Drawn to Death
Father, there are times where you use us, and we stand in amazement. Why there? Why then? Why me? It brings comfort to me knowing that regardless of what goes on in the world, that you are Sovereign of all!
********
I wrote about buzzards less than a week ago (Stay Alert!…) but as I drove my route this morning, I saw a familiar sight…several turkey vultures sitting in the branches of a dead tree.
Some info about turkey vultures: According to Wikipedia they forage by smell. Most birds do not. By flying low to the ground, they can pick up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. The part of their brain the processes smells is particularly large compared to that of other animals. To survive they seek out death.
Where black vultures will kill to eat, almost exclusively, turkey vultures eat what is already dead. They are attracted to death. The reason this came to mind is that even in roosting, they are attracted to death. Dead trees are one of their favorite roosting spots. I see them quite often.
It’s morbid but God made them for a specific purpose. Like other vultures, they play an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion, which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease.
Humanity, on the other hand, was created for life. But much to our shame, we too are attracted to death. James 1:14-15 tells us,
But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death. AMP
Oh, we try to tell ourselves that we are just doing what we want to do. It is easy for us to only think of the immediate pleasure fulfilling our desires bring us. Much to our detriment, we don’t think far enough down the chain of events to realize that death is what awaits us. Yet too often we feel that to survive we must seek out that which brings us the greatest satisfaction, so in the long run to survive, we seek out death.
Turkey vultures are just doing what God created them to do. We, on the other hand, are going against that which God created us.
But we are not doomed. We’ve been given a choice. We make it difficult because we think we are giving up so much, but if we think it all the way through, we can realize that when we give up our choice of death, we truly receive an inestimable free gift!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 AMP
For those of us who have accepted this free gift, it is mind-numbing to think that others would refuse it, knowing what is truly at stake. But even we struggle and yield to those [worldly] desires. But we, as well as those who reject God’s gift are repeatedly given this option.
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. 1 John 1:9 AMP
Lord Jesus, may we think it all the way through so much so that we wouldn’t think of rejecting the free gift so readily offered! Amen.
Apr 6th, 2021, Tues, 6:20 pm
I Don’t Have To Understand How It Works…I Just Know It Does!
Father, despite our circumstances, and especially with so much beyond our control, I am grateful that You have a view of it all and I can trust You explicitly! All praise goes to You!
John 3:3-8 (<<click here to read the passage)
Have you ever noticed how quickly kids pick things up? (No, not their dirty clothes!) But techy things. Video games. Computer stuff. Those kinds of things.
When Massey was little, his grandmother, whom he (and his cousins) calls MeMaw, was having a hard time with something on her computer. Massey, not necessarily a part of the conversation at the time, spoke up and said, “Just click on it, Memaw!”
It seems that for many of us, the older we get the harder it is to pick up new things. (I’ve not beaten Massey in a video game in years!)
Nicodemus was no exception. In John 3:3, when Jesus told him that unless he was born again, he wouldn’t be able to see the Kingdom of God. In Nicodemus’ mind that was new tech…it didn’t compute in his old tech mind. His response?
“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” v4 AMP
Jesus goes on to say,
That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” vs6-8 AMP
It is not a physical thing; it is a thing of the Spirit. Flesh can give birth to flesh but only the Spirit can birth spirit. It’s a God thing! You might as well try and understand the wind, Jesus says. You can see the results of the actions of the wind but there is no 100% sure way to know where it is coming from and where it is going. The Spirit working in us to bring about salvation works the same way. We can seek and see the results of it, but it is solely the Spirit’s work in our lives that brings about our salvation.
You might have to understand techy stuff for it to help you. I, for one, and so glad that I don’t have to understand how the Spirit works in my life…I just know He does! Amen!
Apr 5th, 2021, Mon, 8:20 pm
Serve – Work – Worship
Another year that key days of the church year are out of the ordinary. But regardless, we carried on and Father, You were in our midst. Though we may have only been connected virtually, the most important connection between us was that connection with You. May we cherish the blessing that we have!
********
A hot topic in Christian circles in recent years has been worship and worship styles. For years, a portion of worship, beyond prayer and teaching, revolved around the worship service’s music. And for the most part that music was made up of hymns. As contemporary Christian music gained popularity in the 70s and 80s a new type of music began to impact the worship service and it was contemporary in nature.
Each church has its own take of what style they emphasize. Some churches have a traditional (hymn-based) service which might include piano and/or organ and possibly a choir. Other churches focus on contemporary services in which there is a worship leader that takes advantage, on many occasions, of a worship band – keyboard, drums, guitars (both acoustic and electric) – and possibly a worship team, to help them lead the congregation in worship. Churches usually pick one style or the other, while others will have one service of each style.
Regardless of your preference, both serve their purpose well and lead people in bringing praise to God. And honestly, praise and worship are what we individually make it. It can be full of sound and variety or it can be as simple as singing and praising God in the quiet of our hearts.
At the beginning of the year after reading the Our Daily Bread devotional, I looked at the notes they had on that day’s Scripture passage, which happened to be Psalm 100. It expounded upon the topic of worship.
It’s too thought provoking to not include in its entirety.
