Isaiah 30:20 – Hit me like a brick
I did a search on biblegateway the other day for the word teacher. I was looking for another verse, but as I read through the list Isaiah 30:20 hit me like a brick.
Isaiah 30:20
20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.
Wow, the bread if adversity, the water of affliction – given by the Lord?
Bread and water are sustenance to us. Is Isaiah says that Adversity and affliction are sustenance also?
Also the context of the first portion of that verse says the “Lord gives”. To me the feeling here is like the Lord Gives a gift.
The Lord gives a gift of bread and water.
The Lord gives a gift of adversity and affliction.
I know it sounds a little masochistic, but look at the next statement “Your teachers will be hidden no more”. Thank you Jesus
I know almost as soon as I came to know the Lord teachers were revealed to me. Pastor Steve, Kristen, Pastor Dennis, Kathy, Pastor Jim, Joseph Thompson. These are all people who, with in days and weeks of coming to know the lord became very clear as teachers to me. I still sit at the feet of each and every one of them as a student in knowing Christ. There are MANY more names on that list, but these are the primary people whom I choose to model different aspects of my life after.
So God blesses us with adversity and affliction, at the same time opens our eyes to teachers, maybe people who have past experience, and knowledge of the same adversity, and then the bible says with our own eyes we will see them. We will know who our teachers are.
I had heard Pastor Steve a few times prior to knowing the Lord and really had no feelings one way or another for him. He was just another pastor. God touched my heart in a significant way and the following Sunday Pastor Steve became unhidden.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still have the blessings listed in this verse, but I also have teachers who will walk with me through them and show me a way to increase Gods presence in my life at the same time.
I can’t end this with out also sharing verse 21.
Sure it’s comforting to the student, but reading it as a potential teacher to others, this is a second mile instruction. A deep end of the pool kind of thought.
Isaiah 30:21
21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Who can a teachers voice be in the ears of a student when they are walking the path of their faith? I know you know what I am going to say…
The teacher has to be on the path with them.
God Bless
Standing in the Light
Reading one of Randy Bohlender’s recent posts in his blog (Added to Blogroll on the right) he said something that stuck out to me.
If a person is standing in the light, what’s directly behind them? a Shadow, a pocket of darkness. These are not his words exactly, but this is what I understood.
That led me to think, how can that pocket of darkness be eliminated?
That leads me think of Joseph Thompson (Blogroll also on the right) who prays that me may decrees and Christ may increase before every message I have heard from him.
That’s the head of the nail right there boy. We can destroy those pockets of darkness by striving to decrees as the Lord increasses in our life.
God Bless.
Which end of the pool will you jump into?
I love my wife
One of the reasons for that is she keeps my mind sharp.
Even though I don’t always engage in a conversation they way I maybe should, there are many times where her words and thoughts that she shares with me cause me to spend a lot of time thinking. Also she tells me that most of the time I miss the point of what she is telling me, so we will see how I do this time.
So thank you Dear, and I love you
This weekend in Pastor Steve’s message he said something about how time is our enemy. Our Days are numbered here on earth and the hard part to grasp is that not one of us knows the number of our days. In reality I don’t know if I will get the chance to take my next breath or if something unexpected will happen. Only god knows when our last breath will be.
With that thought in mind we go back to an earlier conversation my lovely wife and I had. Here is the general question that sums up that discussion. Why do we introduce new Christians to the shallow end of the pool first?
And for that matter why do we find older Christians still wading around in the shallow end as well?
Here is my thought… If my time is now, and I am going to meet God before the sun sets today, I don’t want to get there and have God say “Why did you only get wet up to your knees”? Now I know if you just push someone into the deep end of the pool and walk away they are going to drown, that’s why we are Christians have to get wet with them. If they are out of breath help them to the side of the pool, but don’t let them give up. I know this is all a metaphor, but I hope your getting the picture here.
Part of our walk should be an like an adopt a Christian program… Maybe I am writing this only for myself, but it seems worth sharing.
We should be taking under our wing a Christian newer to the faith then ourselves.
I don’t be just a Sunday check up, but a phone call, book exchange, coffee drinking, fishing trip type of adoption. Share not only your faith with words, but share your faith by sharing your walk.
Does that make sense? It does in my head, but I am not sure that I have articulated it well.
Please share any thoughts, insights or comments you have with the comments link.
I would really like to create a discussion on this topic.
Thinking of Food
Food
I love food
Anyone who has actually seen me can figure that our pretty quickly.
