Seriously?

  Honestly - I know  I shouldn't let it get to me.

I do.

Honestly - I know I should just let it go.

I do.

My heart this time is hurting in so many different places all at once.

I really didn't expect it...not this time.

Honestly - I know  I shouldn't let it get to me.

I do.

Honestly - I know I should just let it go.

I do.

For some reason it's just not that easy this time around.

Can't seem to just turn the other cheek - not let it get me down.

Honestly - I know  I shouldn't let it get to me.

I do.

Honestly - I know I should just let it go.

I do.

Believe me I try. I do. I really do.

This time it just hurt so much more.

I wonder why?

Because I am so much more tired than usual? Or because I have so much going on inside my heart? Or maybe because I was wasn't prepared for the invisible arrows that came flying through the air at lightning speed to pierce my unguarded heart. Normally I can sense them and ready my shield to guard me. Not so this time around. 

Am I asking so much....too much? If I were to answer that for someone else....what would my answer be. THAT is what I need to say to ME.

AHH! But it is soooo much easier to when it is someone else's life than mine.

So I will say it just one more time....Seriously?

Free

SET ME FREE

Set me Free
Let me see...what you see......how you see

Set me Free
Come to me...take from me...all impurity
Set me free
Let me see....what you see.....how you see
Come to me, Lord....take from me, all impurity...Lord
and
SET me Free....LORD.... come and set me free....

I have to have you.
I need to know you.
Come and set me free

I have to have you
I need to know you
More and more Lord.....Come and set me free....Set me free
I have to have you.....I have to have you
I need to know you.....I need to know you
More and more........Lord Come and set me free.

You make me who I am

You make me what I need to be

You Lord are all I need.......everything Lord.....everything and more.

You  Lord are all I long for ....everything and more ...everything and more.

Set me Free
Let me see...what you see......how you see

Lord

Set me Free
Come to me...take from me...all impurity

Lord Yeshua

and 

Let me see....what you see.....how you see
Come to me, Lord Yeshua... and Set ME FREE!!!

 Set Me Free!

LORD.....Set Me Freeeeee!

I have to have you.
I need to know you.
Come and set me free

©2008 AmyColleen words and music

M&M's the Real thing and I'm not Sensoring

Okay....Hello.

This is it. The real deal. The real thing.  No sugar coating. No chocolate covered candy that melts in your mouth....with a secret rotten peanut inside!. Just saying it like it is!

THOSE OF YOU THAT KNOW ME....Know I usually do....(say it like I see it)...Over the years I have toned done a "wee" bit...but I am feeling  a rising in my "toning" if you will....I just can't take it any more! Too much pain and grief every where I turn these days!


 Just take a look yourself!  GO AHEAD!  Yes...I mean RIGHT NOW...Well No, you can't literally look everywhere, but just take a moment ...stop what you're doing and .think about it....think about YOUR life...think about people in your family....think about people at work; think about your neighbors or even just the people  you pass every day on your way to work. All the grief or pain and anger you hear or maybe close out...every day. Why JUST today alone, at work, I was approached and asked by two co-workers for prayer. One of which was not even aware of my spiritual relationship with Yeshua. They were both in desperate need. There were others that I could see around me at work, clearly going through very difficult situations, very hard times.





It seems to me, so much of the time....so many honestly don'y care.
I know that may sound harsh....honestly though....that is how I feel and I believe that is how many others feel as well.

SO - what are WE all doing about it? Anything?

Ever hear the phrase -


"Need a friend....BE a friend."...?

I really love that phrase!.....I have to admit I have fallen short allot myself in this area. Being so busy with work and the girls....And, well, friendship takes work, commitment.
I personally have learned to adapt without a close friend...in the flesh anyway.

But lately, seeing so many broken hearts every where I go...has stirred my righteous indignation up a bit.


It's a gift I guess...always being so sensitive, .being able to see - sense and discern peoples hearts so acutely....OR... sometimes it seems a curse....Seeing, what seems to me, to be such an insurmountable need and only being one person and not being able to meet everyone's needs. 


