Mourning Earth

Climate change, climate change, climate change! Talk, talk, talk. Evidence, evidence, evidence. Is it so hard to see climate change? Well, that depends on your definition of climate change. The question begs: What is today’s climate? What are the world’s biggest problems? Doesn’t that depend on who you ask? Some list: Energy, economic collapse, taxes, poverty, terrorism, crime, surveillance, over population, food production, clean water, foreign aid, drugs, racism, when do you want me to stop? I have my own list: religious liberty, sanctity of marriage, human rights, media manipulation, corrupt politics, education, right to life, when do you want me to stop?

God created this climate perfectly. We’re the ones who have nearly destroyed it. We have been our own worst enemy. Perhaps, Walt Kelly phrased it best in 1970 when he himself said: “We have met the enemy and it is us.” What is today’s climate? Short and to the point. Sinful, sinful, sinful. Don’t worry; we can combine the two climates. The earth destroyed by man and one by Satan through man.

Let’s look at earth’s natural climate changes. Changing people’s minds about climate—with facts, tables, predictions, satellites, and those pesky scientists—has proven extremely difficult if not unpredictable. Instead of heat, drought, natural disasters and other acts of God, we might look toward guilt, anxiety, anger and ignorance about how we’ve caused the decoration of mother earth. What about sin?

What about your hearts and souls? Are we ignoring our emotional and spiritual connections with our home base—earth? What about that connection with our Creator? With all the white noise swirling around climate change—meteorology, science, politics, sensationalism, fatalists, and natural disasters themselves—drown out the voice of a loss so profound that it rests unnamed in our souls? Are our breaking hearts a part of the reason we are immobilized? “The heart is most deceitful” you know.

Strength In Numbers

What strikes fear in your hearts—a roaring lion, a grizzly bear, Great White sharks, ladybugs? That’s right, the dreaded Harmonia axyridis! It reproduces quickly, it is a cannibal, it eats aphids, and, it eats other ladybugs. And it can destroy some plants. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but the Asian beetle is a real problem in England where they are used to control crop pests. How is that a problem? They make it hard for the homegrown native species to survive. It’s risky to have one species be dominant without competition to keep nature in harmonious balance.

The Lord Our Banner

Flags and banners have been used since before we began recording history, to symbolize movements, peoples and even individuals. Every country in the world has a flag—some considered beautiful, some considered weird, some considered boring (like Libya’s flag for instance—plain green and nothing else). It is a matter of individual opinion. Flags are thought to have been originated in China and India. Nepal is the only flag in the world that is not rectangular (it is a combination of 2 pennants). States, cities, counties, neighborhoods, a variety of schools and churches have their own flag.

Banners or flags express our loyalty to a cause or belief. The image of brave men raising the United States of America flag at Iwo Jima may come to mind. In the Old Testament, when Amalek fought with Israel in Rephaim, Moses held up his arms and Israel won. To celebrate, Moses built an alter and called the name of it “Jehovah Nissi” or Jehovah My Banner.

We are constantly reminded that, “The battle is the Lord’s, the victory is His alone”. The Christian has infinite resources to overcome every trial, every emergency, every Amale; as long as we serve under the banner of Jehovah-Nissi. In World War II, Britain claimed that God was on its side—so did the Germans!? Fact: God doesn’t take sides: God stands alone. It is our choice to side with God. In our battle with the World, the forces of evil, the Flesh, and the Devil; you must choose which banner you serve. “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” Song of Songs 2:4

A Walking Paraplegic

Joni Eareckson Tada is a paraplegic. She went swimming as a teenager and broke her neck causing paralysis and resulting in her confinement to a wheelchair. She will tell you that the most productive years of her life came as a result of her paralysis. It wasn’t easy adjusting to a new lifestyle. Realizing her life had changed from self-locomotion to the speed of a wheelchair; she adjusted, adopted, competed and then conquered. She is a successful artist, a successful author, a successful public speaker, and a successful representative for the Kingdom of God. If she wasn’t a paraplegic she could very well be just another of the world’s great unwashed, living a life of vanity and rushing down that broad road paved with good intentions, headed straight to hell. She didn’t choose self-pity she chose a life of service.

