What is Christ Worth to You?

 

As I tirelessly scrolling through Instagram one night in order to make myself sleepy, I came across the story of 21 Christians that were beheaded in Libya by Isis in 2015. I remembered hearing something about it, yet I don't remember much about it because I was 14 at the time. Tonight, fast forward 9 years later, it was different. I watched the video of the men being marched one by one on the beach, each one held by a Jihadist in black, kneeling with backs toward the ocean. Being held by their collars, the ocean waves holding an eerie sense of impending doom, yet a Christly peace was present on all of their faces. As they were threatened with death through beheading, they were continually told that their lives would be spared if they denied Christ and converted in Islam. Like dominos, they were laid on their stomachs one by one and asked to deny Christ. The time had come for a decision to be made: How much does Christ mean to me?

    One by one, as each denied Islam and embraced Christ, the blades no larger than a hunting knife was pressed against their throats. With each "no" to Islam and "yes" to Christ, the blade moved upward to the sky, fully decapitating each man. As their limp bodies lay there, their severed heads stuck in the sand, an ocean once full of beauty began to turn red with the blood of each martyr. I was unable to watch the full video and could not comprehend watching it if I could. As I watch the PG clips, I saw some mouthing prayers, while other "set their face as flint," strong in their resolve to maintain and "keep the faith." Just seeing their dedication caused me to reflect on my own. To be honest with you, I was ashamed of my shortcomings. 

    In this video, ISIS had deliberately set up the executions in such a way that each man could witness the others being executed in sequence. Silently, yet boldly written in the sand with the blood of each man was this message to the others, "Is Christ worth this to you?" Slowly, one man died. Then another. Another. On and on it went. Then came the 21st man...

As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized the beauty of a relationship with God in ways I never imagined possible. It’s been hard and there’s been many times I’ve wanted to give up on God and quit church altogether, but quietly God always kept drawing me closer and keeping me close. He is the sole reason I’m still in church today. Some of the worst hurt I’ve ever experienced has been within the walls of a church, and by people who claim to know and love God. I’m not as “talkative and open” as I used to be. I can seem very standoffish and wary of people I don’t know. I can find myself finding reasons to make life temporarily “easier” by slacking off and letting Christianity drift into the background of my life. These thoughts have been a continuous battle for years now. I’ve let that eat away at my love for God more than I’d like to admit and even dreamed of a day where I could leave it all in my past and let that “church girl” go. Yet, like a quiet calm in the middle of the tornado that it feels like my life has been for 2 yrs now, I’ve been confronted by the inability of myself to get and keep a handle on my life. I’ve had the pride knocked out of me from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet. I’ve learned serving God from a heart that’s solely dependent upon Him. From learning that prayer is more than repetitive mouthed words, but daily conversations and listening. I’ve learned what “cry out to God” means as I have laid on bathroom floors at work, shaking from panic attacks, begging God to get me out of a mess I thought would make me feel valued. I was also confronted with the fact of I had been loving the idea of serving God, more than God Himself. I’ve been beat to the ground due to my own ego and running ahead of God and yet blame God when my ego gets scraped from the fall (as if He didn’t try to keep me from it all along). I’ve learned that being a Christian is sacrifice, faith and love lived out in everyday life. It seemed as if I had been doing that, yet when confronted with the videos and stories of these 21 martyrs, I am reminded of my shortcomings in faith. When faced with execution on film, they refused to denounce Christ, yet we'll find any and every excuse to see if we can miss church (I'm talking to myself right along with y'all).

The pews too hard
The pews are too soft
The preachings too long
The preachings too short

They hurt my feelings

I could hurt their feelings
I don’t trust people
There are not enough people in my church to trust
We don’t do too much
We do too much.

