We are told in the Bible to pray on all things. We are also told to be anxious for nothing, but to offer prayers and petitions to God. Well I have been asked before and even asked this question myself. If and when we pray, does that or will that change God's mind?
In the beginning, the first book of the Bible, Genesis, Abraham the forefather of the Israelites, is asking that the Lord not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleads as we will see in the verses below to save the cities if they have any righteous in them.
23Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
24"Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
25"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"
26So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account."
27And Abraham replied, "Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.
28"Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
29He spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose forty are found there?" And He said, "I will not do it on account of the forty."
30Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
31And he said, "Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the twenty."
32Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the ten."
33As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
First of all, as we asked in our Wednesday prayer class when looking at the passage, why did Abraham stop at ten? Did he feel like he was pushing the Lord too much? Did he in pleading with the Lord get a revelation or sense as to what God was going to do anyway? He was pleading for Lot, that's why he didn't want the cities destroyed...Lot lived there. Well even though Abraham was a great bargainer, the Lord in the next chapter sends to angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy them. Abraham's prayer was still heard though in that Lot and a handful of his family was brought out of the cities before they were destroyed. Unfortunately his wife disobeyed the Lord and looked back as they were leaving and turned into a pillar of salt. That's a subject for another time, but I do want to note, don't do anything God tells you not to do.
To stay on topic, Abraham asked God to not destroy Sodom and Gemorrah, even pleaded with him, but it was God's will to do it. So it had to be done. God did know of Abraham's wish to have Lot spared and God being merciful and gracious granted him that. God did answer Abraham's prayer just not in the way Abraham had wanted or asked. Remember that...God knows what's best in the end for us and that is how he will answer all our prayers. Not for our will, but for His.
7Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8"They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
9The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.
10"Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."
Moses' Entreaty 11Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12"Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.
13"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
14So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.
This is the story of the golden calf and the plea from Moses to God to spare the people from God's wrath. God had planned to pour out His wrath on them and make a great nation out of Moses. After Moses' plea, verse 14 says "so the Lord changed his mind about the harm which he said he would do to his people." (NASB) The King James version says God repented and other versions say God relented. What it boils down to is God did not destroy the Israelites like He was going to and make a great nation for Moses. So does God change His mind? In the end, God's will is always carried out. God may change the means to which the end comes about but it is always according to His will since He is sovereign. His mind may change, but His will does not. For His will to change would mean God is not perfect, which is absolutely not true. God is true perfection.
My prayer for all is that we bring our troubles and thanks and prayers to God no matter how big or small they may seem. That we may open our eyes to glimpse the way of which God's hand is working in all our prayers.That we see the beauty and glory of His perfect will.
With Love and prayers always.
C.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
"STORMS"
I wanted to do this blog on Jesus' teachings on love and compassion to all His creation, and all the analogies He uses referring us and Him many times as animals of one kind or another. Well that is still in the works so I'm gonna do this one on the storms that come along in our lives. We all face trials and temptations in life, and in times like that I find great comfort in the teachings Jesus gives us on the storms others have faced in His day and the way God uses it to show Himself and His power to us. I am pretty sure I have done a blog before on problems we face and go through in life. The Bible teaches that such times will come, for not even Jesus was spared trials and temptations. We will not be spared hard times, but instead we will be made and conformed into that of which God wants us to be through them.
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Matthew 8:23-27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Now this is a literal storm that the disciples went through here, and imagine the fear that must have gripped them, for they thought they were gonna die. Now I gotta ask, how is it Jesus was sleeping during a raging storm like this? Do you sometimes feel that God is sleeping when you are in the middle of a raging storm that is trying to consume your life? Do you feel like He is not hearing your cries and waking up to calm the storm like He did for the disciples here? Well, the storms will and are coming, and rest assured that Jesus knows that they are and He knows the best way to calm them.
