Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
Like I said before, angels are fascinating creatures. People generally look up to them and will trust what they say. If they are the good ones, I believe we can trust them. If they are a fallen angel, BEWARE! If we are enthralled with, and would trust and believe, these wondrous creatures, why would we not trust the One who made them even more? Hebrews 2:1 asks this question.
Chapter one of Hebrews tells us that Jesus, the Son of God is the One who speaks to us now. We need to pay attention so we do not drift away from Him. We have heard the message of Jesus; received it; testified to it by signs and wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit just as those Hebrews had before us. What greater evidence than that did they, or even do we, need that this salvation, a gift from God through Jesus Christ God's Son, is the real thing? We cannot afford to ignore it.
Persecution may come. Persevere. We have all the right reasons as mentioned above to continue on. Keep on, keeping on.
The author of Hebrews is saying that God is still in control and He is there for you despite the persecution and anything else you may encounter in life. Jesus, His Son, went through all that. Jesus is still
the Savior of our souls. He came to destroy the power of sin and
death. He felt what you may have felt or even feel at present. He too was tempted, yet did not succumb to the temptations. He knows; He understands. He is still present and able to free all from the slavery of the power of sin and of death and the fear of death. We can be victorious as He was victorious with His help.
No angels ever did that sort of thing for human beings.
Jesus is GREATER than the angels.
What has He done?
Jesus has broken the power of sin and death.
He has broken the power of the curse of sin in a fallen world. Even the animals can't escape that curse. They get sick and decrepit and die as we human beings do yet they have no soul to save. So this message is very important for us human beings to pay careful attention to. No matter how good-living a person may be, each and every person in the whole wide world still needs Jesus.
They/We need Jesus' help to remove the death penalty from ourselves no matter what. You get born into this world; you are a sinner doomed to hell. We sin, we suffer, we die, we are on our way to hell. We are all on 'death row' but Jesus shows us the pardon in the nail marks in His hands and feet and the spear piercing in His side to offer all who will receive His gift of love for the individual. We can't help ourselves. There is no way to work enough to pay for those sins ourselves. Jesus did it all. Why not let Him give you that salvation?
~ERC 2016~
Father's Day 2016 is just around the corner. It's a day to honor our respective fathers. Of course it's good to honor him all year round; that should go without saying. With some fathers that may be a difficult task. However, with others it is most likely a joy.
How do we go about it? There are many ways, among them are: obeying, showing respect; helping in some way such as washing their car or clothes or even helping to prepare his hunting gear. Ha, ha.
Here's a story of two sons and a father. The older son stayed home to help till the ground and and stay by the stuff. He appeared to be a very filial son.
The younger son was a whole different ball game altogether. He did not behave himself so well. He was rather greedy and rude. He demanded his inheritance from his father "asap" and ran away from home with his 'loot'. He wanted to be free of home encumbrances to do as he pleased, 'living it up'.
Most of you may already know this story which can be found in the New Testament of the Bible in Luke 15:11-32. The younger son did not want to obey or respect his father. He said, "Give me...now!" So rude. So disrespectful!
The Father loved this son just as much as he loved the older 'obedient' son but he knew his younger son needed to learn a lesson. So he gave his son all that $$. The younger son grabbed it and galloped away. He did not share with his family rather ran far, far away from home.
Oh he had a glorious time at first. He spent $$ here. He spent $$ there. He ate and drank and laughed. He got lots of friends and they ate, drank, and laughed together with him. It was one big party.
Sound like fun? No parents. No need to listen and obey. Just play and have fun.
Uh...oh! His pockets and wallet are empty!! NO MORE MONEY!!
All those 'friends' deserted him. They did not want to be friends anymore. They were not true friends. They had only wanted the food, drink and laughs.
Now look at him. No more $$. No more friends. No more food. The younger son got hungry. He got hungrier and hungrier. And hungrier!!
Do you think he wanted to repent and go home?
NOPE! He's still thinking he can "do it himself".
He got a job feeding pigs!! He was so hungry he even wanted to eat the pig's food. What an awful place to find himself; in a pigsty!!
Only now he begins to think of how bad he'd been. "I have done wrong. I was greedy. That's wrong. I was rude to my Dad. That's wrong. I was NOT obedient. I did not share. I did not respect my Dad. That's wrong. That's SIN!!
