YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!
PART 2
|
The lady had said: Walking is boring, but I don't agree with her. Walking is an experience; walking is fun! I walk briskly down the street with my arms swinging in time with a rhythm in my head. Usually the tune in my head is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. It's not as upbeat as Franz Haydn's Miniature Piano Concerto you are hearing if your speakers are turned on. Like I said before, I love houses. Across the street from our subdivision, there's a section by the waterfront where custom homes are being built. These are pricey two and three-story mansions as far as I'm concerned. When I look at these homes, I think of the Patriarch Abraham. Abraham was probably one of the riches men who have ever lived. The Bible says he was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold. But Abraham and his household dwelt in tents. Could he afford to build a mansion for Sarah and his entire household? He certainly could. But he didn't by choice. This world was not his home. He was only passing through. 'By faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' Heb 11:9,10. Is there a spiritual lesson to be learned from Abraham? There is, isn't there? Many of us carry on with our lives thinking that this world is our permanent home. It isn't. I'm not advocating that we live in tents. And there's nothing wrong with living in a custom home if we could afford it and we do not neglect the cause of Christ and the needs of others less fortunate. However, if our minds are preoccupied only with material possessions and hardly give a thought to the eternal inheritance, then we would lose both in the final reckoning. Isaiah 2:17-20 - "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In the day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats." On my walks I see pampas grasses growing in some people's yard. These are beautiful ornamental grasses that are native to South America. Some varieties produce showy white plumes; others, creamy pink plumes. Some ecologists, however, consider the pampas grass a threat to the ecosystem. They consider it to be an aggressive colonizer that competes with native vegetation. Because of the ideal, warm climate of California, these pampas grasses have almost taken over the roadsides, coastal bluffs, rock outcrops, landslides and logged lands. Their large, showy plumes distract from appreciation of the natural landscapes and native flora of a region. Pampas grasses have sharp leaf edges that can result in cuts to the unwary.  I think some people are like the pompous grass, oops, pampas grass. They have a pompous, overbearing, dictatorial spirit. They are ostentatious, proud and vain. They have a self-righteous, pharisaic spirit about them. If you're with them, you can't get a word in edge-wise. If in a group of people, they take over the activities and conversation. These people have become large in their own eyes. The Bible teaches us that we are to be meek and humble. We are to minister and serve our fellowmen. We are never to lord it over them. We are to esteem them better than ourselves. "Not he who is pompous, boastful, and unbelieving, but the humble, faithful soul, is in God's sight accounted a man of power...The clearer our view of the Saviour's loveliness, the more humble will be our opinion of ourselves. And the lower our estimate of self, the more distinct will be our view of the glory and majesty of God. When we begin to have a high opinion of ourselves, let us remember that for whatever we are or have in advance of our fellowmen we are indebted wholly to the gift of God." --Youth Instructor, January 29, 1903. The sidewalk on this particular property was orginally one-third smaller in width than the rest of the sidewalk in the subdivision. But it looked like it was extended in width at a later time to make it conform to the rest of the sidewalk. It's like you're walking on two sidewalks laid side by side. It's really weird. Every time I walk there I wonder, I surmise, I speculate what had happened--was the person new on the job and didn't know what he was doing and someone corrected it for him? Was it an experienced worker who made an honest mistake, maybe misread the instructions concerning the width of the sidewalk and corrected it later? Or, was it the owner of the original property who took the initiative to lay his own sidewalk, and the city came in later and corrected it? I could go on forever surmising and never find out for sure what did happen to the poor, old sidewalk, couldn't I? Sometimes that's how we approach the study of the Word of God. We fail to realize that not everything is revealed to us in the Bible. The Bible speaks of the mystery of godliness, the mystery of iniquity, the mystery of the incarnation, even the nature of God and the Holy Spirit are a mystery. We only waste precious time and energy when we focus our study on the things that are not revealed to us. On these things silence is golden. Like me with the sidewalk dilemma, we could surmise all we want till our heads hurt, but it would not do us one iota of good. We have enough information in the Bible pertaining to our salvation that would take us right into the Kingdom. That's what we need to focus on. Piety, devotion, sanctification of soul, body, and spirit--this is essential for us all. 