Spring, Lovely Spring

Image via WikipediaThis is a post I wrote some years ago when I first started blogging. Having been away from my computer for a while, too long a while, I decided to search some old posts to find something that would get my creative juices flowing. And sure enough, I came across this post, perfect for the beginning of spring. I have repurposed it a little to make it more relevant.
                                                                                 
Spring is here! Isn't it wonderful the way God redecorates the landscape so there is always something new to grab our senses and delight our minds? I love the changing of the seasons. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in a tropical climate where there are only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. It was only when I migrated to the United States that I experienced the four seasons. I remember the first time I saw snow, I was like a kid again, a grown woman making snowballs and throwing at my friends. Then fall came and filled me with awe, and still does.

There is beauty and purpose in every season. I don't mind the short, gray days and the naked boughs of winter because I know they don't last. The sun will shine again, tender green leaves will appear on those boughs and flowers will spring out of the ground. Perpetual summer or winter could not sustain life. We need heat and cold, moisture and drought in order to sustain life on this planet.

The changing of the seasons reminds me that:

1. God is faithful. He is always with us, whether we think of Him or not. Like a good parent, He is preparing our food, our comfort and doing all the extra little things to give us pleasure. Acts 14: 17 says, "... and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."


2. God is a God of order. Even though environmentalists speak of climate change, weather systems throughout the world remain well-defined. Spring comes faithfully after winter, summer follows spring and so on. We experience heat in summer and cold in winter. Hot climates remain hot and cold climes remain cold. Spring is always the season of birth and new beginnings, winter the season of death and decay.


3. God speaks to us through the seasons. Oswald Chambers says, "When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with ... the changing of the seasons." (My Utmost For His Highest). I couldn't agree more. The seasons of the earth reflect the seasons of our lives. Just as God rearranges the environment to suit His purpose, in the same way He arranges our lives into seasons so we can grow and develop into the spiritually healthy and happy beings He created us to be. Just trust Him, regardless of the season. 

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Speaking of the seasons of our lives, I would like to introduce you to my book Women For All Seasons, which uses stories of women of the Bible to show how God works in and through us in every season of our life. Check it out here.







     

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Happy Independence Day!

Two hundred and thirty-nine years ago, America declared its independence from Great Britain.  The move

came as a result of grievances over the Empire's taxation and trade policies. The colonies felt they were being unfairly treated and so they rebelled. America now stands proud as a sovereign nation. Over the years, many countries have followed America's example, and today there are close to 200 independent countries.


As I think about this powerful nation, my thoughts go back to the book of Judges. This book  deals with a period in Israel's history when there was no king. Under Joshua's leadership, the people had finally entered the promised land, and they served the Lord well. But then Joshua and his generation died, and  "The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs" (Judges 3 : 7). 

We know the consequences of their actions. Israel went through a terrible time of  defeat and captivity at the hands of its enemies. Eventually, they cried out to God and He took pity on them. He appointed judges over them and they did well, but each time the judge died, they returned to their sinful ways. Then they would cry out to God again, He would appoint another judge, and the process would be repeated.

There's a line in the book of Judges that is repeated over and over:  "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17: 6).

Today in America, we have leaders over us, but we are doing what is right in our own eyes. The will of the people has usurped the will of God. Church attendance hovers around 40% while an average 60% of Americans support same-sex marriage. An overall "anything goes" is the pervading lifestyle in America. Policemen kill unarmed civilians and go free. "Every man does that which is right in his own eyes." 

But God is a good God. He is not like man. He does not punish us as our sins deserve. Isaiah 55: 7 says,     "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Happy Independence!

Here are two of my older posts on Independence:

http://quildonwrites.blogspot.com/2005/07/happy-fourth-of-july.html
http://quildonwrites.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-fourth.html

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What Does The Bible Say About Justice

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, look on. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Let justice roll down like waters ..."

These words from the book of Amos flashed through my mind as I watched hundreds of people, black and white, march in protest of a Grand Jury's decision not to indict a white police officer for the killing of an unarmed black man. Suddenly, it seems we are back to the days of the Civil Rights Movement when people took to the streets to protest the unfair treatment meted out to them by a justice system that left them feeling marginalized and dehumanized.

As if this were not bad enough, African Americans have been and continue to be the disproportionate victims of violence, poverty, illegitimate births, sickness and disease. We, especially black males, have become an endangered species. The Bible has a lot to say about justice and the way we treat those who are less fortunate. Let's look at some of these verses:

'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Leviticus 19: 15

"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow." Deuteronomy 27: 19

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Proverbs 27: 9

those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. Isaiah 29: 21


But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5: 24

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off ? Luke 18" 7

As with everything else, the words of the Bible are always relevant, and so is its Author. He is aware of what is taking place and has promised, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice" (Isaiah 42: 3). 

At a time when the majority of us are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with our loved ones, the Garners, the Browns, the Martins and others who have lost loved ones through these senseless slayings are in mourning. To them I say, "Take heart. 'The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed' (Psalm 103: 6). May the Prince of peace comfort and strengthen you at this Christmas time."

