Sitting in a room filled with people, the conversation drifted into idle talk about the awful government we have, how things are going from bad to worse, how young people today just don’t have a chance in a world like that, prices for gas and groceries are just out of sight, rioting on college campuses, surely Christ is returning in the next few days and months. The year was 1962. Sounds almost identical to some conversations I heard recently in a group of people that Jesus said are supposed to be the light of the world. I have been amazed at how one person can enter a room and fill it with doom and gloom in a moment’s time. Perhaps I have been more impressed when a room filled with doomsday talking people was suddenly transformed into light and hope by one man’s joyful walk and talk. It was as though we were all in a dark and dingy room when the Light of the world walked in, and suddenly we were immersed in sunshine…or should I have said Son Shine?
Luke 11:36 If your whole body is full of light and not darkness, it will be as bright as a lamp shining on you."
Does a room light up when we walk into it, or does it get darker?
Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” I don’t think about abundant living when listening to complaining and fearful thoughts about life. I think about lack and poverty and death. If it’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance and if we are to be the light of the world…should not we who have the Light of the world living inside us be lighting candles rather than cursing the darkness? Is it possible that we don’t spend enough time letting God’s Word shine in our hearts? Jesus taught that “out of the abundance of the heart…our mouth speaks.” It’s not so important to watch what we say, as to what we take into our hearts by what we read and listen to and watch.
The Psalms teach us that the Bible is like a lamp shines on our path to let us see where we are going. It’s also helpful to others who are following closely behind us. I thank God for teachers who saw what was, rather than what wasn’t…who saw the glass half full instead of half empty…who proclaimed the “Good News” instead of proclaiming the bad news. May God help us to become candle lighters instead of being candle snuffers.
May we fulfill Jesus command for us to “let our lights shine” by the way we walk and talk. May the computers and rooms and communities and businesses we walk into be transformed as we stop cursing the darkness and begin lighting candles. Maybe we should light a candle and set it in the room today as a reminder to LIGHT A CANDLE where ever we go.
Selah…
Al Yoder
2/6/2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Feeding Sheep
I listened to a fellow pastor who raises sheep on his farm. It intrigued me how he gets up in the middle of the night to help the sheep have little lambs to keep them from freezing. He makes sure they are protected from coyotes and wolves. He also sees to it that they have adequate food and water. I see this same pastor up late at night looking after God?s lambs and sheep in the Church family. We are blessed to have a pastor who cares this much for our spiritual well being, that he lays aside his own needs to relate to our needs. There is a Bible story where Jesus had teaches Peter about the connection between loving Him and feeding His sheep. Some of Jesus disciples had been fishing all night, but in the morning, their nets were still empty. Discouraged, they came toward shore when someone called out to them, ?Have you caught anything?? They replied, ?No,? and the man told them to cast their net on the other side of the ship. They tried it and within moments, their net was full of fish and starting to break! (John 21:3?6.) When the disciples realized that it was Jesus standing there on the shore, they came and had breakfast with Him. After they ate together, Jesus turned to Peter and asked him three questions:
?Peter?.do you love me more than these? Feed my lambs.?
?Peter?.do you love me? Feed my sheep.?
?Peter?do you love me? Feed my sheep.? (John 21:15-17)
Jesus used several different Greek words for love in these questions. The word love in His first two questions to Peter was the Greek word agapao. In the third question He used the word phileo. Each time Peter?s response was: ?I love (phileo) you.? The word agapao means ?to esteem, love.? It is an act of the will and implies love for the sake of meeting another person?s needs. It is the kind of love that God shows us, and that we are to show to Him and other people. The meaning of phileo includes ?having affection for someone, to befriend.? It is usually based on mutual interests. Peter was upset when Jesus asked him, ?Do you (phileo) me??
When Jesus instructed Peter, He used two different words that are translated as feed. ?Feed (bosko) my lambs. ? Feed (poimaino) my sheep. ? Feed (bosko) my sheep.? The Greek word bosko means ?to provide food,? while the Greek word poimaino has a broader meaning. It includes all of a shepherd?s responsibilities, such as training, protecting, and leading, in addition to feeding. Jesus was telling Peter and us as pastors to care for both lambs and sheep. A young lamb has unique needs and requires different levels of care than an older sheep.