Either way.....it's who I am ....who God made me. ...and though it has taken me many, many, many.... long years and broken hearts and victories won...I have learned to embrace who and what I am! And ALL for the Glory of God my creator and HIS world and most beautiful of Creations ....YOU!


I have to admit though, I have not yet made it to the finish line. Not yet attained that "perfect" finish on this lovely vessel the Master Potter has created. I am still in the polishing stage. There are many reasons I know this to be true. lol However....at this time the ONE THING THAT IS MAKING ME REALIZE I NEED ALLOT MORE WORK TO BE WHERE I NEED TO BE is the fact that I am having SUCH A HARD TIME  RIGHT NOW WITH THE VERY PEOPLE I SHOULD BE SHOWERING EXTRA LOVE ON.


You see, I KNOW BETTER, than to hold a grudge....judge someone who doesn't think like me, believe like me, live like me....etc...etc. Honestly, I have learned to love pretty much everyone; or actually, more accurately ...I have learned to let the love of God live through me.


It's just here recently, with this "heightened" discernment and sensitivity I have been feeling....for people. My heart breaking so much....FOR EVERYONE...I am finding myself a bit PUT OUT with those WHO PRIDE THEMSELVES ON THEIR DIVERSITY AND YET WHEN THEY FIND SOMEONE DOES NOT LIVE, BELIEVE,THINK AS THEY DO,  they shun them. 
I am having a hard time with this.


Especially....because they are quite quick to call the kettle black.


The kettle being me...and not even to my face.


Come on....if YOU are gonna talk about me....DO IT TO MY FACE.


Thank you. That is all.


Oh, except this....I do in fact love each and everyone I know. Each of you! 
I think you are awesome!
Message me and I will tell you why!

Shalom out!

Bring Us Back Oh God

Have Mercy On Us and Bring Us Back Oh God!

   

I miss the company of those whose sole purpose in life is to see the touch of the Master’s hand on the poor and weary wanderer. 

I miss the day, when every day was a day of sole dependence on God for our every morsel of daily bread for which to feed the flock. 

I miss the day when worship rained down from Heaven like crystal drops of water and refreshed our souls with the scent of lilies and rose hips.
  

I miss the day when a garage was truly a garage and simply a place for the believer to gather to be refreshed and strengthen for our next purpose in life - encountering God’s lost ones outside the garage and sharing His love with them where they were.

Why? Why? Why?

Why, oh Lord does everything that man puts his hand to need to grow so big and so far away from his first love?

Why? Why? Why?

Why, Oh Lord do we need to feel so important and defend our own cause; justifying our moves with your name and rank?

Why? Why? Why?

Do we really think that if you do not approve you will swoop down from Heaven and simply stop us? Are we really so vain?

 Do we not know from your Word that you will allow us to continue and build our empires/ministries, and when the trumpet blows, we will all stand before and give account to you, for everything you placed in our life? 

What we did with them? Where we placed them on our scale of importance?

Oh Lord, God…have mercy on me….have mercy on us!!!! For our selfishness!!!! For forgetting about YOUR HEART….Forgetting about YOUR LOVE!!!
 

Forgetting about ALL THE LITTLE CHILDREN in the WORLD who go with out….ALL the MISSIONARIES,your children, our brothers and sister in you whom we so proudly boast that we support, and give so very, very little to and all the while we are living the high life!!!  [Big houses, 3 meals a day, meals out, movies, vacations, etc. you name it!] 

 Forgive me Lord….forgive us LORD!!!! 

Have MERCY - OH God!!!!!
Holy Father….cleanse us with the Blood of your Son Yeshua…..wash us clean and give us your Heart I pray……remove from us our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. 

Give us a giving heart; a heart that gives beyond our means or desires for ourself...that gives to poor and needy, trully to the poor and needy and not to ourselves first and  our own causes, first. 

Lord give us the desire ourselves to go!  

To GO! and feed the poor; to clothe the poor; to reach the needy and lost.

