Recipe For Love

 Valentine’s Day has shot by us once again in a blur. Many of us hoping Cupid‘s arrow would fly straight, hitting the heart of a loved one.  Boxes of Valentine cards were hastily filled out and bags full of candy hearts carelessly spilled out onto classroom floors. Excited, wide-eyed children eagerly sought after the hearts of their classmates. Teens' shared text messages back and forth like endless barrages of night arrows arching over a castle wall. Many of us spent many hours looking for that perfect card or gift that attempts to show the degree to which we love.

New relationships were formed over candlelight dinners then sealed with a kiss. Countless glasses were filled and lifted in toasts to new friendships, romantic love and hopes of marriage.  Delivery trucks unloaded crates of candy and buckets of flowers were put on display for us to purchase in an attempt to show our significant other just how much we love them.

 Love can be extremely romantic at times decorated in all the trappings of Valentine’s Day. Love can also be many splendid things or it can lead us into very deep depression. But what happens after all the dinner reservations are over, candy wrappers have been deposited in the trash and promises of “I’ll never leave you and I’ll love you forever” fade and become just memories?

The answer to that question depends on how you define love in the first place. For me personally love is a commitment. It is saying to another person “I still have your back” even when you don’t have the energy to mumble the words. Love is getting up each morning and doing the chores or going to your job even when you don’t feel like it. Love is demonstrated when we practice selflessness.  “Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for a friend”

When you love someone you want to do nice things for them that will bring a smile to their face. Making a commitment to another person means that you promise to be there to help them get up when they fall down, to help them keep warm when they are cold, to comfort them when they are sick and to believe the best in all situations. Love is longsuffering and kind. Love is not envious, is not prideful and does not act rudely towards others. Love never attempts to seek after its own satisfaction but is focused on the needs of others. Love never rejoices in someone’s misfortune or at the hearing of bad news.  Love rejoices in the truth, never entertains evil thoughts and always hopes for the best in all situations.

So as each day dawns with all of its new challenges remember that they will pass and that the promise of tomorrow will bring a new day with fresh opportunities. Remember that even though some people will continue to let you down new friends will be appear sprouting new relationships that will blossom and grow.

Friends, the connections we make here on earth are the only things we take with us spiritually when we leave our bodies behind and pass on. These relationships we need to cultivate and nurture in order to grow. In this world the only things that have eternal value and worth are the people we love. The greatest commodity in the universe is “Love”. Let’s all start to diversify our portfolios and begin to invest in others by making a commitment to love!

It does not have to cost you great sums of money to show someone that you love them. A kind word or a single handpicked wild flower should do the trick. So remember the next time you open a door for someone or do an random act of kindness  you might be helping Cupid’s arrow to find its target.

Zeus The Cat

OK, right off the bat the title to this piece is totally miss leading and so I ask for your complete forgiveness. I wanted to start out with a cute pet story and transition into the easy, non controversial subject of  Divine Intervention verses Freewill.  Zeus is my daughter's cat who came into our family as an Internet gift from one of our dearest neighbors. Sue, my neighbor, raises them and sells them in upwards of $ 500.00 dollars per kitten depending on color and personality traits. I'm also told our cat is referred to as a "Snowshoe" or "Rag doll" cat because the breed can be held in various positions and becomes completely lifeless and docile in it's owner's arms.

So the reason I brought up my daughter's cat in the first place is in her naming of it, she ended up naming him  "Zeus". Now I'm no expert on the Christian theology or Greek mythology but the name "Zeus" seemed a bit sacrilegious to a God fearing household. I am amazed at how life's little quarks seem to always turn out for the best. Here as Zeus begins to settle into our home he seems to have the ability to disappear from our view and stay hidden for extended periods of time. My wife being the smarter of the two of us bought a little bell for his collar so now its Christmas time in our house all year round. The funny thing is this...When you call the cat by saying his name it becomes "Hey Zeus" or "Jesus" in the Spanish language. I'm calling out to Jesus every time I call our cat. So God gets the glory in the end not Zeus.

Divine Intervention verses Freewill. So is it possible for God's divine intervention and man's freewill to work together or even exist in the same universe? Think about it for a moment before responding to my question. We have been taught through out the scriptures that we ought to pray without ceasing and to make our requests known to God but is God free to intervene in our own freewill?

The very first book of  Jewish  and Christendom's scriptural foundation is "Genesis". In the third chapter of this book we are invited to witness the fall of the very first man and woman in the garden that was planted east of Eden. God wanting to prove a point sets up a test for Adam and Eve to show them the true nature or intentions of their own hearts. Remember God exists out side of our time dimension so He sees the beginning as well as the end at the same time or actually from a vantage point in a space that we don't fully yet understand. God knew before hand what choice our dynamic dual would make and actually designed His plan for salvation before the universe was even created. Jesus is our salvation or our Emmanuel.

So how does freewill work? I choose to get up (or not to) in the morning when the sun rises by taking off the covers and putting my feet on the floor. I choose to brush my teeth (hopefully), eat breakfast and then lovingly drive out (never) on our efficient, modern freeway system to my work place. I make great use of my time at work producing a large profit for my company (not likely) only to return home to start the cycle all over again. However, I don't have to think about my heart to keep it beating. Every time I reach for my pencil I don't have to tell everyone of my nerve endings when to fire an impulse. When lifting my water bottle to my lips and taking a drink I don't have to consciously think about swallowing.