The word ?my? in Jesus instruction is also significant. These were not Peter?s sheep, they were God?s sheep. Peter brought this out in I Peter 5:2 to fellow pastors when he wrote: ?Feed (poimaino) the flock of God which is among you.? Jesus had charged Peter, to be a spiritual leader in His Church who would feed and tend His lambs and sheep. He wanted Peter to help new Chris tians to grow into maturity and then keep tending and feeding them even after they are mature. This applies to Chris tian leaders as well as parents, who are to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. As parents we should first think of our own children and then all those who are in our sphere of influence. As leaders, our love for Jesus is directly linked to how well we tend and feed those in within our care.
Selah....
Al Yoder
?Peter?.do you love me more than these? Feed my lambs.?
?Peter?.do you love me? Feed my sheep.?
?Peter?do you love me? Feed my sheep.? (John 21:15-17)
Jesus used several different Greek words for love in these questions. The word love in His first two questions to Peter was the Greek word agapao. In the third question He used the word phileo. Each time Peter?s response was: ?I love (phileo) you.? The word agapao means ?to esteem, love.? It is an act of the will and implies love for the sake of meeting another person?s needs. It is the kind of love that God shows us, and that we are to show to Him and other people. The meaning of phileo includes ?having affection for someone, to befriend.? It is usually based on mutual interests. Peter was upset when Jesus asked him, ?Do you (phileo) me??
When Jesus instructed Peter, He used two different words that are translated as feed. ?Feed (bosko) my lambs. ? Feed (poimaino) my sheep. ? Feed (bosko) my sheep.? The Greek word bosko means ?to provide food,? while the Greek word poimaino has a broader meaning. It includes all of a shepherd?s responsibilities, such as training, protecting, and leading, in addition to feeding. Jesus was telling Peter and us as pastors to care for both lambs and sheep. A young lamb has unique needs and requires different levels of care than an older sheep.
The word ?my? in Jesus instruction is also significant. These were not Peter?s sheep, they were God?s sheep. Peter brought this out in I Peter 5:2 to fellow pastors when he wrote: ?Feed (poimaino) the flock of God which is among you.? Jesus had charged Peter, to be a spiritual leader in His Church who would feed and tend His lambs and sheep. He wanted Peter to help new Chris tians to grow into maturity and then keep tending and feeding them even after they are mature. This applies to Chris tian leaders as well as parents, who are to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. As parents we should first think of our own children and then all those who are in our sphere of influence. As leaders, our love for Jesus is directly linked to how well we tend and feed those in within our care.
Selah....
Al Yoder
Friday, January 28, 2011
GOD'S WAYS vs MY WAYS
GOD'S WAYS vs MY WAYS
Our son recently told us that he and our grandson Conner had received a similar gift for Chris tmas. When he went to use his gift, it was missing from the place he thought it was supposed to be. He went to his son's room and retrieved "his" gift and let Conner know that he was very unhappy that he had taken his gift. He then exhorted him not to lie when Conner denied having taken his dad's gift. Later our son came across his gift exactly where he had remembered leaving it and really felt humbled. He went to Conner and asked his forgiveness for his wrong judgment. I felt deep gratitude that our son was able to humble himself in this way. Our grandson loved his dad for it.
Often God's ways go against our natural inclinations. However, when we obey anyway we reap the benefits of doing things His way.
God said, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts". (Isaiah 55:9)
In Matthew 5 we are told to seek forgiveness for a small offense from those who have hurt us in much greater ways. A son who was deeply hurt by his father went and asked his father to forgive him for not having a loving attitude toward him. To his surprise his father began to weep and asked his son to forgive him for all the ways he had hurt him over the years. Not long after, the father became a Christian.
Our natural way would be to retaliate with some disrespect to try to humiliate the person who is hurtful to us. Our ways tend to put even greater distance between the very relationships that we need the most. God's ways are more difficult in the beginning but His way is always the "higher way".