On and on it can go. On and on the bodies fell as choices were made. As the blood of their brothers stained their bright orange jumpsuits, the only thing that mattered in those final moments was Christ. Yet didn't it all come down to choices?  On and on it can go as easily as the bodies of each man was mutilated. It comes down to choices.  The decision to choose Christ regardless of what our flesh says. We are a blessed people to be able to freely go to church, and yet we find any excuse to not do it. Yet our brothers and sisters are dying because of their choice to remain and sustain their faith through their decision to follow Christ. May we feel the shame of our lack of effort and love for the freedom of worship, yet the grace to start again today with a renewed appreciation for the privilege and protection we do have. I’m proud to have brothers and sisters in Christ who loved our God even to death and left behind a legacy to show me that our God is worth it all, even our lives.

    In the USA it’s not  that killing us: it’s complacency. The ideas that we can post and say anything that has a scent of biblical principles, and we can make everyone think we’re Christian’s, yet our actions don’t back it up has become a deadly cancer amongst Christianity and the cause of Christ. It used by Satan to appease our conscience, but it is complacency, not Christianity.  At the end of complacency is laziness. Christ said in (Luke 9:23 ) to “take up your cross and follow me,” and we all know the road He walked led to self-denial and sacrifice. It’s not easy to be a Christian. It is not easy to go to church. It is much easier to sleep in. Have fun. Go to the lake, sports games, or see friends (let me be clear though: it is understandable when you have to work as long as you don't purposely schedule in order to miss church). Yet, please realize that this is showing how much Christ means to you. It’s easy to make a post, raise a hand of praise in church, or say you love the Lord, but when push comes to shove, or  to your neck, do you really? When the church music fades out, everyone goes home, and you’re left with no one but you, do you really believe like you wish you did? What you sing about?  Preach about?  Post about? Talk about? Do you really believe what you believe you do?

     For those of us to say we love Christ and set an example on social media, but our lives show complacency over Christ, we are being stumbling blocks to others and to Christ. When Jesus is last on your priority list but the first words out of your mouth, what message are you sending?  When you speak, post, or live two different things, it taunts the message others are giving their life for. We’re a blessed people, yet how is it that someone’s faith in Libya is worth dying for, but ours isn’t even worth waking up early, getting dressed, and going to church for an hour for? We will never convince a world that our faith means so much that it’s worth dying for if it isn’t even worth the sacrifice of our comfort and free time now. Is Christ worth it to you?

 

    Remember the 21^st man? His name was Matthew Ayarifa and was from Ghana. He had been thrown in prison with the other men, all from Egypt because they had converted to Christianity. They were kidnapped separately while doing construction over the border in order to provide meager rations to feed their families. Kidnapped separately but for all the same charge: being Christians and actively showing it. As their deaths were being filmed, Matthew was the last man to be asked to renounce Christ. As the leader of the jhadists (signified by the camo outfit versus the fully black garb the others wore) shoved his face into the cool, wet sand, and no doubt the blood from his brother in Christ. Knife against his neck, the lens of the camera fixed on him and family and friends watching on the other side of that lens, he humbly yet boldly sent a message to the world and those terrorists regarding the faith of all 21 men. Written in the blood on the sand was the message to his family, friends, fellow Christians, and the world of, “Hey everyone, this matters. This faith is worth dying for. It is worth this.”  When given the final choice of the group of "the people of the cross, the followers of the hostile Egyptian church," Matthew looked at the bodies of his brothers and said, "Their God is my God." With that, the knife separated his head from his body, and his soul ascended to the one Who made the ultimate sacrifice for Him to enter into glory. With that he left all us Christians a message of the beauty of Christianity in the midst of evil and posed us a question. We don't have a knife pressed against our neck, but the same eyes on him are on us too. What is Christ worth to you? 

LIVE FOOTAGE OF THE 21 MARTYRS (PG):

https://youtu.be/djraTFBbdnY

Attend the Funeral

 It’s okay to take a visit to your graveyard of memories and lessons as many times as necessary. This is a sacred place.   

-Wishing something was different doesn’t make it different. It just means that you have spent your time wishing instead of doing something to make things change.

-Sometimes broken dreams don’t scream; sometimes they are deafeningly quiet. It is okay to sit in their silence.

