God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being, and the creatures of the world are wholesome; There is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of Hades on earth, For righteousness is undying. For God formed us to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made us. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it. ~ Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (NABRE)
Death. To you and me that means we cease to live here on earth. Yet, at the beginning death was not part of our existence. God made Adam and then gave him a warning.
The Lord God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die.
Genesis 2:16-17 (NABRE)
Did Adam know what “death” meant? Did he realize what the consequences really meant? If he had, do you think he would have eaten the apple?
What happens when we die? Some people believe that nothing happens. You just cease to exist. Others believe that you go to Heaven (or Hell, if you were bad enough). This is the big unknown in life. After all, all those who have experienced death aren’t here to tell us about it. There are some near death experiences where people say that they have been reunited with loved ones, that they end up in God’s presence and essentially are taken to a Christian version of heaven.
Heaven is being back in God’s presence. Hell is the absence of God. Think about it. God is love. God is light. When you are filled with love and light, you are filled with such joy! That is just a hint of what it will be like to be back in His presence. God loves us so much that he doesn’t want to be separated from us completely. This is why he has given us a “second chance.” When we die and leave our physical presence here on earth we then pass onto another plane of existence where we continue to live in a different state of being. It is the hope and promise of being back in His existence that gives us the fortitude to suffer through our lives.
What’s the harm of believing in God and His love for us? If I believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and that God is the only way, then I believe that I will one day pass onto the next realm where I will be reunited with loved ones and, most importantly, God. There is no death because through Jesus Christ death was arrested and we will live forever. In this way we are still the creatures that God created and we are imperishable. No matter what, if you believe, death no longer has any hold over you.
I would like to recommend a book to you that I feel is something that every Christian should have on their bookshelf. I read it every year, usually around the anniversary of my sister’s death, because it bolsters my hope and belief in the fact that I will see my loved ones again. The book is Imagine Heaven by John Burke.
“You wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct when they observe your reverent and chaste behavior. Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes, but rather the hidden character of
the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God. For this is also how the holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were subordinate to their husbands; thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him ‘lord.’ You are her children when you do what is good and fear no intimidation.
Likewise, you husbands should live with your wives in understanding, showing honor to the weaker female sex, since we are joint heirs of the gift of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic , loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.” ~ 1 Peter 3:1-9 (NABRE)
Before you start calling me a sexist and claiming that I’m suggesting that women should act as slaves to their husbands I want you to stop, take a breath and relax. First off, we need to realize that when Paul wrote this letter there was a much different view of marriage as compared to today. And even though he was writing for that audience, we can still take this advice and use it. If you take off your Offended glasses and read this passage again you should see that what Paul is trying to get at is that a relationship needs to be based on mutual respect, loving each other for what’s on the inside, and not for what can only be seen on the outside. In Paul’s time women had very little rights and often were treated as property. That’s why this was such a huge statement for him to make. As Christians we are called to love one another as God loves us knowing that ALL of us have an equal share in God’s kingdom. When we are standing in front of Him it’s not going to matter what gender we are, how tall we are, how rich we are or how good looking we might be. What does God care about? The heart.
When I was growing up we didn’t attend church and I knew very little scripture. What I did know, though, was The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Matthew 22:39). My mom said that all the time, and it’s good advice. No matter what type of relationship you are in you should always consider your behavior and are you treating the other person as you would want to be treated? Do you apologize when you realize you might have mistreated the other person? That is very important to me in my relationships, but especially in my marriage. I have apologized to my husband for misdirected anger that he didn’t deserve because that was the right thing to do.
How often do you give yourself a break, and then you turn around and judge others for doing the exact same thing? It’s okay that the dishes didn’t get done tonight because you had a rough day and all you want to do is lose yourself in your sewing, but it’s not okay that the grass didn’t get cut (because your spouse was tired after a 12 hour shift at work)? On the other hand, after you got home from work all you did was watch TV and yet you expect your spouse to cook dinner even though they worked outside the home all day, too?
