A Good Read

                                                                                                                                       

Aloha Dearest Family,

I didn’t grow up reading books. I was too much into TV. Even though my mother was a reader, I can’t say she encouraged us to read. Maybe she thought it a waste of time knowing that we wouldn’t listen anyway.

         It wasn’t until I got married that I discovered the joy of reading. My wife was addicted to reading and introduced me to the classics. This opened up a whole new world for me.

        Throughout the years I have read some great books (and also some not so good books). But what I enjoy about reading is the ability for books to transport you to new and exciting worlds with fascinating characters. And sometimes change your outlook to one more knowledgeable based on the truth of what you are reading.

Nowhere is this more true than when we talk about the Bible, the greatest book ever written. It is because it was written by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The Bible is more than just a book, but contains God’s Will. God Almighty thought it so important to dictate to holy men His views on what is important to Him. This gives us incredible insight to who He is and also our purpose on this earth. This is why I have always said that if you want to know God’s Will, you have to know His Word.

God considers His own Word above even His own name.

             Psalms 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

When I first came to understand that God’s Word was also His Will, I couldn’t get enough. I devoured it. I had to know “God’s story”. I was hooked. No other book has made more of an impact on my life and changed my views on everything I once thought than the Bible. Now I see the world through God’s eyes.

The Bible as a book, surpasses any book authored by man. How does it compare?

1.   It is a great story. It centers around God and His desire for a family, and the savior that He sent to save mankind.

2.    It has great characters. The Bible tells us about the lives of some of the greatest men and women who have ever lived. These were real people who had access to an extraordinary God.

3.    A great hero. Jesus Christ is the main character in this epic adventure. A hero whose coming was foretold for thousands of years. He gives over his will to the will of his Father and gives his life as a ransom for all.

4.     A great plot twist. What seemed absolutely impossible, God raises Jesus from the dead and sets him over the church to be its head. Now all who confess him as Lord are transferred to God’s kingdom.

5.     A great ending. The final book tells of a time when God will pour out His wrath upon all the earth and bring judgment upon all evil. After an epic war, the devil (the villain) is destroyed with all who follow him. At the conclusion, God’s people live in an incredible place of indescribable beauty and joy. Forever.

           God didn't have holy men write the Bible for Him. He knows His own Word and Will for Heaven's sake. He wanted those that love Him to have a reference they can go to where they can search out Who this magnificent Creator is and what He's done for them. He told these holy men to write what He told them and now we have an entrance to Eternity. He loves us. Who wouldn’t want to read such a thrilling book as this? It’s a book that can be read and studied numerous times and learn something new each time. In short, it’s a great read.

                                    Love Always, Ray

            “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

 The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

 The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

                        (Psalm 19:7 and 8)

The Contest

                                                                                                                                       

Aloha Dearest Family,

                Today we will examine one of my favorite records in the Bible. It is the story of one of the greatest contests of all time. The record involves the prophet Elijah, 450 prophets of Baal and of course God.

                Let me take you back to ancient Israel, at the time of the Kings. The King of Israel, Ahab, married one of the most wicked women in the Bible – Jezebel. Because of this union, all of Israel was lead to worship other Gods. One of the main gods that Israel was led to worship was Baal. If you were a prophet of the true God, Jezebel (who was a priestess of Baal) would have you killed. Because of this sin God proclaimed judgment on the land in the form of a famine. This famine was pronounced by God’s prophet, Elijah.

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (I Kings 17:1) Unless Elijah gave the word, it would not rain. This famine would last 3 ½ years and would devastate the land. God then tells Elijah to leave the area. After all, if it did not rain for a couple of years, the King would certainly be looking for him.

After 3 ½ years God sends Elijah back to King Ahab.

