Thanksgiving is almost here.  Most homes will have some type of delicious bread, muffins or rolls.  Don’t’ you love the smell of bread baking in the oven? 

 Bread is called the Staff of Life for good reason. Most societies have some sort of bread, perhaps small fry breads, tortillas, flat breads.  There are wheat breads, rye breads, oat breads and corn bread! Even a brand called Wonder Bread!   I love that name.

When I made my last trip to the store, I was amazed at the long aisle filled with bread or bread products.  There were at least forty types of bread and more if you count donuts. 

The first bread mentioned in Scripture was the unleavened bread used in the first Passover.  (Exodus 12.)  The people were told to make their bread in haste without leaven, because they had to leave quickly before the bread would rise.  

While on their journey to the Land of Promise, God provided a type of bread for the Hebrews.  It was sweet to the taste, and it supplied them with the nourishment they needed for the journey.   Manna from heaven! 

Bread was so meaningful that on the table in the tabernacle were twelve loaves of bread which represented the twelve tribes of Israel. When David and his men were on run from King Saul, he entered the tabernacle and took that bread to his band of men. (1 Samuel 21) God forgave him.  Hunger and survival were more important than those twelve special loaves of bread.

Our Lord Himself said. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48) or again, in His special prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) As in most Jewish writing, there are layers of meaning in the scriptures.  Bread can mean sustenance, assurance of life, and food for our souls. 

The book of Leviticus contains no fewer than fourteen references of bread.  The themes of bread in this context provides a means of developing and maintaining closeness to God; first by maintaining  purity, then by observing various  festivals and finally by rule of laws or commands. (Leviticus 21-24)

Bread can be associated with wealth or work ethic as found in Proverbs 12:11. “He who works his land will have enough bread.”

Leaven in bread is often associated with disobedience.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:6 “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Just as today we hear the expression…….” Got any bread? Or…….” Can you lend me some dough? Bread plays into our everyday living!!

 We are supplied with physical bread for our bodies; spiritual bread for our souls; and we are to work for our daily bread.  God provides the increase.

                                                               Yes, Bread is Wonderful!

There is a beautiful hymn called “Under His wings, I am safely abiding.” The meaning of those words is precious to Believers.  We associate wings with safety, knowing that our Father loves us and takes us under His protection regardless of what we suffer in this world.

We think of wings in regard to birds, or chickens who provide protection for their offsprings.   Psalm 91:4. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge, His faithfulness will be your shield and defender.”

Yeshua (Jesus) uses the same type of analogy, when He looks over the city of Jerusalem and the coming destruction by the Romans in AD70.  Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you were not willing.” 

The idea of being covered with God’s wings means protection.  But to the Jewish men it has another meaning as well. 

They are often seen wearing the Tallit…. or long shawl covering their heads, with long fringes intwined with blue threads.  All of this is very symbolic. The binding of their arms and having a small scripture box on their foreheads remind them of God’s instructions found in Exodus 13: 9. “And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand/arm and as a memorial between your eyes.”

When the man wears his tallit he is under the “wings “of God.  The tallit when opened resembles “wings.”   Wrapping himself in his tallit, he symbolically places himself under God’s sheltering love. 

The Lord spoke of entering a prayer closet.  Another symbol of being wrapped in a tallit, a covering which provides a type of prayer closet.  Women do not wear the tallit but they too are covered with His protection as they are under His wings symbolically.    

Yeshua wore the tallit himself.  Remember the woman who touched the hem of His garment? The story is found in Mark 5:24, 25. “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched garment.”  This was probably his tallit, since it had long fringes. 

Even without being touched by the fringes of His garment, we too come under God’s protective love through our Messiah.  We are under His wings and with love and mercy He surrounds us.  “Have mercy on me, my God have mercy on me for in you I take refuge. I take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”  Psalm 57:1.
                                      
                                                Are you abiding under His wings?

                                          How is your “good eye?” 

In Matthew 6:22 the Lord said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, (a good eye) your whole body will be full of light.”  

Have you ever heard a sermon on having a “good eye?”  Most preachers simply don’t understand this saying of Jesus. Unless you understand the 1st century meaning, it doesn’t make sense.

