Nahum 1:7 & Joshua 1:9

So much for me keeping my blog up to date😄, but I do realise that the Lord guides me in what to write about and it is not something I should just do for the sake of it. After all the whole idea of this blog was really a spiritual journal for myself. Please also not the August main picture above (Romans 12:16) is not the KJV version and just a summary of the verse, however I could not resist the picture.

Today's verse of the day on the phone was this one from Nahum. When Lance read it  out to me it struck me as such a comforting verse, that no matter what our situation is, even in the moment of death that the Lord knows those who trust in him.

The verse of the day on my watch is Joshua 1:9 and perfectly compliments the other verse in only a way that God can do. The Lord is so amazing to us and gives us so many promises throughout the whole bible that even in times of absolute distress or discomfort he is with us and our great comforter.

It is no coincidence that these 2 verses came up at the same time today and as a result they both make great verses of the week for my blog. These are two good verses to have at a Christians funeral as they cement how we do not need to fear or be afraid as our hope is set on the Lord, however "the fear of the Lord is the beginnig of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10)

It was a real encouragement to us last week when our brother and sister in Christ (Simon & Ruth) paid an importu visit to us. Whilst it was under sad circumstances it was wonderful to share in fellowship with them and then we were discussing how the Lord is always with us and comforts us in times of distress or when we are feeling really down. He also provides friends to help during these times as well and Christians can be there for one another.

I am so thankful that the Lord chose me and that is not to sound arrogant but just very truly grateful.

  

Jeremiah 13:4 & Mark 1:6

For some reason I keep thinking I will have more time to add to my blog, then time seems to just fly by. This morning I was reading from Jeremiah and came across a verse that captured my interest. I then went on to read the first chapter of Mark to find what appears to me to bear significance to what I read in Jeremiah. God is truly amazing on how he expounds his word to us. Therefore as it is has been a while I am having 2 verses of the week this week.

I am no biblical scholar and even my KJV bible did not have Jeremiah in the footnote of Mark or vice-versa, however interestingly in Mark 1's footnote it quotes Zechariah 13:4 which is around prophecy, but I do wonder if it should have been Jeremiah 13:4.

Even though I have read both verses on many occasions I had never made the link before, but when reading them straight after each other it is so clear how the Old & New Testaments work so well together forming the whole word of God, with clear links. This is not a link that I had previously connected but when you read further in to Jeremiah 13, God speaks very clearly to how the girdle represents his people cleaving to him.

I do consider this description in Mark 1:6 also demonstrates how John The Baptist cleaved to the Lord and was chosen by him to pave the way for our Lord and Saviour.

Unfortunately the house of Israel and Judah did not listen to the Lord, hence the whole example of Jeremiah burying the girdle and finding it to be marred.

The lesson I get from this is that we should cleave to the Lord in all ways, giving him all the honour, glory and praise, listening to him and hearing what he says to prevent us from straying from the path and to remain faithful and a "holy people". As sinners this is not easy, but I am so thankful that God sent his son to save me from sin so that I can be a new creation and hope to cleave to the Lord as instructed in both Jeremiah 13 and Mark 1.

It does not matter how many times we read the bible the Lord can still open our eyes to something we may not remember or considered before, he is truly amazing in how he works. 

Even though the summer is going quicker than I had realised I hope to add more to my blog over the next few weeks so look out for future articles.
 

Beautiful Batch The Bun

Beautiful Batch - July 2011 - June 2019

This is a special post for a special bunny called Batch. Batch was one of our rabbits at college and was a keen favourite with both students and staff. He was a bit of a mixed variety but had very soft long fur which was great for grooming.

Batch was the happy outcome of two rabbits we had at college called Peanut (mum) and Benjy (dad). Somehow Peanut and Benjy (who lived in separate enclosures) were accidentally left out together by some students and Batch was the product of this. Batch was born in our mammal room in the summer of 2011. It was really nice that Batch was born at college and had the genes of two well loved college buns. He was quite quiet and placid and never really minded being handled.

