Philippians
2:5-11

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  (6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  (7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  (8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  (10)  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

For other scriptural teaching and lessons go to Settled In Heaven Ministries

"The Hawk Knows the Way"

Job 39:26  Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?


This photo was taken by me one winter day when our hawk friend showed up and decided to sit in this big, old maple tree in front of our yard.    
He is definitely a local resident, for we see him on occasions.  Then again, there are times that we know that he is around, because there is no birds around to be seen or heard.  Our little bird friends are weary of our hawk because he looks for little prey.  


As he sat there, this day, he appeared to be taking a break and I believe he almost knew that I was trying to get a good photo of him.  I've seen him swoop by before, but he is so fast, he catches me off guard without my camera.  


We are lovers of animals and birds....it brightens our day when we get a glimpse of our hawk.


We can be like our mighty hawk.........Job 39:26  Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?............    the hawk flies by the wisdom of our God and the mere stretching of her wings and the direction that she takes is only because of God's greatness.  We can choose to live our lives and take the right path that the Lord wants us to take.  We can spread our wings and fly by the Lord's will....or we can live by our flesh and take the path of unrighteousness, which leads to total despair.


Open your hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him and in what He has done on the cross to save us from eternal agony.  The choice is yours.


If you choose to trust in Christ and let Him be Lord of your life, you will be given the Holy Spirit to indwell in you and guide you.....to take that path which God has provided for you.


You can start by reading the Lord's Word...the Bible....Psalms and Proverbs are an easier place to start....open you heart and pray to the Lord and He will hear you.....ask Him to lead you to the right Church and the right teachers and believers to help you along your new path.


You can also get information from here:


http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven
http://www.intouch.org

What Do You Trust In?



"Unbridaled Spring Morn"  by Eva Barkman  (c) 2011


Psa 20:5-7 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.



Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.    



Who do you trust in?  Making money?...building fame?....everything centering around you and what effects you?...political power?...false gods?...if it's any of these or any other worldly item, they will all turn to dust and then, what will you do?  Imagine, putting all of your trust in one certain person or thing, and then when you truly need them, they fail you and leave you alone to flounder.  Now, you're alone without any support.  Alone!


It doesn't have to be that way.  The "Lord saves His annointed,"  the people who believe in Him.  The "Lord fulfills your requests (petitions)," if you're a believer, and you pray to God with sincerity, He will answer your prayer....although, He will answer your prayer in a way that is only good for you (and it may not be exactly what you wanted), but you will eventually see how good His answer was for you.  In other words, He has your back.  You, as a believer, can rest assured that He knows the beginning to the end, and how it affects you.  He won't leave you to flounder.


Trusting in the Lord, Jesus Christ, we can "rejoice in our salvation."  We can know that He is always with us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  He will never leave us.  What a sense of peace a believer has in knowing that we are not alone.  Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and never be alone again. 


If you have questions on trusting in Christ or how you can have salvation, there are many sources to help you.  Leave me a question and I will do my best to answer.  Contact a Bible believing church near you to learn about Christ.  Or, here are a few links to obtain good information on salvation.

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

http://www.intouch.org/resources/content/topic/how_well_do_you_know_god 

http://www.lwf.org/site/PageNavigator/jesus/who_is_jesus


                                      

Do you have PEACE?

Psalms 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.


Peace, safety, calmness, salvation....these all go together.....

The above photo is of a beautiful sunset in front of our house....we live with many big, old trees around us, so there was a lot of tree limbs in the way of the sunset, but still the awesome colors shone through.

