Isaiah
Chapter 51

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

13 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

15 But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.

16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.

21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

When Jesus shared that last Passover with His disciples, He raised a glass of wine and stated, “this is is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Mt. 26:28). He declared this to be a new covenant (Lk. 22:20), which Paul echoed when he wrote that God, through Christ, “made us adequate as servants of a new covenant” (2 Cor. 3:6).

Our covenant with God is in Christ. Through Christ, He promises us salvation. God Himself provided not only the method, but the means, as He did with Abraham when Abraham was set to offer His own son. As Abraham took his son up to sacrifice him, Isaac asked, “where is the lamb,” to which Abraham responded, “God will provide for Himself the lamb” (Gen. 22:7-8). And indeed God did! Not only for Abraham (Gen. 22:13), but for us!!!

God provided for Himself the sacrifice necessary to seal the covenant between Him and us. As He foretold of Christ through Isaiah, “I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people” (Isa, 49:8). Christ was given as a covenant for us, and we have assurance through Him of the salvation God has promised.

Let us celebrate that, just as we now celebrate the new year, we also have been made new through the covenant sealed by Christ’s sacrifice. As Scripture says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Praise God and be ever thankful that He provided for Himself the Lamb which brought us into covenant with Him.

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 3

"I will give thee for a covenant of the people." Isaiah 49:8

Jesus Christ is Himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Consider that word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate upon "perfect man" and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine- out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And all that He has as perfect man is yours. As a perfect man the Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most High. O believer, God's acceptance of Christ is thine acceptance; for knowest thou not that the love which the Father set on a perfect Christ, He sets on thee now? For all that Christ did is thine. That perfect righteousness which Jesus wrought out, when through His stainless life He kept the law and made it honourable, is thine, and is imputed to thee. Christ is in the covenant.

"My God, I am thine- what a comfort divine!
What a blessing to know that the Saviour is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His name."

Keeper of the High Places

He stands upon the mountain stone.
wrapped in turquoise winds and crimson dawn.
A golden halo crowns him.
as if the sun itself chose him to speak.

His gaze carries a thousand winters.
sharp, unyielding, wise.
He is the bridge between heaven and earth.
between the breath we take
and the dreams we chase.

The mountains bow beneath his shadow.
and the sky listens when he calls.
He reminds us that strength
is the gift of clarity—
to see far,
to see true,
to see with the heart
before the eyes.

Isaiah
Chapter 49

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

A Soft Goodbye to the Sea

Tonight, I speak softly.
So waves will not interrupt
What my heart remembers.

You rest beside me.
eyes holding ancient water,
patient as untold years.

I tell you my longing
has no chains for you,
only blessings folded in fear.

When the tide calls your name,
Do not hesitate for me.
Freedom must never wait.

Swim where light deepens,
where no hands can claim you,
where silence teaches strength.

Guard your shell with wisdom.
not every touch is kindness.
Not every shore is safe.

If storms bruise your journey,
turn your face to the moon
She knows your way home.

I will keep my missing
like a quiet lantern,
warm, but not demanding.

Go now, beloved traveler,
Carry my hope in your wake.
Be wild. Be careful. Be free.

Art by Serin Alar
Poem: Piahn

Isaiah
Chapter 47

1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

4 As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

6 I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

Brethren, do you make time for prayer? Do you make it a priority?

Countless times in the New Testament we are exhorted to pray. In the garden, Jesus admonishes His disciples to “keep praying,” warning that, though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak (Mt. 26:41), and even to pray for those who would mistreat them (Lk. 6:28). James explains that the fervent prayer of a righteous man is effective and accomplishes much (Jas. 5:16). The Apostles, at the founding of the Church, devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 6:4). In fact, all those who followed their teaching also devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42).

Paul over and again encourages his readers to “pray at all times” (Eph. 6:18), to not be anxious about anything, but pray (Phil. 4:6-7), and to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17).

With so many passages imploring us to pray, how can we not do so? A relationship cannot exist without communication, thus we must give ourselves to prayer if we wish to have a relationship with our God who saved us. He communicates with us through His word, and He urges us, “devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2) so that we may communicate with Him.

Let us not neglect our communing with the Lord through prayer, but make it a regular practice at the outset of the day, during moments when we are unoccupied, when concerns arise, before we lie down at night, whenever we are able. Disciplining ourselves to have a strong prayer life will lead to a closer walk with Him.

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, January 2

"Continue in prayer." Colossians 4:2

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;" and just as we are about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob- there a Daniel who prayed three times a day- and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, "Continue in prayer."

Isaiah
Chapter 46

1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.

3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:

4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?

6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.

9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

I have gone off Subtract. It was a good ride for a while. Posters want paid subscribers. True, they post some good stuff, but too much, too long. Like I have a life and don’t want to spend half my day reading something condensable. Also a lot of Jew hatred with the most ridiculous accusations!! Where do these people get such outlandish ideas! I have tried to challenge some of those braised generalizations with the wisdom, of “agreeing with the devil” when he accuses you, lol, saying we are a very diverse people just like everybody else - good guys and bad guys don’t lump us all together to be a completely evil people. We know that not all of us measure up to righteous standards. Even King David had his haters.
It fell on deaf ears. Their verbally sending me to hell just made me block them. lol. So much anti-Semitism has surfaced, I am shocked. It pops up unavoidable and this old lady doesn’t want to deal with it. It makes me too sad. The level of hatred is scary and makes me feel paranoid.

I am basically a good natured person who wishes harm to no one! So I don’t want to get drawn into their insanity.
How does that saying go? “When you argue with stupid you get degraded to that level and become stupid yourself!” I feel sorry for those folks who choose
to believe stuff that makes them so
angry and so fearful, and so miserable about the world. If I had that kinda hatred in my heart I would not want to get out of bed in the morning. For crying out loud!!! I am sure they are a minority, but it seems like insanity is having a field day!

I have a good life I am very thankful for. And a
sense of being loved by our Beloved Creator G-d and Lord. There are things going on in the world, corruption, harm to others that makes me angry . But I can’t base my outlook on just the bad things. There are good people in the world and there are people on the side of honestly, integrity and lawfulness. There are good fighters on the job. A lot of people are waking up and posting about how unhealthy a lot of our food is and vaccines are not necessary. That part I will miss. There are some good reports on the MAHA movement on FOX. That will just have to be enough for now.

Isaiah
Chapter 44

1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.

5 One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.

8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.

14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.

16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:

17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.

22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Wolf Brother

In the fire-lit silence,
the man and the wolf stand as one—
two heartbeats,
one spirit.

No words pass between them.
Yet a lifetime of understanding
moves in the space
where their foreheads almost touch.

The wolf carries the strength of the wild.
the memory of ancient forests,
the courage of those
who walk without fear.

The man carries the wisdom of his ancestors,
the stories woven through blood and breath,
the quiet power
of one who listens to the Earth.

In that moment,
The fire softens.
The world grows still.
And the bond between them
becomes a prayer—
a promise that man and nature
were never meant to stand apart.

For the wolf is not just a companion,
but a mirror of the spirit—
showing us the part of ourselves
That is brave,
loyal,
and unbroken.

And as the flames rise around them,
Their shadows merge.
reminding us:

Some connections
are older than words,
and stronger than time.

Responding to a post on Substack a blogging Christian posted about the killing of Christians in Nigeria asking fellow Christians, “Where is the outrage? My response: Where is the outrage you ask?
Safe and warm, sheltered, far away complacency happens.
With a new administration at the helm, the atmosphere in the US has become more conducive to caring about others. Unfortunately it also pricks bleeding hearts who have a fit about lawbreakers having to face consequences. Victim mentality out of balance.

We Jews have a different philosophical take on it, having been a hated and persecuted people for centuries.
The N.T. says Christians through Faith are now grafted into that branch which is Israel. So we say, “Welcome to the club.” We have warned you, you are next.
No self pity allowed, because of the Biblical truth sometimes G-d uses evil people as His Sword. G-d rains, or reigns, on the just and unjust alike. Even being innocent and on the side of the innocents we get caught in the cross Fire of His chastisements. That’s just the way the world is without the Messiah reigning as the King - reigning in person over the world.
So we say often: G-d was King, G-d is King, G-d will be King. We need Mosheich NOW! Even knowing when the Messiah arrives in person the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d - the Lord our G-d Who is One, we get conflicted to do whatever we can personally to heal and change the world. Are we very good at that? - No. We have among us those who get involved in the wrong causes, support the wrong people. Yet we have a Faith that G-d will avenge the bloodshed of ALL His servants, so we pray, trust and wait, but NOT with an expectation we will somehow be protected. Does that mean we don’t care? Of course we do! We are called to do whatever is necessary to not stand complacently by the shed blood of our neighbors. We believe despite the unchecked lawlessness we see in the world G-d is at work and whatever good we can do, good deeds, - loving our fellow human beings as we love ourselves is the work of the “spirit of Elijah” to prepare a path for the Messiah to arrive. Everything we do is to be done for the sake of Heaven. In that process of saying no or our own selfishness, can mean really being murdered. G-d’s enemy does his best to keep us distracted by fighting amongst ourselves, keeping the big picture from being seen. That’s the root cause of not being outraged.

Jesus spoke on multiple occasions of providing water to those who thirst. He did so with the woman at the well, and later, on the last day of the Feast of Booths, a day of holy convocation for the Jews.

He called out, “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn. 7:37). However, He was not offering a cup of liquid lifted by bucket from a hole in the ground. His teaching was of providing the Holy Spirit to those who believe. As He continued, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (Jn. 7:38).

Dear believer, His Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor. 3:16). You need not thirst, because rivers of living water flow from within you. Drink deep of His Spirit and be filled. Likewise, spread His gospel that others may also enjoy the living water.

A new year is upon us; it is a time of renewing. Drink and thirst no more, and give drink to others. Be refreshed yourself by His Spirit within you, and bring renewal to others by preaching the kingdom.

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, December 31

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." John 7:37

Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast He pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year He pleads with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our provocations, rebellions, and resistance of His Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!

Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus cried,which implies not only the loudness of His voice, but the tenderness of His tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. "We pray you," says the Apostle, "as though God did beseech you by us." What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep must be the love which makes the Lord weep over sinners, and like a mother woo His children to His bosom! Surely at the call of such a cry our willing hearts will come.

Provision is made most plenteously"; all is provided that man can need to quench his soul's thirst. To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it.

Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of avarice, ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The thirst may be bad in itself, and be no sign of grace, but rather a mark of inordinate sin longing to be gratified with deeper draughts of lust; but it is not goodness in the creature which brings him the invitation, the Lord Jesus sends it freely, and without respect of persons.

Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and drink, ere the sun sets upon the year's last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer's loving voice as He cries to each of us,

"IF ANY MAN THIRST,
LET HIM
COME UNTO ME
AND DRINK."

THE AURORA WOLF

He stands beneath the northern lights.
a silhouette carved from starlit breath.
Gold patterns glow upon his fur—
echoes of those who walked
before the world learned language.

He lifts his face to the sky.
not to howl,
but to listen—
for the song that lives
between silence and spirit.

Around him, the mountains bow.
The night becomes a river of blue fire.
and the moon lays its blessing
on his steady heart.

In his stillness,
you hear it—
the ancient truth
that every soul
belongs to the sky.

While this is a good step forward, believers must keep praying that God moves in the hearts of lawmakers all over the world to end this brutal practice.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/12/puerto-rico-enacts-groundbreaking-law-recognizing-unborn-babies/

The Turtle and the Butterflies

The turtle moves with the patience of stones.
Each step a memory pressed into the earth.
Morning light settles on her shell like a blessing.
while the world rushes past without waiting.

Butterflies gather where she rests.
Colors trembling in the air like soft questions.
They speak in wings and silence.
asking how one carries time without breaking.

She listens with eyes older than rivers.
answering not with words but with breath.
She tells them that slowness is a kind of love.
that every journey arrives when it is ready.

When the butterflies rise and drift away,
They leave warmth upon her ancient back.
The turtle continues on, carrying their colors within,
a quiet heart walking beneath an endless sky.

Art by Serin Alar

🖊Poem: Piahn

Christian, is Christ living through you? Can you say with Paul, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20)?

It seems so easy to receive Christ, yet allowing Christ to live through us means difficulty. We will face tribulation; so said Christ (Jn. 16:33). Such trials should not drag us down, but build us up. If we are joyful in them, remembering that such trials bring growth (Jas. 1:2-4).

This is what it means to live our lives by faith in the Son of God (Gal. 2:20). Our circumstances do not rule us; we see beyond them. Our circumstances do not rob us of joy; our joy overcomes them. Our circumstances to not determine our responses; we look in faith to the One who bought us, and we allow Him to work through us regardless of the situation.

If we are to live by faith, our perspective must be an eternal one. Our focus must not be on the here and now, but on our destination. Thus we forget what is past and press on toward the goal (Phil. 3:13). We set our sights on our heavenly home, and we store up our treasures there.

This is how the giants of the faith listed in Hebrews 11 live their lives, recognizing that they were sojourners here, that this is not our permanent home. And so this is how we should live this life in the flesh, by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself up for us (Gal. 2:20).

——————
Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotions

Morning, December 28

"The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God." Galatians 2:20

When the Lord in mercy passed by and saw us in our blood, He first of all said, "Live"; and this He did first, because life is one of the absolutely essential things in spiritual matters, and until it be bestowed we are incapable of partaking in the things of the kingdom. Now the life which grace confers upon the saints at the moment of their quickening is none other than the life of Christ, which, like the sap from the stem, runs into us, the branches, and establishes a living connection between our souls and Jesus. Faith is the grace which perceives this union, having proceeded from it as its firstfruit. It is the neck which joins the body of the Church to its all-glorious Head.

Oh Faith! thou bond of union with the Lord,
Is not this office thine? and thy fit name,
In the economy of gospel types,
And symbols apposite- the Church's neck;
Identifying her in will and work
With Him ascended?

Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. She knows His excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce her to repose her trust elsewhere; and Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace, that He never ceases to strengthen and sustain her by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of His eternal arms. Here, then, is established a living, sensible, and delightful union which casts forth streams of love, confidence, sympathy, complacency, and joy, whereof both the bride and bridegroom love to drink. When the soul can evidently perceive this oneness between itself and Christ, the pulse may be felt as beating for both, and the one blood as flowing through the veins of each. Then is the heart as near heaven as it can be on earth, and is prepared for the enjoyment of the most sublime and spiritual kind of fellowship.

Steven M. Lipscomb, a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient wounded in Iraq during the 2004 Battle of Fallujah, embodied selfless heroism until his final moments. On November 8, 2025, while serving as section foreman at the Rolling Thunder Mine in Nicholas County, West Virginia, a sudden inrush of water flooded the underground shaft after breaching an adjacent abandoned mine. Lipscomb stayed behind to ensure his crew of 17 miners safely evacuated, sacrificing his own escape; he was the only one who did not make it out. After a six-day intensive rescue effort involving nonstop pumping and search teams, his body was recovered on November 13. Hailed as a hero by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance (a fellow Marine), Lipscomb left behind his wife Heather and two teenage daughters, remembered for putting others first in both military service and civilian life.

Keeper of the Hidden Fire

From the night’s woven garden
The Raccoon listens—
a small heart carrying a vast sky.
Stars cling to his fur like stories
that refused to fade.

He wears the old mask.
not to deceive,
but to remember who we are
when names fall away.
Between leaf and shadow
He learns the language of crossings.

His paws glow with patient symbols.
marks of making-do,
of finding medicine in what was broken.
Color hums around him—
every petal a witness,
Every spark a vow.

Raccoon laughs softly at fear.
turns locks with kindness,
opens doors that shame once guarded.
He teaches the sacred art of survival:
bend, adapt, become.

When the cosmos leans close,
He gathers fragments—
lost songs, misplaced courage—
and tucks them back into the body
where they belong.

If he stands before you,
Do not rush.
Breathe.
He is asking whether you will trust
the wild intelligence within,
the hidden fire that knows
How to make a life from night.

Isaiah
Chapter 35

1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.