Our way says the one with the greatest offence should make the first move to be restored. God's way says the one who is most spiritual should take the initiative to be reconciled. That is exactly what Christ did for us when we had no desire or even the ability to do so on our own. God's ways just can't be improved on!
Let's demonstrate our trust in Christ by obeying His commands even if we don't understand His reasons for them.
Selah....Al Yoder
Our son recently told us that he and our grandson Conner had received a similar gift for Chris tmas. When he went to use his gift, it was missing from the place he thought it was supposed to be. He went to his son's room and retrieved "his" gift and let Conner know that he was very unhappy that he had taken his gift. He then exhorted him not to lie when Conner denied having taken his dad's gift. Later our son came across his gift exactly where he had remembered leaving it and really felt humbled. He went to Conner and asked his forgiveness for his wrong judgment. I felt deep gratitude that our son was able to humble himself in this way. Our grandson loved his dad for it.
Often God's ways go against our natural inclinations. However, when we obey anyway we reap the benefits of doing things His way.
God said, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts". (Isaiah 55:9)
In Matthew 5 we are told to seek forgiveness for a small offense from those who have hurt us in much greater ways. A son who was deeply hurt by his father went and asked his father to forgive him for not having a loving attitude toward him. To his surprise his father began to weep and asked his son to forgive him for all the ways he had hurt him over the years. Not long after, the father became a Christian.
Our natural way would be to retaliate with some disrespect to try to humiliate the person who is hurtful to us. Our ways tend to put even greater distance between the very relationships that we need the most. God's ways are more difficult in the beginning but His way is always the "higher way".
Our way says the one with the greatest offence should make the first move to be restored. God's way says the one who is most spiritual should take the initiative to be reconciled. That is exactly what Christ did for us when we had no desire or even the ability to do so on our own. God's ways just can't be improved on!
Let's demonstrate our trust in Christ by obeying His commands even if we don't understand His reasons for them.
Selah....Al Yoder
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
In the Lion's Den
IN THE LION’S DEN
As a young boy, I went to the barn and crawled over a wall into the bull pen’s feeding trough. Next I crawled onto the floor with the bull standing in front of me. Taking a stick I would poke the big bull that snorted and made me feel like I was the ringmaster in a circus. The crowd was made up of my brother and sisters who were standing in the walkway outside the pen. In a moment’s time the bull suddenly picked me up with his head and slammed me against the wooden wall of the pen. If it had not been for my brother Wilbur’s quick reaction to scare the bull away, it may have been my death. IThe bull dropped me and I felt like God had sent Wilbur to pull me off the floor and into the safety of that manger. For about an hour I was unable to stand on my legs to walk. God spoke to me in a powerful way through that experience and probably also to my siblings who were watching. This experience came back to me as I was reading through the book of Daniel.
Daniel had a similar experience in the Bible when he was probably in his early eighties. King Darius had chosen Daniel to be one of three administrators who kept an eye on 120 bureaucrats so they would not try to cheat the king out of tax money they were to collect from the people. Now Daniel was an exceptional administrator. Even though he was eighty, he was very healthy and wise. The king intended to make Daniel the Prime Minister and it angered those other leaders. They envied him, so they tried hard to find out where Daniel had done something wrong, but were unable to find anything. They initiated a ridiculous law that said everyone had to pray to the King or be thrown into a den of hungry lions. To obey that law would have meant that Daniel would violate his conscience in praying to the living God. In spite of the law, Daniel went to pray in his customary place facing Jerusalem. His fellow workers saw this and reported it to the king. The king had no choice but to follow through with the law he had signed with his own signet ring. So Daniel was thrown into the hungry lion’s den. King Darius regretted having made the law and could not sleep all night long. Early the next morning he came to see if Daniel was still alive.
The King called out in an anxious voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"
Daniel said, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."(Daniel 6:20-21)The king had Daniel pulled out of the den, and then the King ordered the men that instigated this law to be thrown into the den along with their entire families. Before they even hit the floor, the lions devoured them. God had truly shut the lions mouths for an innocent man, and brought vengeance on the evil minded men who opposed him.