“When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing.” (I Kings 18:17-20)

Here Elijah challenges the people to choose who is the true God, but the people were afraid to answer. In Elijah’s absence, Jezebel had killed a great number of God’s prophets, so if you didn’t declare Baal as the true God, your life would be in jeopardy. Elijah then calls out the 450 prophets of Baal and declares a challenge to them. Two bulls would be chosen as an offering. Each side (Elijah on one side and the prophets of Baal on the other) would cut up their own bull and place it on the altar. But they couldn’t light a fire. Each side would pray to their god and whichever god answers by fire, that one would be declared the true God. All the people agreed to these terms. (verses 23 and 24) (It is interesting to note that Baal was known as the fertility god and was called the “lord of rain and dew”, yet in 3 ½ years the prophets of Baal could not get their god to make it rain. Also Baal was symbolized by the image of the bull).

The prophets of Baal went first. They prepared their bull and cried unto Baal from morning until noon. But there was no answer. At noon Elijah started to mock and ridicule these men.

“At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.” (I Kings 18:27-29)

Can you imagine 450 men shouting, jumping around and cutting themselves? What a scene. After doing this until evening, the altar is now broken down and bloody. Yet there was no answer from Baal. 

                It is now Elijah’s turn. He first repairs the altar that the prophets had demolished with all their useless gestures to Baal and then digs a large trench around the altar. What Elijah does next goes against all common sense. He saturates the altar with water.

“He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.” (I Kings 18:33-35) Every camper knows that if you want to start a fire, you need dry wood. At this point Elijah is going to prove, once and for all, who is the true God.

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God! “ No kidding! (verses 36-39) 

I’m sure that a lot of people had to change their drawers after this. But the contest was over- and God proved to the people that He was the true God-not Baal. If you keep reading you find that the 450 prophets of Baal all lost their lives because of this great sin. Soon after this Elijah told King Ahab to prepare for much rain for the people were about to experience a welcome sight - a downpour. The famine was over.

So what are we to take away from this record other than being a great story? First and foremost, God’s majesty and power is above all and He deserves to be praised and worshipped above all else. He is greater than anything that we can imagine. He also blesses those that put their trust in Him, and He destroys the plans of the evil. This record is a great example. In the next chapter the evil Queen Jezebel puts out a contract on Elijah’s life. But God saves Elijah’s life and Jezebel ends up dying a horrible death. Furthermore, because of his many sins, King Ahab’s bloodline is cut off; such as the just reward upon all that work evil against God and his people. This is because our God is a just God, rewarding the righteous with good things and rendering judgment to the ungodly.

                “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 37:28)

                                         Love Always, Ray

Mephibosheth

                                                                                        

Aloha Dearest Family,

                Today we will learn about a man from the Old Testament named Mephibosheth. This man is noted in scripture, not for what he had done, but who his father was and the blessings he received because of it. Mephibosheth was the last remaining son of Jonathan, King Saul’s grandson. Early in David’s life, after he slew Goliath, David became good friends with King Saul’s son Jonathan. David became closer than a brother with Jonathan and Jonathan risked his life several times to save David’s life. In the course of time, both Saul and Jonathan were killed in the battle of Mount Gilboa and David became King of Israel. Under David’s rule Israel became unified, David’s enemies were vanquished and for the first time in a long time, the land had peace.

                One day David decided to show kindness to Saul’s household for Jonathan’s sake and inquired if there were anyone left of Jonathan’s family. David calls for Ziba who was the servant to Saul’s family and discovers that Jonathan has one remaining son - Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet (when Mephibosheth was just five years old, his nurse, after hearing about Saul and Jonathan’s death, dropped the child when she was fleeing. Both feet were broken and he became lame). At this time Mephibosheth was living in the household of Machir in a city called Lo-debar, far away from his family’s inheritance. David then called for Mephibosheth to appear before him. What would you do if you were Mephibosheth? The king of Israel, the most powerful man in all the land, wants to see you. He could have never guessed that on this day his life would change forever.

                “Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” (II Samuel 9:6 and 7)

Mephibosheth would be the distinguished guest of King David for as long as he lived. In the ancient East, you wouldn’t eat with just anyone. You only ate with your family or your closest, most intimate friends. This is the amount of respect David was showing Mephibosheth, for Jonathan’s sake. Furthermore, his family’s inheritance would be restored to him.

