My Pet Peeve: "It's an Act of God"

We all have our own particular pet peeves.  One that makes me cringe is when I hear someone call a tragedy an "Act of God".  To them an act of God is when a hurricane or tornado destroys cities, homes and takes lives.  When a tree falls on a house, it is an act of God.  If lightning strikes a person, it is an act of God.  It seems that whenever anything terrible happens, and we can not point a finger at some person, it is an act of God.

If I was a man who swore, this is where I would give you my boldest, loudest, most damning expletive. NO! NO! NO!  Every death, sickness, and tragedy is a result of man.  Yes, even the weather such as hurricanes is a result of man.

When God created this world for us, it was a perfect paradise.  There was no sickness.  There were no storms, earthquakes or tornadoes.  In fact there wasn't even any decay or death.  Man lived a perfect, peaceful life until he rebelled against God.  That rebellion caused death, sickness and pain to come into this world.  Man lost a part of himself which was pure and perfect and he could no long pass that down to his children.  And so mankind was cursed to live the sin burdened lives we have now in this world.

After Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, their descendants grew in number and also in rebellion against God.  The people became so corrupt that God had to save Noah and his family before even they were corrupted into a life full of sin.  So God destroyed all flesh and in doing so He changed the weather and the lands to where they are now unstable.  Earthquakes and storms are now found all around the world as a result of man's rebellion.

You want to know what an act of God really is?  Cancer is a result of man's sin, but there are people walking around today that God has healed.  People who were to die in weeks or months are alive and well after many years because of God.

God has brought marriages back together.  He has comforted those who have experienced loss.  If someone dies we say, "God took him."  No.  Sin took that person from us but, if they knew Jesus as Savior, God carried them home to Him.

Acts of God are acts of love, not tragedy.

Why Would a Loving God Kill a Whole Nation?

Most people can not understand why God, who the Bible says is love, would command a nation of people to be killed.  Not just the soldiers, but every man, woman and child was to be put to death.  It seems counter to what any caring and loving person would do.

In 1 Samuel 15 God orders Saul to kill all the Amalekites.  Every man, woman, child and baby was to die. Even the animals were to be put to death.  Saul disobeyed God. You might think that Saul was more loving than God was, but that is not true.  God had ordered the death of the Amalekites because of His love for Israel.

God did love the Amalekites, but He also knew their hearts and what the future held if they were to live.  God looks not only at what is happening now, but also what the results of today's actions will bring tomorrow.

Because of Saul's disobedience to kill every Amalekite, the people of Israel suffered.  A wicked man named Haman devised a plot to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire.  Haman was an Amalekite. He didn't succeed because God used Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai to stop Haman's plot.

God is the Great Physician not only of our bodies but of our lives.  When a Doctor finds a cancer it must be removed before it affects the rest of the body.  The Amalekites had a heart that was godless and dark.  Israel tried to befriend them, but their hatred for Israel brought them to war against Israel. God knew that this Amalekite cancer would only get worse.  Just as a Doctor would never want to remove an arm from a patient, God did not want to kill all the Amalekites.  But just as a Doctor does remove a cancerous arm before the cancer spreads and kills the patient; God ordered the Amalekites removed.

God never wants to cause pain in the world or in our lives, but because He knows what the future holds in this world, He does bring pain in order to save us.  We can not judge what God does because we can not see what He sees.  We can only trust Him and His love for us that it will all works out for good. 

What Does Amen Mean?

The Hebrew word for faith is Emunah.  The root of this word is Emun which means truth, solid, sure, support.  Faith is a surety of what is not seen being true and solid.  Emunah also means steadfast, established, and stable.  The more faith you have, the more established and stable the object of your faith becomes in your life.   When you have faith in God, He becomes stronger and more established in your life.

Another word that comes from the same root word is amen.  It sounds like emun or emunah.  To say amen is to say "That is true."  "Yes, I have faith in that."  Faith is to say amen to God. It is to say amen to God's salvation. Amen to His love. Amen to the reality of God.

Saying Amen is to say, "My whole being, my heart and my soul stand steadfast in the knowledge that what God says is true.  I stand on His word which is a solid rock that shall never fail me.  Here I stand, I can not do otherwise." 

