Ski Jumping in the Olympics

                                                  source 

 With the rest of the world , I have been watching the Olympics.
 I am not what anyone would call athletic, but IF I was, I think the sport I would choose to excel in would be ski jumping!
What appeals to me about it ?   I think it is the graceful flying through the air and the thrill of how far you can be carried.
I feel the adrenalin expectancy of the athlete as he rises from the starting bench, feels the rush of speed and then experiences that incredible lift as he commits himself to the jump.
His speed propels him upward and he abandons himself to the air, resting in perfect form and position,  willing himself to go the distance before he glides down to a perfect telemark landing.
I love to watch the skier's 'holding' position as he flies  -  not a muscle moving, not a twitch of a limb. Even the slightest movement will break his graceful  form, causing the judges to deduct marks. More than a slight movement and he will either crash or drastically shorten the distance of his jump.

 Watching the Olympic competitors, I realized what  a beautifully apt picture  they present of our life in the Spirit.
As believers we are called to a life of faith - trusting - believing that the Spirit of God will lift us up and carry us the distance.
We are quick to mouth an expression of trusting words, but in practice,  how often do we flex our fleshly muscles or raise our own arm in self-help?  How often do we choose God's way only after our own efforts have failed ?  And then blame God because we don't like our 'jump' !
 How accomplished are we to simply 'rest' . letting the Spirit carry us where He will?
Have we  abandoned ourselves in obedience to the Spirit, quietly  submitted to His purpose and desire?
Are we so exercised that, like the Olympiad ski jumper,  we have nary a doubt that we will be carried and do not even think to hold back or fear where the jump will take us?
 Can we 'go the distance'  and win gold ??

"Be still and know that I am God"  

Ps. 46:10  

The Olympian ski jumper demonstrates this verse. The Hebrew for "be still'  means to cease struggling , to be slack, to give up -- in other words, Let God!

Word Pictures

Have you ever noticed how much information is packed into one photo?

In our age of computers we can actually compare.

One high resolution photo has 2000 kb….which would equate to 40 pages of a typical word document.
That certainly gives evidence and validity to the ancient Chinese saying “A picture is worth 10,000 words.”
Not only is there much more information packed into one photo but the information from a picture is transferred to our brain ever so much quicker and more accurately than information from the typed word.

Is it any wonder then that Jesus used word pictures so often in His teaching? He wanted to give as much truth and understanding to His listeners as possible.

And I know that He chose His pictures with care so that the information gleaned from them would convey the Truth.

I was thinking the other day about the picture He gave us of Himself as the Good Shepherd of the sheep.
It is a picture that the more you think about it and the more you learn about shepherds the more you see Jesus and understand the relationship he desires to have with us.

(If you have never read Phillip Keller’s book ‘A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23’… please read it. It is a beautiful, inspiring book! )

I was wondering … how differently I might see Jesus if the picture He gave us was another one.
What if He had compared Himself to a farmer raising animals in a barn?

First I would see that the animals, while they were very safe and secure - their safety was provided by pens or fences. They were not free.
Not only were they not physically free but they are also not free to be who they perhaps would want to be.
The farmer feeds them what he thinks they should eat… he feeds them when they should eat…. He controls their activity, limits their exercise.
He separates them from each other or crowds them together as he sees fit.
All with his own agenda in mind… to fulfill his own desires and ultimately serve his own needs. The animals are even kept alive or killed according to would be gainful to him.

It is also convenient for the farmer that he does not have to be with his animals 24/7. They are held prisoner in their enclosure.
He does his chores and then he is free to go off and do his own thing.

Then I thought about how different the Shepherd picture is.

The sheep are free!
They wander under the sky, over the grassy slopes of the pasture, enjoying the sunshine… eating when they are hungry and munching on what appeals to them.
They have the free will choice of straying or staying close to the Shepherd… but always the Shepherd is there for them – watching over them, calling them back when they wander too far, watching for the wild animals that would threaten them.
The Shepherd is there 24/7 to comfort and love His sheep --- He abides with them … lives with them, stands guard over them at night.
He knows each sheep by name and always His thoughts are toward His sheep … knowing what is good for each one of them.

