Having a small or minor part in anything doesn’t mean that you aren’t important. In the bible there was a man who was a servant of the king of Israel. Actually his job was plowing the fields. If God hadn’t chosen him to do a work, no one would have ever heard of his name. His name is Obadiah. He was a friend of Job and an Edomite. He moved to Israel when he converted to Judaism. He wasn’t a very educated man but he loved the Lord. Obadiah was in the fields plowing when God call him to do this work. God gave him a vision of his old home, Edom. If you don’t know where Edom was, the capital city was Petra. It was a kingdom built by Esau, Jacob’s brother. They built their kingdom in the middle of a mountain range. For 900 years they were quite successful. But somewhere in there they turned against Israel. Where the Assyrians captured Jerusalem, the Edomite’s helped. God brought retribution upon them. People who they thought were friends turn on them from within. They were slaughtered to a man. No Edomite was left. Obadiah was given this vision which came to pass. He served God as a prophet the rest of his life. This unimportant man became important in God’s economy. No one has a small part in the kingdom of God. In God’s eyes each person is important to Him and His kingdom.
Monthly Archives: June 2018
The Needs of the Many
Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? It is a moral question that man has tried to deal with throughout his existence. You can say it is a moral dilemma. Ruling a nation like ours is a choice that people make on an ongoing basis. People in power have to choose what to do sometimes one after another. George Washington had to make a decision. The US Congress had passed a tax on corn whiskey. People on the other side of the Allegheny Mountains started a rebellion. President Washington sent in the US Army to put down the rebellion. Winston Churchill had captured a German Enigma machine and broke the German military code. He found out that the Germans were going to bomb the city of Coventry. He didn’t tell anyone because he couldn’t let the Germans know he had the machine. Moral dilemmas, we face them every day. It isn’t as life altering all the time. But it is as important as any decision made by any nation. What do you do? We have to make decisions for our family as well as ourselves. What do you think about after you have made a decision that effects everyone around you? Are you a good guy or a bad one? I have always been willing to follow God in His plans. I have made decisions that I know have changed people’s lives. I am fallible. I am not perfect. I am not all knowing like God, but what I have done is to pray to ask to correct any mistakes that I have made. It is the only way I could go on knowing that I am not perfect. You see you must first believe that He is and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Myopia
A teacher in high school use to tease us and say that we had myopia. That is nearsightedness. He said he would look at some of the girls we dated and tell us to have our eyes checked. Our eyes are so important to us. I have always been a people watcher. If you want to laugh hard just watch a crowd of people doing normal things. I don’t laugh in their faces. That would be rude. Watch parents with children and see how they react. I saw a mom come into a store with three 10 year old girls. That was when the wooden flip flops were popular. They would clop their shoes together. It made such a racket, that the mom kept fussing and trying to get them to stop. But you will find out what people are like under duress. We process so much information through our eyes. That is why it is so important to guard what you see. Because that information goes into your heart. And from that information comes our understanding and judgement. We judge things according to what we know. And we know by what we see. But that doesn’t mean that it is correct. To accurately judge anything you have to hold it up against a standard. The standard doesn’t come from our own mind or heart. There is only one standard that can keep us from destroying each other. It has been in place since the beginning of time. It is the Word of God. All the laws of man are based upon it. Use your eyes and look for yourself to see what the Word of God says. Then you will see clearly.
For Myself
I have written over 850 blogs on every subject about God from A to Z. I still haven’t even scratched the surface. The knowledge of God is given to those who seek Him. When I began to seek God, I learned who He is. I wanted to know not from what people said, but for myself. Everybody has a story and tells it their way. So I began to study and read not only the bible, but literature from all kinds of sources. The trick is to let God tell you what is real and what isn’t. Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. So when I would listen to preachers, I would listen to what God said about what they were preaching. God said that you would learn a little bit at time. He said here a little there a little. I don’t think I could have been able to understand the mysteries of God all at once. So this is what I have tried to do. My blogs aren’t heavy theological discussions. But on the other hand, those that know the truth can see God’s hand. And for those who don’t know the truth, it is to get you to ask questions. When you ask questions, answers will come for you to learn the truth. What is truth? There is only one truth and that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. You see the whole bible is nothing but a picture of Jesus Himself. So I still study to learn about God. And I do this for myself and my Father, God.
Not getting Discouraged
My house was one of the houses that was flooded out in south Louisiana. We got into the house for the first time after being a week under water. There was a big pile of furniture in the front yard. All destroyed. It was hard not to get angry and discouraged. I worked all my life to provide for my family and myself. And now I have to start over again. I just wanted to sit and cry for a while. But my life wasn’t over. My family wasn’t hurt. And there are things to do. I didn’t want to go to the house. I was afraid of what I was going to find. And when I went and found it. My family and friends gathered around me. All the young men pulled all the things out of the house. My earthly treasures were saved. Just about everything is out of the house. The insurance adjuster was coming. What he says will determine what will happen next. I didn’t know what to expect. But I know that I will live on. I still have my van to unload. Then we are at it again. We should finished emptying the house. Then we set up the fans and dehumidifiers. If I weren’t a Christian, I know that I would be discouraged about everything. And would be asking why me. My life is about living for Jesus, no matter what. And even if it kills me. You see I gave my life years ago. And for all practical purposes, God directs my life. It is the only way to live. I have had purpose and direction all my life. And life has gone up and down like everyone else. But I know that: Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV).
