Monthly Archives: April 2015

Grandma's Stories

Samuel and His Mum.

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Hi, my name is Samuel. I’m not all that old, and I’m living with the old priest in the temple. It’s a bit lonely here sometimes, but my Mum explained to me how I was a special baby from God, and that she had promised to give me back to God when I was old enough. It’s rather nice to think I can do something for God. I sometimes wonder  what it’s like where God lives. Eli (that’s the priest) says it’s too hard to even try to imagine it, so I guess he’s right.

He’s quite nice. He tries to make up for me not having my Mum here, but I don’t like his sons much. They are rude to him and boss me round. They even take ladies into the side rooms of the temple. I’m sure that’s not right. God’s temple is His house on earth, and there are a lot of rules to make sure we don’t do things wrong. God has given us, His people, special laws to keep. Eli is very fussy about these things.

Things like the lamp must be kept burning all the time. His sons couldn’t care less. They are so greedy, and take all the best bits of meat out of the sacrifice pot. I’m sure they don’t love  God as they should!

High Priest    I have special clothes to wear, ones like the priests wear. My Mum brings me a new set every year when she comes to the temple to worship God. I love my Mum so much, she is so nice! But she explained how much better it is to love God, so I do my best.

A strange thing happened not long ago. I had just got into bed and was nearly asleep when I heard a voice calling me. I jumped out of bed and ran into Eli.

“I’m here, Eli”, I said, “what do you want?”

“I didn’t call you, son”, he said, “Go back to bed”.

So I did.   The same thing happened again….I heard the Voice once more,   just quietly, but clearly. So I ran in to Eli again, and he told me to go back to bed again. When it happened the third time he said, “If you hear it again, say ‘Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening’ “.

It made me shiver to hear that, but sure enough, the Voice came again, and this time I sat up in bed and said, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening!”

I just knew it was God’s voice and that what He was telling me was for Eli. He said that He was going to punish Eli’s sons because they were so evil, and wouldn’t listen to Eli. I didn’t know how I was going to tell that to Eli the next morning, but after I had got up and opened all the doors, I managed to tell him. It wasn’t a nice message. But all he said was, “It is God’s message, let him do what is right”.

I’m determined now to always do what God wants. I know that is the best way to grow up! I told my Mum this the next time she came to see me, and she was so pleased. She said it makes up for us having to live away from each other.

 

 

 

Random Devotional Thoughts

How Much Does God Know?

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O LORD, You have searched me, and known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up again; You understand all my thoughts far and near; You surround me and know everything I do. For there is not a word I think and speak, but, lo, O LORD, You know it altogether.

The preacher was talking about these verses, saying how God’s knowledge far surpasses anything that people know. We don’t even know our own hearts. We know what we should be like, and we know what we would like to be like, but do we ever get there?

It’s like the story of a small town gossip who knew everything about everybody. One day there was a well known person in this small town who went before the local judge, with a large audience of the townspeople there to see what was going to happen. Mrs. Smith, the local gossip was there as well.

As they began the proceedings, one of the lawyers called out, “Mrs. Smith, you know everyone in this town, is the prosecuting lawyer an honest man?”

“I attended his birth Sir,” she replied, “and he’s the biggest whiner, right from the day he was born until now. He can’t be trusted as he gets even the worst offenders off. No, I wouldn’t say he’s an honest man!”

The other lawyer then asked, “Well, Mrs. Smith, can my opponent be believed in his accusations?”

“I wouldn’t trust him”, she said, “I’ve known him since I used to baby-sit him for his parents, and he took some watching I can tell you. He’s a real sneak!”

The judge leaned forwards and beckoned the two lawyers up to his bench. Leaning forwards he said in a hoarse whisper, “If either of you two ask her opinion of me, I’ll have you arrested for contempt of court!”

We may smile at this story, but it illustrates the futility of trying to hide anything from the Almighty God. We are also told in the Bible that one day we are going to stand before God as the Judge, and WE will give an account of ourselves and what we have done, to Him. No-one else will accuse us; we will accuse ourselves because we will see ourselves as He sees us  (Matthew 12:36-37). We needn’t think we can only say the good things we have done and said; every single mean and nasty thing we have said and thought will be dragged out of us. There is only one way to get out of this predicament, and that is to confess these things to the Lord NOW while we are still alive on this earth. He has promised that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, giving us a clean, fresh start once more. (1 John 1:9)

Then we can say with the psalmist, the last verses of this same psalm we started with, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  (Psalm 139:23-24)

Random Devotional Thoughts

Quiet Waters!

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“Take it steady!” I called out, “Whooops! That was a big one!”