Unlike Daniel, I was not entirely innocent entering the bull pen, but God sent an angel to deliver me with my brother’s quick reaction. However, let’s not crawl into the den intentionally! If you happen to find yourself being taken advantage of by some people in your life, remember Daniel and cry out to our God. He is still able to send an angel to shut up the mouths of the lions when we get thrown into the den or even as in my case, when having crawled in on our own volition!
Selah…
Al Yoder
1/26/2011
As a young boy, I went to the barn and crawled over a wall into the bull pen’s feeding trough. Next I crawled onto the floor with the bull standing in front of me. Taking a stick I would poke the big bull that snorted and made me feel like I was the ringmaster in a circus. The crowd was made up of my brother and sisters who were standing in the walkway outside the pen. In a moment’s time the bull suddenly picked me up with his head and slammed me against the wooden wall of the pen. If it had not been for my brother Wilbur’s quick reaction to scare the bull away, it may have been my death. IThe bull dropped me and I felt like God had sent Wilbur to pull me off the floor and into the safety of that manger. For about an hour I was unable to stand on my legs to walk. God spoke to me in a powerful way through that experience and probably also to my siblings who were watching. This experience came back to me as I was reading through the book of Daniel.
Daniel had a similar experience in the Bible when he was probably in his early eighties. King Darius had chosen Daniel to be one of three administrators who kept an eye on 120 bureaucrats so they would not try to cheat the king out of tax money they were to collect from the people. Now Daniel was an exceptional administrator. Even though he was eighty, he was very healthy and wise. The king intended to make Daniel the Prime Minister and it angered those other leaders. They envied him, so they tried hard to find out where Daniel had done something wrong, but were unable to find anything. They initiated a ridiculous law that said everyone had to pray to the King or be thrown into a den of hungry lions. To obey that law would have meant that Daniel would violate his conscience in praying to the living God. In spite of the law, Daniel went to pray in his customary place facing Jerusalem. His fellow workers saw this and reported it to the king. The king had no choice but to follow through with the law he had signed with his own signet ring. So Daniel was thrown into the hungry lion’s den. King Darius regretted having made the law and could not sleep all night long. Early the next morning he came to see if Daniel was still alive.
The King called out in an anxious voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"
Daniel said, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."(Daniel 6:20-21)The king had Daniel pulled out of the den, and then the King ordered the men that instigated this law to be thrown into the den along with their entire families. Before they even hit the floor, the lions devoured them. God had truly shut the lions mouths for an innocent man, and brought vengeance on the evil minded men who opposed him.
Unlike Daniel, I was not entirely innocent entering the bull pen, but God sent an angel to deliver me with my brother’s quick reaction. However, let’s not crawl into the den intentionally! If you happen to find yourself being taken advantage of by some people in your life, remember Daniel and cry out to our God. He is still able to send an angel to shut up the mouths of the lions when we get thrown into the den or even as in my case, when having crawled in on our own volition!
Selah…
Al Yoder
1/26/2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
GOD’S WORK IS NEVER TIME WASTED
There are times when I am tempted to think my efforts to help people does not pay off. At those moments I am tempted with being bitter about the time and energy I’ve invested in people. Satan even entices me to be angry at God in those times. Have you ever felt that way? Hebrews 12:15 tells us that when we let a root of bitterness inside us, it will contaminate us and all the people around us. It has very destructive affects on our spiritual eye sight so that “we cannot see straight”. Knowing this, I seek to avoid bitter thoughts like “the plague”. God assured all of us that our work in the Lord is never wasted. It will become fruitful in God’s timing.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58)
David and Svea Flood, a very young Swedish missionary couple, went with their two-year-old son to a hostile African community in 1921. Their only contact with the villagers was a young boy, who was allowed to sell this family chickens and eggs twice a week. Svea, a tiny woman, decided that if this was the only African she could talk to, she would try to lead the boy to Jesus. This young man became a Christian. Svea died seventeen days after the birth of a little girl named Aina, due to bouts of malaria. David Flood became bitter and after burying his twenty-seven-year-old wife. He said, “I’m going back to Sweden. I’ve lost my wife, and I obviously can’t take care of this baby. God has ruined my life.” After giving his newborn daughter to a missionary family, he went back to Sweden with his son.
