The Meaning behind the "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Good Evening to All!

Several years ago,  my sister sent me an e-mail that I thought was very interesting. I don't know how many if any of you have ever seen this or already knew it, but I thought it was interesting enough to pass along, just in case. A bit of trivia if you will, or some of that useless information that we often collect in our memories to bring back up at such a time as needed to preoccupy our minds, or maybe it might be asked on a "game show" or contest that you enter. Anyway, here goes:

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out

of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning:
The surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.


The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.







-
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.










The five golden rings are called the The five golden Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for
 the six days of creation.








Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.







The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.









Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.






The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.








The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.








The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.






                                                                                                                       
So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone

I have often wondered about that song, but of course it was a fleeting thought (as most of mine are), so I would always forget to look it up.

Now you know if anyone happens to ask you.

 Good Night and May God Bless!

Bible Drill--"THE NEW TESTAMENT"

Good Evening to All!

IT'S ME AGAIN, LORD!  Yes, I'm back.  Back with more scriptures, more Trivia, more Quizzes, and even some Bible Drill questions.  I hope you enjoy them.

I will start of with some easy ones since it has been a while since I posted.  Be sure and let me know how you do, and how you like them.


1.  What man called himself a voice?  (Mark 1:2-3)

2.  Who was the first Christian martyr?  (Acts 7:59-60)

3.  What person did the Lord say chose the "good part"?  (Luke 10:42)

4.  Whom did Jesus say he would make "fishers of men"?  (Matthew 4:19)

5.  Whom did Jesus call a fox?  (Luke 13:32)

6.  What great catastrophe split the rocks?  (Matthew 27:51)

7.  Who took the place of Judas among the apostles?  (Acts 1:26)

8.  What magician was struck blind for opposing one of God's preachers?  (Acts 13:8-11)

9.  In what city of Europe was the gospel first preached by Paul?  (Acts 16:12)

10.  What words of Jesus did Paul quote that are not found in the gospels?  (Acts 20:35)

Answers will follow tomorrow.  

I hope you did well, and maybe learned or recalled some of the answers and scriptures.

Have a wonderful evening and MAY GOD BLESS!

"SAFETY OF ABIDING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD"

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Good Evening to All!

The Book of Psalms is one of, if not the Most liked books of the Bible.

Psalm 91 is a passage that has been quoted many, many times.

(9) Because you have made the LORD who is my refuge, Even the Most High your
dwelling place,
(10) No Evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
(11) For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways,
(12) In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
(13) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

(14) "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
(15) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
(16) With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.
(Psalm 91:9-16 NKJV)

This is a passage that I like to refer to when I am wanting to encourage people. We tend to make our problems SO BIG, and forget how big God is. If we will stop focusing on our problems until the seem to big to handle and go to God with them, we would see that they aren't near as bad as we seem to have originally thought. My Pastor used a great example one day while teaching on this. He pointed to a point on the wall, and ask if we could see it. Naturally, we said no, because it was just a small pencil mark. then he had some people come up to the wall and asked them again. Of course then they could see the point on the wall. What he was trying to get at is that by completely focusing on the problem and worrying about it, we allow it to get bigger and bigger until it consumes us. If we would STOP and think about God and How BIG HE is, and that there is NOTHING that He cannot handle, our problems would seem a lot smaller.

I challenge you. Copy this Passage down or print this out and put it somewhere you can see it all of the time. When you start worrying about your problems, or even just getting depressed Say a little prayer and ask God to take over this problem. Remind Him that He says in His Word that the battles we face are NOT our battles they are His because He said He would fight them for us, then READ THIS PASSAGE. I guarantee God will hear your prayer and this passage will help you and lift your spirit. As long as we have a power like this to hold us up, how can we be afraid? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 NKJV

Good Night to All and May God Bless!

"MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS"

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Good Evening To All!

As I have mentioned before, I belong to a wonderful website and group of people called "Faithful Bloggers". Courtney who is the owner of the site posts blogging ideas or topics once a week for us to choose to write about if we so choose. I haven't done it for a good while, but tonight, one of the previous topics caught my eye.

For Faithful Blogging Prompt #15: She asked, " When you are feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or down what Bible verses do you refer to?"

I have several which I run through my head such as "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13), the 23rd Psalm, and God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) to name a few. I really feel that the one that encompasses everything is : But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19).

To me, this last one just says it all. He will supply all our needs from strength in times of trouble to financial, to healing. It doesn't stop there. He is there for us when we fail in relationships, when we fail at life in general. He holds us up and gives us strength to overcome addictions whether they be pornography, drugs, alcohol, tobacco or any other from which we need to be delivered. The key factor or requirement here is, WE HAVE TO ASK HIM FOR HELP. He will not intrude on our free will.

I have seen miracles happen when He intervenes. I consider myself a walking miracle for what He brought me out of. Without going into a detailed testimony, just a few of the things He delivered me from were alcohol and tobacco. In my younger days, I drank so heavy that I sat down in the middle of a four lane highway and wouldn't move. My ex had to literally pick me up and carry me to the other side of the road. Now that is a BAD DRUNK. God delivered me out of that life and addiction. After leaving that husband, (who was an alcoholic himself), God brought men into my life that didn't drink.

