Take No Thought

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

How many sermons have you heard preached on some aspect of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount? Quite a few, I imagine, just as I have. And for years when I heard the previous quote, I have come to realize that I heard it with a "western" mindset. That's not unusual, because that's where we live, and what we are used to being taught, but as I have written lately, that the past year has been teaching me to read the Scriptures differently, with more of a hearing it as a first century Jew would hear them, just as Jesus would have taught them! Perhaps then, we can get more meaning out of the verses. I will explain what I mean, but first....

I learned long ago that anytime you see the word: "Therefore" it is good practice to find out what is is "There for?" So the previous verse says this in 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  Then the next verse starts off as if by saying, "based on that truth... then the result is"... Or; in the text : "Therefore"

Now, every time I would hear Matt. 6:25, and it is also repeated in 6:31 "Therefore take no thought, saying , What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?"  I heard it in the past as if He was saying the word from a western way of thinking. That is; not to worry about having enough to eat, or to worry about not having any clothes to wear. I even thought about not worrying about what to eat in regards to all these fancy diets, and did not realize I was close to the answer, but not quite. 

If you were a first century Jew living at the time of hearing Jesus say these words, you would be completely shocked by what He said! Why? Because for thousands of years, their whole life was wrapped up in the Levitical Law!  That law told them what they were allowed to eat and NOT eat, and what they could wear and NOT wear! Clean and unclean! NOW here comes this rabbi, telling them Not to worry about any of that now!! No wonder they wanted to stone Him!

"No man can serve two masters... for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other."  So what are the two masters Jesus is talking about?  Sure Jesus says the two are God and mammon, but what does He mean by those two choices? The truth is, at this point I haven't got it all figured out in context! But I can write what I have thought about, to stimulate more deeper considerations, than just a surface reading.

I think Jesus is talking more than just about money, or riches, which is what the meaning of mammon is. The Strongs concordance #3126 is: "mammonas, of Chald, or. (confidence, ie. fig. wealth, personified) mammonas, i.e. avarice (deified):-mamon. 

The American Dictionary says this: "Synonyms Avarice, Covetousness, Cupidity, penuriousness, closeness, miserliness, all denote bad qualities, corruptions of the natural instinct of possession. Avarice, literally greediness, a strong desire to get objects of value, has become limited, except in figurative uses, so as to express only a sordid and mastering desire to get wealth. Covetousness and cupidity are not limited to wealth, but may have for their object anything that can be desired, cupidity being directed especially toward material things. Covetousness longs to possess that which belongs to another; hence the prohibition in the tenth commandment (Ex. xx. 17). Cupidity is more active than the others, less groveling, and more ready to snatch from others that which covetousness may wish for without trying to get. See penurious."

So, with those two things as a comparison, you can see more of what Jesus was warning against. You cannot be focused on, or serve, your desire to get wealth and God at the same time. Why? The simple short answer is the word FAITH. 

If your focus is on trying to attain material goods, and the needs of the body, then you have taken your focus off of trusting God for all your needs and wants and desires, as if He cannot or will not or is not interested in your having any of it. And also that it is as if material things can replace the hole in your heart which can only be filled by Him.

Matthew 6:33 Jesus says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  So, get your priorities right. Seek the kingdom of God, or the ruler ship, or dominion of God first. And also seek His righteousness! Not your own righteousness. Don't be trying to obtain your own worthiness and wait to get your act together, because it is still just an act. Seek HIS righteousness, and  whoever seeks will find, and apply His righteousness to your life, and ALL these other things will be ADDED to you.

Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  Luke 12:32 says: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

We are spiritual beings. As a result of the fall, we have been been born into that fallen Adamic humanity, but since Jesus died on the cross, He put to death the Adamic race, (He was the LAST Adam)  and now we are NEW Creations in Him, (He became the SECOND Man) therefore, learn to live in this reality, and as far as any cares of this world system, and ways of doing things the old Adamic way... Take No Thought.

