Closer To Heaven
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Commentary on “Jesus Message for the Seven Churches,” January 12-19, 2019 by Werner E. Lange | 16 January 2019 | Can you image that there is a big crisis in the heavenly council? Nothing less is described in Revelation 5:3-4: “No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open […]
Read more at the source: Crisis in the Heavenly Council
Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Adventist Today.
Growing up I was teased by my classmates. I was teased for being tall and thin. I was teased because my mom gave us healthy lunches with homemade whole wheat bread while others ate store bought white bread. And I was teased because I read books and was often quiet. And the labels? All sorts of nicknames emerged, and with these unwanted titles, I felt like an outcast.
These days, too many children are isolated, teased, and bullied in school. Adults in the workplace who don’t fit a particular profile also face being ostracized, isolated and overlooked for promotions. Within neighborhoods, people are isolated based on race, bodily appearance and economics. Humans are pretty good at assigning labels for those who are different. We easily label others and they become the outcasts.
I have read several stories about people in the Bible who may have been challenged with being rejected. Lepers were disconnected from mainstream society. They had to cry out, “unclean,” as they strolled by others.
Joseph’s 11 brothers had nothing nice to say about him. When they got the chance, they sold him as a slave to get rid of him.
There is another story told about the woman at the well in the book of John, chapter 4. This woman was a Samaritan and Jews despised Samaritans. It is also thought that because she came to the well to draw water at noon by herself, and not with the rest of the women in the village, that she was an outcast. In addition, she was on her sixth relationship and was not married to the current man in her life. This could be another reason to count her among the misfits. None of these facts stopped Jesus from having a conversation with her. She was someone valuable in His eyes and he engaged her in conversation. He offered her living water and gave her hope.
Just as Jesus gave this nameless woman hope, He offers the same to us today.
I am learning that when I spend time in the Word and in prayer, I can confront the sensitive places; the labels and the reasons for which I don’t belong. God takes these painful places and gives me the view that He values and loves me. He gives me living water and hope. I can belong to Him.
I have learned that God is good at disrobing the feelings of valulessness, being left out, or being an outcast and giving us hope. He douses us in forgiveness and love. He strips those unwanted labels and we simply become a child that is amazingly loved by our Heavenly Father.
What if? What if we carried this message to those around us? How many would abandon being an outcast and feel at home with our Father? I am sure that many would walk through this life feeling loved, sensing the hope that God offers to each of us.
Pamela A. Williams writes from Southern California.
The post Rejection appeared first on Answers for Me.
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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.
“Dad, can I have a few more gallons of gas for my pick-up? I’m almost completely out.” My 16 year-old son has had an old 1976 Chevy pick-up since he was 12, and has driven it around our little North Dakota farmstead for a while now. Country kids often do these kinds of things on the family farm, and my son has enjoyed driving this old truck to the back woods of our property for years.
Recently though, he had begun to ask for fuel to put in his tank. He was short on cash but still wanted to be able to drive the old pickup around the property…and so I allowed him to remove some fuel from the stash that we kept in the garage for mowing our lawns. Upon the third time that he requested gas for his truck, I found myself getting a bit annoyed. He had been driving his truck every night to the back woods at sundown, and I began to privately question his use of petrol when he clearly didn’t seem to be accomplishing much on the property on his nightly excursions.
“What are you doing in the woods that would cause you to need to go up there every night? I’m not made of money ya know, and unless you’re doing something really important with that truck, I’m wondering why you need that gas so regularly.” As my cynical words rushed out carelessly, my son looked at the ground. “Seriously Michael, why are you going to the backwoods every night at around the same time?”
My son fidgeted, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he kicked at the dirt in the driveway. He spoke so softly that I had to strain to hear his quiet reply. “Well Dad, I go up there every night to watch the sun go down and I spend time praying.” My eyes immediately filled with tears and I couldn’t stop the lump from forming in my throat. My boy was spending time with His Creator every night in a holy place that was all his own, and I had misjudged his actions as merely wanting more gas to drive through the woods in his pickup.
There are so many times in my life when I have misjudged others that I have lost count. I have jumped to conclusions about peoples’ motives, have discredited their actions, and sought to justify my self-centered indignation about what I thought they were doing. I had done the same thing with my only son, and my heart ached to think that I had even opened up the conversation when this soft-spoken young man had made his trivial request. My boy was using the fuel for a higher purpose, and although he could’ve walked to the backwoods, driving his pick-up was part of the spiritual routine of connecting with his Heavenly Father.
I smiled through my tears as I put my arm around his shoulders. “Son, I had no idea you spent time with God every night. I’m sorry that I even questioned you about it. Take all the gas you think you’ll need.”
Michael Temple writes from North Dakota.
The post Misjudging Motives appeared first on Answers for Me.
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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.
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| Photo: Dimitris Kritsotakis |
Living in the Philippines is a lot different than living in Los Angeles. Everyone warned us. The Philippines is hot. It is humid. The moist tropical air rots clothes, grows bugs and especially wreaks havoc on immigrants who have been used to the dry, desert air of Los Angeles. Well we have been fortunate that it is fall in the Philippines and it is not quite so hot or humid. Except for a couple of extremely hot, humid days, the weather has been bearable and there have even been a few days when the heat and humidity have subsided and it has been very, very pleasant.
While we had been warned about the heat and humidity, no-one mentioned an almost miraculous transformation which has taken place with our skin! After only a very few days in the tropics, both Diana and I noticed that our skin had become completely moisturized. The dryness in our hands and feet had now been transformed into a delicious smoothness which we had never felt before, living in the dry air of Los Angeles.
Despite living in dry air all of our lives, it took less than a week for the moisturizing to take place. I sometimes rub my palms with my fingers and still marvel at how smooth and moist they have become. It appears that moving to the tropics has some benefits after all!
Let it Rain!
No matter where we live we are constantly surrounded by the blowing hot winds of malice, unkindness and criticism. At times it leeches out the love and kindness of even the most courageous and devoted heart. In the midst of this barren world and this barren time, the Spirit encourages us to “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone” (Zechariah 10:1).
As we are nurtured by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we begin to assimilate the moisture from heaven that transforms us into Christ’s likeness. We are then commissioned and sent forth to revive those souls which have becomed de-hydrated under the fiery arrows of Satan. May all of our souls be revived with the Heavenly Moisture of heaven.
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By Jim Park. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.
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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.
The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. Psalm 111:7, 8. The law of God existed before the creation of man or else Adam could not have sinned. After the transgression of Adam the principles of the law were not changed, but were definitely arranged and expressed to meet man in his fallen condition
Read more at the source: God’s Commandments Are Sure
Article posted on en.intercer.net from Rose’s Devotional.
Rose’s Devotionals are prepared by Rose Hartwell, one of the Intercer founders. Since 1999, Rose sends out a daily devotional newsletter that includes a commentary on a Bible passage, a list of prayer requests for the current week and an illustration from daily life that applies to the Bible passage in study.
Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]
