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Voice of the Prophets Vision of Hell Devotions from the Heart Christian Art by Carole

Devotions from the Heart

GOD'S FARMER

Just a farmer tilling the ground. By the sweat from my brow to the ache in my back as I till along removing rocks, gravel, and even scoop up some sand. Don't know why I do it at the beginning of every season....

It may be a dry season with little rain, a wet season with storms suffocating my crop, there may be an early freeze to kill off half my crop, or a hurricane may come along to destroy everything.

During the season work the field when it is hot, take off my shirt to cool off and then get sun burnt... The next day it is cloudy but it doesn't look like it is going to rain, and then get soaked from a hard rain.... The weatherman tells everyone it will not freeze tonight, but it does freeze and then I go out in the field to see half of my crop limp and dying.... Everything is fine one day, all is well then a hurricane comes along to destroy everything.

The credit for the work doesn't really mean much as most people work in this community as farmers: We do it because we must do it. Those farmers ache too, and the weather effects them as it does me. But we till the ground, plant the seeds, and hope for good weather during the season. Not knowing from day to day what will happen.

Perhaps some day a banner perfect season will come along. All the farmers in the community their debts will be paid in full, will be able to treat our families and ourselves with presents. We will meet at the fairgrounds and celebrate together.

It is likely when we are paid for our banner crop the person that hands out the money will say: "It is not because of the sweat from your brow from the work, but the tears that fell upon the ground which made for such a banner season."

Such is the way of a farmer.
(THP)

SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE

The American Bald Eagle is a beautiful and accurate representation of the United States. Eagles rule the skies. Their wingspan reaches seven feet and are in the family of Raptors. Eagles soar with ease. They do not rapidly flap their wings to stay afloat, but rather open their wings and tail feathers to catch the updraft of the wind and soar higher and higher. Commercial pilots flying at ten thousand feet have reported seeing eagles at that altitude.

Eagles have razor sharp talons which are used to impale their prey as they swoop down at great speeds. The prey is brought back to the aerie (nest) for the young to eat. The aerie of the bald eagle is normally two feet deep and five feet across. Year after year, the eagle adds to the nest to maintain its structural integrity and repair damage caused by storms, and over a period of time it could weigh as much as two tons. The male and female eagles spend most of their time building the nest, feeding the young, coaxing the eaglets to fly and hunt. They invest in the future of their eaglets.

From their high perch, most eagles can see as far as fifty miles into the horizon. Their eyesight is incomparable to any other animal. From their vantage point they can see an approaching storm and at the right moment they will lock their wings in a flight position and allow the thermal updrafts to lift them higher and higher until the eagle is above the storm and circles its nest until the storm passes.

The bald eagle has the capacity to see forward and sideways at the same time and with the same clarity of vision, without turning its head. Their eyes have two centers of focus, whereas man has one with the ability to see peripherally.

The Holy Word of God refers to eagles in several passages encouraging the reader to draw spiritual applications in order to assist us in our daily lives and to draw us closer to our God.

Similar to the eagle, man takes many years to build his spiritual house. As a matter of fact, it takes a lifetime to build from the foundation up, adding one room at a time according to God's plan. Jesus admonished us to be wise and build our house on a rock rather than on shifting sand in order to withstand the problems we will encounter in life. (Matthew 7:21-27) If the foundation is strong, the house will stand after the storm passes, albeit repairs will be necessary. The Lord continues to fine tune our character during each storm, which verifies the Scripture, "all things work together for good for those who are called according to God's purpose." (Romans 8:28) It takes patience to build a strong foundation. Quite often it means waiting on the Lord in the literal sense as well as waiting on the Lord by serving others in accordance with the second command Jesus gave to the young ruler, i.e. "love your neighbor as you love yourself". The size of my heavenly manor depends upon the house I build here. Proverbs tells us that a an builds the house but God fills the rooms. If w e allow Jesus to be the Architect, no matter how great the wind, no matter how high the flood waters rise, the house will not collapse or float away because it had been set solidly on the Rock. Scripture is replete with references to building one's spiritual house.

There are several symbolic references to the Holy Spirit in the Bible because He made His Presence known in the manifestation of the wind, the dove, the fire and water. Nicodemus was reported to be a secret disciple of Jesus and during the course of a conversation with Jesus there was a reference to the wind and Jesus said, "You must b e born of the Holy Spirit and be born anew. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit". (Read John 3 for the entire discourse).

Just as the eagle senses the thermal atmospheric updrafts of the wind, so too, we can be spiritually attuned to the Holy Spirit to catch His updrafts which allow us to soar to higher heights in order to accomplish His purposes. The grace of God and obedience to His Word provide the warm currents of updraft winds to lift our spirits and souls to lofty heights not only in our private devotion time but also during the periods of stormy turmoil.

Man in the natural can only see ahead or peripherally; however, as we mature in Christ we begin to develop a supernatural "in-sight" in areas of life which are necessary to accomplish God's purposes. God's vision allows Him to see 360 degrees in all directions. At times, God provides us with the lens of His eyes and we experience 360 degree supernatural vision which allows us to see as God sees. When we are privileged to have this experience, we should look back on our lives and praise God for this journey into His Presence.

The Lord is telling us to soar like the eagle and catch the Holy Spirit's updrafts in order to fly high above the storm and into God's "Sonlight" and rest therein. All Storms pass. Then begins the task of repairing the damage. Regardless of the storm, you will survive and He will provide the resources and strength to rebuild.

