Author: Richard Urban

Jesus’ Agonizing Heart

Matthew 2

13 After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”

14 That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15 where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”

Isaiah

Tell those who obey God,
“You’re very fortunate—
    you will be rewarded
    for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You’re in big trouble—
    what you did to others
    will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God’s people,
you are ruled and abused
    by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
    down the wrong path.

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The Chosen People of Israel Opposed Jesus

Hosea 9

17 Israel, you disobeyed my God.
Now he will force you to roam
    from nation to nation.

Song of Solomon

You are in the garden
with friends all around.
    Let me hear your voice!

She Speaks:

14 Hurry to me, my darling!
Run faster than a deer
    to mountains of spices.

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Who Could Understand the Heart of Jesus?

Exodus 12

14 Remember this day and celebrate it each year as a festival in my honor.

Richard:  We should remember and honor the traditions taught by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, unlike his former wife, Hak Ja Han, who does not honor the words and traditions taught by Rev. Moon.

Jonah 1

12 Jonah told them, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I’m the cause of this terrible storm.”

13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute.

Richard:  We can try to run from God, but ultimately we will have to face the truth, on this earth or later.

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Jesus’ Indescribable Heart of Loneliness

Ezekiel 22

17 The Lord said:

18 Ezekiel, son of man, I consider the people of Israel as worthless as the leftover metal in a furnace after silver has been purified. 19 So I am going to bring them together in Jerusalem. 20-21 I will be like a metalworker who collects that metal from the furnace and melts it down. I will collect the Israelites and blow on them with my fiery anger. They will melt inside the city of Jerusalem 22 like silver in a furnace. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have punished them in my anger.

Richard:  It is reasonable to think that a just God will allow judgement to fall on an unrighteous people.  We should check if we, and in turn, our community and nation are following God’s Will.  Are such things as homosexuality, transgenderism, relatvisim, and all kinds of godlessness acceptable in God’s sight.  Are we moving in accord with the heart and will of God and Jesus Christ?  What is evil must be judged; what is good must be exalted.

Jeremiah 34

8-10 King Zedekiah,[c] his officials, and everyone else in Jerusalem made an agreement to free all Hebrew[d] men and women who were slaves. No Jew would keep another as a slave. And so, all the Jewish slaves were given their freedom.

11 But those slave owners changed their minds and forced their former slaves back into slavery.

12 That’s when the Lord told me to say to the people:

13 I am the Lord God of Israel, and I made an agreement with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. 14 As part of this agreement, you must let a Hebrew slave go free after six years of service.

Richard:  God remembers our promises to Him.

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Understand the Heart of Jesus

 

Numbers 34

10 The eastern border will begin at Hazar-Enan in the north, then run south to Shepham, 11 and on down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there, it will go south to the eastern hills of Lake Galilee,[b]12 then follow the Jordan River down to the north end of the Dead Sea.

The land within those four borders will belong to you.

Ezekiel 1

Whenever the creatures flew, their wings roared like an ocean or a large army or even the voice of God All-Powerful. And whenever the creatures stopped, they folded their wings against their bodies.

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