I have no doubt that Jesus knew this storm was coming before He even got in the boat. He slept and was in the boat during the storm with them (as in life He is with us) and He wanted to show them what faith really was, and to in times of trouble cry out and call upon Him. Many times in the gospels things like this happened so that Jesus could teach the disciples (and us) to rely, depend, and trust in Him completely. This story shows a touching picture of Christs humanity that He fell asleep and was so weary that not even the violent rocking of the boat woke Him. This story also shows us of His power as the Son of God that He awoke and rebuked the sea and winds and they obeyed Him. In the storms and the good times of life, that's the type of Saviour I choose to serve and obey!
The next set of scriptures I am gonna comment on is the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus found in John 11:1-44. (Bear with me for I know this is alot of scriptures.)
1Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
4But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
7Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
8The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"
9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10"But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
11This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep."
12The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
15and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him."
16Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."
17So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22"Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world."
28When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."
29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.
30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35Jesus wept.
36So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved him!"
37But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?"
38So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."
40Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
41So they removed the stone Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42"I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me."
43When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."
44The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
This is the story of Lazarus. Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus as we see in verse 5. His sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. When Jesus received this news He waited two days until He decided to go back to see him. Now He tells His disciples that they are going back to see Lazarus because he has fallen asleep (verse 11). The disciples are worried about the Jews in that area wanting to kill Jesus and say if he has fallen asleep he will awaken, and this is the part to really ponder, Jesus says "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe." It goes on to show how distressed Mary and Martha were over the death of their brother and the power of Christ to come back and raise Him from the dead on the forth day of Lazarus' death.
Jesus knew the storm was coming and as we see He had the power to calm it. He said that Lazarus' sickness would not end in death. You say he did die? Yes he did but in the end he was alive and I bet more alive than he had ever been. Lazarus died and lived again to bring glory to God. Never forget that God is Huge! So huge that our biggest storms in life, including death, are nothing to Him. No one can begin to even ponder the greatness and awesomeness of God. The human mind literally does not have that capacity. So please, in the storms of your life call and lean on Him. He may not answer your prayers and requests how you make ask or like, but He is sovereign and does have your best interests in mind in all that He does. He let Lazarus die, and was glad, because it showed many who He was and the power He has.
My prayer for all is that we do indeed try to see things in the holy and awesome way that God does. That we see the beauty that lies just beyond the storms in our lives, and the power and glory in the hand whom calms the storms. With love and prayers always.
C.
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Matthew 8:23-27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Now this is a literal storm that the disciples went through here, and imagine the fear that must have gripped them, for they thought they were gonna die. Now I gotta ask, how is it Jesus was sleeping during a raging storm like this? Do you sometimes feel that God is sleeping when you are in the middle of a raging storm that is trying to consume your life? Do you feel like He is not hearing your cries and waking up to calm the storm like He did for the disciples here? Well, the storms will and are coming, and rest assured that Jesus knows that they are and He knows the best way to calm them.
I have no doubt that Jesus knew this storm was coming before He even got in the boat. He slept and was in the boat during the storm with them (as in life He is with us) and He wanted to show them what faith really was, and to in times of trouble cry out and call upon Him. Many times in the gospels things like this happened so that Jesus could teach the disciples (and us) to rely, depend, and trust in Him completely. This story shows a touching picture of Christs humanity that He fell asleep and was so weary that not even the violent rocking of the boat woke Him. This story also shows us of His power as the Son of God that He awoke and rebuked the sea and winds and they obeyed Him. In the storms and the good times of life, that's the type of Saviour I choose to serve and obey!
The next set of scriptures I am gonna comment on is the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus found in John 11:1-44. (Bear with me for I know this is alot of scriptures.)
1Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
4But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
7Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
8The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"
9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10"But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
11This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep."
12The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
15and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him."
16Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him."
17So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22"Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world."
28When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."
29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.
30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.
31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
34and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35Jesus wept.
36So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved him!"
37But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?"
38So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."
40Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
41So they removed the stone Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42"I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me."
43When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."
44The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
This is the story of Lazarus. Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus as we see in verse 5. His sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. When Jesus received this news He waited two days until He decided to go back to see him. Now He tells His disciples that they are going back to see Lazarus because he has fallen asleep (verse 11). The disciples are worried about the Jews in that area wanting to kill Jesus and say if he has fallen asleep he will awaken, and this is the part to really ponder, Jesus says "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe." It goes on to show how distressed Mary and Martha were over the death of their brother and the power of Christ to come back and raise Him from the dead on the forth day of Lazarus' death.
