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The little engineers

9/12/2017

The Little Engineers…
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. (Pro 6:6-8)

Time and again, the Lord points us to things He has made to get our attention. When I drive under an expressway bridge or board an airliner, I’m consciously aware that an engineer has been there before me. It’s for sure that a Boeing 747 did not suddenly rise up out of a heap of crushed cars in a junk yard.

I am impressed no less by a mound built by a colony of fire ants. Who taught them to build it that way? The Bible tells us that they have no guide, overseer or ruler. When I was a barefooted boy, I spent a lot of time watching ants go to and fro, carrying several times their weight. If they found something dead, they would move it toward the hive, carrying it or dragging it. Sometimes several would get together and move a treasure toward home. It was years later that I found ants in the Bible.

I like to watch dirt daubers working on their house. Barbara’s mother, Willie Mae, was especially fond of dirt daubers. They made a mess on our brick wall but that wasn’t as important as listening to the little engineers at work all day long. They had to fetch mud and water to shape it to their design. After the house was built they gathered bugs and spiders and stored them inside their house. They laid eggs and when the eggs hatched the babies had food to eat. Who taught mud daubers how to build a house and provide food for their babies?

Are you sure you want to ignore design all around you that proves a highly intelligent God is working all around you every day? Does it remind you that this same God made you and that you will one day meet Him, face-to-face?

It would take a big set of books to include all the little engineers God has made. Not only are they specialists in what they build, but they also guard their domain. They all have some means of defense. Do you despise the pesky, aggravating mosquitos that bite you in the afternoon while you’re trying to work? Or that one that’s in your bedroom after the light is turned out and you are slapping yourself, trying to kill him?

Did you ever run a lawn mower over a Yellow Jacket hole in the ground? They seem to know what to do if that happens. He won’t sting you until you are a threat. I ran a riding mower over a nest and was covered up before I knew what was happening. Then, there was the one in the bank where I was weed-eating. Why don’t they build nests like all the other bees?

Have you noticed that when the wasps are making their paper nests that they leave one wasp to guard their house? Wasps know how big and in what shape to make the individual shells and how to fasten them all together. One of the amazing things about the wasp is how they build the stem that their house is fastened to. It’s not paper! If you knock the house down, you may have some trouble removing the base of the stem that is fastened to the ceiling.

Hornets? Wow! What builders they are and they love house flies. They’ll come right up to your front door going after flies. The flies get scarce when hornets are building a nest. No flies, but….plenty of hornets.

One day my daddy went to sleep in a rocking chair on our front porch. He had taken his teeth out and his mouth had drooped open. A hornet was chasing a fly, which went into my daddy’s mouth and the hornet went in after it. It was quite a scene! I watched the whole thing; it happened so fast! Dad woke up with a start and started digging the hornet out of his mouth. I know it hurt, but for one short moment it was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. The little engineers don’t waste their time.

That is, unless it’s the lowly house fly. Did you ever step on a house fly? Me neither. I never knew of anyone stepping on a house fly. You may step on a wasp but not on a housefly.

I’ve never understood how intelligent people can miss the point that all the little engineers had a master engineer that made every one of them. I don’t know why wasps have stingers and mosquitos can outwit a grown man. I think they are all God’s messengers telling us all that there is an all-wise God of infinite variety who made all these things.

Is it moving in some kind of direction? I think so: “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
September 13, 2017 - WEDNESDAY
A.M.Proverbs 23-24
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov+23-24&version=KJV
P.M. 2 Cor.5
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Cor+5&version=KJV
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today:
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior (5:11) (Gaither Group)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePPOaX6HTPI

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'till the storm passes by

9/11/2017

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‘Till the Storm Passes By…
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isa 25:4)

We have just witnessed the passing of Harvey in Texas and now, Irma is working her way up the Florida coast. We are told that Irma is the largest storm ever recorded. The surge that follows is the killer. All the rooms in Chattanooga are taken and probably it’s the same in all the cities northward.

Only the Lord knows how it’s going to work out for hundreds of thousands of people. We’re expecting some effects of Irma but not very strong. I’ve lived in Florida three times and have many friends there. Millions of Christians are praying for the people in the path of the storm. What the storm did to the islands south of Florida has not been relayed in full to us yet.

I do not know why God allows bad things to happen to good people and people who are no worse than other people who escape devastation. But I do know this: a child of God who is standing in the hollow of His hand is safe until it’s time to go home. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (Psa 91:1-2) Many stories of miraculous escape will come out of this.

