I am the Lord of all mankind. Is there anything too hard for me?

Good morning to all but a special shout out to my brother Koichi on the occasion of his birthday. Happy birthday little brother and here's my prayer that you have many more to come! Waine and I were able to come back to Atlanta for a little respite and it is so good to be in my house with my memories surrounding me. Waine and I have so many years of memories and so many more years of memories to come. I am so looking forward to that. Waine and I went to the see the movie with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones last night. The movie centers on a couple who stopped remembering why they were in love and had to rediscover it. The good news is that they did and Waine and I were celebrating that we knew why we loved each other and then celebrated some more.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 32, verses 26 - 44, "Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:  “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?  Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it.   The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods. The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind —that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:  I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.   They will be My people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.   I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians. Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”  Amen! May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

God has made an everlasting covenant with us through Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! I wonder if Christians really understand this--He has made an everlasting, everlasting, everlasting COVENANT with us. In these verses the covenant includes prosperity which God was going to honor not because the Jews were righteous but BECAUSE HE PROMISED IT! The Jews were getting ready to become captives of the Babylonians--they were getting ready to be delivered to the very people with whom they worshipped the gods of Baal. These Babylonians would plunder their land and destroy all their possessions. Now keep in mind the Jews decided they would identify with the Babylonians by denouncing God and accepting their gods. Sound familiar? How many times have you tried to "fit in" to be accepted? How many times have you kept your Christianity hidden so as not to make waves?  How many times has your pride prevented you from being humble and apologizing for a wrong caused? How many times have you rationalized your behavior that you knew was wrong? When Christians stop putting God through Christ on the throne of their lives, we are Baal worshippers and as such will experience calamity just as the Jews did. What's wonderful about this passage though, is that God's covenant with us never waivers. We may suffer the consequences of our sins but WE WILL AWAYS BE RESTORED!! God loves us no matter what. His love is secured and infinite and when we come out of sin, it is always into the warmth of His love. Hallelujah!!! No matter what circumstance you might find yourself in today because of your sin, never fear you will be restored because there doesn't exist a situation that is too hard for God. He is just waiting for you to turn from sin and turn to Him. This is the covenant of love that we have inherited. God bless you and God bless His Son who died for us while we were YET IN SIN. What love is that!!

 

Now  may the Lord bless you and keep you;  may the Lord make His face shine on you  and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie



You Don't Need to Know the Future--Just the One Who Controls the Future!

Good morning to all on this Sunday morning. Its a beautiful day in Georgia. A little warm but not too bad. We are all looking forward to the birth of Michelle and Marco's baby boy next month and my brother Koichi has a BIG birthday coming up this month. The longer I live the more I understand and embrace the power and significance of FAMILY!! My mother and father are very happy to see that their life here on earth did so much good for so many people. Their little family that started from their love has grown and keeps on growing. Thanks Mom and Dad.

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 32, verses 1 - 25, "This is the Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed. Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it. Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself. I knew that this was the Word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.  I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land. After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.  You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty,   great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.   You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.  They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them. See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

Hallelujah, what an AWESOME God we serve. Judah was getting ready to be over-run by the Babylonians. The whole city was under seize and would soon be captured and God tells Jeremiah to buy some property. God really has a sense on humor as He tests our FAITH. This is akin to telling someone of our generation to buy some bank stock in a failing bank. Put the stock up in your safe and forget about it until the time it will be rendered profitable. Now all the physical signs say that this investment is about the worst investment anyone could make but if you are to be obedient you should buy the stock and let God add the increase! That's the point. God not only knows the future HE HOLDS THE FUTURE. He was teaching Jeremiah and all who observed, even people of power, that it is not important to now and control circumstances, it is only important to know the ONE who controls all. The children of Israel would be punished for their sin of turning their hearts against God, and they would be restored not because of anything they did but because God is always good for His promises. He has promised that we as Christians are redeemed for eternity and would experience abundance as our FAITH  allows. Little faith, little abundance. Big faith, Big abundance.

In my current walk with God, He is teaching me to look to Him for all the decisions Big and small. If Waine and I find ourselves debating over the "what-ifs", we stop immediately and give that concern to God and then we walk away from it and live our lives according the prayers we have prayed JUST AS IF OUR PRAYERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED. There is a freedom in living like this. Some people will tell you that wealth is freedom. I am here to tell you that wealth and  power are fleeting. God's love, mercy and grace are abundant and sustainable AND NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD!

Celebrate God's love for you today and live your life boldly. He's Got It!

Now may the Lord bless you  and keep you; my the Lord make His face shine on you  and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie



God's Covenant with You!!