 Jesus was speaking to His disciples, and they understood.  So, what does this mean to you and me? In case you are wondering whether you have a “good eye” then read on and “see” for yourself. 

Proverbs 22:9 “Whoever has a bountiful eye, he will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Proverbs 28:22 “A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth and does not know what will come upon him.”

Jesus always, upholds the Hebrew Scriptures.   He reaffirms the necessity for generosity in life.  We are not to be greedy or avaricious.  We work, we receive, and we are blessed. We give to others. 

We assume this is our money or material wealth. Not always.

Perhaps we think that putting money in the basket is being generous.  We give financially and that’s it.  We are off the hook.  Nothing more!  You might even tithe but is that all we are to give?    

As you read……. Having a good eye means that you are generous compared with someone who has an evil eye. Someone who is greedy with both his finances, his sympathy or refuses to share his time.

                               An Old Jewish saying applies. 
There are three kinds of generosity: “Generosity of one’s money, generosity of one’s body and generosity of one’s wisdom.” 

This seems to fit well today.  Generosity need not always be demonstrated with money.  Money indeed might be the easiest thing we give.  Perhaps what we should be giving is sharing our ideas, talents, and knowledge.  Sharing our time, both physically and in prayer, might be what is most needed.

 We should take time with those who simply need encouragement, our support, or just being there to sit and listen. Perhaps someone needs a sympathetic ear.

I am one who always likes to solve problems.  Perhaps it isn’t what they really need.  They really didn’t want my advice, or they would have asked for it.  They just needed a listening ear and a generous “good eye”. 

                                These are things money can’t buy

                                          So how is your good eye? 

If you aren’t sure, visit the Divine Ophthalmologist for a checkup!

                              May all God’s people have 20/20 vision!! 

Remember the game Trivial Pursuits?  It is a board game in which progress is determined by a player’s ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. 

We too play “trivial pursuit” ……but not the board game.  Ours is a game of life but we play the trivial pursuit angle.  We focus on the here and now, rather than the hereafter! 

Of course we live in this present world.  But oft times the present world becomes an end in itself.  Our agnostic friends say…..”when you’re dead your dead.”  The Greek Epicureans felt the same.  Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow” …guess what? You’re dead!! 

It’s all well and good to focus on going to heaven when we die but in reality, we try to stay around as long as possible.  Nothing wrong with that. 

As Believers, we know that life is a gift……..but we must use the gift of life wisely.  We don’t waste our precious days on “trivial pursuits.” Every moment of every day could be our last. 

When I get caught up in the nitty gritty complexities of life.  Why is my ice maker not making ice?  My dishwasher is full and it’s not working! I I forgot to pay  my credit card bill!  Nothing is going right for me!
These are my trivial pursuits.  They are important but they aren’t in the big picture.  I live in a world that often seems upside down and going crazy.  But that’s our world and you and I are in it. 

Luke 6:46-49 …” Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.  They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on a rock.  When a flood came the torrents struck that house, but could not shake it, because it was well built.  But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the sand without a foundation.  The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed, and its destruction was complete.”   

If we build our earthly “house” on the sands of this world, then when the storms of life come, we will feel lost and abandoned.  But when we keep living close to Him, even though the storms come……. which they will……we will find ourselves able to withstand the flood. 

Remember that God knows our trivial pursuits.  He is with us despite the adversities of what we are going through.  He is with us in our pain and suffering as well as our trivial pursuits. 

We all have our own particular “trivial pursuits.”  Mine is different than yours. 

                                                         Trivial Pursuits                                  

                                                         What are yours? 

We as Believers often complain about the moral values of our country.  We also realize that much of our moral decline can be traced to the policies that are enacted and come directly from our elected officials.  However, many well-meaning Christians are not involved with politics. …. often citing what Jesus told His early disciples…..”my kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:36).  Therefore, they feel God’s hand is in everything that happens both in this world and the next.  So why worry??

I recently purchased a book entitled “Jesus Was Involved in Politics” by Neil Mannon, a preacher, teacher, and computer engineer. 

