ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/mary-is-not-an-intercessor/
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Category: Scripture
From the Holy Bible
What Do You Love?
Saying you love something is part of the vernacular today. I hear people say that they love ice cream, chocolate, a sunny day, the sound of birds singing. So, what do you say that you love? A new perspective on this comes when you read what God loves. I recommend you read all of Psalm 33, and I will share a few verses here to get you started.
This is verse 5 but I will begin here since it states clearly what the Lord loves. He loves righteousness and justice. He loves those who are in right standing with Him, a creation that is performing as He created it. He loves justice, even when the world seems evil and dark. God loves justice, a standard that never changes. And look at the last line. His love never fails; the earth is full of His unfailing love. That’s why we can say we love things, people, places, because of all of the love with which God surrounds us.
I am overjoyed that we can trust everything God does and know that all of His Word is true. People may disappoint us, but God never will.
When we usually think of fear, it comes along with monsters or things that go bump in the night. But fear of God is an awe, a reverence for Who He is and What He has done for all of the earth. Revere is the action verb for the word reverence. Take a minute just to think about what revering God means in your life. Pause and picture yourself before His throne. How do you feel? What is your posture?
God watches all that we do, say and He sees all that we are. Now, go back to the verse above. He knows all, sees all and perhaps in spite of that, His love never fails.
I read this verse and turned it into a prayer for my morning. It definitely lends itself to saying it aloud to our Lord and Maker, the One who shows unfailing love and who loves righteousness and justice. Amen and amen.
Calling the Roll
I am an old school teacher, so I always kept a roster of my students in an attendance book and daily checked to see who was present. At the beginning of each school year, I had to call out each name and match it to the face, but by the end of the year, the process was much faster since I recognized who was there and who was missing just by looking around. Being a high school teacher, I often taught over 150 students a day, so the process was somewhat time consuming, class after class. But it was necessary since I was responsible for the location and safety of each child who was supposed to be in my class during each period.
That memory brings me to the scriptures today. One day, we will stand before the throne of God and a Book of Life will be opened. The roll will be called and we really want our names to be there; God is accounting for our presence, for our being where we are supposed to be.
It is cause for great rejoicing to have our names written in heaven because that means eternal life with the Holy One who loves us so much that He provided a way for us to be accepted there.
When Jesus acknowledges our names before the Father, we will be welcomed into our eternal home. That roll call is the one I want to be present and accounted for! Jesus paid the price, and we get the benefits.
There’s an old hymn that my grandmother used to sing that I hope you enjoy as well.
When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder-Alan Jackson
1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
—
Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
—
2 On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of his resurrection share;
When his chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]
—
3 Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun;
Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care.
Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]
Our Battle
I hear a lot these days about the “culture wars” and I want to explore that idea today. According to Wikipedia (not a source I generally use, but it does have a better than adequate definition):
A culture war is a form of cultural conflict (metaphorical “war“) between different social groups who struggle to politically impose their own ideology (moral beliefs, humane virtues, and religious practices) upon mainstream society. Wikipedia
So, the social groups that are in conflict, in my opinion, are those who believe in Biblical moral values and those who do not. This is not a war that we can win with armchair politics and by always insisting that we are the ones on the right side. The right side, of course, is God’s side, but we win over others by being loving and kind, not by being vocally obnoxious.
Remember who our fight is against, and it’s not against other people or even what they believe. It is against Satan who has influenced them to remove God from their lives and be free of His restrictions. We end up pushing people away because what we usually expound on are the restrictions that they absolutely, positively must adhere to if they want to be a Christian. Pause and think about that. Did God meet you where you are or did He want you all cleaned up and totally presentable before He saved you?
We try to impose a standard on others that God did not impose on us. We want to see change first, but that comes gradually as one accepts the truth of salvation being a free gift. If change came immediately, we would all be perfect right after salvation and we know that’s not true! So, why do we expect others to change their social beliefs before they can become a Christian? Why do we strive to change the outward when God wants the heart and will work on the rest once He has it?
Dr. Denison had a great article in his forum today about the cancellation of Colbert’s show. Basically, he is spot on about the fact that we are each drawn to the media that supports the beliefs we already have. If I watch news shows (rarely), I tune to Newsmax or Jesse Watters on Fox. My husband prefers to watch BBC and CNN, both liberal channels because he wants to hear “what the other side is saying.” Dr. Denison has a point about the great divide between us all and I want everyone to think about who is causing that great divide. Hint: It’s NOT God!
Denison Forum-Colbert-July 22, 2025
I hope that I have given you food for thought and perhaps a desire to approach those who think differently than you in a whole new way. We are all sinners…some of us have been saved by grace while others still need to come to the Lord. But we are all sinners who should not be battling against each other but against the true enemy of our souls whose main purpose is destruction, not life.
Restoration from God
God Will Restore You (You Version Daily Refresh, 7-21-25)
Have you ever walked through a desert or been in a desolate area? If you’ve spent much time there, then you know how it feels to begin to grow weary or thirsty in an empty, overwhelming land.
The people of Israel often found themselves in the desert. They found themselves within seasons of desolation and abandonment. Over many years of being in the desert, they became exhausted and tired.
In the midst of one of those seasons, God began to speak promises to them through the prophets. God spoke prophecies about the future. He promised them that He would refresh them and satisfy them in the midst of dry and difficult seasons.
While we may not be Israelites walking through the wilderness, we still follow and walk with the same God who walked with them. And if we’re being honest, our spiritual lives can sometimes feel like walking through a dry desert. Some seasons of life are exhausting and difficult to persevere through.
But in the midst of those seasons, God continues to refresh and satisfy His people. He continues to uphold us when we are tired. He does these things for us because His character never changes. He is the same God who continually refreshes His people.
