Jude 1-2 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James…
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ;
May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Who is Jude?

The name “Jude” is a derivative of two different names from two different cultures: it is derived from the Hebrew name “Judah”, which, by definition, means “praise”. We know that Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and the head of the tribe of Judah. He was the brother who was compassionate towards Joseph when the three older brothers wanted to get rid of him. Judah was also the one who betrayed his daughter-in-law, but she turned the tables on him and tricked him into having a sexual relationship with her. That encounter led to her pregnancy, which, by law, would have cost her life. She was cunning enough to get his staff and his signet ring to prove that he was the father of the child she was carrying. Judah impregnated her with twins, and one of those twins was the father of the line that would lead to Christ.

Jude is also derived from the Greek name “Judas”, which is basically the same name as “Judah”, just like “Jesus” and “Joshua” are the same. There were many men named Judas in biblical times. I read about the most famous extrabiblical Judas, the hero of the Maccabean revolt against the Greek ruler Antiochus Ephiphanes in the 2nd century B.C., according to extrabiblical writers such as Flavius Josephus and St. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna.

The first name, Judah, many would be proud to bear. The second, not so much. Judah was the most eminent of Jacob’s twelve sons, and to this day, his name is regarded as one of honor. We may meet someone today on the street named Judah, but it is highly unlikely that we will ever meet anyone whose name is Judas. Isn’t it ironic that Jude is the namesake of the one whose lineage would give us the Savior, and the one who would betray the Savior?

Jude’s letter is the sharpest, most dogmatic condemnation of apostasy in the New Testament. The apostles Paul and James both warn the church that wolves would come, but Jude describes these wolves in great detail. If Jude’s writing reflects anything about his personality, I would venture to guess that he was an in-your-face type of preacher. He was someone who would tell you like it is and not really care if you were offended. If Jude were alive today and lived in my neighborhood, he would be in my friend circle. I am drawn to people who will tell the truth without batting an eye, and keep it moving.

Jude was a slave of Jesus Christ, as he describes himself in the opening verse. Dictionary.com defines the word “slave” as “a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another” or “a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person”. We can tell from the tone of the first verse that Jude considered himself fortunate to be a slave of Christ. He probably thought of that title as a dignified and honorable title. His mindset was very different from that of the culture today. No one wants to feel like a slave anymore. Most people prefer to be served than to feel like a servant. That mindset is a product of the culture which grows consistently more and more cold hearted the longer it rejects the LORD Jesus. Not only that, but most people find the term “slave” offensive. Feminists use that term when describing a wife’s biblical submission to her husband. Jude’s use of that term should be indicative of how deeply committed he was to the service of the LORD. Today’s culture does not breed that kind of commitment.

Jude also identifies himself as the brother of James. Only two men in the New Testament named Jude are associated with a man named James. The apostle Jude was the son of a man named James according to Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, so that only leaves one other Jude, who is the brother of James. James is the brother of Jesus, according to Galatians 1:19. Of the nine men whom God used to pen the scriptures, Jude is also the only New Testament author who identifies himself by familial relationship.

From what we have read and heard about Jude to this point, what are some words that you would use to describe Jude? Who was he as a person?
1-humble 2-committed 3-servant 4-Godly

Jude was a humble man. He was the brother of the One Who redeemed Israel and the Gentile world from their fallen state. Jude’s Brother was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed on a cross. He was buried and resurrected and proven to be Who He said He was. Because Jude was His brother, he could have boasted that fact. However, in verse 1, he claimed that he was a “slave of Jesus Christ”. He let the reader know from verse 1 that he was no one special…he was just a slave of His Savior, the same way any other true believer is a slave of the LORD.

Jude came to the saving knowledge of his older Brother, the Messiah, after the resurrection. During Jesus’ earthly life, Jude did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). Think of your family table when you were growing up. If you had brothers and one of your brothers came to the dinner table to announce, “Oh, by the way…I am the Messiah that Israel is looking for and one day, I will redeem all of Israel.” What would your reaction have been? I know if my brother had said something like that to my sister and me, we would have laughed him away from the table! Jesus’ brothers and sisters were probably the same way. They probably looked at him side-eyed when they first found out that He was the Savior. It was not until after Jesus’ resurrection that His relationship with His siblings changed from Brother to LORD (Mark 3:32-35).

