Sheep are DUMB!!

The 23rd Psalm talks about the Lord being our Sheperd.  We are God's sheep and He cares for us.  What do you know about sheep except that they have a warm wooly coat and look cute?  Let me tell you, being called a sheep is not a compliment.

Sheep are D. U. M. B. DUMB!  They are not like most animals who can care for themselves in the wild.  You turn a sheep loose anywhere on its own and it will die.  Sheep require more attention than any other livestock.  If they did not have a shepherd to watch over them, they would soon be pushing up daisies.

They are not hunters who can bring down prey.  They have no speed or strength. They do not have claws or fangs to defend with. They can not climb trees or swim across rivers. They can not dig tunnels to hide in.  They have no camouflage. Their white wool sticks out like a sign saying "Here I am. Eat me."

Sheep are easily frightened.  They are literally scared of their own shadows.  They are stubborn animals and ornery as a mule.  If you were to try to help them to get to safety, they would resist and rebel against you.

Sheep have a notoriously poor sense of direction.  When it gets lost, it will simply lays down on the ground.  It will not even try to find its way home.  If the shepherd doesn't go out to find that sheep it will die.

"Oh, I am not like that at all!"

Yes, you are.  You are exactly like that when it comes to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is more important than the physical because it is eternal, and it also has effects upon your life in the physical.

You have no sense of direction of where to go spiritually.  Where is it safe? Where is there spiritual food? How can you defend against that roaring lion Satan?  How do you find your way home to Heaven?

Follow the Sheperd.

Photo by Biegun Wschodni on Unsplash

Why was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

Why Bethlehem?  Jesus could have been born in Jerusalem or any of a hundred other towns, but God chose Bethlehem.  Why?  God could have prophesied Jesus' birth anywhere, so why Bethlehem?

I usually just read the Bible and not think much about why God would choose this person or place, but I have come to realize that every detail in the Bible has a purpose.  All my life I never thought twice about Bethlehem.  It just was what it was.

Bethlehem is more than just the small town that King David came from.  In ancient days the rabbis declared that the only place where one could shepherd a flock was in the wilderness.  The only exception to this was for the lambs which were specifically destined for the Temple sacrifices.  These lambs had to be kept close to the holy city so the supply was right at hand.  This one location that was not in the wilderness, but in the hills and valleys just outside of Jerusalem was Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem flocks were the only sheep used as sacrificial lambs.  They alone became the sacrifice for the sins of the people.  This small insignificant town is where Jesus was born because he was to become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Even from his birth, Jesus' life pointed toward the cross.  He was destined to be the sacrificed lamb.  The very place of his birth spoke of him as dying for our sins.

Do you think every detail of Jesus's life, being so important to God, is surprising?  What about every detail of your life?

Luke 12:7 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...."

Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, wich God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

God is interested in every detail of your life.  He has plans for you.  You were not born in just any place.  Your spouse is not just someone you happened upon.  How much money you have, the house you have, the car you drive was all known by God from eternity past and God planned every step to bring you where you are today.

God loves you and cares about the minutest details so that you will have a full and abundant life within His will and within His plan of serving with Him.

Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

What is Meant for Evil Against You

One of the potentially most frightening aspects of being a Christian is knowing that all of Hell is set out to destroy you.  It is a fact that you no longer are on the sidelines of a spiritual war, but an integral part in the battle of good against evil.

Every Christian must have the attitude of trust in God, in order to fully fight the good fight.  Trusting in God does not mean God will bless you with riches for being a good soldier.  It means even when things go terribly wrong, when sickness strikes or you lose a loved one in your life, you still trust God. Your Job, money, house, car and everything you own could be lost because of your following God.  The one thing no one can take from you is God in your life.  You must hold on to Him, trusting that He is still with you and good will come out of your loss.

Does that sound harsh?  Does that sound like something that only happens to others and will never happen to you?  You do not know what tomorrow will bring into your life.  Satan and his horde of demons are out to get you.  The unredeemed of this world are also out to get you.  Satan has set the world against all who follow Christ.

