The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with Him).  Pro 15:29 

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But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide. 2Pe 3:13 

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Nevertheless I am continually with You; You do hold my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to honor and glory. Psalm 73:23-24 

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The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down. Psa 145:14 

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And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.  Phi 3:9 

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Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. John 16:15

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Barnes on Joh 16:15 –
All things … – See Mat_28:18; Mat_11:27. No one could have said this who was not equal with the Father. The union was so intimate, though mysterious, that it might with propriety be said that whatever was done in relation to the Son, was also done in regard to the Father. See Joh_14:9.

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But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].  1Corinthians 1:30 

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Barnes on 1Co 1:30 –
But of him – That is, by his agency and power. It is not by philosophy; not from ourselves; but by his mercy. The apostle keeps it prominently in view, that it was not of their philosophy, wealth, or rank that they had been raised to these privileges, but of God as the author.

Are ye – Ye are what you are by the mercy of God. 1Co_15:10. You owe your hopes to him. The emphasis in this verse is to he placed on this expression, “are ye.” You are Christians, not by the agency of man, but by the agency of God.
(See the supplementary note at Rom_8:10.)

In Christ Jesus – See the note at 1Co_1:4. By the medium, or through the work of Christ, this mercy has been conferred on you.
Who of God – From God ἀπὸ θεοῦ  apo theou. Christ is given to us by God, or appointed by him to be our wisdom, etc. God originated the scheme, and God gave him for this end.

Wisdom – That is, he is to us the source of wisdom; it is by him that we are made wise. This cannot mean that his wisdom becomes strictly and properly ours; that it is set over to us, and reckoned as our own, for that is not true. But it must mean simply, that Christians have become “truly wise” by the agency, the teaching, and the work of Christ. Philosophers had attempted to become wise by their own investigations and inquiries. But Christians had become wise by the work of Christ; that is, it had been by his instructions that they had been made acquainted with the true character of God; with his law; with their own condition; and with the great truth that there was a glorious immortality beyond the grave. None of these truths had been obtained by the investigations of philosophers, but by the instructions of Christ. In like manner it was that through him they had been made practically wise unto salvation. Compare Col_2:3, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” He is the great agent by whom we become truly wise. Christ is often represented as eminently wise, and as the source of all true wisdom to his people. Isa_11:1; Mat_13:54; Luk_2:40, Luk_2:52; 1Co_1:24; 1Co_3:10. “Ye are wise in Christ.” Many commentators have supposed that the beautiful description of wisdom, in Prov. 8 is applicable to the Messiah. Christ may be said to be made wisdom to us, or to communicate wisdom:
(1) Because he has in his own ministry instructed us in the true knowledge of God, and of those great truths which pertain to our salvation.
(2) because he has by his word and spirit led us to see our true situation, and made us “wise unto salvation.” He has turned us from the ways of folly, and inclined us to walk in the path of true wisdom.
(3) because he is to his people now the source of wisdom. He enlightens their mind in the time of perplexity; guides them in the way of truth; and leads them in the path of real knowledge. It often happens that obscure and ignorant people, who have been taught in the school of Christ, have more true and real knowledge of that which concerns their welfare, and evince more real practical wisdom, than can be learned in all the schools of philosophy and learning on the earth. It is wise for a sinful and dying creature to prepare for eternity. But none but those who are instructed by the Son of God, become thus wise.

And righteousness – By whom we become righteous in the sight of God. This declaration simply affirms that we become righteous through him, as it is affirmed that we become wise, sanctified, and redeemed through him. But neither of the expressions determine anything as to the mode by which it is done. The leading idea of the apostle, which should never be lost sight of, is that the Greeks by their philosophy did not become truly wise, righteous, sanctified, and redeemed; but that this was accomplished through Jesus Christ. But “in what way” this was done, or by what process or mode, is not here stated; and it should be no more assumed from this text that we became righteous by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, than it should be that we became wise by the imputation of his wisdom, and sanctified by the imputation of his holiness. If this passage would prove one of these points, it would prove all. But as it is absurd to say that we became wise by the imputation of the personal wisdom of Christ, so this passage should not be brought to prove that we became righteous by the imputation of his righteousness. Whatever may be the truth of that doctrine, this passage does not prove it.
By turning to other parts of the New Testament to learn in what way we are made righteous through Christ, or in what way he is made unto us righteousness; we learn that it is in two modes:
(1) Because it is by his merits alone that our sins are pardoned, and we are justified, and treated as righteous (see the note at Rom_3:26-27); and,
(2) Because by his influence, and work, and Spirit, and truth, we are made personally holy in the sight of God.
The former is doubtless the thing intended here, as sanctification is specified after. The apostle here refers simply to the fact, without specifying the mode in which it is done. That is to be learned from other parts of the New Testament. Compare the note at Rom_4:25. The doctrine of justification is, that God regards and treats those as righteous who believe on his Son, and who are pardoned on account of what he has done and suffered. The several steps in the process may be thus stated:
(1) The sinner is by nature exposed to the wrath of God. He is lost and ruined. He has no merit of his own. He has violated a holy law, and that law condemns him, and he has no power to make an atonement or reparation. He can never be pronounced a “just” man on his own merits. He can never vindicate his conduct, as a man can do in a court of justice where he is unjustly accused, and so be pronounced just.
(2) Jesus Christ has taken the sinner’s place, and died in his stead. He has honored a broken law; he has rendered it consistent for God to pardon. By his dreadful sufferings, endured in the sinner’s place, God has shown his hatred of sin, and his willingness to forgive. His truth will be vindicated, and his law honored, and his government secured, if now he shall pardon the offender when penitent. As he endured these sorrows for others, and not for himself, they can be so reckoned, and are so judged by God. All the “benefits” or “results” of that atonement, therefore, as it was made for others, can be applied to them, and all the advantage of such substitution in their place, can be made over to them, as really as when a man pays a note of hand for a friend; or when he pays for another a ransom. The price is reckoned as paid for them, and the “benefits” flow to the debtor and the captive. It is not reckoned that they paid it, for that is not true; but that it was done for them, and the benefit may be theirs, which is true.
(3) God has been pleased to promise that these benefits may be conferred on him who believes in the Saviour. The sinner is “united” by faith to the Lord Jesus, and is so adjudged, or reckoned. God “esteems” or judges him to be a believer according to the promise. And so believing, and so repenting, he deems it consistent to pardon and justify him who is so united to his Son by faith. He is justified, not by the ACT of faith; not by any merits of his own, but by the merits of Christ. He has no other ground, and no other hope. Thus, he is in fact a pardoned and justified man; and God so reckons and judges. God’s law is honored, and the sinner is pardoned and saved; and it is now as consistent for God to treat him as a righteous man, as it would be if he had never sinned – since there is as high honor shown to the law of God, as there would have been had he been personally obedient, or had he personally suffered its penalty. And as, through the death of Christ, the same “results” are secured in upholding God’s moral government as would be by his condemnation, it is consistent and proper for God to forgive him and treat him as a righteous man; and to do so accords with the infinite benevolence of his heart.