Peanut and Me 2014

 
Originally Batch was housed with Peanut and another beautiful bun called Snowball, but then he was on his own for a while until about 2 years ago when his new wife bun Jemima arrived. Jemima is very funny and extremely protective over Batch and despite the fact he was about 5-6 years older than her he did not mind being fussed over. I do not have any pictures of Batch and Jemima together but below is a fairly poor picture of Jemima but the only one I have without students in it. 

Jemima arrived at college 2017

Sadly due to his age Batch's health had detioriated in the last few months so I was mindful to check in on him every now and again. Last Wed. I happened to be near the mammal room so thought I would go and see how he was. He was sitting up in his hay bowl and seemed relaxed and okay. Two of the senior students fed him some greens which he wholeheartedly ate. I later found out that around about 2 hours after this one of the technicians went in to the room and found he had passed away.

I am very sad he has now gone but pleased that he went peacefully, in the enclosure next to the one he was born in.Jemima was there with him and it was nice and quiet. We are hoping to bond her with a new male over the summer if we can find somebun suitable.

As mentioned in previous posts I truly believe that God promises there will be creatures on the new earth and there is no reason why this is not the ones that we have had relationships with here on this earth.

We have the hope that we will see our pets in heaven. This is not sentimental but supported in various books of the bible - two key ones being Isaiah and Revelation. Isaiah in chapter 65:25 mentions the wolf and the lamb feeding together.

Isaiah 65:17-19

God is so good to us and gives us so many wonderful promises of what is to come and will be so overwhelmed by his love that eternity is more than we can begin to imagine. There is only joy in heaven and on the new earth so it makes sense we would be reunited with our animals and I hope this includes the ones I have loved over the years from the college collection as well as my own dearly departed ones. 

A-Z of Amazing Animals - Deer

Hart in Old English is "Heorot" meaning male Deer in their mature state -but this is a picture of fawn (young deer).

 

 

Whilst this well known verse of the bible refers to Hart in the KJV, more modern versions refer to deer. Deer as a whole and how they link to the bible will be my focus for this edition of A-Z of Amazing animals.

Deer are a ruminant animal (meaning they have a 4 chambered stomach), like camels, sheep etc. Deer chew the cud and also have cloven hooves making them in biblical terms a clean animal to eat as referred to in Deuteronomy Chapter 14, which specifically mentions deer in verse 5.

On the reverse of that in the same chapter it refers to unclean animals, those that we should not eat as they are not good for us and it  delights me to read that Conies (rabbits) are unclean. They chew the cud but do not have a cloven hoof. I  don't eat meat anyway not because of religious reasons but because of the animal welfare and health aspect, but even when I did eat meat I never ate venison (deer meat) or rabbit😊 .   

Deer can be found all over Europe, parts of Asia and the Americas, but not generally in Africa where Antelope are more prevalent. Deer differ to Antelope as they are from the Cervidae family rather than Bovidae which antelope & gazelles are part of. With deer the male antlers fall off and regrow unlike antelopes & gazelles who have theirs for life. Whilst you may consider deer to be gentle, scared creatures they are quite hardy and able to live in a variety of  temperatures and terrains and are a prey animal so need to be tough.

Deer are a group living species living in herds, usually you will find females (Does) and fawns in one herd and males (Bucks) in another. Males do separate during mating season in order to find a female. The size and strength of a Male's antlers will affect where it falls on the hierarchical scale and how they fair in their "Battle of the Antlers".


The only two native species of deer in the UK are roe and red deer, but the fallow deer has also been in the UK since its introduction in the 11th century. Other species of deer have been introduced in to the UK in the last 150 years but the roe, red and fallow are the ones you will most likely see in our countryside and parklands. The average life span for a roe deer is around 10 years but life span varies alot between each species of deer. The original Disney's Bambi was based on roe deer but later changed to a mule deer as they are  more common to the USA than the roe.  

Bambi and of course Thumper too.

The deer in some form or other is mentioned more than 25 times in various books of the"Old Testament", but does not seem to appear anywhere in the "New Testament". The references to deer/gazelles etc. is quite diverse so I thought I would put a table together to show how God's word refers to these beautiful creatures in so many different ways. When I consider the deer I always think of Psalm 42, however it may surprise you to know that the Psalms only refer to deer twice, whereas Song of Solomon has over 7 different references.    

