All She Had

I'm thinking about how everytime we read scripture passages there is always something new to think about, even in really familiar passages.

Remember the account of the poor widow's offering, recorded
in Luke 21:1-4?

Jesus is at the temple. This is the last week of His earthly mission.
In just a couple of days He will be arrested, tried and crucified.

He is watching the religious people bringing their offerings into the temple....

    "As Jesus looked up He saw the rich putting their gifts into
    the temple  treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two
    very small copper coins.

    'Truly I tell you,' He said, 'This poor widow has put in more
    than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of
    their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to 
    live on.'"

So she gave all she had.

This story is not about money -  It's about the heart.

Isn't it wonderful that Jesus noticed the woman? Probably no
one else did.

What did He see?

He saw someone who loved God so much she gave Him all she had!

And in just a couple of days He would be giving all He had as well!

And so  this dear widow, in her small way, was very Jesus-like....

An Evening Prayer

My Father,

I am so tired and  weary tonight -  it was a challenging day.

I'm so thankful You are there - eager for me to come to You.

Please remove the anxiety I still feel in my mind - that 'hurry up' feeling that permeated everything I attempted to do today. Why am I still carrying it around?

Why do I still feel my heart pounding? Why do I feel so inadequate? Why do I feel I just don't measure up to others?
Why do I even care what others think? Your smile of approval is the only smile I really need, or want,  to see.

I know that feeling this way is a major sin -- because I am not just disobeying You -- I am doubting Your goodness in caring for me.
And that might be the biggest sin of all. Doubting Your goodness - 
You - the only truly faithful Friend I have ever had.  And I know
that, but I get distracted by the demands assaulting me.

Please remove all the urgency, frustration, the fears and disappointments of this day.

Give me Your peace, comfort and joy -- and the gift of restful sleep.

Please restore me and strengthen me while I sleep so I can face another new day - a new opportunity to love and serve You.

Thank you for always forgiving me and giving me another chance to do it right!

I love You so much and and I know You love me.

That's what keeps me going. And I am still amazed that You kept going -- all the way to the cross -- nothing stopped You!

I will praise You and thank You forever and forever.

Amen.

Almond Joy

I thought again this morning about the menorah, the solid gold candlestick in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple.

Now I am noticing something else.

The branches that held the buds and blossoms that were to be hammered out of a single piece of gold, were to be crafted to look like the branches of an almond tree.

It is often we read about figs and olives and cedars in the Old Testament. But not often we read about almonds.

     And on the lampstand there are to be four
     cups shaped like almond flowers with buds
     and blossoms (Exodus 25:33).

Almonds?  The older I get and the more I study the Bible, the more convinced I am that every word in scripture is important. It is there for a reason. There is no "filler" in God's Word!

I look at a package of wieners and see all the products listed as part of that wiener. And a bottle of catsup: Water, sugar, salt, corn syrup, onion powder, spice....and oh yes, tomato sauce!

Most products we consume have a lot of filler -- just to add bulk or color or fluid.

Not so in scripture. Nothing is added to the content that is not essential -- every word is decreed by God as part of his revelation -- it is truly pure!

So now I am thinking about almonds.

Genesis 43:11 is the first mention. Jacob instructed his sons to:

     Put some of the best products of the land in
     your bags and take them to the man [Joseph,
     the high official, unknown to his brothers at the
     time] as a gift - a little balm and a little honey,
     some spices and some myrrh, some pistachio
     nuts and almonds.

Then in Exodus we have the divine design for the construction of the Menorah in Exodus 25 and 37.

Then in Numbers 17 we read about Moses' brother, Aaron, whose rod was cut from an almond tee.  When almond blossoms and leaves suddenly sprouted on the rod, the miracle was a sign that God had chosen Aaron and his Levite family to be the priests.

There is a Menorah today standing outside the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, which follows the design indicated by God to Moses. The almond blossoms are carved in exquisite detail.

Later, in Ecclesiastes, the almond is an illustration of old age.

This is a good illustration particularly because the almond trees burst into flowers in late winter -- and winter is often used to compare to reaching old age.
And the blossoms often look like snowflakes when they fall to the ground.

In Jeremiah (Chapter 1) we also read about an almond tree. God sends a vision to Jeremiah, and asks him what he sees.

Jeremiah answers: I see the branch of an almond tree. And the LORD said, You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.

The word "almond" in Hebrew is very close to the word for "watching."

So this is what I have out so far....

1. The almond was native to the Middle East and apparently of great value.




2. Almonds produce a sweet oil that is sometimes called "honey dew" because of its fragrance.




3. The almond, since it bursts into flower in late winter, is considered the first crop to emerge in the spring. It blooms before any of the other native trees.

