|
|
Getting somewhere requires effort, it takes
faith to push on, it's easy to screw up,
|
|
Friday, June 29, 2012
Why should I consider moving out of my comfort zone to help another? The aircraft at the terminal was hot, stuffy and we waited to get pushed
back from the gate.
The rather beautiful blonde woman on my left
was sighing as the heat made all our lives uncomfortable.
Looking up I noticed the small vent that funnelled it’s carefully measured flow of air to each passenger, was
shut-off for myself. I angled it towards myself and opened it. A small burst of flowing air reduced the stuffiness somewhat
and brought me a little relief.
Finally the aircraft moved and we were free from the terminal, turning on the hot asphalt apron towards the relief of the runway and open skys. It would be a four
hour flight and somehow the airways have contrived to make it minimally acceptable by cramping us in seats that only just
enabling each person limited movement.
The blonde woman on my left in the window seat was young, and attractive. She was looking even more uncomfortable however. Her face glowing from the heat, she leaned forward
hanging her head down and looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“Shall I ask her if she is okay?” I wondered, and then consider that my being a lot older, and her being beautiful, she may misconstrue my concern
for an advance typical of men in a traveling environment. Not wanting her to think of me in that way, I say nothing, but now
she sags forward and her hands hold her face as it contorts into a grimace.
“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned and forgetting
my own discomfort in that second.
“No,
I’m feeling quite strange!” is the answer.
She leans back into the seat, twisting and trying
to find the elusive comfort in the metal and fabric frame of the airlines seat.
It takes a second before I consider what this means to myself, I reach up and direct my precious airflow from my own to her direction.
“Maybe she is suffering from a form of heat exhaustion”, I think.
Then as a Christian I do the next
act almost reflexively. “Father God, please help this young lady on my left. Keep her safe from harm”. Almost
equally as reflexively I mentally note that pushing the bell for the flight attendant would probably result in the
plane being turned around and wonder what that would do to my already impacted tight work schedule as well as the plan’s
I have when I get to my destination.
Then she gasp’s and falls forward slightly
before sitting upright before staring as if something has caught her attention somewhere in the infinite distance.
The jet engines roar and push
us back into our seats as the huge aircraft lunges forward
and after gaining sufficient speed it pulls upwards into the blue sky’s above the city. We start to climb to the few
clouds above, as she in an unstable tone informs me, “ I’m feeling rather ill! I can’t see!” She turns
towards me.
I’m
shocked. She has beautiful eyes that seem to look at me
without focus but then I notice their strangeness. Her pupils have become deep dark circles that have almost filled the
normally coloured iris.. They are so dilated that only in utter darkness would one expect to see this effect, but the daylight
is shining bright, so bright that I would have used sunglasses if I had them.
“What do my eyes look like?” she asks. I explain, and she repeats the she cannot see anything and that she thinks she is going to pass out.
I press the call bell above my head to summon the flight attendant.
The flight attendant is of little help, merely checking the barf bag is in the vicinity, so I ask the attendant to bring a little
ice and water. Some is brought and concerned I watch as my companion tries to keep conscious.
Now she looks at me again a few minutes later and I notice her
pupils have returned to normal size.
She explains she is on her way back to her home after meeting her family and that she didn’t have much sleep
the night before. We both put the episode down to heat exhaustion and so I settle down to read my Kindle.
Then about an hour later she sits up and tells
me she is having another episode. When I touch her arm to
console her, she is cold and clammy. I want to call the flight attendant, but she insists she will be okay and I should
wait a while. From that moment on, the rest of my flight is focussed on making her comfortable. My own discomfort forgotten
as I try to make sure she has the maximum relief the cramped circumstances provide. I spend a lot of time praying she will
recover and have no ill effects.
She
does! An hour later we are chatting like friends that go back years. She assures me she is feeling fine but
I check that she is not expecting to drive at the destination and has someone meeting her. She does!
When we part ways, because I must wait for
a fellow traveller, it is with much consternation on my part.
I find myself praying for her almost continually and have in fact done so intermittently for more than four days. I will never
see her again in the mass of humanity in our country. All I know is her first name and that she is a person God asked me to
help in the course of a busy day.
Why
help? Is it because she was a good looking woman in distress.
The flight home has a different challenge.
A vastly overweight
man was in the middle seat of three. Our traveling companion
in the window seat had used his armrest to stop the large mans excess from flowing into his space and as I arrived late, he
was overflowing into the seat area I was to accommodate. I looked at the situation and realized to protect myself I could
force the arm rest down to squeeze him onto his seat, but it would be extremely uncomfortable for him.