-If Simba wasn’t allowed to stay where everything was “Hakuna Matata,” neither can you. You were meant for the Pride Lands.

-It’s okay to cry (or not cry) when life doesn’t go the way you want. I once read where someone said, “Humans need both water and salt to live. How poetic that God put them both in our tears.” Tears are healthy. It’s okay to cry, friend. 

-It’s okay to grieve over the life you wanted and don’t have (and grieving does not have a guidebook, so don’t let someone tell you how to grieve “properly”).

-If it mattered to you, it matters to God. Don’t make an enemy out of the One Who is always there for you. He has attended funerals too and each person dead left alive. You can be the same.

- It’s okay to stare into the distance and watch visions of goals unfulfilled dance on the walls.

-It’s okay to sit in the breeze outside and hear the whining wind remind you that life will be okay, even if it isn’t right now.

-It’s okay to cry somedays, and be happy other days. Emotions have a mind of their own. :)

-It’s okay for you to be tired after being drained for all you’re worth. Parasites don’t care about how they make you feel, they only use you for what they want. You’ll feel alive again one day. Trust me. 

- It’s okay to take a little more TLC than others. Flowers take time, patience, grace, and perseverance to fight their way through the soil to the sun. Maybe you will have to as well so that you can get a clearer view of the Son.

-It’s okay to take it slow after a fast-paced life came screeching to an abrupt halt. 

-It’s okay to not know who you are and feel lost for a while. 

-It’s okay to embrace the change and new direction that life has gone and trust in God to lead you.

-It’s okay to take a day to sit in your car, cry, and eat whatever meal you want to. Stress and anxiety took enough calories, so this batch won’t hurt.

- It’s okay to carry expectations as long as those expectations don’t carry us. You see, if I drop an expectation, I can easily pick it back up or replace it with another of equal or more fulfilling value. But  what happens when the expectation carries me? If I am dropped, what can I do? Half of life’s biggest disappointments are unmet expectations that were never approved by God in the 1st place. I shouldn’t be mad at Him for an expectation I never shared with Him or allowed time for Him to voice His opinion on. 

-It’s okay to give yourself the grace enough to handle big changes without hating yourself for the changes. Little steps are still steps.

-Sometimes waters will rise in your life and you will feel like you’re drowning, but maybe they are teaching you to swim?

-It’s okay to stop things when necessary and friends will understand that. You HAVE to now so you don’t HAVE to later.

-You can look  at the days you “wasted” in your life or you can look at the life those experiences added to your days.

- It’s okay to look at a calendar full of opportunities and now see empty spaces that take their place. Life has become a blank slate. What are you going to put there?

- It’s okay to step back and reevaluate your life and relationships. Hear me now: Don’t ever invest in anything that does not invest in you. That’s a quick way to get hurt. This will only lead to negative feelings about yourself and others, and will affect your self image. Be careful now though! You see, the minute I go to bed thinking that I am a failure, I am one. Why? You cannot let other people determine how you view yourself or what they think you are “worth.” You cannot do it. You have to hold onto the equal ground you both deserve or you might as well wrap yourself up in plastic wrap, put a For Sale sticker on it, and put yourself on an Ikea shelf. Congrats, you are now a rug for everyone to walk on. Get up and fight for a place amongst the successful, the talented, the strong. If you don’t learn how to become that, people are going to walk all over you. Now, you’re not using people or being “like that.” That’s not what I’m saying. You have to follow Bible commandments, that’s the truth, but you do NOT have to let people walk all over you because they “can.” God gave you a voice, God gave you a brain, and God gave you feelings, so you are allowed to use those. Hard pill to swallow? I’d rather swallow my pride now than be hit with a 2x4 of reality later. Quit putting yourself in situations that don’t give you ANY satisfaction, any joy, and you go to bed everyday hating yourself for putting yourself in a position where you can’t thrive because you’re just trying to survive. That’s not healthy and that’s not wise. You have to understand who you are and who you want to be and YOU have to take the steps necessary to get there. 