The Substance and Evidence of Faith

A couple weeks ago, Cindi and I returned from a week long, first time trip to Cancun Mexico on an all inclusive AAA organized vacation. There would be so much to write here concerning the details of that trip, but I wanted to mention just one highlight at this time. While enjoying one of the pools in the resort, they had a free scuba dive try out. Since this is something I wanted to do for years, I introduced myself to Nicholas, who proceeded to put scuba gear on me, a mask and flippers, and instruct me how to breath underwater!! What a unique experience! Then we proceeded to swim underwater in the pool for about 10 min. or more.  After that, I signed up for a beginner lesson for the next day.

 

When the next day came I went to the place on the beach where the Dressel Dive shop was, and after classroom instruction, and safety practice in the pool, we were taken by boat to a spot on the ocean, and the open water dive began. There was a photographer who came on the dive and took pictures and made a video, which I purchased, and can be seen Here .I am including this in part to share this experience, and also as an illustration to discuss the subject of faith.

 In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 and verse 1 it has this enigmatic phrase: " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I say it is enigmatic, or mysterious because no matter how many times I have heard it preached, I was still confused as to how faith can be considered a substance. The two did not seem to be compatible. Faith is what you believe in your mind and heart, and a substance to my way of thinking is the make up of something physical; something tangible, like soil is the substance of the earth. But I think I got some more insight recently that helps me to understand it better. 

Let's not take that verse alone, but also look at where Paul tells us in Eph 2:8-9 " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." In other words, faith is the means by which grace is applied to save us, and the part that most people miss is that it is imparted faith!! "And THAT not of ourselves.." and what is not of ourselves? That FAITH is not of ourselves, THAT (faith) is a Gift of God, otherwise, faith becomes a work in which you can boast!

But you might wonder how can you boast about your faith, until you realize Christians do it all the time! "Just have faith." Just believe". "I put MY faith in Jesus, and He saved me." Get the point? The fact that you have faith to believe in Jesus as your savior in the first place is because IT IS A GIFT OF GOD. The very faith that allows you to believe has been given to you in order for you to believe, and so it makes it impossible for you to boast in something that was never your doing in the first place!

I will quickly say here, that like the scuba lesson, I could say all I want about having faith and believing that I could breathe underwater and scuba dive, but until I applied that belief to actually doing it, then it is dead faith. I could stand by the pool all day long and talk about scuba diving, but until I entered into the experience of that realm of existence, Then there is no evidence that I actually believe what I am saying. Faith that is not acted on is feckless, impotent, and questionable faith. Thus James says in 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

 

So, now onto Hebrews 11. "Faith is the substance..." Here is how I presently understand it. The fact that since faith is not something you conjure up for yourself, but that it is a gift of God, then it stands to reason that if you have faith, that faith is the very evidence you need...the very proof, the invisible make up, substance, that you can know you have received the gift of Grace from God. Even though you cannot see it. Does that make sense to you? How do you know you are saved? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior? Well then that belief, that faith is your very evidence... the invisible substance by which your belief is founded, of the things you cannot see.

 

Now let me add one more verse to this mix. Romans 8:24-25 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”  Try exchanging the word faith for the word hope in this verse, and see if it doesn't pair with Hebrews 11.

"For we are saved by faith: but faith that is seen is not faith: for what a man sees, why does he yet have faith for? But if we have faith for what we don't see, then do we with patience wait for it."

A word study for both faith and hope could open up even more revelation, but perhaps, even this limited blog post can provide some measure of understanding The Substance and Evidence of Faith.

Why Aren't Dinosaurs In The Bible?

I got an email with an interesting title that caught my attention. That title was "Why Aren't Dinosaurs In The Bible?" The answer was contained in an animated video produced by a ministry called Aleph Beta written by a Rabbi named David Fohrman. I have watched several of his videos, and have read a couple of his books after I first heard him recommended by Marty Solomon on the BETA podcast, I have talked about in earlier posts. 

