The size of the needle by Gary Rose

This farmer actually found “the needle in a haystack”! Why? Because it was big enough to see, that’s why!! I Wonder, would he have found it if it wasn’t quite so BIG? What if it were very small and made out of some worthless “white metal”? Would he still bother to look for it?

Truth is: we will seek for that which is important to us and ignore the rest.

Which leads us to a series of three parables which Jesus taught to the Pharisees and Scribes…

Luke 15 (World English Bible)

  ¹ Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.  ² The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.” 

  ³  He told them this parable.  ⁴  “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?   ⁵  When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.   ⁶  When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’   ⁷  I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.   ⁸  Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it?   ⁹  When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’   ¹⁰  Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.” 

  ¹¹  He said, “A certain man had two sons.   ¹²  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.   ¹³  Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.   ¹⁴ When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.   ¹⁵  He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.   ¹⁶  He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.   ¹⁷  But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!   ¹⁸  I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.   ¹⁹  I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ 

  ²⁰  “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.   ²¹  The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

  ²²  “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.   ²³ Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;   ²⁴  for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. 

  ²⁵  “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.   ²⁶  He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.   ²⁷  He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’   ²⁸  But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.   ²⁹  But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.   ³⁰  But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 

  ³¹  “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.   ³²  But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’” 

Sheep were important in Israel because they meant wealth. Therefore, they were to be cared for and protected. And if you lost some money, you would look everywhere until you found it, because money has always been hard to come by and is therefore of great importance. And what about someone who decides to go his own way, do his own thing- even if that means living an ungodly life, totally devoted to self-indulgence and sin and then decides to seek God and obey HIM?

Possessions are important, but not as important as people. And a person who decides to change their life by repenting of sin is blessed and we should be happy for them!!!

The Pharisees and Scribes needed to see the importance of seemingly unimportant people and realize that Jesus was with them to help them get right with God!!!

How important is all this? Well, Jesus actually used three parables to teach the value of “worthless people”- so, the answer is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

So, the next time we see a “worthless” person- What will we do?

Good question, isn’t it???

Finally, remember this one thing: every person is my superior in that I might learn to appreciate the possibility of what that person may BECOME; with God, anything is possible!!!

Racism by Gary Rose

People are different; they come in all shapes and sizes, speak a wide variety of languages, have customs that vary according to the culture they grew up in. Once you get past that, we are pretty much the same, male and female; we are the human race!!!

The Bible says …

Acts 2 (World English Bible)

 ¹ Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.
  ² Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
  ³ Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.
  ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
  ⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.
  ⁶ When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.
  ⁷ They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?
  ⁸ How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?
  ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
  ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
  ¹¹ Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” (emphasis added)
  ¹² They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?”
  ¹³ Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.” 
  ¹⁴  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
  ¹⁵ For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.
  ¹⁶ But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: 

  ¹⁷ ‘It will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.
  ¹⁸ Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,
I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
  ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the sky above,
and signs on the earth beneath;
blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
  ²⁰ The sun will be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood,
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

  ²¹ It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (emphasis added)
  ²²  “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in your midst, even as you yourselves know,
  ²³ him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;
  ²⁴ whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.
  ²⁵ For David says concerning him, 
‘I saw the Lord always before my face,
For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
  ²⁶ Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;
  ²⁷ because you will not leave my soul in Hades,
neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
  ²⁸ You made known to me the ways of life.
You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
  ²⁹  “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
  ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
  ³¹ he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.
  ³² This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
  ³³ Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear.
  ³⁴ For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, 
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand,
  ³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
  ³⁶  “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 
  ³⁷  Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 
  ³⁸  Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, (emphasis added) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
  ³⁹ For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” (emphasis added)
  ⁴⁰ With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 
  ⁴¹  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
 

Acts 10 (WEB)

 ³⁴  Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism;
  ³⁵ but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. (emphasis added)

Galatians 3 (WEB)

 ²⁶ For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.
  ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
  ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (emphasis added)

And those eggs-- they are the perfect illustration of god’s attitude towards racism. What a great attitude for us all to have!

No yoke- I mean joke!!!