Which would you rather be? The farmer’s animal? Or the Shepherd’s sheep?

No question in my mind … I want to be a sheep!! and I want to stay very close to my Shepherd, Jesus, following Him where ever He leads.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!!” Psalm 23:1

A City of Refuge

Beniah was walking home from visiting his father - a two day journey from his own home. A week had passed since he had seen his wife and young sons and his step was light with eager anticipation to soon be home again.
He still had several hours of walking before him. To distract his mind and quicken the journey, he amused himself by picking up stones and throwing them at targets as they presented themselves - perhaps a branch on a tree or a mark on a boulder beside the road a few yards ahead.

Then the unimaginable happened.

Just as his muscular arm propelled a stone aimed at the branch of a tree hanging over the path, someone - out of no where- dashed into the road crossing the direct path of Beniah's stone.
Beniah opened his mouth to shout a warning but it was too late. The rock hit the runner in his forehead and he dropped to the ground. Beniah ran to help him but saw instantly that he had killed him. Fear gripped his heart – he knew his own life was in danger if anyone had seen him. And yes, there were two people running toward him and the body of the young man who lay sprawled across the well trodden path.

Beniah groaned with regret and remorse for his carelessness. But his racing mind screamed at him that his own life was now in danger, a mental picture of his family flashed before his eyes.
He had but one chance. Flee to a city of refuge. He must think quickly… which way to the nearest one. Yes, yes, he remembered , that way.
Quickly, adrenalin lending him extra speed, he ran without stopping until he collapsed panting inside the city walls.
Someone quickly came to his aid, bringing him a cup of water.
He was safe in the city of refuge!

The above fictional scenario is based on Numbers 35:23.

Numbers 35 lays out the God-given criminal law for governing the nation of Israel. It left no room for legal loopholes. It was eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life – punishment to fit the crime.
The murderer paid with his own life, the law was that he be killed by his victim’s family.
Though the law was harsh, God did not allow for anarchy. A murderer had to be given a fair trial and he could only be found guilty on the testimony of two witnesses.

When a man had killed another man, by intent or accident, before the congregation could be called to judge his guilt or innocence there was a good chance his victim’s family would search him out, ambush him and kill him.
To prevent unjustified bloodshed, God commanded Moses to designate cities of refuge. These cities were placed strategically on either side of the Jordon so that any one living in the land of Canaan could have easy access to one of these cities if he needed protection.

A man fearing for his life, would flee to the nearest city of refuge and there could not be harmed by anyone. He was safe until he could be brought to justice before the congregation.
If he was found guilty of killing someone with intent, he would be condemned to die.
If he was found to have killed by accident , he would be returned to the city of refuge where he could safely live without fear.
He had to remain in the city of refuge until the death of the ruling high priest. If he ventured out of the city limits before that time, he took his life in his own hands – he could be killed if found by his victim’s family. But if he remained in the city until after the death of the high priest , he was free to go back to his homeland - no one could harm him.

It is interesting , is it not ? The stipulation of remaining until the death of the high priest?
It is a picture , a shadow of the good thing to come!
The law was a temporary covering for the sin of the people… they had to stay under that covering until the death of the High Priest - Jesus…. Then the people were set free under the new covenant - the law could no longer keep them in bondage!!

The world is a wicked place, there is no way we can avoid the pain and suffering that comes to us all.
No where in scripture are we given a promise that God will keep us from the tribulations and hardships of this life, but He does promise us a refuge – a place to hide.
Is that not all we need?

There are many verses in the bible that use this ‘picture’ of God being a refuge. Here are a few …..

"In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence and His children will have a place of refuge." Prov. 14:26

"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress -- a refuge from the storm !" Is. 25:4

"And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge and for a shelter from storm and rain." Is. 4: 6

"I cried out to You, O Lord, I said, You are my refuge." Ps.142:5

"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Ps. 91:2

The next time fear clutches at your heart because the enemy or the terrors of this world threaten to harm you, remember the cities of refuge, flee to the arms of God and hide there until the terror is past!

A Stop Sign

Have you ever stopped to reflect on the importance and purpose of stop signs?