Alternatively,
I could endure his hot sweaty bulk up against my business suit and leaner body structure for the next five and a half hours
of flying.
There was no
conflict in my mind as to what I should do! As I sat down
he made a small self depreciating comment. “We will make this work out”, was my rejoinder.
We did! Both of us uncomfortable,
but him less so than if I had insisted on my rights and lowered that arm rest.
Why did I put myself out?
Should we do so? Why shouldn’t we simply selfishly look to our own interest in situations like this?
As Christians, I believe we need to apply that great test of our actions and attitude to everything in life.
Do we love God and
others as ourselves?
All we are required to do is let the love dictate how we would like
to be treated when dealing with others. This often takes
us to the point of placing ourselves in discomfort to relieve the discomfort of others.
The reward does not come from the action, but from knowing that God wants us to care for others even to the extent we place ourselves in uncomfortable
situations.
Jesus
is my hero, my God and my idol! What would he do in the circumstance?
I know what he did! He allowed people to rip his
skin, drive thorns into his skull, strip him naked, pin him to wood with nails and hang him from them until he died.
Why?
So he could rise from the dead and go into heaven. He did this to enable us to have
comfort for eternity!
How can I
refuse those around me the same?
How
can you refuse those around you the same?
Have a great day!
Fri, June 29, 2012 | link
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? “A
Sunday well-spent brings a week of content.”
Sunday in the West is a great day
of relaxation and pursuing ones hobbies, as well as enjoying friends and family.
PARTY
TIME! CELEBRATIONS!
Christians around the world choose this day to get together in groups,
talk about God, sing songs and connect with the spiritual in new ways.
Sunday is the first day of the week.
It is the day that Jesus rose from the dead and the empty tomb was found by the women...
“Jesus rose from the dead early on the first day of the week.
He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.”There are quite a lot of references to this day of the week, it was significant that Jesus after he rose, visited
among his disciples on that Sunday,
“On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together. They had locked the doors because
they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, ‘May peace be with you!’”
True to human form, these early
christians adopted this as the day(Sunday) to celebrate that happy occasion;
On the first day of the week we met to break bread and eat together.
Paul spoke to the people. He kept on talking until midnight because he planned to leave the next day.This was a day they gathered in money to celebrate their community. Paul a first century Christian
says...
On the first
day of every week, each of you should put some money away. The amount should be in keeping with how much money you make. Save
the money so that you won't have to take up an offering when I come.This is interesting since these early Christians also went to the temple on the Sabbath,
which was the last day of the week. It is with some mild amusement I consider that perhaps one of the interpretations of “I am the alpha and omega” in revelations 1:8, could refer to the fact that God
wanted to be worshipped from Sunday to Saturday each week. (I know! rather simplistic thinking but it is a fun thought isn’t
it?)
Jesus
as a Jew would have attended the Sabbath day ritual celebrations as well. The commandment to keep the Sabbath
Holy is central to Jewish faith. Jewish people don’t work on the Sabbath and are to focus on God that day. Unfortunately,
by Jesus time, the meaning of what it meant to keep the Sabbath Holy was now extended and elaborated on by the jewish community
of the day. It had taken on a draconian influence and was stopping the enjoyment of life and celebration of the day in
the way that God had originally planned.
Jesus comments...
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath day was made for man. Man was not made for the Sabbath
day. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.’
Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath
day was made for man. Man was not made for the Sabbath day. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."
Notice that Jesus did not say the Sabbath was to be ignored, only that
the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day”
This was a problem for those early Christians. It seemed that God rested fron creation on the Sabbath, If we read
Genesis...
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all of his work.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. He rested on it. After he had created everything, he rested from all of the
work he had done.”
If
God rested, surely we should?
So it seems our Christian ancestors had a decision to make. Taking
more than one day off work impacted their ability to support their family. Many of the first century
Christians were not Jewish and so had no allegiance to the Sabbath (even though Jesus upheld it). The Christian celebrations
would take place on the Sunday, so this became the preferred day of rest and Christian celebration.
The argument put forward is that since Jesus came, we are now in
the continual day of rest, and every day is a Sabbath. Personally I find that one a bit weak since then we could never work. I see it as a bit of an excuse and way out
of a tough situation.
The resolution?
I am not sure either!
What I tend to do is focus on community support activities on Saturdays, and the worship and Christian get together activities
on Sundays. Weekends for me are a blessed time where I do not have mandatory work required on either day(except for various
emergencies). Not everyone is so fortunate!