And sanctification – By him we are sanctified or made holy. This does not mean, evidently, that his personal holiness is reckoned to us, but that by his work applied to our hearts, we become personally sanctified or holy. Compare Eph_4:24. This is done by the agency of his Spirit applying truth to the mind Joh_17:19, by the aid which he furnishes in trials, temptations, and conflicts, and by the influence of hope in sustaining, elevating and purifying the soul. All the truth that is employed to sanctify, was taught primarily by him; and all the means that may be used are the purchase of his death, and are under his direction; and the Spirit by whose agency Christians are sanctified, was sent into the world by him, and in answer to his prayers. Joh_14:16; Joh_15:26.

And redemption – ἀπολύτρωσις  apolutrōsis. For the meaning of this word, see the note at Rom_3:24. Here it is evidently used in a larger sense than it is commonly in the New Testament. The things which are specified above, “justification and sanctification,” are a part of the work of redemption. Probably the word is used here in a wide sense, as denoting the whole “group,” or class of influences by which we are brought at last to heaven; so that the apostle refers not only to his atonement, but to the work by which we are in fact redeemed from death, and made happy in heaven. Thus, in Rom_8:23, the word is applied to the resurrection, “the ‘redemption’ of the body.” The sense is, “it is by Christ that we are redeemed; by him that an atonement is made; by him that we are pardoned; by him that we are delivered from the dominion of sin, and the power of our enemies; and by him that we shall be rescued from the grave, and raised up to everlasting life.” Thus, the whole work depends on him; and no part of it is to be ascribed to the philosophy, the talent, or the wisdom of human beings. He does not merely aid us; he does not complete that which is imperfect; he does not come in to do a part of the work, or to supply our defects; but it is all to be traced to him. Col_2:10, “and ye are complete in him.”

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Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil. [Prov. 8:13.]  Proverbs 3:7

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Barnes on Pro 3:7 –
The great hindrance to all true wisdom is the thought that we have already attained it.

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Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.   I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. Joh 15:4 – 5

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Barnes on Joh 15:4 –
Abide in me – Remain united to me by a living faith. Live a life of dependence on me, and obey my doctrines, imitate my example, and constantly exercise faith in me.

And I in you – That is, if you remain attached to me, I will remain with you, and will teach, guide, and comfort you. This he proceeds to illustrate by a reference to the vine. If the branch should be cut off an instant, it would die and be fruitless. As long as it is in the vine, “from the nature of the case,” the parent stock imparts its juices, and furnishes a constant circulation of sap adapted to the growth and fruitfulness of the branch. So our piety, if we should be separate from Christ, or if we cease to feel our union to him and dependence on him, withers and droops. While we are united to him by a living faith, from the nature of the case, strength flows from him to us, and we receive help as we need. Piety then, manifested in good works, in love, and self-denial, is as natural, as easy, as unconstrained. and as lovely as the vine covered with fruitful branches is at once useful and enticing.

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As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

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Barnes on Psa 103:12 –
As far as the east is from the west – As far as possible; as far as we can imagine. These are the points in our apprehension most distant from each other, and as we can conceive nothing beyond them, so the meaning is, that we cannot imagine our sins could be more effectually removed than they are. The literal meaning of the Hebrew is, “like the distance of the east from the west” or, “like its being far.”

So far hath he removed our transgressions from us – That is, he has put them entirely away. They are so removed that they cannot affect us any more. We are safe from all condemnation for our sins, as if they had not been committed at all. Compare the notes at Isa_43:25; notes at Isa_44:22.

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But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. Hebrews 11-6

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Barnes on Heb 11:6 –
But without faith it is impossible to please him – Without “confidence” in God – in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises. And this is as true in other things as in religion. It is impossible for a child to please his father unless he has confidence in him. It is impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband a wife, unless they have confidence in each other. If there is distrust and jealousy on either part, there is discord and misery. We cannot be pleased with a professed friend unless he has such confidence in us as to believe our declarations and promises. The same thing is true of God. He cannot be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and promises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal empire. The requirement of faith or confidence in God is not arbitrary; it is just what we require of our children, and partners in life, and friends, as the indispensable condition of our being pleased with them.

For he that cometh to God – In any way – as a worshipper. This is alike required in public worship, in the family, and in secret devotion.

Must believe that he is – That God exists. This is the first thing required in worship. Evidently we cannot come to him in an acceptable manner if we doubt his existence. We do not see him, but we must believe that he is; we cannot form in our mind a correct image of God, but this should not prevent a conviction that there is such a Being. But the declaration here implies more than that there should be a general persuasion of the truth that there is a God. It is necessary that we have this belief in lively exercise in the act of drawing near to him, and that we should realize that we are actually in the presence of the all-seeing Jehovah.

And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him – This is equally necessary as the belief that he exists. If we could not believe that God would hear and answer our prayers, there could be no encouragement to call upon him. It is not meant here that the desire of the reward is to be the motive for seeking God – for the apostle makes no affirmation on that point; but that it is impossible to make an acceptable approach to him unless we have this belief.

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For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. [Joel 2:32.]  Rom 10:13 

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Barnes on Rom 10:13 –
For whosoever shall call … – This sentiment is found substantially in Joe_2:32, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” This is expressly applied to the times of the gospel, by Peter, in Act_2:21; see the note on that place. To call on the name of the Lord is the same as to call on the Lord himself. The word “name” is often used in this manner. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, etc.;” Pro_18:10. “The name of the God of Jacob defend thee;” Psa_20:1. That is, God himself is a strong tower, etc. It is clear from what follows, that the apostle applies this to Jesus Christ; and this is one of the numerous instances in which the writers of the New Testament apply to him expressions which in the Old Testament are applicable to God; see 1Co_1:2.
Shall be saved – This is the uniform promise; see Act_2:21; Act_22:16, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” This is proper and indispensable because,
(1)    We have sinned against God, and it is right that we should confess it.
(2)    because he only can pardon us, and it is fit, that if we obtain pardon, we should ask it of God.
(3)    to call upon him is to acknowledge him as our Sovereign, our Father, and our Friend; and it is right that we render him our homage.
It is implied in this, that we call upon him with right feelings; that is, with a humble sense of our sinfulness and our need of pardon, and with a willingness to receive eternal life as it is offered us in the gospel. And if this be done, this passage teaches us that all may be saved who will do it. He will cast none away who come in this manner. The invitation and the assurance extend to all nations and to people of all times.

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And they will no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they will all know Me [recognize, understand, and be acquainted with Me], from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will [seriously] remember their sin no more. [Heb. 8:8-12; 10:16, 17.] Jer 31:34 

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But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble.  And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust and take refuge in Him.  Psalm 37:39-40 

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Barnes on Psa 37:39 –
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord – Or, salvation comes to the righteous from the Lord. While the wicked are cut off, the righteous shall be safe. There are evidently two ideas here:
(1) that there will be salvation to the righteous, while the wicked are cut off;
(2) that this comes from the Lord, and not from themselves.
It is not owing to any power of their own that they are safe, but is solely because they are kept by the Lord.
He is their strength in the time of trouble – See Psa_9:9, note; Psa_18:2, note.