Jude is writing to “the called”, “beloved”, and “kept”. The KJV calls them the “sanctified”, “preserved”, and “called”. Who are these people? The particular church that Jude is writing to is unknown. The Bible does not specify for us exactly which church he is addressing, but based on some of the references that we will read in this chapter, we can assume that he is directing his comments to Jewish believers. Verse 3 even sounds like Jude is about to say something encouraging or celebratory to his readers. He desires the mercy and peace and love of God to be multiplied to the people of God. He is a leader who loves and cares for the flock deeply. He is a lot like Paul in that sense. He wants to see the best for this group. He holds them close to his heart.

The people who are “called” are the church, the ones who are called out of the world’s system and into the kingdom of God. Every believer is called to be DIFFERENT: we live in the world, but we are not to be like the world. 2 Corinthians 6:17a says, ” Therefore come out from their midst and be separate, says the LORD…” We are not to be like the world. I am reminded of something that I read on the internet about the satanic rituals that took place in 2023 at the grammy awards. I am never surprised at the level of debauchery that I hear about coming from secular gatherings such as awards shows. The world does what the world does. The world does not have a standard set for them the way believers in the LORD have…our standard is God’s Word. What does irritate me a little bit about those gatherings is the fact that artists who claim to know and love Jesus, proclaim that they are walking with the LORD and living for Him, but sit in the audience and participate in the satanic displays that are demonstrated onstage for all the world to see. They take the very same stage where men who live openly homosexual lifestyles have performed; they sit through raunchy and perverted performances by wicked women who call for the murder of babies in the womb and who have no more respect for themselves than to have openly adulterous relationships with men to whom they are not married, or with other women for that matter. What was in us that was like the world or that could tolerate being up close to the world should be gone when we come to Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Our goal on this earth is to glorify God, and we cannot do that in the old nature. Our nature must be made new through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are called out of this world.

How would you describe your having been “called” out of the world?

Jude also addresses those who are “…the beloved in the Father…” Every believer is beloved by God. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to pay our debt of sin (John 3:16), so that we would not have to spend eternity in punishment for that sin. The enemy of our souls sometimes tries to convince us that God does not love us, but there could be nothing further from the truth. God loves us to death on the cross! As women, there are times in our lives when the enemy tries to make us feel as though we are not beloved. He attacks us in the area of our emotions, our thoughts, our self-worth, our identity in Christ, our identity in society and even our identity in our families. Sometimes we look around and wonder why. Sometimes we have unanswered prayers that plague us. Sometimes our hearts are broken and we wonder how our loving Father could have allowed such devastation into our lives. Sometimes we experience loss and it grips us to the point where we wonder if we are really beloved by the Father. This world is full of brokenness and devastation and loss. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, but sin crept in, so here we are. That doesn’t take away from the Father’s love for us. I am reminded of the words of a beautiful hymn:

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Jude refers to believers as “…kept for Jesus Christ…” The LORD has kept us from eternal punishment. He has kept us from the bondage of sin. He has kept us from the world’s system. He has kept us from devastation by the evil one. He has given us power to overcome (Acts 1:8) and to endure what the world throws at us. He has given us wisdom from on high (James 1:5) to know the tricks of the enemy. He promised to keep us in peace (Isaiah 26:3) if we keep our minds fixed on Him. Jesus has helped us to endure even through persecution (2 Timothy 2:8-10). Take a moment and think about a time that the LORD kept you from some kind of devastation. Just take a moment and think about that situation where you could have been in serious trouble, serious danger, or where something could have lost your life…but God kept you.

Jude, however, wanted mercy, peace, and love for his brothers and sisters in Christ. My pastor calls these three things the “profits of salvation”. God’s mercy withheld the judgment that you and I deserve. God’s peace is available to us, even when we fall short. God’s love for us is without condition. Jude’s heart was filled with compassion for the believers, because as a servant, it was his honor to serve them and to serve alongside them. Jude was not one who wished to lord his position over anyone, or make anyone feel as though they were beneath him, as many who work in ministry do today. He recognized that all of the hope of mankind flows from the mercy, peace and love of Jesus Christ. We need the mercy of God to rescue us from the penalty of our sin…we need the peace of God to comfort our hearts while living through trials and tribulations…and we need the love of God which causes us to love one another, especially those who may be difficult to love. Jude knew that God wants to give all three of these blessings to His people. God knows we desperately need them. It is good to be a part of a church family where leadership in the church desires God’s mercy, peace and love for all the believers. My best friend often says “the spirit that controls the head controls the body”. In other words, what is at the top trickles down to the bottom. If you have the head of the church who loves the body and wants the best for them, the body will imitate that same spirit. If you have the head of the church who is unloving, unfaithful, unkind…who is in it for the money…who has no compassion for widows and orphans…who loves himself and thinks of only of himself and what is good for him, you will end up in a church with a bunch of back-biting, infighting people who have no compassion for anyone. It is safe to assume that the group to whom Jude addressed this letter were a loving bunch.