Book	Reference to deer etc.
Genesis 49	Naphtali is compared to a hind with leaping beauty.
Deuteronomy – four different chapters	Clean food that was acceptable to eat.
2 Samuel 2 2 Samuel 22	3 sons of Zeruiah referred to as gazelles. Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places.
1 Kings 4	Part of Solomon’s provisions.
Job 39	Observation of calving deer.
Psalm 18 Psalm 42	Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places. Panting for water that is compared to David’s  soul panting for the Lord.
Proverbs 5	Loving and graceful doe being compared to a wife and her love etc.
Song of Solomon – 7 different references chapters 2-4,  7 & 8	Compares the 2 characters to both male and female deer’s in various forms to portray the love between them.
Isaiah 3 references	Compared to hunted antelope/gazelles. Chapter 35: Lame leaping like a deer.
Jeremiah 14	Doe abandoning her young.
Lamentations 1	Princes becoming like deer.
Habbukuk 3	Feet like “hind’s” feet set on high places.

  
In conclusion God's word often likens deer to grace and beauty and our love for the Lord, despite the fact they are okay to eat.

 

Exodus 20:8

This post follows on from my thoughts post 2 days ago. In that post I spoke about the result of the MEP elections etc. This got me thinking about something that I heard that was encouraging and refreshing about 2 areas of our country and reminded me of the 4th commandment (Exodus 20:8) which I have chosen as my verse of the week.

Both Northern Ireland and the West of Scotland refused to count votes on the Lord's day which is testament to the fact they still have respect for the "Lord's Day" and what is set down in this verse. It is really encouraging that quite large areas of the country still feel this way, despite England being swayed by modern pressures and seem to totally discount this "Holy Day". West Scotland has a strong "Reformed Presbyterian" presence and I assume this is why they stood by their beliefs in not counting the votes until the Monday.

In my last post I compared Nigel Farage to Oliver Cromwell; it was timely as our friend Simon pointed us to a blog by Bishop Cranmer (on my links)  where he compared Nigel to Martin Luther and the whole reformation situation. This really does feel like a time of major politically change in our nation as it was in Oliver Cromwell's day and the reformation period.

Whilst considering key characters of Brexit, Nigel seems to be the front man and a strong personality  but there is also Arlene Foster from the DUP. I do not know much about her but what I have seen and heard I do believe that she is someone who sticks to the truth and does not waiver on what she feels is the best for Northern Ireland and will not compromise.  I am aware she is a member of the Church of Ireland so hope that she does stand for the Christian faith. She is a pro-life campaigner as well so it is such a shame we cannot vote for the DUP in England as this parties policies appear to be based on biblical values.                

Going back to Exodus 20:8, in the early 90s the UK government passed the Sunday trading law to allow all shops to trade on the "Lord's day" and since that time we have seen a decline in Church attendance and any general respect for this day. Lance even had to change his job in the 90s due to extra pressure to work on that day. Thankfully he stood by his belief's and was rewarded with another job.  Many Christians in retail suffer immense pressure to conform to what their employer wants and it can be very difficult for them.

    
It is important that we do set this day aside and remain faithful. It is something we should want to do as a holy people rather than something we HAVE to do. Lance and I over the years have come to appreciate more and more how important setting all wordly activities to one side is  and to keep our focus on the Lord. However, this is not an excuse to behave differently the rest of the week and we should always strive to be a "Holy people." So when you hear news like we did over the MEP count it reminded me of what an important witness keeping the sabbath holy as per the 4th commandment is.   

Thoughts - Give Thanks To The Lord

I have not had much time for writing posts recently and realise it has been well over a month since my last post. I hope now to have some more time to get back on track, espescially as it is half term. Look out for more upcoming posts on animals and bible verses.

I thought now was a good time for an update on the last "thoughts" post where I mentioned a planning proposal on the land behind us. It is still not official yet but it is looking promising that the said proposal has been refused.

This whole situation has made me realise that we must give thanks to God in all things, even when it does not go our way. We will face many challenges through life but must remain faithful to the Lord. It can often feel that the big companies and those with money behind them will often win but as a Christian I know that God has the victory overall. I also thank the Lord for helping me through another year as it is my birthday week. 