We had been out fishing and although the day wasn’t all that good, we hadn’t expected the wind to get up as soon as it had. By the time we had been fishing for a short time, we could see white horses (tops of the waves breaking) rollicking down mid stream past the point we were anchored behind.

We decided we had better give up the idea of catching any fish, and head back across the inlet to the boat ramp. Our boat was a small runabout which didn’t take too kindly to these sort of conditions, and we had to navigate carefully across the rough waters watching the breaking wave tops as we went.  At last we were nearing the point with the quieter waters behind it. What a relief it was to leave the white water behind us and have a smooth run back to the bay we had left a short while before!

2015-02-17 08.13.39Once in the bay, it was so calm it was hard to believe that the conditions were so different around the point. There are many times as we go through life that we have experiences like this. Sometimes we find ourselves in turbulent waters through our own fault. We may not have looked far enough ahead as to where our actions were leading us until we found ourselves in over our heads as it were. Or perhaps, as we had found this particular day, circumstances built up around us before we had time to get ourselves back in clear waters. But with careful handling it is possible to get to calmer waters once more.

We read in our newspapers of so many who don’t make it back safely, and they become another statistic with grieving families left behind.

Then again we read the story in the Bible of the followers of Jesus who He had told to go across the lake. He went with them, but being tired, He lay on the seat in the stern of the boat and went to sleep. The wind got up with violent seas, and they had a job to keep the boat afloat. They woke Him up in the end, saying they were about to sink. He stood up and cried out to the wind to stop blowing and it suddenly became calm….not just the shrieking of the wind stopping but the violence of the waves as well. This made them more afraid even, than they had been in the storm.

“Who is this Man?” they asked each other, “How is it that He can do these things?”

He just looked at them and quietly said, “Where is your faith?”

It is like this for us. Circumstances seem about to swamp us and overflow into our “boat”. There seems to be no help for us anywhere. Remember, if we know Jesus Christ as our Lord, we always have One with us in our boat Who can calm our storms. We just have to call on Him in faith, do what we can, and leave the rest to Him. Even if the storm doesn’t immediately calm down, we can experience His peace as we commit everything to Him.

If we do not know Him personally, all we have to do is to cry out to Him, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” and that is the sweetest cry He can hear which He will never refuse. We are told that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Don’t Push God Too Far!

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I’ve been reading a book about some of the early explorers of the Pacific, and their contacts with the native people of the islands. The explorers found the lifestyle of these people to be idyllic, living as they did where food grew easily and fish were plentiful around their shores.

On the flip side of this was the bondage they were under to their  ancient culture of spirit worship and rituals which had to be strictly adhered to, under pain of curses and death from these spirits.

When the white men appeared and wanted to trade for food and fresh water, the people were at first afraid and apprehensive, but as they got to know them and found that they had many things that they (the Islanders) didn’t have access to, the different chiefs would try to “adopt” them so they could get their hands on these things. During these interactions between the white men and the islanders, the chiefs took Captain Cook ashore to the temple of their ancient gods. They gave him the name of their chief god and the people bowed down with their faces covered, giving him worship and reverence.

At the same time, Captain Cook’s temper with both his own men and with the islanders began to inflame. It was shortly after this, in January of 1779 that Captain Cook was killed while ashore with the local people.

It was ten years later in April of 1789, that Captain Bligh was once again sailing around these same islands. He made the reaquaintance of some of the same chiefs, and once again they paid him homage as a representative of their spirit gods. Strangely enough after a few weeks of this interaction, Bligh began to act violently towards his men. He too, was given homage and worship by the people. As his temper grew more violent, this led ultimately to mutiny on his ship. It almost seemed that both these men had opened themselves up to some sort of demon possession which showed itself in the violent outbursts of temper.

This story reminded me that God says He will not share His glory with any other….not only had these two great sea captains taken man’s glory and worship for themselves but they in turn were giving it to these heathen spirit gods. (Isaiah 48:11)

God’s judgment fell on both these men in different ways….Captain Cook was killed by these people, clubbed to death on the beach in view of his ship, and Captain Bligh was forced to leave his ship by his mutineering crew.

The boat that made this journey was only meant to carry fifteen and that for just short distances. Bligh managed to sail safely across the Pacific to Australia and thence to Timor and civilisation, going down in history as an epic story of endurance.

We are told in his story that Bligh had “a spiritual awakening” as the result of his ordeal and turned to God…he certainly gave God the credit for a safe journey and their safe arrival later. God dealt with both these men in different ways….one never had any further chance while the other one was given a second chance. Let’s make sure that we don’t push God too far in His mercy, patience and grace!