Today is a “Food Day” at work so it’s on the front of my mind right now.
Now here is a strange notion I had when contemplating what is to come. There are two different types of food. Maybe you would want to say 2 categories. Are you ready for this?
There Shallow Food and there is Deep Food.
I know, I know your sitting there thinking, what are you talking about. So I will explain a little.
Shallow food is like Chicken Soup in a can, or mac and cheese from a box.
It’s a simple flavor, fills your belly and may satisfy a craving or two, but within an hour or two you forget what it was all about. Maybe we could call it Bios Food…
Deep Food
Now that’s what I am talkin about. Hand picked Ribs from the meat market, extra fat trimmed away, never frozen, perfectly aged. A rub with every ingredient hand picked and measured to perfection, tenderly caressed into the meat by bare hands (germs and all) covering every centimeter. Billowing smoke, the perfect marriage of hickory and apple wood fills the air, cooks all day.
Get the idea? Food that is made from ingredients, not made from a box.
Food that involves an emotional experience, that requires commitment, passion and desire to prepare.
You know where I am going with this… Yep that’s Zoe Food.
Man, I might have to make some ribs for the game next weekend. Who want’s to have a superbowl party?
Science vs. Faith
I received this in an email this morning. I don’t know who the original write was so am not able to give credit where credit is due, but it’s does make a good point. Enjoy
“Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ.” The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
“You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?”
“Yes sir,” the student says.
“So you believe in God?”
“Absolutely.”
“Is God good?”
“Sure! God’s good.”
“Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?”
“Yes.”
“Are you good or evil?”
“The Bible says I’m evil.”
The professor grins knowingly. “Aha! The Bible!” He considers for a moment.
“Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?”
“Yes sir, I would.”
“So you’re good…!”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.”
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. “He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?”
The student remains silent.
“No, you can’t, can you?” the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
“Let’s start again, young fella Is God good?”
“Er…yes,” the student says.
“Is Satan good?”
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. “No.”
“Then where does Satan come from?”
The student : “From…God…”
“That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?”
“Yes.”
“So who created evil?” The professor continued, “If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”
Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: “Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?”
The student: “Yes.”
“So who created them?”
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
“Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.
“Tell me,” he continues onto another student. “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?”
The student’s voice is confident: “Yes, professor, I do.”
The old man stops pacing. “Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?”
“No sir. I’ve never seen Him”
“Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?”
“No, sir, I have not.”
“Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?”
“No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Yet you still believe in him?”
“Yes.”
“According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?”
“Nothing,” the student replies. “I only have my faith.”
“Yes, faith,” the professor repeats. “And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.”
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. “Professor, is there such thing as heat?”
“Yes,” the professor replies. “There’s heat.”
“And is there such a thing as cold?”
“Yes, son, there’s cold too.”
“No sir, there isn’t.”
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.
“You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero
(-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.”
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
“What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?”
“Yes,” the professor replies without hesitation. “What is night if it isn’t darkness?”
“You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?”
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. “So what point are you making, young man?”
“Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.”
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. “Flawed? Can you explain how?”
“You are working on the premise of duality,” the student explains. “You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.”
“Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?”
“If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do”
“Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?”
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
“Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?”
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
“To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.”
The student looks around the room. “Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?” The class breaks out into laughter.
“Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelled the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?”
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. “I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.”
“Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,”
the student continues. “Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?”
Now uncertain, the professor responds, “Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”
To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.
God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”
The professor sat down.
–
1 Peter 1:4
“Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven- and that future starts now!”
Who Will Take a Stand
I’ll not be silent on the abortion issue here.
Pastor Steve’s message this weekend was powerful, and I may hit more points then what I have so far, so be ready.
In Steve’s message he mentioned Psalm 94:16
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
Also our has a place in our heart for the Dr. Seuss book Horton Hears a Who since Matt Lockett shared with us about Horton and his willingness to listen. If you haven’t read it in a while pick the book up and read it with the voiceless children who killed through abortion every day in mind. You can visit Matt’s blog here http://mlockett.blogspot.com/
Not to advertise to much, but you can also find out about the “Horton Hear a Who” movie here www.hortonmovie.com
Anyway, after all of that, when Steve said “Who will take a stand for me” the words “Horton and Me” popped into my head.
Horton and Me
I like that so much that I am petitioning to have Tee-Shirts made.