Jude wrote this letter to believers in his day, but this letter is applicable to us today. It is a quick read, but it contains so many important warnings that believers in our time need to heed. I remember visiting a church in Tennessee about ten years ago, and the pastor was preaching out of Jude. He mentioned that they had already been in Jude for three months and they were only on verse four! That was a Bible-teaching church! We should take that slow a walk through God’s Word on a regular basis.

February 10, 2024

The Church Has Gone The Way of the World

Ezekiel 22:25-26

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

2024 came in with a bang! We didn’t even get a chance to finish breaking our New Year’s resolutions before people started acting out. As a matter of fact, the church was acting out as 2024 came in. Popular megachurches whose services are streamed live on the internet have gone absolutely insane with some of the shenanigans that they pull to get the attention of church goers. There is such an entertainment element to church these days that some of these stunts are absolutely embarrassing. I have listed a few examples of the tomfoolery that I have become aware of lately:

One pastor demonstrated onstage how it was necessary to be baptized more than once. He threw himself into the baptistry (in his suit) 7 times to make his point.
One pastor demonstrated how the temple of the Holy Spirit is the body and not the building that the church meets in, so he threw mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiments on some of the chairs and church items to illustrate his point.
One pastor played rap music for his congregation and invited congregants to come down to the front of the church and do the latest dance that coincides with the particular song he was playing. He and another “pastor” were doing the dance on the platform while the congregants did it in front of the pulpit area.
A video surfaced of another pastor preaching about how Jesus was “out of order” for 85% of the time He was here on earth. This preacher claimed that Jesus was doing things that He was not assigned to do by the Father.
Another video surfaced of a popular preacher/musical artist on stage, in concert, performing with other artists, dancing to what was supposed to be Christian music, doing a very secular, very worldly dance called “twerking” (many of you who are reading this will know exactly what I am talking about…it is a very suggestive dance that is completely inappropriate for anything having to do with “worship”) and he did it with a woman who is probably old enough to be his mother, another “gospel” artist, and someone who is NOT HIS WIFE!

These same preachers claim to be spreading the Gospel. They claim that people are coming to the church who would not normally come to church. They claim that people are being delivered and set free, but delivered from what? Set free from what?

I have several other examples of foolishness that is being exhibited in the church, but I think you get the point. As a matter of fact, you may have seen or heard some of this stuff for yourself. This is embarrassing and shameful for the church. As a matter of fact, God had something to say about this very thing, and He used the prophet Ezekiel to make His point.

God warned Ezekiel that the prophets who claimed to bring the Word of God were nothing more than deceivers. This reminds me of the false teachers that Jude cried out against. They made promises to the hearers that they could not keep, and led the hearer to expect things that they knew they could not deliver. Ezekiel said there was a “conspiracy” of the prophets to mislead the people. We are seeing that same conspiracy played out today. The false teachers and heretics of today are leading people to believe that they are okay in their sin; there is no need to repent of any kind of immorality or behavior that is contrary to the standard that God set in His Word. The conspiracy is the false teachers are actually in a certain allegiance with the world, keeping them bound to their sin by withholding the truth of the Gospel from them. They make false claims and prophesies that will no more come true than the moon will turn to green cheese.

These false teachers and heretics are like “a roaring lion ravening the prey“. Have you ever witnessed an animal devouring the flesh of another animal that was maybe hit by a car or killed by a predator? I am always fascinated with how the vultures swoop down upon the carcass of a deer on the side of the road. These days, the vultures have become so brave that they don’t even bother to fly away when a car passes. They are so brave that they continue tearing away at the flesh they found! They are the perfect example of the false teachers. They are brazenly leading people to hell, and they have no fear of the truth of God’s Word or the true prophets that God sends their way to tell them of their wicked ways. They have literally “devoured souls”….justifying people in their sin, which prevents them from knowing the truth.

As we have moved into the age of accepting people who live an alternative lifestyle, many churches have these people on their pastoral staff, and some churches even accept them as their pastors. The false teachers do not preach against sin and iniquity anymore, so the alphabet mafia feels more and comfortable in the church. It is a rare occasion to find a church that will “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My _people their transgression…” (Isaiah 58:1). By doing so, these false teachers and heretics have “…violated My law and have profaned My holy things…” How dare a “pastor” destroy the items that belong to the sanctuary of his church by spreading condiments all over them. How dare believers have such little respect for the place where the worship of the one and only true and living God takes place. How dare we show such minimal reverence for the house of the LORD.

