesus might say, "Bring my vision to the surface and go ye." Paul and his band went and turned the world upside down. Today, you and your band can go out and turn your world upside down. Go ye!

I thank Dr. Z and God's blessings for allowing me to share these words.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php

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46.

Dear Lita and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing God's Word.  I am being led to express my comments on parts of these scriptures.

Haggai was called to encourage the people of Jerusalem to return to the task of rebuilding God's house.  About eighteen years had passed since Cyrus released Zerubbabel with a group of Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.  They had arrived filled with hope, but pressure from the local authorities and selfish decisions led them to quit.  They turned instead to building their own homes.  Their priorities were out of order.

Haggai's task was to arouse the people to complete the rebuilding of God's temple.  Over a six month period, he gave four messages designed to get the people back on track.  He began by telling them to stop making excuses and get back to work.  He showed them how their present suffering resulted from their failure to put God first in their lives.  They needed to get their spiritual lives in shape and let their actions prove that they had done so before they could expect God's blessings.  Haggai's next messages continued the encouragement by promising God's help as they continued to work.

Rebuilding the Temple was difficult; so is the task of rebuilding our life.  There will always be obstacles, but we don't have to let them stop us.  When we feel like quitting, we can remember Haggai's message.  God is there to help and protect us each step of the way.  As God's people had to reassess their spiritual lives in the rebuilding process, we need to examine our life and act to prove our inner changes.  Like the people of Jerusalem, we can respond to Haggai's message and move forward in the rebuilding process.

As I review the scriptures, I have identified the following to address:

Haggai 2:3-9 (New Living Translation)

(3) Is there anyone who can remember this house--the Temple--as it was before? In comparison, how does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! (4) But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD. Take courage, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Take courage, all you people still left in the land, says the LORD. Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty. (5) My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.

    (6) "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. (7) I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD Almighty. (8) The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD Almighty. (9) The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!"

The former Temple had been destroyed nearly seventy years earlier, so there were few alive who could remember it.  The few elderly people who had seen Solomon's Temple were sad because the new Temple would never match the old one in splendor.  God made it clear, however, work toward recovery, the pain over what we have lost through our addictions and significant life changing experiences need not distract us from building for a worthwhile future.  There is always hope when we rebuild with God's help.

Greater glory promised to the second temple than to the first.

Those who are hearty in the Lord's service shall receive encouragement to proceed.  But they could not build such a temple then, as Solomon built.  Though our gracious God is pleased if we do as well as we can in his service, yet our proud hearts will scarcely let us be pleased, unless we do as well as others, whose abilities are far beyond ours.  Encouragement is given the Jews to go on in the work notwithstanding.  They have God with them, his Spirit and his special presence.  Though he chastens their transgressions, his faithfulness does not fail.  The Spirit still remained among them.  And they shall have the Messiah among them shortly.  Convulsions and changes would take place in the Jewish church and state, but first should come great revolutions and commotions among the nations.  He shall come, as the Desire of all nations; desirable to all nations, for in him shall all the earth be blessed with the best of blessings; long expected and desired by all believers.  The house they were building should be filled with glory, very far beyond Solomon's temple.  This house shall be filled with glory of another nature.  If we have silver and gold, we must serve and honor God with it, for the property is his.  If we have not silver and gold, we must honor him with such as we have, and he will accept us.  Let them be comforted that the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, in what would be beyond all the glories of the first house, the presence of the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord of glory, personally, and in human nature.  Nothing but the presence of the Son of God, in human form and nature, could fulfill this.  Jesus is the Christ, is He that should come, and we are to look for no other.  This prophecy alone is enough to silence the Jews, and condemn their obstinate rejection of Him, concerning whom all their prophets spake.  If God be with us, peace is with us.  But the Jews under the latter temple had much trouble; but this promise is fulfilled in that spiritual peace which Jesus Christ has by his blood purchased for all believers.  All changes shall make way for Christ to be desired and valued by all nations.  And the Jews shall have their eyes opened to behold how precious He is, whom they have hitherto rejected.

The Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry has been torn down in a way.  As I reflect on how God moved me by allowing so many to enter my life to help it to serve over 2100 meals per month on almost nothing, it in itself is a miracle.  Now I am over 5000 miles a way with no facility to operate out of and may have lost most of the resources the ministry had accumulated.  I just found out that the ticket to return will eat up much of the savings I had hoped would help provide the deposit and months rent on a new facility I know God will guide me to.  But I know God will show me a way to get back to Hawaii somehow without taking a bite out of the very limited budget I have.  What ever God has in store for the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry, I will trust Him to provide.  My only desire is to serve God and to be a disciple of Christ Jesus.  He will show the way as he did during Haggai's time, about 2,525 years ago (over 520 years before Christ was born).  The message is meant for the ministry's recovery, and mine.

Thank you for sharing God's Word for us and me.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html

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47.

Dear Ron and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I began my Bible study today, God seemed to keep me into the book of Revelations and have been moved to respond to a part of it in chapter 20.  I am  thankful for you, Ron R.

We make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourself is Step 4.  My sponsor, Ron, says I do not effectively respond in this step, no matter how much time and how much I have written.  So I guess I may be working on this step with God for some time.  But God is showing me stuff today.

We may wish we could avoid taking moral inventory; it's normal to want to hide from personal examination.  But in our heart we probably sense that a day will come when we will have to face the truth about ourself and our life.

The Bible tell us there is a day coming when an inventory will be made of every life.  No one will be able to hide.  in John's vision he saw "And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. (12) I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. (13) The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds. (14) And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire. (15) And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."  (Revelation 20:11-15 (New Living Translation))

It is best to do our own earthly moral inventory now so we can be ready for the one to come.  Anyone whose name is in the Book of Life will be saved, including all whose sins have been atoned for by the death of Jesus.  Those who refuse God's offer of mercy are left to be judged on the basis of their own deeds recorded in "the books."  No one will pass the test!  Perhaps now is a good time to make sure that our name is in the right book.  knowing that our sins are covered with God's forgiveness can help us examine our life fearlessly and honestly. 

More about judgment day is described in Matthew 25:31 to end.  My sponsor helped me start the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry (without him even being aware of it at the time) and he has been a volunteer since.  He is doing what Jesus would do.  He must be in the "Book of Life."

The last and general resurrection.

After the events just foretold, the end will speedily come; and there is no mention of any thing else, before the appearing of Christ to judge the world.  This will be the great day: the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, will then put on majesty and terror.  The persons to be judged are the dead, small and great; young and old, low and high, poor and rich.  None are so mean, but we all have some talents to account for; and none so great, as to avoid having to account for them. Not only those alive at the coming of Christ, but all the dead.  There is a book of remembrance both for good and bad: and the book of the sinner's conscience, though formerly secret, will then be opened.  Every man will recollect all his past actions, though he had long forgotten many of them.  Another book shall be opened, the book of the Scriptures, the rule of life; it represents the Lord's knowledge of his people, and his declaring their repentance, faith, and good works; showing the blessings of the new covenant.  By our works men shall be justified or condemned; we will try our principles by our practices.  Those of us justified and acquitted by the gospel, shall be justified and acquitted by the Judge, and shall enter into eternal life, having nothing more to fear from death, or hell, or wicked men; for these are all destroyed together.  This is the second death; it is the final separation of sinners from God.  Let it be our great concern to see whether our Bibles justify or condemn us now; for Christ will judge the secrets of all men according to the gospel. Who shall dwell with devouring flames?

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/org/2280144.html

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48.

Dear Luam and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God.  Thank you for helping us to remind us of our mandate from God.

Luke 6:27-36 (New International Version)

Love for Enemies

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (29) If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (30) Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. (31) Do to others as you would have them do to you.  (32) If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. (33) And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. (34) And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. (35) But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (36) Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Forgiveness:

As we set out to mend relationships, there may be some things that are beyond our control.  Some people may refuse to be reconciled, even when we do our best to make amends.  This may leave us feeling like victims.  Once again we are stuck with the pain of unresolved issues.  We may be left with negative feelings that continue to surface.  What can we do to gain control in these situations?

