Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?

A Psalm of David

Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart.

He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour,
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

He that putteth not out his money to usury,
nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד

יהוה מִי-יָגוּר בְּאָהֳלֶךָ מִי-יִשְׁכֹּן בְּהַר קָדְשֶׁךָ

הוֹלֵךְ תָּמִים וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק וְדֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבוֹ

לֹא-רָגַל עַל-לְשֹׁנוֹ לֹא-עָשָׂה לְרֵעֵהוּ רָעָה וְחֶרְפָּה לֹא-נָשָׂא עַל-קְרֹבוֹ

נִבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו נִמְאָס וְאֶת-יִרְאֵי יהוה יְכַבֵּד

נִשְׁבַּע לְהָרַע וְלֹא יָמִר

כַּסְפּוֹ לֹא-נָתַן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וְשֹׁחַד עַל-נָקִי לֹא לָקָח

עֹשֵׂה-אֵלֶּה לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם

תהלים ט"ו

Simple and clear...

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega 

Am I a failure?

Sometimes in our lives we feel like a failure. We do something that we regret doing, and we feel guilty. Our guilt turns to shame, which makes us feel like we have failed.

There is only one thing I can say to that: Don't!

Yes, we all make mistakes. I know I make many... This is precisely the reason why we need Jesus - Because we are all weak, and we are all sinners.

Psalm 14:2-3 tells us:

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

But that doesn't stop God from loving us; in fact, Romans 5:8 tells us that:

...God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Moreover, 1 John 1:9 assures us that even if we make a mistake, not all is lost:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And Romans 8:1 declares that:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

There is a great song by Don Francisco, which illustrates this point perfectly, and I want to share it with you.

There Is No Condemnation
Sittin' by my window on a rainy afternoon
Everything inside my head was playin' out of tune
I was thinkin' of the fool I'd made of me the night before
In front of God and everyone I'd sinned and sinned some more.

I thought of all the things I'd done, I winced at things I'd said
I wallowed in self-pity, I hung my worried head
Right when I was so far down that even up looked wrong
That's when Jesus gave to me the chorus of this song.

He said, Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.

Now I could say that right away the sun burst through the clouds
And I just started singin' on the chorus right out loud
But actually I moped around and blew another day
Before I let myself accept the words I'd heard Him say.

He said, Satan the Accuser has been whisperin' in your ear
You just tell him you're forgiven and he's got no business here
'Cause it doesn't matter what you've done
It matters what you'll be
There is no condemnation when the Son has set you free.

So I can't criticize you now if you want to take your time
And cling to all your problems just the way I clung to mine
But now you've got the answer Jesus wanted you to know
He'll take your sin and guilt away if you'll just let them go.

Jesus loves you; you are not a failure, merely human...

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

A swift witness

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Malachi 3-4

Stay away from evil, stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

How doth the city sit solitary

Today is the Ninth of Av - The day on which the Jewish people commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Our only first-hand account of the destruction of the Temple comes from the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius:

"...the rebels shortly after attacked the Romans again, and a clash followed between the guards of the sanctuary and the troops who were putting out the fire inside the inner court; the latter routed the Jews and followed in hot pursuit right up to the Temple itself. Then one of the soldiers, without awaiting any orders and with no dread of so momentous a deed, but urged on by some supernatural force, snatched a blazing piece of wood and, climbing on another soldier's back, hurled the flaming brand through a low golden window that gave access, on the north side, to the rooms that surrounded the sanctuary. As the flames shot up, the Jews let out a shout of dismay that matched the tragedy; they flocked to the rescue, with no thought of sparing their lives or husbanding their strength; for the sacred structure that they had constantly guarded with such devotion was vanishing before their very eyes.

...No exhortation or threat could now restrain the impetuosity of the legions; for passion was in supreme command. Crowded together around the entrances, many were trampled down by their companions; others, stumbling on the smoldering and smoked-filled ruins of the porticoes, died as miserably as the defeated. As they drew closer to the Temple, they pretended not even to hear Caesar's orders, but urged the men in front to throw in more firebrands. The rebels were powerless to help; carnage and flight spread throughout.

Most of the slain were peaceful citizens, weak and unarmed, and they were butchered where they were caught. The heap of corpses mounted higher and higher about the altar; a stream of blood flowed down the Temple's steps, and the bodies of those slain at the top slipped to the bottom.

When Caesar failed to restrain the fury of his frenzied soldiers, and the fire could not be checked, he entered the building with his generals and looked at the holy place of the sanctuary and all its furnishings, which exceeded by far the accounts current in foreign lands and fully justified their splendid repute in our own.

As the flames had not yet penetrated to the inner sanctum, but were consuming the chambers that surrounded the sanctuary, Titus assumed correctly that there was still time to save the structure; he ran out and by personal appeals he endeavored to persuade his men to put out the fire, instructing Liberalius, a centurion of his bodyguard of lancers, to club any of the men who disobeyed his orders. But their respect for Caesar and their fear of the centurion's staff who was trying to check them were overpowered by their rage, their detestation of the Jews, and an utterly uncontrolled lust for battle. 

