Choices

King Hezekiah of Judah was one of the greatest kings of Judah. He worked tirelessly to reform Judah and turn Judah back to God. Judah had neglected to celebrate the Passover feast under the reign of Hezekiah’s father King Ahaz. King Hezekiah worked to reinstitute the proper celebration of the Passover. He purified the temple of all the uncleanness his father had permitted, he purified the temple utensils and he purified the Levites and the Priests. But because it took time to do all these things the time to celebrate the Passover feast (first month) had come and gone. So Hezekiah decided to celebrate the Passover during the second month. One might think that because Hezekiah did not follow scriptural authority that God might have been angered and perhaps rained fire and brimstone upon Hezekiah, but such was not the case because 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 states, “…Hezekiah did what was good, right and faithful before the Lord his God, and every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and he prospered.” I’m sure if everything had been prepared on time that Hezekiah would have celebrated Passover at the right time but Hezekiah was afraid of insulting God by observing the Passover improperly. So Hezekiah had a dilemma; celebrate improperly but at the right time or celebrate properly but at the wrong time. Sometimes we are faced with dilemmas in God’s teachings. Whatever we choose to do we must be like Hezekiah we must do it with all of our hearts trying to please God. I’ve got a feeling that God would have been OK with either choice because Hezekiah’s heart was right.

Howdies or Hugs

I was thinking about Jesus’ relationship with his twelve disciples and especially Judas. Jesus knew that Judas was the “son of perdition”, that he was a thief and that he would be an accomplice in the murder of Jesus. And yet there is no evidence that Jesus treated Judas any differently than the rest of the disciples. It’s ironic that Judas was the “son of perdition” and yet Jesus called Peter, the man who would open the door to the Kingdom, “Satan”. In congregations of God’s children we certainly have our “favorite” people and our “less favorite” people and treat them accordingly. We talk and visit and go out to eat with our favorite people…our less favorite people? They may be lucky to get a handshake and a Howdy… certainly not a hug. John 17 teaches that the world would believe in Jesus through the “oneness” demonstrated by God’s people for each other in the type of love that sacrifices for the benefit of others. If we have a hard time getting along with each other then maybe God didn’t send Jesus after all. Judas wasn’t Jesus’ favorite person but he didn’t treat him any different than the rest of the disciples and we shouldn’t either.

Big Brother

Doc signed up for the Big Brother Program today.

Pets and People

One of the things I see in my business is a very close emotional attachment for a pet. That’s hard for some people to understand. However, when it comes time to put a beloved pet to “sleep” people frequently break down in tears and say that the emotions are so tough that they will never get another pet… they just can stand to be hurt that way again.

I think I see something similar in people. They reach an age where they have lost their parents, their spouses, perhaps a child or two and they just shut it down. The emotional investment is too tough, they seclude themselves and they are just waiting to check out of this world and inherit eternal life.

In the dog and cat world I always try to remind people about the joy they had with their pets when they were puppies and kittens and all the things that made that relationship so precious. And how that relationship kept them from being… alone.

In the Christian world we have a responsibility to live unselfish lives and to have an impact in the lives of others. An older person has a wealth of information gained from life’s experiences that they can share with a younger person. It is our Christian responsibility to share that knowledge and the relationship gained from that sharing… is precious.

I see a lot of funerals for older people and the only ones in attendance are older people. I want to see some funerals for old people that are attended by a bunch of weeping and sobbing young people.

Pets are God’s creation and his gift to us. Get a pet but don’t let that pet be a substitute for the affections that we should be sharing with others.

Service Opportunities - CASA

Howdy. I’m going to be sending out some opportunities to serve the community and make an impact in the lives of those who really need it. Be sure to watch the video link below. It’s about helping abused kids. It’s kind of like James 1:27 “to look after orphans and widows in their distress”. We could probably give a waiver on Wednesday night Bible study if you’re involved in this Cut and paste this… http://coastalbendcasa.wordpress.com/become-a-casa/