There are other storms that are just as deadly. The song, “Stand by Me” says: “When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.” Our song for today prays: “’Till the Storm Passes By.” I hope you enjoy it.

Read Through the Bible in a Year
Sept. 11, 2017 – MONDAY
A.M. Proverbs 19-20
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov+19-20&version=KJV
P.M. 2Cor. 3
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2Cor+3&version=KJV
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today:
Till the Storm Passes By (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpr5HPyI4z8

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praying in truth

9/7/2017

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Praying in Truth
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

“Truth” occurs 237 times in the King James Bible. John 17 contains what many Bible students call the real “Lord’s Prayer.” It contains these words: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (Joh 17:17) (That’s why we have chosen bread to picture our subject today.)

It is good to know that the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. The rest of the verse tells us an important commentary: “to all that call upon Him in truth.”

Barbara and I have just finished reading the Psalms in our morning Bible reading. When we came across this verse a few days ago, the phrase: “to all that call upon Him in truth” came at me as an arrow and has lingered for several days. A companion verse says: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psa 34:18) People who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit won’t try to lie to God.

James says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (Jas 4:8) Here is another one of those verses that sets forth the central truth and then follows it with another verse or phrase. It tells what drawing near to God is: cleaning our hands and purifying our hearts that are first one way and then another way.

Before I was saved at the age of nine, I loved to hear hard, sincere preaching. I liked to hear someone talk who seemed to believe in what they were saying. The country preachers I heard were not this way and that. I gathered that the book they carried in their hand was the thing that stirred them up to preach so hard. I still believe that. Although I was a rebel in my heart and loved to do as I pleased, I did like to hear hard preaching that expounded the Bible. It gave me peace to know that there was a book that would cause men to talk like that. It blessed me that the building was filled with people who had cleaned up and come to church to hear words from that Book. That Book must be very special because just look at all the people who have come to hear about it.

From that preaching it occurred to me that the Bible tells of a God who speaks only truth. What if God lied all the time and talked one way and then another and we could never know how He felt about things and especially how He felt about us. If we could not depend on what He says, then we could never be at peace.

God wants us to tell the truth, think the truth and pray in truth. I heard that married people should bow before God and pray because it is much harder to lie to one another while we are on our knees in prayer. We will be more likely to tell the truth if we are engaging God in prayer. Husbands and wives shouldn’t lie to one another. A marriage is only as strong as the trust the couple has for one another. When we are praying, we should try to embrace truth and to speak truth.

Many years ago, it occurred to me that the most important thing a human being can do is to seek truth and embrace it. Grasp the truth and then adjust whatever you have to adjust. We may have to talk less. We may have to do more thinking before we speak. When we call upon God, we should be determined that we will speak the truth. Away with pretense and trying to get God to be on our side to make us look good.

When Jesus was standing trial before Pilate the question of truth came up. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. (John 18:37-38)

Pilate was not being flippant. You see, Pilate would have to know something of history and Roman culture and the culture of the Greeks before the Romans took over. Pilate, no doubt, had spent many hours studying Greek philosophy. The Greeks spent much time formulating ways to know the truth about many things. When I studied philosophy in school, we had to study through one system after another that the Greeks went through. They could never come to a conclusion about many things. Pilate was like that.

Some people won’t pray because they know they’ll have to acknowledge the truth. Adam and Eve hid from God because they knew they would have to face the truth. It is good for us to pray in truth. I was told in a psychology class that prayer is the greatest power there is for unifying the personality. Praying in truth is the greatest tool to bring peace to the heart.

When the woman with the issue of blood was healed by Jesus’ touch, He asked: “Who touched me?” Finally, she came out of the crowd and fell down and “told Him all.” (Mark 8:45) It was important for her to speak the truth to Him. Praying in truth is a very important thing. One thing we can do is to pray the Word of God back to Him. Many Bible verses and Bible phrases are great aids to us in prayer. “Lord God, I read in your Word where You said….” Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
Sept. 8, 2017 – FRIDAY
A.M. Proverbs 13-14 P.M. 1Cor. 16
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today:
What a Day That Will Be (Gaither Group)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnvZL_zW2JI
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praying and forgiving

9/5/2017

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Praying and Forgiving
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

We enjoy reading about Jesus holding children in His lap. We love stories of His great power in feeding five thousand people from a little boy’s lunch and stopping a raging storm in the ocean with a wave of His hand.