While worship of God may include joyful praise and thanksgiving, as Psalm 100 describes, the biblical concept of worship is much broader. The Hebrew word translated “worship” in Psalm 100:2 is more often translated “serve” or “work.” For example, Adam was to “work” (same Hebrew word) the ground in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). Later this word became associated with the “service” of God in the tabernacle and temple (see Numbers 3:7). Because tabernacle and temple service involved praise of God, offering sacrifices, and other religious practices, the word came to mean “worship” as we understand it today. But the concept really has to do with serving God more than singing praises and offering thanksgiving. These expressions of worship are just some ways we can serve God. As Paul says, believers are to offer their whole bodies and minds to God as an act of spiritual worship (Romans 12:1–2).
Lord Jesus, every morning when we wake may our hearts and minds be about worshipping You…for it is surely Your due. Yes, You deserve praise and thanksgiving but may we also serve You and diligently work to see Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven! Amen.
Apr 4th, 2021, Sun, 8:14 pm
The Necessity of “One”ness
Father, I am so glad that You are in charge and not us! We are impatient and selfish. Even when we are patient and unselfish, there are ulterior motives involved. May we strive to be more like You! Amen.
John 3:3 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the greatest detriments to the Church is denominationalism. Granted the Church was pretty small when Jesus returned to the Father and left us in charge, but they were one!
Do you remember this portion of Jesus’ prayer when he called out to the Father while in the Garden of Gethsemane? (Keep in mind that the “I” here is Jesus, the “you” is the Father, and the “they” is the disciples – which includes you and me!)
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. John 17:21-23 NLT
There never ever was supposed to be an “us” and “them” in our relationships with Jesus! There was only to be “one”ness. But within a very short time divisions and factions arose in the Church. It was some time before the universal (catholic) church saw a division in its ranks…but it came. Regardless of the whys, the “one”ness was gone. And we being who we were – and are still today! – we can do nothing about it, at least on a grand scale.
What got my mind rolling this evening was part of the note in my study Bible* concerning verse 3. First the verse,
Jesus answered him [i.e., Nicodemus], “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” AMP
The note states,
What did Nicodemus know about the Kingdom? From the Bible he knew it would be ruled by God, it would be restored on earth, and it would incorporate God’s people. Jesus revealed to this devout Pharisee that the Kingdom would come to the whole world (3:16), not just the Jews, and that Nicodemus wouldn’t be a part of it unless was personally born again (3:5). This was a revolutionary concept: The Kingdom is personal, not national or ethnic, and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. (emphasis mine)
We are to be one but our “one”ness is linked not to the groups with whom we associate – the divisions of personal religious preference or race or ethnicity or gender or conservativeness or liberalness. The Kingdom is personal…and its entrance requirements are repentance and spiritual rebirth. No more, no less!
Lord Jesus, enable us to wholeheartedly seek You that we may be in You so that the world will believe that the Father sent You. May we experience such perfect unity that the world will know that the Father sent You and that the Father loves us as much as the Father loves You. “One”ness is a must! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Apr 1st, 2021, Thurs, 7:34 pm
Stay Alert! Black Vultures Are About!
Once again, Father, I give You credit for providing me with the privilege of driving a school bus. Tomorrow reflects one more benefit…Spring Break! We will have several days together as a family – what a two-for-one blessing!
********
With the improving weather, Massey and I have been trying to get out for a good 30-minute walk each day. Last week I made a short jaunt alone on our local segment of the Ohio to Erie Trail (you can actually travel from Cincinnati to Cleveland on a very well-developed trail system for hikers, bikers, or walkers!)
Anyway, not far from where I began, I saw the remains of a dead sheep near a fence on the top of a bank bordering the trail. Then today I saw what was left of the sheep and flying away from its carcass was a black vulture.
All vultures are sort of nasty, being that their diet consists of dead animals. They do play an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease. But the black vulture is nasty on a whole other level. While the more common turkey vulture will eat only dead animals, the black vulture, much to the chagrin of farmers, will attack cattle and sheep. The vultures will swarm the newborn or incapacitated animals in a group, then peck at its eyes, nose, or tongue. The animal then goes into shock and is killed by the vultures
Now I don’t think that’s what happened to the sheep I saw but after the black vulture found it, it was definitely a gruesome sight.
Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep found in Luke 15:4-6,
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ NLT
That’s a story with a happy ending but what of the errant sheep whose stubbornness or naivety puts it in a place where it is beyond the point of being rescued?
Thinking along those lines brings to mind another passage of Scripture penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the Apostle Peter.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT
The devil could just as easily be portrayed as a black vulture.
When we choose to do our own thing or go our own way, we are just as defenseless as dimwitted sheep! When we desire to separate ourselves from the “herd” we can readily put ourselves in harm’s way. There is security in numbers. Being a part of a group can help keep us moving in the right direction. And being in fellowship with others can deter those aggressive lions and black vultures from even coming around! But if we set our minds on pursuing our own desires our lives can become a gruesome sight as things beyond our ability to fend off take bite after bite out of us, until there is nothing left…
Lord Jesus, help us when we do wander, that we will never hesitate to return to Your side. And if You do find us in some predicament, may we quickly realize the error of our ways and joyfully yield to Your saving grace! Amen.
Mar 31st, 2021, 9:45 pm