Consider the Ant?!

Ants!!! Again, they have taken over my kitchen. I spay and they simple change they route. Hard as it may seem, they are not driven by the single purpose of trying to drive me crazy but rather providing a storehouse for the future. Yet again, God takes a moment to point out yet another important illustration that He makes in Proverbs.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-9

When applied to the eternal, this is just another example of the importance of hiding away God’s Word in our hearts so that we might have hope. Scripture cultivates hope through its encouragement as well as being “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man (or woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

And, just, as those pesky little creatures don’t take “no!” for an answer, we should practice the ways of the enduring little creature and let nothing get in the way of satisfying our own hunger for the Bible and it’s wisdom.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
 

So, consider the ant. Diligently and persistently store up for the future “…so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…”

All that being said, here is the blog site. Considering the lesson on fellowship, I am looking forward to discussing Scripture with you’all. Our time we are physically together is limited so this will give us another outlet to continue our conversation. It should be fun to hear from everyone

Carry Them in Faith

"One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn't reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Young man, your sins are forgiven..." Luke 5:17-20 (NLT)

My granddaughter is in the thick of teenage rebellion. In all outward signs she seems to be the typical moody 17 year-old, earbuds and all. But away from of our view she has slipped into a very dark alternate life of drug use and using means to get those drugs that no grandmother wants to think about. You can imagine the turmoil and heartbreak that has resulted knowing the horrible situation her choices have led her to.

The thing is, she doesn't see it. It doesn't seem horrible to her. She has been convinced by her desires and 'the ways of this world' that this is an acceptable way to live. After all, it's HER life and she can choose what to do with it. What she doesn't realize is that she has been paralyzed by the world's deceptive thinking. If she continues on this path her life will wind down to a stand still and she will find herself struggling just to maintain the moment.

So hard to know just what to do. It is so much easier to pray for God to heal an illness or provide a need. After all, these things are out of our control and in God's hands but this situation seems different. What do we do with this? We are convinced that because everyone has 'free will' and can choose what they wish there is not much that we can change . It leaves us watching as our loved one lays down on their 'mat of hopelessness' worrying and waiting until they are ready to look to the Lord for help.

I would like to suggest that is just not the case. We can follow the lead of these very good friends found in the passage from Luke and grab the corners of the mat and haul them to the feet of Jesus.

I love this picture. It gives me hope. It takes the power away from hopeless situation I see, empowers me with what I can do and shows me what God will do in turn. Because of the faith of these friends this man's sins were forgiven and the story goes on to tell us his body was healed as well. Did you see that? Jesus acted on the FRIEND's faith.

I have seen this in action over and over as the women of the Bible study I attend have carried their sisters to the feet of Jesus. Most have gone willingly but there are some who would have who fought us off except they were paralyzed. (Which means they have to go where we carry them.) Healing and restoration has happened and what's more? We have witnessed and recounted the stories bringing the hope to even more women. Yes sir-e! These are exciting times. Healing is happening. God is good.

"Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, "We have seen amazing things today!" " Luke 5:26

Please grab a corner of of granddaughter's mat and help me carry her to the feet of Jesus. I know that because of faith of others and the willingness to carry her to the feet of Jesus her sins will be forgiven, her body will be healed and to God's glory she will take up her own 'mat' sharing her story with other young women so they too can find hope in a God who loves them. We will see amazing things today!