Seeing believing

recently i was visiting a friend of mine and she told me about an eagles nest not far from my house. Did i believe her that it was there? Yes, did i want to see it for myself? Yes. How many times has a friend or acquaintance of yours shared something with you that you either believed right away or you didn't believe at all. You have heard the phrase, "seeing is believing" But is that always true in all things in our lives. I like to describe myself as a person who is trying to follow Jesus. Jesus, when he was here on this earth had a saying that said if you have seen me you have seen my father in heaven. Jesus also taught that man and woman had to have faith, he told the sick your faith has made you well. He told the crowds believe and trust. how hard is it to trust and believe in something that you cannot see? I would like to ask the question with Jesus is believing the beginning of seeing? Is he so different from us and our world that the popular phrase is totally backwards? try it out in your life. If you believe Jesus teachings or maybe you don't believe in Jesus teachings. When you come to a point in your life that you trust Jesus to be true does it help you see life and the world in a whole new way, similar to seeing with a new eyeglasses prescription. The blind man that Jesus healed told the people that he didn't know much about Jesus just that once he was blind now he could see. Maybe that is true for us as well. Believe and you will see!!

uncommon

5 loaves, 2 fish, withered hand, leprosy, blindness, 2 small copper coins, impaired speech. What do all these have in common? they were offered by people when they didn't know what else to offer. When they were at their end with all they had. Their hope was in these things as they offered it to God. or did they offer. maybe each one was asked of from God with a choice do I or don't I. After all what good is 5 loaves and 2 fish with 12,000 people standing around hungry. That can't mean much. Or a withered hand that has not be able to be used for some time. leprosy, a disease that puts you in exile, what could that do except change a mans heart to become a thankful man. Or a blind man who is taken out of darkness into the light to see and testify to once blind now seeing and faith that came in his life. A woman who had nothing yet gave 2 small coins as an example to many watching her. A man with impaired speech and said he could not lead, yet became one of the greatest leaders this world has seen, leading thousands of people out of slavery out of bondage through a desert, Receiving 10 laws that still govern much of our law today. A man who parted water, stood toe to toe with a wicked corrupt leader and said,"Let my people go!" What do they have in common? they were given to God at a time when there was no hope to bring hope to those around. A simple thing looked at as not being special or usable by many peoples standards yet God used them. have you ever stopped to think that maybe you might have 5 loaves and 2 fish, insignificant in your eyes yet plentiful in God's. Or maybe a withered hand that can't be used for normal everyday work but can be used to glorify God, Or a disease that separates you and leaves you on the outside looking in. maybe you are wondering where your next meal is coming from or where your next bill is going to be paid or just ready to give up because you don't have the money. Have you thought about giving your money to God as an investment and trust for him to multiply it. Maybe you have a speech problem that God wants you to give him so that you can't use the words you want but God can share the words he wants through your mouth. Maybe you have an uncommon thing that God is asking for and wants from you. have you thought about giving him your withered hand, giving him your self, have you thought about dong something that the Bible teaches in Luke 9:23, Deny yourself and follow him? try it, give the insignificant to him to be used by someone of significance.

prickers

So who made prickers? This question was posed to me yesterday by my son. As we were in our yard with round up spraying the prickers. he said, dad did God make prickers? Well, here in lies a very interesting theological question. Are prickers bad? I am not a plant expert, so I cannot answer the question of what purpose they may play in the whole grand scheme of things in creation. But I know for sure that on a beautiful sunny summer day walking in the yard barefoot and stepping on a pricker does not bring pleasure to my foot or mind or day. So where did they come from. I would go to a verse in the Bible that says, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree I commanded you, you must not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you...it will produce thorns and thistles for you." That comes from Genesis 3:18. I would like to suggest to you that sin is a prick something not quite right, something that causes pain and may be pleasant for a moment but the pleasure soon wears off. So could it be that God just happened to allow the ground to produce thorns and prickers and things that hurt when you step on them to remind us. remind us of sin, remind us of pain that sin afflicts on people. Pain that helps us understand a little bit of what sin caused Jesus to go through. One final thought what kind of crown was Jesus wearing on the cross?
So are prickers a good thing or a bad?