Thought for Today: Friday September 23:
May you suddenly grow in your capacity to understand YHVH’s Love. May the reality of His Feelings towards you put your heart at ease and fill your soul with gladness. May the rush and worry culture have no impact on you. May Adonai Himself set your pace and establish you in your purpose. His yoke is precious, beautiful, divine and doable. Shalom to you!
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Master. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the brethren and seek to show hospitality. Rom 12:9-13
Matthew 8:28 says there were two Gadarene demoniacs, but Mark and Luke say only one. One doesn't preclude two, of course, so there's no contradiction, but I suspect that Matthew emphasized the presence of two men in order to make an additional point about the divided house of Israel. While the others just say one, because the number wasn't relevant to their point.
O YHWH, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Isaiah 63:17
God hardens the hearts of his people so that they would believe a lie. If you don't believe that, just look around you! Turn on the evening news for a few minutes. It's all lies, and so many people believe it. This is for his own purposes and for the ultimate good of his Kingdom. Our job is to have faith, to be faithful, and to do the best we can with what we are given.