Inspiration Thursday

I have grown weary of seeing our flag at half-staff. I have tired of seeing ambulances, hearing sirens, and listening to detailed reports of yet another tragedy that has taken innocent lives far too soon. We can blame ideologies, weapons, abuse of power, or any number of things for such behavior, but the truth is, this is a heart issue. Slowly but surely our country has lost it's heart for life. We no longer respect life or consider it precious. If some people feel abused, bullied, or greatly offended by another person or group, that appears to be, to them, justification for taking the life of people they don't even know. 
We have abandoned the Creator of life and determined that His teachings are not relevant to us and not worthy of passing to our children and the world around us. God's Word teaches us, "the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7) Man did not create life and he has no authority to take life from another innocent human being.
We have become an angry nation. We are angry with the government, we are angry with terror, and we are angry with each other. Take heed of these words, "an ill-tempered man stirs up disputes, and a hotheaded man is the cause of many sins." (Proverbs 29:22). Behind each of the horrible acts that we have witnessed these past few weeks, you will find a furious human being. 
The answer to our problems does not lie in the government. It does not lie in gun control, revised immigration regulations or any other unenforceable concept debated and made law. The answer lies in the heart. When we realize that we were created by a loving God, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" (Psalm 139:4), to live according to His will, then and only then will we find the peace that passes all understanding. Christ Himself said that He came so that we might experience the abundant life and He is the only way to have that experience. So what can you do? Pray! Pray that God's people with repent and return to Him. Pray that your family knows Christ as their personal Savior. Pray that your next door neighbor has a personal relationship with Christ and if not, pray that someone will share the Love of the Creator with them (that might be you).  Pray for your local, state and federal government. Remember, God promised that, "He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29). Have a blessed day.

Skywatch Friday

One thing that I like about Skywatch Friday is that there is no way any two photos will be alike.  The sky is constantly changing.  The sun is in a different place and the colors are always unique to the location.  There are times when the weather can be predicted by looking into the sky.  While we may not be able to forecast days in advance by simply staring at the sky, we can see storm clouds coming or feel the change in temperature and humidity and signals a change is coming.
Interestingly enough we should be able to determine the general direction that our country is headed by looking at the world around us.  Many would say that our country has lost it's moral compass and some recent headlines would appear to bear that out. The college baseball player who was murdered in Oklahoma by three teens, because they were bored is evidence enough that many youngsters have no sense of right and wrong.  How have we come to this point?  The true moral compass is Jesus Christ and we have attempted to eliminate Him from every aspect of our lives.  The Bible says, "Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" ( Proverbs 22:6).  My generation, The Boomers, have failed to do this.  Instead, we have said, "don't push religion on your children and when they turn eighteen they will figure it out."  That's like saying don't teach your child how to read and somehow they will figure it out on their own.  The Bible is life's instruction book, written by the God of all creation and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).  Without the Bible, we are NOT equipped to live this life as God intended.  The only answer for this situation is for God's people to return to their first love and to begin to teach their children and grandchildren that God loves them, He has a plan for their life, and He has a desire to have a daily relationship with them.  Life with our children and grandchildren is filled with teaching moments.  We can teach them that God is just something that we make room for when it is convenient, and completely ignored most of the time, or we can teach them that Jesus loves them, He knew them before they were formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5) and He has provided an instruction book that will guide them in every aspect of their life.  We need to start now.  Have a blessed week-end.

Thursday Interlude

I can't help it.  I love this group and I want to share them with you.  Enjoy.