Jesus knew the storm was coming and as we see He had the power to calm it. He said that Lazarus' sickness would not end in death. You say he did die? Yes he did but in the end he was alive and I bet more alive than he had ever been. Lazarus died and lived again to bring glory to God. Never forget that God is Huge! So huge that our biggest storms in life, including death, are nothing to Him. No one can begin to even ponder the greatness and awesomeness of God. The human mind literally does not have that capacity. So please, in the storms of your life call and lean on Him. He may not answer your prayers and requests how you make ask or like, but He is sovereign and does have your best interests in mind in all that He does. He let Lazarus die, and was glad, because it showed many who He was and the power He has.
My prayer for all is that we do indeed try to see things in the holy and awesome way that God does. That we see the beauty that lies just beyond the storms in our lives, and the power and glory in the hand whom calms the storms. With love and prayers always.
C.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Compassion To All: Part One
We had some real good storms a couple weeks back with a lot of rain. As I was walking into work I noticed that this soaking we needed had really brought out the frogs (toads). So I mentioned this to a fellow employee sitting at one of the picnic tables outside. And he tells me, "ya they are really out, but it's a shame because some idiot will start stomping on them on his way in".
What satisfaction does a person get from something I see as so terrible? Why would you kill something (whether a frog, dog, cat, mouse, whatever) for fun? I really don't get people at times. I think we should do all we can to protect God's creation since we were entrusted with dominion over them. (Genesis 1:28-31) I think so many people misunderstand that statement. We do have, granted by God, dominion over the birds and creatures of the earth. Should we not use that dominion in a compassionate and merciful way like our Heavenly Father who has dominion over us does? An old quote I found interesting goes like this; "A truly religious man does not ask how far this or that deserves sympathy...,to him, life as such is sacred."
There are many verses in the Bible that deal with God's relationship with us and animals. As well as our relationship with animals. Look at the great flood in Noah's day. God saved Noah's family and two of every kind of animal (seven of each of the clean animals) in Genesis 7:1-3. And after the flood we see that God made a covenant with Noah, his family and all animals and earth that he will never destroy earth again with a flood. Genesis 9:8-10 "Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying; and as for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you; the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth." I find it interesting that God mentions the animals too. They are his creation after all, for we cannot breathe life into things, only God can.
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 "For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust and all return to the dust." This verse tells us that in the end, whether beast or man, we all die. For all come from dust and all will return to dust. We are guaranteed eternal life through Jesus Christ, animals are not mentioned in that salvation. So to all the people who ask if they're dog or cat went to "doggy or kitty heaven", I must admit that the Bible does not teach this. However I can say in the beginning in the garden of Eden there were animals. And many prophecies for the future kingdom of God show animals present and in harmony with one another. Isaiah 11:6-9 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; there young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobras hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the vipers den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Hosea 2:18 "In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creepy things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely."
Both these scriptures we just read speak of the coming kingdom of Christ where all will live in harmony as was in the garden of Eden. I love the verse where the lion will eat straw like an ox. I will do my next blog on the New Testament and Jesus' teachings on compassion and love to all including his Father's creation. I hope I didn't lose any of you in this cause it got longer than I'd hoped. But so many people are just mean to animals and I don't get it! They have the breath of life in them just as you and I do. I don't get how a Christian can ask for mercy from God who is above when he shows no mercy to what is below him. The scriptures make clear that God expects humans to be caretakers of his creation.
My prayer for all is that we see the value and the beauty of God in his creation of us, his animals and nature. That we treat all people and animals with love, mercy and compassion as God so wonderfully does for us. With love and prayers always.
C.