Today it was announced that the Brexit party has gained the most MEP votes for the UK, which I am very pleased about; it is good to see that finally there may be a big shake up of our government and who people are voting for. I have said recently how Nigel Farage kind of reminds me of a non-puritan version of Oliver Cromwell. He seems to be for the people rather than a politican who is so out of touch with what the general public think.

I do believe it is biblical to vote as it important that we encourage those who are trying to keep our country on track morally and consider sovereignity and democracy. Being part of the EU I have seen how our nation has become more liberal and secularised and fallen in line with EU law that is quite in opposition to God's law. With this whole situation our country now has an opportunity to return to withdraw from the EU and get our laws more back in line with biblical standards.  As in paragraph 3 it is starting to feel that the "little people" (not talking about my height😄) are finally getting noticed.

I know whatever happens that the Lord guides us in everything, and as one of my favourite chapters of the bible states:

Chinchillas

As mentioned in an earlier post Lance and I's first pet together was a Chinchilla called Squingey. You may be thinking this is a very odd name, but it was the 2 names of Lance's childhood Guinea Pigs Squiggles and Gingey which then formed Squingey.

Back in 1991 Lance came across Squingey when he went to a pet shop with a colleague and was immediately taken with him. He took me along to see him and straight away we knew he was meant to be with us. At the time not much was known about Chinchillas as pets and Lance and I had never come across one before. Knowing what I know now I would have done things very differently but I have to trust that the Lord meant it to be how it was at the time.

Squingey - with us 1991-1997

 Chinchillas are native to South America, mainly around the mountainous regions of the Andes and part of the rodent family. They are rock dwellers and generally live in large groups. Unfortunately at the time we only had Squingey not really realising they were a group living species. If I was to have anymore I would ensure we had at least 2 together. They are known to live up to 20 years of age but I have only ever known one to reach this age.


Chinchillas were commonly bred and sadly killed for their fur to be made in to coats in the 1920s, but as the fur trade died out Chinchillas started to be taken in as pets. The reason they were so heavily sought after for their fur is due to the fact that they have the densest (softest fur) out of all land animals, the only one who has even more hair follicles per square inch is the Sea Otter.  Soft seems to be my theme of the week. If you have ever had the pleasure of handling a Chin then you will know how truly soft they are and it feels like they are all fur and nothing else🐭 They are an entertaining animal and one who whilst nervous in nature can also be loving and affectionate and certainly not timid. They are clever animals and good escape artists!       

The  Lord is truly amazing how he made so many wonderful creatures and when he says and "it was good" you get a sense of how wonderful he considered these creatures he had created.

Genesis 1:31

 It's only after we had Squingey that we became aware that our neighbour also had one called Chester and since had two others Sherbert and Monty. When I started working at the college there were a couple there then. We have had a number of Chins at the college since and currently house 3, Max, Frankie and Tufty. The most common colour is grey but you can also find them in white, beige, dark brown and black. Max is the only non grey chin that I have met, he is white with flecks of grey and quite grumpy. 

 I am often reminded when I am around beautiful creatures like Chinchillas that they are only here by the grace of God and the fact that he wanted to create them in the first place. How thankful I am to him for this fact and how wonderful it was to have Squingey with us for over six years. The Lord uses his wonderful creatures to help support us during difficult times.

Proverbs 15:1

This verse  has made a big difference to me and how I respond to people. I notice that in our modern day society it seems that people are unable to take responsibility for their own actions and are quick to go on the defensive. If only everyone kept to this verse then our society would be a much more pleasant and calm one, where matters were dealt with and addressed in a responsible way.

I have had periods of my life where I have been quick to go on the defensive and not take responsibility, getting worked up when someone has highlighted an issue and then this response causes them to get annoyed. A few years ago our small fellowship started reading through Proverbs each Lord's day and we came across this verse. This was a stand out verse to all of us and is something that we attempt to keep to.

How strange that it seems it is easier to react in an abrupt or selfish manner than to take a moment to consider the impact of our response. The majority of arguments that I have been involved in can be put down to not thinking about how I answer. How so many arguments could have been avoided just by simply remembering Proverbs 15:1.  