As Jesus said these things, we no longer need to be controlled by other people's dispositions and ac tons.  Even when we have done our best to make amends for the wrongs we have done, the situation may not change.  And even when we have come to terms with the wrongs that have been done against us, our feelings may not change.  But we don't have to be held captive by our feelings or the feelings of others.  We can choose to forgive and act in loving ways.  This will free us from being controlled by anyone other than God.  As we choose to forgive others and do good, our feelings will change with time.

In the verses just before these, the beatitudes and woes serve as a call to be responsive to God in light of his promise of faithfulness to those who are his.  The call to love unconditionally in verses 27-36 is a hard one to follow if we cannot trust that God will one day exercise justice.  The premise of the sacrificial spiritual life is the promise of God's faithful justice.  The beatitudes indicate the kind of person God desires as his child. These blessings are not a works salvation but represent an invitation to let God mold his children into who they ought to be.  So God assures those who are needy that he will care for them.

Jesus offers promises to the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who suffer religious persecution.  God sees their spiritual commitment, which has cost them in the pocketbook. To people such as these God promises the kingdom now and blessing later, including enough to eat, laughter and heavenly reward. Unlike Matthew, Luke includes woes, not just blessings. Jesus divides humankind into two camps (3:15-18--the purging Spirit of fire).  In contrast to the blessed stand the rich, those who are well fed, those who laugh and those who receive praise.  Their fate is sorrow, hunger, mourning and a life like those who followed the false prophets. The contrast is stark.

The term blessed refers to one who is the object of grace and is happy because of it.  Those who are blessed do not face an easy life.  The mention of poverty and deprivation reflects the reality that many early Christians were poor.  In addition, their commitment to Jesus led to their being persecuted like the prophets of old.  In Jewish circles the choice to be a disciple would have meant ostracism.  The goal of such ostracism was to punish and shame the "defector," or perhaps to persuade the defector to return.  Social isolation would bring economic consequences.

But despite such opposition, disciples are blessed, since God promises to care for them.  They belong to his kingdom and are under his rule.  They are the pious poor.  These beatitudes serve to comfort and reassure those who belong to God.  They stand in a long line of the faithful, including the prophets of old. It is often the case that standing up for Jesus and the truth brings ostracism, but God has promised blessing to his children.

The woes also reflect prophetic tradition. A woe warns of condemnation. Here Jesus addresses the judgment of God to the callous rich and others who are comfortable with their state in life while being unconcerned about the needs of others. The lack of a genuine spiritual dimension in their life is seen in the comparison Jesus makes between them and the false prophets. For those who do not engage God on the divinity's terms there looms nothing but the terrible expectation of a day of reckoning. One of the dangers of wealth is that it can lead one to believe a life of independence is possible--a view that Jesus teaches is arrogant and misguided (12:13-21).  The world's values are not God's values. The reversal portrayed in the beatitudes and woes reflects the idea that "the one with the most toys" often loses. God's blessing can be found in surprising places. It rests on those who rest in him.  As I write these words, I am of course feeling the response God has called me to do in the past with the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry.

These verses  are underlined by three concrete examples.  First, if someone strikes us on the cheek, then offer him the other.  Such a slap would be delivered by the back of the hand, though the context here suggests any action that communicates rejection.  Jesus' point is that even in the midst of such rejection, we continue to minister to others and expose ourselves to the threat of rejection.  The ministry of Paul among the Jews in Acts is a clear example of such love.  Love is available and vulnerable, subject to repeated abuse.

Second, Jesus gives the example of someone stealing one's outer garment.  He advises letting them have the undershirt too!  The point is that one should not seek revenge but remain exposed and be willing to take even more risks.  Luke may well be thinking of the danger of missionary travel in the first century or the risk of violence against those who professed Christ.  The situation of Sosthenes in Acts 18:17 comes to mind, as does Paul's risk when he was left for dead in Acts 14:19.  Despite such danger, he continued to preach to those who rejected him (1 Cor 4:9-13; 2 Cor 11:21--12:10).  As the parable of the good Samaritan shows, travel in Jesus' and Luke's day could be dangerous.  In the face of such hostility, the call is to keep loving the enemy.

Third, one is to be generous and not keep account.  Disciples should be marked by a genuine readiness to meet needs.  To the one who begs, give.  From the one who takes, do not seek to get it back.  Begging here probably refers to alms giving.  Resources are not to be hoarded, but generously dispensed.  Paul reflects a similar attitude in 1 Timothy 6:8-18.  In the case of theft, there is to be no pursuit of retribution.  Such self-denial is the essence of love.  The consummate example is the cross.  Jesus gave to those who had taken.

The sheer difficulty of these commands has led to discussion of how literal they are.  Yet Jesus' life makes it clear that he took these standards seriously. When his opponents took his life, he did not seek retribution but prayed for their forgiveness.  He was more interested in giving something that would build than in retrieving what had been taken.  The three illustrations picture the kind of action that manifests radical love.  The world's standards of love should be surpassed (6:32-34).  But we can only accept such a standard if we believe that God will see and reward the faithful.  Without a theological view to build on, Jesus' ethics wilt into futility and foolishness.

So Jesus offers what became known in the sixteenth century as the "golden rule": Do to others as you would have them do to you. The verse has Old Testament roots (Lev 19:18).  In addition, numerous such ethical statements existed in ancient Jewish and Greek culture. Jesus' formulation of the rule, however, is the least self-focused.  Jesus is not saying, "Do good deeds for others so they will return the favor."  Instead he is calling for actions of love regardless of how the other responds.  Nor is he saying, "Think of what you like, then do that for others."  Rather, we are to be sensitive to the needs, feelings and concerns of others and seek to meet them.  Sensitivity in love means listening and serving.  This does not mean ignoring moral limits, as Jesus' own ministry makes clear, but it does mean caring enough to be concerned about how others feel.  The old adage "walk a mile in my shoes" may fit here: look at things from another's perspective and then act with concern.

In the modern world, this would mean not just protesting against abortion but being prepared to care for the child that is born to a mother who has chosen not to abort.  More than this, we are called to continue to love those who go ahead with their intention to abort.  It means not just talking about ethnic oneness in the church but acting out oneness in community, like Paul's crossing ethnic lines to raise funds for believers in need.  Even more, this passage calls us to show tangible concern for unbelievers in need, so when someone tells them that God loves them, they will have seen evidence of such love.

Jesus repeats his examples in verses 32-34 but adds one more point: If we love only those who give us love, what is so great about that kind of love?  It is like the love sinners give.  If we do good only to those who do good to us, what is so special about that?  It is like the love sinners give.  If we lend money only to those who will respond in kind, what is so honorable about that?  It is the ethics sinners have.  The clear implication is that the disciples are not to live and love like sinners.  The love of believers is to be different from the love displayed by the culture.  As children of God, believers have been transformed to live in contrast to the way of sinners, modeling the sacrifice of radical love.

So Jesus summarizes: love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. When we give, it should not be with strings attached.  When we serve, it should be to meet needs, not to give tit for tat.  True service involves a giving that does not demand a giving back.  The essence of relationship for the child of God is to love and serve.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachooutreach.org 

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49.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  As I am studying the Bible today, God moved me to Revelations 3:20.  As I am reading it, I am thinking how it could be used in any 12 step program of recovery and significant life changing experiences.  The Bible really is a tool to guide us in our lives like no other book ever written.  I am hoping you enjoy the commentary and God speaks to you.

Revelation 3:20 (New Living Translation)

"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends."

The believers in Laodiea were engaged in full-blown denial.  Though they portrayed themselves as being self-sustaining and having no needs, Christ saw their situation differently.  To Him they were spiritually blind and destitute.  But, worst of all, they were spiritually indifferent - LUKEWARM.  Sometimes after making progress in recovery we grow indifferent to our new lifestyle.  We forget how desperate we were before entering recovery and that God is the one who set us free.  We begin to long for things that will lead us back into bondage.  We can avoid that long slide backward by taking honest moral inventory and getting back on track.

Here, Christ is reporting thatin His own churchsome know that He is at the door, but they will not rouse themselves from their spiritual lethargy to open it.  By implication, they will not invite Him into their lives.  As unbelievable as it sounds, there are those in His church who will keep Him on the outside looking in (see Song of Songs 5:2-3)!