I believe Jesus was saying we need to take a day off each week. For example those Old Testament
priests in the temple worked Sabbaths but obviously took a different day off, didn’t they?
So, my thoughts are that each week
we need to select a day to focus on God, the spiritual, not working and loving our family, community and those
who live around us. The ritualistic rules and regulations were what Jesus seemed to want to see relaxed so it seems right
that this approach would be in line with that intent.
Whatever the perspective, we need to know the day we choose to make our Sabbath is
Holy. This means we are to take time to respect and honor God on that day. We should attempt to reflection
our week and learn from it, moving ourselves towards the place where our next week would be entered with confidence in God’s
blessing and love.
I do hope this
discussion will allow you to reflect and determine which day will be your Sabbath and if it is the day of resurrection, so
much the better.
Have a great day
and wonderful week!
Thu, June 28, 2012 | link
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Should Christians uphold the Old Testament laws?
Did Jesus put down the Old Testament laws? Many of us agree he did. Others are not so
sure and then some disagree violently.
This is an area of consternation since Justin Martyr argued about it between 100 and 160A.D.
Let us take a look at some things Jesus
said in the New Testament when Pharisees and the teachers of the law questioned Jesus....
Jesus then said to them, "You have a fine
way of setting aside God's commands! You do this so you can follow your own teachings. Moses said, 'Honor your father
and mother.'—(Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, 'If anyone calls down a curse on his father or
mother, he will be put to death.'—(Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9) But you allow people to say to their parents,
'Any help you might have received from us is Corban.' (Corban means 'a gift set apart for God.' ) So you no longer let them
do anything for their parents. You make the word of God useless by putting your own teachings in its place. And
you do many things like that."
This is interesting since it seems to be a case in point where Jesus was castigating those who re-interpret the law for their own purposes, but he seems to
be upholding the original intent of that law doesn’t he? He is advocating we are still to follow God’s
commands.
Jesus wants us to help
our parents! That is obvious from the writing above. The sarcasm in “You have a fine way
of setting aside God's commands!” is not veiled. We clearly understand what he means. Notice he stayed supporting
his mother for the majority of his life before taking up his ministry work. When dying he looked after his mother putting
her in the charge of another in the last hours of his life.
Another incident is when Jesus eats grain on the Sabbath...
One Sabbath day Jesus walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry. So they began
to break off some heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees saw this. They said to Jesus, "Look! It is against the Law
to do this on the Sabbath. But your disciples are doing it anyway!"
Jesus answered, "Haven't you read about what
David did? He and his men were hungry. So he entered the house of God. He and his men ate the holy bread. Only priests were
allowed to eat it. Haven't you read the Law? It tells how every Sabbath day the priests in the temple have to do their work
on that day. But they are not considered guilty.
"I tell you that one who is more important than the temple is here. Scripture says, 'I want
mercy and not sacrifice.'—(Hosea 6:6) You don't know what those words mean. If you did, you would not bring charges
against those who are not guilty. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day."
Many
reading this assume Jesus was breaking the law of Moses! He was not, as he explains. Jesus
was breaking their local interpretations of the law that interpreted it in an elaborated way as not to eat
the grain on the Sabbath. Yet even the deeper Jewish valid law could be broken if life was in danger (in childbirth, a father
could run out to get midwives who would work on the Sabbath...clearly breaking it).
Jesus was pointing out the law stands, but God is not interesting
in small minded interpretation of the law, but rather in it’s foundational concepts.
Jesus
explains that mercy is more important than sacrifice. Yet he adds this incredible phrase...”The
son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath Day”
This could only have been interpreted as him linking himself with God since only God is Lord of the Sabbath day.
That’s what we would think. Others however disagree indicating that the “Son of man” is a reference to Jesus’
humanity and that the Sabbath was “made for man and not man for the Sabbath” You will have to decide for yourself.
Perhaps the greatest statement about the Old Testament Jesus made was ...
"Do not think I have come to get rid of what
is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do that. Instead,
I have come to give full meaning to what is written. What I'm about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear
before the smallest letter disappears from the Law. Not even the smallest stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until
everything is completed.
"Do not break even one of the least important commandments. And do not teach others to break
them. If you do, you will be called the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. Instead, practice and teach these
commands. Then you will be called important in the kingdom of heaven.
"Here is what I tell you. You must be more godly than the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law. If you are not, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus wants us to
uphold the law. All of it!