What should he do now?
He decided to go home and tell his father, "Father I did wrong. I sinned against God and you. I'm very sorry. Please forgive me, Daddy!! I should no longer be your son. Let me be one of your servants."
You see...God turned the son's heart to the father. He needed his father.
So the younger son trudged on home...he walked and he walked and he walked back home.
What did the father do?
Did he get a big stick to beat some sense into him? Show his anger at the son for being so greedy, rude, disrespectful and disobedient?
NO!! He didn't do that at all!
The father loved the son every bit as much as he did the stay-at-home elder brother. He loved him and had been watching for him to come home.
That day he was rewarded for his lookout vigilance. His son was coming back. The son's clothes were ragged and smelly. His face was streaked with dirt. He looked really skinny and hungry. He had no shoes.
The father ran and ran to meet his son and gave him a great big hug! The father kissed the son. He knew his son had learned a lesson.
God turned the father's heart to the son's heart.
The son was still far away but he did see his Dad running and running towards him. He was glad but he still had to say sorry to his father. When his father hugged him he said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son!" Don't call me son anymore, Papa.
But God had turned the father's heart to the son's heart.
The father did not punish him. The father said to the servants: "Bring the best robe. Bring the ring. Bring the sandals. Go get ready...we are going to have a welcome home party for my younger son; he's home. He's home! He's home!!
So God turned the father's heart to his son and the son's heart to the father's.
God is our heavenly Father. He has turned His heart to you. He wants you to know that He loves you very much but that you are also a sinner. You have done wrong. He wants you to come to Him in repentance. Turn your heart towards God. Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. If you already belong to Him but have drifted away, there is still time to turn your heart back to Him. Do it today and have a truly wonderful connection with Him.
God will have a party in Heaven with His angels over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10). Turn your hearts to Jesus today.
Are you right with God?
May you also be right with your own respective earthly father no matter what they've done. No matter whether you are a son or a daughter and no matter what you have done. Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things to do but with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).
I want to conclude with the verse from Malachi 4:6 a, b.
Connect your hearts with your father and with your children this Father's Day and beyond...
Have a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY all you Dad's out there!
~ERC 2016~
Bibliography
God and the Ancient Chinese by Samuel Wang and Ethel R. Nelson, Read Books Publisher (1998)
Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
In times past God spoke to us through His prophets whom we can 'meet' in the Old Testament and even in the likes of John the Baptist. Then Jesus came. Jesus, God's one and only Son. Now we hear Jesus speak to us. The Son, Jesus, "is the exact representation of God's being," He is the "radiance of God's glory" so we learn in Hebrews 1. He is God. So it is very safe to say that Jesus is GREATER than the prophets and even John the Baptist.
Human beings are great. We've been made in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). But, as human beings, we fail miserably. Jesus had to provide "purification for sins"; our sins! He did this through His death and resurrection. The prophecy of Isaiah 53:10-11 has been fulfilled: Jesus's suffering; poured out His life; numbered with the transgressors; bore our sin, the sin of transgressors. Now His work is done and He sits at the "right hand of the Majesty in heaven"; God, His Father. Again, it is very safe to say that Jesus is GREATER than human beings.
Everybody loves angels. We are often mesmerized by the idea of them. Some people have even seen them and/or been helped by them in some miraculous ways. They are good and mighty creatures. Yes, you read that correctly..."creatures". They are created beings as are human beings. They are bigger and stronger than human beings (just read some of the things they can do in the book of Revelation).
Angels worship God. They are His servants (winds and flames of fires). They work on God's behalf to bring people to Christ; "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). Messages spoken by these good angels are binding (Hebrews 2:2). Yet, Jesus was given preeminence over all (Matthew 28:18 and John 13:3).
God and His Son Jesus are one. Jesus is God. (John 10:30 and John 17:21). We see also here in Hebrews 1:8, that the son, Jesus, is addressed as God. It is more than safe to say Jesus is GREATER than angels!!
Praise God for He is great and so is His Son, Jesus Christ! He is GREATER than any other. Let us join the angels and worship Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord for He is God.