                “And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” (Verses 9-11)

Mephibosheth wouldn’t have to work his own land. Ziba and his son’s would work the land for him and bring him the proceeds. This would provide Mephibosheth an income. This was the kindness that David showed to Mephibosheth because of the kindness that Jonathan showed David when he was in trouble.

                This record is often overlooked among the many acts that David did in his life. But if we examine it a bit closer we will find that it corresponds to many points of the Christian calling. Here are some similarities:

                -Before David called him, Mephibosheth was in a poor situation. He was living among strangers as a cripple far from home. 

               – Before God called us we were also in a dire situation. We had no life within us and we were separated from God Almighty. We were strangers from the covenant of God’s promises, having no hope. (See Ephesians 2:12)

                -Mephibosheth spent most of his life as a cripple. Through no fault of his own, he could not provide for himself. He would never be able to change his situation. Before we were called by God we were sick without a cure. Through no fault of our own, we all inherited Adam’s sinful nature and The Word said that we were “dead in trespasses and sins”. And someone who is dead cannot help himself out of his circumstance.

                -After David called Mephibosheth, his family’s inheritance was restored to him.  Because we are now children of God we share in the inheritance of Jesus Christ. We are “joint heirs” with him.

                -Mephibosheth had the privilege of eating with the king everyday. We now have the awesome privilege of enjoying sweet daily fellowship with our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And when Christ returns for us we will feast with the King of Kings at his banquet table. Everything we will ever need will be supplied to us.

            -Lastly, Mephibosheth did not earn this special treatment by the king. It wasn’t anything that he did. It was given to him because of the kindness that his father Jonathan showed to David.  The kindness that is bestowed upon us by our Father is not because of what we did. Jesus Christ earned it for us. But we did the one thing that God asked us to do. We confessed His son as our Savior and believed in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. When we did this God was able to transfer us into His kingdom where He could lavish upon us blessing upon blessing. The promise is that we will be with Him and his son forever. 

                                        Love Always, Ray

Dry Bones

                                                                                                                                                

Aloha Dearest Family,

                When I was a young boy I remember learning a catchy song in my elementary school music class. Maybe some of you still remember it.

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.  

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.

                Them bones, them bones, them dry bones.  Now hear the word of the Lord.

               (The head bone’s connected to the neck bone. The neck bone’s connected to the shoulder bone, etc…) You’re singing it aren’t you?

Apart from learning some basic human anatomy, this song also taught me the fun of musical key changes. But little did I know that this song about dry bones was actually from the Bible. This vision given to the prophet Ezekiel about a valley of dry bones is more than just another strange prophecy from the Old Testament. It serves as a lesson of God’s great power, His wisdom and His enduring promise.

This vision (remember this section of scripture recounts a vision that God gave to Ezekiel to further explain to him, the man of God at that time, what God had in store for Israel) takes place at a time when the Southern Kingdom of Judah has been conquered. Jerusalem has been destroyed and most of the inhabitants are captives and dispersed throughout the realm of Babylon. (Years earlier the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been conquered and dispersed among the kingdom of Assyria). Ezekiel, a priest, is chosen by God to prophecy many things to the captives in Babylon. God had promised them many times that their captivity would be 70 years and then He would bring them back to their homeland. But after many years in captivity in Babylon, this promise seemed impossible. The people of Israel thought that their hope was gone and they were cut off from God’s favor forever. For all intents and purposes, Israel as a nation was “dead”, with no possible hope of revival. The prospect of them ever returning to the Promised Land seemed absolutely impossible. It was at this time that God gave Ezekiel the vision of the dry bones.

“The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!   This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’” (Ezekiel 37:1:11)

This vision about the valley of dry bones was a representation of Israel coming back to life. The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s national restoration. What seemed to Ezekiel as being impossible, God declares no problem.

“Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.” (Verse 12) 

God would absolutely bring His people “back from the dead” and bring them back to their homeland. And if you know the biblical record, this is exactly what God did - in the most unlikely way possible. The Kingdom of Babylon fell to Persia in one night. Then the king of Persia, Cyrus the great, sent back the people of Israel to rebuild Jerusalem. Impossible. Furthermore, God stayed true to His promise that He would one day send a Messiah to the people of Israel. And He could not do that if they were still captives in Babylon. We can always count on God’s promises coming to pass. If He promises it, He will do it. “…Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Number 23:19b)

                  So what can we learn today from this vision given thousands of years ago? Is it so that we can teach our children a catchy song when they are young? Probably not. The most obvious lesson here is that there is absolutely NOTHING that God cannot do. There is NO situation that He cannot turn around. There is NO circumstance that we will face that he cannot change for your benefit. God is so powerful and He loves you so much and He wants to go to work on your behalf.

                I often think of the record of Jesus and Lazarus. As soon as Lazarus got sick, his sisters Mary and Martha immediately sent men to find Jesus. They knew for certain that when Jesus got there, that Lazarus would be healed. But Jesus did not get there in time and Lazarus died. All of their hopes that they once had, were now gone. It was too late. When Jesus finally arrived he found that Lazarus had been dead for 4 days already and all his sisters could do is berate him for not being there. They could never have guessed what Jesus would do next. Jesus did the miraculous and raised Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the grave. Simply impossible.

                My friend, God has not changed. No situation is impossible with Him. God wants to be involved in your circumstance so He can go to work and change it. All you need to do is ask for His help, believe that He is able and have confidence that it will be done. What are you waiting for? Cast all of your worries and fears upon Him and He will turn your situation around. It doesn’t matter what it is. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you.

                             Love Always, Ray

Now.

                                                                                                                    
Aloha Dearest Family,

                My sons and I have always loved movies. One of our favorites is a Mel Brooks movie called “Spaceballs”. This hilarious spin on the Star Wars franchise has some great dialogue in it.  One of our favorites is when Lord Dark Helmet is having a discussion with Col. Sandurz.

Lord Dark Helmet: What the heck am I looking at? When does THIS happen in the movie?
Col. Sandurz: NOW. You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now.
Dark Helmet: Go back to then!
Col. Sandurz: What?
Dark Helmet: THEN!
Col. Sandurz: I can't!
Dark Helmet: Why not?
Col. Sandurz: We missed it!
Dark Helmet: When?
Col. Sandurz: Just now!
Dark Helmet: When will then be now?
Col. Sandurz: SOON! 

Hilarious, hey? Time is a lot like this piece of dialogue from a silly movie. God who is eternal, chose to arrange things in a linear timeline for us so that things happen in an arranged place in time. Because of this we are able to think of things in the past, present and what will be in the future. The Bible is a great example of this concept. God’s Word shows us mankind’s timeline, from his beginning in original paradise, to our future in final paradise, and all of the great stuff (and not so great stuff) in between. You can see it all plainly in the Bible.

                The Past
            
    By a simple reading of the Bible, we can see man’s creation, his fall and man’s near annihilation by a flood. Here we can see man at his worst, but we also see God choosing a man for His very own (Abraham) so that He could pour out His blessings upon him and his offspring (Israel). Also throughout the scripture there is an underlying theme that God would send a savior who would bring God’s people back to their Father. This Messiah would be one of their own (from the tribe of Judah) and would die for the sins of the people (see Isaiah 53:11). We can see it all so clearly now, for as they say, hindsight is 20/20. But when Jesus Christ came, sadly enough, relatively few people believed in him. Jesus Christ himself, when speaking to the Pharisees, said,
“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:3) Jesus was in effect saying, “You can predict the weather, but you can’t discern what is happening right now!” Can you imagine that the Messiah, the one who’s coming was foretold for thousands of years to Israel, and when he arrives, they don’t even realize it. Inconceivable! But it still didn’t stop him from finishing the work that God sent him to do: to die for the sins of the world.

                Now
               
       Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, God was able to make available the “Age of grace” which is the age we are NOW living in. 