Stop signs are placed at strategic locations along our streets and highways and hardly a day goes by that they do not interrupt our daily excursions, but we pay them little attention.
I don’t remember ever having had an animated conversation about a stop sign.
None of us believe that the stop signs are there to make life difficult for us, we appreciate that they are there to stand guard, ensuring our safety on the roads.

Have you ever considered your choices when you approach a stop sign?

You could:
1> stop , look to the right and the left and then continue on your way
2> stop, and change direction
3> stop , wait for traffic right of way and proceed when it is safe
4> ignore the stop sign and just keep on going.
5> stop, and sit there for the rest of the day contemplating the misfortune of having a stop sign interrupt your journey.

You probably know where I am going ....
As we travel along life’s journey, we are sometimes confronted by a ‘stop sign’. And while I am sure you smiled at the absurd 5th choice in the above list …. in life’s journey I think we choose that one more often than not.

Sometimes we forget that this life is a journey. We would just as soon stay here and camp in a nice comfortable spot.
But as Christians we need to remember that we - just like Abraham - are not citizens of this world, but are simply traveling through…”By faith he sojourned …as in a strange country …For he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God..” ( Heb. 11:9,10)

Sometimes God’s stop sign is something that catches our attention… a sermon, a book , a riviting thought, or something someone says- that impresses us , alerting us to the fact that we have become careless, maybe going too fast , focused on the wrong things , …. we need to stop and look both ways, checking our ‘road map’, the Word of God to make sure we are ‘safe’

Sometimes the stop signs of God are there to indicate directional change.
It may be an inconvenience, it may be an accident, it may be a death, it may be the loss of a job, or a disappointment. We may be traveling along perfectly happy , and suddenly we are pulled up short. Something happens that we did not expect nor want and we are unprepared !
Suddenly, we find that instead of continuing as we had planned - straight ahead- we find ourselves facing in a totally new direction. It may be a relatively minor directional change that only affects our plans for one day, maybe we need to reconnect with someone or mend a broken relationship, or lend someone a helping hand instead of pursuing our plans to go shopping.
Or it may be something larger like a disaster, an accident, the death of a loved one, or a job change.
I know someone who lost his wife recently, and then a couple of months later unexpectantly learned that the company he had worked for all his life, was declaring bankruptcy. He faces a monumental directional change in his life.
As upsetting as a directional change is in our lives , it is an invitation to draw close to the One who has promised never to leave us comfortless or alone.

Other times the stop signs God puts into our path are there for our safety, to make us wait for the ‘right-of-way’ and then proceed.
We have all heard about the ‘stop signs’ that saved many lives on 9/11 (September 11,2001).
Little things , annoyances that just made that day start out all wrong , putting people in a bad mood were life-saving ‘stop signs’.
Robert Herzog was late for work because he dropped off some laundry and when he wanted to take an express commuter train to make up for lost time, the door literally slammed in his face just as he was going to board. It was his own office that took the direct hit of the first plane but he wasn’t there. A Stop Sign saved his life.
Another man’s stop sign was a blister he developed from his new shoes and he stopped to pick up a bandaid at the drugstore, making him late for work. One man stopped to pick up doughnuts for his office, one woman spilled juice on her outfit and had to change, one was stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an accident.
All annoying stop signs that were placed in their path to protect them from certain death !
Next time something happens that would normally annoy you… stop and thank God for His protection over you.

Though we know better, there are times we ignore the stop sign and just keep on going. We know what is right to do, we know God’s commandments…. but we are stubborn or bent on going our own way, following our own inclinations. We rationalize, we justify, we think it won’t matter, we think ‘what harm just this once?’ One lie, one burst of anger , one selfish thought or deed…. but we do so at our own peril and not only do we hurt ourselves but we also put others at risk. When we sin , it does not affect only us , it involves others who are often pulled into the painful consequences.
How much better to live life in the safety of obedience to God’s road signs.