But there is hope.  In Revelation 3:20, that word "if" holds out hopehope that a Laodicean can repent, can change, can choose to open the door to Christ rather than ignore Him.  Are we opening the door?  Are we opening ourselves up to Christ to build the kind of relationship that will lead to eternal life (John 17:3)?

Our calling is irrevocable (Romans 11:29), and it is God's will that we succeed (John 6:39-40).  And when a thing is God's will, Isaiah 14:24 says, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand."  God has given us everything we need to succeed; we just have to open the door.

Are we opening the door? There are some easy tests:

Are we diligently praying, studying, meditating, fasting, and not allowing our deceitful and sleepy natures to accept excuses for failure?

Are we opening our minds and hearts during services by being alert and eager?

Are we wise or foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12)? Have we been lulled to sleep and see no need for urgency (II Peter 3:4)?

God knows the true answers to each one of these questions. Do we?

These relationship-building tools are our Christian responsibilities.  They are the daily, little things given to us that, in a large measure, tell God the real intentions of our hearts.  Failure to handle these "trifles" proves us as unfaithful servants (Luke 16:10-13).

One who gives careless attention to his responsibilities is a Laodicean.  We need to open our doors to Christ as never before because, as Romans 13:11 says, "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."

A song of praise.

Laodicea was the last and worst of the seven churches of Asia. Here our Lord Jesus styles himself, to one steady and unchangeable in all his purposes and promises.  If religion is worth anything, it is worth every thing.  Christ expects us to be in earnest.  How many professors of gospel doctrine are neither hot nor cold; except as they are indifferent in needful matters, and hot and fiery in disputes about things of lesser moment!  A severe punishment is threatened.  They would give a false opinion of Christianity, as if it were an unholy religion; while others would conclude it could afford no real satisfaction, otherwise its professors would not have been heartless in it, or so ready to seek pleasure or happiness from the world.  One cause of this indifference and inconsistency in religion is, self-conceit and self-delusion.  What a difference between their thoughts of themselves, and the thoughts Christ had of them!  How careful should we be not to cheat our owns souls!  There are many in hell, who once thought themselves far in the way to heaven.  Let us beg of God that we may not be left to flatter and deceive ourselves.  Professors grow proud, as they become carnal and formal.  Their state was wretched in itself.  They were poor; really poor, when they said and thought they were rich.  They could not see their state, nor their way, nor their danger, yet they thought they saw it.  They had not the garment of justification, nor sanctification: they were exposed to sin and shame; their rags that would defile them.  They were naked, without house or harbor, for they were without God, in whom alone the soul of man can find rest and safety.  Good counsel was given by Christ to this sinful people.  Happy those who take his counsel, for all others must perish in their sins.  Christ lets them know where they might have true riches, and how they might have them.  Some things must be parted with, but nothing valuable; and it is only to make room for receiving true riches.  Part with sin and self-confidence, that we may be filled with his hidden treasure.  We must receive from Christ the white raiment He purchased and provided for us; His own imputed righteousness for justification, and the garments of holiness and sanctification.  Let us give ourselves up to His Word and Spirit, and our eyes shall be opened to see our way and our end.  Let us examine ourselves by the rule of His Word, and pray earnestly for the teaching of his Holy Spirit, to take away our pride, prejudices, and worldly lusts.  Sinners ought to take the rebukes of God's word and rod, as tokens of His love to our souls. Christ stood without; knocking, by the dealings of his providence, the warnings and teaching of his word, and the influences of his Spirit.  Christ still graciously, by his word and Spirit, comes to the door of the hearts of sinners. Those who open to Him shall enjoy His presence.  If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will supply a rich one.  He will give fresh supplies of graces and comforts.  In the conclusion is a promise to the overcoming believer.  Christ himself had temptations and conflicts; he overcame them all, and was more than a conqueror.  Those made like to Christ in His trials, shall be made like to Him in glory.  All is closed with the general demand of attention.  And these counsels, while suited to the churches to which they were addressed, are deeply interesting to all men.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org (check it out)

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50.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  I hope you find this to touch your heart in some way as it has mine.

Being In Love

Think back to when you met that man/woman that you just knew would be the
one. Remember when you realized/admitted to yourself that you loved him/her. Now remember how much you wanted to act like you were in a movie, and yell to everyone in the football stadium "I love (fill in the name)!" You told family and friends how perfect he/she was she/he was just what you were looking for.

Well, I told The Lord I love Him today. And He said to me, "How much do you love me? You haven't told anyone how good I've been to you. You haven't shared how perfect my love is. You haven't spread the good news that I am always there to listen to your problems. You haven't told your family how I helped you pay your bills when you didn't have a high paying job, or how I got you a better one.

 You didn't tell your boys/girls how I took away that addiction that would have cost you not only your job, but also that woman/man that was just what you were looking for. So how much
do you really love me?"

So, I said I would share with my friends and family (for starters) just
how wonderful, perfect, understanding, patient, loving, unselfish,
considerate and forgiving God really is. He has blessed me with a family that loves me and friends that I can confide in. But even more than that,
He has saved me from destruction I couldn't even see coming. He gave to me the peace of knowing Him, and He has never broken a promise.

Truly He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I stand in my stadium today to tell to you all, "I Love The Lord

 God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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51.

Dear Pat (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your message.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts on love.

God is Love.  Love is used 280 times in the King James Version and 588 times in the New Living Translation of the Bible.  I tend to use the New Living Translation most when I share with others.  The reason should seem obvious, it's all about love.  Jesus' apostle John writes in the most loving way in his writings.  It becomes very obvious that he felt love the greatest of all.  Love is all I desire.  I desire no money or other things that could hold me back from really experiencing love.  Love is the most important gift I desire.  Money can't buy love.  God is Love and money can't buy God.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on love.  I have no probles with your understanding.  I believe God still desires me to have a woman who loves me unconditionally.   Most all the women in my life and who have written me have left me when they found they could get no financial security from me.  God will supply the finances directly to the last woman who enters my life.

 John 14:21
Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.

1 John 4:18
Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.

2 Peter 1:7
Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

1 Thessalonians 4:9
But I don't need to write to you about the Christian love that should be shown among God's people. For God himself has taught you to love one another

1 John 4:19
We love each other as a result of his loving us first.

John 15:12
I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud (5) or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.  (6) It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 

Romans 13:8
Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law.

Hebrews 13:1
Continue to love each other with true Christian love.

1 John 5:2
We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments.

1 John 4:20
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?

Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God's requirements.

1 Peter 4:8
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Matthew 5:46
If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.

Romans 12:9
Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.

Ephesians 5:25
And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her

John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

1 John 2:15
Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you.

These are just a few of the scriptures that explain love.  We can invent our own words, but they need to comply with what the Bible tells us what love really is. 

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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52.

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Someone sent this to me and it touched me enough to dress it up and send it to you.  Not much to say about it, kind of says it by itself.

1. Wake Up !!
Decide to have a good day.
"This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as
talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!
. . . for what you believe in.
Stand for something or you will fall for anything.
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up !!
. . . to the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".
Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!
. . . for something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !!
. . . your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead
PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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53.

Dear Luz (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your note.  Thank you for sharing the scripture Psalm 23.  As I am reviewing this time honored psalm of David, I am being led to respond to it.

Psalm 23 (New Living Translation)

The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.  (2) He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.  (3) He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.  (4) Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  (5) You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings.  (6) Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

God is our shepherd, and He knows what we need even better than we do.  God wants us to have what is best for us.  As long as we make Him our shepherd, He will lead us to places of safety.  He knows how to direct us away from places where we may be tempted to stumble.  Even when we fall, He can deliver us from our failure, pain, and suffering.  God will help us avoid the places where we have stumbled in the past and guide as we journey toward recovery and deal with significant life changes.

Confidence in God's grace and care.

