I would like to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. For those of you who are traveling, I pray for your safety on the roads, on the rails, in the air, or over the waters. Eat well (meaning, a lot) and be blessed!

Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.”

Depending on your translation, you may read something slightly different. The place of discrepancy is in the end of the scripture. Some alternate translations are:

• “…to give you an expected end.” (KJV)
• “…to give you hope in your latter end.” (ASV and ERV)
• “…to give you hope at the end.” (BBE)

A literal translation renders the verse as, “For I have known the thoughts that I am thinking towards you — an affirmation of Yahweh; thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give to you posterity and hope.”

So, as you can see, the meaning of this scripture slightly varies depending on the translation used. However, there is a slight sense of similarity in all of them. That is that something is expected or hoped for, and it involves a period of time relating to the future.

In this discrepancy, there are two Hebrew words: tiqvah (tik-vaw’) and ‘achariyth (akh-ar-eeth’).

The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance gives a definition for tiqvah as: literally, a cord (as an attachment); figuratively, expectancy — expectation (-ted), hope, live, thing that I long for.

And for ‘achariyth: the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity — (last, latter) end (time), hinder (utter) -most, length, posterity, remnant, residue, reward.

Given those definitions, we can see that despite the differences in translations, they are correct in some respect.

Overall, this scripture is a lesson on faith, since faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Immediately, this scripture ensures the reader that the LORD has an absolute certainty of how He thinks towards His people. Of course, those thoughts are of peace and not of evil.

Despite how circumstances may appear in the present, know that the LORD is sure in His thoughts for you. Times may be hard now, and you may see affliction; but God has peace, not evil, in store for you. For it’s written in Ecclesiastes, “For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow? For who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” Then, it’s later written in Ecclesiastes, “For he doesn’t know that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?” God can see the outcome, and He knows your future. His plan is at work in you. This scripture in Jeremiah should confirm that.

Have faith in God’s word. His word is an affirmation that we should have an expectation, or hope, in the outcome (the end, the future, the posterity, or the reward) of our daily Christian walk.

Now, as a side note, I want to take a moment to elaborate on the literal translation of Jeremiah 29:11, specifically the end of the scripture. It says, “…to give to you posterity and hope.” Noah Webster has defined the word posterity as: 1) Descendants; children, children’s children, indefinitely; the race that proceeds from a progenitor; 2) In a general sense, succeeding generations; opposed to ancestors. For example, Adam was the progenitor of the human race; therefore, the whole human race are the posterity of Adam.

The reason I bring this up is that the LORD has said in the Psalter that your posterity is a reward. In other words, “…children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man: so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them…”

References and related scriptures: Psalm 127:3-5; Ecclesiastes 6:12, 8:7; Hebrews 11:1; Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language; Young’s Literal Translation (Jeremiah 29:11).

Psalm 56:8 - “You number my wanderings: put my tears in into your bottle: are they not in your book?”

This passage in the Psalter gives us some insight to God’s compassion.

Did you know that God sees and collects every tear that your eye pours out to Him? Each and every tear of sin and affliction is collected in God’s bottle.

In the 126th Psalm, we find that verse 5 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Then, verse 6 follows up with an equally encouraging word. It says, “He who goes forth and weeps, carrying precious seed, shall certainly return with rejoicing…” If you notice, the scripture goes so far as to say that your tears are precious seed. Any of this seed that is sown will always reap joy. Matthew Henry expounds on this matter by saying:

Suffering saints are often in tears; they share the calamities of human life, and commonly have a greater share than others. But they sow in tears; they do the duty of an afflicted state. Weeping must not hinder sowing; we must get good from times of affliction. And they that sow, in the tears of godly sorrow, to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting; and that will be a joyful harvest indeed. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be for ever comforted. When we mourn for our sins, or suffer for Christ’s sake, we are sowing in tears, to reap in joy. And remember that God is not mocked; for whatever a man soweth that shall he reap…

Even though the times of affliction seem difficult at the moment, know that in God, you will obtain gladness and joy. For the prophet Isaiah said, “…the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.” That is a fantastic testimony to God’s unfailing grace and mercy.

So, the next time you mourn in sin and affliction, let this scripture (Psalm 56:8) remind you of God’s perpetual comfort. Because in the end, your loving Savior, Jesus Christ, will lead you to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away all tears from your eyes.

Amen.

References and related scriptures: 2 Kings 20:5; Job 16:20; Psalm 39:12, 126:5-6; Isaiah 25:8, 51:11; Revelation 7:17; Matthew Henry’s Concice Commentary (Psalm 126:4-6).

It’s one major thing that sets the iPhone apart from the iPod Touch: the ability to make phone calls. However, with the help of a fantastic application, phone calls can be made from the iPod Touch. Best of all, this application is free (but the phone calls may not be free).