So what about all those bible stories where God's people call on His name and He answers with an act of divine intervention. The Red Sea crossing, the desert years in the wilderness, endless victories on the battlefield for example is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to divine intervention. All of us can look at our own lives when we have witness the invisible hand of God move in our lives. (If you are reading this and God has touched you with a miracle, please leave a comment below telling us about  what happened) You see there really is an invisible spiritual  spectrum out there existing in between our world and the next. The veil between the two dimensions thins a bit at different times and places allowing us to get a non direct inference of our invisible messenger's missions. Jesus said the influence of the Holy Spirit is like the wind as it rushes through the leaves of  a tree.

As I go through my day and fall into a slump, pit or quandary as a Christian I should call out for help. Sometimes my request is heard and sometimes it is not or just not answered at the particular moment. What about the times when my hand reaches out for the bottle and not the hand of my Lord? Is God standing right next to me to stop my hand as I attempt to numb my pain? Is God really our spiritual nanny who ends up running around picking up all the mess we make in our lives? Every tragedy, where  children are involved,  is God there and could He stop it if He wanted to? Is He free to stop it or even help them out a little on this side of eternity? Our movies are full of this kind of content, "It's a Wonderful Life" is one we are all familiar with.

When discussing this subject with others its wise not to go back to ancient history, to old arguments about what our church father's thought. It has no bearing on today's reality of what God has allowed us to unravel through science discoveries. The truth is we do have our own freewill that God respects enough to allow us to fumble along through life in a non ending battle if we so choose to do so. Divine intervention also exists and when we ask God for specific help He is then free to help us if He so chooses to do so. Jesus told us in my paraphrased version "you have not because you have asked not". The line between the two separate worlds gets blurry on occasion but the veil does exist. Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be opened to you.

When we choose to do the right things in life those acts put a smile on our Lord's face. When you love someone you want to do nice, loving and pleasant things for them. What a huge concept for us that we by our own freewill would choose to be obedient! To obey is better than sacrifice. Walking with and in the Holy Spirit is a moment by moment commitment where we choose to be obedient to God's plan. Divine intervention is always available to us if only we choose to ask for it! Your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask for it.If you haven't yet discovered this truth about prayer, it  is really for us to remember who God is and how He wants to be part of our lives. We tend to do allot of begging and whining.

House Of Bread

Matthew 2:3-8 The song below brings  back many memories for us all. I'm willing to bet that we all grew up singing it at some time in our lives. Take a moment to read and meditate on each stanza to the song before we dive in.

Written by: Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1903) of Philadelphia, wrote the words to O Little Town of Bethlehem in 1868, following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. 

 

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel  

It is interesting that God would choose the small quaint village of Bethlehem, some five miles southwest of Jerusalem,  for the Messiah  to be born in. The name Bethlehem means "House Of Bread" and remember what Jesus would say later on in His life. Look at John 6:35 Jesus said  "I am the bread of life". Here Jesus is not only born in a village called "House of Bread" but He literally becomes "The Bread of Life" bringing eternal salvation and life to us all. He is also the source of  "The Living Water" But these points are only the tip of the iceberg, so lets get on our diving gear and dive into God's word to see what we can discover below the surface of the water.

In Matthew 2:3-5 Herod gathers all the chief priests and scribes together and inquires or demands from them where the Christ was to be born. Herod is visibly worried by all the commotion that this large traveling group of magi from the East has stirred up. And what might not be apparent at first glance is the fact that the religious leaders did not have to check their scrolls of scripture for the answer because this prophecy had been  hidden in their hearts from long ago.

The chief priests and scribes knew Micah 5:2 by heart. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, although you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting"  God had a plan before he began His work of creation. That should not surprise us if we really are awake and thinking. He knew beforehand how wicked the human heart would be and designed the plan of salvation into His creation before the first brick was laid. Actually way before there was matter to create bricks in the first place.

God is so very good. I have personally had an incredible couple of years walking down through the valley just as many of you have also done. Losing your job, house, marriage-spouse and life savings. Its was through this very dark time in my life when my fair weather friends all abandoned me and fell by the way side. People who I thought had my back only stepped back to let me fall under the bus. My safety net of friendly fellowship evaporated into thin air. Dark times indeed but my God was always there! although He was silent at times  He protected me by guiding me in my desert walk and  preparing a table in the presence of my enemies.

Bread is the universal food in the world. It comes in all sizes, shapes, textures and colors. It can be allowed to rise, fried in oil or  cooked unleavened over a primitive fire. It is in this universal necessity of life that Jesus identifies Himself  "I am the bread of life". He alone provides for our daily sustenance by not only giving us something to eat but through the rich blessings of hope and faith. Our prize awaits us at the Bema Seat where we who received the free gift of salvation will stand before our King and receive our reward. Then later on we are allowed to lay those treasures at the feet of Jesus in the most precious act of worship all creation will ever witness. Dinner will follow but the question is...Do you have a reservation?

In Matthew 2:7 we find Herod doing a little research in asking when the star had appeared. Unfortunately, we all have been conditioned to assume that the three wise men were at the birth of Jesus and probably boiled water for Mary and Joseph. Every year at Christmas w set up our nativity scenes, look we have several nativity scenes and I love them all! But the facts are that the magi probably came one year or more after the birth of Jesus. It was an extremely long camel ride to Bethlehem. We will see later on in the book why that is so.

Herod's got a plan to eliminate Jesus. He is worried that his throne was going to be threatened by this prophesied Jewish Messiah-King who would bring governmental change to his area.. Herod is power hungry and paranoid. In verse eight of Matthew chapter 2 we see Satan's influence on Herod where he lies to the magi and says he only wants to know where this baby is so that he can worship Him. This is just the continuation of the on-going plot of Satan to extinguish the Messiah's line and derail God's plan of salvation. But then we all the the end of the story?