The Cursed Crown of Christ

A crown is placed on the head of the person who is to rule.  It symbolizes how the weight of the kingdom now rests upon his head.  He is the one who now has the authority over those who the crown represents.

Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns.  Thorns are the result of the sin committed in the Garden of Eden.  The thorns represent the curse of sin.  No man in all of history has had authority over sin. Sin has wrecked havoc over the entire human race, until Jesus came.  Jesus wore the crown of thorns which was placed on his head to mock him, but instead Jesus wore that crown of suffering and death as a true king.

Jesus does have authority over the curse of sin.  He is the King over injustice. He is the King over suffering and death.  Jesus Christ is the King over all sin.

The Cursed Crown of Christ has become the Blessed Crown of Life.

Photo Credit: Crown of Thorns by Doug1021

OMG!?

You hear the phrase "OMG!" or "Oh my God!" all the time.  Even many Christians use it and perhaps you use it as well.  I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on you, but I don't think people who use that phrase really think about what they are saying.

Exodus 20:7 says "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

The key to understanding this verse is found in the word "vain."  The Hebrew word for vain is shawv. Shawv meant destructive evil, to ruin morally, vain, lying, false and uselessness.  It is an interesting word.  Cursing someone such as "God damn you!" would definitely be classified as evil and destructive.  It is also very vain to think that you can command God to cast someone into eternal torment. Using God's name to swear falsely or to lie something like "I swear to God!" is assuming that you have the right to swear on God, or have Him as your witness.

OMG falls under the heading of uselessness.  Saying "Jesus!" or "Jesus Christ!" also is using the name of God uselessly.  God's name is more than just some words.  Have you noticed that names have a meaning?  A person's name represents not just the person, but the essence of that person.  My name is David which means beloved. Most people don't think of the meaning of my name, but to me it says that I am God's beloved.  It has helped to remind me of my place with God and I have striven to please the one who loves me so.  It has helped to make me who I am today.

There are rules on how to honor the American flag.  You do not let the flag touch the ground, or the floor. You stand up and take off your hat when it passes by.  You honor the flag because it represents the United States of America.  We are to honor the name of God just like that.  Just as you would never use the American flag as a rug to walk on, you don't walk all over the name of God with useless or vile words.

Would you dishonor your loved one's name? This blog is about mysteries and the mystery here is: "Why do we dishonor the name of our God?"

Photo Credit: no cartoon swearing by AdsitAdventures

You are a Poem of God

I am terrible at writing poetry.  A poem flows smoothly, with rhythm and structure. It can bring laughter or tears.  A poem can make you think deeply or help you to just enjoy life.   It expresses emotions from the heart and can be a beautiful masterpiece of the spirit.

Do you know about the Poem of God?  In Ephesians 2:10 the word workmanship is the Greek word Poihma.  Poihma is where we get the word Poem.  So Ephesians 2:10 then would read. "So we are His poem,..."

You are a poem of God.  He is the author of your life.  He is creating you as a poem filled with love, peace, goodness, and His Spirit. As you let God write your poem, it enhances the flow with His Spirit in all that you are. Your heart will then beat with His heart.  You are the Poem of God. You are a masterpiece of God. 

The Latter Rain Mystery

In Israel they have two rainy seasons.  The former rains which comes just after summer, and the latter rains which occur just before spring planting.  These rains are essential to life in Israel.  Without the rains the land of Israel would be a dry desert where nothing could live.

In the book of Joel, God promises to send both the former rain and the latter rain, but He also promises to send His Spirit to His people and on those who serve Him.  There was a spiritual rain which was poured out in Acts 2 at Pentecost.  Jewish believers and people from all over the known world were blessed by this former rain of the spirit, which brought life and strength to those who followed Christ.

The latter rain is promised to come at the last days.  The pouring out of the Spirit will bring life and strength to serve God.  It will embolden believers to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, just as it did the first time.  And just as it started in Israel and spread throughout the world, I believe it will do so again.  144,000 Jewish evangelist are prophesied in Revelation to preach Christ and the world will hear from them and others who come to Christ.  Israel is where God does His greatest works.

Does this mean we are to wait for the out pouring of the spirit today?  Heaven forbid! We are to seek out The Spirit every moment of our lives.  We do not need a great revival of thousands in order to have a revival of our own heart.  Stop seeking the movement of God in a great revival and seek the movement of God in your own heart.