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Yes, Joseph knew 🙂

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ^[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed^[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:18-21

He was so obedient to God, that when the flight to Egypt took place, He never hesitated!

“ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

“When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” – Matthew 2:13-15

Joseph was hand-picked by God to be Jesus’ earthly father. That says a lot right there! It’s so hard to give Joseph the declaration He deserves. How He loved Jesus, for He loved Him beyond all! He was his little boy! How he loved Mary. Doing for her all of the things our own husbands do for us!

I always think of Joseph as a man of quiet faith, strong faith and overwhelming love. When I need to be stronger in trusting and obeying God, it’s Joseph I turn to :). Never putting Himself forward, He always made sure that Mary and Jesus had what they needed.

A carpenter from Nazereth, he spent hours teaching Jesus and loving him, and talking with him and giving Him all that He had.

Joseph made Mary’s life so much easier! From physically helping Her, to praying with Her, to holding Her when She was scared. Joseph was her earthly partner in all She did. How wonderful was He!

And He spent hours upon hours with Jesus. Teaching Him, loving Him, carrying Him. He gave Him so many hugs and smiles :). And Jesus loved Him so! No matter how difficult the circumstances, Joseph always put Jesus first and Jesus knew it! Just as Jesus knew that Joseph gave Him everything He had.

Thank You Joseph for saying Yes!

Of course, Mary knew :). And I thank God all the time that She said Yes. Because She gave so much, both to Jesus and us!

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed^[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.   And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.   And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.   He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”-Luke 1: 26-33

As we celebrate Christmas, it’s good to remember that without Jesus there would be no Christmas. It’s good to remember why we celebrate Christmas! What we are truly grateful for the most!

That Jesus came to Save us, that Mary said Yes, and that Joseph helped them both! How awesome is that!!!

Mary, Did You Know?

Yes

“³⁹In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

⁴⁶And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
⁴⁷   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.”-Luke1:39-56

Our Blessed Mother Mary did know 🙂

The most important thing to consider before we continue the study of the theological interpretations of Revelation is that they are interpretations. Often, Christians interpret some of these passages differently. Some believe in the Rapture/Premillenialism, Mid and Post Premillenialism, A Thousand Year Reign of Christ on earth prior to His second coming and Amillenialism. All of these interpretations are hotly debated among the Christian churches.

But because they are interpretations of God’s Word, it’s important to remember that while God’s Word is infallible because it is Holy Spirit Breathed, our interpretations are man-made. Some go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years and some go back only a 150 years. They are not God’s Word, they are our interpretation of God’s Word.

And because they are our interpretation of God’s Word (in other words, man’s interpretation), they can be fallible. So whichever interpretation we believe in, we need to remember one thing, we could be wrong.

Whichever one of these actually happens, will not change the FACT that Jesus is coming back for us and that we are going to Heaven. It will not change the FACT that God is as Merciful as He is Just. And it will not change that fact that God Loves Us 🙂

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

There can be no doubt that the road to the Great Harvest will be difficult. Many of us have already faced very difficult times already. But the Joy that God gives to us, the Joy that comes with accepting Christ, is not effected by our circumstances.

And if we don’t have God’s Joy right now, we should ask God for it! For God will be happy we did and so will we 🙂

Earthly joy is often dependent on our circumstances. For example, are we healthy? Do we have enough money? Do we have a job we enjoy? Is our family doing well? Do we live where we want? All of these and more, if they are as we wish, can make us really happy.

But what if our circumstances are not as we wish? What if we are really sick or can’t walk? What if someone we love is really not doing well? What if our nation is at war? What if we were blind or deaf? What if we were homeless? What if our job is one that we hate, but we need to do it to pay our bills? All of these are different types of circumstances that could make us very unhappy. Not joyous at all…

But God’s Joy withstands our circumstances. It is also a Joy that can not be taken or altered by anyone but God. It allows us to be Joyful, even in the face of horrific circumstances. So pray now to be filled with God’s Joy, for we never know when we might have to face difficult circumstances. Just as we know that we will have to face difficult circumstances during our journey to the Great Harvest.

Praying for you that you may be filled with God’s Joy-Always!

I will have to admit that I always thought the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception” referred to Mary to Jesus’ birth. But this particular Feast is about Mary’s birth because She also was born without original sin.

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” -Luke 1:26-33

Blessed is Mary among women for She was chosen by God to bear His Son Jesus. Truly, we are Blessed that She said Yes.

The question has been asked, if Mary had said No, would Jesus still have been born?

The answer is, of course, Yes.

However, that God gave Mary a choice is truly a sign of how much God loves Mary.  The fact that She was born without original sin, shows that God already knew what Her answer would be.  God clearly loved Her in a very special way.  She was to be the Mother of His Son.  Of course He did.  God would not choose the Mother of His Son lightly.