The Lord is my shepherd.  In these words, we are taught to express our satisfaction in the care of the great Pastor of the universe, the Redeemer and Preserver of men.  With joy we reflects that we have a shepherd, and that shepherd is Jehovah.  A flock of sheep, gentle and harmless, feeding in verdant pastures, under the care of a skilful, watchful, and tender shepherd, forms an emblem of believers brought back to the Shepherd of their souls.  The greatest abundance is but a dry pasture to a wicked man, who relishes in it only what pleases the senses; but to a godly man, who by faith tastes the goodness of God in all his enjoyments, though he has but little of the world, it is a green pasture.  The Lord gives quiet and contentment in the mind, whatever the lot is.  Are we blessed with the green pastures of the ordinances, let us not think it enough to pass through them, but let us abide in them.  The consolations of the Holy Spirit are the still waters by which the saints are led; the streams which flow from the Fountain of living waters.  Those only are led by the still waters of comfort, who walk in the paths of righteousness.  The way of duty is the truly pleasant way.  The work of righteousness in peace.  In these paths we cannot walk, unless. God lead us into them, and lead us on in them.  Discontent and distrust proceed from unbelief; an unsteady walk is the consequence: let us then simply trust our Shepherd's care, and hearken to his voice. The valley of the shadow of death may denote the most severe and terrible affliction, or dark dispensation of providence, that the psalmist ever could come under.  Between the part of the flock on earth and that which is gone to heaven, death lies like a dark valley that must be passed in going from one to the other.  But even in this there are words which lessen the terror.  It is but the shadow of death: the shadow of a serpent will not sting, nor the shadow of a sword kill. It is a valley, deep indeed, and dark, and miry; but valleys are often fruitful, and so is death itself fruitful of comforts to God's people.  It is a walk through it: we shall not be lost in this valley, but get safe to the mountain on the other side.  Death is a king of terrors, but not to the sheep of Christ. When we come to die, God will rebuke the enemy; He will guide us with his rod, and sustain us with his staff.  There is enough in the gospel to comfort the saints when dying, and underneath them are the everlasting arms.  The Lord's people feast at his table, upon the provisions of his love. Satan and wicked men are not able to destroy their comforts, while they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and drink of the cup of salvation which is ever full.  Past experience teaches us believers to trust that the goodness and mercy of God will follow us all the days of our lives, and it is our desire and determination, to seek our happiness in the service of God here, and they hope to enjoy His love for ever in heaven.  While here, the Lord can make any situation pleasant, by the anointing of his Spirit and the joys of his salvation.  But those of us that would be satisfied with the blessings of His house, must keep close to the duties of it.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php

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54.

Dear Stephen and Rebecca,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing Gods Words.  Thank you for your love.

I will not be able to respond since I will be traveling on a train for 4 days to go to Ohio and be back in Hawaii June 1st (unless God has new plans for me before then).  I am now homeless, so I will be staying with family until God makes a new way for me.

Luke 6:22 (New Living Translation)

God blesses you who are hated and excluded and mocked and cursed because you are identified with me, the Son of Man.

When Jesus spoke about Kingdom values, He was speaking about the Importance of following God's priorities in life.  He pronounced blessings and joy for those who follow Him and hunger for God.  But He pronounced sorrows on those who selfishly seek to be rich and live for the moment.  By His his strong words, Jesus was creating a crisis intervention of sorts.  Those who put their greatest trust in money and material goods and do not realize their need for God will one day meet the great Equalizer.  Those who trust in God will be rewarded.

The apostles chosen.

We often think one half hour a great deal to spend in meditation and secret prayer, but Christ was whole nights engaged in these duties.  In serving God, our great care should be not to lose time, but to make the end of one good duty the beginning of another.  The twelve apostles are here named; never were men so privileged, yet one of them had a devil, and proved a traitor.  Those who have not faithful preaching near them, had better travel far than be without it.  It is indeed worth while to go a great way to hear the word of Christ, and to go out of the way of other business for it.  They came to be cured by him, and he healed them. There is a fullness of grace in Christ, and healing virtue in him, ready to go out from him, that is enough for all, enough for each.  Men regard the diseases of the body as greater evils than those of their souls; but the Scripture teaches us differently.

Thank you for sharing God's might Word.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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55.

Dear Dony and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your words.  Your words influenced my decision. 

I am leaving this evening on a train to go to Ohio to share some time with my son as he is going through his difficult challenges.  I will be traveling for 4 days, so I will not be able to communicate except by phone (808-497-6920).  I will help him remodel his home so he can sell it.  If there is any hope to make the marriage work, then it is time for a change.  She needs to get away from the men in the town she is presently living in.  She has already filed for a divorce and my son never desired to see his son's see this happen.  He saw it in his own life when his mother left me.  He thought he could control his wife, but now he sees reality.  But God can change all things and maybe my presence can change things, too.  If the Holy Spirit is really in me, then others will see Him and may desire Him. 

I am planning to stay at his house, unless his wife kicks me out, until May 31st.  I hope to be back in Hawaii June 1st if God has a new place for me to operate out of.  I am presently homeless.  Check out the web sites www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php to see what is happening.  I just revised them today, so if the web master approves them today, they will be updated.  I will try to keep these changed to reflect what is going on weekly.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb

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56.

Dear Luz and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for considering others that might be willing to help the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry.   Thank you for sharing the Word of God.  This is what I am sharing with you based upon what God is showing me.

The Christian supporters of the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry have been giving the United Methodist Church on Beratania the food contributions that Sam's Club and the local radio station have been donating each week to WBOM since March 8th, and now until June 1st (God bless David and Cheri).  The H-5 leader never offered to help other than to continue to provide meals every Wednesday to Waikiki homeless as they have been doing for years (they inspired the inseption of WBOM) and to tell me to keep doing what I am doing.  I expect to be staying with family and friends until June 1 when I come back and do what God wants me to do.  I will be staying with my son, R.E., in Ohio, hope to visit my daughter,Angelena, in Ohio, and visit my younger son, Ryan, in Virginia.

Before we review the Psalm you addressed, check out the web sites www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php because some significant changes have been made.  I am presently homeless until June 1st (or till God shows me a new vision to solve the challanges).

Psalm 20 (New Living Translation)

In times of trouble, may the LORD respond to your cry.  May the God of Israel keep you safe from all harm.  (2) May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem.  (3) May he remember all your gifts  and look favorably on your burnt offerings.  (4) May he grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans.  (5) May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory, flying banners to honor our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.  (6) Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed king.  He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.  (7) Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the LORD our God.  (8) Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.  (9) Give victory to our king, O LORD!  Respond to our cry for help. 

The psalmist counted on God's presence at all times to protect him, especially when his problems were most intense.  The Bible is full of stories of people who were helped by God in times of trouble:  Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Peter, Paul.  If God helped all these people when they needed Him, He can also protect all of us.  Knowing we need His help, we must remain steadfast in our decision to turn our will and our life over to His car.  

God is more than able to give us our greatest desires - even recovery from the consequences of our past mistakes (see Ephesians 3:20).  Unlike those who trust in their own power to overcome their problems, we can place our trust in God.  As a result, we have hope in th future because God will help us when we call out to Him.

This psalm is a prayer for the kings of Israel, but with relation to Christ.

Even the greatest of men may be much in trouble.  Neither the crown on the king's head, nor the grace in his heart, would make him free from trouble.  Even the greatest of men must be much in prayer.  Let none expect benefit by the prayers of the church, or their friends, who are capable of praying for themselves, yet neglect it.  Pray that God would protect his person, and preserve his life.  That God would enable him to go on in his undertakings for the public good. We may know that God accepts our spiritual sacrifices, if by his Spirit he kindles in our souls a holy fire of piety and love to God.  Also, that the Lord would crown his enterprises with success.  Our first step to victory in spiritual warfare is to trust only in the mercy and grace of God; all who trust in themselves will soon be cast down.  Believers triumph in God, and his revelation of himself to them, by which they distinguish themselves from those that live without God in the world. Those who make God and his name their praise, may make God and his name their trust.  This was the case when the pride and power of Jewish unbelief, and pagan idolatry, fell before the sermons and lives of the humble believers in Jesus.  This is the case in every conflict with our spiritual enemies, when we engage them in the name, the spirit, and the power of Christ; and this will be the case at the last day, when the world, with the prince of it, shall be brought down and fall; but believers, risen-from the dead, through the resurrection of the Lord, shall stand, and sing his praises in heaven.  In Christ's salvation let us rejoice; and set up our banners in the name of the Lord our God, assured that by the saving strength of his right hand we shall be conquerors over every enemy.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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57.

Dear Jovey and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your letter.  Thank you for asking me about what God said about Daniel's eating habits.

In the beginning, God told Adam and Eve certain things, namely:

Genesis 2:16
But the LORD God gave him this warning: "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden

Genesis 9:4
But you must never eat animals that still have their lifeblood in them.