-Attend the funeral. Feel your feelings. Don’t shut it out because it’s too painful. Visit the grave and feel the tombstone that holds your broken dreams, hopes, opportunities, and pieces of you there. Wet the soil with your tears. Embrace the reality this place reminds you of that life is far from perfect. Then get up. Wipe your face. Promise yourself that this is not the end. Life can come from dead things when it’s in the right hands. Give up your pride, broken dreams, and the version of you that you tried to maintain but couldn’t, and the pieces of you that have “died” along the way. Give it all to God. In the dirt of life, give yourself to God.  Then get up and start walking. You’ll often find that you’ll leave your own “funeral” feeling more alive than ever.

This 

Pick Your Apples Wisely

We are now in my favorite time of the year. I love the warm sweaters, the Christmas music and lights, the childhood classic movies that I watch on repeat, and the smell of warm apple pie in the oven. Nothing quite spells the spirit of thankfulness for me like going into a warm house and smelling Momaw's  homeade apple pie on the counter. I loved it and the feeling that surrounded it so much that I asked her to teach me the recipe. I wanted to know the in's and out's of the made-from-scratch pie crust, the cinnamon sugar topping, and picking the perfect apples. Now I know how to make it and it is a treasured recipe of mine. When making it, I first pick my apples.

My natural inclination is to choose the one on the right... Wait, what? You confused now? Good, you're paying attention :) Anyone who knows even the minutest amount about cooking would naturally select the one on the left. "One bad apple spoils the bunch?" Well, that one bad apple will also spoil the pie. Nothing quite would squash the mood surrounding that pie like biting into or smelling a bad apple. In this time of thankfulness (which should be year-round), we wouldn't cook with a bad apple... so why do we live like one? Let me explain...

Last month, I was shopping at Goodwill when this cute little sign caught my eye. When I first saw it, I immediately thought of Proverbs 25:11: "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." A very poetic verse, with a play on imagery and figurative writing. In this verse, an apple is used to represent a word fitly spoken, and how, like gold, it stands out amongst the silver background. It is noticeable. A word spoken at the right time is felt at the core of those who need it most. Words have an effect on people. I realized this the other day at work. We had a bigger event planned for a particular day, and to be honest, I wasn't over the moon about it. You see, I am not much of a talker and anytime an event has the potential for me to have to talk for extended periods of time, I get nervous. You have to catch me before my word count expires for that day or else I'm not much of a conversation starter LOL.  Anyway, this spirit of fear ruins any kind of thankfulness I should have. I end of up dreading what others are looking forward to. I became aware of this while waiting in line for food. I was just wanting to get in and get out and was wishing that the line was moving quicker when I heard someone say, "This is an answer to my prayer that I have been praying for a while." I heard that, and I was immediately convicted. Someone had prayed for a close work family that could share in this special event, and here I was complaining in my spirit because her prayer had been answered. Some people maybe don't have good work environments, or homes, or finances, and friends, or are missing someone this Thanksgiving and so they prayed for unity and closeness amongst what they do have: Co-workers. 

At the time of my unthankful spirit rising up within me, I had no clue that my complaint was another person's answer to prayer. But do we ever really know? I was immediately struck with the thought that my words were so important, and that I did not want my negativity to take away the joy of her answered prayer. My bad attitude that I could have shown through my words (the apple) would have spoiled the thankfulness (the pie) she was experiencing. It reminds me of Romans 12:15: "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" and 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." We are to rejoice when others get their prayers answered even when we don't feel like rejoicing, and we are 100% responsible for what we say in response to their joy. Easier said than done, I know. Sadly, in the past, I have become angry at someone else's answered prayer because I was jealous that it wasn't my own. One time, I had literally just finished an intense prayer and felt God's peace in a matter that was really bothering me. However, as soon as I was finished praying and turned on my phone, I saw that my EXACT prayer was answered... yet for someone else. I was hurt, angry, and jealous, and my words and spirit reflected that. I wasn't thankful, I wasn't kind, nor was I planning to "rejoice" with someone over their answered prayer. Yet, that's just it. At the core, I was a rotten apple. Anytime I feel like things were going downhill in a jet (it's going down real fast :), I would instantly become negative and depressed and because I felt this way, well... "misery loves company." Yet, just because I had set up camp in the land of negativity did not mean that everyone had to join me there. I tried to drag them there with me with my attitude and my words, and I was so graciously called out by someone I love with all my heart. This person called me out for  my "unChristian-like" behavior and responded to my negativity with patience, grace, and sternness. This also contributed to me learning the great importance of a word fitly spoken.