To be your hands and feet, Lord.
Give us eyes to see the world as you see the world, through Yeshua…..Give us your love, break our hearts, break my heart. Break our hearts like they have never been broken before.
Let us weep for those who are lost like we have  never wept before; so we will be uncomfortable. 

Make us uncomfortable LORD!!!!! Uncomfortable Lord!!!!!!
 

In the Mighty, ever loving, forgiving, passionate and just name of,
Yeshua HaMashiach   [Jesus the Anointed One]

 
 

Are You Missing Out On God's Last Gift to YOU?

The Scriptures tells us that God has sets His Holy Spirit within every believers heart as a deposit to guarantee what is to come (he was refereeing to his coming back for us).

When we first enter the kingdom of God, we are born of the Spirit. John 3:5-8.
At that time, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, moves from merely being "with" us to being "in" us, and our bodies become his temple. John 14:17; I Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20. It is the Spirit within us that continually reassures us that we are God's children. Romans 8:15-16. Through his Spirit, God dwells in our hearts — our "inner man" — through faith. Romans 8:9.

The Spirit living within us is God's seal on our lives and his guarantee of what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 5:5; Ephesians Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30.

We must keep in mind this "Holy Spirit seal" is a promise of things to come. There is still this life in which we live. What does the Lord have to say about that?

Jesus' Parting gift to us.


In Acts 2:38-39, the Apostle Peter said:
"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

What is this promised "gift" of the Holy Spirit?
The first indication comes from the earthly life of Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit had been said to "come upon" or "rest upon" individuals on particular occasions to speak a message or to empower particular service. But he did not REMAIN "on" them — after the deeds for which he was sent were accomplished, he appeared from their human perspective to withdraw from them. However, God told John the Baptist that he would recognize the Lamb of God, the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit, because he would be "the man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain." John 1:33. ("I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.") Instead of coming only to do a job, the Spirit would come on Jesus to stay.

*Moreover, later in his earthly ministry, Jesus promised that his Father would likewise give the Holy Spirit as a "good gift" to those who ask him, and that, at some point in the future, the Spirit, who now lived "with" his disciples, would come to dwell "in" them. John 14:15-17. (this scripture very much presents Holy Spirit in a very personal way as to encourage us to spend time and get to know him).

When Jesus spoke these words, they were in a future tense ~ a future promise: he had to "go away" and "be glorified" before this would happen.
More scripture ~ John 7:37-39, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."
John 16:7. "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

So Jesus told his disciples what they should expect the Spirit to do when the Holy Spirit was come upon them.
He would be a Comforter, also allowing them to "see" Jesus even when he was no longer visibly on earth and to recognize that they were in Jesus and Jesus is in his Father. John 14:16-20. He would teach the disciples all things, guide them into all truth, remind them of Jesus' words and show them the future. John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13. He would glorify the Father by showing them Jesus' things — all things the Father has. John 16:14. And as a result of his work, streams of living water would flow out of their lives. John 7:37-39. The Spirit was sent to expand God's kingdom from the single person of Jesus to include multitudes.

Finally, Acts 2:41 records that about three thousand were baptized and added to the number of believers after Peter's sermon on Pentecost. Presumably, these three thousand people received the gift of the Holy Spirit which Peter promised. What was the effect of that gift on them? They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. They were filled with awe at the miraculous signs done by the apostles. They ceased to regard their possessions as their own, but held them all as available to meet each others' needs. They met every day, were thankful and gave praise openly. They enjoyed favor with the people around them, and more were being saved every day. Rivers of living water truly did pour out of them into the streets. In this passage, the focus is not on tongues, or even on miraculous signs, although there was evidence of both, but on the way these believers allowed the Spirit they had been given to control their lives. The important thing was the way they lived.

Glory to God!

For More on THIS Kind of Church Read the Book of Acts !

Shalom ~ Amy Colleen

They Don't Fool Me & It Breaks My Heart....