Then , there are the stop signs in our life that take our focus completely off the road and we sit , unable or unwilling to proceed. Maybe we suffered an injustice, or we are overlooked for a job promotion, or someone wounded us so deeply we cannot forgive, or our life circumstances are beyond our control and keep us from doing what we want to do. The list is endless, but we all come across ‘stop signs’ in our life that make us feel the burden is too great , we cannot go on. And so we sit , staring at the stop sign.
If we sit because of our anger or unforgiveness we need to repent , restart our engines and resume our journey… we are blocking traffic !!
If it is because of something outside of our control, like a handicap or illness or circumstance of life we need to realize that God has already made allowances for the difficulties that come into our life and they do not hinder His purposes in and through us but actually can help us !! I remember when I first became ill, and realized that I was going to have to deal with some degree of life disability and unknown future , my first thought was regret that I could no longer do the things that I felt were God’s will in my life… but then I rejoiced knowing that God was not limited by my limitations…I would just have to live closer to Him … because now , not being sure of my own way … I would have to be even more dependant on Him as my all-wise Guide.

I found this poem recently and I would like to share it with you… it is so true.

The Easy Roads are Crowded
The easy roads are crowded,
And the level roads are jammed;
The pleasant little rivers
With the drifting folds are crammed

But off yonder where it’s rocky,
Where you get a better view,
You will find the ranks are thinning
And the travelers are few.

Where the going’s smooth and pleasant
You will always find the throng,
For the many, - mores the pity,
Seem to like to drift along.

But the steps that call for courage
And the task that’s hard to do,
In the end results in glory
For the never-wavering few.

Messick

In His Image

I once read an ancient legend that tells the story of a king who conquered and ruled over a vast empire.
He was brave and respected but he was not loved by his people. This depressed him and made him bitter in his loneliness , etching deep lines on a face that never smiled.
One day as he was riding some distance from his palace he saw a beautiful young woman and he fell in love with her. He thought about her all the way home and determined that she would be his wife. He dressed in his finest robes and placed his most bejeweled crown on his head to go court her… but when he looked into the mirror he saw his hard and cruel face and knew that the lovely girl would find nothing in him to love.
He was very distressed and for days could not eat or sleep , his thoughts continually fixated on the beautiful maiden and how much he wanted her to be his queen.
Then one day he had a brilliant idea!
He called for his magician and said, “Make me a mask that will make my face look kind and gentle… use your best materials and do your very best work.”
The magician agreed … but with one stipulation. “I will paint your mask but when I put the mask on your face you must hold your face in the same lines that I paint on the mask… one frown or display of anger and the mask will be ruined.”
The king was ready to agree to anything.. as long as it would enable him to win the beautiful maiden’s hand in marriage. “I will do anything , “he replied… “Just tell me how to keep the mask from cracking.”
“You must think kind thoughts, “ replied the magician, “and you must do kind deeds to encourage kind thoughts. Instead of adding territory to your kingdom, you must instead think about how to make the people of your kingdom happy. You must replace your anger with love and peaceful words and acts of kindness.”
The king gave his word that he would follow the magician's instructions.
The magician made the mask of the finest material and skillfully painted it to look so real that no-one would suspect it to be a mask.
When it was finished the king tried it on - it fit perfectly and when he looked in the mirror he could not believe the handsome young king that looked back at him.
Now he had no difficulty in persuading the lovely maiden to be his queen.
The king was careful to follow the counsel of the magician and kept his face under the mask in same pleasant lines. He showed kindness to all his subjects and became known for his gentle ways. The people credited his wife with the change they saw in their king….they said that she had made him over to be like herself.
Months went by and as the king’s heart changed, he began to feel convicted that he was dishonest in pretending to be something he was not. The fact that he had deceived the woman he loved so dearly , weighed heavily upon his conscience.
Though the thought of losing her broke his heart, he could bear his shame no longer and he once more called for his magician.
“Take this mask off! I can no longer pretend to be what I am not !” he cried.
The magician warned that if he took the mask off he could never make another and the king would have to live with his face the way it was for the rest of his life.
The king knew he had to be honest , no matter what the cost… though his heart twisted in pain at the thought of what his beautiful wife would think of him when she saw who he really was.
The magician removed the mask… and the king , filled with anguish slowly turned toward the mirror. He lifted his eyes - fully expecting to see his old familiar cruel face….. but to his utter amazement the face that looked back at him in the mirror was the exact likeness of the mask he had worn.
His wife never knew the difference … she only saw the man that she loved.