I was rather anxious to know how Dr. Mammon was going to treat this subject.  I always believed that the Lord shied away from the politics of His day. The Romans had successfully invaded and maintained a strong military hold on Israel.   I mistakenly understood that the Lord was speaking spiritually and not politically.  However, after reading Dr. Mammon’s book I am changing my mind.

                                                                First
Jesus and the Coin.  “Render Under Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.”  (Luke 2025). The coin belongs to Caesar and the image on the coin was Caesar’s head.  Jesus is telling his disciples that they should pay Caesar his tax.  But because they are disciples of God then they must bear God’s image on them.  You and I must pay our taxes to “Caesar”, but we are stamped with God’s image.  We submit to an earthly authority here in this world, but we bare the stamp of “God’s coin” on our hearts.

                                                                Second
Jesus spoke out against the tyranny of the political leaders of His day.  The official court of Israel was the Sanhedrin.  It was composed of the leading officials of the day. These were the Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, and scribes.  The Sadducees controlled both the temple and the Sanhedrin.  Jesus was constantly condemning these officials. It was the Romans who actually controlled the High Priests and his assistants.  They must “play along” with the Romans to stay in power.  Jesus was getting involved with politics!  He spoke out against those who controlled the religion of the people.

                                                                Third

God judges a nation. The Kings and their Roman officials lead the people into idolatry. A few remained steadfast and ended up on the cross.    So, look around you.  What is happening in our country today.  Will God spare us?

Believers and followers of Jesus must take a stand.  Do we uphold the standards of scripture? What was wrong a thousand years ago, is still wrong today.  God doesn’t change.

                                                Yes, Jesus was a politician. He took a stand.

                                                                Can we do any less?   

                                                 Imagining God

How do we describe the indescribable?  How do you imagine God?

One Sunday morning a little seven-year-old was listening to her Bible teacher describing what the Garden of Eden must have looked like.  The little girl got out her crayons and started drawing.  The teacher asked her, “Mary, what are you drawing?”  She replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”   To which the teacher replied. “Mary, no knows what God looks like.” Mary replied. “They will in a minute!”

God is a mystery.  As mere humans we will never understand the inscrutable mystery of God.  Neither His being nor His nature.  And yet the only way we have of knowing about God is though human language.  God is always more than words can describe.  Even the language found in the Bible are human expressions.

God has many names or metaphors in Scripture.  He is a Shepherd, a Rock, a Husband, a Father, even a Wrestler! Remember when Jacob wrestled with God?  (Genesis 32:22)   All Biblical images of God are a lens through which we gain some new insight of what God means to us humans.  We must have human language to understand His relationship to us.  No single lens or image can describe God.  Rather, words are only a human view of what God is to us.  Words are just various views of God’s characteristics.

Although we humans are unable to see God himself, we can observe His handiwork.  “The Heavens declare the glory of God and firmaments declare His handiwork!”   

Mankind believes it has developed replacements for God.  Using the latest technological advances, we believe that having a divine entity is no longer necessary.  Mankind doesn’t need a Creator.  We are self-sufficient.  We can even move to other planets if necessary.  Life on Mars isn’t impossible.  Spaceships are now taking folks on tours!  With the new AI or artificial intelligence, machines can think, reason and do complicated math problems.  What need do we have for God?

God may not appear physically, but he has revealed Himself through Jesus.  Jesus has the divine attributes of what God has instilled in you and me.  Even though we are plagued with sin from the first Adam…. God brought us Jesus.  He is called the second Adam.  The first one failed but the second one succeeded in keeping the divine attributes of the original creation.

                                 So how would you describe God?

Mary thought she knew. 

                                                           First Things First

We all have priorities in our life.  Many times, it is simply what I must do…. rather than I would rather do something else!

A smart man made the following statemen:” We worship our work; we work at our play, and we play at our worship.”   Perhaps this is true.  Too often that which should be first is often last! 

Worship isn’t simply attending church once or several times a week.  Worship is what we do when we cook dinner…. eating what God has proved; thanking him for giving us another day; enjoying friends; our surroundings; our blessings, even the job that you have.

I looked at a fallen oak leaf this morning.  How grand it was.  It was perfect in design.  I knew there was a Master Craftsman who had done this.  The Great Designer has given us gifts to enjoy.  I didn’t worship the tree as a giver but the One who gave us the tree! 