The Bible records numerous people being healed from sickness and injury:

• The centurion’s servant lying home paralyzed suffering terribly. -Matthew 8
• A paralytic was brought to Jesus by some concerned friends. -Matthew 9
• Two blind men followed Jesus hoping to be healed. -Matthew 9
• A demon possessed mute was brought to Jesus.-Matthew 9

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,preaching the good news of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Matthew 9:35

Can a paraplegic walk? With the help of science, a body fitting exoskeleton, some highly trained physical therapists and dogged determination—maybe. Can a paraplegic walk into heaven? With the help of science, a body fitting exoskeleton, some highly trained physical therapists and dogged determination—no. Then, how does a paraplegic, or anybody, make it in?

“Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

You cannot find your way to heaven on your own. Besides, all roads do not lead to heaven. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 Are you on the right road? Do you have a false assurance of salvation? It is one thing to confess with your mouth and your words verses your actions. Believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven, because he alone died for our sins and made us right before God. Living His way may not be popular, but it is the true and right way. Thank God there is one way! Jesus is just not ‘a way’ he is “the way”. It’s not just a path, it’s a person. Jesus says I am completely trustworthy, because he’s one with the Father.

Joni Eareckson Tada’s purpose in life is to lead other’s to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What a witness!

Heavenly Food

It’s the hope and dream of every one on a diet that one day scientists will find a way to transform potato chips into a perfect health food like: broccoli. Food is essential to keep body and soul together. Always has been. From the Garden of Eden to your kitchen table, food has played a crucial role in life. Food is one of the few pleasures in life that offers anticipation, pleasures, variety, and gastronomical delight for minimal effort and cost.

Chefs the world over constantly invent new methods to deliver the same food in a unique and varied method that excites all our human senses and then nourishes us while waiting for another delight to stimulate our palate.

One thing chefs cannot duplicate is that perfect food found in the Bible. It provided all the daily nutritional requirements, was provided fresh daily, and was ultimately satisfying. Best of all it didn’t require aging, marinating, sautéing, slicing, dicing, or any herbs to season to taste! The Bible doesn’t mention food all that much, so when a perfect food comes along, maybe we should pay attention. After all, the perfect food could only come from the Perfect Chef!

In the Exodus from Egypt, God kept the Israelites safe in their travels. The people had a complaint though; they missed the food they ate in Egypt! After complaining to Moses, God provided them a perfect food that both nourished and satisfied! Exodus 16 says it was like bread that fell from heaven! This mysterious food appeared every morning fresh! The people ate this special bread from heaven for “Forty Years”! They didn’t know what it was, so they called it—Manna. The Bible says it tasted like wafers made with honey! Don’t let it ever be said God turned from those in need.

Where God guides—God provides, especially when the chips are down!

Clear Thinking

What is clear thinking? What happens when your eyes and brain don’t agree? Take a moment. Focus on the ball at the center of the picture. Does the scene seem to vibrate, move, and distort your vision? If you move your head slightly forward and backward, does the color field of the rosette appear to pulsate? You ask yourself, what’s going on here anyway? Is this a brain game? 

Research and scientists have several theories about how our eyes and mind collaborate to create an illusion of movement—although the precise neural mechanics remain unknown. Is the visual picture a prank? No, the vibrating rosette combines several illusory effects. When you fixate on a pattern, it momentarily remains on our retina as an after-image. It is technical, but eye movements cause a ghost image to overlap with the actual image on the page—called a moiré effect: similar, repetitive patterns merged together at slightly different angles, creating a rippling effect. Got that? By adding two high-contrasting colors, blue and yellow to the picture the effect is enhanced. When you approach an object, our brain normally makes adjustments so that the object’s size and brightness appear to remain constant. But when you move your head back and forth, the alternating dark and light patterns in the rosette change in both size and brightness. Magic—no? Our visual system cannot bring the blurred boundaries within the image to focus, and the brain cannot adjust. Fuzzy thinking or fuzzy seeing? Does it hold true when reading? Absolutely. Different people take away different things from a book.

We have a choice to believe its ‘fuzzy seeing’ or ‘fuzzy thinking’. Clear thinking is critical when understanding God’s Word. God gives you the choice to believe in him or not and nothing, not even God, will force you to change your thinking. What does God have to say about thinking? He says we are responsible for our mind and body. God says think great thoughts. God reasons with us, he said in Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.”” To reason together with God is to know his character, study his thinking, and obey his Word. Remember, his ways are higher than ours. God has a good, pleasing, and perfect plan for his children. He wants what is best for you; he gave his Son to make that possible. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 In other words, think about yourself as the Word. Ephesians 5:29 points it out clearly: “After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body.”