I now often find myself saying this verse over and over in my head when I want to react defensively and I have noticed that Lance to has made every effort here as well.

The Lord is so amazing to us that even just by responding in a soft and loving way can actually deflect confrontation and help us to be wise in our response, rather than reactive. The Lord reminds us later through the book of James he supports this view of taking care on what we say. This shows how consistent the bible is throughout and how we should behave. The Old testament works beautifully with the New.

Writing this article actually reminds me of what an important verse this is and how a few wise words from Solomon & James given to them by the Lord can make all the difference to our quality of life and harmony with others.  Proverbs 15:1 does not mean you have to be a "door mat" or stand up for what is right but to be more considerate about the words that come out of your mouth.  

I am thankful to the Lord that  he has guided me through this verse and it has helped me to try and be a less defensive and more considered in my responses in my biblical walk. Through God's strength he has helped me and when I fall down he picks me up. 

Talk of the Month - Early Years.

Ephesians 1:4 - Chosen before the foundation of the world - how incredible is that!

I am aiming for this talk section to be a once a month post. So this is the one for March. I have realised it is exactly a month ago  this week since my first post so thought it an appropriate time to issue another talk one.

Last time I gave a brief introduction to my Christian background and will continue to use this post as a reflection on my growth in faith over this time and hope this will help me to see how God has really worked in my life.

I was born in  North Wales at the start of the 1970s. My father worked for the local council but was also heavily involved in the Methodist Church. When I was around 5 we moved to Kent due to my father's job. We then started attending a local Methodist Church and my dad was a lay preacher. After a couple of years of living in Kent my Father collapsed suddenly at a local Church meeting and was rushed to hospital. Sadly he died and my mum was a widow at the age of 36 with 2 young daughters (my older sister Susan and me).

Susan on the right me (the cute one) on the left.😊

 My mum ensured that we continued to attend Church and Sunday School and found it to be a supportive and comforting network in her time of grief. My parents had also lost their first child (Wendy) when she was only 3 months old and my dad's mum within a year of that.  As I was quite young at the time of my dad's death I did not realise how difficult it must have been for my mum.


Throughout my childhood and teens I continued to attend the Methodist Church and was heavily involved in the youth group and Sunday evening youth fellowship which was called "Chatterbox". Chatterbox was run by a really lovely couple who were in their early 30s called David and Helen Piper. They opened their home to the youth of the church every Sunday evening to discuss Christian issues and issues that affected us. This fellowship had a big impact on me at the time and was the start of me really understanding that there was a God and he sent his "Son" Jesus Christ. I grew up with this in mind anyway but this group helped affirm it for me. I counted myself to be a Christian at this age, but did not understand the importance of it until much later.

The other key person who had a big impact on my childhood was an elderly lady called Nora Goy. I always called her Aunty Nora even though she was not my relative. She was a very gentle  and kind woman who had a real love for the Lord. I treated her like a Grandma as my real Grandma lived in Wales and was in a care home so I did not see her much. Aunty Nora was a strong spiritual guide in my life and I saw her every week. We often went around there for tea and she taught me how to make greeting cards. I think I got my interest in crafts from her as she always seemed to have something on the go. Sadly, she died when I was 18 but I hope that I will see her again in "Glory".

My mum was keen that we had a holiday once a year so it became the norm. for us to go on a Methodist Guild Hall holiday annually. This was how my parents actually met so my mum had a keen interest in them. I have many happy memories of these and they were good as they were quite focussed on the bible and we got to meet Christians/Church goers from all over the country. I don't think these holiday's exist anymore but they were good.    

When I was 14 my mum met Brian who became her second husband. We continued to attend the Methodist Church for  a while after they got married but as Brian was not a Christian they stopped attending. I still continued and had involvement with the youth groups etc. until the Pipers moved away and then I met Lance.

When I look back on that time now I can see how God looked after me even  from a young age and how he has guided me throughout my life in both the good and bad times. I realise now that the Methodist Church doctrines are quite far removed from the Christianity that I understand today but it certainly gave me the building blocks to recognise Christ as my Lord and Saviour from a young age.            