He also delivered me from tobacco over 6 years ago. I had tried to quit many, many times but was unsuccessful. I really believe that God was waiting for a time when I would KNOW that it was HIM who delivered me and not by my own might.

I was a 2 to 2 1/2 pack a day smoker, and one day when they told my husband he was going to have to get on oxygen at night, I laid my cigarettes down and didn't pick them back up again. I knew then it was by His power and not my own. He supplied my need for strength and will power to quit. As far as the alcohol, I know it was Him also, because I was rapidly turning into an alcoholic. I would drink in the morning afternoon, or night with or without company. I even continued to drink when I left my first husband, but one day I just decided I didn't like it anymore, and never drank again. Of course, I must say having a husband that doesn't drink helps as well.

I met my husband before I developed a serious relationship with God, but I still believe that God saw what I was to become on down the road since He is able to see from the end to the beginning, and placed my present husband in my path. He probably knew if He brought me someone who was living a Christian life before I was ready that I would not choose to marry him.

Please let me clarify. My husband is a good man. He definitely believes in God but he is not shall we say "religious. I don't really know how to describe Him without sounding judgmental, and that is the last thing I want to be. Let's just say, he doesn't read the Bible, (he did a long time ago, but has sense become cynical), he won't go to church (for the same reason), and he definitely doesn't speak out about his views of Christianity, except to say there is good in EVERY religion. he loves to get into debates with me about my faith and all that does is tend to get me agitated because he is one of those people who if you don't agree with him, You are wrong.

Anyway, getting back on subject, when I am depressed or feeling overwhelmed, including "debates with my hubby", I close my eyes and concentrate on the verses I quoted above. God is my EVERYTHING. He is my being. it is His breath within me and I know as long as I have His Holy Spirit within me I have nothing to fear, for He is with me. He fights my battles (if I will step back and allow Him to do so). He calms me.

This is why these verses are so important to me, ESPECIALLY Philippians 4:19. It also helps to remind me that the things in this world are short term. They are not going to matter when all is said and done. Therefore, if I don't get the job I want, the new car to drive, a nice home to live in, if my husband decides he can find someone he loves more than me, I remember this verse and know that God has something better in store for me in the future.

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Good Night To All and May God Bless!

"RECEIVE WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU"

Good Evening to All!

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24)

Often, when we are convicted of sin, we become very mood and grouchy because is dealing with us. Conviction is not an easy pill to swallow if you do not have the right mindset. If you are like I used to be, I would take offense to everything everyone said, whether they said it in a mean way or not. I felt condemned. Of course, back then I didn't know the difference between condemnation and conviction. Now, I look forward to being "convicted by the Lord", because that means He still finds me worth working on and molding into the kind of person He wants in heaven with Him. When I'm feeling convicted, I now feel like it's a good thing, because I WANT to be ready when He comes, and that won't happen without His help.

Conviction is the Holy Spirit's process in dealing with one's own conscience, alerting and sensitizing us to God's Word and demands. The idea of conviction is a major theme of Scripture, though the word is rarely used (Psalm 32:51; Acts 2:37; Romans 7:7-25). The "agent or deliverer of conviction is the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). His means of convicting is either through the Word of God (Acts 2:37) or by God's general revelations of His demands through nature and man's moral consciousness which he was "born" with of right and wrong (Romans1:18-20; 2:15).

The purpose of conviction is to lead a person to repent of his sins (Acts 2:37-38; Romans 2:14) and to turn to God for salvation and eternal life. Even beyond one's new birth, (baptism of water and of Spirit) the Spirit of God still will deal with or convict us as our senses and sensibilities are refined through the Holy Spirit's sanctifying process in our lives.

I do want to say something in reference to the picture on the right. I have often heard the phrase "let your conscience be your guide". The problem with that is if you let the wrong thoughts into your conscience and let something other than the Holy Ghost guide your conscience, then that is not the right advice to go by. ALWAYS allow the Holy Spirit guide you or if you do not have the Holy Spirit, then do what God put in your conscience to begin with . Do the "RIGHT " thing.

As I have said many times, Salvation is a life long journey. Yes, we take steps toward it by Repenting, being baptized in Jesus' name and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost according to God's Plan of Salvation in Acts 2:38, but the full story doesn't stop there. We must then start Living for God. For this we definitely need the Holy Spirit's guidance and in put. It is not hard to live for God, especially with the Holy Ghost within us, but we will ALWAYS need guidance. I don't care if we've only been a Christian for one day, or 80 years. we will always need the Holy Ghost's help to show us what God wants. It is the Holy Ghost that points a scripture out to you when you are reading and brings a deeper meaning to it for whatever we are going through that day. It is the Holy Ghost within us that keeps us or nudges us to keep our mouths quiet when we would love to tell someone off because they wronged us. It is the Holy Ghost that reminds us that gossip is not cool. Would we want people talking about us behind our backs? This Holy Spirit has kept me from digging a hole with my words that I could not have gotten out of, many times.

So, THREE CHEERS FOR CONVICTION AND THE HOLY GHOST!

Good Night to All and May God Bless!