         “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

This is the time of God’s favor. (Yippee!) In this age God has lavished all His blessings upon His children. We should never forget all that God has done for us and who He has made us to be. To name a few:

                We are forgiven-Right Now
                We are righteous-Right Now
                We have been given the gift of holy spirit-Right Now
                We are more than conquerors-Right Now
                We are citizens of heaven-Right Now
                We are highly favored-Right Now

Too many people are waiting for God to do a great work. I say to you- He already has!! He loved us so much that He gave His son to die in our place. (See John 3:16). Now we can live a life that is more than abundant – Right Now.

                The Future
              
          God promises us in His Word that in the coming age, we will live with Him and His son Jesus Christ in paradise that will last - FOREVER! (I can’t even wrap my head around this word). It will be a place of unimaginable beauty, peace and joy that awaits the believers. (Check out Revelation 21) One day this will be a lasting reality. The next event in history that ushers in this glorious time is the return of our Savior Jesus Christ for us. But since it is not available right now, all we can do is eagerly wait for it.

          “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Philippians 3:20)

        But the day will come when the waiting will be over. He will return with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet will sound. This day will finally have come. We will then experience the new NOW. A now that will last forever.

                          Love Always, Ray

                “For He said, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. ”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:2)

Crushing Carona - God's Way

                                                                                                                                           

Aloha Dearest Family,

                This morning I was taking the elevator down to go to work, and as I was going down, the elevator stopped on a floor to pick up a woman in our apartment building. As we went down a bit further, the elevator stopped a few floors down to pick up someone else. It was obvious she was very uncomfortable and she said that we needed to be at least six feet away from each other because of “social distancing”. She also stated that if one more person got on, she would have to get off.  I understood her concern and I think it’s wise to stop the spread of this virus  but I also thought of how many times her (and our) ancestors faced floods, famine, deadly viruses, deadly plagues and other adversities yet here she stands (and we stand) because not everybody succumbs to every tragedy out there.  The devil in its attacks has so many people thinking that they are going to succumb; it’s just a matter of time. Hogwash!

Let’s say we are concerned about something such as this virus. The first thing we do is see what God thinks about it and says we should do. Let’s look at what God says about anything that tries to stand against Him, Jesus Christ and us.  1 John 4:4 says,

“Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

John 6:33 is a verse that will set the course for you whatever you face in life. It’s a course to victory. 

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

God always tells the truth. He means what He says and says what He means. His only Son that was sent for you and for me overcomes any troubles we face if we simply believe it. You and I have not only seen and heard of miracles but we have experienced them many times in our own lives. People get healed, people see prosperity in times where it seems like these things would be impossible. How? God is huge and He’s loving and He’s gracious and He’s given us all things to have a winning life.

What does God say to do when we get afraid? Pray, that’s what. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious or concerned for nothing; but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known unto God.”              

1 John 5:15 says, “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He heareth us.”  We can be positively sure that He hears us and will answer our prayers because He said He would. He doesn’t lie and He really loves to work with us to defeat the devil and the evil it does.

 Let’s say you wake up and you’re a little stiff and you say, “Hey, this is one of the symptoms of the virus.”  Stop what you are thinking and begin to think what your Heavenly Father and His Risen Son are thinking.  

In Romans 8: verses 35 and verse 37 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril, or sword? NAY! In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  You’ll notice I didn’t put in verse 36 because Paul was stating what too many people at the time thought when they faced adversity. He’s telling them that God thinks and acts bigger than they do so get on track and win the day with Him.

    The last two things you should do when concerns seem overwhelming are to keep the Faith and be thankful. Read Philippians 4:6 again – it’s two paragraphs up. 

                             

               We want God involved in fixing this situation, so we let God know that we need help. Now keep in mind that God already knows what’s going on and He knows how to fix it. But He won’t overstep our free will. So if we want His help, we need to pray and ask Him to be with us.

                “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6:18) 

We not only pray for God to help us in our situation, but we also pray for one another. When we intercede in prayer for one other, God can work all things together for our good.    

Romans 8:28  “And we know that all thing work together for good for them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

                Finally, give God praise. We praise Him in good times and we praise Him during trying times as well. The troubles we are seeing around us will pass. Then we can truly give God prayers of thankfulness that He brought us through it, as He always does. Keep the faith, Baby!!!!