When I read this fable, I realized that it was a wonderful portrayal of II Cor. 3:18 which says….”But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory , just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Before we knew the Lord, we were selfish and self centered, caring more about what we could get than what we could give. Our hearts were hard and we were often less than kind or loving.
Then we met the Lord and became His bride.
Looking into His beautiful face- learning to know Him, thinking His thoughts and speaking His words - we are changed, from glory to glory !
Our old nature falls away.. and gradually, the lines of the fruit of the Spirit are etched upon our face and heart...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
We are changed from who we were into the very image of who He is.
Though we may not be aware of how we are changing , the people around us will notice.

And may they then say about us what they said about Peter....
“This person also was with Jesus.”

Treasure - Fort Knox and Our Heart

Fort Knox is so securely guarded that it is known as one of the most impregnable places on earth. Nothing was spared to make it secure. The vault is build with concrete walls and protected by a door that weights 24.6 tons ! - 16,000 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforced steel, and 670 tons of structural steel went into the building of it.
Proverbs 4:23 admonishes us to guard our hearts with that same kind of diligence.
Can taking a closer look at Fort Knox teach us about our heart? I found that it indeed can !

Fort Knox is not guarded because of the vault itself. If the vault was full only of itself, there would be no need to protect it from thieves.So also our heart… if it is full of itself, we have nothing of value to guard – in fact , Proverbs 28:26 says “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool”.
So just as Fort Knox is guarded because of what it contains… so also our heart needs to be guarded because of what it holds.
We all know that the treasure Fort Knox guards is the largest cache of gold anywhere in the world, worth more than 6 billion dollars. But what is the treasure worth guarding so diligently in our hearts? If you read Prov. 4:23 in context, the treasure we are to guard with all diligence is the word of God. King David recognizing the value of God’s word, said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee!”
While Fort Knox contains worldly treasure, our heart, according to Prov. 4:23, contains the very issues of life. Matt. 12:35 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
If someone found a way to break into Fort Knox and substitute the gold for fool’s gold… the guards would be relieved of their duty and the massive door simply left open.
So also someone who fills his heart with anything other than the truth of God , will have nothing to show but fool’s gold. Prov. 12:23 says, “the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” But the one who fills his heart with God’s truth will have wisdom teach his mouth .(Prov. 16:23)

No gold is ever removed from Fort Knox… except for a tiny amount needed to test for purity during an audit.
I love the verse in Prov. 23:23 where it says, “Buy the truth and sell it not!”
Every time we discover a nugget of God’s truth we need to buy it , hide it in our heart, and refuse to sell it !
As the bible prophesied would happen, knowledge is increasing at an incredible rate. Here is an interesting quote by sociologist Robert Bellah.
"I have heard it said that the world's knowledge doubles every two years, and I am not prepared to doubt it, though I don't know how that is quantified. But of this I am sure: the world's meaning is not doubling every two years. Indeed we might be tempted to argue that the more information, the less meaning."
How true !! To accept anything contrary to the truth of God means that we take one of our ‘gold’ nuggets and sell it for ‘fool’s gold’. Does God speak outside of the pages of the Bible? Yes, of course, but if we hear God’s voice in our heart or through another person or through the written page, we must test it for purity against the proven ‘gold’ of God’s written word.
Prov. 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure.”

There are absolutely no visitors permitted into Fort Knox, and no exceptions are ever made.
So also your heart is your own privately held domain and no other person can ever gain access. Only you determine what you will store there as your treasure.
Even Jesus must have your permission to enter in. In Rev. 3:20 Jesus is outside the heart, knocking. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock - if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in….”