She would need to be extraordinarily faithful.  And She would need to be amazingly loving.  And She would need to love God and be capable of great trust in God and obedience… 

That Mary Our Blessed Mother loves us all so, is a wonderful Gift.  And one I shall forever treasure 🙂

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

And if any need help, Mary, Our Blessed Mother, can help point us to Him 🙂

Thank you Mary!

“When we suffer, we are reminded of who we are: jars of clay ready to break or burst for the life of God Himself to pour out from us”

Pierce Taylor Hibbs

Amillenialism is a theological theory taught by Catholics. There are 1.39 billions in the world today, so that makes this theory important. There are other theological theories such as pre, mid and post trib. About 48% of Christians are said to believe in the pre trib theories. This particular theological theory came into being about 150 years ago.

While this site will deal with both of them, it’s important to note that they are all theological theories. Meaning Christians can and do disagree on their interpretation of this issue and that’s okay. What may harm a Christian’s faith is not understanding that these are indeed theories. And so if they do not happen, that does not effect the rest of the Bible’s Theories. The Bible is God-Made and all of these theories are man-made. Anything man-made is fallible, so please, no matter which theory or interpretation turns happens, we need to hold onto our faith in the Father-God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

“Amillenials believe that we’re currently in the endtimes right now, and that we’ll continue suffering with Christ until he comes again at the end of time for the final judgement…” Amillenials do not believe in the 1,000 year reign of Jesus on earth. They do believe that Jesus will come back for a second time, the final time, at the end of the church age. It is said that Jesus will return in “Final Judgement and establish a permanent reign in the ‘new Heaven and new Earth’ ” 🙂

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.  God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might ¹⁰ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

St. Paul The Apostle

This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” – 2 Thessalonians 1

God is always Fair and always Just!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”-John 3:16

The Mercy of God is in His Great Forgiveness; it is in Jesus’s Willingness to go to the Cross to Save us. And it is in His Great Love for us!

But that does not mean that God is not Just. He is as Just as He is Merciful. And God is always Fair.

“Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!  When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.  But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. ²⁰ Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.”-Ezekel 33:12-20

But God’s Mercies are endless. While we are on earth, He forgives almost any sin, if we willingly repent. He loves us as we are and will meet us wherever we are! He chases after us as a Shepherd does his lambs. He gives us His Word so that it will be “as a lamp unto my feet, light unto my path”. He is with us always, every second of everyday. He listens to our every thought, worry and fear with great concern and love. And He is always cheering us on when we succeed! And He is really happy for us! And perhaps one of my favorites is that:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning”

Lamentations 3:22-23

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

I had the privilege of watching the church service at a Ukranian chuch, The Monastery, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. The service taught me so much about being grateful. I read many of the comments of the people attending who have suffered SO much and yet they were Thanking God and Praising Him. We could learn much from them!

Even in the midst of no power and freezing cold. With bombs and missles raining down on them and their homes destroyed. Ukranians were Thanking God and Praising Him. What a wonderful lesson for all of us!

The Blessed Virgin Mary has also always had a very special relationship with the people of Ukraine. Dating back to the very first century, the Ukranian people have turned to Our Blessed Mother for protection. And in their darkest ours asked her to lay protective veil over them to protect them. To this day, many of the people of Ukraine wear that same scarf of protection.

Referred to as the Queen of Ukraine, Our Blessed Mother’s love for the people of Ukraine and the love of the people of Ukraine for Mary have always been well known. Would that America might someday be the same someday 🙂

St. Michael the Archangel has also had a very special relationship with the people of Ukraine. St. Michael the Archangel is known as the Patron Saint of Ukraine. The coat of arms of Ukraine has had St. Michael the Archangel on them since the 16th century. “A bronze and gold statue of the Archangel Michael stands above the Liadsky Gate in Independence Square in Kyiv” and “The Archangel Michael was honored in battles against enemies of Christianity, such as the Mongols and Tartars. His image was also used on the flag of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen in 1914, and by the Ukrainian National Republic and Ukrainian Galician Army during the revolutionary years of 1917–1923”. A Golden Domed Monastery was built to honor him. (see above photo).

There are so many times that the people of Ukraine have honored St. Michael the Archangel for his service and protection. He loves the Ukranian people and they have loved him. St. Michael the Archangel served and protected the people of Ukraine. He will always be there for them. Always.

Many of the Ukranian people continue to praise and thank God despite their tragic circumstances. We could learn so much from them.

But there are some who have lost their faith due to the horrific circumstances they live and fight in. Please pray for them!!!

Whether the United States should fund the Ukranian war has become a political issue, but there are no politics in prayer.

Please pray for the people of Ukraine in Jesus’ Name-all of them!