The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1.

Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Romans 6:6.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.

May the Lord of peace Himself give you His peace at all times and in every situation. 2 Thessalonians 3:16.

This morning in our Friday Zoom Retreat, we listened to a video by John Ortberg talking about being addicted to outrage; and that outrage on social media is engineered by algorithms uniquely designed to draw us in and amplify that rage. At the end of the video Ortberg said something that resonated with me; that we can be grateful that God never speaks snide comments about us or talks about us behind our backs. Have we ever thought about that blessing? He referenced a man named Samuel Johnson, an 18-century English writer who among many other remarkable things promoted kindness. That kindness is one of the purest forms of the love of God. It gave us a lot to think about.

And today it’s hard to know how best to go forward in this blog since we have shared together the Scriptures of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. But one thing kept pulling me gently forward, especially given last week was Holy Week and we know there was a reason for everything that happened. There is a reason Jesus the Son, the Messiah, came. And there are 351 prophecies in the Old Testament that were written thousands and hundreds of years before He came, that He Himself uniquely fulfilled. And unlike human-written algorithms uniquely designed to amplify rage, I want instead to share with you those Scripture verses so specific and uniquely about our coming Messiah, and the Scriptures that show their fulfillment only in Jesus. It began in Genesis in the very garden where Satan deceived Eve causing her to doubt God. 1. Seed of a woman (virgin birth) Genesis 3:15: and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; and the fulfillment: Galatians 4:4-5: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who are under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Matthew 1:18: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Imagine how wonderful it was for Adam and Eve to be able to walk together with God in the garden, to spend time with Him and know the joy of closeness with Him and with one another. There was no enmity at all! And then there was because Satan is the enemy of Creator God. And look at how that enmity has translated down through all the ages of mankind culminating in what we know and live today. How I wish Eve would have talked with God and listened to Him. She didn’t, but we can. There is so much in our world today to be angry and confused about and I want to bring everything that would fill me with anger right to God and tell Him and then listen to His voice leading me to the very paths of righteousness so needed for all of us. And never forget in the midst of the turmoils of our fallen world that there is also so much to give thanks for because God is faithful and all He promises He does. Every prophecy was a promise! Unlike Satan and unlike all of us, Creator God is faithful. And Jesus, the Word made flesh, the beloved and unique Son, was and is faithful to the Father and His Spirit was sent to be our help. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by giving in to useless algorithms of hate and rage. Let us instead trust Creator God for all things, and live into the kindness here we so beautifully find in Him, as He leads us into His paths of righteousness. Living in our world today, we need our Shepherd!