When I thought about all this, (the trees in the way of the sunset) it reminded me of all the problems and troubles that seem to get in the way of our everyday life....but, still, in spite of all of the troubles, God's peace and promises still shine though, like the colors of the sunset.  If you are saved, you can understand about the awesome peace that we have from the salvation that we received through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
If you are not saved, I invite you to receive this wonderful gift that God gives us.  All it takes is to trust in Jesus and the work that He has done on the cross....give your life to Him and you will begin to see how wonderful it is to be saved and to receive this peace that only salvation can provide.
For more information on salvation, there is a great blog that explains God's plan for our lives and how we can live our life with the peace we receive through His promises and His gift of salvation.  Click on this link http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/
You can also start by reading the Bible or attending a Bible believing church.  When you start reading the Bible, start with the gospels...the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John....these are great places to start.
Another great place to get information on salvation is here http://www.intouch.org/resources/content/topic/how_well_do_you_know_god   read this link, but also look around this website http://www.intouch.org/  ....Pastor Charles Stanley teaches on many subjects....it's a wonderful site.

If you have any questions on this posting or salvation, I would be glad to try and answer.

The One Material Thing That Brings Us Closer With God

Whether you call it the "Bible" or the "Word," it is the one material thing that brings us closer to God.  It is the one material thing that teaches us how to become a Christian through faith in Jesus Christ and what our "new life" and "salvation" mean.  It teaches us how to live our new life in trying to be more "Christ-like."  We learn about our roots in the history of God's Creation and the Jewish faith.  We also learn of the first coming of Christ in the writings of the prophets.  In the Gospels, we learn about Christ's birth, life on earth, His apostles and followers, His crucfiction on the cross, His resurrection, and His acsension into Heaven.  In Revelation, we, His saved people, learn to look for the signs of Christ's second coming and events to happen after then. 

Did you know that the Bible is the one best selling book of all time with over one billion copies sold, translated into many, many languages?  In my belief, the Bible is the one book most debated about and died for throughout history.

If you are saved, you should know the value of the Bible.  It's not the monetary value that I speak of, it's the spiritual value that no one can put a price on.  If you are not saved, now is the time for you to start reading....the time left is getting shorter day by day.  Start reading the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.  The New Testament is a bit easier to start reading.  If you know a Christian, who can help you or a good Bible teaching church, you can get help learning and guidance on how to learn from God's Word.  You can also get help for learning how to become a Christian. 

Once you start, as you continue to read the Bible, you will begin to let God into your life, you will begin to see the purpose for you life, you will let Christ into your heart, and you will begin to enjoy reading.

My husband Rob, has a wonderful Bible teaching blog called Settled In Heaven Blog.  He also has his vlog on youtube called  Settled In Heaven Vlog.  You can go to his blog and read, or go to his vlog and listen...whichever works better for you.


Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.


Psalms 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Acts 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.


John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.




To God be the Glory for All!

Angels Are Among Us

Luke 1:26-35 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. (28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. (31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (34) Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.


The photo above is one of my favorites of my fine art photography.  When I see a likeness, such as a statue, of an angel, I think of peace and the sense of being protected.  There are angels among us who guide us and help us.  There have been many good and bad angels through history, as you can read about in the Bible, but one angel, who had one of the most important jobs to do was Gabriel, and the message that he had to deliver to Mary the mother of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.  The above verses tell the story.  A very important message, told by an angel, about the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Praise our great God for this important message and the very important birth that will save us from eternal death in Hell, if we only believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior.  

Marriage is Between One Man and One Woman

Same sex marriages seem to be in the headlines a lot lately.  It's not "politically correct" to voice an opinion contrary to this topic...well, I am going bold into the Word of God on this issue.  What the Lord has to say on this topic is what I believe in.....one man, one woman in marriage.  I know that there are people who will be furious if they read this blog post...all I can say is I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ and my Father God and Their Word...and I will pray for these people.


Genesis 2:22-24 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.




Ephesians 5:28-33 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (33) Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.




1 Corinthians 7:2-3 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. (3) Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
 
In any of these verses, or any of the other verses that I've read over does it say that a man shall cleave to a man....or a woman shall cleave to a woman....in fact, these following verses refer to this....
 
Romans 1:24-32 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness .....(31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
 
I know that there is many out there who will think that I am horrible for writing this blog post...but, all I can say is the Word of God is the one law that everyone should follow.  There will be a time when all of this will be made clear to all....the time is coming and I believe it's coming soon.  This is still a free country and I still have a right to my opinion, whether it's "politically correct" or not.  God bless all and I pray for a time when all will come to their senses and follow the law of God.
 