When evil occurs in your life, remember one thing, God is working it for good.  Throughout scripture, God takes the evil in peoples' lives and creates good.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but God took that evil and used Joseph to save the lives of millions of people, including his own family.  Joseph told his brothers, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20

Another example of what man meant for evil but God using it for good is when Jesus was before the Sanhedrin and after they condemned him to death, the priest repeated struck his face with their hands. Matthew 26:67 

What we don't realize is that the priest slapping Jesus in the face was required in order that the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins be properly done.  It is required that the one offering the sacrifice touch the head of the sacrifice.  There is also an ancient rabbinical writing stating that when more than one person offers up a sacrifice, they must all take turns touching the head.

What the priest meant for evil and an insult to Christ, God used for good.  Jesus had to have his head touched by the priests in order that he might be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.

What hardships or evil is in your life that God can turn into good?  Trust God to work wonders in your life.

Photo Credit: Hand by Randy Auschrat

And on the Eighth Day...

In the scriptures, numbers have different meanings.  Two is the number of division. Six is the number of Man.  Seven is the perfect number.  Ten is the number of completion. Forty is the number of testing, as in 40 years of the Hebrews wandering in the desert or Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days.

The Bible holds many deeper meanings in its words and even in the numbers.  It is amazing how much God is able to say in the Scriptures.  There are layers upon layers in such simple things, even in the numbers.

Eight is the number of new beginnings.  When God destroyed the world with a great flood, He began the human race with Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.  Eight people survived the flood to create a new beginning for the human race.

A week is seven days and on the eighth day (Sunday), a new week begins.  Jesus was crucified. and rose from the dead on a Sunday.  Resurrection Sunday is the new beginning of not just a new week but a new spiritual era for the world.

On that eighth day, we are taken from being under the law to being under grace.  We are brought out of separation from God because of our sins, to being part of His family.   We are all given a new beginning of hope, joy, peace, and love.

Today every nonbeliever is given the opportunity for a new beginning.  Every Christian who has fallen away has an opportunity for a new beginning.  Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead on that eighth day, we can be resurrected from our sins because of that day.

Photo Credit: Easter-EmptyTomb by Donut_Diva

The Worth of God's Breath

Everything in God's word is there for a reason, but when reading the Bible we take so much of it for granted.  Numbers, names, and places we just pass over without really thinking about them.

When the law was given to Moses, he came down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the law.  He found the people dancing and celebrating before the idol of a golden calf.  On that day about 3000 people died because of their actions. Exodus 32 I have read that many times and never really thought twice about it.  Ok, 3000 people died.  Big deal!

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to the people.  Peter preached to the crowds telling them what was happening and how Jesus was the Messiah who fulfilled the scriptures.   About 3000 people were saved that day.  Acts 2

Exodus and Acts both say "about 3000".  Is this just a coincidence? The longer I live, the more I do not believe in any coincidences when it comes to God and His word.  The day the Law is given, about 3000 people die, and the day the Holy Spirit is given, about 3000 people were saved.

There is not one word in your Bible that was not meant to be there.  There is not one word in your Bible that has no reason to be there.  When God speaks every breath is notable.

God Meets Our Needs Precisely

When I was a young Christian living in Hawaii, I went to a prayer meeting one night.  We were sharing needs and praying for people when one man's need struck my heart.  I knew that God was speaking to me.

The man felt God leading him to fly back to California and speak to an old friend about Christ.  He was so sure that God wanted him to go, that if necessary, he was willing to sell his car in order to buy the plane tickets.

I was compelled to leave the group and go outside and just talk to the lord about it.  After praying about it I knew I was to give him some money.  It wasn't until a few days later that I had the money and found him at a Christian coffee house.  I asked to talk to him and we sat together at a table.

I told him how God had led me to give him $115.  I knew it was a strange number.  You would normally give a nice round number like $100 or $120, but God led me to give him exactly $115.

The man jumped up and was laughing and dancing around.  Finally, he sat back down.  "God is so good.  Yesterday my apartment manager came up to me and gave me $3.  He said, 'I know it's weird to give only $3 but I really felt God leading me to give it to you.'  I thought that it really wasn't going to help much but I thanked him and took the money.  My tickets cost $118.  With that $3 and your $115 God exactly met my needs."