Until recently the value of the US currency was based on the gold standard, a monetary system in which the value of all currency is based on a weight of gold. The value is ideally fixed and is not subject to change. Any currency could be redeemed for actual gold in the US until 1971 and after 1976 the US government no longer set the gold value of a dollar.
The US now uses fiat money – it’s value is not related to anything.
Until recently , the bible was recognized as the gold standard of truth. Governments, laws of the land, schools , moral and ethical standards were all based on the value of God’s truth , which is truly ‘ideally fixed and not subject to change.”
But today there is a very strong shift away from God’s truth as revealed in scripture and a much broader base of acceptable belief has been substituted. More and more people are accepting truth based on no standard at all - except the personal preference of each person.
History really does repeat itself for there was a time when Israel did not have a king and every man set his own standard of right and wrong. (Judges 21:25)
It is interesting to note that every fiat system throughout history has collapsed in value.
In Isaiah 40:8 it tells us that God’s word will stand forever ! He will have the last laugh when the wisdom of this world collapses !

Even though the gold in Fort Knox is no longer used as a standard for currency value, it is still considered a valuable holding because it is an internationally recognized commodity that cannot be legislated or manipulated by interested countries!
So also God’s word cannot be legislated nor manipulated .. much as man may try.
Jesus says God’s word is unchangable as He declares in Matt. 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law…”

In an ever changing and increasingly evil world, where there is little left that can be trusted , we can still find security if we diligently guard the treasure of God’s truth in our heart.
A treasure that causes us to proclaim with King David,

“My heart standeth in awe of Thy Word !!” (Ps. 119:161)

Scrapbooks in Heaven?

Even in this modern age of magical inventions when memories are conveniently stored on CD’s and DVD’s, scrapbooking is still alive ... and has even had a resurgence.
There is something warm and personal about a scrapbook that cold disks cannot copy.
Scrapbooks are filled with bits of valuable information, drawings, recipes, pictures, articles, newspaper clippings, photos – anything that we wish to preserve for ourselves or posterity.
We scrapbook to record memories of the things and people we love…. important family events, vacations, weddings, birthdays, or anniversaries.
Look at someone’s scrapbook and you know where their heart is !

The desire to preserve the memory of something we value or love is not new to our generation.
From as far back as in the time of Aristotle and Cicero we have historical records of people saving scraps of information in notebooks.
Going back even further, before books were common and paper plentiful, people found other ways to preserve a memory. We can go all the way back to the Israelites and find that God commanded them to ‘scrapbook’ memories. Lacking paper they used what was available … stones .
In Joshua 4:5-9, God commands the Israelites to pile up stones so that there would be a visual memory trigger of what had just happened -- the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. Whenever their children and children's children would pass by and stop to look at the stones asking what they meant, they could describe to them the important event that had taken place . Thereby the stories telling of God's greatness would not be lost but would be passed on to future generations !

So we know that scrapbooking is a very old passtime or hobby with a purpose.
But did you know that God Himself has a ‘scrapbook’?
Amazing as that is, it is even more amazing to consider what He values enough to preserve in it. Do you have an idea what it would be? I am sure you would not guess what it is.
An entry is made in the heavenly scrapbook --- whenever those who fear the Lord speak about Him !! God loves to hear His children talk about Him to one another.
What does that say about the 'Father' heart of God ?! - or are you unconvinced ??
Let God’s Word assure you that it is indeed true !!

Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.”

On how many pages does your name appear in God’s scrapbook??
Will He make an entry about you today??

A Morning Sermon

I wonder how many of us realize the significant symbolism in our daily ritual of getting dressed.
Did you ever consider the fact that wearing clothes is not ‘natural’? Human beings are the only species on earth to wear clothes and God did not create Adam and Eve with a wardrobe. They were naked , and quite happy to be that way.
Until…… they sinned.
I have wondered what made Adam and Eve , after they disobeyed God, think that covering themselves would somehow hide their shame before God. I can only believe that it is an instinct that God placed into the consciousness of man. Never having been taught to do so, we see our young children trying to cover or hide when they know they have done something forbidden. Evil and crime are most often committed under cover of darkness.
Sin cannot enter God’s presence and without a covering , man - having sinned- would never again have been able to stand before God. His wrath would have consumed him. In God’s mercy He gave us the instinctive desire to be covered to make us aware of our need of forgiveness.

