From Darkness To God's Light Published

My novel, From Darkness to God's Light, based on my own story, is now published! This story shows how powerfully God wants to work in a person's life, when they sincerely seek Him and want to follow His ways! 

This book follows Babs as she sinks deeper into the darkness of sin, trapped and unable to help herself. Then God shows up and miraculously delivers her from this moral slavery as He brings her into His Light of understanding, and her whole life turns around! 

You may read this miraculous and adventurous book on Amazon, at https://www.amazon.com/DarknesstoLight. You can also get this novel at other bookstores, on request. 

To see a preview, you can read the beginning of the story here. 

Then get your own copy of this book, and share this opportunity with your friends. 

And you may go back and read any of these Bible study blog entries that I have posted over the years. I think I've at least touched on about every Book in the Bible, and they're all titled, so read whatever interests you. 

May God bless you and help you to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Is Your Religion Giving You Power To Overcome?

This is my book that is on Amazon. It is a Bible study, a 40-Day Walk through First Corinthians. The church in Corinth had many of the problems the Church still has even today, so it is very relevant to our lives as Christians.  

You may find it when you go to https://www.amazon.com/WhyChristianity in America, but if you're anywhere else in the world, just go to Amazon.com and search for it. You can then also "follow the author" to see when my other books will publish. And you can also find it in other bookstores, by request. 

To read a sample of this book, you can go here. 

The Introduction to this book begins like this: 

So many people who consider themselves Christians don’t have the relationship with God that He wants with each of us, so they have no power to overcome evil.

If you’re having a problem with trying to break a bad habit or you’re caught in an addiction that you just can’t overcome, no matter what you try, then you’ve picked up the right book. You don’t yet have the power of God’s Holy Spirit in you to give you the victory.  Let me explain to you how much God loves you, and what He’s already done for you.

I hope you go to Amazon and buy it for your personal time with the Lord. Then after you've studied through it, you will be equipped to lead a small group of friends to also want to study God's Word, who can buy copies of this for the Bible Study group time. Then they will also be prepared to lead other Small Group Bible Studies. 

Thank you for reading my blog. I haven't been adding Bible studies to it any more because God hasn't been giving me any! That day is done, and I'm writing books now. 

But you can go to any of the other entries I have made here, I think I've at least touched on almost every book in the Bible! They all are titled, so you can read any ones you are interested in. 

Thank you.  

And even so, Lord Jesus, come soon!

 

 

 

 

From Darkness To God's Light

This is a novel I wrote, based on my own story. 

Babs walked a tumultuous journey from innocence to a sexual addiction that she couldn't conquer, until God found her and gave her His light with the power to overcome wrongdoing and new eyes to see the unseen. But as the light grows brighter, the shadow looms even darker, and she has to fight her way back into the light. 

This book has recently published (see https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SQD9F6J). 

Thank you for reading my blog. 

God bless you, and let many read this story and find Salvation! 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

 

 

 

The Power In The Blood Of Jesus

 Hebrews 9: 22

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

This is the defining fact concerning salvation. God gave the blood for the animal to be sacrificed and sprinkle the blood on the sides of the altar, or to be splattered over all the holy items of the Tabernacle, or to be daubed on the thumbs and big toes of the priests, or for everything else that needed to be "cleansed" or set apart for God. 

That includes us. If we are to belong to God, then it must be blood that will qualify us to be forgiven and cleansed and made right with God, to be born into His family. 

All through the Old Testament, almost everything that was to be set aside had to have blood used in some way. But we are looking at our situation today. How are we sanctified, or made holy, or set aside for God? 

Let's look at some of the verses and see how it works.

Hebrews 10: 4

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 

Everyone who brought his personal sacrifice to the priest, following the Law in Leviticus 1, when the animal's blood was sprinkled on the sides of the altar (v. 5), that blood would cover his sins, so that he could be forgiven, but he could not enter Heaven when he died, because his sin was still there, under that blood; so he went to Sheol, the place of the dead.  

That's why Jesus had to come, as both God and Man; to be the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt in time, and to die a genuine human death in our place. 