That lesson was not lost on me.  God does provide and He exactly provides what is needed.  God knows our needs.  God provides for everyone who is walking upon the path that God directs them to.  You want to see God moving in your life?  Do His will and trust Him to provide.  He will never abandon you. 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6

Photo Credit: Praying by Brittany Silverstein

Jew and Gentile, One in Christ

Throughout history, there has been contention between the Jews and Christians.  Even today there are many true Christians who look down on the Jews and wish they didn't exist.  In the Middle East, they want the Arab nations to win against the state of Israel.

The only explanation I know that can explain the animosity between Gentiles and the Jews is that there is a spiritual battle for the hearts of man to either hate or love the Jew.  Satan hates them with a passion and he has corrupted millions of hearts against the Chosen Children of God.

It is interesting to me that God has grafted the Gentile believers onto the same root as the Jews. (Romans 11:11-31)   Ah! But those are Jewish believers.  Yes, but even the unbelievers are still God's Chosen People.  And why do people hate Jewish unbelievers more than Gentile unbelievers?

Galatians 3:28  states that there is neither Jew nor Gentile.  We are one.  To despise a Jew is to disparage someone that God has designed to be brought together with the believer.  Physically we are separate but spiritual we are to be one.

When Christianity was first birthed and Christians were just beginning to join together for worship, Christianity was seen as a Jewish sect of Judaism.  They had the same scriptures, the rabbinical teaching was from a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus.  They would go to synagog every week. Their lives were purely Jewish and their belief was actually the same as other faithful Jews except they believed the Messiah had come and his name was Jesus.

Christianity today is missing out on so much to the detriment of both Jew and Gentile. The Body of Christ will be at its strongest when the two become one again.

To despise the Jew is to despise the body of Christ becoming whole and strong.

Photo Credit: Israel-06639-Hasidic Jews by Dennis Jarvis

The Unmentioned God of Esther

The book of Esther is unique in that God is never mentioned.  The absence of God's name makes this book stand out from all the other books of the Bible.  Does that mean that God is not in the book?  Does it mean that the book is about the actions of men without God?

The story of Esther shows how wicked man can be.  Hamen is the villain of the story.  He is a very powerful man in the kingdom and plots how to kill all the Jews because he doesn't like one Jew who refused to bow to him named Mordicai.  He wants revenge against this man and his people and loves the idea of seeing Mordicai hanging from a high scaffolding.

The only person who can save the Jews is Queen Esther who must risk her life to go see King Ahasuerus.  The king finds out that Haman has plotted against her people, the Jews, and makes it possible for them to fight back and defend themselves.  In the end, Hamam ends up hanging from his own scaffolding.

So where is God?  He is there throughout the story.  He is not seen or mentioned but He is there.  You never hear His voice or see His hand in all the events, but He is there.  God is the one who protected Esther as she went unbidden before the king knowing that doing so meant death unless he held out his scepter to her.  If King Ahasuerus had not done the bidding of Queen Esther, all the jews of the kingdom, including her, would have been slaughtered.  God was there behind the scenes making his will come to fruition.

There are times when we can not see God in our lives.  We feel as if He was a million miles away.  It might seem like darkness has surrounded you and is about to overcome you.  The silence of God seems deafening and you feel all alone.

Even though you can not see His hand, He is working.  Even if you cannot hear His voice, He is still speaking.  Although He feels so far from you, He is right there beside you.  He never abandons us.  He never forgets or ignores His children.  Just as He was never seen in the Book of Esther, but He was working out His purposes for good, God is with you as well

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

Photo Credit: queen-esther-revealing-her-true-identity-mosaic-portrait-lilian-broca by aaron wolpert

Your Existence is Impossible

What are the odds that you should have been born?  Something is considered mathematically impossible if the odds are 1 in 10⁻⁵⁰.  While it is not actually impossible for you to exist, the chances of your existence is mathematically impossible.

The chances that the exact egg from your mother and the exact sperm from your father should come together to make you is very small.  If you take for granted that your mother had the right egg to create you, the odds of the right sperm from your father reaching that egg is 1 in 200-500 million.

200 million to 500 million sperm racing for that egg and the right one won in order to create you.  Of course, that does not take into account the right timing, the right egg or even the chance of your parents meeting at all in the first place.