Most of them were spurred on, moreover, by the expectation of loot, convinced that the interior was full of money and dazzled by observing that everything around them was made of gold. But they were forestalled by one of those who had entered into the building, and who, when Caesar dashed out to restrain the troops, pushed a firebrand, in the darkness, into the hinges of the gate Then, when the flames suddenly shot up from the interior, Caesar and his generals withdrew, and no one was left to prevent those outside from kindling the blaze. Thus, in defiance of Caesar's wishes, the Temple was set on fire.

While the Temple was ablaze, the attackers plundered it, and countless people who were caught by them were slaughtered. There was no pity for age and no regard was accorded rank; children and old men, laymen and priests, alike were butchered; every class was pursued and crushed in the grip of war, whether they cried out for mercy or offered resistance.

Through the roar of the flames streaming far and wide, the groans of the falling victims were heard; such was the height of the hill and the magnitude of the blazing pile that the entire city seemed to be ablaze; and the noise - nothing more deafening and frightening could be imagined.

There were the war cries of the Roman legions as they swept onwards en masse, the yells of the rebels encircled by fire and sword, the panic of the people who, cut off above, fled into the arms of the enemy, and their shrieks as they met their fate. The cries on the hill blended with those of the multitudes in the city below; and now many people who were exhausted and tongue-tied as a result of hunger, when they beheld the Temple on fire, found strength once more to lament and wail. Peraea and the surrounding hills, added their echoes to the deafening din. But more horrifying than the din were the sufferings.

The Temple Mount, everywhere enveloped in flames, seemed to be boiling over from its base; yet the blood seemed more abundant than the flames and the numbers of the slain greater than those of the slayers. The soldiers climbed over heaps of bodies as they chased the fugitives."

How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness...    Lamentation 1:1-3

Alpha Omega

Blind hatred

Tomorrow, we will commemorate Tisha B'Av - the Ninth of Av - the day on which the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

The legend tells this story regarding the destruction of the temple, and the evil of blind hatred:

Kamza and Bar Kamza

Once there lived in Jerusalem a very rich man. He had a good friend whose name was Kamza. But he also had an enemy who was called Bar Kamza. One day this rich man decided to give a big feast to all his friends. He sent his servant to invite Kamza. But the servant got the names twisted and called Bar Kamza instead.

When the great feast day came, all the guests were seated around the long table. It was decked with sparkling dishes of highly polished gold and silver. Great bottles and glasses of all shapes were filled with red and golden wine. Some were placed in the center of the table, and others at each place. Baskets, heavily laden with all kinds of beautiful fruit, stood on the table and in many places around the room.

The rich man entered and saw Bar Kamza among the guests.

"Who invited you?" he shouted to Bar Kamza. "Get out! No one wants you here!"

Bar Kamza's face reddened. He felt ashamed. He called the rich man aside and pleaded:

"Do not disgrace me before all these people. I will pay you for everything I eat and drink if you will let me stay here tonight."

"No. Get out of here."

"I will pay you for half the feast, even half the feast," urged Bar Kamza.

"I don't want you here," answered the rich man, stubbornly.

"I will pay you for the whole feast," cried Bar Kamza, "only don't put me to shame before all these people."

"Nothing you say will make me change my mind," shouted the rich man. "I don't want you, nor your money. Just get out of here," and the rich host pointed to the door.

Bar Kamza could do nothing more. Too ashamed to raise his eyes, he rushed out as quickly as he could.

Now there were some rabbis seated at the tables. But they did not object. They allowed the rich man to drive Bar Kamza from his house.

Bar Kamza felt so hurt that he made up his mind to take revenge on his fellow Jews. Just because he, one man, was put to shame, he would hurt all the Jews. That surely was not wise; Bar Kamza, however, could not see that because of his anger. He went to the emperor of Rome and said:

"The Jews have rebelled against you. If you want to prove it send them a calf to sacrifice. You will see that they will refuse to sacrifice it."

As you might know, there was a law among the Jews that animals used for sacrificing had to be perfect. They had to be healthy, with every limb whole.

Bar Kamza knew about this law, and so eager was he to avenge himself that when no one was looking, he made a little cut in the upper lip of the calf. The cut was so small that you could hardly notice it; and the animal with the cut lip was taken to the Jews.

"Sacrifice this animal to your God," commanded the emperor's officers.

As the high priest carefully examined it, he found the cut in its upper lip. Calling some of the elders aside, he said:

"Look, here is a cut in the upper lip."

"Someone must be trying to get us into trouble," said one of the rabbis.

"I wonder who it could be!" exclaimed another.

Presently the rabbi who had spoken at first, said: "I think I know who it is. This can be no other than Bar Kamza. He was put to shame at the feast and we sat by without a word. What are we to do now?"

