Saint John’s River. Downtown Jacksonville, Florida Picture by Terri Becker
Our blog is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
In the Cumberland County Jail, I occasionally meet a man who, when asked if he believed in God, will answer, “No, but I believe in a higher power.”
What makes this statement even more interesting is we then ask, “Do you believe in satan?”
And the response usually, not always, is, “Yes, I believe in satan.”
Interesting because they believe in evil but not a God of Outrageous Love.
Why is this?
We have given this much thought, and one conclusion we have come up with is satan convincing us that luck has much to do with our life.
How often do you hear or say, “That was lucky.”
I passed a test, “That was lucky.”
I was good in golf today, “That was lucky.”
I found an outfit at a great price, “That was lucky.”
Saying, “That was lucky,” excludes God and elevates satan.
By not crediting God with all that is good in your life, you are taking away the chance to give Glory to your Father through His son living in the Holy Spirit,
and,
The Joy of living in the “Spirit World.”
and,
The Joy of knowing God has your back, no matter the circumstances.
I am reminded, Holy Spirit, of the story of Foot Prints in the sand, where God showed the man a vision of them traveling on a sandy beach, and at one point, instead of two sets of footprints in the sand, there was only one. The man said to God, “See, at this point, there is only one set of footprints; this is where you left me to struggle,” God responded, “No, this is where I carried you.”
An unknown God, or a higher power, the prisoner knew can’t say, “This is where I carried you;” only a God of Outrageous Love can, does, and will say this.
And
If you examine your life closely, this is also true with you.
Many times after we have challenged the prisoner, he starts thinking that maybe he should rethink his position on a higher power, and give that power a name, so he, the prisoner, can start learning and giving glory to that “unknown God.”
If you want to join Team Jesus, pray. Thank you, Father, for the difficulties (Name the difficulty……………) you have ALLOWED in my life; I know you will take care of me. Pray this until you smile, and that smile tells you, you are back with the Holy Spirit living in the “Spirit World.”
Sidebar:
In this week’s Sidebar, we decided to change from our regular pattern and discuss two random thoughts.
As we related in one of our 2022 blogs, Pope Francis changed the Our Father from
“Lead us not into temptation.” God does not lead you into temptation. God allows difficulties in your life, which is a huge difference.
To
“Do not subject us to the final Test.”
I knew “Do not subject us to the final Test” was the ending to St. Luke’s version of the Our Father, but the question raised in my mind was where did St. Luke get this thought.
Well, this Easter season, I found the answer,
In the Garden of Gestemenie, Jesus said after His agony, “why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.” Luke 22:45
I was there when Gail’s mother and my mother died.
They died in Peace,
When I asked the nurses if this was true with everyone, they told me that this was not true; some died kicking and screaming.
I believe the final test occurs when I hop on the Hallelujah train home. I believe that I have been justified by the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, and this knowledge gives me Peace. I will Not undergo the final test, similar to what our Moms experienced at their passings, because they also believed in Jesus.
Our dads died instantly, which was even better for them, hard on the families, and yes, both died in Peace.
And,
The Man on the middle cross said I could come. This statement, for me, has been a game changer. I am going to Heaven because of HIS Life, Death, and resurrection.
Second thought:
I hope you will never believe that Jesus went to His Cross alone.
Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father,and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.
John 14: 8-11
Throughout my, yes, my, life, I believed Jesus went to and hung on the Cross alone. During this Easter season, imagine my surprise when I read the above reading and fully realized, Holy Spirit, that this thought was WRONG.
God, our Father, never left His Son out to dry. God, Our Father, was with His son throughout the Crucifixion process, which was also true with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was Fully Human and Fully Devine,
But God the Father was always with Jesus to give Jesus direction on what His Father wanted Jesus to say and do.
We can have the same experience if we are willing to turn off all the noise that fills our lives and listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit.
Picture:
Visiting my brother in Jacksonville, Florida, he booked a boat ride down the Saint John’s River. Downtown Jacksonville installed these lights on the bridge to make an amazing reflection. Enjoy
Picture by Terri Becker
Please keep Snapping!
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph; in the comments section at the bottom of our blog, tell me you want to submit a picture, and I will send you my email address in our reply on Thursday. By sending your picture, you consent to allow us to reprint that picture in our next book, God Thoughts 2023, with your name and any comments in the Blog.