Hurricane Season
In 2016, Louisiana experienced its first non-hurricane hurricane. Normally a hurricane will blow through with Gail-force winds and plenty of rain. Well that week has seen the most unusual storm. People are calling it the storm of the century. A hurricane formed right on top of Louisiana. It stayed for a week. It was being feed by waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Normally Louisiana gets about 6 inches of rain in August. So far it was 60 inches of rain. 21 inches of rain fell in Baton Rouge and Lafayette in 2 days. My home didn’t get flooded out during the rain. But after the rain stopped and the water began flowing to the Gulf, it started backing up. I was staying with my son in another city. It had been a week that I was out of my house. And hopefully if the water recedes, I had lined up a small army of people to begin cleaning up. I was all excited about what I was going to find. My walls were sheet rock. All of the carpet in the house was going to be torn up and thrown away. It takes a life time to collect things and only a week to destroy them. You stop and wonder why it happens to me. As a Christian, I always expected the God would protect me against tragedy. And for the most part he has done that. You look at the church in the first century. They were persecuted and killed, run out of towns or stoned to death. Yet during that time, the church was the strongest it has ever been. Don’t think for one moment that people aren’t looking at you. After all those times you professed Jesus during the good times, people want to see if it is true in your life. And the best place to see God in your life is during adversity.
Weather We like it or not #2
So what was made so simple that man could understand? Why is the US experiencing horrendous weather? The majority of scientist will say it is Global Warming. That is only a symptom. It isn’t a root cause for the troubles in this country. Global Warming was written about 4000 years ago by a reputable authority. So finally the scientist have caught on. But that isn’t the reason. Man has fought against the reason for all of their existence. And it seems there is no letup in sight. There is only one outcome for this coming battle. Man will lose and die. If you would like to read about, there is a commentary written over 2000 years ago. It is very graphic and full of details. The battle is called Armageddon. It will be fought in the Valley of Jezreel near the old city of Megiddo. It says that 200 million men on one side will fight in the battle. And they will all be killed. It also says in the commentary that the blood from the soldiers will be 6 feet deep. The Victor will go on to Jerusalem. This is where He will reign for a 1000 years. When He begins His reign, there will be peace on this earth for the 1st time. You know what is sad is that man has known this for over 2000 years. And just about nothing has changed.
Weather We like It or not
It is funny how it rains in one place and not in another. California is experiencing a drought. And in California, most of the vegetables and nuts are grown for the US. In Texas, they are still suffering through drought. Texas is beef country. The Mid-West has been experiencing storms, tornados and hurricane force winds. Then winter just ended with its storms of snow and ice. The Lower Mississippi Valley has received an abundance of rain. I had to cut my grass in between rain drops. It seems there is a pattern to this strange weather. Where the rain and wind aren’t needed, they get it. And where it is needed, they don’t get it. Of course, all of this is going to be blamed on Global Warming and the changing weather patterns. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. There is only one person who controls the weather, only one. And that person doesn’t live on this earth. Only man lives on this planet. So by the process of elimination guess who it is. You want the short version or the long version? It is so simple, it is scary. It was made simple so man could understand. If you don’t know. It is Jesus Christ. And all you have to do is to ask Him for anything.
Needs of Man
How many people do you know including yourself, that struggle to achieve what they believe is their station in life? They want the biggest and best there is to offer in life. When I first started walking with God, He told me that I needed to be content. The bible puts it this way. It says that godliness with contentment is great gain. I had never been content with my life. I was focused on my needs. God wanted me to stop looking at my life and to start looking at the lives of ours and to see their needs. No matter what station in life they have, people are basically the same. Everyone has the same needs. In 1983, it was the Year of the Bible in the United States. Gallop poll took a surrey in the US, to see what people wanted most in life. Not only were they surprised by the answer, but amazed at the three basic needs in life. The poll showed that people wanted love, joy and peace most in their lives. You would think that it would be food, clothing and shelter. The needs of man are divided just like we are into parts. The part that is of the world, the dust of the earth, calls us to food, clothing and shelter. The part of us that is the image and likeness of God, call us to love, joy and peace. Therein is man’s struggle. Whether we will walk with God or to go the way of the world. The bible says, come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. God has made provision for all of us. And He sealed the deal with the death and resurrection of Jesus. By the way, Love, Joy and Peace are the first three gifts of the Holy Spirit that God gives freely to man. Look around and listen to see the needs of people.
Joseph1637/Crain Blanchard 