The priests in the Old Testament, were they alive today, would be shocked at how little regard believers have for God’s house. All that they had to go through before they came into the presence of the LORD would make the average believer shudder. I don’t think there are many believers on earth who would have the same level of reverence for the temple as the priests did. Today, we think that disrespecting the sanctuary is no big deal…that’s why we come into the sanctuary with food and drink; we allow our kids to run around in the sanctuary, we treat the sanctuary as if it is nothing important. When I was a child, that would have never been allowed. We were taught to treat God’s house as if it belonged to the God Who created the heavens and the earth. We have lost that sense of awe…

The church today does not “[show] difference between the unclean and the clean“. The pastor who encouraged his congregants to listen to secular music in church and participate in the secular dance moves that coincide with that music is a perfect example of one who shows no difference between the clean and the unclean. He treated the worship service as if it were a night in the club or the bar. Never once did these men tell the people in their audience that Jesus died for the very acts that they were participating in at that church. They profaned the scriptures themselves, justifying their behavior and their lack of reverence for the LORD.

God will not be mocked. If you are attending a church where the “worship” service is anything like I have described, please find a new church. You are more than likely not being fed the truth of God’s Word. There’s no need to say that you are staying there because you are praying for the pastor or the leadership to change…you can do that while you are finding another church where you can hear the Gospel on a regular basis. If you do not attend church but you are thinking of going to a church where you hear that they are doing some outlandish things in an effort to draw the crowd, please look elsewhere. Churches such as the ones I have described are no good for your soul.

If you do not know the LORD Jesus Christ as Savior, please do not let this moment pass without confessing your sin to Him (1 John 1:9). He will not turn you away if you come to Him in sincerity (John 6:37). Confess your sin to Him and ask Him to save you (Romans 10:9-13) and He will do the rest!

December 30, 2023December 30, 2023

John 15:18-19

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

As I navigate the waters of social media lately, I see so much hate being spewed online. When one person doesn’t like what another person says or thinks or posts or tweets, they immediately begin to post mean and nasty things to and about that person. It is as if they forgot that we live in the “land of the free”, where we still have the right to freedom of speech, which is guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the United States. Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion. Just because you don’t agree with me, or I don’t agree with you, that gives neither of us the right to belittle the other because of our difference of opinion.

I recently experienced an onslaught of hatred from people on social media (and not the platform that I would have expected) about a personal opinion of mine. While most people would have deleted the opinion that they shared in order to avoid the onslaught of vicious and untrue things being said, I chose to leave the post where it was and it continues to sit there even this moment. I received hundreds of nasty responses. People called me names. They used racial slurs against me. They accused me of being things that I am not. They belittled my profile. They did all that stuff against me in an effort to shame me into changing my position or taking down my post.

As I read the hate being spewed towards me, I thought of these words of Jesus. He said, “If the world hate you, know that it hated Me before it hated you.” The first thing that we must unpack is where hatred originates. Hatred comes from the enemy of our souls, the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and all who follow him. It comes directly from the devil and the sons of the devil, those who work evil, and those who are adamantly and aggressively opposed to God and His kingdom. They are in stark contrast to the children of God, or those who love Him, obey Him, and do all they can to advance His kingdom. Hate comes from the devil.

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own…” I guess if I agreed with their unbiblical opinions, or if I spewed hate the way they did, my critics would have not attacked me so viciously. They would have read my post and given me a like or a laughing emoji or left a supportive comment. But I am not of this world. I belong to the kingdom of God, and I do my best to form my opinions based on the Word of God. I know there are times when I fall short, and the Spirit of God convicts me when that happens, and I try my best to change course. I ask myself, when posed with a situation, what the Word of God says that is relevant to that situation. I ask God to show me what He thinks about it. That’s where I start with forming my opinion. When I do that, my opinion is a hill I am willing to die on.

Jesus went on to say, “…but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…” I know that the LORD chose me out of the world. The LORD burdened my soul almost 40 years ago until I had no choice but to cry out to Him for salvation. I was walking in my own way, and the weight of my sin was propped up on my shoulder. I felt as thought I were carrying the weight of another person at least my size on my back every single day. I came to the end of myself and decided that I did not want to continue to carry that burden. I cried out to the LORD and asked Him to save me, and I told Him if He did, I would live for Him the rest of my life. The rest, as they say, is history….or HIStory. God saved me that night, alone in my bedroom, and though my walk with Him has not been perfect, His walk with me has been! He has been there in the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the beautiful and the ugly. He has been there when I felt that He wasn’t….He never let me wallow too long in my hurts or my self-pity or my frustration. He has always given me the strength to shake off whatever burden the enemy tried to saddle me with and help me get back on track and continue the ministry to which He has called me. This is why the world hates me and every other outspoken believe in the LORD Jesus.