How can we as Christians ignore this fact?
Yet Jesus does not want us to uphold the law myopically,
but the deeper concepts focusing it.
He
goes on to explain this with examples “do not murder” (Exodus 20:13) has a source meaning to not get angry with a fellow Christian.
He explains “do not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
means not even thinking of doing things outside the correct married relationship.
He explains “divorce law” is one of faithfulness, not paper rules and legal
contracts.
He explains “Oaths”
or swearing is to be avoided completely. We need to be clearly truthful and not link ourselves to what we cannot deliver in
truth.
Jesus
provides us with a microscope to go deeper than the immediate law and review the purpose behind it. He perhaps exposes how to do this simply in one discussion that has been repeated many times in
the decades since...
'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength and with all your mind.'—(Deuteronomy
6:5) And, 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' "—(Leviticus 19:18)
Here the core is exposed! Love! Yet in this exposure, he upholds the link to the Old Testament. The words reflect Old Testament law
itself. They are taken from it!
Jesus
wants us to know and understand the law. We must understand
the scriptures Jesus learned as a boy were ALL from the Old Testament.
The New Testament was only assembled decades after Jesus died and
rose. When we hear of Jesus as a boy discussing scriptures
in the temple, we see him explaining the authenticity of the Old Testament readings.
As Christians we need to open our Old Testaments and understand
more of them. We need to understand our God is one who over
time adapts the way he interacts with mankind as mankind adapts to his emerging environment. We no longer sacrifice because
Jesus made it unnecessary. We are privileged to have Holy spirit with us continually, with EVERY Christian! Not everyone had
that luxary in teh Old Testament.
Let’s read those ancient stories of intrigue
and strife understanding the times were different but God’s core attributes were the same. He is a just but loving God.
A God we can trust, love, but should always respect!
It is with respect for God that I plan to go out today and practice truth, honesty
and love, trying to uphold the core values of God, even the God of the Old Testament. Praise his name!
Have a great day!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Fatalist or ‘Faith’alist?
“Fatalism is the lazy man's way of accepting the inevitable.”
~Natalie Clifford Barney
Have you ever met people who believe they cannot control events and that whatever will happen is unavoidable
so “why try?”
Some people even try to blame the bible for a fatalist attitude, they quote bible texts such as...
“God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honored
among many brothers. 30 And those God has planned for, he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has appointed, he has made
right with himself. To those he has made right with himself, he has given his glory.”
Now this
says God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son, indicating God knows who will accept his love, Jesus
and eternal life before they do.
Is it perhaps God outside time can see the whole of our life line with all its choices in totality while we in time
are still living it through. Does this change the fact we still make decisions of will?
No! We are all still working out our lives within the
time of this universe even if God who is outside time sees it as a unity. The person of faith does not stand
by allowing life to happen but actively gets involved in improving life for everyone. If we were supposed to accept life as
it is would Jesus have said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have.
Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
Why bother to do this if fate intervenes in all? Christians are not fatalists! Yes, we believe the God controls everything, but we also believe through our
faith in God and the decisions we make we change ourselves, the world into a better place. A place that give glory to God
in heaven! A place of spiritual beauty!
I coin the word “faithalist” for us! We have faith but believe God controls all things. We know God
chooses those to be with him in eternity. Peter one of the guys who walked with Jesus says...
“You have been chosen in keeping
with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit's work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so
that you might obey Jesus Christ. He wanted you to be made clean by the blood of Christ.”
Showing we are chosen,
but then Timothy says...
That is good. It pleases God our Savior. He wants everyone to be saved. He wants them to come to know the
truth.
And Peter also says...
“The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. He is patient with
you. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins.”
God is giving
us time to decide for him. It is sad some will not!
Today I will live my life as a faithalist, giving God the glory, asking Holy Spirit to guide my life and
lead me to eternal truth and life in glory with God. The joy and peace of living well will be with me, what about you?
Have a wonderful Holy
Spirit filled day!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Suffering, how did Job do, part 2... “I have worked since I was 16 and
now I am finding myself at 40 unemployed and losing everything I have worked for.
I have a son who is 10 yrs old and we are struggling. I cry every
night due to the stress of not being able to find a job to pay my bills.
I find most jobs are checking your credit report and mine went to
the dogs due to losing my job. Stress is going to kill me before they pass the extension for us.
I go on interviews and they tell me you have a gap in your employment
history. Well of course I have been laid off. I am in a no win situation. I want to work but most of the jobs here are only
hiring for the grave yard shift and I cant leave my child alone.
