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It's been a while since I have posted and I have no real excuse other than being busy. So I will try to put some thoughts down. I was driving to work one day last week and listening to the radio. Because I got a little bored, I played radio roulette and came upon a station out of Beaumont that was playing some nationaly syndicated comedy morning show. And though I suspect they would eventually turn lewd, I chanced to listen for a while. And for a good long while, the comedy was not lewd. But they brought up a very interesting point. apparently it was the recent anniversary of Roe V Wade, the abortion case. The dj's brought up that the child who was actually the unborn baby at the time was born because the decision came too late. They joked about how his birthday must really be sorry for him, how he would likely need tons of counseling as he discovered his histroy and so on. The humor, while probably inappropriate, really got me to thinking about the reality of the situation. The reality was that here was a young man whose life really stands against a court order and an arguement. Here is the literally the poster for the purpose of life. His life stands as a testament to the foolishness, and the heartbreak of abortion. I know, most of the people reading this are people who would believe the same thing I do anyway. But for just a moment realize the stark reality of his life. No matter his failures or successess, no matter his heart breaks or triumphs, no matter his friends or enemies, his life touches and is real in a way that would have been stopped had he been born (in this case aborted) months later. Even in failure he represents the life that can be. And how empty other lives can be had he failed to be there.
Now jumping for just a moment to the spiritual--its the same thing in Christ. When a person is born again, even in defeat, failure, foolishness--there is a representation of Christ in a world around them. Not to mention the impact of the life when it's operating in the path of GOD. The new born person can touch others and love them. The new life can resonate with the love of GOD and actually lead to other new life. Others can be saved through the actions of the new life. And thus it goes on and on. Our lives in Christ are the testament to God's Mighty "What if." Our what if is really "what you can be." God takes what we are, which is lost and alone and not worth much in context. And He makes it into a new life full of possibility. Just as the man who wouldn't have been born got his chance to show what could be, so it is with us. Now I wonder....do you think he is glad he had the chance at birth? do you think that those who know and love him, even his own mother, are glad he was born? Maybe he labors hard to prevent others from not being born as he knows the terror first hand of what might have been. If not how sad for him. And yet for the Christian, shouldn't we labor just as hard to show others what we have gained?
posted by Darol at 3:12 PM

 
I Thessalonians has some tremendous impact if you are thinking about missions. Paul writes to the church and tell them just how much he cares about them. I mean in one chapter he tells them that when they are all standing before the LORD they will be his crown. Maybe at first that sounds cocky but to understand what he was saying removes it from the realm of arrogance. Paul is saying that he loves these people so much (he spends the first chapter telling of how they have received the Word of the LORD and how everyone talks about them not him) that considers them to be a prize. Most of think of our prizes or crowns as things we did right for GOD. These people were his crown. Imagine what it takes to a love a people so strongly that they are what matters most to him. He speaks of longing to visit them but because he can't he sends another in his place. The real meaning of that was that Paul was being persecuted where he was (again he speaks of that early on and is encouraged both by the fact that he knew it was coming and warned them and by the fact that they are faithful in both his persecution and their own). So he sends his helper, in his time of need, to others because he cares more for them than himself. Still not convinced? Then look no further than in Chapter 3 v. 9 where he actually says that he can not thank GOD enough for the joy he has in the presence of GOD because of them. That is amazing. To move beyond oneself so much to love others that your distress means nothing compared to being worried about theirs. To be so thankful to GOD for the joy of serving and loving those he has called you to love. That is impressive and that is GOD. And yet here I stand in a work place where I can't wait to leave, rather than minister to those who are down the hallway and yet I suffer no persecution other than my own little whines about this and that. I am tired. I am hungry. I can't get my work done. And on and on. Not that Paul was perfect. He wasn't.
But he loved the LORD and He loved others. And he gave his life loving others so that they became his joy. To be so thankful to GOD for the joy of being in GOD's presence because of those he loved. Make is so for us LORD.
posted by Darol at 10:36 AM

