6-23-07 Isaiah 9:3, 4

Isaiah 9:3, 4 (NAS)
Thou shalt multiply the nation, Thou shalt increase their gladness; They will be glad in Thy presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.

Isaiah 9:3, 4 (NIVUS)
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Isaiah 9:3, 4 (NRSV)
You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Are there certain people who bring great joy to your life? Perhaps you are in a loving relationship, whether it is intimate or platonic, that blesses you more than you could express. Just being with that person brings a smile to your lips and a light to your eyes.

Did you know that your relationship with the Lord God should produce the same reaction? Adonai the Most High wishes to increase and multiply you in abundance. He see excelling and becoming greater, for He has set aside plenty of provision to nourish you now and to keep in store for the future.

When you think of all that God has done and is doing your have a measurable increase of joy. Your heart fills with mirth and gladness. When you come into the presence of the Lord, you come rejoicing, for He has given you a bountiful harvest. You have no reason to grieve, mourn, or be discouraged. You will reap as a victorious army, gathering spoils of the battle. The booty that you receive is a great portion and allotment.

Not only are you blessed materially, but you have also benefited in other ways. The Lord your God has broken the yoke of abuse and pain that kept you beaten down and discouraged. Your enemy used confusion and fear to chastise you. It was a heavy load to bear, but Jehovah lifted that burden from your shoulders. The rod that your oppressors used for punishment, to drive and harass you, has been abolished. His tyranny over you is weak and useless now, for the Lord has rescued and delivered you from his brawling and contention.

Therefore, continue to rejoice in the Lord and the power of His might, for your harvest and deliverance are great indeed!

Yesterday's Jolt did not get published somehow. I republished it this morning, as well as today's Jolt. You will notice that they are out of date order. I wanted to let you know, in case you wanted to read them in order.

6-21-07 Matthew 5:7

Matthew 5: 7 (NAS)
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7 (NIVUS)
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

God keeps sending blessings to His children, who have chosen Him as their Father. Like any children, God's children want to imitate their Father. God is merciful. He shows kindness and good will towards the miserable and afflicted. He desires to help them in any way He can. Men needed freedom from sin and in His mercy, God sent His Son Jesus to become sin for them so that they could become the righteousness of God in Him.

Like your Father, you extend mercy to others. You are kind and good to those who do not deserve it. You give help in whatever way that you can. You have a heart of compassion, feeling sympathy for those in misery.

Thus, when the Lord looks at you and sees your intentional acts of goodness and kindness to others, even when they hurt you, He has no other choice than to grant you the same mercy that you have shown.
Receive His mercy, for He desires to bless you!

6-22-07 Matthew 5:8

Matthew 5:8 (BBE)
Happy are the clean in heart: for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8 (NAS)
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Learning to be happy and knowing that you are blessed even when the Lord is pruning you is quite an accomplishment. He cleans up and purifies your life by cutting off the dead and useless things and sometimes by cutting off parts that are still green and alive. The latter are usually harder to understand and accept. Everything in your heart--your thoughts, desires, emotions, affections, purposes, understanding, intelligence, and will--cries out against it. God's purpose in this is that you will bear more fruit.

Even though you feel like you are going through fire, you are being cleansed of all corrupt desires, anything false, and all sin and guilt. You are becoming blameless and innocent in all things. You are finding freedom from the defilements of the flesh, the world, and every kind of contamination.

All this is necessary for the child of God, for Adonai is a Holy God. His very essence is purity and cleanness. Your sinful nature cannot stand in His presence and live. So the Lord continually makes you pure and holy. All of this, which He does because He loves you, will allow you to see Him face to face. As your heart becomes purer, you are able to perceive, know and become acquainted with more facets of your Lord. Your experience in Him will continually deepen and you will direct more of your attention to Him.

There is no greater blessing than knowing Him!

6-20-07 Matthew 5:6

Matthew 5:6 (NAS)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 (Philips)
Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for true goodness, for they will be fully satisfied!

What a happy, blessed state -- desiring the True Bread and the Living Water!

You hunger for that Bread and suffer want if you do not have it. You crave for it ardently and eagerly seek and desire it. You know that if you do not have your daily ration, you shrivel and die.

Sometimes you are so dry and parched, feeling like sand that has the hot desert wind blowing forcefully over it. You are not just thirsty, but suffer thirst that is so painful that you earnestly long for refreshment for your soul. Just to have a small drink of that Living Water would strengthen and support you! You pant for that water, for you cannot live without it!

The Lord has made you righteous; you do not stand before Him in guilt and condemnation. He approves of you which causes you to rejoice. You, however, desire to display more integrity, more virtue, more purity, and more right thinking, feeling and acting. You teach and display the goodness of God!

There is good news for you! Because you have this insatiable hunger and thirst for the very word and presence of the Lord, you will be totally and completely satisfied. Your desire will always be fulfilled! You will eat the good of the land, which is Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah. Rivers of living water, originating in and from His Holy Spirit, will pour out of you to refresh others, as well as yourself!

How blessed you are!

6-19-07 Matthew 5:5

Matthew 5:5 (NAS)
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5 (NIVUS)
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

You are progressively and continuously blessed, happy, and favored of the Lord. You have chosen to accept His dealings with you as something good. You do not dispute or resist them. You rely totally and only on the Lord's strength and not your own. He defends you against injustice. Although evil circumstances and people come against you, Adonai the Most High God always uses them to purify you, His elect. And He always delivers you in His time, as you trust in God's goodness and control over every situation. You are becoming more meek and gentle of spirit, for your trust is in the Lord!

The Lord has made you His heir and a joint-heir with His Son Jesus Christ. You, therefore, receive as your own possession the lot that the Lord has reserved for you alone. He has granted you total and complete salvation. When Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, you will have part of it as your very own inheritance. In Him you will rule and reign!

6-18-07 Matthew 5:4

Matthew 5:4 (NAS)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4 (Philips)
How happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort!

The blessing of the Lord is progressive; He does not stop blessing those He loves, those who receive His plan of salvation in Jesus, His Son. The blessed man is fully satisfied in Him.

Even the man, who has been in mourning, who has suffered sadly or who has been in a bad plight, is blessed when he turns to the Lord. The one who is sorrowful and grieving is blessed in the Lord. The one who experiences the pain of his sin and failure is blessed as he acknowledges these to the Lord.

Whether a man is grieving outwardly with passionate lamentation or inwardly in silence, the Lord will call him to His side to console, to encourage, to strengthen and to comfort him. When he cries for help, the Lord invites him to partake of God's infinite blessings!

6-17-07 Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:3 (NAS)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3 (Philips)
How happy are those who know their need for God, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Before Jesus Christ came into your life, you were a beggar. You were destitute of wealth, influence, position and power. You were lowly and afflicted, helpless and powerless to accomplish an end. You were poor in spirit, but now you are a happy and blessed.

Now you are a child of God, You have been born again of royalty. The Lord has made you the child of a king. You have been given dominion, rule, and authority in His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven!

Therefore, rule with wisdom and gentleness!