'This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.' John 17:3. The property that's located two houses away from us was recently remodeled and sold. The new neighbors are keeping the place looking immaculate as far as mowing and edging are concerned, probably more so that the previous owner. But there is one thing that I wish they would do. Their trees (they have quite a few) need trimming badly. Some of the branches are touching the ground. These trees are not weeping willows. Around the base of these trees are a mass of overgrown shoots almost five feet tall that should be trimmed off for they rob vital nourishment from the trees. Many times I feel like going over there and telling them to trim their trees. Oh, how easy it is to criticize, reprove, and judge others, isn't it? In the book, Christian Leadership, Page 59, we find this fitting counsel: "The work of judging his brother has not been placed upon any man. 'Judge not, the Saviour says, 'that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' He who takes upon himself the work of judging and criticizing others, lays himself open to the same degree of judgment and criticism. Those who are ready to condemn their brethren, would do well to examine their own works and character. Such an examination, honestly made, will reveal the fact that they, too, have defects of character, and have made grave blunders in their work. If the great Judge should deal with men as they deal with their fellow workers, they would regard him as unkind and unmerciful." The Bible admonishes us in Matt 7:3-5, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." A church newsletter I received the other day contains these words: To correct one fault in myself is greater than to correct ten in my neighbor. One of the things I see on my walks is a variety of birds. I've seen robins, blue jays, cardinals, doves, bluebirds, crane, storks, and a host of other birds I couldn't identify. Coming from Guam, a small island in the Pacific that was not blessed with a variety of colorful birds, this is a real treat. I remember the first time I saw a cardinal. I was in the backyard of my sister Ruth's home in Orange Park. I was sitting in a lounge chair contemplating my future. I had just divorced my husband Gary, and I was unsure how all would work out. I had no job. My aged mother came with me and my son to live temporarily with my sister and her husband Rich. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw something red fly by. What was that? I asked myself. It looked like a red hibiscus that was blown by the wind. But the wind wasn't blowing. I was puzzled. I waited to see if the flying red thing would make its presence known. Sure enough, it did. It was a red bird. A cardinal.  I had read about the birds of North America going to school in Guam. I'd seen them in pictures in audubon books, encyclopedias, and Christmas cards and marveled at how beautiful they looked. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I finally saw the birds that I'd known only through the reading of books. We know about Heaven and the New Earth from reading the Bible. We know about God and His Son Jesus Christ and the plan of Redemption from reading the Word. We're told to exercise faith because this is how we see and know eternal realities. The song writer wrote: And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight... Can you imagine how thrilling it would be when we are there in person to see our Heavenly Father and to behold the glory and splendor of our heavenly home? Human language is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it by faith. I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea...And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, or crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.' Rev 21:1-4.  I love hummingbirds. Sometimes I see them feeding on feeders in some people's yard. I used to hang up a feeder with the usual sugar water and red dye. In fact, the feeder looked just like the four flowers on this picture with a glass container. Then I stopped doing it when I felt guilty feeding these wonderful creatures all that sugar and artificial red color on top of that. I didn't want them to be hyperactive any more than they already are. I wanted them to feed on Nature's sweet nectars instead. When we were living in Yuma, Arizona, years ago, we had a patio in the back where I had hung a hummingbird feeder as described above. One day I was sweeping the patio when up came this beautiful fluorescent redthroated hummingbird. I tell you, that hummer thought the whole patio belonged to him, and he didn't want me there. He charged straight at me with its sharp beak that I was forced to run inside the house for cover.  That reminds me of sin. Sometimes sin is attractive and we are lured to it. Sometimes the sin we commit is small. But the Word of God tells us that sins however insignificant they may be regarded will impair our moral senses and extinguish the inward impression of the Spirit of God. The best way to handle sin is to run from it and take cover. 