~ K i n g D a v i d ~
I believe that God personally put King David into hiding not to spare his life but to give David some training in humility. But take a closer look in those caves and who do you see with David? Hundreds upon hundreds of men who chose to risk everything to fight with their future king. Amazing!!! David did not ask these men to come with him. They chose!
Beware of those that are here … they are probably sent by God to keep you from the dangers of depression.
~ Q u e e n E s t h e r ~
I believe that God used a love story to prove once again that He has a bigger plan. Even though you may have a small and beautiful role, He connects you to others. See how Queen Esther asked her people to fast and pray for her as she approached her husband the king without an invitation. Remember what happened to the other queen who did not obey? God used Esther to save the Israelis from mass murder but only from these same people supporting their queen.
The only two things that are Eternal are God’s Word and people.
~ C a i n ~
This is a very intriguing story. I sometimes feel for poor Cain. God commanded a certain way to worship Him – a first born lamb. Not vegetables! Yes, Cain being a farmer is going to bring his first fruits but he never went to his brother Abel for a trade of goods. Rather Cain invoked God’s wrath and in turn killed Abel. God in His Infinite Wisdom marked Cain forever for not humbling himself in worship and being his brother’s keeper. Cain was to live out his days excluded from all mankind because any one who came in contact with Cain quickly would get away. There would be no end to this isolation because with the mark no one would raise a hand to kill Cain or they would be stuck down by God.
Not the way I would want to live. All of this could have been avoided!
No matter what God has designed each of our lives to be our brother’s keeper.
~ J e s u s ~
The Son of God is the one and only person listed in the whole Bible who had to go utterly and completely alone on His Journey. After the humiliation and the beating in front of a screaming hateful crowd, Jesus was nailed to the cross to die for the payment of our sins. It was so much more than anyone of us could bear. The freak storm was not an accident. It was God turning His back on all the ugliness and intolerable sin that Jesus carried for us. The Son cried out ‘’ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’’ Talk about a horrific burden to bear alllllllll alone!
God has never turned His back on us. He is the Unchangeable God. He is the Forever and For Always God. He chose us! Then He chose to love us! We never go it alone when we seek to walk with Him. Not only do we have Him but He has put in place a support system of people to help us along the way. Sometimes they are there all along and sometimes a hardship comes our way so that we will seek support and to be a support to others. WoooWeeeee, I love how God works!
To humbly walk with God may mean to humbly open our vision and our hearts to what is beyond the loud of our worlds.
~ E p h e s i a n s & C o lo s s i a n s ~
The author of these two letters is none other than Paul whose love language is touch. When reading these letters they are very similar because the recipients where in two different locations but needed the same encouragement. Encouragement to grasp the saving knowledge of Christ’s love and to serve others in this love. Listen in.
’… for we are His Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them … eph 2:10
‘ … that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you maybe filled with all the fullness of God …eph 3:17-18
‘… with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love … eph 4:2
‘… walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma… eph 5:2’
‘… Redeeming the time, because the days are evil … eph 5:16’
‘… that their hearts may be encouraged, being knitted together in love … col 2:2’
‘… put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a compliant against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection … col 3:12-14’ (ouch!!!)
‘… redeeming the time … col 4:5’
Over and over again Paul, the toucher, encourages the believers to exercise the greatest command, love one another. He does not want the believers to be so light or careless with those they are in contact with in their every day worlds. This is not just a lesson for back then but for now as well. It just might be more important today as we have so many ways to bond with others yet we have become so impersonal and extremely careless with our actions. Paul also addressed the lovers who get hurt .. forgive and keep on loving. (ouch!)
Love is the chains, bonds, and weight of perfection
~ L O V E ~
Take love itself as described throughout the pages of the Bible. Love is not a gooey noun. Rather it is a hard working action verb. Love is love when you do it to someone meaning it flows from you to another. Christ Himself is the perfect example for trading in His Beauty for the ashes He received from us. Love is the tender affirming words. Love is the quality time spent listening or sampling just being with someone. Love is serving someone in a task that just might be tough for them. Love is giving a special gift that is purely perfect for them. Love is touching not just physical but includes the forgotten ways like mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
A believer’s job? LOVE
I just cannot apologize for the strong convictions that have grown more intense these recent days about the people-bonds that believers are asked to do with their lives. I had a question pop into my head that if God really thinks His Bride is so beautiful and He takes time to invest so much into her so that she is in full bloom when He receives her into His Kingdom, how can His Bride is be more beautiful as this age is waxing old and thin? (completely astounded!) I see and feel so many hurtful, careless actions done toward each other. It is not just loud and ugly things we do, but also the casual and very sloppy way we treat each other. Loneliness is not exclusive but everywhere. It is felt in the tone of voice, the roll of the eyes, the indifference... It can be said that isolation stops when you reach out and touch someone, but not so. When it comes to humans, love is a give and take. It is high time that we calculate what Eternal repercussions at stake when our vision is only set to the surface. Look deep. Be a feeler. Be a sensitive. Be a conductor of this Precious Love Bond as Called of us.
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