Guess what? If you are a believer, the world hates you too. It’s not just me!!! The world hates the God you serve and the fact that you serve Him. The world hates how much He loves you and the fact that you love Him. The world hates His standard of obedience and the fact that you try to live up to that standard. The world hates the scripture and the fact that you know and love scripture. The world hates the church and the fact that you love and are faithful to the church. The world hates your walk with the LORD and will do all it can to try to get you off course. I urge you, believer, to stay the course. Dig deep into God’s Word so that you will have the tenacity to stand for what is right when the world viciously attacks you. Pray daily so that you will have an intimacy with the LORD that gives you the security to know that He is with you even when it feels like He is not. Attend church regularly and develop relationships with the saints so that you will have someone to come alongside you when times are hard and when you feel discouraged and when you need someone to hold you accountable. Protect your walk with Him, and remind yourself that the world hates you…and they will just have to deal with it!

August 1, 2023

Happy Ten Year Anniversary To ME!

It was ten years ago today that I started this blog. I had tried journaling, but I was no good at it. I tried writing my thoughts down in these cute little journals that I would buy in the office supply store, but nothing ever came of it. I would do it for a few days, maybe even weeks, but all of a sudden, I would drop it. That would be the end of my journaling.

Later in my life, along came the internet. I was introduced to this thing called “blogging” at a women’s conference I attended back in 2007-08. The conference speaker shared with us how her husband had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and they were journaling his story on their “blog”. She gave the crowd the link to follow along, and I did. I read that blog every single day for months, until finally, her husband lost his earthly battle and went home to be with the LORD. I was literally sitting in front of my computer looking at her blog site when the notification popped up that there had been an update. The update was that her beloved husband was gone.

I began to think about that blog and all the days I had spent sitting in front of it, sharing their long and tedious battle with this rare form of cancer that affected less than 10% of the entire United States population. I thought of how therapeutic it must have been to her to be able to sit at her computer and share with the world the pain she and her husband endured. It must have been comforting to have followers who were praying fervently for them, that the LORD would ease their burden, heal his body and encourage their hearts.

After pondering these things for more than a year, I came up with an idea. I decided that I would try my hand at this “blogging” thing. As I said before, I had been no good at journaling, but maybe, just maybe, I would be better at being faithful to a blog than I was to a journal. So I began looking at different blog sites, and WordPress won. I decided on a name: A Biblical Worldview. That describes me, because I look at everything in life through the lens of scripture. I decided early in my walk with the LORD that the Word of God is true and right and anything that opposed it is false and wrong. If God’s Word says it, that settles it, whether mankind believes it or not. If God’s Word says it, that settles it, whether mankind likes it or not. God’s Word is the final authority.

So…..ABiblicalWorldview at WordPress was born.

As I posted to this blog, I chose passages of scripture to exegete, I talked about current events, marriage, parenting, the church, the world, heaven, hell, family relationships, friendships, pop culture, Hollyweird, music, sports, and everything in between. I have developed some great acquaintances via this blog. I have had people contact me and tell me how much they enjoyed what I wrote. I have also had people tell me that they respectfully disagreed with what I wrote. I appreciate every interaction. I thank God for this outlet and how it has lasted for these ten years. When I started this blog, my computer had a gigantic screen and a huge tower sitting on the floor underneath my desk. The internet modem was almost as big as the computer itself. It had to be hard-wired into the back of the tower in order to get online. Today, as I type this blog, I use a monitor that includes the hard drive with a wireless keyboard! My, my, my….how technology has advanced in ten short years! Many other things have happened since I began this blog….some very good, some very bad. I have grown as a Christian, and as a person. I have watched life change in ways that I would have never imagined. I have wept as I followed my father’s coffin to his final resting place. I have grieved with others close to me as they have buried loved ones. My very first pastor went home to be with the LORD since I started this blog. I have watched my little babies grow into young adults. It’s been ten years…

Happy 10th Anniversary to me! As a tribute to what God has done here, I will be launching a new podcast today, also called A Biblical Worldview. I will launch it on Rumble.com. I hope this blog has blessed you, and I hope that the podcast will bless you as well. I am looking forward to sharing with you on my podcast later today when it goes live. Thanks for reading my blog!