Remember when I said my natural inclination was to pick the apple on the right? Yep, it sounds crazy, but I am not lying. Although I would not pick it for making pies, my spirit so often picks it in life. Yet, life is all about choices, and just like I pick my apples for my pie, I can "pick" the "apples" for my life. I can choose to be thankful and to let my words reflect the joy of thankfulness for someone else's prayer being answered. Life is hard enough and we don't need negativity from the ones who know better to be the ones that are serving it up. So, from now on, I'll pick my apples carefully.

Before I go, I would like to leave you with this story the next time you're inclined to feel ungrateful. I was reading in Kimberly Collingsworth's book called "His Gift, My Story," and she included this story about Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy. I will share the excerpt here:

"[Corrie and Betsy] were thrown into a European concentration camp during WWII as punishment for hiding Jews in their home. Corrie prayed for ways to share her faith even while being held in the most deplorable bunker, crawling with bedbugs. One day while meditating on the verse...from 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Betsy pointed out to Corrie that perhaps she should give thanks for the bedbugs. 'After all,' she stated, 'the verse says 'In everything give thanks.' But as Corrie sat scratching the sores on her body she said aloud, 'I cannot thank God for this!' Reluctantly, at the prompting of her sister, Corrie thanked God 'even for the bedbugs,' and tried to make the best of their situation. Soon after, God opened the door for her to evangelize to many women who were housed in that miserable place. They held Bible studies freely as the guards rarely came inside. One afternoon, when a couple guards came into the bunker to retrieve a dead body, Corrie overheard them discussing why they never entered this bunker. It was simple- they couldn't abide the bedbugs!"

Next time, let's think and thank before we complain :) 

"A Better Yes" -Travis Clark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVmSBhlrVPw&list=RDWVmSBhlrVPw&start_radio=1

"In Everything Give Thanks"- Charlotte Ritchie, Jeff and Sheri Easter (my childhood😍)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZ46aKpb_I

A Father That Runs

 

In today's post, we will be discussing two parables that recently have been on my heart a lot. Well, the other day, I was scrolling through Amazon (a daily activity :) ) and I stumbled across this piece of artwork that I immediately fell in love with. It is the simplicity of the artwork that tells the story in-depth for me. In this drawing, we find 99 sheep, yet the Shepherd running after the 1 that ran away from the security of the fold and got lost. This parable is found in Luke 15 amongst two other parables about a lost coin and a lost son. All different subjects, yet one common theme: What was lost is now found.

    In Luke 15:1-7 and Luke 15: 11-32, we find the parables of The Lost Sheep and The Lost Son. Although two different stories, allow me to cross the two together, if I may. You see, Jesus used parables to help people understand God and His kingdom. A parable is a earthly story with a heavenly meaning, which made hard subjects easier to grasp (thus why Jesus used them frequently). Even though two different storylines were used, both reflected the same message: That we have a Father in Heaven that loves us and pursues a relationship with us. One about a sheep; one about a son: Both about us.

    Since seeing that picture about the lost sheep, it spurred me to begin studying the parable of the lost son. Upon my research, I found that an understanding of Middle Eastern culture during this time is vital in fully grasping the enormity of what Jesus was teaching his audience.  For clarity purposes, I will divide this up into sections :)

1: In verses 11-13, we find a father and his two sons. Within these verses, the younger son approaches his father and asks for his "portion of goods" from his father's estate. Although this birthright was something he was allowed to ask for, it sent the underlying message that his father was of no importance to him. The estate belonged to his sons once he had passed away and asking for it early was rude and selfish. Nevertheless, it happened.