All I want is to get through Christmas for my child and then I will give up my house and move in with my parents
sad but I have no other choice.
I don’t
want to die from a heart attack or stroke from all the stress and leave a child behind.”
Maybe this is the reason
people need Christian's nearby…
What do you think this person thinks about God?
Probably not much or they would have mentioned God. Desperation
without turning to the God of the universe is despair.
How likely are we to praise God if we loose everything we own?
Job did..
Job’s story is one of suffering…where we can see God’s statements about human suffering!
Job is the first of five books commonly
referred to as "The Books Of Poetry". These include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) offered
this concise summary of the five books:
• Job - How to suffer
• Psalms - How to pray
• Proverbs - How to act
•
Ecclesiastes - How
to enjoy
• Song of Solomon - How to love
If this book is poetry is it reflecting reality. We know ancient poems were used to track orally the ancient history
so it might be. In my previous blog on Jobs suffering, I give reasons why the writing was probably from 2000 B.C. there is also references that show the linkage
to other real Old Testament figures
Ezekiel 14:14 (NIRV)
And
suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that country. Then those three men could save only themselves by doing what is right,"
announces the Lord and King.
Also James, Jesus’
brother said “As you know, we think that people who don't give up are blessed. You have heard that Job was patient.
And you have seen what the Lord finally did for him. The Lord is full of tender mercy and loving concern.”
So it appears as if this reflects real life at the Prologue: scene in heaven Job
1:1-2:13
Now we continue…
13
One day Job's sons and daughters were at their oldest brother's house. They were enjoying good
food and drinking wine.
14 During that time a messenger came to Job. He said, "The oxen were plowing. The donkeys were
eating grass near them. 15 Then the Sabeans attacked us and carried the animals off. They killed some of the servants
with their swords. I'm the only one who has escaped to tell you!“
16 While he was still speaking, a second messenger came. He said, "God
sent lightning from the sky. It struck the sheep and killed them. It burned up some of the servants. I'm the only one who
has escaped to tell you!"
17 While he was still speaking, a third messenger came. He said, "The Chaldeans separated themselves
into three groups. They attacked your camels and carried them off. They killed the rest of the servants with their swords.
I'm the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18 While he was still speaking, a fourth messenger came. He said, "Your
sons and daughters were at their oldest
house. They were enjoying good food and drinking wine. 19 Suddenly a strong wind blew in
from the desert. It struck the four corners of the house. The house fell down on your children. Now all of them are dead.
I'm the only one who has escaped to tell you!“
JOB'S LOSSES IN ONE DAY...
- His oxen, donkeys, and their servants to Sabean raiders
- His sheep
and their servants to "fire from God from heaven"
- His camel and their servants
to Chaldean raiders
- His sons and daughters are killed in a tornado
How
would we feel? I think I would be devastated...
20 After Job heard all of those reports, he got up and tore his robe. He shaved
his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshiped the Lord.
21
He said,
"I
was born naked.
And I'll leave here naked.
You
have given, and you have taken away.
May your name be praised."
JOB'S REACTION TO THESE LOSSES...
He mourns, of course
a. Tears his robe
b. Shaves his head
c. Falls to the ground
But
then he worships!
a. In grief, he still praises God
b. Even though he considers God as the One who has done all these things
Wow! This man somehow blesses the name of the Lord and doesn’t disrespect God!
His behaviour helps God against Satan.
We know this as the fight for good in the universe. God wins due to the courage and faith of a man. A person like us, but
with perhaps more a bit more fortitude.
Does
Satan give up? How many think Satan gives up if we succeed in evading his attacks?
Never! Let’s see what Satan does...
On another day angels came to the Lord. Satan also came to him along
with them.
2 The Lord said to Satan, "Where
have you come from?" Satan answered, "From traveling all around the earth. I've been going from
one end of it to the other."
3 Then
the Lord said to Satan, "Have you thought about my servant Job? There isn't anyone on earth like him. He is honest. He
does what is right. He has respect for me and avoids evil.
You tried to turn me against him. You wanted me to destroy him without any reason.
But he still continues to be faithful."
When we are at the bottom of what we consider the bad experiences, the place people
say things can only get better, and they get worse, how do we react?
Let’s see what happens to Job...
4 Satan replied, "A man will give everything he has to save himself. So Job
is willing to give up the lives of his family to save his own life.
5 "But reach out your hand and strike his flesh and bones. Then I'm sure he will speak evil things against
you. In fact, he'll do it right in front of you."