Silent weeping - invisible tears

Dead people walking - being chased by fear

Same old stories - life is grand so they say

I know different - I know the games they play

I wept once too - no tears did I shed

Years I spent living as though I were dead

Same old stories - everything in fine

Truth? I was so desperate I wanted to die

Every day I see them - hear them the same

It's as if I can actually feel their pain 

Each day it gets more and more intense

Like some kind of super natural sense

No escape fore the living - or for the dead

In this case it's both - haunting my head

Will the living I see and hear through the day

Actually make it to life eternal, okay?

Louder and louder - I hear the sound

Voices of people - crying all around

I try to close it off - keep working I say

Still louder the voices become through the day

Lord  touch the lives of those I see and hear

Come resurrect the lives of those you hold so dear

Help me O Lord to be your hands and feet

So you can make these empty lives feel complete

Lord please USE me...I give myself to you

You’re All There Is For Me

Copyright 2001 All rights reserved

By: Amy Colleen (song)

Foxes have their holes Lord. Birds they have their nest.

But you say you have no place to rest.

Still I’ll follow you. Where ever you may lead.

For my Lord you’re all there is for me.

Still there are times I wonder. Can I keep pressing on?

The river’s flood keeps rising;

The fire’s burning strong;

Lord how long?

“Fear not I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

My child, whom I have chosen,

Whom I formed and whom I’ve made.

Do not fear for I am with you.

I am the Lord Almighty God.

Because you’re mine and I love you;

You will survive against all odds;

For, I am God.”

I may not understand Lord; All you have for me.

But you say don’t worry just believe.

So I’ll follow you. Where ever you may lead.

For my Lord you’re all there is for me.

So let the river flow Lord. Let the fire burn.

You are God Almighty.

And I have your word.

You are with me.

Did you know this?

 Yeshua HaMashiach

   Jesus the Anointed One
Messiah

  Savoir of the World

 Lamb & Shepherd both

Slain before the foundation of the world for our sin.

 Love of my life~and nothing I thought He would be~thankfully.

"In my independence and sometimes seemingly forced life of 
solitude. I have learned a great many things. One being to cast all my care upon him [Yeshua] who cares for me.[*1 Peter 5:7]..and then to pick up where I left off and continue to  run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter my faith. [Hebrews 12:2]  Even when the course has taken me places many around me have considered to be far less than desirable, desert like, extreme self sacrificing, perhaps even a tad bit crazy. To the point of being being approached and out right counseled that I ..."did not hear the voice of the Lord...." and I ..."was not in God's will for my life." at that present given situation or time, moment or given point in my life.                  

However I am not alone in my spiritual life map leading me to and fro here on earth! In fact I am in quite good company! Let's just take a look at a few of the examples God gives us in the Bible...like - Noah, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Esther, Mary (Jesus' Mother) just to name a handful of prominent examples most would know of. There are so many more in the word of God it would take paragraphs to list them all! Then there are believers that you and I actually know. Brothers and sisters in the faith who we have heard about in our own life time. Their incredible stories and testimonies. So many other men and women of God who have been obedient to do what the Lord has ordered them to do. Believers who have GONE OUTSIDE THE BOX - regardless of what PEOPLE MAY THINK. 

Yeshua/Jesus being our biggest and most Holy ~ perfect example.



Yes...
you heard me correctly. 
I said Yeshua...I said JESUS.




According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was one who was considered by the religious leaders of his day, to be an out-cast and trouble maker. He was known as one who hung out with sinners, drinking and eating. He was called a drunkard & glutton. [these religious leaders of today would be our churches and synagogues of today - the ones you and I attend- something to think about huh?] Can you imagine the Baptist's , Church of God's, Catholics, and Jewish synagogues, how they would treat Jesus today? Do you think Jesus would be embraced with open arms today?

Jesus was thought of as a revolutionary. One who went around disturbing the peace. Challenging the "up until then" perfectly fine religious order of the day. 

When he spoke publicly he scorned fame, family, property, and other traditional means of success.
Does this sound like the Jesus you picture in your head/heart?

Jesus was about as unconventional as they come. And we are supposed to BE like Jesus!
 I mean how many times have I prayed that VERY prayer? "Lord I want to be like you."