We worship our Work:  This can be said of most working families.  Parents spend more energy, time and enthusiasm at their jobs than the family.  Mothers and fathers are exhausted at the day’s end.  No wonder we have an overfed and an undernourished society.  No time or energy to prepare supper. Let’s just buy some fast food!   After all, there is still loads of laundry to be done, breakfast dishes to wash.  The kids need their bath.  No time for God in this, except perhaps for a short little prayer before bed.  No real time for worship.  Reading the Bible together and making it meaningful. 

We work at our play.  Adult recreation is big business.  This also includes the kids.  Instead of togetherness with parents, kids now have their play stations, cell phones or TV.  Mom and Dad have their golf, football, or shopping malls.  Churches spend thousands on recreational programs for teens.  Is the church reaching out to families to build up the family relations or are they creating less family time?

We play at our worship.   Are we dabblers in our faith?  We want our worship only in small doses.  Many times, the attitude is “I can go to church on Sunday, AM, PM, and Wednesday but the rest of the time is mine.  I want just enough church to satisfy me.  I don’t want to be too “churchy!  Isn’t that enough time for God?”

Perhaps we need to reassess our lives, our family and our time with God.  Are we involved with disciple making? Are we taking more than we are giving in this life?  Are we often stunned when things simply aren’t the way they should be?

                                “With all of my churchiness I expect God to do His share! “

Perhaps the sense of peace isn’t just going to church or having things.  Perhaps the real blessings come when we are showing God’s love to others.  Just perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He said………….
                              “Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”              

Have you ever wished for a personal conversation with the Lord?  Not our prayers, which are usually us asking for something and hoping He hears us and answers us to our liking.

I’m taking about a real down to earth Question and Answer.  What would you ask?  What do you want to know? And moreover, what do you really need to hear?  Not what to want to hear.

Apart from the time Jesus spent in the desert with the devil, He is almost never alone.  When He leaves the desert, He is baptized by John.  He chooses the twelve apostles and followed by many disciples.   They believe Him to the be the Messiah and following Him as their rabbi. Their teacher.  He seldom is alone.   That is why he must go up to the Mt of Olives to pray.  By himself.  Alone.

There are crowds everywhere He goes.  Even indoors, people sit at His feet or cut holes in the ceiling to get near to Him.  A quiet conversation seems out of the question.   People listen to his teaching and want him for healing.

 One person had the opportunity:   A real one on one real conversation.  But she didn’t know who He really was.

The Samaritan women.  We call her the woman at the well.  We never know her name and He doesn’t ask.  He knows.
The disciples are away to get food.  It’s noon.  Hot and dry in the desert.  They are all traveling through Samaria. The Jews and Samaritans hate each other.  But here they are.   The apostles leave Jesus alone sitting at a well.  No one around.  It’s the chance of a lifetimes to speak to Jesus alone.  But it’s not what this woman is after.  (John 4) 

We aren’t told much about her except that she is coming in the heat of the day to fill her water jugs.  Why at this time?  Most people are home and not venturing out in the heat.  But here she comes, by herself.  Perhaps she is brooding over her life.  She isn’t happy. 

She sees a man sitting at the well by himself.  He’s a Jew.  She can tell by His robe with the fringes.  Why is He here anyway?  She will just get her water and leave.  She doesn’t want any conversation with this man. 

Thirst is the point!  She needs the water to quench her thirst.   But its more than just water she needs.  It’s a thirst to be seen for who she is….to be treated like a person of significance.  To be liked.  To be understood. To be loved!

But this Jew….told her about Living water.  He quenched the dry thirsty soul within her.  He knew her and accepted her for who she was.

She ran to tell others……. she heard the truth and she knew.  He was the promised Messiah!   He had come to Samaria to teach her.  To teach all of them.  She became a disciple of the Good News.

Are you also thirsty?

Philippians 4:6……..”Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

What is Paul telling us?  How can we not be anxious as well as afraid?  Perhaps your home was just destroyed by a hurricane; you lost everything you owned; everything you know and loved is gone!  How can you not be anxious? 

Thankfully, I am not faced with this problem.  However, there are hundreds of people who have lost most of their worldly possessions.   How can I possibly tell them not to anxious or afraid? 

