Upside down?

Lately there have been a lot of disaster films on the tube. Most seem to focus on 2012 and the sun, but there are other causes of our pending destruction. So, when I saw this picture of the Aurora Austrailis taken above the phenomenon, naturally it caught my attention. Then, I began to think: What if there is actually some truth to these predictions or more accurately: What if God is really trying to tell us something? Here is an instance where GOD IS COMMUNICATING, but was anybody listening?

Numbers 24:1-25 (WEB)
1) When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2) Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.
3) He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;
4) he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
5) How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!
6) As valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which Yahweh has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.
7) Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
8) God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
9) He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”
10) Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
11) Therefore now flee you to your place! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, Yahweh has kept you back from honor.”
12) Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers who you sent to me, saying,
13) ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond the word of Yahweh, to do either good or bad of my own mind. I will say what Yahweh says’?
14) Now, behold, I go to my people: come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.”
15) He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;
16) he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
17) I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.
18) Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemies, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
19) Out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city.”
20) He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his latter end shall come to destruction.”
21) He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, “Your dwelling place is strong. Your nest is set in the rock.
22) Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive.”
23) He took up his parable, and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?
24) But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim. They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber. He also shall come to destruction.”
25) Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
(Numbers 24:1-25, WEB)

We are human beings, we see what we want and listen to what we want... like it or not! Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel, but he could not. Needless to say, Balak was not happy about the situation. But, what about Balaam? Notice verses 3,4 and 15,16. While these verses could be a reference to the process of prophecy, yet somehow they seem to say he was unable to see (what God really wanted) but now he could. Is it possible that both men learned something of the Almighty that day? I don't know for sure whether Balak took Balaam's words to heart, but it seems Balak did. Just goes to show you, its all how you look at something, whether your eyes are open or not. As for the Aurora, well, perhaps it is not only an indicator of the sun's activity, but of future events as well. Who knows? If they keep putting out movies about potential disasters in 2012, maybe more people will actually look up and see more than the sky. Perhaps more than disaster will be understood? Me, I am not making any plans on December 21st in 2012, just to play it safe.

Smart is as smart does!

There are really only two words that do an adequate comment on this card: beep, beep. Since most of us have seen the road runner cartoons from time to time, then, not a lot really has to be said. Except, perhaps, that Mr. Coyote's proclamation of his own intelligence is somewhat overstated. Here is an example of a man who was truly intelligent.

Acts 13:1-12 (EBR)
1) Now there were in Antioch, distributed through the existing assembly,––prophets and teachers: both Barnabas and Symeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also, Herod the tetrarch’s foster–brother, and Saul.
2) And, as they were publicly ministering unto the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said––Separate forthwith unto me, Barnabas and Saul, unto the work whereunto I have called them.
3) Then, fasting and praying, and laying their hands upon them, they sent them away.
4) They, therefore, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down unto Seleucia, and, from thence, sailed away unto Cyprus;
5) And, coming to be in Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; ––and they had, John also, as an attendant.
6) And, passing through the whole island, as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a false–prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar–jesus;
7) Who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The same, calling for Barnabas and Saul, sought to hear the word of God.
8) But Elymas the magician,––for so, when translated, is his name,––withstood them; seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.
9) But Saul, who is also Paul, filled with Holy Spirit, looking steadfastly at him,
10) Said––O full of all guile, and all recklessness! Son of an adversary! Enemy of all righteousness!––Wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord?
11) Now, therefore, lo! the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun, until a fitting time. And, instantly, there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and, going about, he was seeking such as might lead him by the hand.
12) Then, the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
(Acts 13:1-12, EBR) Emphasized Bible by J.B. Rotherham

The proconsul saw all these things and believed. Smart people rarely proclaim their own greatness, they just live it. Just as Sergius Paulus recognized truth from error, so can we. Look around; is there REALLY ANYTHING BETTER THAN CHRISTIANITY? I don't think so! But, that is my opinion and aside from a couple of pieces of paper (called degrees), there is nothing that says how smart I am. And before you ask.... no, I DO NOT HAVE A CARD WITH MY NAME ON IT!

The weather in our lives

Here I am, sitting on the top of a mountain and a cloud comes in and then another, but when I look up to see what is going on, HUH? Which is it, peace or a storm? My best guess is peace at first and THEN A STORM. This reminds me of a passage from 2 Kings; here it is.....