We love the story of His crucifixion and how it turned dark for three hours; the earthquake that opened the graves in Jerusalem and brought the ultimate confession from a seasoned Roman soldier and in fear, the other tough soldiers who were with him concurred: “Truly this was the Son of God!” Yes, they ALL feared and agreed: they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

We love to hear about the 60’ veil in the Temple ripping from top to bottom and how the priests who were in the room apparently spread the word and a great company of priests turned to Jesus as their promised Messiah. We love to hear how He rose from the dead as He said He would and as the Scriptures prophesied. We love to hear about the many dead people who came out of their graves and appeared unto many. We love to hear about the things written in Matthew 28 and how the Roman Government and the Temple hierarchy couldn’t keep it bottled up.

We love to hear about Jesus forgiving His enemies who nailed Him to the cross. But, one thing we seem to have trouble with, and that is forgiving people who cross us. If we can maintain a grudge against someone who has wronged us, we have absolute power over that person. If we forgive, then we relinquish the power we have over him or her. In that sense, it is expensive to forgive. We are reduced.

I must assume that Christians mean well in dealing with forgiveness but that we sometimes have difficulty in carrying it out. It would be hard to be falsely accused and to remain silent as Jesus did when He stood before pilot. It would be hard to be nailed to a cross and to look down on our attackers and pray for the Lord to forgive them for they know not what they do.

The Apostle Paul didn’t do so well when the High Priest told someone standing nearby to slap him. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? (Act 23:2-3)

Jesus made it plain: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15) Sometimes the disciples were amazed at Jesus’ plain speech. At least once or twice they called it to His attention that He had just offended some people who were in the crowd. This is plain speech. If we hold a grudge against someone, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us of our sins. This means two things: 1. If an unsaved person will not forgive someone their sins, he cannot be saved. 2. If a Christian will not forgive someone of their sin, then as a Christian there is a wall between us and God and He will not hear our prayers until we forgive. There’s no need to spin an elaborate theology around this. It simply means what it says.

Joseph Scriven’s much-loved hymn says: “Oh, what peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” He continues: “Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Do we really want to forfeit His presence in our lives so we can hold on to a grudge?

The disciples lived in a Jewish culture that had trouble forgiving people. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Mat 18:21-22) But doesn’t that run it into the ground, forgiving a man 490 times? We may think so, but Jesus said to keep on forgiving.

It is God’s will and should be our will to be reconciled with estranged people. But, that is not always possible. I may not be able to be reconciled with an offended person but I can certainly fix my rotten attitude. Sometimes the problem may be with someone who has died and talking it over is not possible. But, I can forgive, by God’s help.

There are thousands of women whose fathers molested them when they young. They are scarred for life. To have peace, they must forgive. I have met some of these people in counseling. Smiling and singing are not the same thing as forgiving and letting it go. It may be a process that involves some time. It may not be possible to forgive in a moment of time. But, it must be done. Oftentimes the act against someone is buried deeply. It has become a root of bitterness. Still, it must be forgiven.

Corrie ten Boom and her sister and father were imprisoned by the NAZI’s. Her father and sister died in prison and Corrie survived. One day she was addressing a group of people on forgiveness. We Christians should forgive. At the close a man came by and shook her hand and asked her if it included him. He was one of the prison guards who had treated her and all the others so cruelly. She had a split-second to think it over. Could she forgive this monster? She knew she had it to do and she told him she would forgive him. Such an expensive thing to do, to forgive this cruel man.

Paul told the Ephesian Christians: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Eph 4:30-32)

When he puts it this way, we don’t have a leg to stand on. God, for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us of the penalty of all our sins. He died in our place so that we might have eternal life. How can we hold on to petty grudges? Let them go! Let’s enjoy fellowship with God because we have let go of the stuff we’ve been holding onto. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
September 6, 2017 – WEDNESDAY
A.M. Proverbs 9-10 P.M. 1Cor.15:1-32
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today:
He Giveth More Grace (3.32) (Gaither Congregation)

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my sheep hear my voice

9/4/2017

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My Sheep Hear My Voice…(3)
…ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,…
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand (Joh 10:26-29).

This is the third time I have posted this article, the last time being June 9, 2017. Some things need to be said over and over again. As I move among people and engage them in conversation I am impressed with their needs. My witnessing is simple, centering around John 3:16 and the question: “When you die, are you going to Heaven?” The next questions are: “Do you need to be saved?” “Do want to be saved?” “Do you know how to be saved?” Jesus’ sheep sermon is one of the greatest needs today among church people.