June 4, 2023

All Black People Did Not Vote for Barack Obama…

This was originally posted on August 2, 2013. It has been almost ten years since I put these thoughts down on this blog! They still ring true today. I am even more convinced of this position today. I hope you are blessed as I share these “Throwback Thoughts”…

A Biblical Worldview

….and I am one of them.

There. I said it. I am proud to be a black woman because that is what God made me, but just because I am a black woman does not mean that I automatically have to support the election of a black person into an office for which I feel he is severely unqualified. I listened carefully to what Mr. Obama did and did not say during his campaign and I knew that he was not going to uphold the issues about which I feel very strongly. Those issues will be detailed later in this article.

Hebrews 13:17 says “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves…” (KJV)I have no choice but to obey the laws and statutes that make up the constitution of the United States. I am convicted by God to obey laws, unless of course, those…

View original post 2,277 more words

May 14, 2023

A Mother’s Day Tribute…To My Children

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! What a privilege it is to be a mother and nurture the next generation. God has entrusted mothers with a huge, yet wonderful responsibility. What a blessing!

I am so blessed to be the mother of the four best children on earth. God did not give me what I deserved when He gave me children; He gave me way better than what I deserved! I am so proud to be the mother of three daughters and a son who all love Jesus, walk with the LORD, study His Word, love His church, work in His church, and live their lives holy before the LORD. As I look back over our lives throughout their childhood and young adult years so far, I am humbled that the LORD gave them to me.

My oldest has made me extremely proud to me a mother. She works in the Christian music industry. As mature believers know, the music industry is not an easy place to remain holy. I am pleased to say that I can assure anyone who knows her, that my daughter has weathered the Christian music industry for almost eleven years now, and has done all that she does with excellence and integrity. She has had offers to “take her talent” to the world, but because she knows that God gave her any and all talent that she possesses, she has declined all such offers. She is a Godly young woman who spends time with the LORD, seeks His face, and does her best to obey His commands. She has been a joy to me over her lifetime. I see some of myself in her, but I mostly see the Spirit of the LORD pouring out of her life. She is a treasure, and I pay tribute to her this Mother’s Day.

My second oldest is a gem also. Unlike her older sister, she is very reserved and does well behind the scenes, out of the limelight. She is gifted musically also, but has a genius mind. She is very technically and technologically gifted. She is a brilliant organizer and deep thinker. She loves with a deep love, and holds close to those that she loves. Her projects are incomparable; no one can do a better job than she does when she sets her sights on something that she wants to complete. She is a homebody, but loves to take in God’s creation. She is quiet, but loud. She thinks deeply about God’s Word and asks some of the most profound questions that any young person could ask. She is the one who will come sit beside me and say nothing. When I ask if everything is ok, she will say to me that she just wanted to make sure I’m ok. I see God using her in the most unusual ways. She is a treasure, and I pay tribute to her this Mother’s Day.

My youngest daughter is precious. She has a servant’s heart and is willing to give her very last to anyone in need. She is a worker; anytime something needs to be done, whether it is around the house or at the church, she is one of the first to volunteer. We recently had a church cleaning day and she not only signed up for herself, but she signed up her siblings! She loves God’s Word and is faithful to Sunday School and women’s Bible study. She takes good care of me. When she thinks I don’t feel well, she is on the job, making sure I have what I need. Recently, when I was ill, she basically told me that I was going to the doctor, whether I wanted to or not! She loves very deeply and will go the last mile for those whom she holds dearest. She loves the LORD with a passion. I call her “Mary Magdalene”, because the LORD, in His kindness, delivered her from so many things, and she now clings to Him the way Mary Magdalene clung to the Savior. She recently traveled to Asia to share the Gospel in a community full of buddhists. She wants everyone to come to know the LORD as Savior. I see God using her as an international missionary. She is a treasure, and I pay tribute to her this Mother’s Day.

Last, but certainly not least, is my youngest. He is growing up to be a handsome and Godly young man. He has a quiet strength that those around him seem to love. He is charming and charismatic in his personality. He likes to laugh and have fun, but he knows the seriousness of following the rules, doing the right thing, and knowing the LORD as Savior. He has invited a few friends to Wednesday night youth group and Sunday morning worship. As any young man does, he has some maturing to do, but he is a joy to his mother. He is fun to watch on the basketball court, and he makes us laugh a lot at home. He is going to make some young lady a good and Godly husband someday. I am as proud of him as a mom can be. He is a treasure, and I pay tribute to him on this Mother’s Day.

God has blessed me beyond what I deserve. This Mother’s Day I have reflected on four of those blessings. My heart goes out to mothers for whom this is not their testimony. God is able and He is faithful!

