Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Giving Thanks

Scripture: And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.
(Acts 27:35, NKJV)

Why should we thank God? In the words recorded by Isaiah, “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” (Isaiah 25:1)
Breaking bread and giving thanks is a ritual recorded often throughout the Bible. Jesus gave thanks for the seven loaves of bread, broke them according to custom, and fed four thousand men, plus women and children. (Mt. 15:36-39)
One of the most memorable and meaningful rituals is this: “And when He had given thanks, He broke it (bread) and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’“ (Paul, writing to the Corinthians concerning the proper observance of the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians, 11:24).
The ritual observance of The Lord’s Supper had become corrupted at Corinth; many in the congregation were eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. Whoever does so, Paul said, “will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (vs, 27) and “eats and drinks judgement to himself.” (vs. 29)
I pray that your meals and thanksgiving gatherings do not become as those which Paul rebuked, where some take their meal ahead of others, one is hungry and another is drunk. (vs. 21) Especially in a setting, as these suppers were, intended to eat the Lord’s Supper as a church. Paul counsels that we wait for one another, and share, not shaming those who have nothing. (vs. 22)
The scriptures speak not only to manners and custom associated with eating and drinking, but also to giving thanks for all that the Lord has provided. Further, thanksgiving is to be sincere, and not as a recitation of meaningless words. In all that we do, but especially in giving thanks to God, we should exalt His name and praise Him.
It is easy, perhaps, to be thankful when the table is groaning with the volume of food and delicacies to be prayed over. To be in the presence of loved ones, family, and the ambiance of the occasion. To feel that all is well with the world, or at least your corner of it.
Look again at the opening scripture. This could well describe one of Jesus’ many mealtime blessings, perhaps at the house of friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Actually, these words were uttered by the missionary, Paul, in the midst of a storm that threatened ship and crew with disaster: loss of life looked to be imminent.
None of the crew or passengers had eaten for several days. Paul implored them to take nourishment, since all would be saved. “And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.”
Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. (Acts 27:36)
With Isaiah of old, then, let us pray, “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things.” In feast or famine, remember to praise God, as Jesus taught His disciples (and us) and pray for our daily bread, for forgiveness, both toward us, and by us.
And remember His ultimate gift to all, the Body and Blood of the Lord’s Supper.
And as He prayed on that fateful night, “Not my will, Father, but Thy will be done.”

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, NKJV)

So how was your last flight? No, I don’t mean by commercial carrier. You do use a flying auto, or at least a helicopter, don’t you? After all, we were all supposed to by using them by the 1980’s, or so the prognosticators envisioned in the 1950’s. Thankfully, that didn’t come to pass. We, the people, seem to have enough problems keeping the more conventional vehicles between the lines and out of harm’s way. Imagine what it would be like to have people slip-sliding all over the place.
It works the other way, also. Sure, Dick Tracy had his two-way wrist radio at a time when conventional communication devices were large and bulky. But who could have foreseen the day when so much is done with such small gadgets. We talk, we text, we compute, we multi-task. Our simplest devices contain more computational power in one, small integrated circuit chip than UNIVAC in the mid century past. And takes pictures, too!
We marveled at a phonograph disc that was called an LP (Long Playing) and contained more than a couple of songs. The player was mostly mechanical, bigger than a bread box. Then along came the wire recorder (remember those?) and tape decks - reel to reel. First, audio, then video. I have in my pack-rat stash examples of most of the formats, including 8-tracks, cassettes, CD’s and DVD’s.
My computer has a little age on it, but no way to play the floppy disks in my collection, not even the little 3 1/2 inch jobbies. I once wrote much of my own software, in BASIC, and a few more advanced formats. Haven’t needed that knowledge, lately.
The ubiquitous Sony Walkman has joined the list of the lost. I have an old Apple II computer on the shelf, and a couple of Commodore 64’s, also. Film. Remember film? An old box camera got me a ribbon in the antique department at a fair. There was 16 mm, 8 mm and super 8. I’ve even got film cartridges. Just pop ‘em in and hit ‘play’.
Speaking of “The Way It Was,”I once could (and did) strip down an auto engine, grind the valves, and rebuild it. New spark plugs every - what? - a few thousand miles. Now I am lucky if I can figure out how to raise the hood!
Predicting the future is an ‘iffy’ business! Chances are, we’ll get it wrong. "The best laid plans of mice and men,” etc. 1
We seem to still be in the age of “wars, and rumors of wars.” Jesus said that these things will come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. ( Matthew 24; Luke 21 His predictions concerning the temple and the city of Jerusalem were fulfilled with the destruction in 70 A.D., by the Romans.
The final end times have not happened. Jesus warned that many would come, with deceit in mind, false prophets, leading souls astray. The war against the Lamb (Revelation 17:14) can not be predicted, nor should it be. John cautions, in his closing comments to Revelation, against adding to or taking away from the words in the book of prophecy, for God shall take away his part from the Book of Life. Further, God will add to (anyone who would attempt to change God’s Word) the plagues that are described by John.
These things are beyond our control; we should leave them in God’s hand. That does not mean that we give up, and do nothing, however.
I have heard it said that to plant a fruit tree is to plan for the future. There is another form of “planting” and pruning for a fruitful life.
James relates that wars and fights come from among us, from our desires, our lusts, our spending of our resources on pleasures. We want to be a friend of the world. Prune these things from your life! Rather, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee. Be humble in the sight of the Lord; He will lift you up. Be patient! Pray for the afflicted, the sick, for one another. (James chapter 4)
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:17,18)