~ERC 2016~
Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
Philemon must have been a rather decent chap. He was asked to forgive. When his slave Onesimus ran away, he also must have stolen some items, likely even some money. Paul, the writer of the epistle to Philemon, leaves the ball in Philemon's park when he sent Onesimus back to him telling him to do the "proper thing" and to treat him as a "brother beloved"!
We are getting ahead of ourselves though...God's hand can be seen upon Onesimus, the run away slave's life. Onesimus wanted his freedom for what ever reason. Running away however, was not true freedom; he had to always be looking over his shoulder for fear of arrest and if arrested, then, of being put to death. Runaway slaves were punished with death. In all, he was not very free.
God arranged an appointment for Onesimus and wonder of wonders he ran right smack dab into Paul! Oh no! Not Paul! Paul knows his master! No freedom. Imprisoned. Maybe he thought, "I want to die! Hide me!" But now Onesimus is compelled by God and now Onesimus gets true freedom. With his own efforts Onesimus got himself into worse imprisonment but with God, he gained true freedom of heart, soul and spirit.
He eventually got freedom from the prison but not yet of his own earthly master. Paul sends Onesimus right back to Philemon. He must suffer the consequences of his actions. We learn though, that Onesimus does obtain further freedom by the grace of God and the grace of God
working in Philemon.
Philemon, although greatly compelled by Paul to release Onesimus, must have also been a person of Christ-like forgiveness. These were times where slaves were considered a man's property and they could do more or less what they liked with them. Certainly, punishment for running away and stealing from the master would not be light.
We can see from Colossians 4:9 that Philemon must have extended forgiveness to Onesimus and what's more, given him freedom from his slavery. He released him to Paul for the gospel and Paul's ministry. Onesimus, the once useless slave, was now a useful slave of God's and to righteousness through Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection.
My sons, when you leave home...remember that there is only true freedom in Christ. He'll be with you wherever you go waiting for you to live for Him. Waiting for you to submit to Him and to be His 'slave' to obey His will for your life and to work for Him, serving Him according to the plan He has for you. God didn't take His eye off Onesimus and He won't take His eye off you even if you try to break away from Him. He cares about you and loves you.
You might want freedom from parents and home but there's still God. Earthly parents make mistakes and are imperfect. God, our Heavenly Father, is perfect. He never makes mistakes. Put your life into His hands. Therein is true freedom.
~ERC 2016~
"Where He leads me I will follow, what He feeds me I will swallow." Gulp! This is amusingly said to be a missionary motto. When a person goes outside their comfort zone to another culture it can be tough and he or she will really have to do and eat many things they may be very unaccustomed to doing while growing up in their own culture of origin. Some of the new life, fun, and some of it, not so fun; a whole new educational facet of life overwhelmingly asked of you.
We can relate this to life in general. When the good times roll we don't have to stretch ourselves too much and maybe don't turn to God so much to thank Him or to get His help. We figure we can pretty much manage life on our own strength. However when the tough times come: some loved one unexpectedly passes away or is incapacitated; or the breadwinner of the family loses his or her job; or for what ever reason we suddenly really don't want to follow and swallow.
I'm not looking down on people's traumatic troubles nor minimizing them; I've had some of my own in life. Will we be like Job and still not curse God when we lose our family, wealth and/or health in one swift sweep? Our comfort comes from "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me..." (Psalm 23:4). To know and realize that God is with us and walking through the storms of life with us, is a comfort we can barely grasp in the darkest hours. Yet He is with us!
Job also asks, "Should we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" "In all this Job did not sin in what he said." (Job 2:19). It is indeed difficult to "swallow" the bad. We ask many "why's?" of God. We want to follow Him until He asks us to trust Him and to "swallow" the bad things. Let us realize now, before those bad times come upon us, let us know these things in our mind so that we will have some preparation of mind and heart to help us in our time of need.
I like the Footprints poem in which the author (Margaret Fishback Powers) sees, at first, two sets of footprints in the sand: one is hers and the other is Jesus', but during her times of distress and agony, she looks and sees only one set. She feels hurt and questions God asking why He forsook her. He answers, "Those were the times I carried you." Isn't that precious? Our God is mighty and He cares for us!