This application of which I speak is called, Fring. Visit the Fring website to learn all about what Fring is and what it does. You will also find a link to download the app through the iTunes App Store. You may also search for “Fring” in iTunes, and you will find the app.

Before you begin, you will need to fulfill some prerequisites.

1. You need an iPod Touch (or iPhone) with the 2.0 Software Update
2. You need an account with a compatible VOIP service, such as Gizmo or Skype. (Account setup is free, but callout services carry a minimal fee. Prices vary.)
3. You will need the iPhone Stereo Headset with a microphone ($29).
4. Of course, you will need Fring installed on your iPod Touch (free download).
5. Finally, you must be connected to a wi-fi access point with Internet access to be able to use the VOIP services.

Connect the Apple Stereo Headset to your iPod Touch. Then, launch Fring.

When you launch Fring for the first time, you will be asked to create an account. Like the app, the account is free to set up.

After you set up your account, tap on the More button in the lower-right corner. Then tap the Add-ons to add your services. Choose the VOIP service you signed up for in the list and provide your credentials for that service. After that, your VOIP service should be set up for use with Fring.

Finally, tap the Dialer button (bottom-center) to begin making a phone call. (In order to make phone calls to land lines (P.O.T.S.) or cell phones, you will need to purchase callout credits from your VOIP service.) Once the dialer appears, dial the number you wish to call. Before you place your call, pay attention to the buttons just below the number pad. You will want to select the proper calling method. For example, if you are using Gizmo, you want to choose SIP. If you are using Skype, you will choose Skype Out. If all is well, you will be making a phone call from your iPod Touch.

If you have any trouble, please refer to the Fring user manual (PDF Download). You may also want to make a visit to the Fring support page.

After some testing, I have found Fring to be an awesome application for the iPod Touch. I have been able to make successful phone calls and carry on a decent conversation with someone using a cell phone. The fact that Fring is free is amazing. But add the fact that it not only allows you to make phone calls on your iPod Touch, it also allows you to utilize major IM protocols (i.e. Gtalk, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, etc.) and even Twitter. That makes for a fantastic application. As long as Fring exists it will be one of my top recommendations for anyone with an iPod Touch.

The following comments are not as a result of Fring, but the service I use through Fring. This is just to give you an idea of the experience of making phone calls on the iPod Touch.

The audio quality was quite clear. Of course, audio quality will largely depend on your Internet connection speed and the traffic on that connection. I use Gizmo for my VOIP service and it works just fine on a rather slow Internet connection of 512kbps download and 128kbps upload. I occasionally experience lags, which can either be frustrating or amusing. There is about a 1-second delay from the time I speak to the time the person on the other end hears my voice.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that you cannot make emergency (i.e. 9-1-1) calls with these VOIP services. Therefore, this should not be a home phone substitute. In the event of an emergency, you will need to use a normal land line (P.O.T.S.) or a cell phone.

Micah 2:11 - “If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;’ he would be the prophet of this people.”

False prophets are hard at work to deceive you. They have been a blight to the church ever since the creation of man.

One key tactic of the false prophet is to make the listener to feel good about themselves. A false prophet will also prophesy to someone to justify sin, avoid offending someone, and/or to gain money or possessions. All at the expense of the one(s) being prophesied to. An easy way to put it is that a false prophet will tickle your ear to make you feel good and comfortable, just to get what they want. They are masters of deception.

A prime example of false prophets can be found in the 14th chapter of Jeremiah. Verses 13 through 16 say:

13 Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14 Then the LORD said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I have not sent them, neither have I commanded them, nor spoken to them: they prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their heart. 15 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I didn’t send them, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be consumed by sword and famine. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the famine, and the sword; and they shall have no one to bury them– them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

Previously, the LORD had been warning the people of the sword and the famine. Now, these false prophets come along and prophesy that the sword and famine will not come and that everything will be just fine and God’s peace will be there. They were telling the people what they wanted to hear and not what God’s word was warning them about. Grave danger exists in listening to false prophets, as it says in verse 16.

So, this verse in Micah is really not much different than those verses from Jeremiah. Here we have “a man walking in a spirit of falsehood…” He’s a false prophet. He shows himself to be a prophet and he comes speaking flattery, pleasant words, and fleshly desires. This particular example in Micah is that of “wine and of strong drink.”

Concerning wine and strong drink, the word says: “…it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’” It also says that, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whoever is deceived by it isn’t wise.” How is this relevant? Well, it says in 1st Peter 2:9 that, “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” In that scripture, the word, royal, comes from the Greek word, basileios (bas-il’-i-os), which not only can mean royal, it can also mean kingly (in nature). So, if the children of God, the people of Israel, and Christians are kingly priests, then wine and strong drink are not for them to drink.