 2: After receiving his portion, he journeyed into a "far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living" (vs.13). Notice that he journeyed into a FAR country, thus creating as much distance between him and his father as possible. Sin, like a cockroach, does its best work in the dark, out of sight. Within the country of his father, he was held to the standard of the way he was raised to live, whether this was imposed forcefully or not. He could not live the "riotous life" he wanted in close proximity to the father. Sometimes, distance between us and God is a void that we create because we are way too selfish and self-seeking. Sometimes in pursuing our "dreams," we rip up our solid foundation in order to build a wobbly, unsturdy bridge to the life we want. Unfortunately, I see myself amongst this example.  Sometimes God feels like my best friend that I can spill all of my life's details to; other times, He feels like an acquaintance that I run into at Walmart and keep the convo short and sweet (I am not that much of a talker:). How can a God that NEVER changes feel like both of these at different points in my life? I can tell you one reason that seems to invade my life far more than I'd like to admit: We want what we want and sadly, sometimes, we abandon God to get it.  He never changes and is a foundation that is always solid, so the blame lies on me. I walked away, not Him. I had taken my journey into the "far country," on my way to "better" pastures, only to find out that this road only leads to the pig pen.

3: In Jewish culture, pigs are considered incredibly nasty and are to be avoided. However, this Jewish son finds himself taking care of a Gentile man's pigs since he wasted all of his inheritance on riotous living. A famine had hit and he had no money in order to survive it, so he took whatever job he could get. In verse 16, it says: "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him." You see, as sin creeps into our lives, our desire for God grows smaller, as our hunger for the world grows larger and more intense. Sooner or later, we find ourselves in the son's position and we'd rather eat the husks meant for the pigs. It's a sad day when we'd rather eat the world's husks than the buffet at our Father's table.

4: Also, I find it quite interesting that Jesus never clarified exactly what "riotous living" he had wasted his father's money on. After examining this, I found that He was teaching to a mixed audience of publicans and sinners and the Pharisees (equally just as much sinners). The Pharisees had a problem with adding to God's law in order to appear more "religious." They added to God's commandment of resting on the Sabbath and went as far as to say that spitting in the dirt (thus creating mud), was work and was forbidden. Apparently, they also forgot that being a spy on everyone else required just as much work, yet we don't talk about that :)....In my opinion, I believe Jesus did this because "riotous living" was used to represent sin. We each have our pulls and draws to sin, and not all of us are the same. Some are pulled to drugs and alcohol; others, bad friends and bad relationships, etc... What draws you into sin may not be what draws me into sin. Sin can look different for person to person. Although the Bible is clear that all sin is sin, sin comes in different packages, and is a vice to people in their own way. Because of this, I believe that "riotous living" was an open-ended word choice where whatever you battle with in regards of sin could be placed there. I also believe that, given his audience of Pharisees, He didn't clarify because they would get hung up on one word and fail to "search the Scriptures" (John 5:39a). Far too many religions have been made, yet no relationship with Christ formed because we get hung up on words and don't search for context.

5: Next, we see the son's response when he "... came to himself...." (vs.17). He decided to go home. This alone was no easy feat. Anyone who has ever barked up the wrong tree and had to make the slow, painful descent back down knows how he was feeling. In this time and culture, it was actually quite dangerous. In this time and culture, a family's honor was everything (and still is in Middle Eastern countries). Since he had disgraced his father's house and name, he could very easily be banished, beaten, or killed upon arrival back home. Yet, even with this uncertain response awaiting, something drew him home. What was that? He knew his father. He had lived with his father and knew him best. He knew he could come back home to his father. Likewise, we can too. These parables reflect more of a backslidden Christian to me than anything else. The sheep lived amongst his herd and under the shepherd's guidance. The son lived amongst his family with his father. Maybe we're the same. Whether we have been a Christian for years or are new to the faith, we've lived amongst the Father. When you live with someone, you begin to understand their routines and know how they'll respond to different things. The knowledge of a father that loved him and would forgive him drew him back where he belonged.