The “Roman Road” is good but Jesus didn’t use it. I got John 3:16 out of Jesus’ sermon to Nicodemus. The early Christians didn’t have the “Roman Road” for thirty years and yet they preached Jesus everywhere they went as they were driven out of Jerusalem. They preached Jesus out of the Old Testament and passed along what they had heard Jesus say as He preached in the open places. Dying is a serious thing and we need to make sure we are ready.

“This is one of those emphatic scriptures. “My sheep hear my voice.” All of them. Their ears are connected to the voice of Savior who died for them. It does not say that Jesus’ sheep are perfect in behavior but that they hear His voice and they follow Him. In the Bible, we read several places about the proofs of people being saved.

Some will ask, “But what about this or that thing in my life or in the life of someone I know who claims to be saved?” One preacher said, “A lot of churches are trying to preserve results they’re not having.” Bob Jones, Sr. said: “You’ve got to do more than prop up a dead dog to prove he’s alive. He’s got to take off after an old tomcat on his own without your helping him.” We should teach new converts but unless they’ve got the real thing, all the teaching in the world is not going to transform their lives. “Ye must be born again!”

Jesus said: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35) This is how people looking on can know about people they are watching. Do they love one another? It’s not whether they are regular in church attendance. Attending church is a very good thing but it’s not a Bible sign that you are saved. A lot of religious people are not saved. You can go to church and hate everybody there. So, church attendance does not indicate that you are saved. The Bible standard in looking at other people for salvation is “do they love one another?”

Jesus was on Solomon’s porch in the Temple and some religious Jews gathered around Him in a heated conversation over whether or not He was the promised Messiah. They did not believe in Him (even as His own brothers did not believe in Him) and Jesus told them why they did not believe in Him. They were not His sheep. Some people had no trouble believing Him and believing in Him. Old Simeon and Anna had no trouble believing in Him because they were in touch with God. That’s the way it worked. The people who were in touch with God saw right away that He was the promised One. But those who had trouble submitting to Yahweh from the heart, also had trouble believing on Jesus.

Jesus said, “…ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep,… My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” This means that a lot of people in church attendance, maybe your church, maybe your family, are not Jesus’ sheep. I didn’t come up with that. Jesus said that. This connects with another thing Jesus said: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat 7:22-23)

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mat 7:20-21) Is the last verse a hard verse to understand? It need not be.

We are not saved by works. But we are saved by a faith that works. Today, we’re talking about people hearing the voice of Jesus and following Him. That’s who the saved people are. How is your faith working for you in your life? We do not enter the kingdom of heaven by doing the will of the Father of Jesus, but if we are saved our sincere commitment is to be doing the will of Jesus’ Father. From the heart, we are traveling in that direction. Otherwise, we don’t have any real proof we are saved.

James, the half-brother of Jesus said: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (Jas 2:17-18) Actually, every man shows his faith by his works. That’s just how it is. God can see the faith in our hearts and know if we are saved. But, we can’t see in the hearts of people. We can only show people who we are by what we do and how we talk.

The 10th chapter of John is the sheep chapter; the Good Shepherd chapter. Everyone in Israel knew a lot about sheep and shepherds, so He talked to them about something they understood and applied it to Himself. When He told them He and His Father were one, they, again, picked up stones to stone Him. His sheep made no attempt to stone Him; just His enemies. People who don’t like genuine “Jesus Talk,” don’t know Him.

J. Vernon McGee has some pointed things to say about this and I have borrowed him in abbreviated form.

His sheep hear His voice. And they follow Him. The brand of ownership on the sheep is obedience. Do you want to know whether a person is saved or not? Then see if he is obeying Christ. Our ears must be open to His voice. "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them" (Pro_20:12).

"I know them." I'm glad somebody knows me, aren't you? I am sometimes misunderstood, and I have to explain myself to people. However, I never need to explain anything to Him. He knows when I'm putting up an excuse; He knows when I am evading an issue; He understands me. He knows.

"And they follow me." I believe in the eternal security of the believer and in the insecurity of the make-believer. "They follow me"—it's just that simple. If the shepherd called his sheep one morning and started up the hill, and out of five hundred sheep in the sheepfold, one hundred came out and followed him, then I would conclude that those one hundred were his sheep. And I would also conclude that the other four hundred were not his sheep.

