Genesis 22:1-12 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” … “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, who you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”. . .(6) So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son;(reminds me ‘they laid the cross on Jesus’ back) . . . (7) Then he said, “Look, we have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. . . (9) . . and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. . . .(12) . . . for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, you only son, from Me.”
Exodus 15:25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them.
Exodus 16:4-5, 15-22 The the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” . . . . (15-22) So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses replied, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'” Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less less. S when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses. but some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank.
It amazes me that we are no surprise to God. He knows our thoughts and actions before we do. I can imagine Him smiling when we make the correct choice, but then He should not be surprised. It seems kind of boring to know what each of us will do, say, think, and so forth. And yet, from all we read, we are told He delights in us!
His words state that ‘You knew me before I was formed.’ And yet He tests us. He tested Abraham in Genesis, saying “Take your son, your only son and sacrifice him.” I was shocked, and at first did not understand how Abraham would go along with it; I always wondered how much trust Isaac lost toward his father after this incident. Hebrews helped clarify it a bit for me, pointing out that Abraham knew God, he knew God’s nature, and that God always provided. He knew somehow a sacrifice would be provided, Isaac would be spared, and yet, God had the pleasure of seeing Abraham’s immediate obedience. When Isaac questioned where the sacrifice would come from, his father replied, “God will provide.” Abraham knew God’s character so well, he KNEW God would somehow provide.
Wow! I would love to have the faith that Abraham did, but I do not believe I could say “OK, now God told me to kill you, so get right up here, and let me cut your throat and set you on fire.” Awww, no. So as much as I would like to have that amount of faith, I think I will always be lacking if that is the command I am ever given. And because that was the way many of the foreigners worshiped their idols and gods, I would be sure that God would not be saying that to me. He hated the fact many worshiped idols such as Molech and threw children into fiery deaths.
What do you think Isaac did after? Did he wholly trust his earthly father, or maintain a distance, not wanting to be close enough to be again bound and set up as a sacrifice? Or did he marvel at the closeness, the knowledge that his father knew God and God’s nature enough to KNOW that a sacrifice would be provided, and determine he wanted his faith to be as deep and abiding as his father’s? Did he run to Sarah all excited because of the experience and actually seeing a ram provided? Or did he ask her to keep him far from his father’s reach? Who knows? but it makes me wonder.
We don’t learn much of Isaac’s faith. He married Rebecca, and had twin fraternal sons, but we know little of his relationship with God. After a deception set in motion by his wife, his younger son flees to the in-laws to search for a wife, and the story then becomes his, and no longer his father.
For each person, the relationship one has with God is unique. We each have to explore God’s Words and thoughts and come to know who He is and who we are in Him. I want more and deeper faith in You, and thank You for this journey for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Proverbs 13:17 An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.
Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life, those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
I think it is sad to be in a restaurant and see all at the table playing with their devices, whatever they are—usually cell phones, but now you will see young children watching movies, playing games on their brightly colored tablets. There is no interaction; I’m not sure if the parents even run through the menu and ask the children what they would like to eat before the wait staff comes for the order.
When I was growing up, our father worked the 3-11:30 PM so obviously most of the time he was not home after school, and very rarely was he out of bed before we hurried off to school at 7. But he was available every weekend. Even on weekdays, we ate as a family, consisting of my mother, my maternal grandmother, and the three of us. My mother had a cow bell and would ring that about 5 PM and we best be in, washing hands and sitting at the table within 15 minutes.
Once seated, grace was said, and then we chatted while serving ourselves from whatever the offerings were for that evening. But the important thing listed in the last sentence is we chatted.
My brother and I ran with the same bunch of friends, so we usually knew what was going on in each other’s life; our sister is a few years younger, and although she might know of things going on in my life, there were some activities I prayed she would not reveal. I was the cool teen sneaking cigarettes, going outside the neighborhood boundaries, and she had ears which heard many things I preferred her not to know, always nervous she would be tattling.
But what is important and still brings a smile to me 50 years later, is we chatted, we knew one another. We knew plans other members of the table or family were looking forward to or were making. We connected with each other, not a piece of electronics.
On weekends when my father was home, I could hear discussions between my parents on any matter of concerns they were chatting about. My father made a point to call each evening at 5 and then again at 8:45 PM. He would initially talk with our mother, then would check in with us, at least one of those phone calls.
Family was important, communication, discussing feelings, consequences of breaking rules and what was happening in various areas of the world were all topics freely discussed. We knew how other members felt regarding different things, and we might disagree with them, you still respected their view—but you knew it. You spoke to one another, you listened to each other, and because you had a true relationship you cared about what one another was going through or expecting.