6: Lastly, we see the father. I can only imagine that every day he gazed over the hills, waiting to see his son's silhouette on the Judean horizon.  In verse 20, it states: "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Jesus included a very important detail within this verse. Did you catch it? Read it again and pay very close attention to the punctuation. Having helped teach English for 3 years, these details are important to me. Periods mean the thought or sentence is complete unless a new sentence is formed. Commas, however, mean that the thought isn't finished, yet a pause needs to be practiced before reading the next word (#practicethepause). Look again... it said: "...and he ran...". Not that important to you? Let me clarify... In this culture, men did not run. Running was considered childish and immature and was left to the children. Also, since men wore long robes, running required pulling their robes up, thus exposing their legs. In today's culture, that would be equivalent to a man running down the street in only his boxers. It was not dignified, nor was it classy. Yet, this father ran.

    Sometimes love goes against the grain and does uncharacteristic things when something that was lost is returned home again. Love sacrifices. Love forgives. Love apologizes. Love takes the time to make the time when others need them. Love listens. Love cares. Love speaks.  Love runs. 

In this case, we have a father that did all of that. Since he was an earthly representation of our Heavenly Father, he represented everything good because that's exactly what God is. I say this to you and me alike: No matter how far you've traveled, come home. Love waits for us at the door. Feel like you can't walk home? That's okay. We have a Father that runs.

“The Prodigal’s Father”    

(*Click Link)

A Defense Against Our Enemies

     Although rarely mentioned, the Bombardier Beetle is a fascinating creature. I first stumbled across it during my "Creation vs. Evolution" personal study. Its special design comes from a special Creator. It has a unique defense against its enemies, which is almost a mixture of tear gas and a tommy gun. It shoots a boiling 212° mixture (the boiling point of water) out of 2 rear nozzles, which can be rotated at an 180° arc for aim accuracy. It's similar to an explosion when activated. Also, it never blows itself up because it was designed with the 2 twin nozzles to release the brewing hydrogen peroxide, hydroquinone, and benzoquinone mixture. Amazingly, this insect only ever aims at its enemies. It knows its foes from its friends and acts accordingly.

    

 (Video on the Bombardier Beetle)

               

Bombardier Beetle

    When I first began studying this insect, I was fascinated. It is one thing (of many) that Evolutionists cannot explain. I mean, how does a bug brew inside of itself a boiling mixture, yet not blow itself up in the process? It was specially designed by a Special Creator to respond to its most common enemies in this unique way. If you stop and ponder that thought, so are we. If we take a look around our world today, it is not hard to find "enemies" everywhere. We see children's TV programs showing direct disregard and violations of God's marriage ordinance (1 man, 1 woman, for life); we see horrific crimes unfolding in our schools because hatred boils thicker than the love does. We see miscommunications, petty arguments, and immaturity divide marriages and families. We hold grudges for years and become "grievance collectors," all the while locking ourselves in a prison of bitterness (#guilty). Yet, with all these things, we were never intended to become like this. We were never created to be enemies of God or each other; we chose to become that. When Adam and Eve chose to heed the voice of Satan above the Lord that gave them everything, they signed the agreement to become an enemy of God (deceived or not, it was still a choice they were responsible for). From that first bite of fruit, sin crept inside of mankind and due to that sin, we were deemed enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Yet, through all this chaos, God left us an example of how to deal with our enemies. That example? Love and forgive them like He did.

