You know things are bad when.....

You are typing an email to your Aunt. And you can't seem to spell Wednesday.

Wesday

Wensday

Wedsday

Wenesday

Exasperated you finally right click on poor Wenesday only to find that spell check gives you

this.....

I am ONLY missing one letter!

Come Out From

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1Pe 1:16

For I am the LORD your God:

ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves,

and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:

Lev 11:44

Time has past since we would journey to Florida as a whole family by car. The three day trek to Florida seemed like an eternity to us kids, helped mostly by the eager anticipation to play in the sand and "our" pool --namely the resort's pool. We felt like we owned Florida!

Looking back I can imagine how trying we children were to Dad. "Are we there yet?" "How many more days?" "How many more hours?" "Dad, are bald headed eagles really bald?" "Dad, I feel seasick! No, I'm NOT car sick, I am SEA sick, I feel sea sick." "Dad.." "Dad..."

I am sure my parents wonder if these long trips were even worth the effort. I wonder if they ever realized what an impact these trips had on us.

You see, we had a favorite "tape" (cassette tape -- or rather tapes): Don Francisco's tapes. We could sing every song by memory. These songs made a huge impact on our minds, on our life. And no wonder, we listened to them the whole way down and the whole way home (this was before we discovered the Odyssey series.)

I was thinking today of one of these songs in particular. The song is "Holiness", and it is the chorus that stands out to me even now.

Holiness, Holiness

It's the Lord's command

Not the Lord's request

How true this is! I don't believe we understand the significance of such a command. Above I have listed the verses that come to mind whenever I heard this song. IF only we could grasp the importance of being holy, our lives would be changed.

"How should we then live?

Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Eze 33:10, 11"

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord"

2Co 6:17

(to turn off blog music, just scroll down on the left side, click the big pause button)

Proverbs in Cartoon: Update

Another Proverb in cartoon, Proverbs 29:9.

Proverbs in Cartoon

WHY?

Have you felt that it must be wrong to ask "why?" So often, we are told "Don't ask why, just do it." or "Why? You shouldn't have to ask why!" or even sometimes we are told that it is wrong to ask why, especially to ask God why.

Did you know?

the word "WHY" is listed over 250 times in our KJV bible

Moses asked God "Why?" on two separate occasions

The Lord asks "why?" over 10 times in the old testiment.

Gideon, Job, David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah ask the Lord "Why?"

When Rebecca wondered why the twins she was carrying were struggling inside her, she asked the Lord. Moses was curious at the burning bush that was not consumed, he went to inquire. And God often tells us "why" things were such in the Bible.

And the children struggled together within her; and she said,

If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. Gen 25:22

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight,

why the bush is not burnt. Exo 3:3

And this is the cause why Joshua did... Joshua 5:4

God has many secrets, but He allows for why. And he answers. The Lord challenges us to ask Him.

For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee,

since the day that God created man upon the earth,

and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other,

whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is,

or hath been heard like it? Deuteronomy 4:32

The Story of a Bramble

The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them. And they said unto the olive tree, "Reign thou over us." But the olive tree said unto them, "Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? " And the trees said to the fig tree, "Come thou, and reign over us." But the fig tree said unto them, "Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?" Then said the trees unto the vine, "Come thou, and reign over us." And the vine said unto them, "Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

Then said all the trees unto the bramble, "Come thou, and reign over us." And the bramble said unto the trees, "If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon."

***

And what is the end of the story? This is quite possibly the closest to a fiction piece to be found in the whole Bible. And it is not entirely "fiction", more allegorical, symbolic. And what of the ending? Curious? ;) Judges chapter 9.

It's A Secret

Have you ever wondered at the identity of "the Angel of the Lord"?

I am sure we have all heard many views in ministry as to the identity of the Angel of the Lord. And I have heard people wonder as to why we are not told his name. Do you know why we are not told his name? Simply, because it is a secret. :)

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? Jdg 13:18

~

The Lord Loved Him

I was recently struck by how many times we read in the Bible "The Lord loved him". Maybe this does not strike you as earth shattering, but I am sure it mattered greatly to the one whom the Lord loved. The Lord loved him. Powerful, enduring words that affected a man's life.

"she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon:

and the LORD loved him."

"And Solomon loved the LORD,"

2 Samuel 12:24, 1 Kings 3:3

I was thinking of this, wondering Why? Why did the Lord love Solomon. David and Bathsheba had a baby, and they named him Solomon (meaning "peace".) Then with no further explanation, God records for us that he loved Solomon -- even when Solomon was a tiny baby. In the next verse, we even read that the Lord sent word by way of Nathan the Prophet that he (the Lord) had named the baby Jedidiah (meaning "beloved of Jehovah".)

Why did the Lord love this little baby? Would Solomon grow up to please the Lord in all things? Was Solomon of a pure heritage? No, we know neither of these reasons to be the case. David and Bathsheba's story is one of sad betrayal and murder. Solomon's story started and ended well (see Ecclesiastes), but the middle was not well. (1 Kings 11).

No, however way I turned this over, I had to admit: The Lord loved him. Period. No explanation, no reason why, simply a pure truth. The Lord loved him.

I couldn't help but think how we complicate matters of love. Needing to know Why when someone tells us they love us, needing to know when they first loved us, needing to know again and again that they still love us. Maybe it should be enough that we are loved?

I am glad God doesn't give us long explanations or many little reasons. I am glad God loves us. Purely and Simply Loved.

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness

have I drawn thee. Jer 31:3

Today

Today was a quiet day, a day for which I should have been thankful. Perhaps a combination of feeing a little sickish and having such a great time last weekend, I was not overly enthused today. I say that lightly, for truthfully, I was not enthused at all. I had been waiting for Saturday to come all week, then when Saturday arrived, I was completely out of sorts. This started me thinking just now: How we spend so much time wishing for more when we already have so many blessings.

So, here I sit, listening to my sister play the piano. I am in my quiet bedroom, warm and at peace.

I thought I'd share the verse that is playing in my mind.

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things

that pertain unto life and godliness,

through the knowledge of him that hath called us

to glory and virtue: 2Pe 1:3