Adam and Eve tried to make their own covering with leaves but their human efforts were futile. Only with the shedding of blood is there an effective covering.
When God made a covering for Adam and Eve he killed an animal and made them coats from the skin. Can you imagine the horror Adam and Eve must have felt to see God kill an animal, when they had never experienced any death or violence? It was the foreshadowing of the ultimate, only effective, necessary violent sacrifice of the perfect Lamb. ( Heb. 9 :22 – ‘Without the shedding of blood there is no remission’)
Every morning , after 6 thousand years , we still ‘cover’ ourselves because of sin. A daily symbolic reminder that if Jesus had not shed His blood for us we would be forever separated from God.

There are other symbolic spiritual applications related to our clothes.

1> Clothes make us ‘beautiful’. - We ,as Christians, spiritually ‘put on Christ’,( Gal. 3:27) which is the beauty that God sees when He looks at us.
2> Clothes need to be cleaned, - they get dirty and we all have loads of weekly laundry to prove it !. - I John 1:9 speaks of God’s ‘laundry room’ – ‘if we confess our sins , He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness.’
3> Our clothing is often the first thing people notice about us. - When people first meet us do they see Jesus in us? Are they impressed that there is something ‘different’ about us?
4> Just as our clothing covers the embarrassing parts of our body so also the covering of Christ’s sacrifice hides the embarrassing sin that we all commit and wish God didn’t have to see. He doesn’t if we allow Him to put it – forever out of sight - with the forgiveness Jesus’ death paid for. (Rom. 4:7)
5> Our clothing needs to fit ! . - Even so the covering of Christ’s sacrifice is personally fitted to each person’s need.
6> Our clothing is personal and reflects our unique individuality. - Putting on Christ does not take away our own personality but enhances it.
7> Our clothing is protection from the elements. - our spiritual covering protects us , not only from Satan – our enemy- but also from the wrath of God (John 3:36).
8> Our clothing identifies us as belonging to a specific culture.. different peoples of the world have a unique style of dress. - Jesus’ covering identifies us as belonging to the Kingdom of heaven.
9> How we love to find an expensive outfit marked down to a price we can afford !! - Our spiritual covering is marked down from a price we could never afford to being FREE!

So you see … even on very busy days … we can preach a sermon to ourselves by the simple act of getting dressed.

Knitting

Blogging Posts

Knitting

I have always enjoyed knitting and find the idea of being able to knit an endless variety of beautiful garments with nothing more than a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles, fascinating. And as I knit I wonder… who was the first to discover knitting? Maybe the idea came when someone was idly weaving a vine or string with their fingers… and I can imagine how the creative ideas began to build – each improving on the other until they culminated into the vast knitting industry today. But I love the hand knitting best…. a cozy chair, a warm fire. , music playing.. and the promise of something lovely falling from the needles in my hand.

I am reminded of a verse in Psalms 139:15 that says “My substance was not hid from thee , when I was made in secret and curiously wrought…”
Wrought is an old English word that means “made in a skillful or decorative way”. . In some bible translations it is translated ‘woven’. And ‘curiously’ in it’s old usage means ‘intricately or with great detail’. I have a mind picture of God taking the substance ( or yarn ) needed and skillfully knitting each human being into a beautiful and unique individual.
I feel it is a waste to knit the same project twice…. and God never makes the same person twice… You are the only YOU that will ever be created .

Some knitting patterns are very intricate and can only be followed by an experienced knitter . I heard recently that science has discovered a ‘language’ in our DNA that can actually be written out. . The information or ‘pattern’ of EACH of our cells is so intricate that the instructions written out would fill a whole volume of the Britannica Encyclopedia. Only today , 6000 years after God created Adam., are we uncovering the depth of how ‘secretly’ intricate we have been woven with attention to detail beyond human comprehension.

I sometimes make a mistake in my knitting and have to undo it or if the mistake is small it is left unnoticed in the finished garment. But if ONE sentence in the encyclopedia volume of cell DNA information is wrong the whole cell does not work… Is it not truly amazing how “fearfully and wonderfully we are made” ?? (Psalms 139:14)

And God’s ‘knitting’ does not end with the individual…
He continues by ‘knitting’ His family together in love !! Colossians 2:2