But shortly thereafter, God did intend us to eat meat when He allowed Isaac to eat meat.

Genesis 27:25
Then Isaac said, "Now, my son, bring me the meat. I will eat it, and then I will give you my blessing." So Jacob took the food over to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him.

Now this is what God showed Daniel, but I don't know what kind of vegetables.

Daniel 1:8-16 (New Living Translation)

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead.  (9) Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel.  (10) But he was alarmed by Daniel's suggestion. "My lord the king has ordered that you eat this food and wine," he said. "If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded for neglecting my duties."

   (11) Daniel talked it over with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief official to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.  (12) "Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said. (13) "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet."  (14) So the attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days.

   (15) At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. (16) So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the rich foods and wines.

When authority figures or powerful personalities try to squeeze us into their mold and get us to compromise our values, the easy thing to do is give in to their wishes.  The healthy response, however, and the one that indicates progress toward recovery, is to conurageously set boundaries as Daniel and his friends did by not eating food contrary to God's laws.  With proper boundaries set up, we will be less tempted to compromise.

There is much more I could share, but I don't know what your objectives are in knowing about food God has allowed us.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

Apr 10, 2005

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58.

Dear Jean and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing scriptures to me.  I have decided to respond only to one of them, Philippians 4:6.  This is a continuation of the email you have already sent me.

Philippians 4:6 (New Living Translation)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

This verse really emphasizes the need for prayer.  Don't worry, talk to God and be thankful.  True happiness can be found in every situation of life when we recognize that God is at work and always in control.  Because Christ is with us and His return is certain, we can act calmly in pain and difficulty.  Peace and joy come when we focus on those things that provide lasting value to our life.  The more we commit ourself to knowing god's will through prayer and study of His Word, the better prepared we are to help ourself and others in the process of recovery.  I will alway take action to pray and thank God for the peace and joy He has given me as I am pursuing His will for me.  I must continually praise Him and give Him all of the glory.  I expect all of us are or will in the near future.  Praise the Lord, now.

I think this is a good place to take a break to contemplate what these words mean in our lives.  Thank you for sharing these mighty strong scriptures.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php  

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59.

Dear Everyoone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you, Luam, for sharing this scripture.  I am being led to see it being used in a 12 step program of recovery.  We can be sure that God is on our side when we turn our will and our life over to God as we understand Him at that moment.

Deuteronomy 33:27-29 (New Living Translation)

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He thrusts out the enemy before you; it is he who cries, `Destroy them!'   (28) So Israel will live in safety, prosperous Jacob in security, in a land of grain and wine, while the heavens drop down dew.  (29) How blessed you are, O Israel!  Who else is like you, a people saved by the LORD?  He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword!  Your enemies will bow low before you, and you will trample on their backs!"

Here is another promise of God's saving help.  He provides His people defense from their enemies and fights on their behalf.  He assures them of ultimate victory.  When our life is in disarray, it is comforting to know that God has genuine concern for our welfare.  As we see recovery from our addictions and deal with significant life changing experiences, we can be sure that God is on our side.

Strength to believers.

All shall be sanctified to true believers; if our way be rough, our feet shall be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.  As our days, so shall our strength be.  Scripture tells us to deal with the events of the day with God; it is a promise that God would graciously and constantly support under trials and troubles, whatever they were.  It is a promise sure to all the spiritual seed of Abraham, those of us who know the God of the Bible.  Have we work allotted?  We shall have strength to do it.  Have we burdens appointed?  We shall have strength, and never be tempted above what we are able to bear.

God bless  you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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60.

Dear Laura (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for being my friend and sharing God's Word as He leads you to do so.  As I read your message again, I believe God is leading me to write some commentary on Proverbs 2.

Proverbs 2:1-8

The Benefits of Wisdom

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions.  (2) Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  (3) Cry out for insight and understanding.  (4) Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure.  (5) Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.  (6) For the LORD grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  (7) He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.  (8) He guards the paths of justice and protects those who are faithful to him.

Wisdom is like a hidden treasur that is found only by those who search fo it.  God will grant us wisdom and good sense.  He will also protect us and instruct us on how to make good decisions.  We may not have made great decisions in the past, and now we may be suffering the consequences of those decisions.  But when we put our trust in God, He will guide us in the decisions we should make in order to experience a full recovery.

Promises to those who seek wisdom.

Those who earnestly seek heavenly wisdom, will never complain that they have lost their labor; and the freeness of the gift does not do away the necessity of our diligence.  Observe who are thus favored.  They are the righteous, on whom the image of God is renewed, which consists in righteousness.  If we depend upon God, and seek to him for wisdom, He will enable us to keep the paths of judgment.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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61.

Dear Sister Laura (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing scriptures and allowing me to contemplate them in my life as I am processing my life in a Life Recovery Ministry.

Proverbs 3:13-18

Further Benefits of Wisdom

Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding.  (14) For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold.  (15) Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.  (16) She offers you life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.  (17) She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.  (18) Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

Godly wisdom leads to great benefits in life.  As we seek wisdom, we will find the other things we desire.  As w change our focus and begin to seek after wisdom, we will find our life more fulfilled and secure.  Godly wisdom will aslo help us avoid the destructive paths we have previously taken as we treied to fulfill our unmet needs and desires.

To piety, and to improve afflictions.

There is not a greater enemy to the fear of the Lord in the heart, than self-conceit of our own wisdom.  The prudence and sobriety which religion teaches, tend not only to the health of the soul, but to the health of the body.  Worldly wealth is but poor substance, yet, such as it is, we must honour God with it; and those that do good with what they have, shall have more to do more good with.  Should the Lord visit us with trials and sickness, let us not forget that the exhortation speaks to us as to children, for our good.  We must not faint under an affliction, be it ever so heavy and long, not be driven to despair, or use wrong means for relief.  The father corrects the son whom he loves, because he loves him, and desires that he may be wise and good.  Afflictions are so far from doing God's children any hurt, that, by the grace of God, they promote their holiness.

God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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62.

Dear Sister Laura (and Everyone I Know),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  God bless you and your family.  Thank you for being such a good example of how God wants women to behave.  Thank you for being such an excellent example of Christ in a woman.  Thank you for taking the time to share any time with me.  Thank you for being my friend.  You have had a dramatic impact in my life.  You are the example of a woman I desire for God to lead me to become my future wife.  I will put God and the cross before all things.  I deserve to be the one on the cross.  I do not even deserve to have such a privilege to know such a wonderful woman such as yourself.  Your words still touch my heart.  Your words are still impacting the direction I am taking.  Your words of teaching are moving me to different levels of understanding that has brought me to new awareness of the spiritual world and I expect more as I move upward in my new beginning.

I do find that many times scriptures are given to me in a backward manner as God has shown you these verses in Proverbs.  Proverbs, as you know, are my guiding blocks in beginning all my readings in the Bible.  I still use the chapter that is the day of the month most of the time.  And then I see what God has in store for me.  Today, He is showing me to review Proverbs 4 as He has shown you to show me.

 Proverbs 4:1-9 (New Living Translation)

A Fathers Wise Advice

  My children, listen to me. Listen to your father's instruction. Pay attention and grow wise, (2) for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching.  (3) For I, too, was once my father's son, tenderly loved by my mother as an only child.

(4) My father told me, "Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live.  (5) Learn to be wise, and develop good judgment. Don't forget or turn away from my words. (6)Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.  (7) Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And whatever else you do, get good judgment.  (8) If you prize wisdom, she will exalt you. Embrace her and she will honor you.  (9) She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown."

 Some people grow up in a family where they received wise advice and where wisdom was modeled and taught by their parents.   But if we haven't, we may feel like the rest of the human race has passed us by.  some of us feel anger, resentment, and shame because we had little guidance and never learned how to make wise choices.  We may ask ourselves, Shouldn't someone have shown me the way?  Ideally, all of us should have had wise and godly instruction.  The book of Proverbs records a father's godly instruction to his son.  For those of us who were neglected and given little or no guidance by our parents, it's not too late.  We have a father in heaven who is eager to give us the wisdom we need.  James advised:  "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him, and He will gladly tell you" (James 1:5).  Our heavenly father loves us tenderly, as a parent should.  He is always there for us, waiting to give us the wisdom we need whenever we ask for it.