Love. Honor. Respect. Sacrifice. These are things that Jesus did for all of us and we are called to share that Love. Think of somebody who truly lives out this calling. I always think of Mother Theresa. She loved and respected everybody she met, no matter what they looked like or who they were. She didn’t treat any of the world leaders better than she treated the lepers under her care. To her they were all sons and daughters of God, and she treated them as if they were Jesus in the flesh. I can only imagine how just being in her presence had to be very similar to being in the presence of Jesus. You would feel as if you were being enveloped by love and it was shedding light on all of the darkness in your life. THAT is the kind of adornment that Paul says you should put on instead of gold or fancy clothes.
This scripture passage actually came into my head tonight after my husband challenged me to write a faith post based on the conversation we had at his work bench. I had related a conversation to him that was held between two college interns where they didn’t feel any girl was worth a $5k engagement ring. He agreed and I teased him about the value of the ring he gave me. I said something along the lines of, “I was just happy you decided that you wanted to be stuck with me.” When he asked why I would think that, I pointed to how I was dressed… my sweat skirt (not sweat pants, but a skirt), a 25 year old t-shirt, Crocs and I was wearing a sling pouch that I put my cat in to hold him when he is needy (but I need one hand available to do other things). My husband’s reply was, “Maybe that’s my type.” And it really is. He honestly doesn’t care about what I am wearing, how I look or if I have a huge zit on my nose. He loves me for who I am on the inside.
Love. Respect. Honor. Sacrifice. Understanding. Compassion. Humility. Forgiveness. That’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s your relationship with your spouse or your relationship with your neighbor. This is the secret to world peace. If we all loved each other in this way then it wouldn’t matter how many weapons each country had because they wouldn’t want to use them. Love is not perfect and it’s not easy. We are going to mess up because we are human, but we have Jesus as the greatest model for all of these behaviors. Just do it… love like Jesus.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. ~Matthew 1:18-24 (NAB-RE)
Today in the United States we will celebrate fathers; the men in our lives who raised us, taught us, and mentored us. On my blog today I want to celebrate Joseph, the adopted father of Jesus. He had such a big role to play in the beginning of Jesus’ life, but we don’t actually get to read much about him. It’s never said where he goes or why he isn’t around with Mary when Jesus is crucified. What it does say, though, is that he adopted Jesus as his own, protected baby Jesus when Herrod was killing all of the first born males, and then brought Mary and Jesus back from Egypt when it was safe so that Jesus could fulfill the prophecies.
Being a dad is a difficult job. You provide for your family, protect them from harm and typically you have to be the disciplinarian. When a child gets hurt or sick they usually want to be comforted by their mom. When a child needs something fixed or somebody to play catch with them, they turn to dad. I realize that I’m using stereotypical roles, but let’s just go with this for this one post.
How much more stress was on Joseph? Not only was he raising a child as a first time parent, but in the back of his mind he knows that this is God’s son. If he was a nervous father before, this probably kicked it into overdrive. Can you imagine being the protector of the Savior of the world? Do you think that he played “I’ve got your nose” with Jesus? When Jesus fell did he nonchalantly tell Jesus to just rub some dirt in it? How many times did he tell Jesus to “think fast!” before throwing something at him?
Today as we thank God for giving us the good men in our lives to look up to, let’s also include Joseph in our prayer. He stepped up to the plate when it counted and adopted Jesus as his own. Without his assistance Jesus might not have been the Savior that we know and love. It was a tough job, but Joseph did it well.
I know that it’s not Christmas, but in honor of Joseph please take a moment to listen to the song Joseph’s Song by Michael Card.
For thus says the Lord: Only after seventy years have elapsed for Babylon will I deal with you and fulfill for you my promise to bring you back to this place. For I know well the plans I have in mind for you-oracle of the Lord-plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.
When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me-oracle of the Lord-and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you-oracle of the Lord-and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you. ~Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NAB-RE)
Before we can dive into this passage I want to give you the background as to what was going on in Jerusalem at this point in time. To put it simply, things were a mess. The Israelites were misbehaving; they were worshipping pagan gods, worshipping idols and basically doing whatever they wanted. As God’s Chosen People they had been given Jerusalem and built a Temple to worship Him. They had their list of 10 things you must do to stay good with God and they were completely disregarding them. I’m sure that God felt like he was dealing with hundreds of toddlers. You turn around and suddenly they are back into the thing that you just dragged them away from and thought you had put out of their reach. I mean, all Moses did was go up a mountain to talk with God and get the 10 Commandments. By the time he got back the people had started worshipping a golden calf. “I leave you alone for 2 minutes and THIS is what happens??”