Just taking the odds of the right sperm winning the race, in two generations (parents and grandparents) it is statistically impossible for you to exist.  Considering the odds of your existence after hundreds of generations of the right man meeting the right woman, having sexual intercourse with the right egg and the right sperm meeting to make the exact right people to eventually create you, is astronomical.

There is only one way that you could exist.  God planned for your birth before the universe was even created.  He knew you long before your birth (Jeremiah 1:5).  God took an impossible event and made it happen.  You were specially designed by God.  You are not an accident, but a creation with a purpose. 

If we follow the plan of God for our lives, we will find fullness, life, peace, hope and a bright future. 
"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"  Jeremiah 29:11

God made sure you are who you are, living at this time in history.  You are so important to Him that He made the impossible happen.

Holiness from the Unholy

Jesus Christ was betrayed through bribery, brutally beaten and tortured, put on trial in an illegal trial, lied about in court, mocked, spat upon and in the end murdered on a cross.  The men who did such a thing were evil men.  Men who were spiritual leaders but in reality were unholy.

How can such unholy actions bring about something so holy as the sacrifice of the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world?  Actually, it was necessary in order to bring about God's will.

Who were the people that were ordained to offer up sacrifices?  It was the priesthood.  The key men who offered up Jesus to be killed were in the Sanhedrin, which was led by the High Priest and the chief priest of the Temple.  Their ministry and calling was to offer up the sacrifices to God.  Only the priest could have offered up the sacrifices.

It was the High Priest alone who could offer up the holiest sacrifice once a year during the Passover.  That was the sacrifice for the forgiveness of the nation's sins.  It was also the High Priest who presided over the Sanhedrin and was the most responsible for delivering Jesus to his death.  The High Priest offered up the lamb of God, the Messiah Jesus, for sacrifice so that the sins of the world could be forgiven.

Out of the dark hearts of men, God created a holy and wonderful act.  From the act of murder, God brought eternal life to all who believe.

What darkness of evil hangs over your head?  What life events have come against you with the goal of your ruin and hopelessness?  God can take the worse event in all of history and turn it to good, and he can take the worse things in your life and turn it for good.

From the unholy plans of Satan, God brings blessings.

Photo Credit: Jesus is covered all over with bruises by Angela Xu

Living in the Hand of God

Where do you find the blessings and safety of God in a world that is getting more violent and crazy every day?  Terrorist are found in every nation.  Murder, theft, rape, and every kind of evil can be found today.  We are living in days that are like the days of Noah.  A world full of sin and wickedness.

There is only one place in this world where we can be safe and where God greatly blesses.  Only one place in all the world where you will find true unadulterated peace.  Do you see the picture above?  Those people have found that one place where God blesses and give them peace.  That place is in Vanuatu where they are missionaries translating the scriptures into a language that never had the written word of God before.  

They live on an island in a native village, far from civilization, with their families. If there is any serious accidents or sickness, it would take many hours to get to civilization where they can be treated.  Their lives are wholly in God's hands.

Does that mean you need to go to Vanuatu also?  NO!  You need to find the will of God for your life.  The missionaries above live in a primitive village in the jungle because they are truly living in God's will.  They are safer there in the hand of God than if they were anywhere in the United States, outside of God's will.

When did God bless Abraham?  Not when he sat safely in his home at Ur of the Chaldees. It would have been easy to stay there comfortably living his life out, but God called him away from there and from his family.  It was not until Abraham walked in the will of God that he was blessed and found greatness. 

Many of us must leave our comfort zones if we want to live in God's will.  We have to leave the safety of the known, to find the blessings of the unknown.  Do you dare to follow God or does fear stop you from living in the hand of God?

To follow the missionaries at Vanuatu add them as friends on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/houghtongretchen.richard

https://www.facebook.com/laura.thulesen

https://www.facebook.com/casey.a.ellis

Redemption from the Broken

If you look at your past life, you might find times you have broken away from God's will and found yourself deep in sin.  You might even wonder how God could ever forgive you.  God is an expert at taken the broken and making it new again.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34 God talks about when the Hebrew Children left the slavery of Egypt, they made a covenant with God.  They received the Ten Commandments and swore to adhere to them, but they broke the covenant they had made with God.  Therefore, God would make a new covenant where God would write his laws upon their hearts.  God would forgive their sins and remember them no more.

