From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "C & P Greene" <greenehouse72@juno.com>
Subject: Joyous Greetings
Date: Sunday, July 09, 2000 7:44 AM

"...How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!  Psalm 144:15

The Amplified Bible reads,
"...Happy (blessed, fortunate, prosperous, to be envied) are the people
whose God is the Lord."

Yes, we are truly a blessed people.  Every detail of our lives is in His
control.  Our need is to recognize that very fact.  In good times or hard,
this Scripture is proven over and over and over again.  Do you have eyes to
see it?

When Jesus' desciples ask why He spoke to the multitudes in parables,
"He answered and said to them, 'To you it has been granted to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.'"
"...I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and
while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
"And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
    'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on
    seeking, but will not preceive;
    'For the heart of this people has become dull,
    And with their ears they scarcely hear,
     And they have closed their eyes
     Lest they should see with their eyes,
    And hear with their ears,
     And understand with their heart and return,
    And I should heal them'"  Matthew 13:11 & 13-15

Jesus tells His disciple that they are different!
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they
hear."  Vs.16

We, too, are different!  As Believers, born from above, reconciled to God,
we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth sent
by the Father to remain with us forever.

Of the Holy Spirit, Jesus tells us,
"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,
He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said
to you."  John 14:26
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes He will guide you into all the
truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears,
He will speak...He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall
disclose it to you."  John 16:13-14

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you
have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
1 Corinthians 6:20

To see and to hear then is to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit for it is
He who leads, guides and reveals Christ to us.  "For the mind set on the
flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."
Romans 8:6

This brings us to Romans 14:17 and the kingdom of God,
"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."  Christ is our righteousness, He is our
peace, and He is our joy!

Lord, open the eyes of our understanding that we may see Your hand of love
in all that comes our way.  For we know that You, "cause all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

We are truly a blessed people!  Therefore, let us so live that our lives are
glorifing to God and with joyful hearts let us sing to our glorious Lord and
Savior for He has done great things and He alone is worthy of all praise,
honor and glory.