God is just like every father who gets exasperated with having to tell his kids YET AGAIN to stop doing whatever it is that they are doing. Then what happens? God puts his Chosen People in the corner and tells them to sit there and think about what they’ve done. Once they’ve had enough time to think about it, and hopefully correct their behavior, he lets them out of Time Out. In this passage the length of time they have to be in Time Out is seventy years. I realize this is a very simplistic explanation of what was happening in the book of Jeremiah at this time, but you get the idea.
You’ve probably heard some people say that the God of the Old Testament is wrathful and goes by the ‘eye-for-an-eye’ code. This isn’t true at all. In this passage He’s explaining that He loves them and wants them to prosper, but they have to change their hearts and not do evil things. Sometimes a parent has to let their children experience a little bit of pain before they will learn. You can be told numerous times not to touch a hot stove, but until you actually experience the pain you don’t really understand why you aren’t supposed to touch it.
God knows everything that we’re going to do, how we’re going to act, and what the consequences are going to be. None of this is a surprise, but it hurts Him just the same. And even when there is bad, He turns it for the good. We may not be aware of it, but that’s what He does because He loves us.
Even though it’s been thousands of years since Jeremiah shared the Lord’s words with the Israelites we can still apply this to our lives today. Do you feel like you are lost? Are you wandering the earth trying to figure out your purpose? Guess what? You DO have a purpose. You probably don’t know what it is as God doesn’t usually send it to us, written on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. If He did, though, I have a feeling that it would look something like this:
“Dear <insert name here>,
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to love the Lord God with all of your heart. Seek and ye shall find. Ask and ye shall receive. For more information on your mission please refer to the Bible. The pertinent information will be found between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21.
With ALL of My Love,
G.
It doesn’t say that He will keep us from heartache or from suffering. In order to grow you need to suffer a little. You can’t learn to deal with adversity if you never experience it (similar to touching a hot stove). If you’ve never driven in snow then you don’t know how to handle the car as you’re plowing through a three foot drift. We are going to suffer. We are going to get the car stuck. We are going to experience hurt feelings. And it’s all good. Why? Because we learn. We know that God is watching out for us and He has a bigger plan for us. Maybe you had to experience a learning disability as you were growing so that you could get a career helping children overcome that same disability. Maybe you had to live with an abusive parent or spouse so that you could learn how to deal with it and help others. That’s how we should be living our lives.
What is one thing that you are struggling with today? How can you turn it for your good? Pray for God’s guidance to get through this time of trouble so that you can emerge from the other side stronger and able to reach back and help others up, too. And always know that no matter what, GOD LOVES YOU.
He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.
He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. ~Mark 4:26-34 (NAB-RE)
Today’s reading from Mark shows Jesus trying to teach us that great things can come from tiny little beginnings, even if you’re not sure of the steps in between. Of course, that’s really not your job to know the full process. You plant the seed, tend it and God will take care of the growing. That’s what Jesus was doing in his ministry: planting the seeds that would ripen into the kingdom of God. It started with just him and his small group of disciples… and look at it now. According to the quick internet search that I just did, almost 1/3 of the world’s population are Christians. In 2018 that equated to 2.2 billion people. Think about that fact for a minute… throughout the majority of the last 2021 years news has traveled at a very slow pace. It’s only since the onset of the internet that we can get information from across the world as it happens. So how was it that one guy could show up and seriously impact 2.2 billion people almost 2000 years later? Only God knows.
This is still happening in various ways. Think of everything that influences you or that you come into contact with on a daily basis. They all started as ideas in a person’s head and grew from there. Just because that happens, though, doesn’t mean it’s part of God’s kingdom. Anything that deals in terror, violence or evil is not of God. I’m talking about the ideas that started out small and grew into something so much bigger than the person themself. Let me give you some examples.