 
James Chapter 4 begins talking about how we don't get the things we want so we scheme and kill to get them. Then James points out that we don't have what we want because we don't ask GOD and if we do ask GOD, we ask with the wrong motivation--we only want stuff to spend on our own selfish pursuits. So the question to really ask is "how do I know what my motivation is?" Maybe the answer for our motivation comes in the reaction to the answer. When we ask for something and don't get it (no matter what it is) what do we do then? If we continue on in faith with asking and believing, say for someone's healing or salvation--then I think that reflects the right attitude and the right motivation. Or perhaps we accept that no means no and that for some reason, it is what GOD has chosen to do. This would be the result God desires and is pleased with. Thus I think it fits the description of asking GOD for what is right and pleasing. Surely, there is still God's will involved and HIS time and planning. Thus the answer may not come when we want or how we want but again that is the revealing of our motivation.
However, when we ask God for something and we don't get it--if our response is anger or bitterness, then it's likely we are asking with a wrong heart/motivation, even if what we ask for seems to be a good thing. Again the response to not getting what we ask for is the key. The response reveals what the real nature of our relationship with GOD is. If we ask for something from the ONE we trust as our only provider and understand that the relationship is from a child to the parent (or the thing created to the creator, or even the clay to the potter), then not getting whatever it is results in no bitterness or anger. It might result in an understanding that we don't truly need our request. It might result in an understanding that it wouldn't be good for us. Or it might result in a renewed pursuit of the request through prayer--again evidence that we understand our relationship with our Father. However, the anger and bitterness reveal a different kind of relationship. This reveals a relationship that says to God He owes us, and if we don't get what is owed to us then we have the right to be mad. We are the little kid that points out a toy and says "she got one, why don't I get one?" We are really not asking of GOD but instead we have demanded of HIM but clothed it in a request so as to be sneaky. The same way we begin to flatter someone just before hitting them up for a request. "Gee, Mom, you look so nice. I really like your new outfit. Can I borrow your car." It's difficult to accept when we don't get something we want. God understands that part. But what we have to understand is that our reaction, though it comes afterward, really reveals what was within us to begin with.
posted by Darol at 10:42 AM

 
Not really a Bible verse but a thought, so to speak. At what point in our lives do we move from saying words to living the words? When I say, I worship you LORD, what does that mean? The question is not only what is worship, but how am I doing what that word means to reflect what I say? It follows the same with love, praise, etc. What do these words mean and more importantly how do they move into being in our lives? When I am praying and I say that I praise you, LORD, the act of saying those words is the beginning of praising HIM. But it must go deeper. It's like telling someone I love them. Telling them is a part of the love. But if it stops at telling, do I really love? maybe but don't I have to go further to really show love? Don't I have to go past saying I worship you LORD, to actually worship?
posted by Darol at 2:43 PM

 
In Micah there is a lot of stuff happening with God's people and God's voice, as heard through the prophet Micah. Basically, the people have gotten carried away with themselves and done whatever they wanted. In fact, when they hear the words of Micah that speak of the horrible things they have been doing, they basically tell him to stop talking. It gets so bad that in chapter 2, Micah talks about how the people would welcome a prophet who spoke about wine and drink. Which is pretty sad considering a phophet is one who is supposed to tell the truth of the LORD. Micah points out a lot of interesting things while he is telling the people what GOD thinks. Number one, he tells the people that the corruption starts in the capitals of Judah and Samaria (Chapter 1). In other words the places that should be the most well defended, the best in terms of defending the truth, are the places where the corruption is the highest. As a result, things are really bad. Really, really bad. Micah goes on to talk about the judges, the priests, and people in general as the type of people that lie awake at night scheming to do evil. They even plan on tearing the flesh from the bones of the people. Prophets demand money or else they won't speak the LORD's words. Judges demand bribes or else there will be no rulings for people. (Chapter 1-4). So Micah say That is it folks.. GOD is about to tear down this place and it's going to get ugly. And naturally it does.
The keys here are several. First, it was the places and the people who should have been the defenders of GOD who were corrupt. Secondly, the corruption had gone so deep that it could not just be cut out. The LORD basically tears down the nation completely. Now the cool thing is that even in all of this, the LORD speaks of desiring to redeem HIS people in the future (Chapters 5 and 6). Micah also points out that even he has sin that must be dealt with by the LORD (chapter 7) but that when the LORD has dealt with it, then the LORD will deal with Micah's enemies. There is a lot of preaching in just that sentence. The LORD will deal with sin. He may tear down the walls of city, a country, or a person. HE will deal with sin on the cross or on our own. Even Micah, the prophet who follows GOD when others won't, realized that he too needed to deal with sin. Even as followers of Christ we can have sin that "easily ensnares us". but the message here is that GOD will deal with it one way or another. But even in his dealings with it, HE plans for the eventual victory of his people. more to come tomorrow.
posted by Darol at 1:41 PM