    In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus says to forgive 490 times DAILY. It is practically impossible to be offended 490 times a day (although some days, I question :) ). I might become agitated 489 times a day, but not 490 😀. Working in a call center, I deal with rudeness all day long. I get yelled at, cussed at, lied on, and treated poorly sometimes by callers over things that are not my fault. No joke, the ice cream machine could be down at McDonalds and, already agitated, they will call me and fuss because the application they submitted 10 seconds ago has not been viewed yet. Sometimes I want to argue, somedays I want  to reach through the phone, slap them, and hang up. Other times, I want to chunk my whole phone system through the window and leave. I have learned that it is so easy to become annoyed...and yet, that alone shows the magnitude of the example Jesus left behind with a basin of water, a towel, and a servant's heart. Curious now, eh? Let me explain...

    If we take a look at John 13:1-20, we will see John's account of the Last Passover. If we really pay attention, we can see the beginning stages of Jesus' s agony and the obliviousness of the disciples who were hearing to His words, but not listening His words. After having feasted, Jesus rises from the floor (in Bible times, they ate on the floor), and fills a basin with water. Now Jesus was fully aware that although He had 12 disciples in the room, He only had 11 friends present. One (Judas) had already planned to betray Him that night, and was just waiting for the right moment to do so. I can't imagine the sense of betrayal that you would feel, knowing that one of your disciples, one that had witnessed you teach firsthand, watched you in all the moments unrecorded in the Bible, dedicated 3 years of their life to literally follow you, and had just shared in your last meal on earth, was the same one anticipating your capture and demise. If I were Jesus (and thank God, I'm not), I would have dumped that basin of water all over Judas, and then, not so gently,  knocked him in the head with the basin. Yet, Jesus didn't do that. He didn't explode on him. He didn't yell. He didn't fight. Instead, He knelt down, took off Judas's sandals, and washed his feet. The very feet that, in less than an hour, would run faster than Sonic to go betray his "friend" for 30 pieces of silver (anywhere from $250-$3500, depending upon the coin's weight). I can only imagine the memories going through Jesus's mind at that moment. Yet, Jesus knelt right in front of him, looked the snake in the eye, and washed the feet of an enemy alongside the feet of His friends. You see, Jesus was Judas's enemy, but Judas was never Jesus's enemy (enemy of God due to sin? Yes. Jesus’s personal enemy? No.).  He went to the cross to save people like Judas. Jesus chose a servant's role (only servants washed feet in Bible times) when washing the disciples' feet, showing the depths that love would go to show man the main message since The Fall: That God loves and God forgives.

    At any time, Judas had a free-will to accept the gift of salvation. It's a sad reality that Judas let the Lamb of God wash the dirt off of his feet, but not the sin out of his heart. He chose fortune, while Jesus chose forgiveness. This was symbolized with every step He took to Calvary, with every mocking taunt left without a rebuttal, with 10 legions of angels standing at the ready, yet never called upon, with "Father, forgive them..." being one of the last sentences He uttered while literally suffocating on Calvary. It shows the great depth Love goes to mend a broken relationship, to heal a wounded past, to become a grievance forgiver instead of a grievance collector. As for Judas, he ended up hanging himself because fortune never satisfies, especially when you betray friends for it.  At the very moment Judas looped that rope around the tree, Jesus was on trial in order to forgive mankind's sin, and that included Judas's, if only he would've asked.

    As with the Bombardier Beetle, the marvelous nature of the Creator is always evidenced in His creation. He designed it so unique that there isn't anything like it, and scientists cannot explain it. We can be the same way. When a situation demands a negative response, we can practice love and forgiveness, just like Jesus. When the most common response to an enemy is violence, hatred, or bitterness, we can be unique (just like our Creator) and forgive. God did it and God never gives us anything that He Himself does not possess (Example: We are not made to hate because God is not a God of hate, but a God of Love- that is why hatred is against nature). He would never tell you to forgive if He Himself did not forgive. The goal is that we are what He is, modeling after His example and character. In all 783, 137 words in the KJV Bible, we see the example left for us on how to handle our enemies: Love them and forgive them just like He did.

(If you pull up on the video from the top left and pull down from the bottom right at the same time, it will enlarge the video. The words are harder to see on a phone)

 

Song of the Week:

(Please ignore the backdrop :) it looks better when you do sign language in front of it 😜)

Dinner Table in Bible Times