I wondered if the question caught your attention as much as it did mine? Have you not wondered that same thing? I have even heard teachings that suggest the book of Job talks about dinosaurs as Leviathan. However, the Rabbi gives a very important understanding to his answer, which also answers very many similar questions that many Christians get asked.

He explains that he read a book called "How To Read A Book" which provided the answer, and it is really simply this: You have to understand the "Genre" of the book first. What was the purpose the book was written? What kind of book is it?

The way he explained it, is that if you read a Chemistry book, you should not expect it to contain Poetry. And if you read a poetry book, it is written in poetic form, and should not be taken literally! It is important to understand the purpose and reason, and genre of the book that you are reading first!

So while the Bible has history within it's pages, it's genre is NOT a history book. The writer of a letter to the editor in the weekend paper says with certitude: "The whole universe was created in 4150 B.C. So, do the math!" He goes on to say Noah's flood was in 2495 B.C. and the earth experienced an ice age that lasted a 1000 years from 2494 - 1494 B.C.

That kind of thinking comes about when genre, and the purpose of the Bible are ignored! The bible was not written to prove the age of the earth, or even the exact age of mankind, or if dinosaurs did or did not roam the earth. (However, I did see a LIVE dinosaur at a Reptile land exhibit a few years back! Turns out we call it a chicken!")

I am on a rather uncomfortable journey for me right now to learn more about the purpose of Genesis, and am trying to sort through a book about the creation of Adam, and evolution. I have not got enough understanding yet to write about that in detail, however I have been long aware that the "days" of creation written in Genesis is more complicated than just taking them literally. As a matter of fact, you can't take them literally, because they were never written in that form, manner, genre, context! We do damage to the biblical text to try to shape it's meanings into literal form. No different than trying to literally say: "The cow jumped over the moon.." just because it says so, and ignoring genre!

So why aren't there dinosaurs mentioned in the bible? Simply because it serves no purpose to the genre the bible was written for. That purpose has to do with Man's relationship to God and to others! The purpose of the bible is to provide an understanding of our relationship to our Creator, and how that relationship extends itself to those whom He created. That is why Jesus says "the greatest Commandment is to Love God with your whole heart... and to love your neighbor as yourself."  Relationship to God, and relationship to others! Many of the stories show ways to walk those relationships out in practical ways, and of course the consequences when those proper ways are ignored. 

When you are searching for the meaning of biblical text, it is important to understand context and genre, That is what is called Hermaneutics. the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts. Don't force the bible to say something that it is not saying! Otherwise, you might come up with some strange answer as others have, trying to explain the answer to the question "Why Aren't Dinosaurs In The Bible?"

Time Is Funny That Way

This day has almost come to an end as I write this post. What sets this day apart is that it is my 65th birthday. I usually don't get that excited about my birthday, but this one does mark the unofficial retirement milestone. Which is not to say that I am retired as of now, for we have talked about working for another year first, to be more financially secure. 

And so, while I suppose I could retire from my job at any point after this date, I am still healthy enough to continue working, and might only stop out of frustration more than any other reason. As I said in an earlier post: The rest of the story has not been written yet, and we would have to visit in a year from now to see if I am still working, or what happened between now and then. And while I have to live out the day to day for the next 365 days, and anyone following this blog would have to wait it out; anyone else not reading it until a year from now or more for the first time would find out in a matter of a few minutes the answer to what happened.

Time is funny that way. So many Podcasts that I have listened to over the past year; most of them have been recorded live from since 2017, and I have been able to listen to them all up to date without having to wait the 5 years to pass week by week. Although I still went through the same 5 year period, but it is like starting a race 5 years late, and catching up. 

It was the same thing as I mentioned before about when I first watched a video tape in 1993 of Willie Hinn preaching a message in 1987 called "Mistaken Identity". I had the advantage of catching up to most of the sermons he had preached since then to "feed" my desire to know more. That same desire has been renewed this past year, at an accelerated pace having many more hours in a day to listen to these podcasts while driving.