What satisfaction does a person get from something I see as so terrible? Why would you kill something (whether a frog, dog, cat, mouse, whatever) for fun? I really don't get people at times. I think we should do all we can to protect God's creation since we were entrusted with dominion over them. (Genesis 1:28-31) I think so many people misunderstand that statement. We do have, granted by God, dominion over the birds and creatures of the earth. Should we not use that dominion in a compassionate and merciful way like our Heavenly Father who has dominion over us does? An old quote I found interesting goes like this; "A truly religious man does not ask how far this or that deserves sympathy...,to him, life as such is sacred."
There are many verses in the Bible that deal with God's relationship with us and animals. As well as our relationship with animals. Look at the great flood in Noah's day. God saved Noah's family and two of every kind of animal (seven of each of the clean animals) in Genesis 7:1-3. And after the flood we see that God made a covenant with Noah, his family and all animals and earth that he will never destroy earth again with a flood. Genesis 9:8-10 "Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying; and as for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you; the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth." I find it interesting that God mentions the animals too. They are his creation after all, for we cannot breathe life into things, only God can.
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 "For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust and all return to the dust." This verse tells us that in the end, whether beast or man, we all die. For all come from dust and all will return to dust. We are guaranteed eternal life through Jesus Christ, animals are not mentioned in that salvation. So to all the people who ask if they're dog or cat went to "doggy or kitty heaven", I must admit that the Bible does not teach this. However I can say in the beginning in the garden of Eden there were animals. And many prophecies for the future kingdom of God show animals present and in harmony with one another. Isaiah 11:6-9 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; there young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobras hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the vipers den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Hosea 2:18 "In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creepy things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely."
Both these scriptures we just read speak of the coming kingdom of Christ where all will live in harmony as was in the garden of Eden. I love the verse where the lion will eat straw like an ox. I will do my next blog on the New Testament and Jesus' teachings on compassion and love to all including his Father's creation. I hope I didn't lose any of you in this cause it got longer than I'd hoped. But so many people are just mean to animals and I don't get it! They have the breath of life in them just as you and I do. I don't get how a Christian can ask for mercy from God who is above when he shows no mercy to what is below him. The scriptures make clear that God expects humans to be caretakers of his creation.
My prayer for all is that we see the value and the beauty of God in his creation of us, his animals and nature. That we treat all people and animals with love, mercy and compassion as God so wonderfully does for us. With love and prayers always.
C.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
"The Small Things"
I was at a education committee meeting at church a while back and we read a story of some American missionaries that were in a poor third world country working to spread the good news of Christ. The story talked of the things they were learning, especially how poor other parts of the world really are. The lady writing it said that her family always said grace before a meal and gave thanks for the food they were blessed with, yet didn't realize how much of a blessing that was til they had to go with lack of on their missionary journeys. That really got me to thinking how spoiled we are in this country in the sense of food.
How many times have you had to go to bed hungry because you had nothing in the pantry to cook or eat? How many times have you had to tell your kids its time to go to bed, we will eat tomorrow? I am not a wealthy man according to this societies measure but that is something I am fortunate enough to say I have never been through. Many people in other countries and even this one face this struggle everyday. I know we have all seen the starving kids on TV and heard about the lack of food elsewhere and the crisis that it is. I do not say this to make you feel bad or anything of that nature.
Think about the faith that would produce in a person if they literally had to rely on God completely for their next meal. Something we so often take for granted yet need to survive. I have heard of remarkable miracles happening in places like these that we don't hear often here and I just wonder if it has to do with the amount of faith people like this have. You have to truly go without something to know what a blessing it really is and these people know this firsthand. It's easy to say God is great and go to church on Sundays and maybe volunteer for some church activities, but its when the true hardships come and we are forced to go without that true awesome faith is produced in us. That's when God does His most powerful acts and works to and through us. We so often, and I am extremely guilty of this at times, overlook all the "small things" in life that actually are not that small. Many people will die in their sleep tonight and we will go through the day never thanking God for the breath in our lungs. We will eat at least two to three meals tomorrow not realizing what a treasure and blessing it is. We will notice our friend has a nicer car than ours and we will not thank God that we have a vehicle that runs and gets us to work and our kids to school. We will forget what a blessing it is we can cloth our kids and send them to get a free education. On and on and on I could go.