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Rom 6:23. The Prophet Nahum wrote in Chapter 1, Verse 3, that '...the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. We can't help but realize the awesomeness and majesty of the great God of the Universe. The clouds are the dust of His feet. Think about it. Many people hardly notice the clouds above them. On my walks, I pay attention to the clouds for two reasons. One, they tell me whether to take an umbrella, and, two, to get entertained by the picturesque sceneries and activities (like motion pictures) that are taking place in the clouds. To see these scenes, you have to keep your eyes focused on the clouds because the movement of the clouds changes the scenery slowly but surely from one to the next. This is one activity that bicyclists wouldn't be able to indulge in with safety. With just a little imagination, I have seen Christ and His twelve disciples around a table partaking of the Last Supper. Also, Moses on Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments and the beasts of Daniel and Revelation. Try it sometimes. You'll be amazed that there's more to be seen in the clouds than rainbows. At another time, I saw a formation of an angel. What's striking about this is that the wings showed the intricate details of the 'feathers' just like when you draw lines to indicate the rows of feathers in a bird's wings. It was awesome! On the subject of angels, I remember driving to work one Christmas Eve morning a couple of years or so ago and saw a cloud formation that looked like an angel flying down from heaven as if proclaiming once again the great tidings of the birth of Jesus. Even though it was just a cloud formation, I was in awe. I felt a warmth and a peace within my heart that the Lord allowed me to see the Christmas story in the clouds. I feel doubly blessed when I see a rainbow in the sky. It is beautiful, and it is God's token of His love for me.  The world's Redeemer looks upon the rainbow for it was through His instrumentality that this bow was made to appear in the heavens, as a token or covenant of promise to man. As we gaze upon the beautiful sight, we may be joyful in God, assured that He Himself is looking upon this token of His covenant, and that as He looks upon it He remembers the children of earth, to whom it was given. Their afflictions, perils, and trials are not hidden from Him. We may rejoice in hope, for the bow of God's covenant is over us. He never will forget the children of His care. --God's Amazing Grace, Page 159. Sometimes on my walks, I see cumulus clouds that are gold-lined, silver-lined or rosy-tinted and are very pretty. Other times they are dark and foreboding. Life is that way sometimes, isn't it? When I go through difficult times in my life, I think of the hymn Back of the Clouds sung by Helen Barth and Al Smith: Do not let your heart be troubled; From His throne in heaven, God is watching one and all, He will ever care for you. Chorus Back of the clouds the sun is always shining, After the storms your skies will all be blue; God has prepared a rosy-tinted lining, Back of the clouds it's waiting to shine thru. Winter long is over and the spring has gone her way, Often has the storm clouds gathered, But the rain has only made the blossoms look more gay... Given earth a brighter hue. Keep the light of hope eternal dwelling in your heart, Rest upon the Father's promise, And you'll find that care and trouble will depart... Heaven's peace will enter in. --Carolyn R. Freeman Sometimes I see the blue sky and some scattering of clouds that give me the feeling that I am on an island somewhere surrounded by the vast blue ocean with billowing waves. The sounds of the sea thrill me, and my mind is taken back in time. I see the Apostle John exiled to the Island of Patmos. Through John, we are able to peek in the window of time and get a glimpse of the glory of Heaven. We can look into the future and see what would transpire upon the earth before the return of Jesus Christ. Are we preparing for this event? Are our hearts ready to meet a Holy God? I have also seen cloud formation that looks like castles, palaces, and towers of by-gone days. I'm reminded of kings and queens and princes and princesses. I think of England's monarchical system and the early history of this beautiful country. During the reign of King Henry VIII, religious differences in the Monarchy had caused the succession to the throne to become a matter of serious contention. The line of succession to the throne was as follows: At the death of King Henry VIII, his son would succeed him. Should his son not have an heir, his daughter Mary, the only surviving child from his first wife Catherine of Aragon, would succeed. Should Mary not have an heir, Elizabeth, a daughter from his second wife, Anne Boleyn, would succeed. Sure enough, when King Henry VIII passed away, his 9-year old son from his third wife Jane Seymour, succeeded him on the throne. King Edward VI was a distinguished Monarch, well liked by the people, and he was a Protestant. He did great and wonderful things for his people and his country. He enacted the Act of Uniformity establishing Protestantism throughout England. The Catholic Mass was abolished. However, his