Exhortation to the study of wisdom.

We must look upon our teachers as our fathers: though instruction carry in it reproof and correction, bid it welcome.  Solomon's parents loved him, therefore taught him.  Wise and godly men, in every age of the world, and rank in society, agree that true wisdom consists in obedience, and is united to happiness. Get wisdom, take pains for it.  Get the rule over thy corruptions; take more pains to get this than the wealth of this world.  An interest in Christ's salvation is necessary.  This wisdom is the one thing needful.  A soul without true wisdom and grace is a dead soul.  How poor, contemptible, and wretched are those, who, with all their wealth and power, die without getting understanding, without Christ, without hope, and without God!  Let us give heed to the sayings of Him who has the words of eternal life.  Thus our path will be plain before us: by taking, and keeping fast hold of instruction, we shall avoid being straitened or stumbling.

I will respond to more of your letter in future letters.  I am sharing this with others.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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63.

Dear Randy,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  It is past 4 AM and I believe God woke me up to plant some seeds in your mind as He has in mine.

New national organizations to consider registering in Hawaii (and something to keep us busy for the rest of our lives doing something more than just making a living for ourselves, but doing what Jesus might do):   

Foundation to End American Homelessness and Mental Illness, and the

Institute for the Rights of American Homeless as Citizens.

Some immediate concerns that we have discussed is updating the Articles of Incorporation for the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry with you as a director and updating the By-Laws reflecting the pastor and leadership as it will be when it becomes a 501(c)(3) with your help and other tax exempt organization that might support the process.  The Hawaii laws require annual updates and it was registered March 1, 2004 as a non-profit church in the State of Hawaii.  Something to keep in mind, since WBOM is a church without walls under the skys of Waikiki, if all of the Christian churches were full, only 20% of the US population could go to church to learn about Jesus; therefore, WBOM could theoretically serve the remaining 80%.  Something to think about.

I would also like you to consider doing the annual updates to Spiritual Properties And Maintenance, LLC, so I can keep that current (it also needs update by March 1st).  You may also include your name as a director if you so desire to use it as a vehicle to provide legal services to those who own property.  I am willing to pay for your time to make this happen.

I can see a memorial for Randolph Amen:

Founder and CEO of 123 Law Hawaii, LLC, a legal logistics service for the legal profession and paralegal services for the public;

Founder and CEO of Foundation to End American Homelessness and Mental Illness (FEAHMI formed in 2005), a tax exept organization to help use resources from those who desire to do something to end homelessness and mental illness in the United States of America, and to transform programs into action; 

Founder and CEO of the Institute for the Rights of American Homeless as Citizens (IRAHC registered in 2005), a non-profit lobbying organization that is rallying the supporters of homeless rights and becoming the  leader in voicing the cries of the homeless begging for thier equal rights promised in the US Constitution;

Director of the Life Recover Ministry (LRM organized in 2005 under www.liferecoveryministry.org as a blogging site {to do in 2005}), a non-profit ministry spreading the Word of God through the internet to help those suffering from addictions using a 12 step program supported by scriptures,

Director and Midnight Lawyer of the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry (WBOM founded in 2003 with web www.waikikibeachoutreach.org), a non-profit ministry providing food, drink, clothes, shelter, health care, and legal services to the homeless and poor who live on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

Director and Legal Advisor for Spiritual Properties And Maintenance, LLC (SPAM organized in 2004), a service to provide jobs and funds to move homeless off the street with departments of labor for computer services, interior decorating services, recycled products, travel services, construction services, legal support for property owners, and other services identified that the public needs and are willing to pay for to help the less fortunate succeed.

These are just some of my thoughts I believe God just planted into my head, so I decided to share them with you.

God bless you and your mother.  I pray all works well with your visit with your mother, finding someone to share your downtown office space, and moving into your new condominium near Waikiki.   I have also shared this letter with my friends.

Your brother and friend in Christ,

Bob

Sat, 2 Apr 2005 05:21:45 -0800 (PST)

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64.

Dear Jean and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing scriptures to me.  I have decided to respond only to one of them, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  This is a continuation of the email you have already sent me.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
       a season for every activity under heaven.

     A time to be born and a time to die.
       A time to plant and a time to harvest.

     A time to kill and a time to heal.
       A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.

     A time to cry and a time to laugh.
       A time to grieve and a time to dance.

     A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
       A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

     A time to search and a time to lose.
       A time to keep and a time to throw away.

     A time to tear and a time to mend.
       A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

     A time to love and a time to hate.
       A time for war and a time for peace.

This reminds me of a song that was popular many years ago (in the 60s).  I think it was done by The Byrds called Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season).

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!

Analyzing each of these "times" would most likely miss the Teacher's point.  These are figures of speech that present two opposite extremes and include the entire spectrum between them.  For instance, ther is a time to be born and a time to die, but the emphasis is on the lifetime in between.  There is a time for everthing because God has set the times.  All of life is part of a welll-orcestrated symphony for which God has written the music.  An essential part of recovery is seeking out God's plan fo us and then following it. 

God appoints the times and Seasons

1. These words are words for every person, in every place, in every circumstance. God has appointed the times and seasons, the events of our lives, the happy and the sad, the easy and the difficult.
2. On one hand this can bring worry, but on the other hand, it should bring you hope because we know that God is in control.
3. God exalts and humbles the same person. He raises nations up and brings them down.
4. Even the day of our death has been set.
5. God is in control.
1. Sometimes you may wonder about that. I mean, it is easy to doubt that God has it all together when you look at the world. It doesn't seem to be doing all that well:
1. Crime is up, abortion is up, homosexuality is on the rise, the nation is in debt, etc. It can be pretty discouraging.
2. But, God has got it all under control.
6. God has a purpose in what He does even if we have a heard time understanding what that purpose is.

                                                                               i.            Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose"

2. We live in a world of Change
1. The evidence of change is all around us:
1. Spring becomes Summer. Summer becomes Fall. Fall becomes Winter. Winter becomes Spring. The young become aged and the new becomes old.

                                                                               .            My computer runs slower and my body gets weaker.....

2. And the times change.

                                                                               .            The millennium is here. Wellspring is closing.

2. Change: You will be wondering about where to go to church next year.
1. But don't worry. God is in control.
3. Did you know that change is good.
1. Change helps you not become grace-potato Christians.
2. Change helps you learn to adapt to new situations and to grow inside.
4. Christians go through some of the greatest changes.
1. First we are blind, dead sinners. Then we are made alive.
2. Then we discover more of our sinfulness and God continues to change our hearts.

                                                                               .            God wants to make our hearts more like his.

5. Change can be quite good.
1. Change stretches you.

                                                                               .            It challenges you by causing you to grow through the trials and tribulations of life.

2. Change keeps you from getting bored.

                                                                               .            Boring job cutting foam rubber.

6. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? 5 years ago? 1 year ago? (I am sure different than I was 24 months ago) 
7. Even though there are things that are contradictory, each has its place.
2. However, God Does not Change
1. Imaging what it would be like if God changed on us.
1. What if one day he were nice and another day he was mean.
2. Or what if he altered between merciful and judgmental, or one day he decided to answer occurs in the next he did not.
2. I thank God that he is unchangeable.
3. That means you can count on Him to always be there and to do the right thing.
4. He wont' change His mind about you.

1 - A time to die This was apparently the time that faced Solomon when he wrote this.

5 - A time to embrace This has a deeper meaning in connection to developing families.

7 - A time to keep silence Often harder to manage.

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and at time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Time to (Not) Play?

These familiar words from Ecclesiastes resonate deeply with so many of us because we too have experienced these seasons along the journeys of our lives.  We remember the times of birth and death, times of weeping and laughing.  As we grow, we find ourselves in times of seeking or losing our sense of meaning, identity, relationships, and divine love.  With each turn, some things are kept, while others are thrown away.

There are so many changes, so many seasons, so many times.  But where does the season of play fit in?  Should we be expected to play during seasons of laughing and dancing, but denied those moments during times of weeping and mourning?  I hope this short meditation provides a space for personal discernment regarding your own understanding of appropriate times to play.