Happy Mother’s Day moms!

April 12, 2023

Legacy Standard Bible

Today I decided to break down and order my Legacy Standard Bible. I have been using the online version for my Bible study class and my Sunday School class, but I did not have a physical copy of that Bible. So I ordered it today. I feel nervous like I felt the first time I moved away from home on my own.

If you have followed me on social media for any amount of time, you probably know that the King James Version of the Bible is my favorite. I grew up in a small, rural church where King James was the only version anyone knew about. The pastor preached from the King James. The Sunday School quarterlies were written based on the King James. My grandma had several King James Bibles around the house. I memorized all of the scripture that I know from the King James. I taught my children out of the King James. I taught my son how to read using phonics cards and the King James Bible. My son is a teenager today, and he still uses the King James Bible, even though he has many other choices. The King James Bible is simply a part of who I am.

A few years ago, I heard my favorite nationally known pastor, Dr. John MacArthur, discussing the translation of the Bible that he and many pastors were in the process of translating. He mentioned how they wanted to translate this particular version as close to the original language as possible. Because I trust his ministry and his teaching, I immediately knew that I would trust this translation of the scriptures, unlike many others that I have read over the years. There are “bibles” out there that are not Bibles; they are books that someone wrote which they claim are based on the Bible, but they are so slanted and so far from the original text that they actually leave out portions of scripture. I remember reading the Word one night with my three teenagers, and when it came time for one of my daughters to read her verse, the verse was actually not there! I told her it was time for her to retire that particular version of the “bible”.

Late last year, as the LORD began giving me opportunities to teach God’s Word to the ladies in my church, and travel to other churches to speak at women’s events, I knew that many of the younger women to whom I would speak would receive the King James script as if it were “archaic”. I have even heard women my age say the same thing: “Who talks like that anymore?” or “The ‘thees’ and ‘thou’s’ are so outdated!” I knew that I would need to use a different version, but I was not willing to sacrifice what I felt like was such language…and the King James, in my opinion, uses the strongest language in Christendom. I leaned towards the New American Standard Bible, which Dr. MacArthur has preached out of for many years, but I did not settle on it. I would use it and the KJV alternately. I remembered what Dr. MacArthur had said about translating the Bible, so I decided to wait.

One Sunday, as I was watching the livestream of the Grace Community Church morning worship service, Dr. MacArthur mentioned that the translation was complete and that the Bible would be ready for print very soon. I looked it up online and watched the website until one day, the text of scripture became available. I would sit and read it on my laptop when I was studying for my Bible study class. I began to enjoy it! I love the way it refers to God as “Yahweh”! There’s something about that Name…

Eventually the print version became available, and I kept thinking. I had the digital version, so why bother purchasing a physical copy? Any serious Bible student knows the answer to that! There’s nothing like holding your own copy of your own Bible in your own hands…there’s nothing like being able to jot notes in your Bible and highlight your favorite scriptures. There’s nothing like the smooth leather cover, the soft onion skin pages, and the gold trim around the outside. I could bear it no longer. I ordered my copy of the Legacy Standard Bible today. I expect it to arrive within the next 2 weeks. I will hold it in hand. I will thank the LORD for His Word. I will read my favorite passages, such as Jeremiah 33:3, Acts 2:42, Psalm 37:4, Esther 4:14 and Psalm 90. I will begin to study for my Bible study in the book of Jude. I will study for my Sunday School class in the book of John. I will study with my family in the book of Luke. I will enjoy my new Bible.

December 31, 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Revelation 21:5

And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Welcome to 2023…the year after 2022. We don’t know what this new year will bring, but believers know Who holds this new year in the palm of His hand. We have seen much and looked on with disbelief, but our belief in our Redeemer does not waver. We have prayed and cried and struggled and hoped, and we have done all those things knowing that the God Who hears and answers prayers is on His throne, taking care of His children.

I had a conversation with a young lady today who told me that the only new year’s “resolution” that she ever makes is to pray more fervently for the LORD to increase her faith. She said that she desires to be stubborn in her faith: to trust God when everyone and everything around her says otherwise. I was so impressed with this young lady, and I thought how the body of Christ could learn a lot from her in terms of trusting the LORD and not giving up in the face of adversity.

We have seen much adversity over the past three years. We have watched life as we know it change forever. We have watched friends and family members change their entire dynamic right in front of our eyes. We have watched deception overtake people that we love, and we stand by helpless as they take the path to destruction. We have watched our nation’s history being re-written as if it were a children’s fiction book. We have seen the church swing their doors wide open and invite the influence of the enemy of our souls into the sanctuary, while the man of God stands behind the sacred desk and stands on man’s opinions instead of God’s Word. There were churches that only opened back up for in-person services earlier this year, and once they did open back up, they required every congregant to wear masks and be poked in their arm to enter. Whom do they trust?