1 No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. The saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “I am come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b, NKJV)

One of the most magnificent spectacles of life is found on the plains of southeastern Africa. An area known as the Serengeti, a vast plain in Tanzania, is noted for the annual migration of the area's large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, buffalos and gazelle. Driven by cycles of rain and drought, the animals, and their predators, follow the circuitous movement of the supply of grasses and vegetation that nourish them. A unique combination of diverse habitats ranging from riverside forests, swamps, grasslands and woodland, enables it to support more than 30 species of large herbivores and nearly 500 species of birds.
Towards the end of May, when the grass becomes dry and exhausted, the animals begin their trek in a column several miles long to the permanent waters in the north of the Park. Yet, after the rains, the golden expanse of dry grass is transformed into an endless green carpet flecked with wildflowers. In November, when the grazing is finished in the North, this army of animals surges back to the now green pastures of the south, where they calve and mate before starting the entire cycle again.
The Okavango Delta, in Botswana, is produced by seasonal flooding. The Okavango river drains the summer (January–February) rainfall from the Angola highlands, two countries away from Botswana, taking approximately one month to reach the delta. The waters then spread over the delta during the next four months (March–June). The flood peaks between June and August, during Botswana’s dry winter months, when the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from miles around and creating one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. More than 400 species of birds flourish in the lush forests of the delta and its islands, and along the floodplains created by the waters of the Okavango river.
On the mainland and among the islands in the delta, lions, elephants, hyenas, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodiles congregate with a teeming variety of antelope and other smaller animals - warthog, mongoose, spotted genets, monkeys, bush babies and tree squirrels. The majority of the estimated 200,000 large mammals in and around the delta are not year round residents. They leave with the summer rains to find renewed fields of grass to graze on and trees to browse, then make their way back as winter approaches.
The animals have life, and have it abundantly, because of the rains that revive the forests, swamps, grasslands and woodlands. Life resumes anew in the waters of the river and channels of the delta, and slakes the thirst of the wildlife on the plains, as well. Everything is transformed by that renewing flow.
Oh! How precious is that flow!
I can’t help but think about another cleansing, nourishing flow:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing But The Blood (Robert Lowry)
Just as the animals in Africa must come to the water to benefit from it, so, too, we must come to Jesus to obtain that life-giving precious “flow.” As John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us all from unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well, told her that He is “the living water;” whoever drinks of it will never thirst. It shall become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”(John 4:14)
Come, drink, accept God’s gift of abundant life.

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NKJV)

“Respect everything; fear nothing.” At first glance, this adage may seem to be at odds with the scripture from Proverbs. I think that there is much to be said for respect, compared with fear.
Fear is to “be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening; an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain.”
Respect, on the other hand, is “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements; agree to recognize and abide by (a legal requirement)”; and, “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others”
For example, I am not afraid of electricity, having worked with it in many ways, but I have a good, healthy respect for its power and what it can do to the body. I have worked with many rotating mechanical devices, again having the capability to inflict major damage, but I do not come quaking and shaking as I approach a farm implement. I do not experience an “unpleasant emotion” in these situations; rather, I hope I exhibit a “due regard for” the qualities that make them powerful.
Now let’s apply this to a Biblical theme, in keeping with the scripture. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22” 37, 39)
To me, this approach to the great commandment speaks more of respect than of fear, according to my dictionary: “Deep admiration, and due regard.”
Let’s look at a case where a lack of respect resulted in fear, as represented by the ark of the Testimony, or Covenant. The Ark was an embodiment of God's presence with the Israelites. The atonement cover (or "mercy seat") that covered the ark was God's throne (2 Sam 6:2) and God's presence was above it (Lev 16:2); It contained the stone tablets of the Testimony (Ten Commandments) a golden pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded. The mercy seat was covered with gold. Two winged figures (cherubim) faced each other with outstretched wings. It was designed to be carried by four men, using poles inserted into rings on the sides of the ark.
God had given the Israelites many rules concerning the Ark of the Covenant. It was to be kept in the Most Holy Place in the temple, hidden from view by a curtain (Ex 26:33). Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only after he had undergone ceremonial cleansing, made sacrifices to atone for his sins and the nation's sins, and burned incense to conceal the atonement cover (Lev 16). When the ark was moved, it was covered with at least 3 layers of cloth by the priests to protect others from seeing it (Num 4:5-6, 15, 18-20);
Certainly, we may say that the presence of the ark struck fear into the hearts of the Philistines, who had captured it in battle (See 1 Samuel, chaps 5, 6). Giving glory to the God of Israel, the Philistines returned the ark to the Israelites at Beth Shemish.
The Israelites rejoiced to see the ark, and made a burnt offering to the LORD. However, their curiosity led the men of Beth Shemish to open the lid, and to look in the ark, which, out of respect for its symbolism of God’s presence, they were not supposed to do. The LORD struck the people with a great slaughter. (1 Samuel 6:19) Since God's presence was on/over the ark, they were actually coming into the presence of God - and without the least sense of reverence (respect?) towards Him.
And the men of Beth Shemish said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD god?” (vs. 20)
Who, indeed! Those who show respect for, and have a feeling of deep admiration for, the abilities, qualities, or achievements of The LORD, expressing love for Him with all heart - soul - mind, should have no need to feel fear.