How does anyone know members of their nucleus family if they don’t talk, they don’t interact? It makes me sad to see tables in a restaurant and so many at the same table are interacting with their device. When my family come to visit, devices are not allowed to interrupt a meal.
Our pastor repeated a phrase he’d heard at a conference some time ago. “I’m not so concerned with weapons of mass destruction as I am concerned with weapons of mass distraction.” And it is so true. Folks seem to have a need to fill any down time with a game, reading social media, scrolling through texts, and so forth. There is little communication, verbal interaction so one can hear inflections, see the other’s face and eyes, and truly listen to what is being said. Our relationships are going to continue to disintegrate per Satan’s plan if we don’t maintain some kind of control and keep remembering how important actual communication and personal interaction. Emojis just don’t get the same effect. We need folks to listen to us and just as important we need to listen to others to truly understand feelings, fears, concerns, worries, goals, desires within our own families. I think that is horrifically sad.
I believe a lot of the reason there is more electronic distraction is because it is another very successful way Satan has of pulling us away from God, love, family, and the core of what He created.
His Word repetitively tells us to read and imprint His words on our hearts and minds—can’t be done if you are not reading them, studying them and meditating on them. He put the desire in us to reach and search for something beyond us. Not everyone knows what this restlessness is, and try to eliminate it by working harder and longer, reading material other than His words, maybe writing their own stories, being creative in many different ways.
Now, I believe that restlessness is the chief cause for many of these devices. ‘It’s a challenge for my brain to do this game.’ ‘I just need to see what so and so said about such and such.’ ‘Just let me read this one thing, and then I’m all yours.’ There are a gazillion more excuses folks say when they realize they are not communicating with the others they are with, only playing with their devices.
Each moment we spend with others is a gift. We should enjoy them; we supposedly made plans to spend time with these people. So why are you then disrespecting them and playing on a device? A device is not going to show you affection, is not giving a display of life, praise, and is certainly not honoring you, not respecting you. Life can end in a moment; and if you are the one left behind, how do you handle the regrets of not spending quality time with your loved one? Do you think that device, game, social media tidbit is going to assuage your guilt, your grief, your regrets?
These are handy instruments for communicating, learning, and are amazing when you examine the capabilities packed into a couple square inches, but God created man to have a relationship with Himself and to have relationships with one another. We need to rediscover the connection of really coming to know others in our circle of family and friends. Who are these people? Put your devices down and open a conversation. It might surprise you to find out who they are and how much they have to offer. Have a chat with those you have chosen to spend this moment, this present with. The present is a gift, no one is guaranteed another day or moment, so treat is as the special gift it is and enjoy one another face to face.
Thank You, God, that I love to chat and find out who people are and what they have been through. I love finding who You are and who I am in You. And although I appreciate my device in many ways, I am so thankful that I chat with You and get to know others as people. It’s fulfilling for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up that we may live in His sight.
Isaiah 53: 4-10 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put HIM to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see HIS seed, He shall prolong HIS days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. ( I took the liberty of underlining or showcasing many of the words in this text. It is so awesome, but Isaiah prophesized all that would happen to the Messiah for us, and our stubborn, sinful ways.)
John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Romans 6:4-8 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the lines of His resurrection, knowing this , that our old man was crucified with HIM, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.
With ALL these scriptures, who can NOT believe?
I was raised in a Christian church, although it never felt as though we learned biblical truths; there felt more like pomp and circumstance and ceremony, and sternness. It was a pretty church, large and a little imposing, red brick on the outside, and on the inside, the ceiling was high and you looked upwards and would see Jesus smiling and reaching out a hand amidst the clouds, and an angel or two were nearby. I loved looking at the serene invitation of Jesus. But that was the only peace I felt there.
Every year, Lent came and we had to give up something; might be playing with a favorite doll, candy, cake, but something. And for the next several weeks, you would hear how Jesus rode into town on a donkey and all the people loved him and praised him. Yet four days later, He ate the last meal, served his disciples by washing their feet, reminding them of his love, and then they went out to pray in his favorite garden. Roman guards came and seized him when Judas betrayed him, and his “court” performed.
The Jewish hierarchy could manipulate the Roman governors, but they could not order a death, a murder. So Jesus was beaten, brought to Pontius Pilate, sent off to Herod, returned to Pontius Pilate, who felt there was no need to kill Jesus, and urged the crowd (many who had cheered and praised him four days earlier) who now demanded his execution.