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. What a wonderful positive verse this is to end the book of Psalms. Whenever I read or hear this I always think of our pets as I do believe that all of God's creatures have an awareness of him and the animal world accept this.

It may sound sentimental or not even biblically supported but I do truly believe that the Lord made all creatures to be aware of him but he made us in his own image. Why would the Psalmist say let everything that has breath if it was only referring to humans.

This verse was our go to verse when we buried our pets, it give hope that they have knowledge of the Lord and is supported with talk of the new earth in Revelation.

As I have grown in faith and understanding of the bible I have come to see the Psalms as an amazing book that covers every aspect of life and all the emotions and trials that go with it. I often find comfort in the various psalms and  see something new in them  whenever I sing or read from them.  The Psalms are just as relevant today as they were when they were first written and really show true human nature and both the struggles and joy. I never really appreciated the Psalms in my early Christian walk  but have come to find them to be a great source of encouragement in recent years.

Psalm 150 is such a joyous Psalm as a whole and gives us an insight to what it must have been like to live in the days of the temple when they did use instruments to praise the Lord. 

I have chosen this as verse of the week as it is easy to overlook specific verses in Psalms as there are so many of them but this verse is a special one for Lance and I.    

A-Z of Animals - British Blue Butterfly

2 Corinthians 5:17

 Since a young age I have  had an interest in butterflies; one of my earliest memories of this is from the mid 1970s when my dad used to collect them. Sadly, back in those days it was quite common for people to collect butterflies and pin them on to boards and frame them. My dad had one of these and I remember thinking what beautiful creatures they were and how amazing it was that they came from a caterpillar. I also enjoyed collecting caterpillars when I was younger, not really appreciating at the time that they were living creatures who should be left in their own environment. This type of attitude along with the increase in housing projects on green space (don't get me started!) led to a big decline in the british butterfly population.  

Caterpillars and butterflies are so varied in their colours and shapes that I find them quite fascinating. Throughout my life I have always found the butterfly to be one of my go to creatures for cross stitch and card making as to me they depict new life.

Butterflies make for a good spiritual comparison in the way that they start off in one form as an egg, then a caterpillar, cocoon then end up as a beautiful creature who has been freed. This is much like the Christian life where we are born in to sin and go through different stages of life until God opens our eyes and makes us a new creation.

British Blue Butterfly

The "British Blue Butterfly" (BBB) first came to my attention a number of years ago at college when they were the subject of a Level 2 Conservation assignment. I found their story to be quite incredible when I learned of their symbiotic relationship with the mermica sabulita ant. This particular species of butterfly could be found in meadows throughout Britain until its apparent disappearance in the 1970s, however due to a reintroduction project during the 1980s it has made a reappearance in the UK and now doing very well. This species does not appear to survive without a specific species of ant and shows how much they need them. This reminds me of how much we rely on God to become a new creation.

The BBB lays her eggs on a plant in the meadow and the caterpillar hatches and eventually falls to the ground. This caterpillar has a pheromone that smells like a mermica ant, so the ant collects the caterpillar thinking it to be one of their own and takes it back to their nest. The caterpillar continues to mimic the young ant smell, despite looking quite different so they take care of it and feed it and nurture it until it becomes a butterfly. Whilst the caterpillar is a parasite it needs the ant for survival but never does harm to the ants, they appreciate all that the ant does for them. However they are still conning the ant and it is fooled in to thinking it is one of their own.

Whilst the BBB caterpillar is just using the ants resources in a positive way there is also the ichneumon wasp whose motives are more sinister and aggressive. This is actually quite creepy but clever on the wasps part; the wasp emits a pheromone and dupes the ant in to thinking it is one of their young so they take it back to their nest, once the ants realise it is not one of them they attack the wasp who then emits more pheromones turning the ants against each other and then injects each ant with one of their own eggs. The wasp then leaves, calm seems to come back to the nest and before you know it young wasps take over the ant and burst forth out of them and the ant nest is pretty much destroyed. I warned you it was creepy👀. The link below goes in to a bit more detail, but there are plenty of sites about this subject and a creepy video somewhere!.

Mermica Sabuleti Ant - The Goodie

Ichneumon Wasp - The Baddie

Research gate link re. BBB and Ants.