Born out of a broken covenant, God created a new covenant.  Out of brokenness came a covenant for everyone, not just the Jewish people. When God's people were living at one of the worst times in history when their people were killed, the cities in ruins and God seemed to have forsaken them, God told them of a New Covenant.  A new hope for them.  

God holds the power to put back together all that is broken and make it new again.  When we fall, God will help us back up.  When we rebel against God, He will forgive those who turn from their sins and follow the His will.  

He has written on the hearts of all who follow Him, what he desires.  He desires for us to know Him by reading His Word in the Bible.  There we will find the glue which holds our brokenness together.  It is in the Scriptures we find the God who redeems the broken.

Photo Credit: Rug Store, 31st Street at Madison Avenue, NoMad, Manhattan by Jeffrey Zeldman

How Strong is a Trusting Christian?

How much power does God have? I have to smile at that question.  No one but God knows the answer to that question because no one can fathom that much power.  It is like imagining what the fifth dimension is like.  We have never seen it, experienced it nor do we have the capacity to understand it with our minute minds.

How much Power does a Christian have?  All the power of God is in your hands without limit.  Forget moving mountains or mulberry trees, that is small compared to the power God has placed in you.  The powers of the universe are insignificant compared to the power that lays within you.

One of the last things Jesus told his disciples was to wait in Jerusalem to receive power. (Luke 24:49) The Greek word for 'power' is Dunamis.  It means power, mighty works, miraculous power, and abundance.

Did Jesus give any restrictions or limitations?  No!  When the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost He came into each believer complete with all the power of God.  The Holy Spirit dwells within each Christian.  The power of God is in you.

Whoa! Now don't start thinking I have gone off the deep end.  That does not mean you can walk up to Washington DC and call down fire and brimstone. 1 John 5:14-15 says,"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him."

What I said about the power of God is true, but it must be according to the will of God. (There goes your Mercedes Benz.)  There are thousands of promises, some say over 5000, found in the Bible.  Not all of them are for you, but thousands are.  If you find a promise of God, you can be sure that every ounce of God's power is there to make sure it is true.

So many times in the Bible God promises He will protect us and be with us wherever we go.  When my daughter Christy had just turned 13 she wanted to go on a two-month missions trip to the Amazon.   We trusted in God's promises to protect her.  God had called her there and she belonged to Him.  She was safer in arms of God in the jungles than if she had been home in our arms.  That might be the point in her life that made her the woman of God she is today.

We trusted the promises of God.  The power of God saw that she came home.  Have you read what God has promised to you?  Do you know what God will do to fulfill those promises in your life?  If you want to know some of the promises for you, there is a book with 199 promises of God you might like, but the best book to read is your Bible.  It has every promise God has ever made to you.  Read it every day and find those golden nuggets meant for you.

God's promises are backed by the love and power of God.

How Unfair was the Battle of David and Goliath?

I want you to understand just how unfair the battle of David and Goliath was.  This was not in any way, shape or manner a fair fight.  I don't think most people really understand, but hopefully, you will.

Goliath was an Anakite, a warlike race of giants who descended from the Nephilim (half man/half demon).  He stood 9ft 9in tall and was strong and ferocious.  He had brass greeves on his legs, a brass helmet and his armor of mail weighted 78 pounds.  He had a spear that was only about five feet long but it was thick and the spearhead was about 18 pounds of Iron.  We don't know how big his sword was but considering his other equipment, I am sure it was big. Goliath was a man of war with fighting experience.  He was the Philistines champion.

David was a young boy of about 16 years of age. He had no armor and only had his sling for a weapon.  King Saul offered his armor to the boy, but David refused it. He had no experience in war although he had killed a lion and bear while shepherding his sheep.

This looks like a very one-sided battle until you take God into account.   That is where Goliath and the Philistines made their mistake.

"David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied." 1 Samuel 17:45

David's weapon was not his sling, but the hand of God. 
"Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;"  Jeremiah 51:20

His armor was found in God.
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11

Poor Goliath.  He was not fighting some little boy.  Goliath was fighting against the God of Israel.  He was up against the all-powerful and awesome creator of the universe.  What the soldiers saw in the flesh, with a giant fighting a young boy, was only in the physical realm.  The true battle was a spiritual battle between the world and God.