So yes, our God and loving Heavenly Father may well ask us to follow Him and to swallow what we would rather not, yet when we recall that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father above..." (James 1:17) we have to meekly accept that this is good for us. At the time it certainly does not feel good at all, but yes, God does have purpose for our trials and suffering even if, like in Job's case, he had to learn that God is God. He had to learn not to fear the disasters and troubles of life that could come upon him and his children. He had to learn to trust God.
Will we still trust Him, despite the problems? Will we still trust Him even if He gives us no answer to the 'why's'? Let us learn to trust Him, follow Him wherever He may guide us and through whatever hurdles of life come upon us. He is with us wherever we are (Psalm 139:8)....
Follow and swallow...and trust.
~ERC 2016~
I just want to share a poem I recently rediscovered which I found in one of Barbara Johnson's books many years ago. I believe it came from her "Mama, Get the Hammer! There's a Fly on Papa's Head" book.
The poem is entitled...
"A Thankful Heart Is a Happy Heart"
"A garment is mentioned in God's Word That fits every lady He made. It's lovely and beautiful, modest and chic And guaranteed never to fade.It's fit is perfect and never too long...It's never too short and always in style...In fact, it's a garment you'll love! This garment is "PRAISE" with a heart full of joy.
For then your heaviness goes. You'll feel a new peace and sorrow will cease And leave in your heart a new glow. With heaviness gone and your heart filled with song. Sing praise to the Lord on His throne. He's dwelling inside and will comfort And guide each one who is truly His own. You're suitably dressed wearing garments of praise. The fit will be perfect on you. Just try it! You'll see! Then join in with me; Together we'll praise God anew!"
Poem written by Norma Wiltse
I have tried this before and it certainly helps. May I encourage any of you who read this to indeed "Sing Praise" to the Lord Jesus Christ. Connect with Him. He will help to turn your sorrow and sadness into joy. May the joy of the Lord be your strength as you go through your tough times as well as the good times. He will lift your spirit up.
~ERC 2016~
Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
"Come on, Paul! You're stating the obvious, again! Do you have to repeat yourself so much?!"
I believe he did. Paul continues to give very practical advice here in Titus chapter 3. He leaves nothing to chance; thus the repetition. If in time, my sons, you guys become leaders among God's people remember this too. People often need reminding and so Paul's list of Titus 3:1-2.
Paul gives Titus quite the BEFORE and AFTER pictures of the people of Crete. He says their former, pre-child of God character, displayed:
"being foolish, disobedient, lazy, liars and gluttonous; having envy and malice; being hated and hating one another; being enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures".
Not a pretty list.
The AFTER picture is a miracle of God's grace; the result of God's "kindness and love, and the Holy Spirit's renewal" and sanctification in action. They were now "heirs of eternal life". They were now working on being
"temperate, worthy of respect; self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in endurance" (Titus 2:2).
They were going to be more reverent, not slanderers, nor addicted to much wine; they would teach what is good (Titus 2:3-5). They would show
"integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech" (2:6-8).
They were to avoid controversies, arguments, quarrels. They were not to be divisive. In our day, we too have to be very wary of these. Those engaged in this must be warned twice and if they don't take heed then the rest of the brothers and sisters were to "have nothing to do with them" (vs 9-11).
These children of God whom Titus was working with had gotten "rebirth"* in Christ (3:5, 6). They were now being taught to devote themselves to doing good. They would be "peaceable & considerate and show true humility toward all men". Isn't this an amazing picture!? They would now lead excellent, profitable and productive lives to provide for daily necessities.
Of course, the years of "before" habits may have taken time to develop and be ingrained and now a lot of effort needed to be applied to school themselves in self-control, prayer and reminding, to break the undesirable, ungodly ways. However, slowly but surely the "after", those good and excellent habits of God's standards, would manifest in the lives of these Cretan believers as they obeyed and followed God's will and ways. They would become the salt and light to their generation and the next, the Lord God helping them.
Let us be reminded...we too need to look to our ways and have God as our Resource. We need to live for His glory and honor, and be salt and light in our generation. Repeat yourself if you have too.
And, as Paul finished off his letter, "Grace be with you all." Amen.
~ERC 2016~
*Please take note that "rebirth" here means salvation through acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior. Not to be mistaken with the Buddhist idea of rebirth.