Isaiah 40:32 - "Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint".

Psalm 103:2-5 - "So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

Exodus 19:4 - "I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself".
(Anon)

A DEFINING MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST

A defining moment in a person’s life can be described as one which is critical and decisive. It is a moment of truth which brings one to a turning point which in effect is a point of no return. Someone once said a defining moment in our lives is that moment which defines who we are. Those who experience their defining moment set their lives on an irrevocable course.

Jesus Christ had such a defining moment in the Garden of Gethsemane..

However, it is important to understand that at the birth of Jesus, He was endowed with two natures ie., divine and human. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary who consented to be the instrument God chose to bring His Son into the world. Nevertheless, the birth was a human birth.

The seed of life which was implanted in the blessed virgin’s womb came from God and not from a human source, as in the case of normal births. It is interesting to note that the word seed is used in many of Jesus’ parables and the seed is commonly referred to as meaning the Word of God.

The Gospel of John speaks of Jesus in terms the other apostles did not use.

The inspired word of John said “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”( John 1:1-2) And, this is the very seed i.e., the Word which the Father supernaturally implanted in Mary’s womb.

Therefore, I come to understand and believe the two natures of Jesus — one being human, having been born of a woman, and the divine, having been sent by God as the seed because the Holy Scriptures tell us, “For God So loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

The life of Jesus is filled with many wonderful and exciting accounts which point to His messiahship — His love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness which the peoples of the world had never before seen in a man, nor ever will and yet Jesus was human. All humans are born with the inherent capacity and ability to choose our thoughts and our actions and thus the direction of our lives. We call this freedom of choice or free will. We are not robots, nor are we compelled to act one way or another regardless of any outside force brought against to induce or compel one to act against his will. We can and often refuse. We have the capacity to choose good or evil and must accept the consequences. And so it was with Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, He invoked God, the Father three times to take the cup from Him. Jesus knew what He would be facing----- the arrest, the trial, the scourging at the post, the crowning of thorns, the nailing on the cross -------knowing He had to give up His life in order to take upon Himself the enormity of our sins. His human nature felt the extreme pain and anguish as He struggled with His decision whether to accept Golgotha or walk away. It is important and necessary to remember that Jesus was like man in every aspect and detail of life except sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ as a man had the same free will as each of us. He could choose to accept the cross or look for a less inhumane and less ignominious manner to accomplish the Father’s purposes. For Jesus knew if He took on the sins of mankind, He would be separated from the Father which had never before been so.

Jesus’ defining moment (and ours as third party beneficiaries) was when He said, “not my will be done, but yours.” At this point in time, the history of man was changed —evil was vanquished — sin was forgiven — each of us were and are redeemed from the curse of hell. We became sons and daughters of God and heirs to an imperishable inheritance. This defining moment of Jesus was sealed by the Holy Spirit who was with Jesus through the entire passion.

Each person will face a defining moment in life and if we have a Garden of Gethsemane experience, we will put our trust in God and pass into the point of no return of our former life and live after the manner of Christ who is our example and Savior. (Anon)

THE FACE OF GOD

I have heard men of God preach that we should seek the face of God; and in order to accomplish this, it is necessary to see God in all things and in all people. At first instance, this appears to be both plausible and possible for when we look at His creation, we see the majesty of the mountains, the mighty roar of the oceans and all the creatures therein. We look at the seemingly limitless expanse of the sky, the stars, the planets and constellations. We see order in the universe and it baffles us unless e attribute t to a higher power, namely, God.

But then, my thoughts turn to people. How can we see the face of God in the drunkard, the drug addict, the thief, the murderer, the greedy, the perverse and the unrighteous? I had a serious problem with seeing God who is the author of truth, perfection, beauty, love joy, and peace in their midst. But as I continue to read and meditate the scriptures, I ask the Holy Spirit to take that very Word and incorporate it into my spirit man, much the same as a baker would incorporate eggs, salt, and butter into a bowl of flour and make a mix to bake a cake - wherein the former status of each individual ingredient is no longer recognizable, but has become something different whereby the former has been transformed into a new substance entity - and so it is - and I pray the same be also with me - that I be transformed by the Word of God into a new man.

The Scriptures of which I speak are Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:11-15, wherein God's judgment is reckoned unto man as he stands before the Great White Throne when the sheep shall be separated from the goats. The Lord will say to the sheep on His right, "Inherit the kingdom and enter in for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me..." And Jesus will continue to say, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren," you did it to me.

The Holy Spirit began to show me I was judging the drunkard, the drug addict, the greedy, the perverse and the unrighteous. I did not know their circumstances not any facet of their lives which brought them to this point in time. Did not Jesus call them "my brethren" and yet, I have the pharisaical mentality to divorce them from my brotherhood, knowing full well they are every much a child of God as I? Still yet, I justify my act of dismissal by concluding that any money or service I give will be squandered on ungodly actions or things. My judgment precludes me from listening to the Holy Spirit and I fail to furnish assistance in accordance with Matthew 25:31-46.

Was not Jesus saying when you do something for the least of my brethren, you do it to me? Isn't this seeing the face of God in others? Jesus did not go into details of the lives of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick, or the imprisoned, so why should I? In the final analysis, Jesus is saying to me to love others (unconditionally) as I love myself.

A wise man of God said love is the curtain rod upon which the fruit of the Holy Spirit hang. And what is the fruit? Joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness and self control...and these fruits picturalize the Face of God. (Anon)