If you’ve read my blog Kerry’d Away then you’ve seen the blankets I’ve made for Project Linus. The first part of their mission states, “Provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” This is a national organization that donates thousands of blankets each year to help children who might be in need of a hug or something secure that they can call their own. Project Linus started when one lady, Karen Loucks, read an article about a young chemo patient who took her security blanket to each treatment and it helped her to be brave. Ms. Loucks wanted to do this for other children in her area, so she made blankets for a local Cancer Center and the organization was born. One article about one little girl planted a seed and look what grew out of it.
You might not be familiar with the company Duck Commander, but you may at least recognize the faces behind it. A few years ago the family was on A&E with their show Duck Dynasty. They were the bearded duck hunters from Louisiana and the show was very entertaining. Well, Duck Commander is the company that Phil Robertson created after inventing a duck call that actually sounded like a duck (no, that wasn’t typical at the time). The idea started as a little seed in Phil’s head. He knew that duck hunters would be more successful if the calls actually sounded like the ducks they were trying to attract to their hunting spot. With the help of his family, Phil built the calls and sold them to local sportsman’s stores. They kept plugging away and slowly the business took off. The company is very successful nowadays, but that’s not why I’m bringing them up in relation to the reading from Mark.
The Robertson family is very faithful. They are true servants of the Lord. They agreed to the A&E show because they hoped it could be a way to spread the message of Jesus as far as possible. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t really like to have anything to do with God or Jesus (gee… who would have guessed) so the show was mostly about entertainment. However, they did manage to get it okayed that they could end each show with the family sitting down to a meal and saying a prayer. There’s the little seed… now, pay attention.
Fast forward to today where the Duck Dynasty show has been off the air for a few years. What has happened? Well, just like planting mint in your garden, the faith of Duck Dynasty has taken off and spread all over. I’m sure that the Robertsons truly have no idea just how many lives they’ve helped to Save (as in people coming to Jesus) or how many have found new hope in their faith. People will travel from all over the United States to go to Louisiana so that the very people who introduced them to Jesus can be the ones to baptize them. Phil and his sons, Al and Jase, also host a podcast called “Unashamed” where they talk about Jesus, the bible and other topics of faith. These guys are real and authentic, which is why so many people listen to what they have to say. God is definitely growing this plant for his kingdom, but it doesn’t stop there…
You’ve heard about the people at fast food places who pay for the person’s order in line behind them. This is commonly referred to as “paying it forward” (which really doesn’t make sense since they are actually paying it backwards…). Your hope is that by doing something like this, the person in line behind you will also want to pay it forward/backward and thus the chain keeps growing. Another advantage to being a “celebrity” is that you can pay it forward as well. If we go back to the Robertsons I want to introduce you to Jase’s daughter, Mia. She was born with a cleft palate and lip. When Jase and his wife, Missy, were trying to navigate the waters of this new territory there wasn’t a whole lot of information or resources. To fix a cleft palate requires many surgeries, treatments, and procedures. It’s unbelivable what these children (and families) go through in this process. During the run of the show Mia wanted to tell her story. Out of this sprang a desire to help others (which was already there, but now she had an outlet) and the Mia Moo Fund was born. This fund helps to inform, inspire and improve the quality of life for children with a cleft palate/lip. This organization is still growing, but they are putting out so much good in the world. And all of this started with a duck call…
You don’t need to be a billionaire to grow God’s kingdom. You don’t need a million followers on social media. You don’t even need a corporate sponsor. What you need is to plant a seed in the ground, tend it, and have faith that God will not only help it grow, but will help it to flourish. Have faith in the Lord, love Him with all of your heart and love His people. That’s all you need. The rest will take care of itself.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. ~ John 21:1-14 (NAB-RE)
The disciples have just watched as Jesus was scourged, crucified and placed in a tomb. All of their hopes and beliefs from the past several years were suddenly gone. What were they going to do now? Half of them were still shut up in the upper room, full of fear as they hid from the Jews. Emotions were raw. Fear. Anger. Despair. Devastation. Maybe even some numbness. What do you do when you don’t really know what to do next? You go into autopilot and fall back into an activity that is almost a habit. For Simon Peter, that was fishing.
