Saturday, May 23, 2020

May 23

As I was reading in 1 Kings 10, a few things peeked my curiosity. This chapter covers some of King Solomon’s riches; what he had built was incredible! His throne was made of ivory, and overlaid with gold! It had six steps leading up to it with lions on each step. It was beautifully detailed and intricately designed.

The fleet of Hiram brought Solomon many things, and with them was “almug” wood for supports. Almug, according to Strong, was probably sandalwood! Not only was the temple and Solomon’s home beautiful, but they had the scent of an earthy musk with woody undertones. One of the descriptions of the sandalwood tree, said it was small, but these beams were not small, and the Bible says, “No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.” 

God had given Solomon wisdom beyond anyone; if he created such beauty with man’s wisdom, how much more beautiful, and fragrant will the Kingdom of Heaven be? We must not worry about our eternity, because what we see now is so bland compared to what we have to look forward to. Live for Jesus now, then live with Jesus in his kingdom for eternity!

And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day. 1 Kings 10:12

The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 1 Kings 10:18

Friday, May 22, 2020

May 22

Sunrise might be my favorite time of day. My eyes are usually a little sleepy, but to see the rays of the sun peaking just above the horizon, and the blaze of God’s design, bringing light upon the earth, gives me a sense of awe. How great is it that God chose to give us another day, and how could anyone deny his existence when they see such an incredible sight? I guess if they deny his existence, they can do what they please without consequences. Oh, what a sad day it will be when they encounter the Truth! I imagine the day that Jesus comes to gather the saints will be like a sunrise; that’s as close as my imagination can get to how incredible it will be. Whisked away at the angels call and the trumpet sound, we will be removed from the earth, and chaos will ensue; the worldly will be left alone in their sin, and the Antichrist will come to deceive them more. Anyone who survives that time, and comes to follow Jesus, will be tormented, and will loathe the sunrise, and be martyred for their faith. Those of us who believe now, will not see that day! 

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Thursday, May 21, 2020

May 21

How fortunate are we that God chose to give color to our eyesight? What more will our eyes see when we enter the gates of Heaven? We don’t know what he is holding back from us. One thing I know is that Paul had gotten a glimpse of Heaven. We don’t know if he was in the body or out, but we do know that he poured his soul into his teachings, which comes with warning as well as wonder. What did he see that we have yet to see? He abandons his care for his life and focused on bringing others to know the Lord; he was more about meeting our spiritual needs, and less about our physical needs. There is life living among us that we don’t see. I believe we may have seen it at one point, when we were young and untainted by our physical sight. When I’m holding my newest grand baby, I can see him look away from me and smile, as if someone else has caught his eye. Jesus tells us that every child has a guardian angel; do babies see theirs? For us, our greatest hope is for the next phase of our life, and dwelling in the house of the Lord, and seeing with our own eyes all the wonders that God saved for those who love him.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Philippians 1:21-24

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 18:10

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

May 20

One of my favorite pastimes is walking on the beach; for a couple of reasons, one, it’s great exercise, and two, I can get tanned on all sides without rotating. On my walk down the beach, I noticed a blue heron standing in a swimming pool, I suppose he thought he was going to catch a meal. On my way back, I saw that he had moved from the pool to the beach, my guess is that he didn’t have any luck fishing in the pool. We have choices to make, do we continue to beat our heads against the wall teaching or witnessing to unbelievers who refuse our Savior, or do we move on to where the prospects are better? It took the heron a minute to figure out that there were no fish in that pool, and after not getting any bites, he moved on. Sometimes we need to cast our nets on the other side of the boat, or maybe even change ponds. Take your cues from the Holy Spirit, and move on to where the prospects are more plentiful, when you find that those whom you are witnessing to, are not ripe for the Lord.

He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. John 21:6

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

May 19

Are you happy? We were never promised happiness, however, because of the peace given to us by Jesus, I can truly say that his peace gives me contentment which leads to my happiness. The storms of life will roar around us, and things of this world will fall apart, but we are not of this world! We have been appointed ambassadors to bring the knowledge of Jesus to an otherwise chaotic place. We are to show unbelievers our peace, so they see that we are not rattled by the circumstances surrounding us, and that our peace comes from somewhere beyond us. If you continue to show others you are fearful, how are you any different from them? Stop promoting tragedy on your social media! Start promoting Jesus. Show others that you have confidence in the One who saved you. Jesus was never overwhelmed by the things going on around him, nor should we; if you are, pray, and ask for his peace. If you ask, and it goes away, ask again, and again, until it sticks.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Monday, May 18, 2020

May 18

As a treat, I had two of my grandsons over to play together. It may have been a treat for them, but Namaw was worn out after two hours! One thing about these two, they are full of energy, but are loving to me and Pawpaw, and to one another. The precious hugs, and cuddles made the mayhem worth it. In a matter of seconds, we had nearly an entire box of crayons spilled, and a cup of ice water poured onto the floor! I clean up the water while the older one picked up the crayons. Though it was a chore, it was delightful to have them, and watch them interact together. In this world, we are unsure what tomorrow will bring; will it bring a blessing or a curse? So today, I choose to be thankful for the little things that bring joy into my heart, and focus less on what’s wrong and more on what’s right. Will you join me in an attitude change today? Let us focus our day on something positive, and offer thanks to the Lord.

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. Proverbs 17:6

Sunday, May 17, 2020

May 17

Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon. Absalom, who was Tamar’s full brother, avenged her rape by killing her rapist, their half-brother. She was devastated, and never recovered, and lived in Absalom’s home. Tamar, Absalom, and Amnon were all King David’s children. The king did not rule on Tamar’s rape, but mourned over Amnon’s death. Did he excuse Amnon since he violated Bathsheba’s marriage, and therefore felt unable to make a sound ruling? Probably. Tamar was left with the guilt, and the scars of being raped. Such a heinous act, but death was too good for him! This is why justice is so important. King David should have handled this better.

Our judicial system must stay in place, with balanced judges, who can make fair and unbiased decisions. We the people must fight for this! Do not leave the judges blank on your ballot! Do a little background research, check their Facebook, Twitter, and their websites, to make sure you agree with their thoughts on issues. Use the power of your vote to install the best representatives possible.

Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’” 2 Samuel 14:34