                                                               I cannot!

 However, I know this.  Paul’s letters were more concerned about his readers being threatened with their lives than losing their possessions.   Many of these Philippians faced torture and death rather than forsake their faith.   Could you and I stay firmly planted with our faith in the face of death?  Do we have the courage to face what challenges God allows for us? 

You who are reading this might, indeed, have lost everything.  Will you still believe that God is in control or just a capricious unknown and unloving entity who allows suffering? 

Always a favorite question of Atheists……..How can a good God allow suffering?  How would you answer that question?  Many sermons, books, comments and blogs have been written on this subject.  We humans can only come up with mere suppositions. 

Paul wrote these new converts with love and compassion for the Lord that consumed him.  Recently coming out of their pagan culture to become new Believers in a Jewish Messiah, these believing Philippians were besieged within their own community.

While Paul probably wrote this from his prison cell in Rome, he is encouraging his little flock to retain their faithfulness and not be overwhelmed by anxiety.  He assured them that God’s grace through the Spirit would sustain them. 

He tells them to stay the Faith……pray always and be anxious in nothing.  God will provide, sustain, and be with them always…..even unto death.  He firmly believed that God allowed him to be in this prison and wrote with conviction that God will sustain them as well.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things!!!” (Phil. 4:8)

Here’s a thought: When our lives our interrupted with anxiety’s and fearfulness …..concentrate on God’s good gifts………replacing the “what if’s” with He loves and wants the best for me.”  Now repeat after me and slowly!

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard my heart  and my mind and give me peace,  through our loving  Messiah….  Jesus. “

We each have our own ideas about the Creation story.  Even many Believers, assume that God is allowed to be involved with millions and millions of years of creation.  Did God really use evolution to come up with the perfect man made in His image?  Really?  Is that how you believe?

Since we assume science can answer most of the questions about the beginning of mankind, we let them have their say.  I rarely encounter or read of the scientific community believing in the Divine creation account.  When reading the National Geographic magazine or Smithsonian magazine, or visiting a Natural History Museum, we see these amazing relics from ages past.  That huge T Rex………he was 12 million years old!! 

There is a society called Creation Research Society and several others, who stand firm on the Creation story as found in Genesis.  Very few pastors and teachers want to touch the subject.  They are fearful of not being scientifically educated.

However, without a proper understanding of Genesis, and man’s betrayal of his original design, we must also omit the idea of sin.  For without the first sinners, then we really don’t need a Savior either.   

Since I am not a scientist (I hated Science in High School!) I feel free to quote more knowledgeable people than myself.  But I do believe this.  That God created man in His image and that the original humans betrayed His grand design for mankind. 

The Gap theory might appeal to those Christians who want to believe that evolutionary science might not be all wrong, while at the same time still use Genesis in their belief of the Creation.

Basically, the Gap theory is this: that millions of years passed between Genesis verse one and verse two. 

“The earth was with form and void.” (Gen 1:2) The Gap people translate the verse, “The earth became without form and void.” One little word……….Big difference.

In short, the Gap theory teaches that Day One was not really Day One (Acts and Facts, Creation Research Society, Oct 2021)

Gap theorists believe that the phrase, “In the beginning” was a world that existed millions of years ago. Then God destroyed that world and began a new one and that earth became without form and was void of any life. Did God make a mistake the first time and corrected it later? 

The big picture concerns us.  Are we part of God’s original creation plan or are we a product of the evolutionary tree…….was your uncle a monkey?? 

In other words, perhaps God had pre-Adamite races.  He destroyed them and started again.   
Why do Christian theologians try to compromise belief in the accuracy of scripture to accommodate the scientific community?

I for one do not want to “bridge the gap.”  I read my Bible as reliable. 
God doesn’t need millions of years in His grand design for mankind, the heavens, or the earth we inhabit. God doesn’t need man’s theories.  We were not the result of some accidents in the great distance past.  
We can’t take a jaw bone and believe it came from a lady named Lucy who lived 15 million years ago!

We aren’t accidents!  We are a special creation by God who has designed us for His purposes and in His image. 

                                                Yes, you are I are very special!!!