 
I was at a worship service recently and we were singing the song "Hungry." As we sang it, the LORD was impressing upon me the idea of "what are you really hungry for?" The lyrics of the song speak of being hungry for the LORD, but what does that really mean? Let's look at the idea of hunger for just a second.
When you are hungry, and you don't care what you are hungry for, then just about anything will do. A bologna sandwich will be great. Tacos are fine. In fact, if I am hungry enough then a bag of skittles from Circle K will work (as a starter of course.) If you go out to eat with friends and everyone is hungry but no body has a particular hunger then it makes the process of eating both easier and harder. It's easier because anywhere you go will be fine. But it's also harder to make a decision. The decision becomes even harder if I am hungry but I don't know what for. Still let's stay with the idea of being hungry and not caring what I eat. Tacos or bologna sandwiches will be just fine (assuming I have no disposition of hatred towards bologna or tacos.) In fact 4 bags of skittles will fill my hunger as well. It will also possess enough sugar to put me into a glucose coma. Which brings up another aspect of hunger--if you hunger for the wrong things or put the wrongs into feeding your hunger, you may get full but you won't be healthy and you could end up shortening your life.
Now getting back to your hunger, if your hunger is specific then it's a whole different story. If I am hungry for steak, then eating tacos or a bologna sandwich may fill me up but it won't meet my need and actually meeting my need might make me more upset than not eating. I mean if I want a steak badly enough and you know this and decide to take me to subway and tell me to go buy my sandwich while you wait in the car, we have a problem. I have a specific hunger and I want it filled with a specific food. Now naturally I can't eat just steak my whole life but the idea in the physical world is that when I know what it is I want, the other stuff won't do.
Let's put this in a spiritual context. If someone is hungry but they don't know for what, then a lot of things will work. Any religion or social group will fill some of the hunger--some. Just like eating 4 bags of skittles will do. But they aren't healthy and it works because people only know they are hungry. And all people are spiritually hungry. But until they find the food offered by JESUS they are only filling the hunger--not with what is good for them and not with what they really want. This is why a lot of religions work for awhile. It's also why a lot of people come to Christianity but don't stay with HIM. They have realized their hunger but not what they are truly hungry for. They think they hunger for friends, or a better way of life, or a better attitude. What they are really hungry for is a relationship with their creator where life matters and they are both loved and able to love HIM. This is where the hunger for JESUS comes in. If we are going to have our hunger filled then we have to hunger for HIM and then partake of HIM. Jesus said HE was the bread of life. He also told his disciples that unless they ate of HIS body and drank of HIS blood then they couldn't be a part of him. To hunger for JESUS is to hunger for what HE hungers for. When his disciples came back from a town and asked him about food for the evening HE told them HE had food they didn't know about. The food of doing HIS Father's will. If we are to have the hunger filled up with the right food we have to do as HE did. OBEY the father in all things. Prayer, loving others, service to others, relationship to the Father through JESUS, obeying what HE says to do and what not to do. The Bible tells us that GOD prefers obedience to sacrifice. In fact Jesus tells us that if we love HIM, we will obey HIM. GOD already loves us. Coming into relationship with HIM fills the first part of our hunger--to be loved. Obeying HIM allows the second part of our hunger--loving HIM--to be filled. So if you are hungry for GOD and know that it's Christ you are hungry for, you have started well. You know what you hunger for, and nothing else will do. As HE told the woman at the well, "if you had asked me I would have given you living water and you would never thirst again." She instantly understood what she was thirsty for (same idea as hunger) when she told him to give her this water HE spoke of. But if you know what you want and what you need but then don't eat it, or settle for something else, then you have the problem of knowing you didn't really hit the spot and though you may be full you will either be unhealthy, unfulfilled, or upset that you didn't get what you wanted and needed. IF we hunger for JESUS but don't partake of HIM that's what we end up with. EAT WELL.
posted by Darol at 11:08 PM

