Christmas Bonus Favor

After 24 months of being unemployed In January of 2014 I finally landed a job within my field. I was happy. Making a couple more dollars an hour than my previous job. However I felt bad about it not being a job with benefits. No medical, vacation pay or sick pay and no holiday bonuses. But hey I was sooo glad to have a job. My co-worker as the holidays were approaching started telling me that the company usually closes for two weeks and I began to fear what would I do with no paycheck for two weeks.
I speak a prayer each week at church whether I have an offering to give our not. In it it speaks of believing the Lord for Raises and bonuses, benefits, etc.
Two weeks after being hired I was told the company will pay me up to a certain amount for my medical. FAVOR.
Then the week before Christmas week my boss announced the office will be closed for the Holidays. (2 weeks) my heart sunk but inside I kept hearing my confession of raises and bonuses and jobs and better jobs. Later on that week my boss asked if I wanted to work during the Holidays. I said yes of course. He said how about three days before Christmas and then Three days before New Years. FAVOR. On the Friday before Christmas week when we entered the office there at our desk was a lunch and a card envelope. Inside the envelope was a Christmas Bonus. FAVOR FAVOR FAVOR. What a blessing. God is so good. My co-worker was totally shocked too when he opened up his envelope. "You're" welcome. LOL.

Isaiah 53-56

I read this this AM. I read it in the Message in writing this I have the NLT in front of me. It touched me this morning and spoke to me, it says it in a different way in the NLT but of course the meaning is the same in both. 53 are the things Jesus went thru for me. I dont have to be sick or pay for sins. He took that for me. 54 and 55 are our redemptive promises. The promises of a hope, of the past being gone and God turning the grief of the past to a glorious future and present. Gods ways are not our ways. His ways are higher than our thoughts. What a promise...in thinking that I could no longer be what was meant to be, Im reminded that His thoughts are higher than mine. He can make a way, where there is no way. 56 let the world in on Gods promises and Gods ways. What a great reading today.
The end of 56 give a warning to leaders. I wonder if this warning is ever given to Bible College students, or anyone that would want to be a leader. It should be and it should be kept before our eyes. Wish my eyes would of found it before...thank God I can go back to chapter 53 and 54!!!

Ps 13

Heavy...ever felt like it all was against you? It went from one thing to another. Bad to worse. One step forward and three steps back. Feel God one day only to feel the cares of the world more the next. David is feeling this. He had issues. Family, political, spiritual, personal. He had enemies. He had people turn on him even his closest child and right hand man turned on him. A lot of heart ache. YET he closes the chapter with verses 5-6...
"I will trust in your unfailing love." This is Gods Hesed he has for his children. Hesed can and has been traslated as Gods goodnes, mercy, loving kindness, in the New Testament it can be equated with agape.
"I will rejoice" "because you have rescued me." Is this a result of being rescued, or does the rejoicing happen even before the rescuing has happened. I like to think it it the latter. We must rejoice in the God of our salvation in the good and thru the bad.
Finally "I will sing" "because God is good." We must sing. Sing when its going good and sing when its just bad. I love the portion of the song, "I See The Lord" where it says..."exalted high upon the worship, of the people of the earth" God gets involved when we worship, when we sing unto Him.

So for us we need to be proactive and Trust in the Lord, Rejoice in the Lord, and Sing unto the Lord as David lead by example.

Do IT!

Exodus 12,13 Ps 12 and Acts 1

vs 8,Luke, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And You will be My witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
This was the verse that meant something to me today. Where has my heart gone for the lost. I will and have received power...this power is with me, i need to plug in and let it work thru me...to touch people everywhere I go. Here in San Jose, all thu CA down into Mexico and all over the world.

God show me how I can fullfill this scripture in my Life.

Gen 47,48 and Luke 19

In todays reading we find Josephs family living and prospering in Egypt. The choice land of Goshen was givin to them to dwell. Jacob is getting ready to die and has blessed Josephs children Manassah and Ephraim as his children. Then in classic Jacob manner puts his right hand on the youngest over the oldest.
In Luke 19 Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem on a donkey that has never been ridden. The crowds present are saying Hosanna.  As Im writing this im looking at a picture of Jerusalem. Some of theseBuildings look like they are pretty old. I can see Jesus walking on the hilly roads with men and women on both sides cheering and laying down palm branches. What a great visual. God bless Jerusalem and keep your hand on it and preserve and bless this City, for the worlds sake.

Gen 31,32,33 and Luke 13

Jacob finally leaves Laben. Ol Laben never get it. He never sees what he did to Jacob as wrong. I think there are people like that in our lives. They will never see how they really are. Laben was so stubborn God had to appear to him to keep him from hurting Jacob...I think he would taken Jacob back or taken his wives and children from him. But God showed up and put the fear of himself in him.
As Jacob leaves Laben now he has to face Esau.  He gives him a huge peace offering. And it seems like they are reconciled. Jacob with his wisdom settles in a different area, so as not to intrude in on Esaus livelihood.
In Luke we find Jesus in one part He is talking about Heaven I love this part in vs 30...and not this: some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important.  Heaven will be an interesting place.

Gen 29 and 30 Lke 11

Whew what a guy Jacob ends up being, always one step ahead. Until it came to his wives and marrying them. 14 years of work for that lady...no wonder God ended up making Jacob greater than Laben. Jacob allowed the trickery. He really loved Rachelle. I hope in some way he learned to love Leah. If not God honored her by giving her the majority of the tribe of Isreal. Maybe because Jacob handled that all so well that when it came time to earn his own living God blessed him and decreased Laben. Jacob was walking under the Abrahamic covenant.
In Lk 11 (somehow i read the wrong chapter yesterday) I like vs 9...And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking and you fill find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  God isnt hiding anything from me. May I be a asker, a seeker and a knocker that God wants me to be.