So, in Micah 2:11, we see that it is written that a prophet will come and preach about wine and strong drink to this nation. This prophet is suitable for this nation because he would be preaching a message that would apply to their self-indulging and fleshly desires. It says in Jeremiah 5:31, concerning false prophesies, that, “…my people love to have it so…“

It is very dangerous to listen to the messages of false prophets. The consequences are dire for both the deceiver and the deceived. Matthew Henry said in his commentary:

There is corruption in the world through lust, and we should keep at a distance from it… Since they will be deceived, let them be deceived. Teachers who recommend self-indulgence by their doctrine and example, best suit such sinners.

He also said:

The false prophets were the most criminal. The Lord pronounces condemnation on them; but as the people loved to have it so, they were not to escape judgments. False teachers encourage men to expect peace and salvation, without repentance, faith, conversion, and holiness of life. But those who believe a lie must not plead if for an excuse. They shall feel what they say they will not fear.

This deception is rampant in the church; it is all over the Internet; it is broadcast daily on TV; it is published in books. Don’t listen to these lies and deceptions. Give heed to the warning Jesus gave concerning false prophets. He said: “For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. But you watch. Behold, I have told you all things beforehand.”

References and related scriptures: Proverbs 20:1, 31:4; Jeremiah 5:31, 14:13-16; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22-23; 1 Peter 2:9; Geneva Study Notes for Micah 2:11, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Jeremiah 14:10-16 and Micah 2:6-11).

Genesis 1:14 - God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;”

For this scripture, I am going to step out of the theological box a bit and give a little speculation.

When I last read this scripture, I immediately thought of my own interest in the stars and the planets. I enjoy going outside at night and looking up to the sky. To me, it is a testimony of the great works of God. This scripture in Genesis gives light to not only my personal interest in the stars, but also all of mankind’s interest in the expanse of the heavens.

The particular part of this scripture I am referring to is the part that says, “…let them be for signs…” Looking in the 1828 Noah Webster American Dictionary of the English Language, the first definition of the word sign is: “A token; something by which another thing is shown or represented…” So, why is it that these stars, planets, and other celestial bodies are for signs? What signs are they supposed to give? Written in the first verse of the 19th Psalm is what I believe to be a very good answer. It says: “The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.” There it says that the expanse that holds these signs of the heavens declares His glory and shows His handiwork.

With that in mind, I happen to think that God had the curiosity of man in mind when He created the universe. He knew that we would be utterly fascinated with the lights of the night sky, even to the point of extensive observation with the progression of technology we have had over the past centuries (and even millennia). He gave us the stars so that we may have something to show us—a representation—of His magnificent glory.

1st John 4:4 - You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

When John speaks of little children, he is referring to Christians as the children of God. More specifically, in verse 2, he defines the little children as, “every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh…” They are of God.

Next, John says that these little children have overcome them. Who are they? In verse 3, John says that they are, “…every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes.”

1st John 4:4 assures the Christians of their victory. This is not a victory to overcome the people who are not Christians, but the spirit within them. Paul had mentioned in the sixth chapter of Ephesians that we are not at battle with people, “…but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” There is a spiritual battle that takes place daily in the world. It is the victory of this battle—the battle of sickness, bondage, death, and hell—that Christians have.

It is also important to note the last portion of this scripture. “…because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.” With this statement, John is telling the Christians that Christ is in His followers and that He is grater than the spirit of the Antichrist who is in the world. This statement tells the Christians who gives them their victory and what it is that they are victorious over.

This is very similar to a statement that Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians. Towards the end of the letter, Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Here we have another statement of victory through Christ. The word strengthens in that verse comes from the Greek word, endunamoo (en-doo-nam-o’-o), which can also mean: to empower, enable, increase in, or be strong.

In order to overcome the personal struggles and spiritual attacks that are encountered in life, Christians must know and understand that it is Christ, and not themselves, who seals the victory.

References and related scriptures: Ephesians 6:12; Philippians 4:13; 1 John 4:2, 4:3.

Matthew 8:11-12 -  “11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

These two scriptures come at the end of the story of the centurion’s faith (Verses 5-13).

In verse 11, Jesus is using the directions east and west to illustrate that many people will come from far away lands and from different directions to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Verse 12 has a slightly deeper message behind it. I will use the parable of the wedding feast in the 22nd chapter of Matthew to help explain this scripture, specifically verses 11-13. Those scriptures say, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’” Here we have a guest at a wedding feast that is thrown out of the feast because he wasn’t wearing wedding clothing. This particular guest associated himself with the wedding party, but he was not prepared as an official attendant. Now, in Matthew 8:11-12, we see people coming from all over to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven. They are merely sitting with them only to be seen with them, or to associate with them.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary can be quoted on this scripture as saying: “An outward profession may cause us to be called children of the kingdom; but if we rest in that, and have nothing else to show, we shall be cast out.”

