aSacredRebel

Connection

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Now there were four leprous men outside the city gate, who said to one another, “Why should we sit here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; but if we sit here, we shall also die. Therefore, let us desert to the Aramean camp; if they spare our lives, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.” So they arose at twilight to go to the Aramean camp; but when they came to the edge of the Aramean camp, there was no one there at all. For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to fight against us.” So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys leaving the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives. When these leprous men had come to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank, carried off silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. Then they came back, entered another tent, carried off things from it, and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, “What we are doing is wrong. This is a day of good news; if we are silent and wait until the morning light, we will be found guilty; therefore let us go and tell the king’s household.” So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp, but there was no one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied, the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.” Then the gatekeepers called out and proclaimed it to the king’s household. The king got up in the night, and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Arameans have prepared against us. They know that we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.’” One of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, since those left here will suffer the fate of the whole multitude of Israel that have perished already; let us send and find out.” So they took two mounted men, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and find out.” So they went after them as far as the Jordan; the whole way was littered with garments and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned, and told the king. Then the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of choice meal was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. (2 Kings 7:3-16, NRSV)

Here is the story. 4 men living outside of the community with no hope for survival, but even if they were inside the city and a part of the community there was no hope for survival. All of the town was starving from a famine brought on by the Aramean army laying siege on the city…

So they are going to die outside the city or inside the city it doesn’t matter.

So they get the idea to go and besiege the Aramean’s for help. And when they arrive, they are greeted by no one, because God made them run away.

And instead of shunning the village as they were shunned they return and tell the king. So the famine is over and the ones who were dead to us, are the ones who saved us.

God will always provide, if we only trust. We may not know how, or when, or why He chose to do it the way He did, but He will always provide if we are open to following where He will lead us!

How can I?

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the LORD. (2 Kings 4:42-44, NRSV)

God how can I do that?

This isn’t possible, how is this going to work…

So many times in my life I have had to let go and let God handle the details and just trust that it was going to work out. We want to control and see things with our eyes, but in the grand scheme of things we can not see or understand the cosmic wonders of this world we are in and have to allow the one who created all things, who walks by our side everyday have the wheel and control and sit back and enjoy the ride.

We will never get the view He can give us if we always say, that won’t happen, or can that be…

Know that with God all things are possible and give Him the wheel and enjoy the view as He takes you kn a tour you could never imagine!

God Provides

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. (Exodus 16:2-4,9-15, NRSV)

We always look back… We remember the things that make where we were great…

The fleshpots, and eating our fill, and now here we are out here in the wilderness and we are going to starve to death.

And no what is this…

We complain when things don’t go our way, or the way we think they should go.

That is why we should listen to the immortal words of Pumba, “In times like this… You got to put your behind in the past.”

We need to not look back and move forward. The Israelites were walking in the wilderness with God! They had His protection and His provision, He was providing for them, and even gave them meat when they whined about it. Ungrateful for what He had given them, they just whined for more…

So put your behind in the past and look forward to God’s provision.

Behind the scenes

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:13-21, NRSV)

The disciples were wondering where the food was going to come from to feed all of these people…

How many of us have ever planned a dinner party for a few hundred people let alone thousands?

And to put an even bigger damper on the scene, all the food they have are five loaves of bread and two fish, and this is only brought to light after Jesus tells the disciples to give them something to eat.

Was the 5 loaves of bread and two fish for the 13 of them? Was Jesus trying to find out what He had to work with?

But then they disciples actually did what Jesus told them to do. A little thing we over look. We see Jesus taking 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feeding 5000 men, plus women and children. We see the miracle of the 12 baskets left over. But we miss the work.

Jesus blesses and breaks and gives it to the disciples, who then hand out the food to the 5000 men, plus women and children. Then they go around again and pickup the leftovers. The 12 of them serve 416 2/3 men, plus the women and children… Imagine it! The work the disciples did to make this miracle possible is something we overlook, but it happens all the time!

Through your hands you serve others and help God’s miracles to happen!

seek

My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones. (Proverbs 2:1-8, NRSV)

Seek it like silver…

Go after the knowledge and wisdom that God will give like you go after your paycheck!

If we seek after God and His wisdom and treasure the commandments like they are hidden treasure, then He will be a shield for us!

So seek after God and the knowledge that He alone can give you and trust not in your own understanding. Allow your heart to be inclined to His wisdom, and filled with His Spirit!

precious

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:1-4, NRSV)

What is precious?

An interesting thought and this should always be done with a little hesitancy is a Google search for images on a word…

Precious is gold and silver. Gems are precious… shiny things worth lots of money…

Is that what is truly precious though?

The thing that is truly precious is the thing we value most highly.

What are the top five things you don’t want to lose?

Are any of them money?

My list is (not in any particular order) wife, daughters, family, God, faith…

I can be completely broke monetarily, but I am a rich rich man, because of the love of my family and how God has blessed me.

So keep what is precious close to you and allow the world to have the rest. Showing them the love God gave you!

Sanctuary…

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” (1 Peter 2:4-7, NRSV)

let yourselves be built into a spiritual house…

I read that and thought of the song Sanctuary:

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary
pure and holy, tried and true
with thanksgiving I’ll be a living
sanctuary for You

That seems to be the verse we all know, God will sanctify us and make us pure, holy, tried and true. He will prepare us, and make us who He needs us to be.

I feel this is seen in this verse which seems to be unknown:

Holy Spirit fill this vessel
make my heart to burn within
purify me, make my life be
a sanctuary for you.

If we will come and allow the living stone to make us into a spiritual house, and the Holy Spirit to fill us and purify us, then our lives can truly be sanctified for His use!

where is hope?

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NRSV)

Let’s make this clear, the Bible never says it is a sin or wrong to be rich. You can have resources and lots of money according to the Bible. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil, not money. And our verse here says that if you are rich, don’t be haughty. Do not think more of yourself or look down on others because you have money.

You need to live a life defined by generosity and be rich in giving, and doing good works!

Generously give what you have received, so that everyone will live a blessed life.

We can have resources, it is all in how we use them. You see God has blessed all of us to be a blessing to others, so live a life defined by generosity and place your hope in God who blessed you, and not in the money that will not go with you into all of eternity.