I am going to put the story of Elijah and the widow at the end of this post for any who would like to read don't have to go find their bibles right away. Most of you know the story, the widow had enough oil and flour for one cake for her and her son then she was going to starve to death. Elijah said to make him a cake from it and them one as well as The Lord will not allow the oil to dry up nor the flour jar to be used up until the rain comes. (There was a severe famine because Elijah said the Lord will not allow it to rain because of their disobedience and worshipping of false Gods. This drought lasted about three and a half years. James 5:17) Think about the faith of this woman. Her last meal for her and her son and this stranger walks in and wants that last meal. Look at verse 12 says, she isn't even a believer in Elijah's God for she says "As the Lord your God lives...".
Now I got to ask you a question, what would you do. Be honest with yourselves. You would say no. I would say no. Most of us in this situation would honestly say no and in essence would miss this miracle that God wanted to do through us. I have a hunch that the Lord really pressed this on her heart but that is just my opinion, either way it is still amazing to me. This woman was down to literally nothing and not even a believer in the true God at this moment, yet had the faith to try anything since she had nothing to lose. We can all learn a great deal from this remarkable story, there is alot more in here than just some story we tell our kids.
This post is dedicated to my grandpa. I asked him today if he ever had to go without because I knew he was raised in extremely poor conditions and he remembered his mom saying we just have to go to bed tonight because we have no food. I pray that he and us see God in these situations for he is now sixty five years old. The Lord brought him through those times safe and with a great future. I pray we all see Gods hand in all the "small things" as well as the big things in our lives. May we a go forth with our faith, hope, and trust completely in Him.
With love and prayers.
C.
Elijah and the Widow (1 Kings 17:8-16)
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’” 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
How many times have you had to go to bed hungry because you had nothing in the pantry to cook or eat? How many times have you had to tell your kids its time to go to bed, we will eat tomorrow? I am not a wealthy man according to this societies measure but that is something I am fortunate enough to say I have never been through. Many people in other countries and even this one face this struggle everyday. I know we have all seen the starving kids on TV and heard about the lack of food elsewhere and the crisis that it is. I do not say this to make you feel bad or anything of that nature.
Think about the faith that would produce in a person if they literally had to rely on God completely for their next meal. Something we so often take for granted yet need to survive. I have heard of remarkable miracles happening in places like these that we don't hear often here and I just wonder if it has to do with the amount of faith people like this have. You have to truly go without something to know what a blessing it really is and these people know this firsthand. It's easy to say God is great and go to church on Sundays and maybe volunteer for some church activities, but its when the true hardships come and we are forced to go without that true awesome faith is produced in us. That's when God does His most powerful acts and works to and through us. We so often, and I am extremely guilty of this at times, overlook all the "small things" in life that actually are not that small. Many people will die in their sleep tonight and we will go through the day never thanking God for the breath in our lungs. We will eat at least two to three meals tomorrow not realizing what a treasure and blessing it is. We will notice our friend has a nicer car than ours and we will not thank God that we have a vehicle that runs and gets us to work and our kids to school. We will forget what a blessing it is we can cloth our kids and send them to get a free education. On and on and on I could go.
I am going to put the story of Elijah and the widow at the end of this post for any who would like to read don't have to go find their bibles right away. Most of you know the story, the widow had enough oil and flour for one cake for her and her son then she was going to starve to death. Elijah said to make him a cake from it and them one as well as The Lord will not allow the oil to dry up nor the flour jar to be used up until the rain comes. (There was a severe famine because Elijah said the Lord will not allow it to rain because of their disobedience and worshipping of false Gods. This drought lasted about three and a half years. James 5:17) Think about the faith of this woman. Her last meal for her and her son and this stranger walks in and wants that last meal. Look at verse 12 says, she isn't even a believer in Elijah's God for she says "As the Lord your God lives...".