Psa 37:40 –
And the Lord shall help them – He will interpose to defend them when they are in danger and in trouble.
And deliver them – Rescue them from their dangers, and from the power of the wicked.
He shall deliver them from the wicked – From all the attempts of the wicked to destroy them.
And save them – Or, preserve them. He will keep them to everlasting life.
Because they trust in him – They rely on him, and not on themselves. This verse is a summing up of the sentiments of the psalm, and is designed to confirm the main thought which runs through it, to wit, that we should not fret, or complain, or repine at the prosperity of wicked men, Psa_37:1. The reason ultimately assigned for this is, that whatever may be the danger of the righteous from the designs of wicked men, they will in the end be safe. It will go well with them, for the Lord will keep them. The general course of thought in the psalm is, that, whatever prosperity the wicked now have, it is temporary, for they will soon be cut off; and that whatever troubles now come upon the righteous, they too are temporary, and that their “hereafter” – “their futurity” – will be blessedness and peace. There is a moral government: God is the friend of the righteous; along the path of the present life there are proofs that he is so, and beyond the present life he will show himself to be so in their eternal peace.
He is the enemy of the wicked; there are evidences in the present life that he is so, and this will be fully and finally manifested in their destruction in the future world. The argument in the psalm, indeed, is mainly drawn from the “present life,” from what there is to encourage virtue and goodness in the blessings which religion scatters on earth, and by the peaceful termination of the course – as well as from what there is to discourage wickedness and vice, in the fact that the wicked will be cut down and pass away. The argument is, that if this life were all, there are encouragements here to virtue and goodness. In Ps. 73, which in some respects resembles this psalm, the argument which satisfied the mind of the troubled psalmist – troubled at the prosperity of the wicked – is drawn mainly from the future world. Here it is drawn chiefly from the present life; and the main thought here – the practical lesson from the psalm – is, that even with reference to the life that now is – to its security, to its peace, to its blessedness, and to its happy close – it is an advantage to be righteous. It is better to have God for our friend in life, and our support in death, than to have all the external prosperity of wicked men.

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And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

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Barnes on Phi 4:19 –
But my God shall supply all your need – That is, “You have shown your regard for me as a friend of God, by sending to me in my distress, and I have confidence that, in return for all this, God will supply all your needs, when you are in circumstances of necessity.” Paul’s confidence in this seems not to have been founded on any express revelation; but on the general principle that God would regard their offering with favor. Nothing is lost, even in the present life, by doing good. In thousands of instances it is abundantly repaid. The benevolent are not usually poor; and if they are, God often raises up for them benefactions, and sends supplies in a manner as unexpected, and hearing proofs of divine interposition as decided, as when supplies were sent by the ravens to the prophet.

According to his riches in glory – see the notes, Eph_3:16. The word “riches” here means, His abundant fullness; His possessing all things; His inexhaustible ability to supply their needs. The phrase “in glory,” is probably to he connected with the following phrase, “in Christ Jesus;” and means that the method of imparting supplies to people was through Jesus Christ, and was a glorious method; or, that it was done in a glorious manner. It is such an expression as Paul is accustomed to use, when speaking of what God does. He is not satisfied with saying simply that it is so; but connects with it the idea that whatever God does is done in a way worthy of himself, and so as to illustrate his own perfections.

In Christ Jesus – By the medium of Christ; or through him. All the favors that Paul expected for himself, or his fellow-men, he believed would be conferred through the Redeemer. Even the supply of our temporal needs comes to us through the Saviour. Were it not for the atonement, there is no more reason to suppose that blessings would be conferred upon people than that they would be on fallen angels. For them no atonement has been made; and at the hand of justice they have received only wretchedness and woe.

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For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.  2 Corinthians 1:20

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Dream: Back to military but Marines
I received an order to go back to the military and I complied.  When I arrived at the base, it was not the Army but Marines. Got my paperwork processed and found my unit and they were just leaving to the battlefield.  The battlefield was just right behind the hill where the base was.  When I tried to look for my duffel bag, I could not find it.  My unit was already in full gear and battle ready and they moved to the battlefield without me.  Since I just got there, I went asking for people on how to replace the contents of my duffel bag where my extra pair of shoes, extra bdu’s and rain gear were inside.  I could not get an answer and ended up going to the battlefield with just a small backpack and my rifle.  The battle was fierce and intense but I made it back to the base.

Barnes on 2Co 1:20 –
For all the promises of God in him – All the promises which God has made through him. This is another reason why Paul felt himself bound to maintain a character of the strictest veracity. The reason was, that God always evinced that; and that since none of His promises failed, he felt himself sacredly bound to imitate Him, and to adhere to all His. The promises of God which are made through Christ, relate to the pardon of sin to the penitent; the sanctification of his people: support in temptation and trial; guidance in perplexity; peace in death, and eternal glory beyond the grave. All of these are made through a Redeemer, and none of these shall fail.

Are yea – Shall all be certainly fulfilled. There shall be no vacillation on the part of God; no fickleness; no abandoning of his gracious intention.

And in him amen – In Rev_3:14, the Lord Jesus is called the “Amen.” The word means true, faithful, certain. And the expression here means that all the promises which are made to people through a Redeemer shall be certainly fulfilled. They are promises which are confirmed and established, and which shall by no means fail.

Unto the glory of God by us – Either by us ministers and apostles; or by us who are Christians. The latter, I think, is the meaning; and Paul means to say, that the fulfillment of all the promises which God has made to His people shall result in His glory and praise as a God of condescension and veracity. The fact that He has made such promises is an act that tends to His own glory – since it was of His mere grace that they were made; and the fulfillment of these promises in and through the church, shall also tend to produce elevated views of His fidelity and goodness.

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For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].  Psalm91-11

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Psa 91:11 –
For he shall give his angels charge over thee – literally, “He will give ‘command’ to his angels.” That is, he would instruct them, or appoint them for this purpose. This passage Psa_91:11-12 was applied to the Saviour by the tempter. Mat_4:6. See the notes at that passage. This, however, does not prove that it had an original reference to the Messiah, for even if we should suppose that Satan was a correct and reliable expounder of the Scriptures, all that the passage would prove as used by him would be, that the righteous, or those who were the friends of God, might rely confidently on his protection, and that Jesus, if he was of God, might do this as others might. On the sentiment in the passage, to wit, that God employs his angels to protect his people, see the notes at Psa_34:7; compare the notes at Heb_1:14.
To keep thee in all thy ways – To preserve thee wheresoever thou goest.

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So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God;  For he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own. Heb 4:9-10 

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Time Trial
2. Work-10h
3. Research Equipment Efficiency Management

 

Barnes on Heb 4:9 – 10
There remaineth, therefore, a rest – This is the conclusion to which the apostle comes. The meaning is this, that according to the Scriptures there is “now” a promise of rest made to the people of God. It did not pertain merely to those who were called to go to the promised land, nor to those who lived in the time of David, but it is “still” true that the promise of rest pertains to “all” the people of God of every generation. The “reasoning” by which the apostle comes to this conclusion is briefly this:
(1)    That there was a “rest” – called “the rest of God” – spoken of in the earliest period of the world – implying that God meant that it should be enjoyed.
(2)    that the Israelites, to whom the promise was made, failed of obtaining what was promised by their unbelief.
(3)    that God intended that “some” should enter into his rest – since it would not be provided in vain.
(4)    that long after the Israelites had fallen in the wilderness, we find the same reference to a rest which David in his time exhorts those whom he addressed to endeavor to obtain.
(5)    that if all that had been meant by the word “rest,” and by the promise, had been accomplished when Joshua conducted the Israelites to the land of Canaan, we should not have heard another day spoken of when it was possible to forfeit that rest by unbelief.