Alpha and Omega

Among the numerous and impressive divine titles in Revelation, none is as arrestive as this one.  Christ announces of Himself, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”  Revelation 21:6 He has the authority to claim His own title.  Alpha and Omega is the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.  As Alpha, our Lord is the Source, the Beginning of all revealed truth, of all promise given, and all testimony given to men.  As Omega, He is also our End, with His glory as our goal.  Everything in life finds its answer in Him who is “the first and the last.”

God is the Creator.  The Bible begins with the majestic story of his creation of the universe, and concludes with his creation of a new heaven and a new earth.  This is a tremendous hope that encouragement for the believer.  When we are with God, with our sins forgiven and our future secure, we will be like Christ.  We will be made perfect.  Just as God finished his work of creation in Genesis 2:1-3 and Jesus finished the work of redemption in John 19:30, so the Trinity will finish the entire plan of salvation by inviting the redeemed into a new creation.

Choose Your Weapon

Execution is a serious affair. Throughout history, men have been killed by every way imaginable. They have been stoned to death, hanged, beheaded, drowned, burned alive, cannibalized, and other methods too gruesome for publication. The Bible records several types of deaths by various means, oddly, some deaths were deserved, some were unfortunate, and some were beyond belief.

From the first murder in Genesis to millions dying recorded in the Book of Revelation, death, whether by execution or mere serendipity has fascinated readers. The Bible records one death in particular that was like no other. The story is amazing to everyone except the unintended victim.

The Inside Scoop

It’s the hope of every newspaper reporter to get an exclusive story that rocks the world and puts them in play for a Pulitzer Prize. The inside scoop is such a tricky thing. You have to be in the right place at the right time and then all the stars have to be in alignment. That’s why there’s so few Pulitzer’s given.

The Bible records an inside scoop but there was no Pulitzer Prize awarded, only a stern rebuke by Jesus himself! What happened?

Jesus was traveling through Capernaum, a town in Galilee. He stopped in the Synagogue to teach the people when a man possessed by a demon called out at the top of his voice, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Luke 4:34 Jesus told the evil spirit dwelling in the tormented man; “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the evil spirit threw the man down on the floor and came out of him. Wonder what the evil spirit looked like? Luke records that the man wasn’t hurt at all. What an inside scoop!

Is There a Hamlet in the House?

Shakespeare’s plays are known and loved the world over for their intrigue. Few characters in literature are more moody and broody than Hamlet. He is philosophical, contemplative and thoughtful by nature. Hamlet is rash and impulsive with outbursts of madness from time to time. He is plagued with the afterlife and the mysteries it holds. He ponders the wisdom of suicide and what happens after death. He is a classical enigmatic.

Shakespeare points his operatives with mystery, adventure and melancholy. The bard always leaves his audiences wondering what really makes his creations tick. They are multi-dimensional and wrinkled with complexity. You always get the sense that you don’t know everything about the character. There is always more to them than meets the eye. Shakespeare isn’t the only one who creates characters that defy human understanding!

God creates characters that are equally and more complex. If you wonder where Shakespeare gets his inspiration, you only have to look humanity in the eye or delve into Biblical history. Hamlet had a counterpart in the form of King Saul of the Old Testament. Twins separated by two thousand years.

Saul was so fearful one day he asked God what was going to happen; but God didn’t answer Saul. With impatience Saul decided to consult a medium at Endor and talk to the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. The medium called Samuel back from the grave and Saul found out what the problem really was. Samuel told King Saul that because he had disobeyed God, Saul’s kingdom and army would be given to his enemy and that Saul and his sons would join him tomorrow! Saul had banned all mediums and spiritists from Israel but in his desperation he turned to one for counsel. 1 Samuel 28

Bottom line

Although Saul had removed the sin of witchcraft from the land, he did not remove it from his heart. 

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Luke 17:33

Miracles - Buy, Sell or Trade

Believe in miracles? What if you were in the miracle business? Economics teaches us, in a free economy the prices of goods and services are determined by the law of supply and demand. What about miracles, they never seem to follow the economic laws. If one could corner the market on miracles; all the riches of the world would be laid at their feet or, would they?

There are two main categories of miracles, those that affected people called "healings" and those that "controlled nature".  The three types of healings are cures where an ailment is cured, exorcisms where demons are cast away and the resurrection of the dead.  Among these miracles, the Transfiguration of Jesus is unique in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself. 