Look at the world around you.  Look into the eyes of those who come against you.  Cancer, death, financial problems, marriage problems, and anything else which comes to torment and destroy.  You do not stand alone if God stands with you.  God is the key to victory.  What you see in the world is only part of the battle.  The real battle is found in the spiritual realm. 

God and you are a greater army than the powers of the whole world.

Photo Credit: David i Goliat by Antoni Llena by myBCN Loves Barcelona

Walking Backward Through Life

Could you imagine walking backward for the next hour?  Bumping into walls, tripping over furniture and falling on your keester. You couldn't go very fast and if you did you would probably only accomplishing getting hurt worse.

Now imagine walking backward throughout your life.  Many people you see do it all the time.  They keep looking back at the times people have betrayed them and hurt them.  Their lives are filled with the injustices which have occurred in their lives.  They constantly look back and hate builds up more and more every day.

When I was a student in school, I was bullied.  I can still see the laughing faces of others who enjoyed watching me being hurt by another student.  For a time I wanted revenge.  I wanted to smash their faces in with my fist and never stop.  If I had kept looking to the past, I would have become a sullen and contemptible man that no one would have wanted to be around.  I would never have trusted people enough to become good friends.

Other people always look back at the glory days of their lives.  It is sad to find a fifty-year-old man who still talks about how great he was as a high school basketball player.  That was the highlight of his life and he is always looking back at the past for assurance that he is a worthy person.

When I accepted Christ as my savior, one of the first things God worked on was my anger.  I had to forgive those who had abused me in the past and pray for those who have hurt me.  I was shown by God that I should never look back at my past.  All was forgiven and I could not hold anything against them anymore.  Since I trusted Christ as my Savior, not only from my sins but also from my own destructive thoughts and ways, I have found peace.

God has a future for us all.  If we keep walking backward through life we can not see forward to the riches He has for us.  Why look to past hurts or glory when the future holds such blessings of peace, love, and fulfillment.  We have a future that is greater than anything we could ever imagine or desire.  Keep your eyes on the goal.  Do not look to the right, to the left, or behind you.  Look to your heavenly calling of greatness in Christ.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4: 25-27

Photo credit: 5.20.2011 by Danielle Buma

Of all People, Why would God Save Me?

Don't get me wrong, I am overjoyed that God saved me from Hell.  I know that my future is set and I will live forever with Him in Heaven, but why me?  I know myself. I know my past. I know my thoughts. I know that I am capable of great evil.  So why would God save me?  To me, that is one of the greatest mysteries of the Universe.

I have hurt many people in my life.  I have lied, cheated, stole, and been cruel and vile. I can show you a nice outside, while inside I have evil that lays waiting for a chance to come out.  How can a just God save such a sinner as I?  He knows me inside and out and yet He would send His son into this world to die for me?  It is a preposterous and foolish act on His part to spend the life of His son to save me.

Yet in 1 Corinthians 1:25a it says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,..." I know I am foolish so I will trust that God is wise in what He did.  So why would Jesus die for such a man as I?  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." and in Romans 5:8 it reads, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God loves me even though my heart is full of filth and wickedness.  Jesus died not because I deserved it, but because of his love for me.  I still do not understand such love.  When someone hurts me, I get angry at the person and want revenge, but God loves and forgives because His love is far greater than mine.

How can anyone reject such love?  To reject it would be to deny that such a love exist.  I would be calling God a liar if I was to turn my back on His great love.  I do not deserve His love, but He does not deserve my rejection either.

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."  John 3:36

The Black Dot

The teacher posted a picture at the front of the classroom.  "I want everyone to write what they see in this picture," He said to the class as they looked puzzled at the white sheet of paper with one single black dot on it.

It didn't take the class long to write out what they saw.  Some tried to get scientific about how the light was absorbed by the black dot.  Others spoke of its shape.  Everyone wrote something down and when all the papers were handed in the teacher quickly looked them over. 

"I see that everyone has written about the black dot in the center but no one wrote about the white area it is on.  The white paper is just as important as the black dot.  How could you ever see the dot if there was nothing to place it upon?"