It followed, therefore, that there was something besides that; something that pertained to all the people of God to which the name rest might still be given, and which they were exhorted still to obtain. The word “rest” in this verse – σαββατισμὸς  sabbatismos – “Sabbatism,” in the margin is rendered “keeping of a Sabbath.” It is a different word from σάββατον  sabbaton – “the Sabbath;” and it occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and is not found in the Septuagint. It properly means “a keeping Sabbath” from σαββατίζω  sabbatizō – “to keep Sabbath.” This word, not used in the New Testament, occurs frequently in the Septuagint; Exo_16:30; Lev_23:32; Lev_26:35; 2Ch_36:21; and in 3 Esdr. 1:58; 2 Macc. 6:6. It differs from the word “Sabbath.” That denotes “the time – the day;” this, “the keeping,” or “observance” of it; “the festival.” It means here “a resting,” or an observance of sacred repose – and refers undoubtedly to heaven, as a place of eternal rest with God.
It cannot mean the rest in the land of Canaan – for the drift of the writer is to prove that that is “not” intended. It cannot mean the “Sabbath,” properly so called – for then the writer would have employed the usual word σάββατον  sabbaton – “Sabbath.” It cannot mean the Christian Sabbath – for the object is not to prove that there is such a day to be observed, and his reasoning about being excluded from it by unbelief and by hardening the heart would be irrelevant. It must mean, therefore, “heaven” – the world of spiritual and eternal rest; and the assertion is, that there “is” such a “resting,” or “keeping of a Sabbath” in heaven for the people of God. Hence, learn:
(1) that heaven is a place of cessation from wearisome toil. It is to be like the “rest” which God had after the work of creation (Heb_4:4, note), and of which that was the type and emblem. There will be “employment” there, but it will be without fatigue; there will be the occupation of the mind, and of whatever powers we may possess, but without weariness. Here we are often worn down and exhausted. The body sinks under continued toil, and fails into the grave. There the slave will rest from his toil; the man here oppressed and broken down by anxious care will cease from his labors. We know but little of heaven; but we know that a large part of what now oppresses and crushes the frame will not exist there. Slavery will be unknown; the anxious care for support will be unknown, and all the exhaustion which proceeds from the love of gain, and from ambition, will be unknown. In the wearisome toils of life, then, let us look forward to the “rest” that remains in heaven, and as the laborer looks to the shades of the evening, or to the Sabbath as a period of rest, so let us look to heaven as the place of eternal repose.
(2) heaven will be like a Sabbath. The best description of it is to say it is “an eternal Sabbath.” Take the Sabbath on earth when best observed, and extend the idea to eternity, and let there be separated all idea of imperfection from its observance, and that would be heaven. The Sabbath is holy; so is heaven. It is a period of worship; so is heaven. It is for praise and for the contemplation of heavenly truth; so is heaven. The Sabbath is appointed that we may lay aside worldly cares and anxieties for a little season here; heaven that we may lay them aside forever.
(3) the Sabbath here should be like heaven. It is designed to be its type and emblem. So far as the circumstances of the case will allow, it should be just like heaven. There should be the same employments; the same joys; the same communion with God. One of the best rules for employing the Sabbath aright is, to think what heaven will be, and then to endeavor to spend it in the same way. One day in seven at least should remind us of what heaven is to be; and that day may be, and should be, the most happy of the seven.
(4) they who do not love the Sabbath on earth, are not prepared for heaven. If it is to them a day of tediousness; if its hours move heavily; if they have no delight in its sacred employments, what would an eternity of such days be? How would they be passed? Nothing can be clearer than that if we have no such happiness in a season of holy rest, and in holy employments here, we are wholly unprepared for heaven. To the Christian it is the subject of the highest joy in anticipation that heaven is to be “one long unbroken” sabbath – an eternity of successive Sabbath hours. But what to a sinner could be a more repulsive and gloomy prospect than such an eternal Sabbath?
(5) if this be so, then what a melancholy view is furnished as to the actual preparation of the great mass of people for heaven! How is the Sabbath now spent? In idleness; in business; in traveling; in hunting and fishing; in light reading and conversation; in sleep; in visiting; in riding, walking, lounging, “ennui;” – in revelry and dissipation; in any and every way “except the right way;” in every way except in holy communion with God. What would the race be if once transported to heaven as they are! What a prospect would it be to this multitude to have to spend “an eternity” which would be but a prolongation of the Sabbath of holiness!
(6) let those who love the Sabbath rejoice in the prospect of eternal rest in heaven. In our labor let us look to that world where wearisome toil is unknown; in our afflictions, let us look to that world where tears never fall; and when our hearts are pained by the violation of the Sabbath all around us, let us look to that blessed world where such violation will cease forever. It is not far distant. A few steps will bring us there. Of any Christian it may be said that perhaps his next Sabbath will be spent in heaven – near the throne of God.

Heb 4:10 –
For he that is entered into rest – That is, the man who is so happy as to reach heaven, will enjoy a rest similar to what God had when he finished the work of creation. It will be:
(1)    a cessation from toil; and,
(2)    it will be a rest similar to that of God – the same kind of enjoyment, the same freedom from care, anxiety, and labor.
How happy then are they who have entered into heaven! Their toils are over. Their labors are done. Never again will they know fatigue. Never more will they feel anxious care. Let us learn then:
(1) not to mourn improperly for those who have left us and gone to heaven. Happy in the rest of God, why should not we rejoice? Why wish them back again in a world of toil!
(2) let us in our toils look forward to the world of rest. Our labors will all be over. The weary man will lay down his burden; the exhausted frame will know fatigue no more. Rest is sweet at night after the toils of day; how much more sweet will it be in heaven after the toils of life! Let us.
(3) labor while is is called today. Soon we shall cease from our work. All that we have to do is to be done soon. We shall soon cease from “our” work as God did from his. What we have to do for the salvation of children, brothers, sisters, friends, and for the world, is to be done soon. From the abodes of bliss we shall not be sent forth to speak to our kindred of the blessedness of that world, or to admonish our friends to escape from the place of despair. The pastor will not come again to warn and invite his people; the parent will not come again to tell his children of the Saviour and of heaven; the neighbor will not come to admonish his neighbor; compare Luk_16:24-29. We shall all have ceased from our work as God did from his; and never again shall we speak to a living friend to invite him to heaven.

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What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] Romans 8:31

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Trial
2. Work-10h
3.

Barnes on Rom 8:31 –
What shall we then say … – What fairly follows from the facts stated? or what conclusion shall we draw in regard to the power of the Christian religion to support us in our trials from the considerations which have been stated? What the influence is he proceeds to state.

If God be for us – Be on outside, or is our friend, as he has shown himself to be by adopting us Rom_8:15, by granting to us his Spirit Rom_8:16-17, Rom_8:26-27, and by his gracious purpose to save us, Rom_8:29-30).

Who can be against us? – Who can injure or destroy us? Sinners may be against us, and so may the great enemy of our souls, but their power to destroy us is taken away. God is more mighty than all our foes; and he can defend and save us; see Psa_118:6. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear what man can do unto me.” The proposition advanced in this verse, Paul proceeds to illustrate by various specifications, which continue to the end of the chapter.

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Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. [Deut. 4:29-30.] Jeremiah 29:13

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive. [But as for those still in Jerusalem] because you have said, The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Time Trial
2. Work-10h
3.