                                                  Love Always, Ray

                “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

“And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”         (Philippians 4:7) 

The Blessings of Abraham

                                                                                                                   

Aloha Dearest Family,

                When studying how God takes care of us and blesses us today, it is vital that we first look at how God blessed Abraham. We will start our study in Genesis chapter 17.

                “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” 

It is important for us to recognize how God refers to Himself in this verse; Almighty God (El Shaddai). God uses many terms for Himself in scripture that are not just haphazard in their usage but are meant to teach us about His nature. In Genesis 1, he refers to Himself by the Hebrew word Elohim- the creator. In Genesis 2 He refers to Himself as Johovah-showing Himself in relationship to what He has created. But in Genesis 17 He uses a new term, El Shaddai. Why is this important? As we keep reading we will find some of the attributes of God as El Shaddai- God Almighty.

                

                      “And I (El Shaddai) will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” (verse 2) 

25 years earlier God had promised Abram that he would have a son. Here in verse 1 God is reiterating this promise to him. In fact God says that He will multiply Abram’s seed exceedingly. We must realize that at this time in Abraham’s life, Sarah his wife, was barren. She is unable to have children. So in order to get Abram’s vision up to where it needed to be, God changed His name from Abram (father of height) to Abraham (father of multitudes).

                

                 “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” (Verses 6 and 7) 

God tells him that He will make him exceedingly fruitful and will make nations of him. Furthermore God would establish this covenant to Abraham’s seed after him, even though physically it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to produce children. This was the promise that God (El Shaddai) made with Abraham. And because Abraham believed this promise, Abraham and Sarah begat Isaac. Remember that God can always bring the impossible to pass.

               

               In chapter 28 God restates the promise to Isaac that he made to his father Abraham.

                “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou may be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou may inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham”. (Genesis 28: 3 and 4) 

Again God refers to Himself as El Shaddai, God Almighty. He promised Isaac what He had promised to Abraham his father; that He would make him fruitful and multiply his seed and God would make him a great nation. As we read the record we will find that this is exactly what God did.

                To Isaac’s son Jacob, God says, “Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;”  (Genesis 35:10 and 11) 

Again we see that God Almighty (El Shaddai) is still intent on blessing the descendants of Abraham. God also promises Jacob that He will make him a great nation. God was true to His Word because out of Jacob came kings such as David, Solomon, Hezekiah and the king of all kings - Jesus Christ. 

                When we study the term God Almighty (El Shaddai), we see that it refers to the God who promises bountifulness, fruitfulness, blessing and support. And one who will defend His people and provide them with endless supply. And this is how God blessed the descendants of Abraham throughout their generations. This is the true meaning of why God refers to Himself as El Shaddai. 

Now you may ask, “Why is this important to me to know today”? Remember that God promised Abraham that he would bless his children after him. Let us now go to Galatians.

“Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” (Galatians 3:7) 

According to the scripture, there are two ways of becoming children and the off spring of Abraham. Either by bloodline or by faith.  Very few of us can say that they are children of Abraham by bloodline, but ALL of us have believed on Jesus Christ and therefore are the children of Abraham by our faith.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28 and 29) 

We belong to Christ so that makes us Abraham’s seed and partakers of God’s promise to Abraham. All of the promises God made to Abraham regarding His promise to greatly bless his descendants now falls on us. Because we are Abraham’s seed God has promised to make us fruitful, bountiful and supplying us with every good thing.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) This promise is available to us because we are the seed of Abraham. And God is not slack concerning His promises.

Since we believed on Jesus Christ, we are a blessed people. We not only are blessed with every physical blessing available through Abraham, but we now are blessed with every spiritual blessing through Christ as well.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

We as believers should never ever feel down-hearted, depressed or abandoned. Every blessing that was available to give, God (El Shaddai) gave to us, His children. We lack nothing in this life. Let us live every day basking in this eternal reality.

                                            Love always, Ray