We are shortly going on vacation to an all inclusive resort in Mexico for a week, and we are looking forward to the time of rest. I have plans to use all of my saved up vacation this year to take much needed breaks from work, and hopefully provide me more endurance to continue working through the challenging days of driving for 8 hours a day back and forth across the State into Ohio and back. 

The plan today was to fly this morning to an airport in Mifflin County Pa, KRVL for their monthly breakfast. It was sunny today, and would have made a nice entry in my log book that I flew on my birthday, but it was very cold; in the low 20's, and since there was some snow on Friday, the runway was rated as poor braking conditions. And considering that it would be a short flight during such cold conditions, that would have taken much of the fun out of the trip. 

Instead, we drove to Denny's for breakfast, for the first time since before COVID hit. It was kind of a celebration setting the day apart, and then with a steak dinner Cindi cooked for us, my "birthday meals" were taken care of having an excellent sufficiency!

I did spend several hours today reading a new book I bought written by Peri Zahnd, wife of Brian Zahnd, pastor of Word of Life church, based on their trip a few years ago on the El Camino del Santiago; a 500 mile 40 day walking pilgrimage in Spain. I have heard Brian preach a number of times telling stories of their experiences on this sabbatical they took, and the book is pleasantly enjoyable reading. To highlight the reading experience I have also watched a couple of programs on people walking the Camino so I can get a visual of the sights that Peri describes so well.  Not that there is any plan to ever do so myself.

However, I do get to read the highlights of their pilgrimage in a few hours time on a weekend, that took them 40 days to complete. Time Is Funny That Way.

Teeth Will Be Provided

Teeth will be provided! Did the title spark your curiosity, and grab your attention? I have been reviewing some of my earlier posts, and came across this writing which was never posted, and only kept as a draft because I did not finish writing it at the time, however I do think it is something worthy to post, even if only for the comical value, though there is truth in that humor. 

What I am going to share here in this post is not a new understanding to me, it is something that I have known for many years, but at the same time I am aware that it is not common knowledge among most Christians. The reason I can say that with the assurance of the truth is because if it was understood by those whose claim it is to believe the WHOLE Bible, then they would of necessity have to change their WHOLE theology about God.

The reason I can say that is simply because, it is not uncommon for many Christians to read the bible with an already pre conceived idea of interpretation of what a verse means before they even begin reading. The reason I can say that, is because I counted myself among those many Christians. Not when I was one of them of course, but in retrospect. As you can imagine, this presents a big problem regarding Biblical Hermenutics. The word Hermeneutics means "the art or science of the interpretation of literature."

Now it is one thing when someone is found to be wrong with their interpretation of the meaning of a verse of Scripture, but it is another thing to be willfully ignorant!  It could be that because you have been told what to believe and never researched it yourself, you just accepted it as fact and moved on. But, it is when someone who is confronted with facts contrary to what they have believed, and yet they would rather stay in their ignorance rather than search for the truth at any cost.  There is an adage that says: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." And if that is the case against clear evidence to the contrary, then they become a great danger to others!

You might think it is an over statement to suggest that a willfully ignorant person is a great danger to others, but consider the fact that they will not cease to teach and preach and share their ignorance, thus spreading their errors like a plague, infecting everyone they touch!

Consider this humorous story as an example:

A preacher of the old school was describing the events of Judgement Day and, of course, he used Biblical phraseology whenever he could.

"Oh, my friends," he intoned, "imagine the suffering of the sinners as they find themselves cast into the outer darkness, removed from the presence of the Lord and given to eternal flames. My friends, at such a time there will be weeping, wailing and a great gnashing of teeth!"

At this point, one of the elders of the congregation interrupted to say, "But Reverend, what if one of those hopeless sinners has no teeth?"

The preacher crashed his fist on the pulpit, "My friends, the Lord is not put out by details. Rest assured... teeth will be provided!"

How is it any different than any other lie gossip or rumor that is spread about every day? Suppose you found out someone was twisting facts around about you, that made you seem to be guilty of something you never did. Everyone that person talked to told someone else what they had been told, until it was believed by everyone who heard it as the truth. Now, you come along and try to set the facts straight, but it is now just your word against all those others who would rather believe what they heard to be true more than the truth itself.

