…Order
Out of Chaos…
…Order
Substance
I am grateful to have the small chicken coop moved under the trees, where the chicks will be cooler in the summer heat!
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11
Substance, here, in the NKJV, is hypostasis; a compound of hupo and histemi; a setting under (support), i.e. (figuratively) concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance (objectively or subjectively) — confidence, confident, person, substance.
I note that we get our English word stasis from the Greek word histemi, meaning – in this context – equilibrium or a stable state. The Strongs exposition, above, incorporated the word concretely, which we equate with stability.
In the third verse, the writer speaks of the worlds being framed by the word of God as a basis for understanding faith. The word of God is surer as a foundation than is concrete! Concrete will eventually decay, but the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).
Lord, thank You that Your word is faithful and true, a sure foundation for life! Thank you that our relationship with you is by faith in You, and not by our always-inconsistent performance.
Debtors
Continuation of a short stroll through Romans 8
I am grateful to be caught up on hoeing!
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:12-18 NKJV
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Me: Good afternoon, Father!
Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!
Me: “put to death the deeds of the flesh” recalls the process of rejecting the desire, for an alcoholic to drink or, really, the emphatic demands of any addictive or controlling behavior; that life may ensue instead of death.
Abba: Giving in to these assertive desires without restraint is, in fact, pandering to the flesh rather than the Spirit. I Am never going to lead in a spiritually self-destructive direction. (Do I even have to say that?) But the clamoring of the flesh is at odds with the Spirit.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 14:12
It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are life.
John 6:63
I spoke into the void (not empty space, for there was no space). I spoke all that is, and it came into being at My word. (Genesis 1) It is the same power that Jesus was referring to when He said, “the words that I speak”. The void did not have an option other than to obey My words. You do. This is why the scripture tells you to choose (Joshua 24:15, Deuteronomy 30:19, Revelation 3:20). You constantly have a choice. However, My Spirit is within the redeemed. They are sealed:
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:13
Me: Thank You Father! I am grateful for the recognition that squelching the clamoring of the flesh both possible and lifegiving. is I love You!
Abba: You are welcome! The flesh is like a demanding toddler. The demands are not aways in his best interest. I love you!
Featured photo, Sagar Sintan, Pexels
Damselfly
Found this damselfly resting by the garage door. If my identification is correct it is a female Ebony Jewelwing. We have a small creek that runs a little over one hundred yards south of the house, so this lady was not too far out of her normal element.
I never cease to be amazed at the creative nature of our Creator! So, I thought I might share the picture.
Picture taken with iPhone 16 Pro Max on 5x zoom.
Life and Death
A short stroll through Romans 8
I am grateful that You are Spirit!
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:6-11
Me: Good morning, Father!
Abba: Good morning, Jon!
Me: I think Romans 8 may be my favorite passage of scripture.
Abba: What is not to like? No condemnation, freedom, righteousness, life, peace, adoption, heirs, glory, hope, help, purpose, deliverance, and protection, just to skim the surface.
Me: The benefits you have given us in Jesus are truly boundless! Thank You! I love You!
Abba: You are welcome! I love you!
New Chick Hatching
Now!
I am grateful that Your creation reflects Your loving care for us all to see!
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Revelation 12:10
Me: Good morning, Father!
Abba: Good morning, Jon!
Me: This is a marvelous verse, Father! Can You please tell me something about its temporal language? It uses words like “have come”, “has been”, “now”, and “accused”.
Abba: I Am glad to point out that “has been” is applicable to the accuser.
Many have speculated as to when this “now” is referring. In Job 1:6 and 2:1-2, Satan’s access to heaven is mentioned. He accuses both Job and I that Job only honors Me because of the blessings I bestowed on him.
Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 2:10) Though the English translation of this verse seems a strong past-tense rendition, this is not so in the original. Rather, it emphasizes that it was an event, something that happened at a particular point in time.
Consider how Revelation 12:10 links a moment (now) with salvation and the power of the Christ, with Satan’s casting down. In Revelation 12:7, leading up to verse 10, “war in heaven” is the setting. Verse eleven in Revelation 12 says this:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
So, this victory, in which you stand, was won by Jesus at the cross. And the victory enfolds all who put their trust in Him. The Accuser, then, has no more standing to accuse those who have repented of their lives of sin and put their faith in the work of the sinless Son.
For He says:
2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
While a person has breath, there is a moment – now – when it is possible to enter in to the salvation provided. None knows whether another moment is coming.
Me: Hallelujah! Thank You Father! I love You! Thank you! Thank you!
Abba: You are welcome! I love you!
Demolition
Sometimes an improvement starts with a mess. Resisting change is resisting even the possibility of an upgrade.
June First Slips
It is the first of June. I can hardly believe it. We have been a littler cooler on average this spring.
The sweet potato slip above is one of thirty one that I planted in the garden today. They have been “hardening off” outdoors during the day in 4″ pots of potting soil for a couple of weeks. I am able to plant them without disturbing the roots at all by this method.
The sweet potatoes in the plastic tub above produced all the slips that I potted up. The tub is setting on a heating mat (set for 80F) in the basement under a high intensity LED grow light. Some start sweet potato slips in a jar with the potato supported by toothpicks. I have had much better results with the tubers horizontal in a tub of garden soil.
When the slips get to around 4″ tall, twist them off of the parent. This year I placed some in water until they developed roots, then put them in pots. Others, I placed in the pots directly. The pots were all kept well watered by keeping them in restaurant bus tubs with an inch or so of water in the bottom. I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two methods. Next time, I think I will skip placing them in water first.
The ability to propagate these is a gift from God. I am grateful for all the plants that He created to be food for us! He is truly Jehovah Jireh, God our provider!
Unusual Pet
We received an invitation yesterday to go with a friend to feed her horse and longhorn steer, named Hobart. Hobart can only be classified as a pet and is now fourteen years old. I watched him hold his head down while his owner stood in front of him to curry his head and neck, back as far as she could reach. He did not move at all during this attention. Another friend was able to stroke the side of his nose, so his docile behavior is not limited to his owner. Those horns trace quite a swath when he turns his head!
Missionary Sojourn 