reign was cut short because of a lingering illness many believed to be tuberculosis. Many great nobles in the realm feared that should the King pass away and Mary, a staunch Catholic and supporter of popery, succeed on the throne, she would return England to Catholicism. So, before King Edward VI passed on, these noble men induced the ailing king to make a Will and bequeath the English crown to Lady Jane Grey, the granddaughter of the second sister of King Henry, who was a Protestant. She possessed talents of a very superior nature. By this Will, the succession of Mary and Elizabeth, his two half sisters, was entirely superseded. At the death of King Edward VI, the nobles speedily proceeded to proclaim Lady Jane Grey, queen of England in the city of London and various other populous cities of the realm. However, her reign lasted only nine days for Mary succeeded by false promises to obtain the crown. Having obtained the sword of authority, she was not sparing in its exercise. The supporters of Lady Jane Grey were destined to feel its force. Mary commenced the execution of her avowed intention of extirpating and burning every Protestant. She was crowned at Westminster, and her elevation was the signal for the commencement of the bloody persecution which followed. There are over 300 people in England, including Lady Jane Grey, who were either burned at the stake or beheaded during the five-year reign of this bloody, tyrannical despot earning her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'. Lady Jane was offered pardon by the queen on condition of relinquishing her Protestant faith. She refused. Here's an apropos scathing commentary on Bloody Mary from a distinguished English author Jane Austen: "This woman had the good luck of being advanced to the throne of England, in spite of the superior pretensions, merit and beauty of her cousins Mary Queen of Scotland and Jane Grey. Nor can I pity the Kingdom for the misfortunes they experienced during her reign, since they fully deserved them..." Check out a related topic: A Rainbow in the Night. What a breathtaking review of history coming from the castles in the clouds. Do you think the Lord God is kicking about the dust around His feet and forming biblical characters and castle scenes on the clouds to remind us of precious lessons from the Bible and from history? I like to think that He does, don't you? On my walks sight is not the only sense involved. Smell is also involved. Some smells are pleasant; others aren't. I love the scents of flowers along the road and the smell of freshly-mowed lawn. I love the smell of fresh laundry wafting through a laundry vent or an open garage. I love the smell of food--fresh microwaved popcorns, pasta or rice or stew cooking on the stove. I notice that the smell of barbecued 'whatever' lingers in the air for at least a block away. On recycle days, I could tell what people drink the most. This reminds me that in everything we do, we do all to the glory of God. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31. In Eccl 10:17 we find that we are to eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Akin to walking is a good walking shoes. My husband and I both wear out our walking shoes quicker than anyone I know. One day I noticed that my shoes were making a swish-swish sound as I walked. Air was coming in and going out somewhere near or in the soles of both shoes. I thought If air could come in, water could also. Sure enough, I was walking one day after a good heavy downpour with puddles all over creation. Soon, I felt my socks were getting soaked. Contaminated water from the city streets containing who knows what--animal poops, spits, motor oil (a carcinogen), and leakage from a sewer system somewhere--is making contact with my poor feet. I did not like it at all. Leaky, worn-out shoes would not offer adequate protection against infectious diseases that could be contracted in this manner. A storm is coming upon us that's relentless in its fury. We need to be prepared to meet it. We need adequate protection. Our feet must be on the solid Rock of ages, Jesus Christ. His truth is to be our shield and buckler. He is our Refuge. He is our Strength. He is our Shelter. Says the psalmist: 'Because thou hast made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.' When the earth once again is swept by the desolating wrath of God, sin and sinners will be destroyed. Do you feel that it is an event of little importance? Then read some of the utterances of the prophets in reference to the day of God: "Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord. The mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness." --Bible Echoes, July 1, 1887. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Dan 12:1. I enjoy walking at night. I try to identify the stars and constellations. Perhaps the most famous constellation in the heavens is Orion. I find it interesting that Orion, the hunter from Greek mythology, found its way into the Word of God. Here are the Bible texts: Job 9:9 - Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. Job 38:31 - Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Amos 5:8 - Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name. Very briefly, here's the Greek mythology for educational purposes: Orion, the hunter, stands by the river Eridanus and is accompanied by his faithful dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Together they hunt various celestial animals, including Lepus, the rabbit, and Taurus, the bull. Orion was in love with Merope, one of the Seven Sisters who form the Pleiades, but Merope would have nothing to do with him. Orion's tragic life ended when he stepped on Scorpius, the scorpion. The gods felt sorry for him, so they put him and his dogs in the sky as constellations. They also put all of the animals he hunted up there near him. Scorpius, however, was placed on the opposite side of the sky so Orion would never be hurt by it again. There are other variations of the story of Orion. It's interesting how people in ancient times come up with these stories which make up the constellations. Here's the reason why constellations are even used: The constellations are totally imaginary things that poets, farmers and astronomers have made up over the past 6,000 years. The real purpose for the constellations is to help us tell which stars are which, nothing more. On a really dark night, you can see about 1000 to 1500 stars. Trying to tell which is which is hard. The constellations help by breaking up the sky into more manageable bits. They are used as mnemonics, or memory aids.  For example, if you spot three bright stars in a row in the winter evening, you might realize, "Oh! That's part of Orion!" Suddenly, the rest of the constellation falls into place and you can declare: "There's Betelgeuse in Orion's left shoulder and Rigel is his foot." And once you recognize Orion, you can remember that Orion's Hunting Dogs are always nearby. Then you might recognize the two bright stars in the upper and lower left of the photograph as Procyon in Canis Minor and Sirius in Canis Major, respectively.
I think that's an interesting explanation. For me, whenever I look at Orion in the sky, I see the Throne of God beyond. I see Jesus Christ and a retinue of shining angels pierce the bands of Orion when they descend the third heaven to return to our earth some day soon.
I think it's interesting how the Prophet Amos mentioned specifically the seven stars and Orion. These seven stars had to be the Pleiades star cluster also known as the Seven Sisters in ancient mythology. This cluster contains hundreds of stars, of which only a handful are commonly visible to the unaided eye.
The Bible also mentions Arcturus. Arcturus is among the very brightest of stars, shining with a soft orange light. Arcturus lights the northern spring skies. It is one of three luminaries that partition the northern sky into thirds, the others being summer's Vega and winter's Capella. Of the three, Arcturus, the Alpha star of the constellation Bootes, the Herdsman, is slightly the brighter, making it the brightest star of the northern hemisphere and the fourth brightest star of the entire sky, following only Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centauri. Someone once said that life is a journey, not a destination. Many people go through life with their minds fixed only on the destination, and they fail to enjoy the journey--when I finish school, I'll be happy. When I get a job, I'll be happy. When I get married, I'll be happy. When I have kids, I'll be happy. When the kids are grown and on their own, I'll be happy. When I retire, I'll be happy, etc. Why not be happy RIGHT NOW while you are in the process of getting there. Enjoy life. Enjoy the journey. Stop every now and then and smell the roses or watch a pretty sunset with a loved one. Call a friend up and say 'Hello'. Help someone less fortunate than you. When you do these things, you will be happy. Let's make up our minds to enjoy the journey, every moment of it, as we go through this great adventure and experience called LIFE. I enjoy my walks through my neighborhood. From these walks, I've learned valuable lessons that I neatly tucked away in the recesses of my mind. I've learned from the Patriarch Abraham that I'm only a pilgrim here. This earth is not my final home. I look for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. A tiny hummingbird taught me a valuable lesson about sin--that it sometimes appear attractive and small, but I should not yield to it. I should run from it and take cover in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The smells I encounter during my walk have also taught me a precious lesson. The smell of food is sheer pleasure. I've learned that in everything I do whether I eat or drink, I should give all to the glory of God. From the castles in the clouds, I've learned precious lessons of my Protestant heritage. I want to be true and faithful to God even in the midst of trials and persecution. I've learned from Lady Jane Grey that my faith in God and my church are worth dying for. On my walks under the starry heavens, I've learned to reflect upon my celestial home way beyond Orion, the Pleiades, and Arcturus. I've learned that Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, will come someday to take me there. Lady, what, again, did you say? Walking is boring? You've got to be really kidding!
|
