The Seed of Abraham

Photo by Starr Environmental 

The story of Abraham and Sarah (or Abram and Sarai, before God changed their names), is rich with history and with present-day meaning for Christians. There is so much in the story of the "Father of Faith" that it would probably take a life time to study it and ferret out all of the symbolism and meaning. But there are a few things about this story that the Holy Spirit wanted to make sure I didn't miss today. 

This might not be anything new and earth shattering to you, after all, there isn't anything new in scripture. It was all written thousands of years ago. But every now and then, I hear or read something that I never heard or read before -- at least not the same way.

We know that the Kingdom of God works on the principle of seed, time and harvest; sowing and reaping.

 "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man 
should cast seed into the ground..."

~Mark 4:26 

The 4th chapter of Mark and the 8th chapter of Luke explains how this works -- and correlates the seed with the Word of God. Not only is Jesus the Word of God (John 1:14 "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us...") but he was also the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16 "And to thy seed, which is Christ.").

All Your Need

Carl Walks Closer to the "Falling Down" House by Old Shoe Woman

It seems as though the last several years have been challenging ones for me. But, through every challenge, I have never had to go without.'

By Thy Words

 

Words (c) ninasauresrex via Flickr.com

"For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." 

~Matthew 12:37

A small passage of scripture, but so packed with meaning! What was Jesus saying here? First, we need to look at this in context. Jesus had just performed an exorcism, casting a devil out of a man who was blind and dumb. The man was healed, and instantly, we see the two types of people spring into action:  the believers begin praising God and calling Jesus the son of David; the Pharisees begin talking among themselves saying he cast out the devil because he is, in fact, the devil.

Waiting for Isaac

Katrina, Courtesy of NASA

Have you ever seen those Christians who, like Nancy Kerrigan, ask "Why me?" When disaster strikes? Something inside me wants to ask, "Who would you rather this had happened to?"

I understand the questioning. There have been times in my life that it seemed I was hit simultaneously on all fronts with problems, disasters and heartache. And I will also be honest and admit that there have been times when I have wondered why. Not that I believed God brought these problems into my life, I know He's a good God and that anything evil doesn't come from Him. But I would wonder why He allowed them. I would give Him my best Nancy Kerrigan prayer through my tears and ask "Why me?" as if I thought someone else was more deserving of sorrow and pain and struggle than I was. 

Roaring Like a Lion

(Roar (c) iam_photography flickr.com Creative Commons License)

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion.

Catchy tune, but some questionable lyrics. 

I has been my pleasure since Friday night to attend the Supernatural Lifestyle Conference with Kevin Dedmon. There is one more session in a couple of hours at the Fellowship of Christians here in Russellville, Arkansas.

I had never heard of Kevin Dedmon before, and I don't attend FOC regularly. But, they frequently host some extraordinary events, and this is another one of them. I haven't noticed a single thing Kevin Dedmon has said that doesn't line up with God's Word. If I had, I wouldn't have attended every session. 

This definitely is not one of those conferences where you sit back in comfortable anonymity, take notes, and get educated. This is experiential, hands on, in your face training in spiritual warfare.

Who do you think you are?

"Tornado" (c) Jmos via Creative Commons License; Flickr.com

I'm a big believer in faith. The Bible says that without faith, it's impossible to please God. I study faith, I listen to faith ministers, and I attend a full-gospel faith church.

But, I have to tell you, there is something odd about some of the people in the "faith movement". You know the ones I'm talking about. I'm sure you've met some of them.

They are the ones who shake their heads and tsk, tsk, when a fellow church member faces a challenge in his or her life. They huddle together in a corner wondering what sin Suzie committed to bring such a disaster into her life. Or they wonder how Bob and Sharon failed in raising their children, because they just didn't turn out right and always seem to be getting into trouble. Or they think it's a crying shame that Dave's faith wasn't strong enough to prevent his illness.

I'm certainly not going to tell you that I have it all figured out, because I don't. But, I can tell you that there are some things I do know.

I know that when bad things happen to us, they don't come from God.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

~ John 10:10

There really shouldn't be any question in the mind of a Christian as to who steals, kills and destroys. You can only give what you have, and I'm pretty sure God doesn't have a storehouse of evil to torture us with for any purpose. God doesn't send us bad things to teach us, or train us, or strengthen us, or test us. What He has to give is life more abundantly.

I also know that trouble comes to everyone.

Don't think for one minute that you can ever develop your faith to the point that you won't have any problems in this life. Do you really think that's possible? What about the apostles? Do you think their faith was undeveloped? Look at the life of Paul and his "light afflictions" that are far worse than most of us will ever experience. Would you say that he was not a man of faith?

And, if the example of Paul isn't enough, consider Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten son of God. Do you think he lacked faith? Look at what he suffered. Surely if faith alone could prevent bad things from happening, the Bible would tell a completely different story.

In fact, this is what Jesus told us:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

~John 16:33  

I want to really dissect this verse. He begins by saying "These things I have spoken unto you."  What are the things he had just said? He had just told them that He was going away so that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, could come. He said that we should ask and we would receive so that our joy would be full, and that whatever we ask the Father in His name and will be given to us. He said that in him, we would have peace, or tranquility.