It’s one thing to call yourself a child of the kingdom, but if you don’t act like a child of the kingdom, you are only focusing on the outward appearances toward men and are not actually a child of the kingdom. Paul said in 1st Thessalonians 2:4, “But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.” In this scripture, Paul makes the distinction that Christians, those entrusted with the Good News and those who are to be like Christ, should not speak (or act) to appeal to people, but rather to God. Why? Well, Paul makes this clear by saying that it is God who tests our hearts.

So, in the context of Matthew 8:12, these children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness because they only sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to appear as if they belong. God, being the tester of hearts, sees the true intents of their hearts and knows their lack of faith. The guest at the wedding feast stood out to the king because he was without the proper wedding clothes. Likewise, the children of the kingdom in Matthew 8:12 will stand out to God because they lack the proper faith as the centurion displayed.

References and related scriptures: Matthew 8:5-13, 22:11-13; Galatians 1:10; 1st Thessalonians 2:4; Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Matthew 8:5-13).

Have you ever wondered how to arrange the icons on the iPhone/iPod Touch Home screen in a different way? Would you like different applications in the dock at the bottom of the screen? How do you get applications on a different Home screen? Well, you have come to the right place to learn how to do this.

As with most other tasks on the iPod Touch, this is rather simple. Follow these steps:

1. Place your finger on any icon and hold it there for about 2-3 seconds. The icons will begin to shake, or wiggle.
2. Place your finger on the application you wish to move.
3. Drag it to the spot on the screen where you want it.
4. When you’re done, hit the Home button (that’s the physical button just below the screen).

That’s all you do. Rearrange the icons to your choosing. You may also drag the icons to the dock to replace those applications.

If you wish to make a new Home screen with its own set of applications, simply drag a shaking icon to the right edge of the screen and the iPod Touch will go to a newly created, blank Home screen. After you do this, notice the dots just above the dock. These dots represent the number of Home screens you have, and the bold one is the screen you are currently viewing. To navigate between screens, simply do a swipe of your finger in the direction of the screen to which you wish to go. (A “swipe” is the same gesture you use to move the slider on the lock screen.)

Now you can personalize your iPod Touch more to your liking. For instance, my iPod Touch’s dock has Music, App Store, iTunes, and Settings on it. That’s because I’m more likely to need those applications from any screen. I also have four Home screens, each with related applications (i.e. games, network utilities, productivity apps, etc.). Arranging the icons the way you want will help you utilize your iPod Touch more effectively.

Job 8:7 - “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.”

This verse is a quote from Bildad the Shuhite to Job.

One way to look at this quote is as a lesson on humility. Humility is essentially decreasing yourself so that you don’t think you are better than anyone else. Jesus spoke well on humility when He said, “Blessed are the gentle (or humble), for they shall inherit the earth.” This scripture somewhat parallels Job 8:7. It mentions a small beginning (”Blessed are the gentle”) leading to a greater latter end (”they shall inherit the earth.”).

A second way to look at this scripture from Job is to compare it to Jesus’ discussion of the mustard seed. In that discussion, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.” The mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds (its beginning is small), but it grows to be greater than the herbs and provides lodging for the birds (its latter end greatly increases). This parable is an illustration of the spreading of the gospel into all the world. It began with one man, Jesus Christ, and has spread across the face of the earth.

A third explanation of Job 8:7 can be seen in the parable of the talents in the 25th chapter of Matthew. (For this writing, I will only cover the outcome of the faithful servants. However, I encourage you to read the whole parable covered in verses 14-30.) The two faithful servants were given five and two talents respectively. Both servants traded with, or invested, the talents and made a profit for their lord. The lord rewarded both servants by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Notice how the lord told the servants that they were faithful over a few things (their beginning was small), and then he rewards them for their faithfulness by setting them over many things and allowed them to enter into the joy of their lord (their latter end greatly increased). This parable illustrates the fact that Christians are given a manifestation of the Holy Spirit and they are not to be idle with that Spirit. Christians are to invest that Spirit into the lives of others, thus winning souls and gaining a profit for the Lord God in Heaven.

So, what was the outcome of Job after he was humbled? Just as the scripture says, you can conclude that he had a great increase. In fact, that’s just what happened. In the 42nd chapter of Job, you can see the outcome of his increase. It says, “So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.“

References and related scriptures: Job 42:12; Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5, 13:31-32, 25:21, 25:23.