4. The almond tree was traditionally called the "watchful" tree by the ancient Hebrews. When they saw an almond tree they could remember that God was watching over them.

The rest of the story


An old myth is that Aaron's rod was made from a branch of the Tree of Life in Eden. That special branch was taken from Eden by Adam and Eve and then passed down their godly line (through Shem and then Noah) into the hands of the patriarchs.

Eventually King David planted it, and centuries later its wood was used to construct the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

The story goes on to say that in Revelation 22 the Tree of Life mentioned is actually a relic of the cross that will reappear and flower.

And so the Tree of life in Eden is liked botanically to the Tree of Life in Revelation -- a great story, right?

Who knows, maybe part of the story is true!

Pass the Salt! - T M Moore

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  Matthew 5:13

The declining state of the Church in America -- even among some of its own members --  suggests that the warning Jesus issued in this teaching has begun to be realized: The Church is losing its "saltiness," and therefore is being rejected as no long being needed or useful.


In Jesus' day, salt was not used primarily as a seasoning to enhance the taste of food. Its main use was as a preservative against decay. Salt would be rubbed into meat and this would allow the meat to remain palatable for a longer period of time. Salt that no longer accomplished this purpose was thrown into the trash.

But there was another use of salt in Jesus' day, which, if anything, was more important than either its use as a seasoning or a preservative. In Hebrew religious practice, offerings brought to the Lord were to be accompanied by a "measure of salt" (Leviticus 1:13). This salt was referred to as the "salt of the covenant;" that is,  salt represented the relationship Israel had with their God. Salt was thus a token and a sign of the divine covenant, and a way of indicating agreement with and participation in God and His promises.


The Church is the salt of the earth, not only because she entices the world's taste for the Gospel, or because she serves to hold off the advances of corruption and decay in morality and culture. These are certainly vital aspects of what it means to be the salt of the earth.  But beyond these, the Church is the salt of the earth because she is the token of the covenant, given with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in order to open the way for the sinful world to receive the promises and blessings of God.   -- T. M. Moore

LOL

Sometime ago, I heard someone say that, according to Jerry Seinfeld's personal study, children laugh around 75 times a day. Adults? About 12. I asked my sister, "Is that what is wrong with the world?" She thinks that it might be part of the problem.


So I got on Amazon and ordered a joke book. I thought maybe I could start telling jokes and people would around me would laugh.


The book arrived and Art asked me why in the world I bought a "Jokelpedia."


I said I wanted to make adults laugh more. LOL. Laugh Out Loud!


So I started reading the large volume. And, to be honest with you, I am not finding much of anything really funny. Maybe worth a smile or two, or more likely a groan, but no real laugh.


Here's one: What do you do if your cake strikes out? ( Ans: Call in the next batter.) I'm not sure this joke book is going to change the world for the better (or for the batter?)


Then I looked at the kids around me. They do laugh all the time. A little one in a highchair just claps her hands and giggles. My little nephews chase each other, laughing all the time. They are not laughing at jokes, though, they are just laughing in delight about life!


Then I began to see that in more children. They just giggle and poke each other, grin and laugh uproariously at nothing at all. Just experiencing refreshing enjoyment at being alive and letting everyone else know about it!


So that is it. It really is one of our problems. We need to find more sheer delight in everything around us.


And it happens much easier if we have a heart of gratitude.


A heart of gratitude has no room for depression or cynicism.

A heart of gratitude is a heart of joyful love.

Though you have not see Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy.
                 --I Peter 1:8

That's exactly right! This joy He gives us is so deep and so wonderful that we cannot even find words to describe it to those who do not share our faith.

 Remember that poignant song we know only as "Untitled Hymn"?

And when the love spills over, and music fills the night
And when you can't contain the joy inside
Then dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace and laugh on glory's side
Just fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus and live!

And in thy presence is fullness of joy.

(Psalm 16:11)

With all the joy He gives us now, it is hard to even try to imagine what the joy will be like when we are with Him!


And we will laugh there, on glory's side (without any joke books), probably much more than 75 times a day!


And that day will be the first day of the rest of our lives!


PS Here's a joke:

Two mischievous little boys, ages 8 and 10, were terrorizing the neighborhood. They were disobedient and caused havoc everywhere they went.

Their mother asked the pastor to speak with them.

"OK," he said, "but only if I can talk to them one at a time."

He called the younger boy into his office and challenged him, "Do you know where God is?"

The little boy sat quietly, thinking the question over.

The pastor asked again, a little louder: "Do you know where God is?"

The young lad sat there, and his eyes grew wide and his lip started quivering.

"Do you know where God is?" the pastor thundered.

The little boy jumped up and ran to the door, down the street to his home and upstairs to his brother's bedroom.

He burst into the room.

"We're really in big trouble now," he cried. "God is missing and they think we did it!"