Keep in mind this indisputable truth: A person who is honestly mistaken, when confronted with the truth, ceases to be either mistaken or honest.

I say all these things, not to put anyone under any sort of condemnation, because I was ignorant to the truth for the same reason for many years. It is only by the grace of God that He opened my eyes to see some truths not commonly revealed to others. And I am aware when I say that, that anyone promoting any kind of nutty, weird, or insane thing could say their eyes have been open to the truth as well! So, all I can say is that it is alright to not believe me, and as a matter of fact, I encourage you not to believe me (isn't that what got us all in trouble to begin with?) just because I say it doesn't make it right, and you must find out from God for yourself whether these things be true. Some times, He just witnesses to your Spirit. And when that happens then you can be free! Jesus did not say the truth will set you free. What He did say in John 8:31,32 "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It is in KNOWING the truth that sets you free!

And so you might ask, who can you trust? My answer is to trust those you consider trustworthy until they prove they are not. And perhaps they just do not know either, and so our final authority for truth Jesus tells us in John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

It is also important to grow and learn and mature in the faith and in your knowledge of God. Paul sets that standard in 1 Cor.13:11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

You will do well to put away childish beliefs about God, otherwise you too might find yourself in a position to defend your childish beliefs with childish statements, and you will know that is the case if you ever hear yourself say: "Teeth Will Be Provided"

Drinking From My Saucer

Greetings to any who would take the time to read my blog post. And Happy New Year. I do not really promote it at all except to share with a few friends on occasion. And so if you are one of the few who came across this particular post, I do think the writer of this poem; that my wife shared with me; has much wisdom for life as it should be lived. I am giving all the credit to the author, and am including it here for your enjoyment, and my own point of reminder every time I will re read it. 

Drinking from My Saucer
by John Paul Moore

I’ve never made a fortune and it’s probably too late now.
But I don’t worry about that much, I’m happy anyhow.

And as I go along life’s way, I’m reaping better than I sowed.
I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

I don’t have a lot of riches, and sometimes the going’s tough.
But I’ve got loved ones around me, and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings, and the mercies He’s bestowed.
I’m drinking from my saucer, ’Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong, my faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeped through again.

So God, help me not to gripe about the tough rows that I’ve hoed.
I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage, when the way grows steep and rough.
I’ll not ask for other blessings, I’m already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy, to help others bear their loads.
Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

As of this posting, it is past midnight of New Years Day 2022,which makes it Jan.2nd. I do not need to remind anyone of the difficult times that has taken place over the past couple years. Last January the excitement for the new year of 2021 was that 2020 was finally in the rear view mirror, after a time of turmoil because of the Covid pandemic, as well as the presidential election results. The hope is always that a New Year provides a clean slate, with hope for the opportunity to make things better. For some this past year has not been much better, and now their hope is once again put into the possibilities for 2022

I would have to say however, for me, this past year has indeed been MUCH better. The previous few posts have been a good indication for the proof of that. And because of those changes I have made, it has put me on a path to being more in touch with a closer relationship with God, and ended a long time in the spiritual wilderness. 

I do hope to write down more insights into deeper spiritual truths and experiences as this next year continues, and again to be more self aware of the fact that I do have a cup of the blessings of God  overflowing with His Grace and Peace and Joy, and Goodness, and Mercy, and Kindness, and Faithfulness, which is allowing me to get more than my fill from the overflow, even just  Drinking From My Saucer.

When We Don't Know The Rest Of Our Story

 My wife (Cindi) and I have made it a regular part of our Sunday to watch the church service online from the W.O.L.C., or Word of Life Center from St Joseph Missouri, with Pastor Brian Zahnd. We have started doing that after I spent the first several months of this year listening to every sermon on the church's podcast since sometime in 2017. Then in the past few months, after I caught up to the present time, we made it a routine to watch the service instead of just listening to the podcast, (though I have listened a few times again after as well anyway).