 
Whoo, way too long between posts! So let's dive into something different this time around. The book this month is I Corinthians. In particular there is the call to those who are brothers (and sisters naturally) of how to live and even more importantly, why to live that way. Paul writes to the church and addresses some pretty weighty matters. And of course in Chapter 10 he focuses on some questions that we are all likely to ask. The question seems to be one of ownership. Who is the owner of our lives? The church was protesting some of the restraints that Paul was giving them. He was dealing with a specific question of whether or not believers should eat meat that had been dedicated to idols (false gods). Basically he told them that if you are a Christian then the food is fine because you are thanking your FATHER. He further instructed them not to ask questions about it because as long as they didn't know that it was dedicated to idols the situation posed no problem. BUT if they asked or it was announced that the meal was for a false idol, they should not eat. Now here is the really interesting part. NOT because it would cause them to be unchristian. Not because they would suddenly be struck down or come under the power of evil. But because other people who weren't as strong in the faith might see it and falter. Paul is touching on two really important aspects of God's desire for Christians to love others and ourselves. First GOD tells me that to do something I think is a sin, is a sin. In other words if two Christians had been invited to eat a meal with a neighbor and then found out the meal might have been offered as a sacrifice to some other idol two things could happen. The first might say "I am thanking my father in Heaven and I don't know what they intended this for but I know what GOD and I intend it for" and so he eats and has no problem. Remember God has said it was ok, we are not talking about a if it feels good to you it's ok thing. The same arguement doesn't work for stealing or adultry or telling lies. GOD makes HIS will clear on such things. In fact it's a great place to realize that feelings can easily mislead you. Now the second Christian worries about the situation and doesn't feel comfortable unless he asks and when he asks about the food and finds out that it was dedicated to an idol, his conscience tells him he would be sinning to eat, he would be disrespecting God. Now hang on because here is where the issue becomes really important for us, no matter which christian we identify with.

If the first christian goes ahead and eats the meal, knowing that his brother finds it a sin, then he is not acting in love and not acting out his faith. But wait, all things are permissable (v. 23) yes but not all things are beneficial. But again all things are permissable, right (v. 23b) again. However, GOD says but not all things are constructive. and then Paul goes on to say that the point is that anything we do that causes another person to struggle or stumble is not in love and therefore not worthy of following Christ. He futher illustrates this point by saying he would never eat meat again if it caused a brother to stumble. Now Paul was certainly not saying we have to become vegetarians and I am glad for that! However the point is that we have freedoms but our freedoms are not more important than other people. Therefore, so what if it is permissable? The question to ask is "does it hurt someone else, who admittedly may not be as strong in the faith?" BUT BUT BUT it's my life, the church protested. No, not anymore for "we were bought with a price." Now that brings up the second christian. Would it have been a sin for him to go ahead and eat since his brother was eating? Yes because he clearly felt that it would be. BUT that didn't give him permission to establish the sin line for his brother. In both cases we can see where we want to establish the line based on us. I don't want my freedoms hampered, therfore you should have my standard. OR I don't feel comfortable with something that you do, so I demand that you follow my standard. Again, neither is correct. and the reason is because GOD asks us to look at the motive as much as the motion. Over and over again HE tells us to remember that we are slaves to Christ. The kingdom of GOD is not food and drink. Did GOD make food and drink? yes. Is it great? yes. Should it be enjoyed? Yes! But if anywhere along the way it causes another to stumble for any reason, then put it away.

Now the hard part. Besides eating, what else are we doing that might be permissible but not profitable. Where do we lead another astray? Not only those who don't know us well but our close friends and family. Where are we demanding our freedoms at the expense of another? and on the other hand, could it be that sometimes we want to deny someone else's freedom for our conscience sake?

posted by Darol at 2:20 PM

 
It's been a while since posting but I want to have one more thought about I Samuel before journeying into a different book. Strangely it's been on my mind since reading the first part of the book. It has to do with the position that Eli, a priest of GOD was in. Eli was a priest whose sons were acting horrible to the people. They took sacrifices meant for GOD and kept them for their pleasure. They even took advantage of the women who were near the temple, which in reality resulted in not just immoral living but idolatry. I say this because some of the religions of the time employed prostitutes as part of their worship. For the priests to involve themselves with such women (which I am presuming they did, otherwise they were taking advantage of women coming to the temple and that would be even more horrible) amounted into placing a priest of GOD into a union with paganism. So GOD comes down on Eli for knowing this was going on and not doing anything about it. That sort of struck me as showing it is important for a parent to correct the children and for a priest to do so as well to those who are priests. (possibly a warning for all of us to all our brothers as we are all considered to be GOD's chosen through CHRIST?) But the other thing that is really striking to me is that GOD tells Eli HE is going to punish the boys and Eli. Then GOD waits. Eli even acknowledges the warning when it comes through Samuel. and yet Eli does nothing about it. Finally GOD strikes them down. Yet an amount of time passed where they could possibly have amended behavior. They don't. Eli says "GOD is right." But doesn't change at all. He believes GOD will punish him and still doesn't change. GOD even gives him years. I don't know what GOD would have done had Eli fallen to his knees and said yes Lord. and then gone out grabbed his boys by the ear and done some serious correction. I would like to think that GOD would have shown mercy to him. I think that's why HE waited all the time that HE did. Now, HE didn't say if you change your ways then I will forgive you. But as a priest, I think Eli should have known that. I could be reaching here, but I think GOD didn't have to tell Eli what Eli already knew. If someone wants to argue and say, "Eli would have changed if GOD told him he was getting another chance, but he didn't because GOD didn't say that." I would find that hard to believe. True, GOD did punish Moses for doing something he shouldn't have. and true GOD does hold those who are in such positions to a higher standard. Still, as we see with David even a king could have things change with repentance. So Eli made for a horrible priest in many regards. Not only did he allow his sons to run rampant. Not only did he hear directly from GOD and not change. Worst of all, at least perhaps, he doesn't seem to even know the GOD he was serving. He doesn't seem to know that GOD was giving him time to set things right. or at least he didn't do anything about it. That is pretty serious. I wonder if it's any different with us who think we hear GOD telling us to do something differently, get something out of our lives, make a new direction etc. and then wait and not do it?