The funny thing is when hearing / reading that in church over the weekend I heard it as God saying “Who will rise up” and “Who will stand”. Today I hopped onto www.biblegateway.com and did a search for “stand with me” because I can’t remember a verse number for the life of me. I found this one, but then read verse 17 as well. Psalm 64:16-17Who will rise up for me against the wicked?Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. It touches my heart. In the context of this message the psalmist could be speaking as an abortion survivor. Does the Lord have Horton ears that he hears the cry of the smallest of these? I don’t think so, I think God gave Horton Godly ears to hear with and Horton, by faith, listened and heard what no one else could. God bless you todayAnd if the watchman calls, don’t ignore it.
The Watchman’s Call
I am writing this post while sitting at church for a life group. I really should be listing but what the heck, I feel like I have to get this done before the weekend is over. For starters Pastor Steve Hickey gave a powerful message this weekend on the life issue. You can listen to the message here.
http://churchatthegate.com/podcast/2008-01-20.mp3
In this message Pastor Steve mentioned Ezekiel 33:6
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for the blood.
The watchman will be accountable for the blood
As Pastor Steve spoke this verse I felt like the Lord spoke to me and said
“If the watchman sounds the trumpet and you (me) do not respond the blood is on your (my) hands.”
That makes me think, am I listening for the watchman’s trumpet?
If I hear the trumpet and I ready to respond?
Am I willing to respond?
Will I step up when the time comes?
I pray
God open my ears to hear the watchman’s call. Arm me with the weapons of the Lord and strengthen me for battle. God make me obedient in this time. Most of all Lord burn into my mind the understanding that the victory will only come through you.
Amen
Back to David… I String and a Rock.
I was thinking about this last night. David want into battle with a string and a rock. He stood up to a man they say was a giant, carrying a sward, a spear and a javelin, He had a shield bearer in front of him, and I am sure that the armor he was wearing was, at the very least, impressive.
According to wiki, a shield bearer was usually a lightly armored solder, carrying a shield and sword, who’s duty was to protect the higher ranking warrior. So David was not only facing Goliath, but he had to at least consider the second man whom he would face that day.
With a string and a rock
David, young, fearless, standing between two armies staring into the eyes if a giant, listing to taunts of feeding his dead body to the wild animals…
I love the climax in verse 48 and 49
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. David didn’t just stand there and do his duty. He ran toward the Philistine and at the same time found a stone in his bag, slung it and was able to hit him right in the forehead, and kill Goliath. That’s a man skilled with a sling, or blessed by the Lord. My point is that at a young age David was fearless and bold, he was skilled in battle and inelegant enough to know that being armed to the teeth was not the best approach to this battle. And yet, when standing on the battle field and the time to kill a giant had come, what did he do? He gave all the credit to the Lord… Verse 46 and 47 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” So at this point in David’s short life I believe the number one thing that could be found in his heart was Faith in the Lord. He believed that GOD would not only deliver Goliath, but the entire Philistine army into his hands. So I pray, GOD give me the Faith if David. The Faith that he possessed with in his heart from the moment he heard the taunts of Goliath to the very moment his destiny as a giant killer was realized. GOD stamp the Faith of David on my heart and on my mind. The Faith that no matter the size of the Giant and the number of weapons stacked against me that I will know you are my deliverer and you will carry me through. In the name of Jesus I prayAmen
Why America?
I was just reading through a blog who’s latest post speaks of End times Prophesy how that is playing out today. Something occurred to me. Every time I hear about end times wars and battles America seems to be the center of Gods Army. Granted, I hear and read mainly from Americans. Maybe this is different in other parts of the world. My question is why America? Is there something biblically that leads back to the USA as a world leader on the side of God in the end times?Or is that an assumption by Americans because we are a world leader now?Ezekiel 39:7 says …I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. It seems like as a nation, America is more then willing to show contempt or irreverence for God. It seems as if the Church, and her desire to server the Lord are not represented in the actions of our nation. I pray to God that we are in that place of honor when the time comes, but right now I wonder if we are not forgetting to check the oil in our nation’s lamps. Any thoughts?
My Son
Sorry for the short post earler. We had a bit of a scare over the last 24 hours.
Yesterday we received a call from my sons doctor saying they received a test result back that tested positive for Crohn’s Disease. Well we were able to see specialist today and he said that this particular test is not very accurate for testing for Crohn’s and he suspects, with the rest of my sons history that this was a false positive. We are not out of the woods yet as there are more tests to run, but we are breathing a bit easer today.
I thak the Lord for his blessings today.
