Because of Faith.

My course of study this morning brings me to the story about the woman of Canaan. She followed after Jesus crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”  And Jesus, our Lord and Savior who loves each of us ignored her.

Can you believe that? He ignored her.

His disciples came and said, Lord do something! She is annoying, (or words that amount to that.) And Jesus answered and said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

I was talking yesterday with an individual who is an attorney. At one point in our conversation I said, “But that’s wrong. It’s just wrong, and yet I know that is the law.” Before that law of the land was passed, horrible things happened on one end of the scale. The law corrected those things. However, somewhere in the middle are situations that are not really horrible, but neither are they squeaky clean. They all get judged by the same law. Sometimes the results are just wrong... And yet occasionally, not always, but occasionally miracles happen. Why do miracles happen? Because of faith.   

The woman came worshiping the Savior and said, “Lord help me.”

He answered that, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.” (I would love to, but my hands are tied)

And then because of faith, because she knew Jesus was the true and living Christ she said, “Truth, Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” And our merciful Lord said to her, “’O woman great is thy faith, be it unto thee as thou wilt.’ And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

Don’t give up on that loved one. Yes, the law that allows them agency to do whatever they want will always be in place, but by faith miracles are wrought.  

Are we distracted by the wind and the waves?

I seek to bring to your remembrance a favorite story from the Bible. Matthew says, “Jesus constrained the disciples to get into a ship and to go before him unto the other side, while he went up into a mountain apart to pray.” (Matthew 14: 22-23)

Let us notice that here the Son of God whose relationship with The Father was closer than most of us will have in this lifetime had a need to have time alone with Heavenly Father. Most likely he received instructions at that time about the work he was sent to do. He may have also been strengthened at that time for what was to come.

The thing I am suggesting here is that family prayer, prayer over our food, even silent prayers as we go about our activities are important, but we also need time alone with Heavenly Father. It is important that we gain that personal relationship with him alone that we may also receive direct instructions and guidance about the work we have to do. Because Jesus had such a close relationship with his Father part of that time might have been spent in expressing his gratitude for Heavenly Father’s love and guidance.

The story goes on to say that while Jesus is praying in the mountain the ship was getting tossed around at sea. When Jesus came to them he walked on the water toward them. At first they were afraid, but when he said, “It is I, be not afraid.”  Peter wanted to come out to meet him. Peter had faith but once he noticed the wind and the waves he began to sink.

We’ve all been there. We know that fear has no power unless we give it power and yet, our faith wavers. The best thing to do is to forgive yourself and carry on.

Why the image of a fiery serpent?

The speaker at the fireside last night mentioned the fiery serpent Moses was told to lift up among the people. If they would look at the image of the serpent they would be healed. It has always been confusing to me and many others including the speaker why the Lord chose the image of a serpent which represents Satan.

Now the Lords ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts and the speaker gave his opinion and I have mine which is a little different. 

This is in no way scripture but the speaker said he felt good about his thoughts so he shared them with us. He said that when Jesus would come he would take upon him our individual sins and in so doing he descended into the very depths of hell in order to save us. He descended below Satan therefore, which caused him the only begotten, the Son of God to bleed from every pore so great was the pain. His having descended to that depth for us, is therefore, the reason for the image of the serpent, or of Satan. This does feel right to me and I agree with it but I feel like there is more to it.  

I think that they needed to look at the image of the serpent because following Satan was what got them into trouble to start with.  I think that they needed to look at their individual sins, and make that choice to accept Christ and give up their sins, because we are not saved ‘in’ our sin. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, “‘We have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee.’” (Numbers 21:7)  And as many as looked at the serpent image and repented lived, but for those who would not acknowledge the serpent or their sin died. Christ atonement makes it easy for us to repent and change. Without him it would be impossible, but looking at our sin is not easy, easy. It is ‘easier’ but not easy. This is why it is so important to clean the slate daily, but still we justify and procrastinate.  

Oh, to be truly humble

“For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

So what does it mean to humble oneself? Where is that line between being humble and being too hard on yourself? It’s hard to find sometimes and just when I think I’ve found it I exalt myself and stumble over the line the other way. Later in that same chapter (Luke 18:18 -24) a certain ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. In the end Christ told him to sell all that he had and come follow him. He couldn’t do it. And yet, the Lord tells us that if we follow him we shall prosper. Now while he is often speaking of spiritual blessings and not necessarily silver and gold we will not want for the necessities of life.

The Pharisee who stood in the temple to pray was not abased because he fasted twice in the week or tithed all that he possessed, but that he was proud of it.  (Luke 18:11- 14) We can’t, or should not even worry about another individuals humility, only our own. I think that the more I worry about being humble the thinner that line gets. I’m still working on it, but I think that if I focus more on developing a relationship with God and not so much on myself I might be closer to where I need to be. If anyone out there has an answer I would sure like to hear it.

More about forgiving the un-repentant

Today I want to talk a little more about forgiveness. As I mentioned yesterday I seem to have a standing misunderstanding with certain people. I truly do not understand if they go out of their way to disagree with me or if I just perceive it that way. The one thing I do understand is that I am the only person who can change me and they are the only person who can change them. There are lots of ways I can be wrong and in need of repentance and those I accept and repent of. But to have someone get up in my face and shout at me that it’s all my fault when they know they consciously made a decision to go against legal and moral laws and then tell me it’s my fault… I refuse to accept the blame or the guilt they are passing out.  Lord forgive me, but I had a good laugh over the entire thing.

This individual is not going to repent, not for a long time anyway, and according to the scripture I gave yesterday I don’t have to forgive them. (Luke 17:3)  I do however pray for them, and in dealing with them I consider the source. I understand they don’t want the embarrassment, nor the responsibility of their actions, and I love them anyway, but there is no way that I am going to accept guilt for them. When they had had a chance to cool off I reminded them of the choice they made that precipitated the hardship. I was told that it is none of my business what they do. That produced another good laugh in private. True we each have our agencies to do as we please, but in doing so we also reap the consequences of our actions, good or bad. Those consequences always, always affect other people for better or worse.