So if you currently feel tired and exhausted, take a moment today to sit with God in prayer. Tell Him exactly how you feel and what is going on in your life. Ask Him to refresh your soul and satisfy you if you feel weary and weak. Allow Him to refresh you and give you rest, and continue to build a habit of talking with God each and every day.
My Thoughts
When I first read the devotional today and the accompanying verse, Jeremiah 31:25, I pictured in my mind a very old table that my mother paid to have restored. Its original state was dinged, dented, scratched and scarred. It was not a table that my mom would ever have anyone sit down around because of its appearance. I saw the way it left the house and the way it returned was remarkable. The mahogany wood gleamed and the table looked brand new, not just restored. That, I feel, is what God does for me when I spend time with Him being refreshed. He takes all of my dings, dents, scratches and scars and smoothes them over with His love and tender care. Never have I gone before the Lord and honestly told him about my latest ding that He didn’t immediately comfort and give me wisdom about how to keep moving forward. He is restoring me daily with His Word and He will do the same for all who come to Him.
5 Minutes of Hope from dougdial
5minutesofhope.com/2025/07/20/are-you-a-longer/
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The God Who Sees
Part of my blog today is from my devotional, “The Bible in One Year, 2025 by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel” from the You Version:
All this is by grace (vv.15,17,20–21). Allow these truths to sink deep into your heart. See yourself as God sees you – as righteous in his sight – and believe that, because of what Jesus has done for you, when God looks at you he is pleased with you.
Lord, thank you so much for the death of Jesus on my behalf. Thank you that although I deserve judgment and condemnation, you have made it possible for me to be justified and to receive the righteousness from God by grace as a gift.
God sees us as righteous, forgiven, loved by Him beyond anything we can comprehend.
Hagar was ready to just admit defeat for herself and her small son Ishmael. But God was right there and saw her and had a different plan.
How often are we ready to just give up, to admit that we cannot face the challenges of life any longer? I had a week like that. I don’t talk about it, but my husband is a hoarder which almost drives me crazy since I am an organizer bunny. I was getting ready this week for family to visit, and I do try very hard not to go into the back bedroom, the site of my husband’s “treasures” but I had to dust. I was so dismayed to find that he had decided to “clean out the closet” and other spaces by stacking things under the mattress of the bed. The bed now sits about three feet higher than the frame and I think it looks ridiculous, not to mention, slightly unsafe since it’s uneven. We had an argument about it and neither of us is happy with each other. I want the family members coming to be safe but also to not be overwhelmed by the sheer outrageousness of my husband’s collections. Newspapers, boxes, video tapes, plastic containers, etc. There is no reason for all of it…it just is. The whole hoarding thing has gotten worse since retirement and I have no solution. I cannot face it, but God can. He sees my frustration and discouragement. And he also sees my husband’s mental problems that cause the problem to begin with. So, what to do? I choose to submit to God, knowing that He sees me just the way I am and will help me once again get through this situation that seems to have no answer. I generally end up backing off and my husband has his way about everything, but I am so tired of that posture. I really want God to intervene, but His intervention may be that I change and not my husband. In the meantime, I feel somewhat like Hagar, in the wrong place at the wrong time and with no one to help me. But then, there is Jehovah Roi, the God who sees. I am blessed beyond measure by God who sees all and continues to love me.
The Power of the Gospel and the Need for Persuasion
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What’s the Catch?
You know the bait and hook schemes that are rampant in the world today, especially with all of us online much of the time? Well, this isn’t that. The catch is that there is no catch, no bait and hook, just simple truth.
The promise from God’s Word is that everyone who calls on Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be saved. There is no fine print that says this is only if you are smart enough, rich enough, famous enough or extremely popular. The promise is for all. But there is something you have to do to receive the promise. You have to believe that Jesus came to earth as a man and died for your sins. That’s it! Just believe and receive!
Jesus already did all that He needed to do to restore your relationship with the Father, your Creator. Now, it’s your turn. Pray, accept, believe. If you need more information, go to the book of John in the Bible and read John 3:16 and John 3:36. Then go to the book of Romans and read Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.16.NIV
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 3:36 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.36.NIV
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-24 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.3.23-24.NIV
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.6.23.NIV
You can stop what you are doing right now and pray to God for forgiveness of your sins. Tell Him that you believe that Jesus died for your sins. What do you have to lose? There is no fine print, no catch, no bait and hook. Just the free gift of salvation that saves you from eternal separation from God.
If you have prayed and believed, the next step is to find like-minded believers in a local church. They will support you and help you to become more mature in your beliefs as you learn more and more about the Savior you died for you to have life forevermore. May God bless you in your journey of faith. See you in Heaven!
Let There Be Light
At the very beginning of the world as we know it, all was darkness. And God said:
Darkness and light cannot co-exist because the light always dispels the darkness. God called the light “good.”
Isaiah prophesied that the people who walk in darkness (sin) have seen a great light (Jesus). The Lord vanquished the darkness of sin in the world once and for all, but we have to come to that light in order to see it and be affected by it.
Jesus clearly stated that He is the light of the world. When we follow Him, we are no longer stumbling around in the dark, bouncing from one sin to the next. We have the light of life within us. God started by giving us light, mankind sinned and turned away from the light and Jesus’s life and death restored it to us, if we choose to follow.
This is our admonition since we are “people of light.” We are to live like it. Encourage others, confront sin (as led by the Holy Spirit) and be the light that others need by telling them about how the light came into your life. God created light and said that it was “good.” Jesus was the light and God said He was “well pleased” with His beloved Son. And one day, we will stand before the Father and if we have fulfilled our mission of being the light for others, He will say, “Well done!”
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