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A Month Of Thankfulness - My Family, God's Intervention and other things

English: Personal bible study Português: Estudo pessoal da bíblia Italiano: Lo studio personale della bibbia Deutsch: Persönliches Bibelstudium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The weather continues to be a major cause of concern in the US this month. Unusually cold temperatures and snowstorms have resulted in the loss of lives, power outages and a lot of problems for people in some states. In the light of that, our one cold day here in South Florida this week, 48 degrees at daybreak, was a welcome change. But we have had to deal with some rain almost everyday.

You may have heard the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Well, that may have been the case with me this week. I'd been putting off going to Bible Study on Wednesday nights on account of the distance I have to travel to get home after work, and I don't do well with night driving. This Wednesday I determined that nothing was going to stop me.

It rained all day but I was still determined to go. After work, I went to my daughter's house to wait until it was time to leave for Bible Study. She and her husband said to me, "Mummy, we don't like the idea of you going out on a night like this. It's going to be late when you're leaving church and the weather is not nice." And so they convinced me to go home instead.

So why am I writing this in a month of thankfulness? As I was leaving, my daughter went into her bedroom and came back out with some sheets of paper. She said a friend had given her a Bible-reading plan for the year and she had begun to follow it. She said she uses it because she can't make it to Bible Study at her church because of her family commitments. Therefore her Bible Study time is after she drops her kids off to school and before she leaves for work.

I was ecstatic. I had no idea my daughter had been studying her Bible even though I have seen God working in her life this past year. She has been witnessing to people about Jesus Christ, inviting them to church, and last year she and a friend were baptized on the same day. Isn't God wonderful? My two younger sons are not yet saved, but I believe that what God did for my daughter He will do for them as well. In His time.

So this week I am thankful for my family and God's intervention in our lives. What are you thankful for?

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A Month Of Thankfulness - The Weather

Frozen LIQUID (Photo credit: audioburnr)

As I stepped out into the freezing 48 degree temperature this morning, I was truly thankful. I say freezing because in Florida that's what it feels like to us. And I am thankful that we don't have the kind of really freezing temperatures that other states are having. So, I'm thankful for 48. And I don't mind if it hangs around for a few days.

Let us pray that there will be no further loss of lives and that God will send some relief soon to the people who are really suffering on account of this weather.   And let's pray especially for the homeless, that they will find warm and comfortable shelter from this brutal cold.

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Another Look At Freedom - The March on Washington

English: Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963. Español: Dr. Martin Luther King dando su discurso "Yo tengo un sueño" durante la Marcha sobre Washington por el trabajo y la libertad en Washington, D.C., 28 de agosto de 1963. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I took a break from my weekly post to view the march commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic march on Washington. Just as happened then, this march that took place on Saturday was a peaceful one. Of the estimated quarter million people who participated in 1963, only four arrests were made. So far this year no incidents have been reported. This is a true testimony of the proper use of freedom and an honor to the man who fought so hard for freedom and equality.

A few years ago I wrote a post on a similar topic. You can read it here.

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Uncle Tom's Cabin: A Lesson in Forgiveness

Many of you may have read this epic novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a nineteenth century abolitionist and author. This novel, believed to be the precursor of the Civil War, became such a sensation that President Abraham Lincoln is purported to have said when he met Stowe,  "So here is the little lady who made this big war."

The novel tells the story of  Uncle Tom, a middle-aged black slave who was sold by his master, Arthur Shelby, in order to pay off his debts. Uncle Tom ends up on a riverboat down the Mississippi River where he befriends a young, white girl named Eva. She falls into the river one night and he rescues her. Augustine St. Clare, Eva's father, buys Tom in order to show his gratitude. The friendship between Tom and Eva deepens as they share their Christian faith. Eva becomes ill and dies, not before asking her father to free Tom. Her father agrees, but before he can do that, he is stabbed to death and his wife reneges on the promise, selling Tom to a vicious plantation owner, Simon Legree.

Legree hates Tom and beats him when he refuses to beat a fellow slave. Tom's faith is sorely tested but he continues to read his Bible and comfort the other slaves. When Cassy, a female slave, decides to run away, Tom encourages her. He refuses to tell Legree where Cassy has gone, so Legree orders his overseers to kill Tom. As Tom lies dying, he forgives the men. Humbled by Tom's forgiveness, both men become Christians. Just before Tom breathes his last, George Shelby, son of Tom's first slave master, arrives to purchase Tom's freedom, but is too late.

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin Uncle Tom's Cabin (Thrift Edition)to highlight the cruelties of slavery. She succeeded in doing so, but Stowe, who was a Christian, also showcased the love of Christ who taught us the value of forgiveness. As He was dying on the cross He also prayed,  "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23: 34). When Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive his brother seven times, Jesus replied, " I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18: 22).

Do you, or I, have that capacity to forgive your enemies?  Or do we hate them as they hate us? If we are Christians we are told, "Do not take revenge ... but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge, I will repay', says the Lord" (Romans 12: 19).  As we reflect on slavery and the injustices meted out to our ancestors, let us also focus on Jesus Christ who exemplified love and forgiveness in His life and death.