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." Friend, when He gives to them eternal life, that means they don't earn it and they don't work for it. He gives it to them. Note that it is eternal life. It is forever. If it plays out in a week or in a year or until they sin, then it is not eternal life after all. They are not really His sheep if the life does not last forever. The sheep may be in danger, but the Shepherd will protect them. They may be scattered, but He will gather them up again. They shall never perish.

May they backslide? Yes. Will they perish? No. The sheep may get into a pigpen, but there has never yet been a sheep in a pigpen that stayed in a pigpen. Sheep and pigs do not live together. The sheep is always a sheep. No man can pluck that sheep out of the Savior's hand. No enemy, no man, no created being can pluck them out of His hand. This is wonderful! (McGee-Abbreviated) Ω (This is an edited reprint from early January 2017)

Read Through the Bible in a Year (These links do not work)
September 5, 2017 – TUESDAY
A.M. Proverbs 7-8 P.M. 1Cor.14:21-40
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today
Acapella Congregational: At Calvary (3.32) (Gaither Congregation)
One of the Great Songs of the Christian Faith

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God of the storms

9/3/2017

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God of the Storms…
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nah 1:3)

Texas and Louisiana have just experienced one of the greatest hurricanes in the history of America. Some may ask: “What is the great sin of this area that they were singled out for such devastation and the death of at least 46 people?” They carry no label as great sinners that I know of.

On April 27, 2011, at different times of the day, three tornados struck our area on Sand Mountain, Alabama with the death of 46 people. In the broader area, altogether there were five tornados. Our area is not one big Sunday school class, but neither is it the most wicked. These violent storms continually occur all over the world. Does God have anything to do with it? Is He punishing some people who are more evil than others? We have no proof of that. We have more proof that our whole nation is wicked to the bone.

The Bible records God’s judgment upon wicked people. He swallowed some up in the ground and burned some and simply stopped the hearts of some wicked people. Only God is smart and perfectly righteous and knows who is wicked enough that they should be executed or that they should die as part of His plan. One thing is clear: In the storms, God is displaying His awesome power before an unbelieving world that defies His authority over it. He can use this power any time it serves His purpose.

If God did not have power over the storms, He would not be God. Some reason that if God has the power to restrain the storms and does not, then does He truly love and care for people? Or, does God love people but He does not have the power to control the storms? Which is it? Neither. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

God has a master blue print for the universe, including every baby that is born. But, Americans have decided to murder over sixty million innocent babies in the womb. They all showed up in Heaven,… ahead of time. The government didn’t make them do it. The government gave them permission to kill their babies if they chose to do it. But, even though God is slow to anger, He has shown that there are limits to His patience. God told Abraham He was going to give him the land of the Amorites, but not now. It would be 400 years down the road.

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Gen 15:16) God judges in righteousness and could not give Abraham the land until the Amorites were wicked enough that God would be just in killing them and giving their land to Abraham’s descendants. God didn’t afflict them wickedness. He gave them a free will to rebel against Him if they wanted to. They would reach a point that God would have to destroy them.

America was recently treated to a display of God’s awesome power when the eclipse of the sun trailed across America in a short time. The TV presentations of the eclipse did not mention God or give Him glory for it.

To those honest enough to acknowledge it, God has displayed Himself in thousands of ways. Paul wrote: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Rom 1:18-20)

Not only the whole of creation and the storms but also the nation of Israel is a teaching tool to the world. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee (Israel), though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:5-6)

The nation of Israel is not just another little nation. In 1948 Israel declared itself to be a nation and U. S. President Harry Truman, against the strong objection of his State Department, recognized Israel as a sovereign nation. As a boy, his mother frequently reminded him: “Be good to the Jew, Harry.” Then, God arranged to have him sitting in the president’s chair at the exact time to sign his name to the document that would recognize Israel. Time after time, since then, Israel has astounded the world with her surprising ability to outwit and out-fight her enemies that surrounded her….to this day. The God of Israel is also the God of the storms. They are tools in God’s hands to use as He thinks wise. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year - THE LINKS MAY NOT WORK
September 4, 2017 – MONDAY
A.M. Proverbs 5,6 P.M. 1Cor. 14:1-20
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Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)

Song for Today: THE LINKS MAY NOT WORK
The Unclouded Day (3:32) (CMC- Sou. Pines, NC)
https://www.facebook.com/100009410046480/videos/1855726871417630/
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