Help Is There If You Ask--Really Ask

The Lord Wept (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God is my helper!
    The Lord is the provider for my life.

Psalm 54:4

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

        I can't ever remember a time in my life when I have been in desperate need of any of the necessities of life.   I've had short spans of being hungry, but food has always been nearby and I've never had to go hungry.  I've been cold, but I've also always had the necessary clothing to keep me warm.  There have been many times in my life when I may have felt deprivation, but my needs have always been rather quickly filled.

         We live in a society of abundance and there are many caring, generous people among us.  There is not much excuse to go very long without anything that we must have.  Someone is there if we look and ask.  And that is the key to receiving what we need:  You must ask and let your needs be known.  

          Desperation can be a blinding and deceitful force.  We look in areas of the world where there is great need.  Places stricken with drought and disease.  Nations torn by war.  People sick, suffering, and dying.  We might wonder where God is in those situations.   It's a dilemma that many struggle with.  I don't have the exact answers, but I have thoughts on the matter.

           Generationally speaking, the quality of life of any group is a matter of consequences.  Uncontrollable circumstances such as climate and natural disaster can certainly play a part in how a people fares, but there  are also matters of attitudes, beliefs, and understanding that must be taken into account when considering circumstance.  When things around us change then we must change accordingly.   We can't always count on ourselves and we shouldn't be dependent on the government to sustain us.

             Work is necessary for survival.   Faith can be hard work in the face of adversity.  When things get tough we need to learn to ask for help and have faith that the help we seek will come to us.   

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

New International Version (NIV)

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Do You Really Need Church?

A Different Church Building (Photo credit: justshootingmemories)

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 122:1

New King James Version (NKJV)

         Are you a traditional church goer?  Or perhaps you go to church at non-traditional times like Saturday night for instance or celebrate the Lord in a place other than an actual church.  Then again, you might find church meetings boring or ritualistic and prefer a learning environment like a Bible class or the informality of a Bible study group.

          And then there may be those of you who eschew any semblance of organized religion.  Some see it as phony or a gathering of hypocrites.   Who really needs a bunch of holier-than-thou types looking down their noses waiting for others to fall?  Is that the way you see church?

          Many of us have had bad church experiences and would prefer to just sleep in on Sunday mornings or do something more fun than going to church.  Others may find themselves too busy for church and would prefer to get other things done.  Church often seems to be the same old things week after week.  If we really feel the need for church we can watch it on television without becoming involved with others or even leaving the house.

           Have you considered that maybe you are the biggest part of the problem?   Church is after all the body of believers who meet together in worship, prayer, and study.   Are you waiting for someone else to spark your inner flame?   Isn't God enough?

           If you are one of the many who have stopped going to church for any of the reasons mentioned here or for whatever reasons you may come up with, you may want to give church another look.   Church is what the members make it.   Church is for you, your children, your family, your friends--for everyone who wants to honor God.

           Church is your privilege.  Be thankful that you have the opportunity to attend a church that you choose.  One day you may not have that choice.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

New International Version (NIV)

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Perfect Freedom

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have gained perfect freedom
    by following your teachings,

Psalm 119:45

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

          The Bible--especially the first books of the Old Testament--are filled with laws, rules, and guidelines to follow.   As we read through these, it seems that God has set out a pretty confining existence for us.  There seems to be plenty that we can't do and a lot of obligations that can make life a big hassle.  Of course Christians know that Jesus came to change the system set out for the Israelites.  We have been told by Christ that He did not come to get rid of the law, yet there are a lot of those old rules we no longer are required to heed.

          Though Jesus came to free us from the law in one sense, we might want to consider the merit of some of these old laws.  There must have been a reason for God to have laid these rules out for His children and as we study them we can often understand the logic.  There are health benefits to many of the dietary laws.  There are positive psychological and societal benefits to some of those rules pertaining to our behavior.  There is a purpose to everything mentioned in the Bible.

           We may have been set free in one sense by the atonement of sins provided by Christ, but perhaps there is a more perfect freedom to be found when we consider the teachings of old.

 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

1 Corinthians 10:23

New International Version (NIV)

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A Week of Rest

I'm taking a week off due to illness.

I hope to return next Sunday.

Arlee

End of the Year Thoughts

English: A homeless man in Paris Français : Un sans domicile fixe à Paris. Tiếng Việt: Một người đàn ông vô gia cư ở Paris Polski: Bezdomny mężczyzna w Paryżu See below for more translations. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11

English Standard Version (ESV)

      Bad times seem so much worse when they're happening.  Later when we look back we may be in wonderment of how we ever made it.  When we've gotten past the bad times we can often look back on them as a learning experience.  We might even be able to laugh about it and realize things weren't as bad as they seemed at the time or might have been if they'd gotten worse.

       God will guide us through the bad times if we allow him to do so.  When we open our eyes to see what God gets us through we may be amazed.  We hopefully will be thankful and give Him credit for what He has done.   It's important for us to remember how we survived the darkest hours and how God has been there for the faithful in ages past for thousands of years.

        None of us wants trouble, discomfort, pain, or sorrow.   Sometimes these things will come our way.  Always remember that we don't have to travel the difficult road alone.   There is a reason and a season for everything.   Live, learn, trust, and be thankful.   God is there when we call upon Him.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

New International Version (NIV)

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What Is the Best Gift You've Ever Been Given?

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men" (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: "Mary and Child, surrounded by angels", mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called "Master of Sant'Apollinare". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
    render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
    bring gifts!

Psalm 72:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

           Tis the season when gifts are given.  We give to loved ones and to those to whom we wish to pay tribute.  We give gifts to relatives, friends, and co-workers.  Often gifts are exchanged.  Other times gifts are given selflessly without expectations of receiving anything in return.  

            The Magi--those Three Kings of yore--brought gifts to one whom they knew was important even though they might have not had any idea why he was important.  During his brief stay on Earth, Jesus gave himself freely to the people.  He taught us how we should live and how we could live forever in his light.

           And what did the people give Him?   A cross, a crown of thorns, pain, ridicule, and death.

            Yet, this is what had to be.  We call it sacrifice.

              God calls it love, mercy, and justice.  Jesus was our ultimate gift from God.  His life for our sin. Don't forget Jesus Christ this Christmas.

...they (the Three Kings) went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.   When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.   On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

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Is the End of the World Near?

NASA Sunspot Number Predictions for Solar cycle 23 and 24 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:27-28

New International Version (NIV)

           The end of the world is upon us...again.  

            Why do people keep falling for the old end of the world line?  These non-events seem to pop up every few years or so and perhaps with greater frequency in the last couple of centuries.  Often the predictions are pretty devastating ones that leave us little recourse other than to just die.   Other predictions give us a hope for survival if we take steps to be ready.

           For me being ready means heeding one source.  The plan is in the Bible.  Scoffers may rebuff the Holy Word while embracing the nonsense they are fed by the latest apocalypse fad.   Others may sail on obliviously, thinking everything will last for millions or billions of years more until it all fades into some natural celestial event.  Resistance to the Word can take a lot of work for some and blind ignorance for others.

          The predictions of the Mayans or anyone else who claims they know our final date of existence are absurdity.  The world is enamored by absurdity.  The truth is that no one knows when the final hour of the world as we know it will come except the One who created it.  The answers can be found in the Holy Bible.

         It's worth reading.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Matthew 24:42-44

New International Version (NIV)

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