I have been dealing with the phrase striking while the Iron is hot. I don't know it's origen but I know that it means to act quickly. After all, a cold iron gets out no wrinkles. And if we don't act when GOD is speaking, then I can tell you for my ownself that I am not likely to do whatever I think GOD is speaking about. Personally it can be about anything. The more time I put between my action and HIS voice, the less likely I am to remeber HIS voice and the less likely I am to have any action.

posted by Darol at 2:50 PM

 
I want to think about Saul and David some. I am not the first to do so. In fact there is a great book by Luis Palau (I think) about David. His contention was that Saul and David did a lot of things similarly yet it was David who is the man after God's heart. Why? Luis contends that it's because when you look at the two of them, it is David who always confesses to GOD when he messes things up. I have been reading in 1 Samuel and there are some really interestesting things that come out. Samuel was annointed by GOD to be the first king of Israel even though he didn't want Israel to have a king. Yet the people wanted one so badly because everyone else had one. So HE gave them one. Saul was chosen by GOD and was successful for a while. But then he began to disobey--he offered a sacrifice when he wasn't supposed to. And then later when he was told by GOD to kill all of the enemies--Saul kept some stuff back and claimed he was going to offer it as a sacrifice. This promted Samuel to tell him that GOD wants obedience long before he wants sacrifice. I still didn't quite understand what was going on with Saul, though. After all, when Samuel confronts him about the issue Saul claims he did the right thing. Finally he confesses his sin, but he confesses it to Samuel. And then he goes on to beg Samuel to worship the LORD with him...so that the others will see them together. Maybe this is the real flaw within Saul. He seems to care more about what people think. I know we all care about what others think. But with Saul it was a drastic thing. He confessed his sin because he knew Samuel was listening to him. He made sacrifices instead of obedience because of the others (he even says this in 1 Samuel 15:30. I also found it interesting that later on when David is the one gaining all the attention, Saul begins to hate David because the people sing that Saul kills thousands and David ten of thousands. Is it jealousy? Of course. But I wonder if it doesn't run deeper than just jealous. Saul cared about others' opinions to the point that he was governed by them as if they were his power. Saul seems to believe that his power comes from what other believe. I also found it interesting that in vs 17 of the same chapter, Samuel tells him that though he (Saul) was once small in his own eyes, didn't GOD make Saul a king? That has really stayed with me. Maybe Saul never saw himself as being worthy of what GOD had given him. therefore he needed people to give him that reassurance. It would be so easy to get down on Saul for that except I find myself doing the same thing. God has said that I am HIS child now. Yet do I live as I am called or do I live to gain that acceptance from others? How often do I find myself having to attempt sacrifices to the LORD when I simply should have obeyed instead? All of the sudden Saul and I have an awful lot in common. GOD's presence left Saul. What stops that from happening to me? Well, I think this is where we go back to David. Did David do some of the same things? Yes. But in the end, what saved David the most was the fact that everytime he came back to GOD and said to GOD and for GOD---I sinned against you. See, when David stole another man's wife and then had the man killed, his realization was "GOD I have sinned against you." That doesn't mean he didn't sin against the man (Uriah,) as well. It means that David understood one thing about his position: GOD was the supreme head of life. We all get led astray by the desire for acceptance, riches, love, power, pleasure, etc. But when we are finally confronted with the truth of the situation or ourselves, do we admit what we need is from GOD (David did) or from others (Saul did). Interestingly, both were very honest at the end. Saul cared about the way people thought and David cared about what GOD thought. We have to make the same decision when confronted with our own self.
posted by Darol at 1:46 PM