At age 44 Report
Swim-1017.05 Miles
Bike-22487 Miles
Run-1021 Miles
Resting Heart Rate-60bpm
Weight-168lbs
Body Fat%-168.8
BMI-27.4
Cholesterol-120
LDL-62
HDL-45
Risk Ratio-1.38
Triglycerides-65

 

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Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Leg Workout
2. Work-10h
3. Test Mesh Network

Barnes 2Co 5:17 –
Therefore if any man be in Christ – The phrase to “be in Christ,” evidently means to be united to Christ by faith; or to be in him as the branch is in the vine – that is, so united to the vine, or so in it, as to derive all its nourishment and support from it, and to be sustained entirely by it. Joh_15:2, “every branch in me.” Joh_15:4, “abide in me, and I in you.” “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in me.” See also Joh_15:5-7, see the note on Joh_15:2. To be “in Christ” denotes a more tender and close union; and implies that all our support is from him. All our strength is derived from him; and denotes further that we shall partake of his fullness, and share in his felicity and glory, as the branch partakes of the strength and vigor of the parent vine. The word “therefore” (Ὥστε  Hōste) here implies that the reason why Paul infers that anyone is a new creature who is in Christ is that which is stated in the previous verse; to wit, the change of views in regard to the Redeemer to which he there refers, and which was so great as to constitute a change like a new creation. The affirmation here is universal, “if any man be in Christ;” that is, all who become true Christians – undergo such a change in their views and feelings as to make it proper to say of them that they are new creatures. No matter what they have been before, whether moral or immoral; whether infidels or speculative believers; whether amiable, or debased, sensual and polluted yet if they become Christians they all experience such a change as to make it proper to say they are a new creation.

A new creature – Margin, “Let him be.” This is one of the instances in which the margin has given a less correct translation than is in the text. The idea evidently is, not that he ought to be a new creature, but that he is in fact; not that he ought to live as becomes a new creature – which is true enough – but that he will in fact live in that way, and manifest the characteristics of the new creation. The phrase “a new creature” καινὴ κτίσις  kainē ktisis) occurs also in Gal_6:15. The word rendered “creature” (κτίσις  ktisis) means properly in the New Testament, creation. It denotes:
(1)    The act of creating Rom_1:20;
(2)    A created thing, a creature Rom_1:25; and refers:
(a)    To the universe, or creation in general; Mar_10:6; Mar_13:9-11; 1Pe_3:4.
(b)    To man, mankind; Mar_16:15; Col_1:23.
Here it means a new creation in a moral sense, and the phrase new creature is equivalent to the expression in Eph_4:24, “The new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” It means, evidently, that there is a change produced in the renewed heart of man that is equivalent to the act of creation, and that bears a strong resemblance to it – a change, so to speak, as if the man was made over again, and had become new. The mode or manner in which it is done is not described, nor should the words be pressed to the quick, as if the process were the same in both cases – for the words are here evidently figurative. But the phrase implies evidently the following things:
(1)    That there is an exertion of divine power in the conversion of the sinner as really as in the act of creating the world out of nothing, and that this is as indispensable in the one case as in the other.
(2)    that a change is produced so great as to make it proper to say that he is a new man. He has new views, new motives, new principles, new objects and plans of life. He seeks new purposes, and he lives for new ends.
If a drunkard becomes reformed, there is no impropriety in saying that he is a new man. If a man who was licentious becomes pure, there is no impropriety in saying that he is not the same man that he was before. Such expressions are common in all languages, and they are as proper as they are common. There is such a change as to make the language proper. And so in the conversion of a sinner. There is a change so deep, so clear, so entire, and so abiding, that it is proper to say, here is a new creation of God – a work of the divine power as decided and as glorious as when God created all things out of nothing. There is no other moral change that takes place on earth so deep, and radical, and thorough as the change at conversion. And there is no other where there is so much propriety in ascribing it to the mighty power of God.

Old things are passed away – The old views in regard to the Messiah, and in regard to people in general, 2Co_5:16. But Paul also gives this a general form of expression, and says that old things in general have passed away – referring to everything. It was true of all who were converted that old things had passed away. And it may include the following things:
(1) In regard to the Jews – that their former prejudices against Christianity, their natural pride, and spirit of seducing others; their attachment to their rites and ceremonies, and dependence on them for salvation had all passed away. They now renounced that independence, relied on the merits of the Saviour, and embraced all as brethren who were of the family of Christ.
(2) in regard to the Gentiles – their attachment to idols, their love of sin and degradation, their dependence on their own works, had passed away, and they had renounced all these things, and had come to mingle their hopes with those of the converted Jews, and with all who were the friends of the Redeemer.
(3) in regard to all, it is also true that old things pass away. Their former prejudices, opinions, habits, attachments pass away. Their supreme love of self passes away. Their love of sins passes away. Their love of the world passes away. Their supreme attachment to their earthly friends rather than God passes away. Their love of sin, their sensuality, pride, vanity, levity, ambition, passes away. There is a deep and radical change on all these subjects – a change which commences at the new birth; which is carried on by progressive sanctification; and which is consummated at death and in heaven.
Behold, all things are become new – That is, all things in view of the mind. The purposes of life, the feelings of the heart, the principles of action, all become new. The understanding is consecrated to new objects, the body is employed in new service, the heart forms new attachments. Nothing can be more strikingly. descriptive of the facts in conversion than this; nothing more entirely accords with the feelings of the newborn soul. All is new. There are new views of God, and of Jesus Christ; new views of this world and of the world to come; new views of truth and of duty; and everything is seen in a new aspect and with new feelings. Nothing is more common in young converts than such feelings, and nothing is more common than for them to say that all things are new. The Bible seems to be a new book, and though they may have often read it before, yet there is a beauty about it which they never saw before, and which they wonder they have not before perceived. The whole face of nature seems to them to be changed, and they seem to be in a new world. The hills, and vales, and streams; the sun, the stars, the groves, the forests, seem to be new. A new beauty is spread over them all; and they now see them to be the work of God, and his glory is spread over them all, and they can now say:
“My Father made them all.”
The heavens and the earth are filled with new wonders, and all things seem now to speak forth the praise of God. Even the very countenances of friends seem to be new; and there are new feelings toward all people; a new kind of love to kindred and friends; and a love before unfelt for enemies; and a new love for all mankind.

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But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,  Philippians 3:20

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 1Mile Swim
2. Build a home network topology using Visio
3. Test MESH Network

MESH Network Topology-Before and After [pdf] [visio]

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For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and He will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him.  2 Chronicles 30:9

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 30Mile Bike
2.
3. Build/assemble a Uni-Directional antenna for HSMM-Mesh Network
4. Test MESH Network – KC5OZQ-Mobile to KC5OZQ-Base

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For the Lord delights in justice and forsakes not His saints; they are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked [in time] shall be cut off.  Psalm37:28

 MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 2Mile Run/Walk cross training
2. Celebration Church
3. Test MESH Network Setup
4. FMEA Template [Excel Template]

I was planning to ride a 15Mile bike time trial today but then I was short of time before going to church so instead, I went to Cedar Ridge High School to run.  Running is not my event and I humbly accept that it is not in my blood anymore.  I can bike and swim long distance but will not last a steady pace 2-mile run.  While I was in the Army, (1992-1996, age group 25 I think), my best PT time was a 15.40 at 2Miles.  I will work on this event this year but I know the 15.40 is impossible to attain.