Take your Bible and look at it.  God's words are written there on white paper.  It would be very difficult to have a bible with what God has to say to us without the paper.  The Scriptures cannot be communicated without a medium to bear it to the world.

The greatest medium for God's word is not paper, but lives.  Your life is the medium upon which God has chosen to bear His word to the world.  God's word is to be written on your heart so that your life and your words are witnesses of the work of God and His goodness.  

How many people read the Bible in the United States?  There is an average of 4.4 bibles in the homes of Americans.  57% of Americans read their Bibles 4 or fewer times a year.  Only 19%  of church-going Christians claim to read their Bibles every day.  Of course, that is 19% of people who go to church, and there are only 40% of Americans who claim to go to church weekly.

Most people in the United States, and even more in the rest of the world, do not read what God has said to them in the Scriptures.  There is only one solution to this lack of knowledge of what God says. You!

People see you all the time.  They notice you and judge your words and actions constantly.  In split seconds people decide if they like you or not.  Will they see Christ in your life?  Will they realize that you are a loving person, who accepts them (but not their sins) because of Christ living within your life?  Are you the sacred medium of God's word that God designed you to be?

"Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 2 Timothy 4:2

Looking Back

The story of Lot and his family running away from the destruction of Sodom is a well-known story.  Sodom was an evil and corrupt city and God decided to destroy it.  Lot lived in Sodom and even was a judge at the city gates. Angels came to the city and told Lot what was to happen.  The only righteous people found in the city was Lot, his wife, and two daughters.  If there had been only 10 righteous, God would have spared the city.

Lot and his family ran from the city, but they had been told not to look back.  As they fleed, Lot's wife turned around and looked back at Sodom.  The word for 'looked back' in the Hebrew means to consider, show regard to.  She didn't just look back to see what was happening, but she was considering the loss of her past life.  She regarded Sodom as a great personal loss.  She enjoyed her life there with people who were rebellious against God.  Her heart still yearned for her former life and God turned her into a pillar of salt.

We live in a city of Sodom.  This world is our city of Sodom.  A city full sin, corruption and rebellion against God.  This world of sin calls us to come and join its debauchery.  Immoral sex is considered normal.  Lying is rampant and you can not trust anyone's word.  Violence is in the news every day.  Hate, racism, adultery, blasphemy, dishonor, cruelty, and every kind of evil is found in this world we call home.

Each of us is called out of this world by God and we are not to look back.  Our home is with Jesus Christ, and we are to start living a saintly, heavenly life now.  We are to look forward to our eternal lives with God.  A life free from the bondage of sin and full of the blessings of God.

Do not look upon anything in this world with eyes of envy or desire.  Do not grasp anything from here to hold and keep.  Keep your eyes on the future. This world is our past.  All that is here is worthless.  It will all rot, decay and pass away.

Jim Elliot knew this truth.  He gave all in this world and looked only to the future glory God had prepared for him.  He said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Joseph, The Shadow

There are many foreshadows of the Messiah found in Scriptures.  Shadows that came before him and revealed who the Messiah was.  Joseph was one of those shadows.

Joseph was the beloved son of his father.
Jesus was the beloved son of his father, God.

Joseph was sent on a mission to his brothers
Jesus was sent on a mission to his brothers, the nation of Israel.

Joseph was despised, rejected and plotted against.
Jesus was despised, rejected and plotted against to have him killed.

Joseph was falsely accused and though innocent, was arrested, thrown into prison and suffered because of the sins of others.
Jesus was falsely accused and though innocent, was arrested and suffered punishment for the sins of the world.

Joseph was raised up from the prison and seated in glory on the throne of the Egyptian Kingdom.
Jesus was raised up from the dead and seated upon the throne of glory.

Joseph was the redeemer of Egypt and responsible for saving the entire nation from death.
Jesus is the Redeemer of all people and is the savior of the world from eternal death.

From Genisis to Revelation, Jesus Christ is found.

Photo Credit: Cross shadow by Marjorie Turner

The Blessing and Cursing of Israel

There is a law in this world that is as sure as the Law of Gravity.  Those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed.  This law has held true throughout history because it is a promise of God.