And yet, out on the water, he still couldn’t get away from the memories and the thoughts. He was fishing when he first met Jesus. It was in a tempest-tossed boat that Peter watched Jesus calm the seas. Then Jesus had tested Peter’s faith by telling him to walk on the water. Peter had failed that test. And in his heart he kept hearing Jesus’ voice telling him that he would deny Jesus three times before the cock crowed. His despair, regret and bitter pain over having done just that was weighing heavily on his heart. He tried to stay busy to keep the thoughts from coming to the surface. But every pull of the net was as empty as his heart.
As dawn was breaking there was a figure on the beach. Nobody knew this stranger and were probably irritable when they were asked about their catch. The next words, though, would kindle a spark in Peter’s heart. He had heard them before. “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” Hope started to radiate as they strained to pull the fish-laden net up to the surface of the water. Could it be? He had said he would see them again, but could this really be? Was it too much to hope for? “It is the Lord,” could have been Simon Peter’s heart singing out for all he knew. It WAS the Lord, and without thinking, Peter tucked his garments in and jumped into the water. His only desire was to be THERE with the Lord.
Truth be told, that is the Lord’s desire, too. He just wants to be with YOU. Even if we deny him and turn our backs on him he is still there waiting for us. He never gives up on us. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness and it will be given. How wonderful is that?? God knows that we are imperfect. He knows that we are going to make mistakes. And He loves us anyway. He loves us so much that he gave us the Holy Spirit to remind us of his love and his teachings.
It is often when we are feeling as Peter felt that morning out on the sea, that we need to look deep into our hearts and find the Holy Spirit. Let his love and life give you hope. Even if you are still struggling, just keep holding onto the hope because Jesus is right beside you every step of the way. And he loves you so very much!
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. ~Matthew 4:18-20 (NAB-RE)
Reading about how Jesus calls the first disciples always has me wondering the same things: How could they just drop everything and go with Jesus? Did they realize what they were getting into? Did they really know what was going to be involved? What was it about Jesus’ presence that made people drop everything and follow him? What would I have done if I had been in their sandals?
Why would Jesus choose fishermen? These were just ordinary men. They would tell you that there wasn’t anything special about them, and yet they were chosen first. If Jesus came to earth to teach and proclaim the gospel then why didn’t he go to the Temple and choose from among the religiously devout? If you want to teach about God and his kingdom then shouldn’t you go to the people who are trained professionals?
There’s a phrase that I’ve heard from my priest many times: God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the Called. Almost all of the people whom God called to serve in extraordinary ways were very imperfect. Moses had been hiding out for years from the Pharaoh because he had killed an Egyptian guard. He was living as a shepherd when God called to him from the burning bush. David was the youngest son of a shepherd and later in life he killed one of his own soldiers so that he could get with the soldier’s wife. Then there was Jonah who tried to run away from the Lord, but he kept getting caught until he finally relented and carried out the work that God had given him. All of these people were flawed in one way or another, and yet they were exactly as God needed them to be in order to carry out his works.
So why would Jesus choose fishermen to be part of his disciples? Jesus knew that there were going to be difficult times ahead for these guys. He warned them that they would be hated because of him. Can you imagine how that would feel? What would you think if your boss approached you at work and mentioned that you are going to be marked for hatred and disparaging treatment due to the feelings that people have for your employer? And yet these men continued to walk beside Jesus. Why? How could they do that?
“And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.” ~John 15:21 (NAB-RE)
I believe Jesus chose them because he knew how difficult it was to be a fisherman. Even if you have been doing it for years there are still going to be many days where you don’t catch a single thing. Or you pull up your net and there’s a giant tear in it. Yet you still continue to get in the boat and cast your nets because you know that even if you just pull a handful up, there’s always the hope and faith that the next net will contain more. Perseverence. Determination. Never giving up. Those are the same traits that are required to go out and spread the Gospel. That’s what we must keep in mind when we speak about our faith and claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
So how will you respond? Will you pick up your cross and follow him? Or will you list a dozen excuses about why this just isn’t a good time?
Kerry'd by Faith 