In less than a year the missionary couple who took in Aina both died within days of each other. The baby was then taken in by some American missionaries and brought to the United States by age three. They loved the little girl and changed her name to Aggie, who grew up and attended a Bible College in Minneapolis. There she met and married a young man named Dewey Hurst who became president of a Christian college in Seattle. On their 25th wedding anniversary the college presented them with a gift to take a vacation to Sweden. There Aggie looked up her real father who was now an old man. David had remarried, had four more children, destroyed his life with alcohol, and suffered a stroke. He was still bitter and did not want anyone to mention God, because as he put it “God took everything from me”. She walked into his filthy apartment, with liquor bottles everywhere, and approached the seventy-three-year-old man lying in a rumpled bed. “Papa” she said tentatively. He turned and began to cry. “Aina,” he said. “I never meant to give you away.” “It’s all right, Papa,” she replied, taking him gently in her arms. “God took care of me.” The man instantly stiffened and his tears stopped. “God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.” He turned his face back to the wall. Aggie stroked his face and continued “Papa, I’ve got a little story to tell you, and it’s a true one. You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus Christ. The one seed you planted just kept growing and growing. Today there are six hundred African people serving the Lord because you were faithful to the call of God in your life.… Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you.” The old man turned back to look into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed and he began to talk. And by the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many years. Over the next few days, father and daughter enjoyed warm moments together and within a few weeks, David Flood died and went into eternity. If we like David have become weary in well doing, God will restore us when we repent.
Let’s not look at the immediate circumstance to determine whether our work for the Lord was of value. Let’s look at God’s Promise and remember that He will never be proven wrong. Our work in the Lord will always bring lasting benefits in God’s timing! Working for God is never time wasted!
Selah,
Al Yoder
1/19/2011
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58)
David and Svea Flood, a very young Swedish missionary couple, went with their two-year-old son to a hostile African community in 1921. Their only contact with the villagers was a young boy, who was allowed to sell this family chickens and eggs twice a week. Svea, a tiny woman, decided that if this was the only African she could talk to, she would try to lead the boy to Jesus. This young man became a Christian. Svea died seventeen days after the birth of a little girl named Aina, due to bouts of malaria. David Flood became bitter and after burying his twenty-seven-year-old wife. He said, “I’m going back to Sweden. I’ve lost my wife, and I obviously can’t take care of this baby. God has ruined my life.” After giving his newborn daughter to a missionary family, he went back to Sweden with his son.
In less than a year the missionary couple who took in Aina both died within days of each other. The baby was then taken in by some American missionaries and brought to the United States by age three. They loved the little girl and changed her name to Aggie, who grew up and attended a Bible College in Minneapolis. There she met and married a young man named Dewey Hurst who became president of a Christian college in Seattle. On their 25th wedding anniversary the college presented them with a gift to take a vacation to Sweden. There Aggie looked up her real father who was now an old man. David had remarried, had four more children, destroyed his life with alcohol, and suffered a stroke. He was still bitter and did not want anyone to mention God, because as he put it “God took everything from me”. She walked into his filthy apartment, with liquor bottles everywhere, and approached the seventy-three-year-old man lying in a rumpled bed. “Papa” she said tentatively. He turned and began to cry. “Aina,” he said. “I never meant to give you away.” “It’s all right, Papa,” she replied, taking him gently in her arms. “God took care of me.” The man instantly stiffened and his tears stopped. “God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.” He turned his face back to the wall. Aggie stroked his face and continued “Papa, I’ve got a little story to tell you, and it’s a true one. You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus Christ. The one seed you planted just kept growing and growing. Today there are six hundred African people serving the Lord because you were faithful to the call of God in your life.… Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you.” The old man turned back to look into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed and he began to talk. And by the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many years. Over the next few days, father and daughter enjoyed warm moments together and within a few weeks, David Flood died and went into eternity. If we like David have become weary in well doing, God will restore us when we repent.