2 Kings 20:14-19 (WEB)
14) Then Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, even from Babylon.”
15) He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
16) Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of Yahweh.
17) ‘Behold, the days come, that all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store to this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left,’ says Yahweh.
18) ‘Of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you shall father, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
19) Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “Isn’t it so, if peace and truth shall be in my days?”
(2 Kings 20:14-19, WEB)

Hezekiah was overall a very good king. But, as other passages show (see chapters 19 and 20), he was a little to worried about his own interests and safety to be a great king. Don't get me wrong, he WAS a good king, but he had weaknesses as we all do. Its when the weaknesses grow to strong and the positive aspects of our lives diminish that there is a REAL PROBLEM. Today, we may encounter stormy weather, but its an eternal tomorrow we should look forward to.

Change for good

If "I'll be back" sounds familiar to you, then this image probably will as well. The Terminator movies were heavy on graphics, but their concept of time intrigues me. When I was young, the summers seem to drag on interminably and now past the age of 60, the days seem to fly by. Has time changed? No, I have. Yet, this much is certain, life continues to go on, regardless of my perception of its passage. Perhaps my perception is altered by what I focus on. Here is a passage from the book of James that I find quite interesting.

James 4:13-15 (WEB)
13) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”
14) Whereas you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.
15) For you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.”
(James 4:13-15, WEB)

If I focus on the externals about me; things I do, people and the world around me, then change is more visible because the things around me are also changing, just as I am changing. Its hard to get a "fix" on living because of all this motion. Yet, if I think of my life in respect to the companionship that the God of heaven supplies, then things ARE different, because God does not change because of his perfection. There is no need to go back in time to change things, because for the Christian "all things work together for good...". Change that is truly important occurs on the inside, not on the outside. It doesn't really matter what time it is, except, of course, its time for God to work in our lives.

Where are you going?

Ok, its not exactly like the transporter beam from Star Trek, but close enough to make the association. I think it could take quite a bit of faith to use one of these things (if it were real) because you really can't see where you are going, can you? Talking about faith, here is a passage that seems to be revelant.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (WEB)
13) But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15) For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.
16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,
17) then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.
18) Therefore comfort one another with these words.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, WEB)

The parousia (or second coming of Jesus) has been the subject of hot debate over two thousand years. It IS a matter of faith and fact. Believe what you will, this will happen. When it does, the only question that needs to be asked is: Where are you going?

The rest of the story

This picture reminds of Paul Harvey and his broadcasts. Remember, the REST OF THE STORY? If we just had this, how scary life would be; devoid of hope. But, in fact there IS MORE TO TELL AND HERE IT IS.

John 20:1-17 (WEB)
1) Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
2) Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”
3) Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb.
4) They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.
5) Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in.
6) Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying,
7) and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.
8) So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed.
9) For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10) So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11) But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb,
12) and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13) They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”
14) When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.
15) Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
16) Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
17) Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:1-17, WEB)

Today, we are bombarded with all sorts of ideas about religion and frankly, quite a few of them put on a good face. However, the only religion that successfully deals with sin and the life after this life is Christianity. Believe what you want, do what you want, but in the end you will answer for your choices. Jesus is the only one who has been resurrected and ascended into heaven (500 witnesses on this one). Listen to the rest of the story... Jesus is alive, right now! That should be enough to turn anybody's head!

Hummmm

I wonder what babies think about. They respond to many things almost from birth; but what kind of thoughts do they have? My best guess are things like food and touch, but who knows? This picture has the baby considering whether or not he (or is it a she?) should have some pudding. One thing is certain, as this one grows older he will want things, but what things? Here is where the Bible comes in. Read these few verses to get an insight.

1 John 2:15-17 (WEB)
15) Don’t love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him.
16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s.
17) The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.
(1 John 2:15-17, WEB)

Progressing from a focus on the material to the spiritual is a sign of true growth. We know that world around us is decaying (and so are we) and when we look beyond all that we show the essence of true intelligence. Is it wrong to want things? NO But its better to think about what we want in the light of God's will. So, having said all that, this picture gets even better. As far as I am concerned.... pudding sounds really good (almost anytime)!!! I wonder if there is any Tapioca in the fridge?