As 2023 rapidly approaches, I want to commit to trusting God more. I want to be like the young lady that I spoke of earlier, who wants to increase her faith. My prayer for myself is that my go-to will always be prayer when things go wrong, or when things are difficult, or when life hurts. I want to trust that God has good things in store for me. I want to trust that He allows hard seasons to come and go, and that He gives His children rest when they are weary. I want 2023 to be a season of rest for myself and I want to trust that God is orchestrating that just for myself and others as well.

I know I am not the only one who may be tired, or weary, or concerned about the things that we see. At that same time, I know I am not the only one whose strength is the joy of the LORD. Believers, we must constantly encourage each other in these last and evil days. Let’s pray for one another. We will need each other in 2023 as much or maybe more than we did in past years. Connect with a body of believers who love the LORD, His Word, and each other. Reach out to someone who may not have anyone to come to their aid. Call a fellow believer to let them know you are praying for them. Make yourself available for others in the body of Christ. We need to hold each other up as the world grows more and more dark each day.

I pray for revival for America and the world in 2023. I hope that the LORD will cause the masses to repent and call on His Holy Name for salvation. I pray that the church will repent for her lukewarmness when it comes to standing on truth. I pray that all believers will do some deep inspection into their hearts and lives and ask God to cleanse them of those things with which He is not pleased. I pray that all believers will spend more time in the Word, and prayer, and fellowship with other believers. We will never change the culture if we don’t change ourselves. Let’s bathe our minds with the Word of God in 2023 and watch God work.

Happy New Year…

	A Biblical Worldview on All Black People Did Not Vote…
	Ebenezer Suresh on How To Love Your Enemy
	Throwback Post!… on Calling the Lord
	A Biblical Worldview on Follow Me On Rumble!
	Jeff on Follow Me On Rumble!

Jude 1-2 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James… To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ; May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Who is Jude?

From what we have read and heard about Jude to this point, what are some words that you would use to describe Jude? Who was he as a person? 1-humble 2-committed 3-servant 4-Godly

How would you describe your having been “called” out of the world?

How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure, That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss – The Father turns His face away, As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory.

Ezekiel 22:25-26

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

One pastor demonstrated onstage how it was necessary to be baptized more than once. He threw himself into the baptistry (in his suit) 7 times to make his point.

One pastor demonstrated how the temple of the Holy Spirit is the body and not the building that the church meets in, so he threw mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiments on some of the chairs and church items to illustrate his point.

A video surfaced of another pastor preaching about how Jesus was “out of order” for 85% of the time He was here on earth. This preacher claimed that Jesus was doing things that He was not assigned to do by the Father.

These same preachers claim to be spreading the Gospel. They claim that people are coming to the church who would not normally come to church. They claim that people are being delivered and set free, but delivered from what? Set free from what?

If you do not know the LORD Jesus Christ as Savior, please do not let this moment pass without confessing your sin to Him (1 John 1:9). He will not turn you away if you come to Him in sincerity (John 6:37). Confess your sin to Him and ask Him to save you (Romans 10:9-13) and He will do the rest!

What a year.

The link to that post is here:

In the event that this is my last post in 2023, have a blessed and prosperous new year! As good or as bad as 2023 was for you, I pray that 2024 will be one hundred times better. Look to the LORD as we quickly approach the end of another year…

Each year, we experience the loss of human life on our local levels and on the national and international level. Death, unfortunately, is a part of life. I want to take a few minutes to pay tribute to some of the people who passed away whose deaths affected me personally and the world at large.

In April, the longtime judge from “Dancing With The Stars”, Len Goodman, died at age 78. Harry Belafonte, the well-known singer and actor, passed away at age 96. Jerry Springer succumbed to his cancer battle at the age of 79. Jim Brown, legendary football great passed away at the age of 87.

In June, Pat Robertson died at the age of 93. Christine King Farris, the only sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., passed away at the age of 95.

The world lost long time game show host Bob Barker in August at the age of 99.

Jimmy Buffett passed away in September at the age of 76. Also in September, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who was the oldest sitting senator, died at the age of 90.

In November, the sports world mourned the loss of Bobby Knight, long time Indiana University basketball coach, at the age of 83. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter also died in November at the age of 96. Henry Kissinger died at the age of 100.