How did that happen? I never understood it as a kid, and now I don’t understand it much better except this was God’s will to free us sinners with the final sacrificial Passover Lamb. In a matter of days, those who adored him were part of the crowd who condemned him. What could possibly turn people so fast? I can’t remember a time I like and cared for someone and they made me angry, but that I wanted harm, true harm to happen to them. The fact these folks turned their praise into chants of murder was not understandable to me. It made me shiver in revulsion–still does, but now I am also thankful. This wonderful, loving gift set us free from death and sin.
We were told (in the church I was raised in) that He was on the cross for three hours, which makes more sense to my nursing and analytical mind. Jesus had been beaten, whipped/scourged, (no record that He ate—He handed bread to Judas). I cannot imagine I would be able to swallow a thing knowing what I was facing in the next 22-24 hours, so my nursing mind believes He was very weakened, and believe with the back and forth all over Jerusalem, that He went on the cross about noon and died about 3, and then they would have to hustle to get him into the tomb as Passover was about to start.
I cannot imagine any of His followers celebrated the Passover meal. I’m sure there were tears, grief, disbelief, horror, and lots of fear. The hopelessness, helplessness, and for Peter the overwhelming guilt, must have been agony. What would they do without Him? How could they go on? They’d thought He was the Messiah.
But He rose early Sunday morning and presented Himself to the women who followed Him and told them He was going to His Father and to tell the apostles He would meet them in Galilee. “YES, my LORD, I AM ON THE WAY TO TELL THEM, TO SHARE THIS WONDERFUL NEWS!”
The fact Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and LIVES so we can be freed from sin and also LIVE is the basis for our religion, our beliefs, and faith that we will see Him one day face to face.
There are too many truths in the bible that prophesy his birth, death, how he would be tried and ‘led like a lamb’ and how his ‘stripes would heal’ and He said He would rise. He appeared to many, many people within a short time after His crucifixion and death. How can one not believe when you read the accounts of the numbers who saw Him, the frequency, the ability to touch His scarred hands. And then they watched Him ascend. So, yes, absolutely, no doubt or question for me, I believe Jesus is God’s Son, part of the trinity with His Father and the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, suffered for us, crucified, died, buried and rose again. I believe He is alive and sits at His Father’s right hand. And I believe He will come again to form a new Kingdom.
Jesus, I can never give You enough of the praise and reverence which You deserve from me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Psalm 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 106:1 Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I awake every morning and thank God for something…sometimes it’s that I’ve rested well, sometimes, the sky is beginning to get pink with the rising sun, sometimes it’s a thought or memory from the day before, but always there is a reason to be thankful in my heart. Then I may turn over….ouch, creak!, ouch, ouch, oh my back, my hip! OH, my foot, yikes, ow, ow! And thankfully after a few yards of hobbling, I can straighten and stop wincing. And be very thankful for that!
There is a skylight in my bathroom which looks out over the sound, and I can see enough to sometimes still watch the moon slide away, especially if it’s a full one that just wants to linger and shine, and I can tell if the waters are rough or quiet. And during this time of year, the birds are full of song and chirping and praising our Creator. How blessed are we to be able to enjoy and appreciate all He gives us as gifts!
I have tried to list all the things I have to be thankful for over my life time. Can’t do it; I know I’m missing bunches of things that happened. It’s fairly easy for me to appreciate the big things—family, having a grandmother who lived with us, we had a lovely home and a neighborhood full of kids around our ages, (and it became known as the ‘cool’ neighborhood. Everyone wanted to be part of the Robin Rd Gang!). Mothers would report to other mothers if we were disobedient, sneaking cigarettes, or whatever good or bad deed we had done. It was a community of raising us and keeping an eye out. It was set in a rural neighborhood, in fact a farmer and sold many acres and a developer built homes. It was perfect for young families. Our house sat in a cul-de-sac, and we had a large flat yard, and there were plenty of places for hide and seek, Playing chicken in the cul de sac and anything we else we chose to do. Yet, it’s another one of my big reasons to be thankful.
My grandmother and mother both enjoyed gardening, so the flower beds we had looked awesome most of the time. We had pets, and part of our responsibilities was to feed them, let them out and so forth. We spent time together as a family, knowing how each was doing. Although my father worked weekday evening shifts, he touched base a couple of times when he would have breaks. My family praised when it was earned, and encouraged when you had not done as well as you wanted. A lot to be grateful for.
I am so thankful in live in the south rather than the northeast. Years before I left, I knew I no longer liked dealing with the snow, ice, cold, and bitter cold, and did I say COLD? Yuck! The snow can be pretty, appreciate it and be in awe of the beauty, but shoveling and walking while praying you do not slip, fall, and break anything gets old. I was not very tolerant once in the mid-thirties to deal with pulling toboggans for fifteen minutes uphill for a 10 second ride down. Certainly, I muttered while cleaning off my car to get to work, and then really grumbled to clean it off after a 12 hr shift to get home. Yes, there is an abundance of thankfulness for me to live here versus there.