Four thousand years ago God spoke to Abraham, a man of faith who left his family and country behind so that he could follow the leading of God.  God promised Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse...." Genesis 12:3a

Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Rome where the greatest kingdoms on earth, but they could not escape the promise God gave to Abraham.  Egypt at one time was the worlds greatest empire, but they oppressed the children of Abraham.  The Hebrews were slaves to the Egyptians until they were led out of Egypt by Moses.  It was at this time that Egypt, the most powerful nation of its time, collapsed to never rise again to be a world power.

Great Britain had become a refuge for the Jews of the world.  They were not persecuted as they were in many other countries of Europe.  They were able to prosper, while in other countries they were limited in what occupations they could have and their property could be legally stolen.  Great Britain had colonies all over the world.  It was the most expansive empire in all of world history.  Then the British reversed their position on the Jews people. They turned their backs on the Jews who were fleeing the Holocaust.  Suddenly this great empire collapsed to virtually nothing.

The country that came to the aid of the Jews was The United States of America.  They welcomed the Jews and became their greatest refuge and protector.  Because of them blessing the Children of Abraham, The United States became the greatest world power of its time.

When God speaks, it is surer than any laws or facts that we can know.   Take any promise found in His Word and believe it with all of your heart. You can trust it with your life.

Photo Credit: Nordhausen 5 by Louise Palanker

The Cornerstone of Life

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down for the Passover Seder.  They ate together and talked about what would happen soon.  Following tradition, at the end of the meal, they would end by singing songs. 

The songs they would sing were from the Psalms and the last of these which were sung was Psalm 118.  In the psalm is found these words, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;" Psalm 118:22

Jesus was that cornerstone.  He was despised and rejected.  His own people abhorred him so much that they had him executed on the cross.  That one man was so hated that they ended his life in the most painful and humiliating way they knew.  He hung naked for hours nailed to a cross for every to see.  They spat on him, mocked him and laughed at his shame. 

Today people still reject him.  People make jokes about him and laugh at the thought of Jesus being God.  Images of him are spat upon, urinated on, destroyed and burned in effigy.  The hate for Jesus has not diminished but has spread.  We are no different today than the Jews of Jesus' time.

Yet he is the cornerstone of all the world.  A cornerstone is the foundational block around which a building is built. It is used as a guide to make a building square and true.  The cornerstone was essential to making a strong building that would last.

If we are to have a strong life full of what is true, we need to have Jesus as the cornerstone of our lives.  Kings and queens recognized him as the cornerstone and have bowed down to him as lord of their lives.  Men and women throughout history have recognized how essential Christ is and have followed him.  Those who rejected Jesus and ignored the love he holds out to everyone will spend eternity in the fires of Hell.

Jesus must become our cornerstone.  All we do, say and see today must be built upon the foundational cornerstone of Jesus Christ.

Photo Credit: Beth Israel Menorah Institute Euterpe Cornerstone by Infrogmation of New Orleans

When Darkness Falls

In Scripture, darkness is a symbol of evil and the light is a symbol of goodness and of God.  When the evil in the world occurs, darkness is prevailing and bringing hate, destruction, and death.

Darkness can not drive out the light.  If you have a sunny day outside, you can not take a flashlight-like device which shines darkness and shine it to make things disappear into a patch of night.  Darkness is not something you can create by adding anything.  You can only make darkness by taking away the light.

The heart of man is the same.  Everyone's heart has darkness in it.  We have all sinned.  We all have done evil. We all have deceitful hearts which want their own way.  Some are darker than others but we all possess that darkness to some degree.

There is only one cure for the darkness in our hearts and that is the light of God.  Everywhere there is evil, the only permanent cure is found in Jesus Christ who said in John 8:12 "...I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Every dark act of every individual in the world starts with the heart.  Lust dwells in the heart of man. Hate dwells in the heart of man.  Every kind of evil dwells in the heart of man.  "For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Matthew 15:19

You can take away guns, take people to court and even put them behind bars but the darkness will still abide in their hearts.  The only way to cure the evil actions of people is to cure their heart by driving out the darkness of evil.  Only Jesus Christ can change a heart.  Only Jesus is the cure because only he is the light of the world.

Until we all recognize Jesus as the light of the world, we will always have the darkness of evil in the world.

Photo Credit: When Darkness Falls by Ghetu Daniel