The story of the butterfly, ant & wasp could be considered an allegory to our spiritual life as a Christian. We change from our old ways to a new one with the support and strength of our Lord, but sin and temptation will often try to infiltrate this new life. Satan tries to extinguish what we have become and tries to wipe out this new creation. However, as the Lord is "Sovereign" he will not allow this to happen and has the ultimate victory. The story of the wasp reminds me of a number of biblical passages around apostates and false prophets who infiltrate churches and turn congregations against each other, causing division, discord and often destruction of what was once a stable fellowship. The butterfly larvae lives in harmony with the ant acting as one of its own without causing harm but the wasps motives are quite different. This reminds me that as Christians we need to be on guard for those who want destroy our fellowship with other Christians and the Lord.

  

I think the story of this butterfly and ant is a wonderful example of how God works in the whole of creation and has symbiotic relationships that can be used as examples to our own spiritual walk.    

      

Thoughts - Life without God is meaningless.

This post may be a difficult read for some  but it is a subject that was addressed many times in  the bible and one that if more people considered then I believe there would be many more Christians in the world; the subject of life after death. My thoughts this week  have been drawn to people who die without knowing the Lord as their Saviour. This is quite a terrifying thought to think of eternity separate from God and to be cast in to the lake of fire.

Many people go through life not considering what will happen to them after they die. Filling their days with worldly pursuits to keep their mind occupied, but as Ecclesiastes says everything is meaningless without God, a chasing after the wind. It is because of God that we are even here in the first place. So often today you see people set their sites on what to achieve in the here and now rather than considering the state of their soul. This attitude and pressure to achieve, have more and better, puts a strain on people and relationships and can result in considerable stress.

In my last post I mentioned about people being driven to suicide as this seems to be the only way out for them; if we believe the bible to be true then actually we are merely passing through this life for an eternal life and will be held accountable in the next one. Suicide and assisted suicide is a way for man to even control his own death and decide when he wants to die. However, this is not our choice and God is sovereign and in control of all things. God promises to love those who love him and gives purpose to our lives.

Whilst to some Ecclesiastes may come across as fairly negative, it has the underlying promise and assurance that only God can give us. Reading the book of Ecclesiastes has helped me understand human nature more and how a life without God truly is meaningless, regardless on how much we achieve in it.        

         

Have you trusted in the Lord? Have you cast all your burdens on him? If more people did this then they would not feel the need to bottle everything up and then take their own lives. How great our Lord is that he suffered and died for us and still we can cast all our burdens on him; spending eternity without sorrow or crying.The alternative is to deny God and spend eternity in suffering, which as mentinoned earlier is quite a terrifying thought. Thankfully the Lord has been gracious to me and opened my eyes to this and I hope and pray others have these thoughts to. This is a positive message and one that can bring comfort to those in trouble of mind and soul.

Revelation 21:4

I have chosen Revelation 21:4 as this week's verse, as it is such a comforting verse and speaks of God's promise. It also happens to be one of Lance's favourite verses due to its reassuirng nature of the life to come.

It does not matter what we face in this life as long as we put our trust in God and repent of our sins. We have something so much greater waiting for us and all the sin of this world will be wiped away. 

Over the last month or so I have noticed both in the news and people I have been acquintated with have been dying at a similar age to both Lance and I. Some of these due to suicide because they see no way out from the desperate situations that they are in; nothing or no-one in a worldly sense can help them. Many people try to fill what I would call a "spiritual vacuum" with wordly things and this is why so many people suffer and get depressed because they do not address their spiritual side. I will address this issue more in my next "thoughts" post.

Sin is overlooked and quite often embraced in this secular world and all the while it continues more people will suffer and feel depressed. 

Trusting in God and Christ as our saviour does give us hope and a way out of this sinful life. The verse of the week gives us that hope and an indication on how wonderful our eternity as saved sinners it will be.

Revelation 21:4 continues to be a verse we regularly turn to, espescially when our pets died. It helped us understand more about God's promise and I thank the Lord every day for his words. 

      

This verse emphasises our total relience on the Lord and this not something we can earn or work for ourselves.