Romans 3: 24-25a

(24) Being justified [is] a gift by His grace through the Redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 

(25) whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. 

 

This means that our Redemption, being saved, means that His blood provides the propitiation, hilasmos, "atonement, expiation, propitiation." This is the payment in full of our total debt we owe God for sin. This payment included His death, but it was specifically His blood that was the currency of the payment. 

 

This is repeated several times: 

 

Romans 5: 8-9 

 

(8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

(9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 

 

Ephesians 1: 7

 

In Him we have Redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

 

Ephesians 2: 13

 

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

 

Colossians 1: 13-14 

 

(13) For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, 

(14) in whom we have Redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 

 

Colossians 1: 19-20

 

(19) For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

(20) and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace  through the blood of His Cross. 

 

Hebrews 10: 19-22

 

(19) Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 

(20) by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 

(21) and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, 

(22) let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 

 

Here we see that we can only enter by the blood, and that our hearts are sprinkled by the blood shed on the Cross, and only our physical bodies can be washed with water. 

 

Hebrews 13: 12

 

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 

 

Hebrews 13: 20 

 

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.

 

I John 1: 7 

 

But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

 

Revelation 1: 5b

 

To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood.

 

Revelation 5: 9 

 

And they sang a new song, saying, 

Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your own blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 

Revelation 7: 13-14

(13) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" (14) I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Revelation 12: 11

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 

All this is to say that Jesus is the Son of God who came to this Earth by being born as a human baby like all the rest of the human race. He came to fulfill all of the Law and the Prophets and Psalms (see Matthew 5: 17, and Luke 24: 44, and others) as the sacrificial Lamb of God. 

He is our personal Sacrifice, as when his blood sprinkled the sides of His altar, the Cross, He was fulfilling the personal sacrifice that was described in Leviticus 1. 

And when His blood was poured out at the foot of the Cross, He fulfilled the sacrifice for the nation to be done when they corporately committed sin (Leviticus 4), to purchase the whole human race. We are all His property, He owns us, so He is our rightful Judge. 

To participate in the group whose hearts and souls are sprinkled with His blood for Salvation, we need to repent and agree that we deserve death, letting Him take that upon Himself in our place, as our Substitute. 

Otherwise, we will be in the other group, by default, under God's wrath. 

John 3: 16-18 says that the whole world can be saved, one by one (whosoever), but whoever will not judge himself as deserving of this execution has already been judged, as a sinner. 

We all have been born in sin, having inherited Adam's damaged DNA, which has become more damaged with every generation. The term "sin" is an archery term, that simply means "missed the mark," missed the bulls eye of perfection. The paycheck for sin is death. So the "sinful flesh" we all live in will one day die, all except Jesus Himself, because He did not have a human father, so He didn't have to die. He chose to die, to take our place, so we wouldn't have to die. 

That's how much God loves us, and how much Jesus loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. John 17: 24 tells us Jesus' wish, His desire, "That they also whom You have given Me be with Me where I am." Jesus not only loves us, but He likes each one of us, and wants us to be with Him forever. This is the "joy" that impelled Him to go through with the whole crucifixion, because He knew there was no other way (Matthew 26: 39, 42 and Mark 14: 35-36) for us to be able to be "with Him," to withstand His full Presence. 

O my Father, thank You for loving us so much, to send Your only begotten Son to go through leaving His glory and coming as one of His own creatures, and being a mere Man, He humbled Himself even further to be painfully executed as the criminal we all are, as our substitute! 

O Father, please show all of Your children who You are and what You have already done for us, that we could never earn or deserve. Open our eyes to see Your reality that all Your earthly pictures represent. Help all those who have been led astray to return to You, knowing the Truth that sets us free from all the sin and error and deception that has gotten hold of so many! 

My Father, use even me to tell others and to help them to realize how You see them, and how You want to lavish upon them all of the benefits and blessings of Your generous abundance! O Father, You want so much good for us, that we cannot even stand to receive even a small portion of what You have for us, until we shed these mortal bodies of flesh to be swallowed up by the new spiritual bodies You have prepared for us. 