I missed my team again, I went to church by myself because Britta was working last night and cc was not feeling well and Brent was just staying up all night.  Well, sometimes those things happen for a reason and I will leave it like that. No further comment.  I used to not like going to church but somehow I began to realize that going there to worship and pray is more interesting that sitting at home on Sunday morning doing nothing.  Something magical happens when you really praise and worship with other people.  You should try one day.  When I am consulted with a difficult personal problem, my first question in mind is – How’s your walk with God?  Then the 2nd question is “How’s your prayer life?” Then the third question is “How’s your praise and worship activities? To my team and the rest of the world – I can’t wait for the time when we are in one place singing and clapping hands together in worship.

Celebration Church had a special guest today, it was the Governor of the State of  Texas {Rick Perry] sitting in the front row seat listening to the same sermon that I listened and took notes.  It is good to know that this man is a “brother in Christ”.  It is not common to see leaders with Christian background anymore.  Most leaders now has a different belief system compared to the founding fathers of the United States. I am well aware that the 2010 election is coming, bottom line – he heard a good message.   

Here’s the key points:
No Ordinary Family Faith – 5 Characteristics [myNotes]
1. No ordinary family faith radically experienced God
2. No ordinary family faith lives radically for God
3. No ordinary family faith has a radical belief
4. No ordinary family faith lives with a radical purpose
5. No ordinary family faith has radical grace

I finished reviewing the book about FMEA, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis.  At work, we are currently experiencing a difficult equipment problem and my 6 Sigma problem solving strategy is not working.  So annoying to witness a very simple problem – yet unable to see a solution.  I will breakdown the problem and put it on the FMEA spreadsheet and see what really is the failure. Here’s the template that I am using.

Today’s word is “Believers are not forsaken”. I sometimes day dream and reflect the old hard times that I’ve been through and I cannot help but notice that when those trials came to me face to face, I was given a way out, a way of escape and a way to victory.  I don’t have difficult problems anymore except that I am a cardiac patient just waiting for strike3 but I know that God will provide me a way out from this situation.  It could be a life extension or it could be the end of it.  The way I looked at it, it is all a win-win situation for me  for I know that our loving God never forsake His people.  To some of you who also struggles with some minor/major personal problems, please establish your faith belief system, build the foundation of your faith and then start walking with the presence of God.  Indeed He promised to His saints – we will never be forsaken.

Regards to all.

Barnes on Psa 37:28 –
For the Lord loveth judgment – That is, God loves that which is right; he loves to do right. The idea is, that such a recompense as is here adverted to – that on the one hand, in rewarding with prosperity a pure and upright life – and that, on the other, in cutting off the wicked – is right and proper in itself; and that as God loves to do right, these consequences respectively may be expected to follow in regard to the righteous and the wicked. Compare Psa_11:7.

And forsaketh not his saints – He manifests his sense of that which is right, by not forsaking His saints.

They are preserved forever – They are ever under his paternal eye, and he will keep them. It will be literally true that they will be preserved “forever,” that they will never be suffered to perish.

But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off – See the notes at Psa_21:10. Compare Psa_37:22.

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May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! Ephesians 1:3

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Climb Workout
2. Work-10h
3. Configure WRT54GL configuration for HSMM-MESH networking
4. Read D300s Manual

Many of you probably are wondering why I am very passionate about my faith and asking questions why I am studying and reading the Bible everyday and sharing it with you. The real answer is I want “spiritual blessings” to continue in my life and If I cut off my connection to God, I would lose my spiritual blessings.  It has been my experience before that when I attach myself spiritually, I feel better, I live better and I am filled with hope.  May you find the same thing also as you journey the maze of life.  Yes, life sometimes is cruel, but when we have faith inside us, those cruel things are just tiny rocks and cannot bother us.  Enjoy your spiritual blessings, it was already give to us and it is free.

Spiritual Blessings 
1. Hope – want or expect something: to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely
2. Peace – tranquillity: a calm and quiet state, free from disturbances or noise
3. Well Being – good health or fortune: a good, healthy, or comfortable state
4. Abundant Life – well-supplied: providing a more than plentiful supply of something

Barnes on Eph 1:3 –
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – This commences a sentence which continues to the close of Eph_1:12. The length of the periods in the writings of Paul, is one cause of the obscurity of his style, and renders an explanation often difficult. The meaning of this phrase is, that God has laid a foundation for gratitude for what he has done. The ground or reason of the praise here referred to, is that which is stated in the following verses. The leading thing on which the apostle dwells is God’s eternal purpose – his everlasting counsel in regard to the salvation of man. Paul breaks out into the exclamation that God is worthy of praise for such a plan, and that his eternal purposes, now manifest to people, give exalted views of the character and glory of God. Most persons suppose the contrary. They feel that the plans of God are dark, and stern, and forbidding, and such as to render his character anything but amiable.
They speak of him, when he is referred to as a sovereign, as if he were tyrannical and unjust, and they never connect the idea of that which is amiable and lovely with the doctrine of eternal purposes. There is no doctrine that is usually so unpopular; none that is so much reproached; none that is so much abused. There is none that people desire so much to disbelieve or avoid; none that they are so unwilling to have preached; and none that they are so reluctant to find in the Scriptures. Even many Christians turn away from it with dread; or if they “tolerate” it, they yet feel that there is something about it that is especially dark and forbidding. Not so felt Paul. He felt that it laid the foundation for eternal praise; that it presented glorious views of God; that it was the ground of confidence and hope; and that it was desirable that Christians should dwell upon it and praise God for it. Let us feel, therefore, as we enter upon the exposition of this chapter, that God is to be praised for all his plans, and that it is “possible” for Christians to have such views of the doctrine of “eternal predestination” as to give them most elevated conceptions of the glory of the divine character. And let us also be “willing” to know the truth. Let us approach word after word, and phrase after phrase, and verse after verse, in this chapter, willing to know all that God teaches; to believe all that he has revealed; and ready to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for all that he has done.”

Who hath blessed us – Who does Paul mean here by “us?” Does he mean all the world? This cannot be, for all the world are not thus blessed with “all” spiritual blessings. Does he mean “nations?” For the same reason this cannot be. Does he mean the Gentiles in contradistinction from the Jews? Why then does he use the word “us,” including himself, who was a Jew? Does he mean to say that they were blessed with external privileges, and that this was the only object of the eternal purposes of God? This cannot be, for he speaks of “spiritual blessings;” he speaks of the persons referred to as having “redemption” and “the forgiveness of sins;” as having “obtained an inheritance,” and as being sealed with the “Holy Spirit of promise.” These appertain not to nations, or to external privileges, or the mere offers of the gospel, but to true Christians; to persons who have been redeemed. The persons referred to by the word “us,” are those who are mentioned in Eph_1:1, as “saints,” –  ἅγίοις  hagiois – “holy;” and “faithful” – πιστοῖς  pistois – “believing,” or “believers.”
This observation is important, because it shows that the plan or decree of God had reference to individuals, and not merely to nations. Many have supposed (see Whitby, Dr. A. Clarke, Bloomfield, and others) that the apostle here refers to the “Gentiles,” and that his object is to show that they were now admitted to the same privileges as the ancient Jews, and that the whole doctrine of predestination here referred to, has relation to that fact. But, I would ask, were there no Jews in the church at Ephesus? See Act_18:20, Act_18:24; Act_19:1-8. The matter of fact seems to have been, that Paul was uncommonly successful there among his own countrymen, and that his chief difficulty there arose, not from the Jews, but from the influence of the heathen; Act_19:24. Besides what evidence is there that the apostle speaks in this chapter especially of the Gentiles, or that he was writing to that portion of the church at Ephesus which was of Gentile origin? And if he was, why did he name himself among them as one on whom this blessing had been bestowed? The fact is, that this is a mere supposition, resorted to without evidence, and in the face of every fair principle of interpretation, to avoid an unpleasant doctrine. Nothing can be clearer than that Paul meant to write to “Christians as such;” to speak of privileges which they enjoyed as special to themselves; and that he had no particular reference to “nations,” and did not design merely to refer to external privileges.