Meditation: Playing During the Seasons of Life

Our most enjoyable seasons are the ones filled with laughter and dancing.  We abound with energy, are excited about life, about God, and excited about this world.  Spend a few moments with Psalm 150.  Remember those times when your actions shouted out "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!" (v. 6). As you continue to meditate, think about those moments when you've been filled with laughter or a spirit that joyfully dances around the room and the role of play in those seasons.

There are other seasons of mourning and weepingtimes when you've felt alone in the world, as if the crashing waves of responsibilities for work, family, and friends were overwhelming you.  Spend a few moments praying through Psalm 88. Think of moments in which you've cried out, "I am like those who have no helplike those whom you remember no moreO Lord, why do you cast me off?" (vs. 4, 5, 14). How do you express yourself during these periods of mourning and pain?  Is there space for play?

Are there times when we laugh and weep at the same time, when we lament and praise within the same breath?  Spend a few moments to meditate on Psalm 42.  Have you ever wondered like the psalmist, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted with me?" while holding fast to the promise of "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God." (vs. 5-6a). What was your attitude toward play then?

Deciding Whether or Not to Play

The reasons why and how we play are diverse.  Sometimes we play because we're filled with laughter and want to celebrate.  Other times we play because we need to let off some steam or take a break from the pain that surrounds us.  Still other times, we play because we're seeking a way to push the boundaries of our own lives and the world around us.  During these times of seeking, we hope to be transformed, in order to see the world and ourselves in a new wayto enter into a world of new possibilities.  Sometimes we play simply because it provides us with a way to physically express our inward spiritual reality.  When we lack the words, our play can communicate our joy, our pain, our laughter, and our sorrow.

Regardless of the reasons or seasons, at the center of true play, we provide ourselves with an opportunity to enter a new world.  We're given a chance to experience something that becomes a re-creative, life-giving act.  It's done not only to escape the bad times or celebrate the good, but rather in hopes that we might encounter the fullness of God.

Though we can encounter God through play, we cannot force this encounter.  Only God chooses when and how to be revealed to us.  Furthermore, we cannot force others to play.  We can encourage others, especially our youth, to join in our moments of play, but we cannot force them.

As we hear the words, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Eccl. 3:1), we must realize that times of play shouldn't be limited to seasons of laughing and dancing. In a season of weeping and mourning, different forms of play may provide us with opportunities that allow us to encounter God in new ways, transcending all seasons and times.

Additional Questions to Consider

                                 What seasons are you going through right now?  How will we in different seasons react to playing?

                                 What are some examples of alternative ways to play for us during different seasons of life?

                                 When do we think it's okay for someone not to play with the other groups?  What would we do instead?

                                 Can we still play with some youth even if not everyone wants to participate?

                                 Why would we decide to cancel a time to play?

                                 If some of our youth are having a rough day, will this time of play provide them with a new way to work through their troubles?  Will it create additional tension?

                                 If you're unsure how we are feeling, how can a time of play help us connect with others' needs?

                                 Will this time of play provide for a re-creative space for everybody, or will it create a spirit of angry competition and divisiveness?

                                 Have we experienced times of play as being emotionally or spiritually transformative? How can we share these experiences with our youth?  How have they shared these experiences with you?

I think this is a good place to take a break to contemplate what these words mean in our lives.  Thank you for sharing these mighty strong scriptures.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php  

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65.

Dear Jean and Everyone I Know (including Ron),

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing scriptures to me.  I have decided to respond only to one of them, Hebrews 13:7.  This is a continuation of the email you have already sent me  (you are mentioned at the end, Ron).

Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders who first taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do.

This reminds me of how Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's book called Enthusiasm Makes The Difference  led me to pray for God's guidance that allowed the Holy Spirit to touch my life in 1973.  I am also reminded how to maintain respect to those who shared the Word of God to lead me back to Him since I began my new recovery process on March 30th, 2003.  My life has chnged more significantly in the past 24 months than all of the 56 years of my life previously.  Something is going to happen in somebody's life who is reading this today.

The difference between vain pretences and real spiritual enlightenment.

The design of Christ in giving himself for us, is, that he may purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; and true spiritual enlightenment is the strongest bond of friendship.  Here are earnest exhortations to several Christian duties, especially contentment.  The sin opposed to this grace and duty is covetousness, an over-eager desire for the wealth of this world, with envy of those who have more than ourselves.  Having treasures in heaven, we may be content with mean things here.  Those who cannot be so, would not be content though God raised their condition.  Adam was in paradise, yet not contented; some angels in heaven were not contented; but the apostle Paul, though abased and empty, had learned in every state, in any state, to be content.  Christians have reason to be contented with their present lot.  This promise contains the sum and substance of all the promises. 

For God has said, "I will never fail you.  I will never forsake you."  (Hebrews 13:5) 

In the original there are no less than five negatives put together, to confirm the promise: the true believer shall have the gracious presence of God with him, in life, at death, and for ever.  Men can do nothing against God, and God can make all that men do against his people, to turn to their good. 

Do we want what our ego, self, puppets in our head, the committee, or whatever else we want to call the spirits not from God to lead our life today.  I chose to read God's Words to gain a new direction in my life by following what God, or the Holy Spirit, was showing me in the scriptures.  Wow!  They changed my life.  Those who know me, like my sponsor, Ron R., knows I am not doing what Bob Erb would have done 25 months ago.  Bob is doing what God wants him to do today.  And, Wow!   What a feeling!  All of us can have it as we follow His will in our own lives.

I think this is a good place to take a break to contemplate what these words mean in our lives.  Thank you for sharing these mighty strong scriptures.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org and http://www.thehawaiianportal.com/db_clients/613.php  

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66.

Dear Jean and Everone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your note.  Thank you for thinking of the ministry God is leading me to do for Him.  Thank you for sharing the Word of God. 

Matthew 6:33 (New Living Translation)

and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

Trust in God commended.

There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life.  This often insnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich.  But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far.  Take no thought for your life.  Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand. Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases.  Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them.  Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come.  Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you.  As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for tomorrow, or the events of it. God has given us life, and has given us the body.  And what can he not do for us, who did that?  If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less.  Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God.  We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature. We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them.  Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world.  Seek first the kingdom of God, and make striving to know Him your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world.  The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us.  Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal.  Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.

Thank your for sharing this Scripture.  God bless you and your daughter.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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67.

Dear Jean and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing a bunch of scriptures to me.  Whenever someone sends me scriptures, I pray about them and write comments how they touch my heart.  This is a continuation of the email you have already sent me.

In any case, I have used the New Living Translation for most of the passages, and written my commentary based upon the way you sent them to me and seeing how they can be use in a life recovery process or 12 step program.

Matthew 5:6

God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full.

Christ's sermon on the mount.

None will find happiness in this world or the next, who do not seek it from Christ by the rule of his word.  He taught them what was the evil they should abhor, and what the good they should seek and abound in.

We cannot experience God-blessed recovery without true humility.  Pride often stands in the way of our dealing with painful problems and a destructive dependency.  If we cannot admit our problems and sins, there can be no real cure for us.  When we humble ourself before God, we mourn and grieve over our mistakes and losses.  As we do this, we will experience the  wonderful comfort that only God can offer.  God has shown me that we can only begin to get to this point if our bodies do not need to think about how we are going to eat today.  After the Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry provides food and drink for the body, it can then begin to help those who it serves to gain equal rights under the law and in accordance with the Bible.  I am confident I am doing what God has in mind for me to do for Him.  This scripture confirms my mission.  What is your mission?  What is each of our missions?  God will show us as we read His Words each day.

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings.  These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God.  Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest.  Though all desires for grace are not grace, yet such a desire as this, is a desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the work of his own hands.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

The word of God directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it.  The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit, as a light to direct us in the choice of our way, and the steps we take in that way.  The keeping of God's commands here meant, was that of a sinner under a dispensation of mercy, of a believer having part in the covenant of grace.  The psalmist is often afflicted; but with longing desires to become more holy, offers up daily prayers for quickening grace.  We cannot offer any thing to God, that he will accept but what he is pleased to teach us to do.  To have our soul or life continually in our hands, implies constant danger of life; yet he did not forget God's promises nor his precepts.  Numberless are the snares laid by the wicked; and happy is that servant of God, whom they have not caused to err from his Master's precepts.  Heavenly treasures are a heritage for ever; all the saints accept them as such, therefore they can be content with little of this world.  We must look for comfort only in the way of duty, and that duty must be done.  A good man, by the grace of God, brings his heart to his work, then it is done well.