The demand for miracles in Jesus’ day was great; some even offered to pay Him for the service. Simon the Magician (Simon Magnus) in Acts 8:18 offered Peter money to buy the ability of healing miracles, but was rebuked. “Everything has a price” seems to be true in our world of bribes, wealth, and materialism—but, not here. No amount of money can buy salvation, forgiveness of sin, or God’s power. These are only gained by repentance and belief in Christ as Savoir. God’s miracles aren’t for buying, selling or trading. They were used to show the goodness and mercy of God. Miracles were not for sale. Matthew 10:8 says, "freely ye received, freely give."

Did anybody make money on his miracles? No, but many have certainly benefited as their lives have been changed. The Pharisees and Herod demanded a miracle. But for them, there was no miracle manifested. Do you want a miracle—look at a new born baby; look at the human eye; listen to a beating heart, check your fingerprint, consider your own DNA, plumb the depths of a mother’s love!

Do you need a miracle—where will you turn? In the thirty-five (35) recorded miracles Jesus performed, twenty-three were physical healings. In three (3), the dead were raised, in another three (3) food and drink were provided, two (2) were large catches of fish, and the other four (4) were calming a storm, walking on water, withering a fig tree, and providing money in a fishes mouth. Each miracle met a specific material or physical need. Most importantly there is no record of Jesus providing his divine power to satisfy idle curiosity. He changed lives drastically. Life is accepting the life-changing miracle offered to you by Jesus.

You want a miracle? Do what Jesus said; “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves” John 14:11.

Bottom line:
The Gospel of John 20:30 specifically states that the miracles it recorded were but a "portion" of miracles that Jesus actually preformed.    

Home Sweet Home

Who said...?

"The ornament of a home is the friends who frequent it."
"There is no place like home."
"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, L. Frank Baum, Robert Frost

What did your first house look like? Was it everything you could ever want? Did it meet your minimum expectations? Does it bring back fond memories? Perhaps some memories should remain etched in our minds forever to serve as a reminder of what was and what could have been. Oddly enough, these memories serve as a reminder to us that even though things could have been better, they could have been much worse. And some memories are recorded for us by those who witnessed the truth.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem and his first temporary home was a manger! Do you know that a manger was a feeding trough! Can you imagine giving birth to a baby in a stable and wrapping him in whatever cloth was available and placing the infant in a feeding trough? A place where pigs ate leftovers, slobbered, and rubbed their runny noses in the feeding trough!

Invisibility

In war each side uses what’s available to their advantage to be victorious. Both sides have several options available. There is deception, concealment, and camouflage. These are just a few of the tricks widely used. There are two versions of an invisibility cloak that scientists are working on perfecting.  One is Augmented reality, or a combination of computers, cameras and reflective surfaces to make a person appear invisible.  Sound Hollywoodish?  The second invisibility cloak is made of metamaterials using nanotechnology.  Both using strange materials and properties.  Neither perfected.  Many people wish they were invisible.  A small fish does not want to be noticed by a larger fish looking for something to snack on! He wants to blend in, but be invisible! People are no different.

Among the twelve Apostles, there was one who used stealth and chameleon-like qualities to appear like everyone else. But he wasn’t like everyone else. Judas was hand-picked by Jesus. What happened? He didn’t fool everyone, and he sure didn’t fool Jesus. Who could possibly see inside his heart?

What a Tangled Web They Weave

Daniel the prophet was taken into captivity by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 606 BC, and then marched from Jerusalem to Babylon. Daniel served in the king’s court and became a trusted advisor. The king grew to like Daniel and his friends. Those who came from the nation of Judah were looked upon with derision from the Persians serving the king.

They hatched a plan to remove Daniel from his position in the government. They persuaded the king into signing a decree that prohibited anybody in the kingdom from praying to anyone or any god except the king! If one was caught praying to anyone other than the king, they were to be thrown into the lion’s den and eaten! They knew Daniel prayed three times a day to God, and brought this to the king’s attention. The king could not change the decree, nor could he help Daniel. Daniel was summarily arrested and scheduled to be placed in the lion’s den!

Self Incarceration

An innocent person was sentenced to serve a lifetime of self-incarceration! If an average lifetime lasted 70-80 years; that would be a terrible tragedy. That tragedy would be compounded if the person lived longer than 90 years! Imagine if you will, a person serving TEN life sentences! Some crimes are so horrible it has prompted judges to sentence people to 900 year sentences. Would it surprise you to learn that one person in the Bible was sentenced to TEN life sentences and—served them all!