Now I got to ask you a question, what would you do. Be honest with yourselves. You would say no. I would say no. Most of us in this situation would honestly say no and in essence would miss this miracle that God wanted to do through us. I have a hunch that the Lord really pressed this on her heart but that is just my opinion, either way it is still amazing to me. This woman was down to literally nothing and not even a believer in the true God at this moment, yet had the faith to try anything since she had nothing to lose. We can all learn a great deal from this remarkable story, there is alot more in here than just some story we tell our kids.
This post is dedicated to my grandpa. I asked him today if he ever had to go without because I knew he was raised in extremely poor conditions and he remembered his mom saying we just have to go to bed tonight because we have no food. I pray that he and us see God in these situations for he is now sixty five years old. The Lord brought him through those times safe and with a great future. I pray we all see Gods hand in all the "small things" as well as the big things in our lives. May we a go forth with our faith, hope, and trust completely in Him.
With love and prayers.
C.
Elijah and the Widow (1 Kings 17:8-16)
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’” 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Drug Raids
So Friday night there was a huge drug raid that went on here in our town. It was a 3 county project that aimed at cracking down on those who deal crack cocaine and other illegal drugs. Any of you out there have a serious addiction? I have talked about illegal drugs and addictions before. This instance hit close to home, literally, considering it was practically in my front yard. And after reading the list of people arrested, I saw a good friend I had in high school was one of them. Apparently he has not changed much since high school and has stayed on the same path. It got me to thinking that I could have been one of those names on the list had I stayed on that same path.
I am all for law enforcement cracking down on drugs for that slavery of addiction to drugs and money causes the addict to do things he otherwise would not. Lying, cheating, stealing, sometimes even killing. I must admit though, my heart aches for these addicts as well. We are responsible for what we sow, I don't deny that. Yet when we make a bad decision that causes us to become a slave to an addiction that is hard to overcome it can be hard to recover from that bad decision since it leads into a cycle of bad decisions. Romans 6:17-19 "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification."
I really feel that we need to pray for people who are addicted and so wrapped up in this drug world. I truly believe a lot of them will never be able to quit and get out of this slavery to drugs and money without the awesome hand of God interceding. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Many of us know this verse and it plainly tells us that with God we can overcome addiction any anything for that matter with Him.
I know it sounds crazy to some, but I ask that you pray for these drug addicts. James 5:15-16 "and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
At church yesterday I asked to put these people arrested on our prayer list. And it turns out they were one step ahead of me by having a basket with all the names of the people arrested since it is public record in the paper. They asked us to take a name and pray for that person as much as possible in the days to come. Number one I love our church and number two, it really gets us to putting others before ourselves. Think if we could all do that, put others needs and prayers before our own. Jesus did just that for us.
May God grant us the gift of seeing the beauty in all things and all people.
With love and prayers always,
C.
I am all for law enforcement cracking down on drugs for that slavery of addiction to drugs and money causes the addict to do things he otherwise would not. Lying, cheating, stealing, sometimes even killing. I must admit though, my heart aches for these addicts as well. We are responsible for what we sow, I don't deny that. Yet when we make a bad decision that causes us to become a slave to an addiction that is hard to overcome it can be hard to recover from that bad decision since it leads into a cycle of bad decisions. Romans 6:17-19 "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification."
I really feel that we need to pray for people who are addicted and so wrapped up in this drug world. I truly believe a lot of them will never be able to quit and get out of this slavery to drugs and money without the awesome hand of God interceding. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Many of us know this verse and it plainly tells us that with God we can overcome addiction any anything for that matter with Him.
I know it sounds crazy to some, but I ask that you pray for these drug addicts. James 5:15-16 "and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
At church yesterday I asked to put these people arrested on our prayer list. And it turns out they were one step ahead of me by having a basket with all the names of the people arrested since it is public record in the paper. They asked us to take a name and pray for that person as much as possible in the days to come. Number one I love our church and number two, it really gets us to putting others before ourselves. Think if we could all do that, put others needs and prayers before our own. Jesus did just that for us.
May God grant us the gift of seeing the beauty in all things and all people.
With love and prayers always,
C.
Monday, July 28, 2008
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