Father, let us as Your children share with all the others who are looking for You, even when they don't realize that it is You they're looking for. Help the ones who think they are Christians to come to You in repentance and to be born into Your family. Help us to tell the world how much You love all of us, to give every living person in all the nations an informed choice to accept Your gracious and generous gift. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus! 

Baptism Is A Picture

I will begin this discussion stating that salvation does not come from water Baptism, but by the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary.

 

Hebrews 9: 22 

 

... Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

 

Tomorrow we will look at the role of blood concerning cleansing and covenants and redemption. 

Today we are looking at Water Baptism as it is a picture God gave us of the spiritual baptism He performs in us at the moment of Salvation.

Ephesians 2: 8-10

(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not that of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 

(9) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

(10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we could walk in them. 

 

We are not saved by water baptism, which is a work we do in obedience to His commandment. We are saved by God's grace, which is His free gift, giving us the good that we can never earn or deserve, by our faith, our believing that Jesus took our death that we deserve. Then, when we have been saved, we are to do the works God planned for us to do.

 

I Peter 3: 20-21

 

(20) God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 

(21) And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (NLT)

 

Here Peter says that water is the picture of the spiritual baptism, the immersion into the body of Christ, not the physical water that can remove dirt from the body. We are to act out this picture in response to the clean conscience we have from being washed and cleansed in the blood of Christ, which He proved worked by His Resurrection from the dead.

 

Colossians 2: 11-14

 

(11) And in Him you were all circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 

(12) having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 

(13) When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 

(14) having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross. 

 

Here Paul talks about the spiritual baptism right in the middle of his talk about the spiritual circumcision. Several things happen all at once at the moment of our salvation. This is when we realize we're sinners against God, and we deserve the execution death Jesus suffered; and understand that God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to take our death on the Cross, and we let Him do it, as though we're the only one; that's when God saves us. 

 

Then the blood Jesus splattered on the sides of His altar, the Cross, washes us clean of all sin. Being clean now, God sends His Holy Spirit to live in our spirit, causing it to come alive, and since God the Spirit cannot dwell in the presence of sin, He immediately "circumcises" or cuts the connection between our sinful flesh and the new Life in us, which breaks any addiction, and gives us a new power to choose to do right, instead.

 

Romans 6: 1-7

 

(1) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 

(2) May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 

 

Since the Holy Spirit cut the chains that held us to the sinful urges, we don't need to do those things any more.

 

(3) Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 

(4) Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 

 

Here is the picture water baptism is of the spiritual baptism God affects in us. Because we let Jesus be our substitute in death, it's as if we died; then because He was dead, he was buried, so we are buried under the water. 

 

And as Jesus rose from the grave with new, Resurrection life, so we rise out of the water, giving all our witnesses permission to hold us accountable to living our lives different now from before we were saved.

 

(5) For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 

(6) knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 

(7) for he who has died is freed from sin. 

 

The act of water baptism says that we admit publicly that we have died with Jesus, and just as He rose, so we also will one day be Resurrected as He was; and while we live now, we can forsake all of the unrighteousness of our old life, and instead walk a righteous path, in the power of the Holy Spirit who now lives in us. 

 

Colossians 2: 19 

 

Connected to Christ, the Head of the body. For He holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. (NLT)

 

So the baptism that saves us is not the physical picture we act out, but the act of God in putting us into Christ's body, as He is the Head.

 

Matthew 28: 18-20

 

(18) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth. 

(19) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 

(20) "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 

 

As a final note, when Jesus gave us our marching orders, He said that as we are going, we are to make disciples first, meaning that we are to win them to the Lord in salvation first, then to water baptize them as the first step of obedience to His commandments. Then we are to teach them to know and do all the other things Jesus taught His disciples. 

I understand that some Christian churches are confused at this point, not understanding the distinction between water baptism, a good work that we physically do, and the spiritual baptism, when God immerses us into Christ when we experience Salvation from sin. 