With all spiritual blessings – Pardon, peace, redemption, adoption, the earnest of the Spirit, etc., referred to in the following verses – blessings which “individual Christians” enjoy, and not external privileges conferred on nations.
In heavenly places in Christ – The word “places” is here understood, and is not in the original. It may mean heavenly “places,” or heavenly “things.” The word “places” does not express the best sense. The idea seems to be, that God has blessed us in Christ in regard to heavenly subjects or matters. In Eph_1:20, the word “places” seems to be inserted with more propriety. The same phrase occurs again in Eph_2:6; Eph_3:10; and it is remarkable that it should occur in the same elliptical form four times in this one epistle, and, I believe, in no other part of the writings of Paul. Our translators have in each instance supplied the word “places,” as denoting the rank or station of Christians, of the angels, and of the Saviour, to each of whom it is applied. The phrase probably means, in things pertaining to heaven; suited to prepare us for heaven; and tending toward heaven. It probably refers here to every thing that was heavenly in its nature, or that had relation to heaven, whether gifts or graces. As the apostle is speaking, however, of the mass of Christians on whom these things had been bestowed, I rather suppose that he refers to what are called Christian graces, than to the extraordinary endowments bestowed on the few. The sense is, that in Christ, i. e. through Christ, or by means of him, God had bestowed all spiritual blessings that were suited to prepare for heaven – such as pardon, adoption, the illumination of the Spirit, etc.

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May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! Ephesians 1:3

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Climb Workout
2. Work-10h
3. Configure WRT54GL configuration for HSMM-MESH networking
4. Read D300s Manual

Many of you probably are wondering why I am very passionate about my faith and asking questions why I am studying and reading the Bible everyday and sharing it with you. The real answer is I want “spiritual blessings” to continue in my life and If I cut off my connection to God, I would lose my spiritual blessings.  It has been my experience before that when I attached myself spiritually, I feel better, I live better and I am filled with hope.  May you find the same thing also as you journey the maze of life.  Yes, life sometimes is cruel, but when we have faith inside us, those cruel things are just tiny rocks and cannot bother us.  Enjoy your spiritual blessings, it was already give to us and it is free.

Spiritual Blessings 
1. Hope – want or expect something: to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely
2. Peace – tranquillity: a calm and quiet state, free from disturbances or noise
3. Well Being – good health or fortune: a good, healthy, or comfortable state
4. Abundant Life – well-supplied: providing a more than plentiful supply of something

Barnes on Eph 1:3 –
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – This commences a sentence which continues to the close of Eph_1:12. The length of the periods in the writings of Paul, is one cause of the obscurity of his style, and renders an explanation often difficult. The meaning of this phrase is, that God has laid a foundation for gratitude for what he has done. The ground or reason of the praise here referred to, is that which is stated in the following verses. The leading thing on which the apostle dwells is God’s eternal purpose – his everlasting counsel in regard to the salvation of man. Paul breaks out into the exclamation that God is worthy of praise for such a plan, and that his eternal purposes, now manifest to people, give exalted views of the character and glory of God. Most persons suppose the contrary. They feel that the plans of God are dark, and stern, and forbidding, and such as to render his character anything but amiable.
They speak of him, when he is referred to as a sovereign, as if he were tyrannical and unjust, and they never connect the idea of that which is amiable and lovely with the doctrine of eternal purposes. There is no doctrine that is usually so unpopular; none that is so much reproached; none that is so much abused. There is none that people desire so much to disbelieve or avoid; none that they are so unwilling to have preached; and none that they are so reluctant to find in the Scriptures. Even many Christians turn away from it with dread; or if they “tolerate” it, they yet feel that there is something about it that is especially dark and forbidding. Not so felt Paul. He felt that it laid the foundation for eternal praise; that it presented glorious views of God; that it was the ground of confidence and hope; and that it was desirable that Christians should dwell upon it and praise God for it. Let us feel, therefore, as we enter upon the exposition of this chapter, that God is to be praised for all his plans, and that it is “possible” for Christians to have such views of the doctrine of “eternal predestination” as to give them most elevated conceptions of the glory of the divine character. And let us also be “willing” to know the truth. Let us approach word after word, and phrase after phrase, and verse after verse, in this chapter, willing to know all that God teaches; to believe all that he has revealed; and ready to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for all that he has done.”

Who hath blessed us – Who does Paul mean here by “us?” Does he mean all the world? This cannot be, for all the world are not thus blessed with “all” spiritual blessings. Does he mean “nations?” For the same reason this cannot be. Does he mean the Gentiles in contradistinction from the Jews? Why then does he use the word “us,” including himself, who was a Jew? Does he mean to say that they were blessed with external privileges, and that this was the only object of the eternal purposes of God? This cannot be, for he speaks of “spiritual blessings;” he speaks of the persons referred to as having “redemption” and “the forgiveness of sins;” as having “obtained an inheritance,” and as being sealed with the “Holy Spirit of promise.” These appertain not to nations, or to external privileges, or the mere offers of the gospel, but to true Christians; to persons who have been redeemed. The persons referred to by the word “us,” are those who are mentioned in Eph_1:1, as “saints,” –  ἅγίοις  hagiois – “holy;” and “faithful” – πιστοῖς  pistois – “believing,” or “believers.”
This observation is important, because it shows that the plan or decree of God had reference to individuals, and not merely to nations. Many have supposed (see Whitby, Dr. A. Clarke, Bloomfield, and others) that the apostle here refers to the “Gentiles,” and that his object is to show that they were now admitted to the same privileges as the ancient Jews, and that the whole doctrine of predestination here referred to, has relation to that fact. But, I would ask, were there no Jews in the church at Ephesus? See Act_18:20, Act_18:24; Act_19:1-8. The matter of fact seems to have been, that Paul was uncommonly successful there among his own countrymen, and that his chief difficulty there arose, not from the Jews, but from the influence of the heathen; Act_19:24. Besides what evidence is there that the apostle speaks in this chapter especially of the Gentiles, or that he was writing to that portion of the church at Ephesus which was of Gentile origin? And if he was, why did he name himself among them as one on whom this blessing had been bestowed? The fact is, that this is a mere supposition, resorted to without evidence, and in the face of every fair principle of interpretation, to avoid an unpleasant doctrine. Nothing can be clearer than that Paul meant to write to “Christians as such;” to speak of privileges which they enjoyed as special to themselves; and that he had no particular reference to “nations,” and did not design merely to refer to external privileges.

