Jo’s Place

The Whole Armor of God A final word (from Paul):  Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.  Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For (your) shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News,    so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take (up) the sword of the Spirit, which...

Let us turn back to the Lord.  The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.  I will never forget this awful time,  …as I grieve over my loss.  Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: …the faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness;  …His mercies begin afresh  …each morning.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;  …therefore, I will hope in Him!”  The Lord is good to those who depend on him,  …to those who search for him.  So it is good to wait quietly  for salvation from the Lord.  And it is good for people to submit at an early age …to the yoke of His discipline:  Let them sit alone in silence  beneath the Lord’s demands.  Let them lie face down in the dust, f or there may be hope at last.  Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them; and accept the insults of their enemies.  For no one is a...

Jeremiah Questions the Lord’s Justice Lord, you always give me justice  when I bring a case before You.  So let me bring You this complaint:  Why are the wicked so prosperous?  Why are evil people so happy?  You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered.  Your name is on their lips, but You are far from their hearts.  But as for me, Lord …You know my heart...  You see me and test my thoughts.  Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered!  Set them aside to be slaughtered!  How long must this land mourn?  Even the grass in the fields has withered.  The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land.  For the people have said,  “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”  The Lord’s Reply to Jeremiah “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses?  If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the...

Judgment and Final Salvation The Lord says,  “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.  I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for Me.  I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’  to a nation that did not call on My name.  All day long I opened My arms to a rebellious people.  But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.  All day long they insult Me to My face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens.  They burn incense on pagan altars.  At night they go out among the graves, worshiping the dead.  They eat the flesh of pigs  and make stews with other forbidden foods.  Yet they say to each other,  ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! …I am holier than you!’  These people are a stench in My nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.  “Look, My decree is written out in front of Me:    …I will not stand silent; …I will repay them in full!  Yes, I will repay...

For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.  But faith’s way of getting right with God says,  “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).  And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”  In fact, it says,  “The message is very close at hand; …it is on your lips and in your heart.”  And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:  If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved .  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,  …and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.  As the Scriptures tell us,  “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generous...