Good morning to all on this Glorious Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Atlanta and what a TREAT it is to be in our home, in our bed and with all my memories surrounding me. There has been a lot of living that has taken place at 3151 Rilman Road, NW, Atlanta, GA!!! Waine and I are very blessed to have each other, our children, our grandchildren and our friends. I am reminded that there are people who walk this earth and never hear a "Good Morning" or a kind word. The worked is hurting and suffering from sin. Its good to have a belief in a God that can fix all that!!

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 31, verses 26-40, "At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me. The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals.  Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. In those days people will no longer say, 'The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge. The days are coming,” declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant  with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant  I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds  and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.  No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.  This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night,  Who stirs up the sea  so that its waves roar — the Lord Almighty is His name:  Only if these decrees vanish from my sight, declares the Lord, will Israel ever cease being a nation before me. This is what the Lord says: Only if the heavens above can be measured  and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done, declares the Lord. The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.   The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

What struck me about these verses is that GOD NEVER GIVES UP ON US! He is always looking out for us and telling us that His steadfast love is akin to the knowledge that the Sun will come up each day and the skies will be lit by the Moon and Stars at night. These are daily transitions that we take for granted-- no one wakes up during the predawn hours and wonders "is the sun going to come up today?' This is a fact we take for granted. Non-believers will theorize that its because the earth spins on its axis by gravitational forces and to that I say what made the gravitational force. Hallelujah--Somebody Bigger than you and I! These verses also foretell the coming of Christ --the ultimate New Covenant BECAUSE God wanted a way, once and for all to be able to forgive and forget the sinfulness of man. He loves us that much. We are His children and as a loving Father He wants to be able to have All his children around Him--but He and sin cannot occupy the same space. He will never be in the vicinity or atmosphere of sin. The sacrifice of Christ makes it possible for God to establish this new covenant with us.

The world needs this message. There are so many people who need the Love of God in their lives. We live in interesting times. The anti-Christ is among us and Satan is alive and well. God needs us to Proclaim the Good News that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life for this generation. He needs foot soldiers willing to proclaim this Good News. Is your Life a light for others? Does God permeate your every day world? Do your coworkers and boss see God in you! If the rapture took place today, who would be left behind? God needs us to Proclaim this Good News about this New Covenant because He desires that all be saved! Thank God for His covenant that covers me!

Now may the Lord bless you  and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine on you  and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie



Restoration

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday in August. It is my sister Velma's birthday and she will be celebrating it with her daughter and son-in-law. She will also be celebrating the birth of her second grandson next month and the entire Jenkins-Tamori-Kong clan is waiting with much anticipation. Waine and I were in Orlando last weekend to celebrate Kai's 4th birthday. I still can't believe that 4 years have passed already since this little bundle of joy joined us. Our lives have been enriched beyond measure because of him and each of our other 5 grandchildren.

I am continuing my journey with Jeremiah, this week in chapter 31 verses 15-29, " This is what the Lord says: A voice is heard in Ramah,  mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted,  because they are no more. This is what the Lord says: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears,  for your work will be rewarded, declares the Lord. They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,  declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land. I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: You disciplined me like an unruly calf,  nd I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. After I strayed,  I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.  Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him, declares the Lord. Set up road signs; put up guideposts.  Take note of the highway,  the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns. How long will you wander,  unfaithful Daughter Israel? The Lord will create a new thing on earth—the woman will return to the man. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,  the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.   I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me. The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. In those days people will no longer say, The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of his Word.

One of the constant themes in Jeremiah is that God will RESTORE--actually this is a biblical principle! Even when Adam sinned and destroyed his ability to live forever, God restored man to eternal life through Christ our Lord. The timetable for the restoration, is however, in our  hands. God I think restores us immediately to Himself, when we repent of our sins however the realization of the restoration is dependant on our faith and ability to accept the lesson and accept the grace. Just like the Israelites in Jeremiah's life, as Christians we waste a lot of time trying to fix the things that we have broken in our lives and in the relationship we have with God. God really just wants us to repent and then move on to experience our restoration.I know that this sounds easy but its not because true repentance and acceptance involves the submission of our WILL to His. Just take Jonah. God commanded that he preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah didn't want to because he thought them to be unworthy. So Jonah decides to take a boat to a distant shore. As the story goes, Jonah is thrown off the ship when the crew of the ship realized that Jonah was the cause of the storm. Jonah was swallowed by the fish and lived in the belly of the fish until he submitted his will to that of the Father. When the fish spat him out, Jonah was on the shores on Nineveh completely restored.

Are you a Jonah Christian?? If you perceive your blessings to be blocked you may want to evaluate what is keeping you from realizing your restoration.

Now may the Lord bless you  and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine on you  and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie