There
was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After
dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus.
"Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has
sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with
you."
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are
born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."
"What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How
can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"
Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the
Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce
only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be
surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it
wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the
Spirit." John 3:1-8
Calmness is identified by the synonyms of
tranquil, peaceful, quiet, still, cool, composed, unruffled, serene, relaxed,
peace, soothe, and appease. That is how I picture Jesus most of the time. He definitely experienced the emotion of calmness. Calm,
cool and collected. A patient teacher with a serene disposition. There was that
time that He was angry with the people making money from Temple sacrifices—but
otherwise He calmed the sea, quietly cast out demons, and just wanted to stay
obscure. He often told those He healed…“don’t
tell.” He didn’t want notoriety—just wanted to heal people, give glory to
His Father, and awaken people like Nicodemus to spiritual life. We may be human
beings…but we are spiritual beings, too. God was talking about a spiritual
dimension that He did not give to animals when He said… "Let us make human beings
in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the
birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the
small animals that scurry along the ground." Genesis 1:26.
Is the calmness, the peace that passes all
understanding…due to a spiritual peace that we obtain by knowing God? I’d like
to think that is where my own personal calmness originates. God is good. He
gives good gifts…including calmness to those He loves…to those who seek Him.
Seek God. Seek peace and calmness in your life. God is good…life is sweet.
Prayer
~ Jesus, You have told us…Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. We just
need to tell You what we need, and give You thanks for all that You have done.
Then we will experience Your peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Your
peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in You. Philippians 4:6-7.
Thank You for that promise. Bring on the peace…the true calmness.
Daily
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 10-13
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
The mint in my flowerbed is just blooming
like crazy—and the bees are so enjoying gathering pollen from the blossoms.
Time to harvest some and make some peppermint jelly. Looking forward to sharing
some with family and friends…and having some on waffles, pancakes or cornbread soon.
Peppermint Jelly
2 cups tightly
packed fresh mint leaves with stems
4-1/2 cups water
2 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
5 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer.
Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with hot water. Pour
boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until
ready to use. Drain the jars well before filling.
Wash mint leaves and stems. Finely chop or crush mint. Place
in large saucepan; add water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Remove from
heat; cover and let stand 10 min. Place three layers of damp cheesecloth or
jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared infusion into cheesecloth. Tie
cheesecloth closed, hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press
gently. Measure exactly 4 cups strained infusion into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If
necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.) Stir in food coloring,
if desired.
Stir pectin into infusion in saucepan. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't
stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return
to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from
heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4
inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands
tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water
must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover;
bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on
towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of
lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration
is necessary.)
If it doesn’t set up, then enjoy it as mint syrup. I did that
with a batch last year.
From Kraft
website and Sure Jell pectin box
instructions.
©
2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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