I felt a real need to write this and felt that God placed this on my heart.

Wisdom is Found in the Bible

2 Timothy 3:14-17 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; (15) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This is a picture of my watercolor painting of the Great Horned Owl.  When you think of owls, you think of the wise old owl....an icon for wisdom.  What is wisdom and how can we obtain it?  According to Wikipedia, "Wisdom is a deep understanding and realizing of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time and energy. Wisdom is the ability to optimally (effectively and efficiently) apply perceptions and knowledge and so produce the desired results. Wisdom is comprehension of what is true or right coupled with optimum judgment as to action."  ....as God's children we need to obtain wisdom from God's Word, the Bible.  In 2Timothy3:15, we are to know the holy scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  The Bible is where we learn that we must have faith in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer.  Faith in Jesus is what gives us salvation.  Keeping in the Word is what gives us Godly instruction of how we are to live our lives.  With the application of what God teaches us in the Bible, we can obtain a righteous life lived in wisdom of that which we learn in the scripture.  In James 3:17,18 we learn about the kind of wisdom that we must have.

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (18) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Light of the World

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.


This is a portion of an acrylic painting that I did a few years ago, called "Coming Into the Harbor."  I love to paint nautical scenes, especially lighthouses.  I hate the dark and have always loved the daytime...maybe that's part of the reason I love lighthouses...I guess also, it may be that a lighthouse always reminds me of our great Lord, who is the light of the world to all who will see Him (the saved).  When things get dark and depressing, it's a blessing to have the one true light of Jesus Christ to guide your way.

If you have not received salvation from eternal death and darkness, all you have to do is open your heart and eyes to the light of Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior.  In return for this, you will receive everlasting, wonderful eternal life with the One True God in Heaven.  You will also receive a peace that surpasses all human understanding.  Even though a Christian still has the everyday problems that everyone else has, we have this wonderful peace, in knowing that Christ is our Savior and that He is always with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit, guiding and protecting us through life, and preparing us for a wonderful eternity with Our Lord.

If you have any questions about all of this, please ask me....or visit a Bible believing church....you can also check out my husbands blog "Settled In Heaven," which teaches about salvation and many Biblical principles. 

Please open your eyes and heart to Jesus before it's too late.

"Calvary" He Did It For Us.

Welcome to my new blog and my first post.  All are welcome here...whether you be someone who is saved and have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, or someone who is not saved and is looking for something to make a life-changing difference.  I hope that maybe I can help you on your journey.

This is a portion of an acrylic painting that I did a few years ago.  The name of it is "Calvary."  When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He had two other crosses on each side of him with theives being punished for their crimes.  The one thief asked Christ to remember him...at that time Christ told him that He would see him in paradise (Heaven).

Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. (43) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

We can be that thief...do you see how easy it is....to just ask Jesus to be our Savior and let Him into our heart and learn to trust in Him.   You can feel that overwhelming change in your heart.  When you accept Him as your Redeemer, you will begin to feel joy and peace in your life...this is the Holy Spirit, which God gives us when we are saved, to help us and guide us in this life....but, do you know the best part of trusting in Jesus...someday, you will spend eternity with Him in Heaven.   If you have questions, please feel free to ask...I will try my best to help you and explain.

Now to the painting; I chose only to paint Christ's cross in my painting...I was putting the focus on Christ's crucifixition and showing what He did for us.  The red paint on the Mount is a picture of His blood that He shed for us.  The sky is dark to show the ultimate sadness of all of His people (what they totally did not understand is that their great Lord would rise again in 3 days, spend 40 days with them here on earth, and then ascend into Heaven to be with God the Father).  There is a bright shining break in that dark sky that illuminates down from the heavens, which represents God the Father in Heaven.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I will try to answer your questions, but I also have to suggest another blog, done by my husband, which is a Biblically based blog written from a sovereign grace perspective.  It's a great blog to get some answers from.

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/