I cannot list all the wonderful things to be grateful and thankful for, but sometimes my heart feels as though it wants to burst with it. Today, there are a couple of singing, thankful birds, and I cannot help but smile as they sing and share their song.
I’ve included a couple pictures, most taken on the island (not by me, but others who have shared). Hope you can see reason to be thankful in them too.
Thank you, Brandi Newkirk for dolphin pics
Thank You for the bounty and beauty, for Your grace and love and Your immense sacrifice for me. You are awesome to me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Isaiah 1:19, 20 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
1 Peter 1:13,14 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.
Do you hesitate to do what you feel God is telling you to do? I have made so many impetuous mistakes during my lifetime, that now I question and double check when I am unsure of what I’m being told. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve heard correctly. But this doubt, this uncertainty that what I believe I’ve been told might actually be my own wishes and not the path God is leading me to follow, makes me . . . wait.
So I hesitate. I question. I doubt. Yet that is actually disobedience. I do not want to be disobedient. Yet, that is what my doubting and questioning is when I continue to test. If I don’t do as told right away, then that is disobedience. There is no place in Genesis 22 that says Abraham asked God if He was sure, how He could ask someone to kill their only child? There is nothing that says Abraham delayed, he just packed wood on the donkeys, and took his supplies and knife and prepared to sacrifice his son. He obeyed, apparently, without question or hesitation. But questioning, bargaining, trying to form a different deal, running, delaying is disobedience. I was disobedient . . . a lot.
Over the years I have jumped into decisions that sounded good, enticing and held an allure that seemed attractive at the time. I did not always ask for His input, I just made my own choices. Usually, the cost was more than I expected. It took several times doing these impromptu jumps before I realized I needed to talk with God and get His opinion. FIRST, BEFORE I acted.
It seems odd to me, that I was 19 when I accepted Jesus’ invite, but I was about 30 before I started learning about Him. I didn’t realize I had to exert any effort in getting to know Him—I assumed it was just carry on with life the way I always had. My walk has been a lot longer than many of my friends. My guess is that part of my educational delay was because I am shy and do not easily explore new places and people. How much that has cost over the years.
I had never read the bible until I was in my 30’s and even then it was at times difficult to understand. It took branching out and meeting new people, shoving the nerves aside and going to bible studies and meeting people who know far more than me, and taking advantage of volunteer opportunities. I began learning. Yes, learning stories of the biblical characters, but more importantly, learning God, learning Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Doors in my mind opened, and understanding seeped into my brain. Oh, I had so much to learn, to suck deep into my being. I had so much to confess, to change and grow. At times it felt overwhelming. I had to learn I would never be ‘good enough’ and that He accepted me where I was and wanted me to grow from there. I had to work with my idea and view of who I was and wondered often how could He possibly accept ME? Me? But by reading, listening, studying, and seeking, I came to understand that He accepts and loves me where I am. It took a while to get to that point.
I needed to get rid of the shame. It was not enough for me to confess sins and leave them. I continued to pick them up and wind and unwind them to just fret over them. There was no believing with all my mess I could ever be forgiven. Again, that is in itself shameful. By doing that I am indicating that His horrific death and sacrifice for me, was not enough. Have I not learned about grace, His grace?
Finally, over time, it came to me that my worrying and fretting over sins I’d confessed and handed over to Him, it was now sinful to continue holding onto them and berating myself for all my errors and sins. He forgave me. It should be done. He has forgiven me, and yet, with my doubt and (shame, and selfish holding on to things), here I was doubting and therefore sinning. Who am I to doubt and negate what God has said? He said He forgave me.
Ahh, it was the demon himself who constantly and consistently whispered the lies of not being forgivable, being too bad and sinful to be EVER be forgiven. And I believed it. Believed the lies. Why is it easier for me to believe his lies rather than God’s truths?
I am so thankful I finally started on the path of learning who He is, and what He truly expects for me and my behavior. Changing my sinful, selfish self-centered ways is what I truly desire. It is a lifelong process. At times I feel like I’ve climbing a mountain, and after a bit can stop and rest and look down into the valley—and now can see I’ve climbed a ways up; looking upwards I see a long way to g, but there is a pleasure in knowing I have climbed and come a ways from the place I was. There’s a distance to go, but I’m moving forward.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Words which guide and teach me. Thank You for Your patience in my growth, and for all You have done for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!