When Adam and Eve were invited out of the Garden of Eden, God placed a curse on both Adam and Eve, and on the entire earth. Sin had tainted every single thing, everything present and everything to come. The whole earth had become a prison. Every human was self-incarcerated until death released them from captivity. One man in particular had the special distinction of serving more time than anyone in the history of the earth.

This man was the oldest living person ever recorded: his father, Enoch, named him Methuselah. Genesis chapter 5 gives us the record of Methuselah living 969 years! Just knowing who his father was tells us the son probably followed in his father’s footsteps, and served God with all his heart. How could a person live that long you ask? Let’s turn the question around and ask ourselves—is anything impossible for God? What a family history; his father Enoch walked with God, Methuselah was the oldest living person ever, and his grandson, Noah, saved the whole world. What a genealogy!

Sign of the Times

Do you want to know what will happen in the future? You can, but please be forewarned – it ain’t pretty! And furthermore, it ain’t pleasant! The Gospel of Matthew says that terrible things will happen. People will go from bad to worse, the natural order of things will be chaos and disorder on a cosmic scale, and then nations will behave like a baby screaming for a bottle. Is there anything good on the horizon? There are good things that will happen, but you need to be informed, focused and not let fear guide your thinking.

Why should you be concerned with such matters? You live your own life and don’t stir up trouble for others. You support your government, pay your taxes, obey the laws of the land, and try and do what’s right. Why should you have to suffer from others problems? The short answer is that you, and everyone else, live in a world dripping with sin and God is not pleased! For generations, God gave instructions and rules to live by, but they were ignored until God sent His only begotten Son to be a substitute sin offering. Jesus did everything asked of Him and more. His words and work were ignored. To add insult to injury, the people were angry that Jesus told them that unless they changed their ways, they would not be part of the kingdom of heaven. In their ignorance, they crucified Jesus to ease their conscience.

Sands of Time

Joseph in Egypt. Moses in the desert. Joshua in Arabia. Jesus in the desert. Every major figure in the Bible has been tested by the sands of time. When your time of testing comes, you too will be confronted by the sands of time...

Joseph endured separation from his family, but left instructions for his bones to be carried into the Promised Land. Moses lingered forty years wandering in the wilderness before finally seeing the Promised Land. Joshua battled doubters and skeptics before taking possessions of the Promised Land. Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry—in the Promised Land.

The sands of time touch everyone. Everyone is tried and tested. It may be a spectacular desert experience or a brief moment in time, but everyone will experience it. And everyone will fail! Why, because this third rock from the sun has been dipped in sin and it contaminates everyone that comes into contact with it: with one exception. There was only one person who touched the sands of time, but the sands of time never touched Him. Jesus was the only one who came to earth and lived a perfect life. He lived a good life to show us that it could be done.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Hebrews 12:2-3

Bottom line: When the sands of time swirl around your moments on this earth be vigilant.

Go Ahead

Who said…?

“There are two kinds of light. The glow that illuminates and the glare that obscures.”

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s that of a freight train.”

James Thurber, Plato, David Lee Roth

Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy into chemical energy. Maybe an example is in order to grasp the potential of that statement. Plants use light to combine chemical compounds through a complex symphony of events, and then it turns them into carbohydrates, or food. It’s a process that connects compounds into action and thereby into results.

Dear readers, now is the time to connect the dots and realize that the wonderfully complex process of photosynthesis has a human component. First thing we must realize whether we believe in Darwin or a crystal ball is that Light is the initiator of everything that happens.

In the New Testament Gospel of John chapter 8 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Allow us to draw an interpretation for those unacquainted with the Bible. Jesus is saying that there is a physical sun for the needs of the physical world, photosynthesis and other such needs, and then there is another light, Jesus himself, as the spiritual light of the world. In the very next chapter of the Gospel of John Jesus says, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

Jesus has been gone for 2000 years now, does that mean we have no guiding light? From Adam and Eve until tomorrow, we will always have a guiding light. Jesus did everything humanly possible to show the world He was the Light of the world, both then and now. If you want spiritual photosynthesis to take place you must allow the symphony of complex events, brought on by the Spiritual Light to turn your whole being into good works for the kingdom of God.

