As it was in the days...

Luke 17:26-30

26 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

And likewise, we today eat, drink, marry, buy, sell, plant, build...so it will it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

2 Peter 3:10-13

10 But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise; and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Spurgeon on Unbelief

One of the reasons I so enjoy reading Charles H. Spurgeon is that he is able to say in a few sentences what I would want to say and would take paragraphs to articulate. While reading from "Finding Peace in Life's Storms" (1997 Whitaker House) - based on Col. 1:27, I was blessed to find the following:

"The Bible does not praise unbelief nor present motives or reasons for cultivating it. Experience has not proven that unbelief gives strength for life's battles or wisdom for life's complexities. Unbelief is a close relative of gullibility. Unlike true faith, unbelief has a tendency toward being led by the nose by any falsehood. Unbelief yields no consolation for the present, and its outlook for the future is by no means comforting. We find no hint in the Bible of a sublime land in the clouds where people who praise their own intellectual ability will eternally baffle themselves and others. We read no prophecy in Scripture of a celestial hall of science where skeptics may weave new deceptions and forge new objections to the revelation of God. There is a place for the unbelieving, but it is not heaven." (Italics mine)

As Al would say, that puts the fodder down where the calf can eat it.

Thank you C.H.S. and thank you, Almighty God.

millions...billions...tril...?!

Providentially, my next door neighbor has noticed a woodpecker who has claimed a dead branch of her maple tree for his/her own!! He has been rata tat tatting away for several days and has made a hole about 3 inches in diameter so far. Hunting for insects? Chipping out a nest??

These are very unusual birds, though they are found plentifully around the globe. They have an "industrial strength" skull, the heaviest/strongest in relation to their body of any animal. Their brain is super cushioned with cartilege (where do you think they got the idea for sports helmets??). Most of them have "industrial strength" beaks as well. They close their eyes between EVERY peck at the tree trunk - not to avoid getting wood bits in their eyes - but to keep their eyes from being popped out at each peck, by the force of the blow!! So they need to refocus after every peck. Amazing! They have two claws that face to the front and two that face to the back - they can climb up, down, upsidedown, sideways, you name it. Their tails are stiff and spread out when they are pecking away so their claws and tail form a strong tripod to support the bird. Neat!

Most woodpecker tongues are barbed, stab the insect in the hole, have a special glue at the end of the long tongue to stick to the insect. After the woodpecker has slurped the insect into his mouth, another special substance - a solvent - loosens the insect, so the bird can swallow the insect and not his tongue!!!

Finally, there is the European Green woodpecker and his amazing tongue!

Could even trillions of years make the reality of the woodpecker possible??

I have a wonderful video of my neighbor's woodpecker, but have been unable to upload for this post. Will keep working at it and hopefully post it later! Got the link for it, hope it works!

Our Glorious Purpose

This passage is from the March 2010 Tabletalk (Ligonier Ministries) and is by Rev. Fred Klett in an article entitled "From Jerusalem, to All Nations, and Back Again":

"It is easy to get bogged down in mundane and parochial concerns. Dull details of the daily grind constantly scream for our attention. We must not lose sight of the glorious purpose for which we have been called: the restoration of all creation. Our witness, our prayer, our service to bind up the wounds of the suffering in the name of Jesus are all part of something spectacular and wonderful, something the prophets longed to look into (1 Peter 1:10). May God renew our zeal for His work in our own neighborhoods and for His worldwide missionary enterprise. May He revive us to pray and work in faith toward both Jews and Gentiles being restored to blessing. Messiah Jesus is still at work advancing the Father's kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. The second volume of the book of Acts is still being written. Let us recommit ourselves to this gospel enterprise, from Jerusalem, to all nations -- and then back again."

We live in exciting times, working with Messiah Jesus to advance the Father's Kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are a part of the second volume of Acts!! Glory! Glory! and Amen.

True Love

Happy day of love and loving! While reading today in the Daily Study Bible (MacArthur) I was struck by the true love shown in the selected passages, which were not chosen because it is Feb. 14, but because that is where we are in these Scriptures, as we read each day.

From the Old Testament: Ex. 39 and 40 - the descriptions of the furnishings for the Tabernacle and the priests and we see the Beauty of His Love, as he wants us to see His Beauty every time we come together for worship. And when Moses finished the work and it was all done "The Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle". (Ex. 40:34) Can anything be more beautiful than His Glory??

From Proverbs 8:23-31 - His love expressed through His Wisdom in the creation. We see His love every time we open our lives to all He has created for our enjoyment and edification. "Rejoicing in the world, His earth and having my delight in the sons of men". (vs. 31)

But then, --and I wonder - is this love??-- next in the reading, is Matthew 27: 1-26 which records the "trial" of Jesus Christ before Pilate, after the "trial" of Jesus Christ before the chief priests and the high priest; the presentation of the Christ before the people who yelled out for Barabas to be released; and then verse 26, "he delivered Him to be crucified". And I was so humbled by this extreme act of love, a love I can never know in full, a love that surpasses all love ever before expressed or ever after, a love that only a Loving God can give through the willing love, and death, of His Son for us. And I know -- This is love.

Oh My!! such nonsense is shown in red hearts, candy and flowers that soon fade and...
Oh My!! such love is shown in the Lord Jesus Christ.

"We love because He first loved us".1 John 4:19...Thank You, God, for True Love.

Involved??

Involved in the work of the Master? Doing His Will? Staying in contact with His Words?

If you are unable to "go to" and "join in" and "be a part of" because of whatever, there is a way to stay involved and purposely put yourself in His line of work -- pray.

What should I pray for? How should I pray? How do I know if God hears? What if my mind wanders (I'm personally acquainted with this question!)?

I'm very interested in the power and purpose of prayer, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, at the throne of Grace. Even though prayer has been part of my spiritual journey, I will never be too advanced or perfected or saintly to outgrow my need of learning to pray and then doing just that - PRAY.

A new opportunity has been given, in answer to prayer, to stretch once more in the direction of the Holy, looking upward to the Author and Finisher of our Faith, to grow in faith and with a different focus - http://www.pray4gcr.com/.

The time focus is for the Orlando gathering in late June of 2010 - but the eternal time focus is well,...., eternal. I like that. I don't need to know the immediate answers to this prayer request, just learn to be faithful in my prayer time...and not let my mind wander.

Praise God

The Lord brought to my mind these words this morning:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

I was thanking Him for my three little pooches, my remote car starter (yes, I thank Him for that a lot!), safety in the rain on the road to the groomer and just because...

I couldn't remember the second line correctly so I checked it out when I got home and discovered that those words are the last stanza in a much longer hymn written by Puritan, Thomas Ken (1637-1711). In typical Puritan fashion it has 11 verses (when sung, I bet that all 11 were sung, not just 1, 3, 5...heh).

The Lord has a sense of humor. If I had known the first verse of the hymn, I might have been singing something else...heh

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

You can check out the other verses here. The tune is unfamiliar to me, but it refreshes my mind since I am over-familiar with the tune with which I usually sing it.