O my Father, You are so wise and good to us to give us so many physical, material, earthly pictures of some of the spiritual, immaterial, eternal Truths so we could have some understanding of who You are and what You are doing in the world and in Your children. We would not be able to conceive of these spiritual realities without these pictures.

My Father, please help Your church leaders, the pastors and teachers, to understand that these pictures are not the realities, but only temporary illustrations of what is real and eternal. Help them to lead their congregations into Your Truth and righteousness, and the realization of who we are in Your eyes as Your children, and what You have planned for us, both now and forevermore. 

O Father send out Your children as Your messengers and missionaries to share Your gracious Gospel of the Kingdom, to recognize our Redeemer, to be rescued from the power sin has over the human race, and the deception of our enemy that draws them away from Your wonderful gifts. 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord, the Lord God Almighty, Redeemer and Lawgiver, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Hope For The Ishmaelites

 Genesis 25: 7-10

The last we hear about Ishmael is when his father Abraham died.

 

(7) These are all the years of Abraham's life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years. 

(8) Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. 

(9) Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him 

 

Ishmael came to Abraham's funeral with Isaac, and they didn't quarrel or have any unfriendly words. They came peacefully together, and quietly mourned together. 

 

None of Abraham's other sons came to mourn for their father; Abraham had sent them all away and none of them came for the funeral. Ishmael and Isaac were the only ones who loved him enough to come together to bury him.

in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, 

(10) the field which Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. 

 

And they buried him in his own property, the field in the Promised Land that he purchased and bought. The first of the land that was actually owned. 

 

Ishmael lived to the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, having had twelve sons, and grandsons, and great grandsons; and they all settled in defiance of all his relatives (26: 18). The word for "defiance" or "presence" is paniym, which gives the idea of "turning to face in opposition." This means that Ishmael's family still deliberately defied their relatives in choosing to live where they wanted to dwell.

The fact that Ishmael was able to put aside his animosity toward his brother Isaac to bury their father shows me that it is possible for Arab nations today to be able to come to the negotiation table and come to agreement. 

President Trump has just done this, coming between as a peacemaker, with Israel and not one, but two of her Arab neighbors, coming to sign peace agreements. 

This is something that they have never done before in recent history, and President Trump has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for this achievement. 

Because he approached them from a completely different direction, they were able to see what they missed before, and this could be a foundation for many other Arab nations to also come to agreement. 

I am watching to see how this will work out, in view of what God has told us will transpire at the end of our human time-line, in Daniel and Revelation. 

O my Father, please show us what You are doing, how You are moving the nations of the world to be in place for the final showdowns You have told us about. Open our eyes to see the truth of what is happening, to discern the times we are in, to recognize if they are the actual fulfillment of Your prophesies or another type as Daniel 11: 36-39 describes Antiochus IV as the type of the anti-type who is the beast of Revelation. 

 

My Father, be with us to strengthen Your children, teach us Your ways, to love one another as You have loved us. Send us out among our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends and acquaintences, and out into our world around us, and into the whole world. Let everyone in all the nations hear how much You love us all, and have sent Your own Son to save each of us. 

 

O Father, please bring all of Your unborn children to the birth into Your own family, and give no one any excuse for turning away from Your gracious and generous gift. 

 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Redeemer and Messiah, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, do come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Ishmael Today? Part 3

 Genesis 21: 1-21

Here's the part of the story that shows Ishmael's personality. 

(1) Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised.  

(2) So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.  

(3) Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.  

(4) Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.  

(5) Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 

(6) Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me."  

(7) And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." 

This is Ishmael's family: Abraham his father, and Sarah his step-mother, and Sarah's slave, Hagar, his mother. Now he gets a little brother. This changes the family dynamic.

(8) The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 

Ishmael is not the only child any more, he has a baby brother who is getting all the attention. And Ishmael's not a tiny tot any more, he was 14 when Isaac was born, so he's probably 15 or older by now.

(9) Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 

He has probably resented and been jealous of this new baby, having been deprived by him of the attention he had from his father, Abraham. This hurt comes out now in his teasing and mocking of Isaac at the big party held for him. And Sarah noticed this.