"Sacrifice the calf for the sake of peace," replied one of the elders.

"No, no," was heard all over the room. "That's against the law. We won't sacrifice it--peace or no peace!"

So the Jews went to the officers and told them that they could not sacrifice this animal.

"Why, what is the matter with it?" asked the officers.

"You see, its lip is cut, up here. It's against the Jewish law to sacrifice such animals."

"Oh, we know. That is only an excuse. You are all traitors. Don't think you will escape so easily," said the officers as they went away.

"Oh, why didn't we sacrifice that animal?" cried some.

"Why did that rich man put Bar Kamza to shame?" cried others. "Had we been good men, then all this wouldn't have befallen us."

A few weeks later, the emperor of the Romans gathered an army and besieged Jerusalem.

Although this may not be a true account, it teaches us a very important lesson; or as Alexandre Dumas put it: "Hatred is blind, anger is foolhardy, and he who pours out vengeance risks having to drink a bitter draft."

And a bitter draft indeed it was for Kamza, Bar Kamza, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem...

Stay away from evil; stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people

Isaiah 40

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

We all feel weary at times; but fear not! The Lord is with us, and Satan is a liar!

 

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

 

Alpha Omega

When evil seems to triumph

Psalm 94

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth;
O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

How long shall they utter and speak hard things?
and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?
he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct?
he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord,
and teachest him out of thy law;

That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity,
until the pit be digged for the wicked.

For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

But judgment shall return unto righteousness:
and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee,
which frameth mischief by a law?

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent blood.

But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity,
and shall cut them off in their own wickedness;
yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Stay blessed, and stat tuned,

Alpha Omega

Sing, O barren

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

 

For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Isaiah 54

Are you encouraged? I am...

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

Good for evil

A few days ago, I had a chance to do something good for someone who hurt me very badly in the past. I actually had to sacrifice something of my own for their benefit.

I must confess; it felt very good!

I remembered Jesus's words:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

                                                                                Matthew 5:38-48

It is so very difficult to love those who hurt us or others... But God does, and he teaches us to do the same.

Let us try to follow his example, as hard as it may be, so we can please him. Can you imagine how painful it must be for Jesus to see all the corruption and evil in our society, when all he really wants is for us to be with him forever?

At least for us, who know and love him; let us try to minimize the pain we cause him... Can we try to do that?

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

Weeping for Tammuz

I'm going to share this prophecy from Ezekiel with you. It has been burning in my heart since the appearance of the dark orange moon, which was the full moon of the Hebrew month called Tammuz (See blog entry).

I believe it is a warning.

Ezekiel 8

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.

And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.

And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

Stay away from evil, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega

You are holy

This is a great song to sing along to, and I wanted to share it with you:

You are Holy

You are holy (You are holy)
You are mighty (You are mighty)
You are worthy (You are worthy)
Worthy of praise (Worthy of praise)
I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love you (I will love you)
All of my days (All of my days)


(Guys)
I will sing to
And worship
The King who is worthy


I will love and adore Him
And I will bow down before Him

And I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy

And I will love and adore Him
And I will bow down before Him

(Girls)
You are Lord of Lords
You are King of Kings
You are mighty God
Lord of everything

You’re Emmanuel
You’re the great "I AM"
You’re my Prince of Peace
Who is the Lamb

You’re the living God
You’re my saving grace
You will reign forever
You are Ancient of days

You are Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End
You’re my Saviour, Messiah, Redeemer and friend

(Both)
You’re my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You

You are holy (You are holy)
You are mighty (You are mighty)
You are worthy (You are worthy)
Worthy of praise (Worthy of praise)
I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love you (I will love you)
All of my days (All of my days)

(Guys)
I will sing to
And worship
The King who is worthy


And I will love and adore Him
And I will bow down before Him

And I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy

And I will love and adore Him
And I will bow down before Him



(Girls)
You are Lord of Lords
You are King of Kings
You are mighty God
Lord of everything

You’re Emmanuel
You’re the great "I AM"
You’re the Prince of Peace
Who is the Lamb

You’re the living God
You’re my saving grace
You will reign forever
You are Ancient of days

You are Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End
You’re my Saviour, Messiah, Redeemer and friend

(Both)
You’re my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for you


(Guys)
And I will sing to
And worship
The King who is worthy


I will love and adore Him
I will bow down before Him

And I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy

And I will love and adore Him
And I will bow down before Him

(Girls)
You are Lord of Lords
You are King of Kings
You are mighty God
Lord of everything

You’re Emmanuel
You’re the great "I AM"
You’re the Prince of Peace
Who is the Lamb

You’re the living God
You’re my saving grace
You will reign forever
You are Ancient of days

You are Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End
You’re my Saviour, Messiah, Redeemer and friend

(Both)
You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You(x2)

Stay blessed, and stay tuned,

Alpha Omega