You will notice I have placed many different pictures of Yeshua/Jesus through out this Blog post. They are examples of different denominations and peoples in those denominations and faiths "ideas" of what Yeshua/Jesus may look like physically.


Personally, I feel pretty comfortable saying that everyone of those artists would stand by their idea of what they think the Lord looks like as the most accurate depiction of his true likeness.


I dunno, maybe they had a vision of Jesus? Perhaps. I know that I have...three times. Only one time did I see his face.


As for what Jesus looked like when he walked this earth before his crucifiction?

If you want to get real about it...Jesus was Jewish. So he would be of middle eastern descent. The word of God tells us in Isaiah 53:2 "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him", So I take that to mean, not particularly handsome. He was a carpenter was he was probably not scrawny, not like allot of these pictures we see.

Does any of that really matter? No not really. I don't think so.
What I think does matter is what we believe He is like INSIDE.
That is how the Lord looks at us. Inside out!
1 Samuel 16:7
 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”


So, this being said...on to the inside of the Lord's heart. Who can know the Lord's heart? Romans 11:33-36 reminds us that no one can know the heart and thoughts of God for the greatness there of is unattainable...but God himself knows his own heart! Jesus is  "one with the Father" - God* [John 1:1-5]


So - jumping - to an unconventional statement Yeshua/Jesus says,
Matthew 10:34
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword"....[continue below*]


Yeshua is not talking about making war for war's sake here and this is where reading scripture in context is very important! Yeshua is talking about the sacrifice of following HIM.....what it means to become a true disciple of Yeshua is all about.  

There are EXPECTED SACRIFICES when we choose to follow Jesus. This portion of scripture is where the Lord lays down some of those expectations. Basically, the  [very] short of the long of it is, if you put anything ....anything at all, before the Lord. You are not worthy of following him. Period.


Serious stuff, huh? When was the last time you heard a preacher or an evangelist [at least in America] preach on this?


It is one thing in a moment of passionate worship or intimate time alone with God to say, "Yes Lord! I will!"  (hineni !) To what ever he would ask of us.


It is an entirely different thing to carry out that "Yes Lord." in reality....out of our "Holy Cloud" - if you will. When we have gotten back to routine, the daily grind of work or school in the presence of those closest to us, who weren't there...when the Lord spoke to us...so clearly....who didn't hear - His booming voice....or....His soft still voice and didn't receive that shalom peace- like we did. 


Suddenly, that moment in time when we told the Lord, "Yes I will!"  (hineni!) is slowly becoming more of a burden and conviction as we watch the memory of that precious moment fade away in the face of down right adversity. As  storms from all sides come against us, like JOB. Or, like Noah, it's not so easy to continue on building that Ark, believing those promises, staying put when everyone says you GO. Those closest to you tell you, you have not heard from God you are wrong.

 Let me ENCOURAGE you NOW...Do NOT forget his promises! Always make time for The Lord - FIRST... if you stay close to the Master. Keep HIS WORD - deep and fresh within your heart. Feed on it daily. Stand firm. Make THEE Rock your Solid Foundation. Love everyone...Forgive always....Hold no bitterness in your heart....and continue to  run with perseverance the race marked out for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter my faith. You WILL make it and better yet...HE will be there waiting for you with a crown of Glory and a NEW Name!

This world is not our home! we are only passing through!


 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....Jesus 


Be yourself...you are beautiful! 
Fearfully and wonderfully made in the likeness and image of God Himself!


I love you! God's Shalom  Peace be with you this week as you seek him with all your heart in the secret place!


   AmyColleen








*1 Peter 5:7 " Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."


*Hebrews 12:1-10
" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

 ⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

   “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
   and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
   and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

 ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness."

*Galatians 1:10

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Matthew 10 ¹ Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

 ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
 ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
   ⁹ “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— ¹⁰ no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
   ¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
   ²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
   ²⁴ “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
   ²⁶ “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
   ³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
   ³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
   “‘a man against his father,
   a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
   ³⁶ a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
   ³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
   ⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”


* John 1:1-5
Jesus the Word ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.