(10) Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac." 

Now Sarah has come to the end of her rope with this slave girl, and demands that Abraham throw her out, along with her son. She is adamant that her legitimate son will be Abraham's heir, not this son of her slave.

(11) The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 

Abraham loved Ishmael, he'd raised his son since he was born, and didn't want to break up this family unit.

(12) But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. 

God had to tell him that Sarah was right, to do what she said, not only for domestic peace, but also because God wanted Abraham's descendants to go through Isaac, rather than Ishmael.

(13) "And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant."

God knew how much Abraham loved Ishmael, so for his sake He would make Ishmael's descendants into a great people and nations.

(14) So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. 

When Hagar had run away, God told her to go back and submit to Sarah, because she was Sarah's property and didn't have the right to decide to run away. Now, because Sarah had decided to get rid of her, now Abraham will obey God and send her and her son away. 

(15) When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes.  

(16) Then she went an sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 

But she's just wandering around aimlessly, acting like a victim who can't do anything for herself. She's feeling so sorry for herself, she will just sit there and starve to death!

(17) God heard the lad crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from Heaven and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 

Then God called to her again, and asks her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar?" God didn't make her helpless, He just put her where He wanted her to be to have this son. Now he will continue to show her His path for her, because he heard Ishmael crying, too. He doesn't want him to give up, either!

(18) "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him." 

God has already promised Abraham that He would make a great nation of him, and now He's repeating that promise to Hagar, so he needs to perk up and take care of himself, and she is the one to teach him how.

(19) Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

God showed her that she was capable and able to take care of herself and her son, and she didn't need to depend on being someone else's property any more. She was free.

(20) God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.  

(21) He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 

 

God was with Ishmael to guide him, and his mother did her job to finish raising him, and procuring for him a wife when the time came from her own people in Egypt. 

When they were thrown out, and given their freedom, she went south. She was in the wilderness of Beersheba, then went through the wilderness of Zin, to the wilderness of Paran, which was just outside Egypt itself. I think that she didn't take him into Egypt because she had been a slave, and wouldn't be treated well among the society there, so she just made herself a home in the wilderness. Where Ishmael grew up. 

He learned how to make himself a bow and arrows, and taught himself how to use it to survive in the wilderness. 

Then he married the Egyptian girl who agreed to be his wife, and he had twelve sons, who grew up to also have families, and became twelve tribes of people. 

When he left Abraham's family, he knew his father, and he also knew that he'd been rejected, so this left lasting emotional scars that passed on to his sons and grandsons and down the line, all the way to today's Arab peoples who resent that God gave Canaan, Palestine, to the Israelites, the Jews of today, now Israelis. 

These Arabs are still persecuting Isaac, just as their progenitor taught them. Through all the generations that have been born through the thousands of years of time, both of these branches of Abraham have been growing more numerous and the one is still attacking the other, trying to obliterate them from the Earth in their fury. 

There is one more chapter in this story of Ishmael, which can give us some hope. 

O my Father, You are so wise and creative and imaginative. You have already written the whole story of Mankind, from before the beginning to after the end, and You have given it to us in Your written Word. 

We can read about how this story progressed, how personal decisions worked out affecting multiple generations, and learn how the little choices we make each day can grow and either bless or curse many other people down the line. 

My Father, help me, and help all of Your children, to open our eyes to see the wells of provision You have given to us, and to bless others in the blessings You bless us with. Please, Father, grow us up in Christ, give us boldness in using the voice You have given each of us to testify as witnesses of all the wonderful goodness You have done for each of us, to spread Your Gospel of the Kingdom, and how we are to be born into it, to every living person in the world. 

O Father, send us all out as Your messengers and missionaries, into every nation and every people, to deliver them from the hatred and the immoralities and the destructive attitudes that pull people down into misery and sorrow! Help us to share with them how they can be saved from the power of sin and receive Your goodness and Salvation and Redemption, being born into Your own family! 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord, the Lord God Almighty, our Redeemer and Messiah, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!