 
As I was reading in Psalms I saw David, a person I like to relate to for all of his failings. Not only was he a man after God's heart, which a lot of us want to be, but he was a person who reads like a real human being in his prayers to the LORD. He continually speaks of the of the heartbreak he experiences when he realizes just how much he has failed the LORD. In Psalm 32:3-5 he speaks of the two greatest things a person can understand--(1)that he was a sinner and (2)GOD listened to and forgave him. That alone would be worth writing on for days without end. But another thing that came out while reading the Psalms was the reality of David, even as a servant of God. In Psalm 42 he talks about being downcast (deppressed is what I like to think of because that relates to me.) Now David talks about enemies around him that want him dead. He talks about the fear of running for his life. The brokeness of his heart for his own sins, and the general state of being down. At various points in the Psalms he makes mention of crying until his eyes are dry and his throat is rough. Yet he comes to a realization with GOD. David doesn't continually dismiss his depression, sadness, or fear. He does, however, say "BUT I will praise YOU, and thank YOU, and trust YOU." No matter how he felt there was a deeper realization that GOD was bigger and would lift up his soul, spirit, body. I don't think it was easy and I don't think that just saying a quick thank you suddenly took all of his depression away. Maybe there was a moment like when the disciples were with Jesus and everyone was leaving and Christ asked them, "Do you want to go too?" The answer was simple and powerful. Where else can we go? I don't know how they said those words. Maybe they were pumped up and boisterous. Maybe they were deep and solemn. Perhaps there was even a moment of saddness and realization that it isn't always fun and mirth but it was real with JESUS. I don't mean that it was a gee, this is sorry we have to stay with you type thing. I think it was an understanding that JESUS was the only way, even if the way wasn't fun and games. After all the crowds were dispersing and many were leaving because Christ had told them something very hard to understand about HIM being the food and drink they needed. And there is the fact that JESUS felt compelled to ask them if they were thinking about leaving as well. Yet they knew, as did David, that despite all of the things that were within them in terms of feelings, that still they must praise HIM. And David goes on to say that I will praise you (GOD) and that will lift my spirit. What else is a better representation of our GOD? We give HIM what he deserves-praise and as a natural by product HE gives us joy. We don't praise HIM to get joy yet by praising HIM we are given joy. No other god does that. Praise anyone or anything else and that's what you get--praise for them. Praise our GOD and you get joy for doing something you were created for---praising HIM.
posted by Darol at 12:54 PM

 
AS of late, I have been reading from PSALMS. While I struggle with much of it in terms of the themes there have been some interesting things that I think the LORD points out. In Psalm 29 there is continual mention of the power of the LORD's voice. HIS voice thunders (v.3) and breaks cedars (v.5). HIS voice can break cedars, yet we don't hear HIM. That is a paradox worth examining. Do we not hear HIS voice, or do we just ignor and drown it out with a thousand other little voices? For me, it's easily the second one. There is so much competition for my attention and listening that I don't process what is being said. Instead, the voice that breaks cedars becomes ignored and unlistened to. Imagine, a voice that is heard over the waters yet not heard over the tv. So then it becomes a question of is the tv louder than the waters? Is it louder than HIM? or is it that I (we?) listen to the other voice more? I wonder where that takes us? Certainly the LORD could speak over the tv or whatever conflicting voice is out there. But why should HE? I know HE cares for us and that is why HE does. However, could it be that sometimes we do hear his voice but just don't listen? I don't think HE gets tired of speaking. But HE surely wants an audience. And according to the Bible, HIS voice is also a still small voice. So a still small voice that break cedars. And the most amazing part of it all, is that HE chooses to speak with us. HE chooses to wait until we grow tired of listening to the tv or the other voices. The saddest part is that when I understand that I have missed out on listening to HIM, I see that I have missed out on what HE is offering. The loss is mine and yet I am the bigger fool for being distracted again by the other tiresome voices. I wonder what would happen if we reached the point where the voice of the LORD was the voice we pursued in the manner that we pursue our favorite tv shows, songs, activities? Cedars break. Oceans and storms are stilled. People get saved and loved on. All for listening to the voice of HIM who is our God.
posted by Darol at 3:48 PM

 
I should start by telling you that I am not a preacher. I hope that something on this page will be be a reflection of JESUS. If so then I can offer you a cup of cool water in HIS name. While I attempt to be the funny guy on the other page, I will do my best to be honest and offer something of real merit here. Onward and upward.
posted by Darol at 1:20 PM