I say all of that to say, that as we were listening to the service today, Dec. 19th, '21 it was the fourth of a four part series on Advent, and as part of his message Brian preached from the book of  Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

In his sermon, which you can watch Here, he talked about the meaning of the town Bethlehem as being house of bread, and the meaning of Ephratah, as meaning ash heap. The history of which included Rachel who died there giving birth to Benjamin, and also the same place where King David was born! The prophet Micah, some 700 years before Jesus, prophesied what we know as the birth place of the coming Messiah. He did not know when, he just knew where. Isaiah, a contemporary of Micah, writes in Isaiah 7:14  "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive. and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"

So as to NOT write out Brian's sermon, I will get closer to my point. Let's go to the New Testament, and see where Jesus is announced to that prophesied young virgin, Mary. In verse 35 of Luke 1:26-38 it says:"And the angel answered ansd said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

So far, if you have been at all familiar with the "Christmas Story", (and I am confident you have),  you are following what I am saying  but a little further, and I hope to show you something you might never have thought of before.

Luke 2:4 says this: “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David"

Consider what is happening here, as though you have never heard the story before. Put yourself in Mary and Joseph's shoes for a second, as it is happening real time. They are espoused to be married, Mary gets a visit from an angel and is impregnated with the Son of God. Joseph finds out and we are told that he gets a visit from an angel who assures him of what has happened to Mary. Okay, so that is pretty amazing and hard to comprehend in it self! Who would have ever thought that was possible to happen to ordinary poor working class people?

Now, there is one other point that gets missed. These are Jewish people. The difference between Jewish people and us is that THEY know their Scriptures! Especially the boys, since they memorize entire books of the Torah! They know by memory the prophet's writings! They would know what it says in Micah!! Get it? Where is the Messiah supposed to be born? Bethlehem. Where are they living? Nazareth!! "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

They don't know the rest of the story at this point!! What do you mean you are pregnant with the Messiah, we live in Nazareth, and the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem. We don't live in Bethlehem, so how is that possible? What are we supposed to do, move there? For almost the whole pregnancy, they are in Nazareth. Is the prophet wrong? Are they wrong? Are you sure the messenger did not give you more instructions? How long do we wait?  Do we stay or do we go? You don't want to travel late into the pregnancy!  And then at the very last month, and for whatever time it takes to travel there, suddenly a decree comes that all the world should be taxed, and they have to travel to Bethlehem!! Imagine the concern of traveling... WITH THE SON OF GOD in your womb!!

We live our whole life real time; not knowing the rest of the story! When we read this birth story, we have heard the ending in advance and know how it turned out. They did not. Any time we read biographies, we can even read the last chapter of an entire life to see how it ends if we want. When we read the struggles and fears and disappointments as well as the joys and celebrations we can see in a short time, the years it took to accomplish in real time!

And thus is our life. Lived out in real time! Not knowing what's coming next. Always wondering what is just around the corner. I have heard a story told of a poor Asian family working a farm trying to scratch out a living. One day someone gifts them a horse, and they celebrate the goodness of God, so now they can farm much easier. Then their son gets thrown from the horse and breaks his leg, and they complain that the horse has brought this disaster upon them. Then soldier come to the house to drag every able bodied boy to fight in their war, and since the boy's leg is broken, he is left behind, and now the family celebrates God's goodness once again!

Have you lost your job? Have you had an accident? Is there an unexpected bill you can't afford to pay? Are you sick in the hospital?  Has God given you a promise that seems impossible? Look at all of the sudden changes that has taken place since the COVID pandemic! What will come of it all? We don't yet know because we are living it out in real time! But God knows, and years down the road, when the books are all written,  the results of the rest of the story will be known, but for now, as always we must keep on trusting in God as we live out our lives in real time, putting our faith and trust in the fact that indeed God knows the end from the beginning, and is in complete control, even  When We Don't Know The Rest Of Our Story