With all spiritual blessings – Pardon, peace, redemption, adoption, the earnest of the Spirit, etc., referred to in the following verses – blessings which “individual Christians” enjoy, and not external privileges conferred on nations.
In heavenly places in Christ – The word “places” is here understood, and is not in the original. It may mean heavenly “places,” or heavenly “things.” The word “places” does not express the best sense. The idea seems to be, that God has blessed us in Christ in regard to heavenly subjects or matters. In Eph_1:20, the word “places” seems to be inserted with more propriety. The same phrase occurs again in Eph_2:6; Eph_3:10; and it is remarkable that it should occur in the same elliptical form four times in this one epistle, and, I believe, in no other part of the writings of Paul. Our translators have in each instance supplied the word “places,” as denoting the rank or station of Christians, of the angels, and of the Saviour, to each of whom it is applied. The phrase probably means, in things pertaining to heaven; suited to prepare us for heaven; and tending toward heaven. It probably refers here to every thing that was heavenly in its nature, or that had relation to heaven, whether gifts or graces. As the apostle is speaking, however, of the mass of Christians on whom these things had been bestowed, I rather suppose that he refers to what are called Christian graces, than to the extraordinary endowments bestowed on the few. The sense is, that in Christ, i. e. through Christ, or by means of him, God had bestowed all spiritual blessings that were suited to prepare for heaven – such as pardon, adoption, the illumination of the Spirit, etc.

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The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness. [Ps. 145:20.]   Psalm147:11

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile-Climb workout
2. Work-10h
3. Read Nikon D300s Manual
4. Watch D300s Tutorial

A few days ago I was consulted by a close friend regarding her personal problem and in my own judgment and personal thoughts I mentioned the word – “delete the person in your life” .  TRIZ principles #2 – Taking Out .  My ill advice came up because I was just annoyed of the situation – so many times already that this person hurt her and had been forgiven. I asked around a few times using the minds of ordinary people and in a heartbeat, the answer is “delete the person”.  When I woke up today, a revelation came to mind – “don’t do anything because the righteous will stand firm in solid ground and those annoying people in your life will either change or leave”. 

Barnes on Psa 147:11 –
The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him – In those who truly worship him, however humble, poor, and unknown to people they may be; however unostentatious, retired, unnoticed may be their worship. Not in the “pride, pomp, and circumstance of war” is his pleasure; not in the march of armies; not in the valor of the battlefield; not in scenes where “the garments of the warrior are rolled in blood,” but in the closet, when the devout child of God prays; in the family, when the group bend before Him in solemn devotion; in the assembly – quiet, serious, calm – when his friends are gathered together for prayer and praise; in the heart that truly loves, reverences, adores Him.

In those that hope in his mercy – It is a pleasure to him to have the guilty, the feeble, the undeserving hope in Him – trust in Him – seek Him.

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And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His. Isaiah 33:6

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Leg Workout
2. Work-10H
3.

I am currently working on a wireless 2.4Ghz project at home where I wanted to boost the strength of one access point to connect to the network mesh in the Austin region.  In order to do this, I have to switch to a directional antenna type with a reflector instead of an omni-directional [circular coverage].  Indeed, the signal strength increased dramatically but only in one direction.  There are some math and physics involved here – why it is like that and I will let the experts do that through google. It occurs to me that our relationship to God is like an network RF [radio frequency] signal that if we focus it in one direction, our faith becomes stronger.  Use a different antenna and the strength of our faith decreases and in some cases disappear. Lately, I’ve been redirecting my focus not so much of human beings but on my relationship with God.  The more I spend time searching for His signals, the stronger I become internally. 

This strong signal that I have right now is about to be tested again.  I guess, what treasure it be for a good RF signal without an interference test. I am currently facing a very difficult problem that I don’t even have a slight idea on how to tackle it.  It involves people and relationship. Pssst. don’t ask me what it is, you will be informed during the victory.

I will be using the principle of Wisdom and Knowledge for this situation.

 

Barnes on Isa 33:6 –
And wisdom and knowledge shall be – This verse contains evidently an address to Hezekiah, and asserts that his reign would be characterized by the prevalence of piety and knowledge. This chapter abounds in sudden transitions; and it accords with its general character that when Yahweh had been addressed Isa_33:5, there should then be a direct address to Hezekiah.
The stability – This word denotes firmness, steadiness, constancy; and means that in his times knowledge and the fear of the Lord would be settled on a firm foundation. The whole history of the virtuous reign of Hezekiah shows that this was fulfilled (see 2 Kings 18)
And strength of salvation – Or saving strength; that is, mighty or distinguished salvation. Thy times shah be distinguished for great reforms, and for the prevalence of the doctrines of salvation.
The fear of the Lord is his treasure – The principal riches of Hezekiah. His reign shall not be distinguished for wars and conquests, for commercial enterprise, or for external splendor, but for the prevalence of piety, and the fear of the Lord.

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Who gave Himself on our behalf that He might redeem us (purchase our freedom) from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people [to be peculiarly His own, people who are] eager and enthusiastic about [living a life that is good and filled with] beneficial deeds. [Deut. 14:2; Ps. 130:8; Ezek. 37:23.]  Titus 2:14

MIT (Most Important Task)
1. 3Mile Leg Workout
2. Work-10H
3.

Thanks to those who greeted me ‘happy birthday’ yesterday, truly grateful. My actual birthday is on the 9th and not the 1st of September [just fyi]. It has been corrected already.  Thanks to Nelson, Grace, Steffi, Judy, Maruja, Wena.

I completed a lot of small tasks yesterday ie. 2Mile swim at the lake, cleaning the house, ironing the clothes, 6Mile walk and spent 2hours with Britta holding hands, fixing a broken bulb in the pantry, changing the ac air filter, cooked for 3 hours – all in one day. Point here is I told myself that I will do it and I actually did it.  Happens all the time.

Here’s some thoughts for the day …
peculiar – unusual, strange or unconventional
zealous – full of zeal, actively and reservedly enthusiastic

Barnes on Tit 2:14 –
Who gave himself for us – See the notes at Eph_5:2.

That he might redeem us from all iniquity – The word here rendered “redeem” – λυτρόω  lutroō, occurs only here and in Luk_24:21; 1Pe_1:18. The noun, however – λύτρον  lutron, occurs in Mat_20:28; and Mar_10:45; where it is rendered “ransom;” see it explained in the notes at Mat_20:28. It is here said that the object of his giving himself was to save his people from all iniquity; see this explained in the notes at Mat_1:21.

And purify unto himself –
(1) Purify them, or make them holy. This is the first and leading object; see the notes at Heb_9:14
(2) “Unto himself;” that is, they are no longer to be regarded as their own, but as redeemed for his own service, and for the promotion of his glory; –  Notes, 1Co_6:19-20.

A peculiar people – 1Pe_2:9. The word here used (περιούσιος  periousios) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, having abundance; and then one’s own, what is special, or peculiar (Robinson, Lexicon), and here means that they were to be regarded as belonging to the Lord Jesus. It does not mean, as the word would seem to imply – and as is undoubtedly true – that they are to be a unique people in the sense that they are to be unlike others, or to have views and principles unique to themselves; but that they belong to the Saviour in contradistinction from belonging to themselves – “peculiar” or his own in the sense that a man’s property is his own, and does not belong to others. This passage, therefore, should not be used to prove that Christians should be unlike others in their manner of living, but that they belong to Christ as his redeemed people. From that it may indeed be inferred that they should be unlike others, but that is not the direct teaching of the passage.

Zealous of good works – As the result of their redemption; that is, this is one object of their having been redeemed; Notes, Eph_2:10.

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