Matthew 11,25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; [26] yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. [27] All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. [28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I like two features very much: let people imagine they know something; and when somebody says something nice about himself and it is true.

n.5

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. (Jer. 29:11-13)

The Lord is there. There must be great faith on our part. Sometimes I am confused. Which sometimes casts doubt, but at the same time strengthens my need and desire to continue reading God's word. And understanding, as best I can.

h.5

John 16, [22] So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. [23] In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. [24] Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

It strikes me that he acts as if he wants us to make independent of himself. He trusts us in our freedom. That is a wonderful atmosphere. No doubt we will feel utterly happy at last.

n.6

He has put his brand upon us - his mark of ownership - and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him, and as the first installment of all that he is going to give us. (2 Cor.1:22)

The Trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have been given so much to get closer to God. All that needs to be done is ask and believe.

h. 6

Ephesians 1,3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. [5] He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace [8] which he lavished upon us. [9] For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [11] In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, [12] we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

These words are very powerful to me, every piece of it thrills with destiny and utter truth. I call it the 3 P's: Plan, Purpose and Praise.

n.7

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty of want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. (Phil 4:12,13)

This would be a beautiful way to live, and something to strive for. I believe the closer you get to God, the closer you get to this contentment. Knowing that there is nothing one can do to change things, one can only believe in God, knowing that one day he is going to make everything alright. His plan must be played out. In the end we will know how we have done.

Genesis 1, [3] And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

John 1, [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The first words from God in the Bible and it has already everything in it.

n.8

Give honor to the Lord, you angels; give honor to the Lord for his glory and strength. Give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf and Mount Hermon to leap like a young bull. The voice of the Lord strikes with lightning bolts. The voice of the Lord makes the desert quake; the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, "Glory!" (Psalm 29:1-11)

The comparisons here are powerful. It helps to know the importance of God. It also helps to understand what 'God fearing' means. Respect of the powerful, yet gentle, merciful God.

Matthew 5,8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

The expression 'pure in heart' has something magical for me. I think about it, I feel about it and I try to experience it, yet it remains although it seems clear a secret.

n.9

And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. So don't fool yourselves. For if a person just listens and doesn't obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can't see himself any more or remember what he looks like. But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. (James 1:22-25)

This reminded me of 'pure in heart'. You can believe you believe one thing, but in your heart do not. God knows what is in our heart, but I think sometimes even we don't.

h.9

John. 11, [6] So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go into Judea again." [8] The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" [9] Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." [11] Thus he spoke, and then he said to them, "Our friend Laz'arus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep." [12] The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, "Laz'arus is dead; [15] and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." [16] Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

It is funny and sad at the same time how He was not understood by his friends, that must have given Him a huge loneliness.

n.10

This is my choice for 10. They are not really in any particular order of importance, they are all important to me, and I learned from everything as I went along, from each of our entries. It is a lifelong treasure, to learn from the Bible, a treasure I am glad I'm a part of...

The Lord merely spoke,
  and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word
  and all the stars were born.
He gave the sea its boundaries
  and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let everyone in the world fear the
  Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of
  him.
For when he spoke, the world
  began!
It appeared at his command.

(Psalm 33:6-9)

Revelation 22,16

"I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."

I would like to end our session with this verse.