Don’t get confused! Ever heard of paraprosdakians? They are a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected. For example: “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car” or “The evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.” The same holds true for light. The Spiritual Light is what you should be looking for. Don’t get things mixed-up. Knowledge is powerful—Wisdom is better. “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”

Look at the picture here closely! You can draw, scratch, paint, erase, wash, run, ink and sand your heart out. You can do anything you please, but if you don’t recognize the Creator and pay Him the respect due, no amount of Spiritual light will change you.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.

Bible's Full of Love Letters

Mother Theresa said she was just a pencil in the hand of God writing a love letter to the world. Her life showed a grain of truth in that statement. It should be no surprise that God uses various people for the same reason. Even though the Bible has plagues, droughts, disasters, extreme violence, there is a thread of love weaved throughout from Genesis to Revelation and beyond. If we pull off the side of the road we can rest stop at the Book of Ruth. Written a 1,000 years before Jesus was born, the Book of Ruth shows partial lineage of David, and shows that Gentile blood was in the line of Christ. The book gives us a glimpse into the personal lives of ordinary people during a turbulent period in Israel’s history. In a longer-than-life role of the kinsman-redeemer, Boaz exhibits a beautiful type of Christ. He was a blood relative, he had the price to purchase the forfeited inheritance, and he was more than willing to redeem. This entire book is a loving example of the sovereignty of God caring for His people. 

“But when the fulness of the time was come,God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law,

that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Galatians 4:4-5

Bottom line: 

 “We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

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Leaving Home

Did you know that when a momma eagle realizes it’s time for her babies to leave the nest, she has a plan ready to implement? When the young eaglets are too big to be cared for, momma starts sending signals that it’s time to leave. She stirs up the nest. First she takes out the soft grass and the lamb’s wool, making the nest prickly and uncomfortable. Then she takes a young eaglet onto her back for a flying lesson. She picks up her baby and plants the young one on her back and flies higher and higher and then unbelievably, she turns herself upside down and lets the young one flail and struggle to fly. Before hitting the ground, mom, who’s been watching very carefully, scoops up the young one in mid-flight and ascends for another lesson! Can’t you just hear the baby pleading – “Is this really necessary?”

Yes it’s necessary, it’s crucial that the baby be taught that independence is a good thing. She must learn to fly or she will die! No one said that the lesson would be a pleasant one. When her wing muscles start to strengthen, she will learn to glide awhile and then learn to flap her wings to gain altitude. And then you know what happens, the young one remembers every drop and every fear and every struggle, and then passes the lessons on to her babies!

Held in Chains

Held in Chains

 In America, when the police arrest someone, they are handcuffed and read their rights. An attorney is appointed to represent the accused or the accused hires one. A judge is assigned and things begin to transpire. Often lies fly. In the American legal system, a person is innocent until proven guilty. In the event a legal technicality is found, it is possible someone guilty may perjure themselves, be in contempt, and may be set free, despite evidence proving otherwise. Everyone wants justice, except the guilty, they just want to escape justice.

 

The Bible mentions a crime where those found guilty were immediately put in chains and held to await their day of judgment. They were not presumed innocent; they were apprehended immediately after their crime and are being held in chains until the Great Day of Judgment. They will have no lawyer to plead their case; there will be no legal jargon, lies or technicality to set them free; their sentence has already been announced, all that remains is for the sentence to be carried out.

Learning Curve

“I hate divorce” God once said through his Old Testament prophet Malachi.

So it should sound odd that a priest named Ezra urged his fellow Jews to divorce their wives and send them and their children packing! Despite his shocking suggestion, Ezra had some outstanding credentials. A direct descendant of the very first high priest, Aaron, Ezra was intimate with the Law of Moses. God blessed Ezra because he not only read and studied the Word of God, he was faithful in obeying the Word of God.

Ezra lived in Babylon, once the capital of the Babylonian Empire, now under the control of Persia. Many Jews were taken captive when Babylon overran Jerusalem about 150 years earlier. Ezra asked the current king, Artaxerxes, if he could return to Jerusalem and clean up the Temple there and restore the Jewish method of worship. The king agreed and also sent his own gold and silver and a letter giving Ezra sweeping authority.

