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It’s All Good
Today two comic strips spoke to my heart and made me laugh. First, Dustin:
Sometimes, like Dustin and his dad, I want to find whatever refuge I can and hide from all the trouble. But instead of the pillow fort (pictured), a better refuge can be found in the Lord—in the “secret place of the Most High.” From Psalm 91:1-6:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge
and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Second, Hagar the Horrible:
I use to be this way in my painting jobs, saying, it’s all good. I remember the first house I painted. I didn’t know you were supposed to spot prime the bare wood first. The owner ask me about it and I said, “Everything’s good. With the super good paint I used, primer is not needed.” Of course, that wasn’t exactly true. I also remember the first time I wallpapered a bathroom. The guy said, “Aren’t you suppose to match the pattern?” I said, “Oh no, it’s all good.”
My attitude is so changed now. Now everything has to be perfect. That’s good I guess. But I think I am too perfect—too much of a perfectionist. I almost wish I was the way I use to be. But I know I can’t. All I can do is ask God for His help to do all things right, and then He will make it good. He will give His angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways. Psalms 91:9-15:
If you make the Most High your dwelling —
even the Lord, who is my refuge —
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
My Walk
Bird walking on the ice.
Pigeon’s
Mississippi River bank.
Back on the trail.
These are a few pictures I took on my walk along the Mississippi River on about February 6th in Minneapolis, Minnesota, near where I live. It was about 55 degrees, quite warm for February in Minnesota.
Praying Lying Down
Israel: A Time for War
I understand when people—good people—say that Israel should stop the shooting; that there has been enough killing. I heard a good man the other day say that there is anger and hatred on both sides—from Hamas and Israel. I have heard also that the war is senseless; also, that the Palestinians have a right to live there in peace.
Well, I sort of understand; but I don’t think that these people quite understand Israel’s situation. Israel wants to live in peace and they have been giving the Palestinians every chance to live in peace in Israel. But the Palestinians, and especially Hamas, are a people of war and terror. They hate Israel and constantly plan to some day push them into the sea—to destroy them and claim all the land. But Israel’s land was promised to the Jews by God (Gen 12).
Ever since God gave them the land many waring nations have come against them and terrorized them—like the Philistines and the Amorites. And it is the same today. Hamas and the Palestinians (backed by Iran) have been terrorizing them with rockets; and they hide in tunnels ready to pop out with surprise attacks.
In Israel’s history, under the leadership of king David, Israel was constantly at war with their enemies. And God was in favor of it. In fact, He commanded it. War for them was absolutely necessary to keep them at peace, to keep them safe. Solomon even wrote in his book of Ecclesiastes that there is “a time for war” (Ecc. 3:8).
I think we should recognize now in this day that God has given the leaders if Israel wisdom in seeing that for them it is also “a time for war.” They know that they cannot sit back any longer to let their enemies terrorize them. They must protect themselves. They must rid themselves of all those who are hiding in every corner and in every tunnel with every intent to kill them. We have heard that it will take a good year longer to wipe them out and finish the war. I don’t know why we (US) and the rest of the world can’t back them up and support them in this war effort (or at least leave them alone. This war is a good work they are doing, and from God!
The Power of the Word
I have been reading on Martin Luther. His whole life he clung to the power of the Word of truth. For example, during the Peasants Revolt in the mid 1500’s (against the rich upper class), Luther faced the movement not by violence, but by speaking the truth. He said,
“I will preach, speak, write, but I will force no one; for faith must be voluntary. Take me as an example. I stood up against the Pope…but without violence or uproar. I only urged, preached, and declared God’s Word; nothing else.”
Luther also said of the devil when he sees men using violence: “He sits with folded arms behind the fire of hell, and says with malignant looks and frightful grin: ‘Ah, how wise these madmen are who play my game…But when he sees the Word running and contending alone on the battlefield, then he shudders and shakes for fear.”
Luther said: “The Word is almighty, and takes captive the hearts.
In reading these words, I thought of what my part is. Instead of taking part in demonstrations and marches, I think it is better to continue with blogs to spread the good Word of God. I will continue to write books (mostly for my benefit) but always with blogs. I think it is a more peaceful way. This is a world now of social media, and we need more Christian influence. And we know that the Word will not return void. As Isaiah wrote,
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isa 55:10-11)
Self-awareness
How is your self-awareness? Are you in tune with yourself? Sometimes we might be deceiving ourselves–really, lying to ourselves. And once we start down that road it’s hard to stop. We should not always try to convince ourselves that we are fine. Instead, you should ask, “How am I? Have I sinned lately? Am I pleasing God?
Always try to connect yourself to the truth and you will have a pleasant reward–if you decide to repent and follow the way of the Lord.
Source: The Dustin Comic
Why Lying Is So Bad
I don’t know why, but I have never thought of lying as a really bad sin—such as murder or adultery. I remember when I was little and told a lie; I really didn’t think it was that bad or that anyone would be hurt by it. I couldn’t understand why my mom and dad thought it was so bad and why they told me that I should never tell a lie.
Well, as the years went by, I grew to understand why it was bad and how you can really get yourself into trouble over it. Yet some people never get that understanding. They still say, what’s the harm in a little white lie? I have heard people say that lying is just part of life; everybody does it.
In my study of heaven, in three different verses where God is describing the glory and holiness of heaven, it also emphasized who would not be allowed in heaven—those sinners who would end up in hell. Here are those verses:
Revelation 21:8
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:27
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 22:15
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
Notice that in each of the verses, those who are liars are on the list (bold for emphasis). Hence, those who practice lying will definitely be disqualified from heaven. I know lying is bad, but I found myself still wondering why it made this list. Why would lying disqualify one from heaven? Here are a few ideas I came up with—reasons why lying is so bad:
- It is deceptive and seeks to deceive others.
- It is against truth and righteousness—which is what heaven is.
- Lying is the beginning of corruption and the basis of it.
- Lying is a political sin: it seeks to win self and makes self look good. It will take down and corrupt a whole nation.
- It begins in the life of a child and if not corrected will form the life and corrupt that entire life.
- It is of the devil. He is the greatest liar, and like the devil will pervert the whole life and the life of many others.
- It cannot be allowed in heaven or else all of heaven with its truth would be corrupted. For this reason, liars must be kept in hell forever.
Who are the liars?
They must be found out and stopped. The courts must try to reveal them. It is so important for a continuing and lasting society. I would say that it is important to find and cut off lying in one’s own life as well as in the leadership of cities and countries. But it must start in my life. If we can’t recognize it in our life, how can we see it in others. Judges must esp. be able to see and stop it—and to punish it severely. It must be seen as a terrible evil.
Stephen Nielsen 