Let’s not look at the immediate circumstance to determine whether our work for the Lord was of value. Let’s look at God’s Promise and remember that He will never be proven wrong. Our work in the Lord will always bring lasting benefits in God’s timing! Working for God is never time wasted!
Selah,
Al Yoder
1/19/2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Obstacle or Opportunity
I remember in my youth that some spiritual leaders would use the Bible verses that talked about the end time to scare people in seeing their need to be saved. There are many leaders today who make a lot of money by predicting dates as to Christ's coming. There are charismatic leaders who claim to have inside information and great ability to know things that Jesus said only His Father in heaven knows anything about. Even well meaning Christians for thousands of years have claimed that Christ would come back within their life-time, but over and over they have been proven wrong. This kind of emphasis discouraged me from furthering my education as a young man. My reasoning was, "these older Christians surely know the Bible better than I do, so why study to get a degree when Christ is coming back before I graduate anyway".
Jesus clearly teaches that we should not follow people who keep claiming that the end is near. Without a question the end is always near for us as individuals. I am already sixty two years old. In some ways it only seems like yesterday when I was sixteen. We must be careful to not project our worries and fears onto other people when we see huge earthquakes like the one in Haiti this week. Jesus taught us as His disciples not to worry about persecution & earthquakes, but rather to see these as opportunities to tell others about our faith. Later in this passage Jesus assures us that He will give us the words we are to say during trying circumstances. Fear sees it as an obstacle. Faith sees it as an opportunity. The choice is up to us.
Luke 21:8
Jesus taught his disciples, "Watch out for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One,' or, 'The end is near.' Don't fall for any of that. Luk 21:9
When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end." Luk 21:10
He went on, "Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Luk 21:11
Huge earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. You'll think at times that the very sky is falling.
Luk 21:12
Before all this happens; you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors. Luk 21:13
But this will be your chance to tell about your faith. Luk 21:14
Make up your mind right now not to worry about it.
These verses are from the more contemporary English versions of the Bible. You may want to read them in context from your Bibles. I believe these accurately depict what Jesus was teaching us. May we all be followers of Christ and not be overly enamored with earthly leaders. Experience teaches us that those who allow themselves to be put up on high pedestals....usually fall off. Instead of seeing this Haitian earthquake as an obstacle, let?s see it as an opportunity to share our faith. Fear says these are obstacles. Faith says they are opportunities.
Selah....Al Yoder
Jesus clearly teaches that we should not follow people who keep claiming that the end is near. Without a question the end is always near for us as individuals. I am already sixty two years old. In some ways it only seems like yesterday when I was sixteen. We must be careful to not project our worries and fears onto other people when we see huge earthquakes like the one in Haiti this week. Jesus taught us as His disciples not to worry about persecution & earthquakes, but rather to see these as opportunities to tell others about our faith. Later in this passage Jesus assures us that He will give us the words we are to say during trying circumstances. Fear sees it as an obstacle. Faith sees it as an opportunity. The choice is up to us.
Luke 21:8
Jesus taught his disciples, "Watch out for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One,' or, 'The end is near.' Don't fall for any of that. Luk 21:9
When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end." Luk 21:10
He went on, "Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Luk 21:11
Huge earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. You'll think at times that the very sky is falling.
Luk 21:12
Before all this happens; you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors. Luk 21:13
But this will be your chance to tell about your faith. Luk 21:14
Make up your mind right now not to worry about it.
These verses are from the more contemporary English versions of the Bible. You may want to read them in context from your Bibles. I believe these accurately depict what Jesus was teaching us. May we all be followers of Christ and not be overly enamored with earthly leaders. Experience teaches us that those who allow themselves to be put up on high pedestals....usually fall off. Instead of seeing this Haitian earthquake as an obstacle, let?s see it as an opportunity to share our faith. Fear says these are obstacles. Faith says they are opportunities.
Selah....Al Yoder
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