James 4:6-10

He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

    "God sets himself against the proud,
       but he shows favor to the humble."
  (7) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  (8) Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.  (9) Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done.  Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.  (10) When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.

Most of us have a hard time modeling submission and humility - qualities that are essential to the recovery process (and hearing the voice of God) because they show dependence on God and a willingness to be guided by Him.  Satan's pride - and our adoption of it - opposes God's program for healthy and godly living.  As many of us know from experience, the way of pride and selfishness only leads to confusion and strife.  True contentment comes only when we submit our life to God and His program.  As we admit our failures and humbly seek to do God's will, we will draw closer to God.  As we draw close to God, the grip of our dependency will weaken, and He will lift us up to rebuild our life.  As Paul said to the Church in Philippi, (chapter 2 verse 3-4):

Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.  (4) Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

This shows us the way to become humble: help others.  The Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry is a direct results of God showing me how to be humble.  How is He showing you?  How is He showing all of us?

God the Holy Spirit teaches us to be willing to do good to all about us, as we are able.  The grace of God will correct and cure the spirit by nature in us; and where he gives grace, he gives another spirit than that of the world.  The proud resist God: in their understanding they resist the truths of God; in their will they resist the laws of God; in their passions they resist the providence of God; therefore, no wonder that God resists the proud.  How wretched the state of those who make God their enemy!  God will give more grace to the humble, because they see their need of it, pray for it are thankful for it, and such shall have it. Submit to God,.  Submit your understanding to the truth of God; submit your wills to the will of His precept, the will of His providence. Submit yourselves to God, for He is ready to do you good.  If we yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armor of God, and stand out against him, he will leave us.  Let sinners then submit to God, and seek His grace and favor; resisting the devil.  All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery.  And the Lord will not refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt one who humbles himself before him.

James 2:26

Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.

Faith, the cornerstone of recovery, needs to be accompanied by action.  Some of us may have found it easy to admit we needed God's help, but when called upon to actively prove our faith, we refused.  We all have made commitments that we failed to back up with our actions.  James left us this powerful reminder in 2:17:

So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless.

If we believe in the principles of recovery but refuse to act upon them, we are not in recovery.  If we believe God can help us but refuse to obey His will, we prove that our faith is dead.  True faith in God expresses itself in committed actions; our actions need to back up our words if we want to succeed in recovery.

I think this is a good place to take a break to contemplate what these words mean in our lives.  Thank you for sharing these mighty strong scriptures.  God bless you and your family.

Your brother in Christ,

Bob @ www.waikikibeachoutreach.org

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68.

A Prayer About Your Purpose In Life

Most Precious Lord Jesus, Gentle And Wonderful God, Truly Awesome And Ever-present Holy Spirit,
Precious Lord Jesus, I love you.
Thank you for making me into a living breathing person.
Thank you for bringing me into the world.
There are times when I have bounced from one purpose in life to another, never fully knowing or recognizing where I fit in or where I should go.
There are times when I have no idea what specific things you want me to do.
There are times when I have no idea where you want me to go in terms of a specific address or location.
There are times I have lost sight of my purpose upon the earth.
I have often confused my purpose in life with my job, my roles, my hobbies, my interests, and my relationships.
In your will, please clear out the fog preventing me from seeing my purpose in life and show me my real purpose is to love you with all my heart, all my mind, and all my soul.
In your will, please clear out the fog preventing me from seeing my purpose in life and show me my purpose is to love others as myself.
All these things I humbly pray in the name of my most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, my Mighty God, and my Ever-present Holy Spirit upon whom I can rely.
Amen

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  I believe this prayer will change somebody's life today. 

Your brother in Christ,

Bob

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69.

PLEASE PRAY THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT!!

You never know when GOD is going to bless you!! Good things happen when
you
least expect them to!!

Dear Lord,

      I thank You for this day.  I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning.  I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an
understanding God.  You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought
that was not pleasing to you.  I ask now for Your forgiveness.

      Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.  Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.  Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

      Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.  Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.  And it's the best
response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray.  You listen to my heart.  Continue to use me to do Your will.  Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.  Keep me strong that I may help the
weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

      I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.  I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.  I pray for those who don't
know You intimately.  I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others.  I pray for those that don't believe.  But I thank you that I believe.  I believe that God changes people and God changes things.

      I pray for all my sisters and brothers.  For each and every family member in their households.  I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.  I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.  I
pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it.  It is in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!

Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves!! God I love you and I need you, come into my heart, please.

With Love

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70.

Dear Jean and Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sharing a bunch of scriptures to me.  Whenever someone sends me scriptures, I pray about them and write comments how they touch my heart.  Then I send them to all who might have an interest in them.  I started to send them to about 10 friends, but now, I sometimes send them to as many as 250 who have suggested some kind of interest in some way.

In any case, I have used the New Living Translation for most of the passages, and written my commentary based upon the way you sent them to me and seeing how they can be use in a life recovery process or 12 step program.

Deuteronomy 3:16

And to the tribes of Reuben and Gad I gave the area extending from Gilead to the middle of the Arnon Gorge, all the way to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier.

I don't know why you suggested this verse, but I am thinking you may have meant a different book.  This verse just defines that part of Israel that those families of the sons of Jacob were to control.  In all cases, praise the Lord for giving us His Word.

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation--
       so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger--
       so why should I tremble?

As David was writing this song, he is seeing God providing him with all the power and confidence he needs to continue his struggles while Saul and the countries he is surrounded by are trying to attack him.  As the world attracts us, we can know that God is giving us the same provisions He gave David, light and salvation.  God has given us Jesus to show how us material humans can see a new way of life in worshiping Him as Jesus worshiped the mighty Father God.  Jesus then acts as the light and our salvation.  If we focus on what Jesus might do, then we might be doing what God wants us to do.  If God is guiding our lives, then there is nothing we need to fear, God has the power to combat all things, just as He gave David the power to beat the enemy.  We can beat the enemy, the devil, the carnal world, the natural world, the lies our culture tells us what success is, our own ego, our committee or puppet in our head, or whatever we want to call that which is not from God.  Praise the Lord.

2 Peter 3:18

But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

   To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen.

This verse is instructing us to keep serving others and reading the Bible to gain the special knowledge of how Jesus served others.  Just as Jesus never glorified himself while on earth (but others did), we need to be careful of always giving the glory to Jesus and to Father God as Jesus did.  This is actually a prayer asking for the power to get closer to Jesus and to always honor His existence in our lives.  His existence in our lives will become evident as we serve others always thinking how Jesus would do it.  We live in a world that encourages and rewards our active lifestyle.  We are doers and fixers, arrangers and controllers.  We seek to bolster our own sense of self-esteem by the things we do.  When Christ returns, however, who we are will be far more important than what we do.  Peter reminds us that as we wait for this day, we are called to be God's people.  It is good to take time to ask, Are we enjoying the privilege of being?  In all our doing, have we lost sight of what's important - the kind of persons we are, and the persons we are becoming?  Are we becoming like Jesus?  De we have adequate knowledge of what Jesus was like?  Has the Holy Spirit moved into our lives?  Praise the Lord.

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  (8) But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love.

Loving One Another

Love is God.  God is love.  Wow!  Let's focus on what love is.  As we focus on love, we are focused on God.  As we focus on God, we are focused on love.  Everything Jesus teaches us is to focus on God and to repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.  We are being harvested as members of the Kingdom of Heaven as we focus on love, by repenting of our errors.  If we desire to be disciples of Christ, then we need to be doing the same things Jesus did while He was on this earth.  The only way we can know Him and His love is to read God's Word and experience the Holy Spirit in our lives.  What a gift.  Praise the Lord.

Cautions us against deceivers.

We Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures, may, in humble dependence on Divine teaching, understand those who set forth doctrines according to the apostles, and those who contradict them.  The sum of revealed religion is in the doctrine concerning Christ, His person and office. The false teachers spoke of the world according to its maxims and tastes, so as not to offend carnal men. The world approved them, they made rapid progress, and had many followers such as themselves; the world will love its own, and its own wil