And, just as life wasn't a rose garden for Paul, or Stephen, or Peter, or Jesus, he tells us "In the world ye shall have tribulation". Just in case you have any doubt in your mind about what tribulation means, this is the Greek word thlipsis, and it's bad. It means: affliction,anguish, burdened, persecuted, tribulation, trouble. As a noun, it means: to crush, press, compress, squeeze, break; pressure, compression; distress, calamity, persecution; heavy, burdensome weight, agitation, disturbance.

This is Jesus speaking. These words are written in red in my Bible, and probably in yours as well.

But, don't despair. Look what they are followed by: a three-letter word "but". "But" is a conjunction, and it means simply that Jesus wasn't finished talking. "But be of good cheer." This is the Greek word tharseo, which means to have courage, or to take comfort. (Interesting, in that He has just promised to send "the Comforter".)

Why are we to have courage, take comfort and be of good cheer? Because, Jesus said, "I have overcome the world." Overcome is from the Greek word nikao, to subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.

He has stripped evil of its power and ability to harm us. Oh, it can still come upon us, but it can't destroy us.

Remember the story of the two houses: one built on the sand, and the other built on a strong foundation. The storms pounded both of the houses. The house built on sand was destroyed. But the house built on the firm foundation, the house that was fortified by faith, the house that was filled with the Comforter, stood strong.

I wish I could tell you that when you surrender your life to God and make Jesus your Lord and Savior, that your life will be filled with nothing but good. But, I can't.

What I can tell you is that God is faithful.

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

~Isaiah 41:13

I can also tell you that no matter what happens, it will be alright. I've read the end of the story, and it's a happy one.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

~Philippians 4:13  

Laughter

(Laughing Baby photo by Weird Beard @ Flikr - Creative Commons License)

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 18: Today, I am Thankful for Laughter

I was thinking about laughter today. Seems it's a popular vein in my household right now. I came home, and Nick has been watching comedians all night. Laughter is a good thing.

Have you ever had one of those days (or nights) when everything just strikes you as funny? You start laughing and just can't stop.You can barely talk because you are laughing so much. Every time you think you have your laughter under control, you start up again.

It's been a long time since I've laughed like that. I think I'm overdue for a good belly laugh.

There's nothing like laughing so hard that your stomach hurts and your muscles ache -- both in your abdomen and in your face!

Lessons from the Past

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 16: Today, I'm Thankful for Lessons of the Past

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. The banks and post offices were closed. Some offices were closed. But many of us went to work just like any other day.

I was a young girl when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. It was a brutal, deadly time in American History. It seemed we went from one tragedy to another.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 2, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald was killed on national television 22 days later, November 24, 1963.
Bobby Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated only 5 days later, June 10, 1968.

It was a lot for a small child to take in.

Light

Day 2: Today I am thankful for Light.  

Of course, this can have a whole variety of meanings... Thankful for the light of day. As I often do, especially on mornings when I don't have to get up at a particular time to go somewhere (work, church, etc.), I hit the snooze button when the alarm goes off at 5:00 am, and allow the light to wake me up (usually around 7:00 am). It's a wonderful, peaceful way to start the day. At some point, I would love to have my life and work reach the point where this can just be my normal routine.

Your Personal Message

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 10 Assignment by Eric Handler

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

Five Years

"There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 8 Assignment by Corbett Barr
What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

I debated over whether or not to post this on my blog. It is deeply personal and, in fact, this is an edited version of the original. But, I committed to this project, and this is one of the assignments. I was honestly surprised at what came out. This was an incredibly powerful and healing experience. Anyway, here goes... 

Travel

"If we live truly, we shall see truly." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 5 Assignment by Chris Guillebeau

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

15 Minutes to Live

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm participating in the #Trust30 Challenge. For the next 30 days, I have committed to write something based on a prompt supplied by "an original thinker."  True to form, I'm starting late. ;o)  The challenge actually began on May 31st. But, I will tackle the topics in order. If I feel incredibly energetic, I may attempt to respond to more than one in a day.

The first prompt was as follows:

Day 1 Assignment by Gwen Bell


You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.


1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

Consider the Lilies of the Field

"Worry implies that we don't trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives."

~Frances Chan, Crazy Love

When we walk by faith, there is no place for worry in our lives. Either we service a big God or we don't. Either God can provide for our needs or He can't. It isn't a matter of whether or not He wants to. He's our father. He loves us. Enough said.

Is Tithing Applicable Today?

A reader posted a response to my article on tithing this morning, but by the time I got off work and logged in to respond, he had apparently had a change of heart and deleted his comment.

His comment, however, was emailed to me at the time of the post. When I got home from work, I read it with interest, looking up each scripture cited by the writer in support of his belief that tithing is not meant for us today.

I was raised in a church that believed in tithing. The thought never occurred to me that this would be a controversial subject, and that there were Christians who strongly believe that tithing is no longer required. But, apparently that’s the case.

Faith: A Way of Life

There was an accident on the interstate today.

For some people, I'm sure it was an inconvenience. What a way to start out the week. Monday morning, and the interstate AND the highway that runs parallel to it, were both closed down. In fact, the end of the street I live on was also closed down.

For some people, it meant taking a detour to work or school, and probably being late.

For people making a longer journey, it meant sitting in a major traffic jam waiting for the roads to be cleared and traffic to move once again.

I'm sure that for everyone involved, peripherally and directly, the day started like any other; the alarm clock jarring them awake; going through the daily routine of getting ready to go wherever it is they spend their days.