Thursday, May 14, 2015

His Way, Faith

    David wanted to bring back the ark of God away from the enemy and to a safe place. David had a brand new cart for the ark to transport it! Everyone was so happy until the oxen stumbled. Uzzal put his hand out to keep it from falling over. God’s anger burned  against him and he fell down dead!
     I’ve always wondered why God struck him down? As I was reading this, I felt like God gave me the answer….
A.   It’s pulled by an “animal,” God’s presence being pulled around by a creature that God never meant to die for, a creature created for our purposes. It’s a creature not that’s not smart enough to know the moral difference of right and wrong. This is what is pulling around presence of the most high God?
B.God meant the ark to be carried by human beings that are deemed worthy. The priests that were to carry the ark we supposed to be knowingly keeping themselves pure, from things that God deemed “impure.”
C.   .Because of both A & B, God ordained a certain manner for the ark to be carried. Humans are less likely to stumble and drop the ark because of the way walking was designed. With walking, you can step over rocks and over ditches. It was just adaptable way to travel along with the given environment. With wheels, you hit bumps, ditches, and can’t cushion the ride.
     Overall, God’s wisdom wins again. Lessons learned here; Do things God’s way and just trust that our Father is protecting us. We don’t need an explanation. We’ll see why in hindsight.

     I’m learning that what He’s doing in my life isn’t instant. There are reasons my wife and I are going through all this hassle and these jobs. I think we need to go through this because we need to learn to just be…. At least that’s what we’re feeling. Like Brynn said, (and I think God has been speaking to her here) “If we don’t know how to really be stable in marriage, how can we teach others” I love my wife, she points out some good things. And I say again, I think God was speaking to her because whenever I sense God’s telling me something, I remember it. The thing He’s telling me plays over and over in my head.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

It’s Mother’s Day today!

It’s Mother’s Day today! God Isn’t both genders but He made both genders male and female because the characteristics of Him fulfill both of the strengths and qualities of male and female. He is strong, He is powerful, He is loving, He is gentle and He is Just. We see all around us His kindness and gentleness. He, the Holy One, powerful God created a flower. He sophisticatedly designed it’s dimensions. And then He made gigantic mountains, terrifying storms and frightening lions as they roar! He is all. He made gorgeous beauty in a sunset, and the beauty of love between humans. He designed the loving tender heart of a woman to accomplish the task of mothering her young (whether they be human or animal), of which we all need. Who doesn’t need a mother? We all need to be set , in the beginning of our lives, with a firm knowledge that we’re loved. We need that to grow up with the security of who we are. When we know who we are, we have confidence for the days we face in life. Without a firm knowledge that we’re loved we basically self-destruct. We easily fall for other things to fill this basic need in us. I’m not saying we can’t ever learn this need for love, I’m just saying that it helps establish us for life. A mother is God ordained to show their children love, and beyond only her children to help bond the family. Thanks mom!


-Matthew

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Finally!

     Finally, after a long long string of kings in Israel, one (king Elah) reigns. 1 He follows the Lord. 2He finally tears down the “high places” for other gods. He tore down those lies that kept bringing Israel to its knees.  It’s always that one little blemish that makes us dirty. If you have a pure white shirt and it gets a black or dirt spot on it, one that you can’t seem to get clean isn’t the entire shirt considered dirty? We are all working to get closer to God. If you aren’t or don't want to know Him better, if I were you, I’d question my faith. We all have blemishes, I’m not personally the exception! These little gods in our lives (the sins that we still hold on too) are what hold us from Him. If you wonder why you don’t seem to grow closer to God no matter how much you try, examine yourself.
      If you keep reading in the chapter it says, “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherah….and the Lord was with him wherever he went, he prospered.”
       When we choose to cut down the asherad poles and destroy the high places in our lives (destroy the sins we hang on too), God can come and bless us! Don’t get this confused with “prosperity gospel.” God doesn’t work like that. He is a being, we can’t “control.” God's like that. God has a plan and makes choices for His ultimate plan. However destroying the high places in our lives does allow God to come into your life, it allows Him to at least give you peace, be used by Him and to allow you to prosper. His promise is that He will always provide for us when we hold on to Him. Holding on to Him, without saying, is following His commands and living by His standards. If we don’t deal with the sins, that doesn’t allow Him to work in our lives, we stand apart from Him. We would have made the choice to not be in Him. That is a dangerous place to be.
     To begin to break down those “high places” in our lives (those sins that we hold on to), we need to admit the truth, we are weak, only He can make us strong. Only He is sustainment, joy and our peace.


Matthew Kelly