6 The Lord said to Satan, "All right. I am handing him over to you. But you must spare his life."
God allows Job to be tested further. So what does Satan do...
7 Then Satan left the Lord and went on his way. He sent painful sores on Job. They covered him from the bottom
of his feet to the top of his head.
8 He got part of a broken pot.
He used it to scrape his skin. He did it while he was sitting in ashes.
Satan sent sores on Job? Were the sores Job’s sores or Satan’s? Satan’s
on Job right? Rather interesting wording isn’t it? From Job’s perspective these sores came from God.
What would we have been thinking at this
time? I know I would have been getting extremely depressed with the situation.
What sort of encouragement would we have wanted to hear? I would have wanted to have
few words, encouraging and a loving person nearby to commiserate with me.
Let’s see what Job get’s…
9 His wife said to him, "Are you still continuing to be faithful
to the Lord? Speak evil things against him and die!"
Why do you think his wife said this? Not nice words! What type of encouragement was this? Probably the worse kind!
How would you describe Job’s wife’s attitude other than self seeking and lacking true compassion.
Imagine what we would have said to her.
Here is Job’s reply…
10 Job replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. We accept good things from God. So we should also
accept trouble when he sends it."
Did
he say to his wife she was foolish? No! Only that she was acting that way.
Was he truthful? Yes!
What was Job’s attitude to his wife’s attitude? One of gently correcting her for her good.
When we are down and out and get this type
of advice, how do we react? I trust we can learn from job. Going down Satan’s paths makes things worse. Job took the
high road. His advice and example can help us do the same.
What can we learn from Job?
Righteousness
in terrible circumstances gives us dignity and strength! In spite of everything, Job didn't say anything that was sinful.
What would we have done? I think
I am less able than Job. What about you? Now that we know what God wanted, what would we do in similar circumstances? I don’t
know about you, I would want to do the right thing but I without Holy Spirits immense help I would fail. With God, maybe there
is a chance of success.
How much inner strength did it take for Job to do this? I think
it took a lot! I think his past helped him in this decision. Wlaking with God and forming a relationship helps us walk well
in trying future times. We can do this as well!
How can we build a past that will help us with our decisions? We can start by walking closely with God today!
That’s my plan, what’s
yours?
from http://jobsearch.about.com/u/sty/unemployment/unemployedstory/Losing-Everything-I-Worked-For.htm Excerpts from http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/job/job_02.htm
Mon, June 25, 2012 | link
|
|
If you want to see a short blog describing a perspective on what I believe click here
 |
Rift in Evil
By Ken
X Briggs - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size:
6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. |
Credit cards are acceptable on sites having Ken's books: 
:)
 |
|
Click
on XML Click here =>  to be told of new blogs
| Ken's book covers are displayed below. . . | |  This
suspense thriller centers on Kiara, a beautiful young woman pursued by a murderous group of people, who relentlessly and ruthlessly
hunt her and her sisters. Kiara has no idea why she is being targeted! When Kiara and her family turn to the law for help,
this fails. Her pursuers’ powers reach deeply into the political and law enforcement world. Family support for her dwindles
when they too have to flee her pursuers. Can Kiara escape the clutches of both the law and dishonest big business? With the
media broadcasting that Kiara and friends are dangerous and subversive, can Kiara clear her name and bring her pursuers to
justice?
| | | | | To purchase Kiara's Pursuer ebook
@ $1.99 kindle version click here, To contact the author contact Author@KenXBriggs.com | | | | | | | | The town of Zinaville is dropped into a spiral of evil causing a young man and a beautiful but abused woman
to launch into an investigation that unveils an evil conspiracy. A horrific mining accident results in Joshua
Robyn's father being killed. Joshua struggles both with himself and his townsfolk as he tries to make sense of an incomprehensible
situation. Is it an accident or a murder? Why is there a seeming link to evil? Why is his work environment suddenly threatening?
What is the conspiracy about and what are they trying to do? As action moves dramatically from exotic African grasslands to
the heart of North America's cities, the plot unfolds and the pace quickens. Will there be time? Why is a beautiful abused
young woman in the center of this plot? Evil tendrils tighten on their lives and the interplay between the visible
and invisible world shows opposing forces at work. Will there be a rift in evil? Will they be able to stop the
evil in time? | | - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect
Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size: 6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available
from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. Chapters | | | | |
| Frugal Eating Advice |
|
| Good advice for students living on limited $'s. Click on the image! |
May you be blessed today!
|
|
