Author: melanie

Gen 25:27-34 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field & he was famished; & Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” & Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, & sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread & lentil stew; & he ate & drank, & rose & went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. — Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew! Quote Wikipedia, one of John Capgrave’s sermons, c1452, “A mess of pottage is something immediately attractive but of little value taken foolishly and carelessly in exchange for something more distant and perhaps less tangible but immensely more valuable.”—Have you ever taken an account of the things in life being traded for some small pleasures for today? Do you see in the story of Esau that he even thinks that if he does not get this stew, then he will die! What is controlling or driving you to do the things for short term gain? What are the things that you think that you have got to have? It is better to take into account the long term vs the short! Also consider the importance of the action & the final outcome! Quote, Jon Dyer, “If you allow your appetite to get strong enough for the pleasures of this world, you will be tempted to cash in the riches and fullness of Christ for a morsel of temporary happiness.”— It is time that we think about the choices we make! Love Mel

Gen 9:13-16  I have set My rainbow in the clouds, & it will be the sign of the covenant between Me & the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth & the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between Me & you & all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it & remember the everlasting covenant between God & all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”  Ez1:28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. & when I saw it, I fell on my face, & I heard the voice of one speaking. — Our God makes promises & keeps them! He even paints them across the sky! The rainbow is His symbol of grace, & willingness to forgive His children! He is still sending His sign to us in the sky as a reminder that He is still keeping His promise! Don’t forget the Rainbow is His symbol & it is for ALL! The Rainbow is proof that He is with us! Love Mel

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, & the life. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is Good, acceptable & perfect. —Moral Reasoning is the most important criteria for the safety of this country! Without it you will end up in destruction & utter chaos! You might ask why! The reason for this is people no longer know the difference between right & wrong! To live as Christ! To treat other as you want to be treated! To live for His Glory & not our own! To treat the body as the temple of God! To willfully do anything different is considered wrong! How are we doing? It is easy to be kind to a stranger, because the desire to impress is on the front burner! However we are not so nice to those who we call family! But that is truly the relationships that are what is most reflected in our character! Remember the will of God is what is Good, acceptable & perfect. We should pray daily for this world & our family! God is the only answer & we are to reflect Him, because we are created in His image!  Please read the profound quote to follow! It is time to live this life on purpose! That is especially the everyday life! Love Mel
Q: St. Augustine, “They want to be happy even living a life that will not make them so.”

From Bill & Mel —Information Borrowed from Compelling Truth & Got Questions websites. Unconditional Covenants are an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party. The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God & Noah (specifically) & humanity (generally). After the Flood, God promised humanity that He would never again destroy all life on earth with a Flood (see Genesis chapter 9). God gave the rainbow as the sign of the covenant, a promise that the entire earth would never again flood & a reminder that God can & will judge sin (2 Peter 2:5). In the Abrahamic Covenant God promised many things to Abraham. He personally promised that He would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), that Abraham would have numerous physical descendants (Genesis 13:16), & that he would be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5). God said Abraham’s enemies would be His enemies & his supporters would be blessed. God also made promises regarding a nation called Israel. In fact, the geographical boundaries of the Abrahamic Covenant are described in the book of Genesis (12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21). Another provision in the Abrahamic Covenant is that the families of the world will be blessed through the physical line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). This is a reference to the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, who would come from the line of Abraham. — Our God is a covenant keeper! Love Mel

Hebr 11:6 Without faith it’s impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists & that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebr 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  —Do you have time for faith? Put God First! Surround yourself with Good! Establish right in your life! Trust His plan! Making Him Foremost! When we focus on what is real, & sometimes we actually see it, then we truly know He is real & our faith grows all the more! There is power in faith! Faith is a gift! We can ask God for more faith! Faith shared can become a life saved! When we are filled with faith, we have the potential to be the bridge between our God & others in need! This faith of ours must be unshakable! Lives are depending on it! Have a happy & safe forth of July! Remember Freedom is worth fighting for!! Thanks to all those in uniform who do!! Love Mel
Quote: Chanda.org, “Faith – what a laden word! I am envious when I encounter someone with faith so strong and simple that nothing can shake it. For the rest of us, however, faith is a decision. And sometimes that decision is just way too difficult to make at a given moment. But to abandon it – what reason would be left for life if there is no meaning, nothing in which to believe?”