Doctor Please Help Me

An accident victim was just beginning to regain consciousness. Groaning with pain, throughout his entire body, someone yelled, “He is waking up!” Looking up, through bloodshot eyes, he could only see a man standing over him in white clothes, looking down over him. The man in white clothes said, “Don’t move. You’re in a hospital. You’ve been in a terrible accident. You’ve lost a lot of blood. You’re lucky to be alive. Tests show you still have a high concentration of drugs and alcohol in your blood. Can you tell us what you have taken? Our records show that you have been here several times recently. You came in covered in your own blood.” Pleading, the victim said, “Doctor, please can you help me?” The man said, “Until you stop this self-destructive behavior, there’s not much I can do for you.” The victim pleaded, “Please help me, I’ll try anything.” The doctor shook his head and said, “There is one thing that might help you turn your life around. I’m going to write you a prescription for more pain and suffering. Then maybe you will finally see that you need the blood of Christ.”

Have You Seen This Fish?

Look closely, have you seen this fish? Yes, we know that this is a beaver (genus Castor Canadensis) and that he might have a voracious appetite, but in fact he is an herbivore. Fish are not on his diet plan. Fish fish, otters fish, seals fish, sharks fish, birds fish and people fish, but what about this fellow: have you seen him fish? You might refer to him as an aquatic carpenter. His front teeth can cut through a tree trunk like a chain saw. That is quite an accomplishment for a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent! Does he fish; then what does he do?  

He’s probably without a doubt the most proficient dam builder (without formal training and union representation) in the Northern hemisphere. This guy is an engineer without a PhD. He is unequaled in his tenacity by nothing above or below the water line. He doesn’t stop until the project is finished. He will find a way around obstacles and get the job at hand done.

What will they say about you on the internet? He can gnaw down a tree with his front teeth? Not likely. We watch and are amazed by the animal kingdom. While at the same time we are watched by those in the heavenly kingdom! Are we diligent, are we determined, are we tenacious, are we focused?

After Jesus was crucified, he met with the disciples several times after the resurrection. On the third meeting he asked Peter if Peter loved him. Peter replied of course he loved Him. Jesus asked Peter again, and Peter gave him the same answer. Then Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved him. Peter was almost speechless, but answered of course he loved him for the third time. Then Jesus told Peter – feed my sheep.

Peter had just come through a crisis of confidence after denying the Lord three times. Jesus told Peter that even if he didn’t trust his own emotions to carry on the work he was assigned. Our duty to Christ should not depend on our subjective feelings, but on the realization of what Jesus has done for us.

The First Cinderella

The fairy tale “Cinderella” is a favorite among children and adults. It’s a story that you can place yourself into. A beautiful girl, a handsome prince, a fairy godmother, a sprinkle of magic, some wicked stepsisters, all you need is an imagination for the story to take flight. An ad firm, a few exceptional cartoonists, a couple million dollars and some other tweaking would help.

Did you know there was a real Cinderella in the Old Testament? In the fairy tale version, a prince saw Cinderella and took a shoe she had left behind and searched the whole kingdom looking for a girl that fits the shoe. In the Bible version, there was a beauty contest, and the King would select the prettiest Cinderella to be his wife and live happily ever after. Allllmost! 

Just Open the Door

Just Open the Door

There was a game show on television years ago that presented contestants with a chance to win a prize. They were given a choice of choosing a prize located behind one of three closed doors. Behind one door was a valuable prize; behind the other two doors was a token gift. You chose the door at random, and you may win an expensive vacation to Hawaii, a Billy goat or a tricycle! Not knowing was agony for some contestants. The choice of making a decision, while not knowing what could happen, brought some people to tears. Fear of the unknown can be a powerful thing.

Many people running through life face the same decision making process. Many postpone the decision about their eternal destiny with scarcely a thought until the end is close. God calls us to know Him from our first breath, but many hesitate and procrastinate until the choice is taken from us. Jesus came to earth in human form to give us hope of an afterlife. Rising from the grave should have dispelled any doubts or hesitation we may have.

How Much Time Remains?

Everyone is curious about the future. Imagine a spectacular event is foretold and you had insight on what would happen.

The Book of Isaiah was penned over seven centuries before the birth of Christ. Isaiah has been referred to as the ‘evangelical prophet’ because he says volumes about the redemptive work of Jesus. Isaiah records more about the person and work of Christ than any other Old Testament book. The people of Isaiah’s generation had been promised a Messiah. The people of the Old Testament waited for generations, but the promised Messiah seemed destined for the next generation not theirs. Isaiah was difficult to understand then, but we have the gift of hindsight. And the clock was ticking!