Rainbows, God, and Science

Sunday morning, May 17, 2020, I took my dog out and I witnessed a beautiful rainbow in the sky and I was reminded of the origin of the rainbow in Genesis. God promised to not flood the Earth again.

Genesis 9 King James Version (KJV)

9 “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

³Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

⁶Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

⁷And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of thecattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

It’s kind of funny, not in a laugh out loud sense, but more of a ludicrous way that scientists feel the need to explain or prove everything through scientific method which means “a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses”, (Powered by Oxford Dictionaries Bing Translator 2020), and that led me to wonder when the first scientist discovered rainbows or at least came up with “why” and “how” rainbows appear.

According to (Coffeeshop Physics by Jim Pivarski 2011 – 2015),” Rainbows continued to be the bleeding edge of scientific research through the middle ages, with many Islamic scholars and Christian monks contributing to the problem. It often happens in science that the same discovery is made independently by two groups, simply because enough pieces of the solution are “in the air.” The idea of the Higgs boson, for instance, occurred to three independent groups at the same time: it should be called a Higgs-Englert-Brout-Guralnik-Hagen-Kibble boson. The reason that water droplets reflect light within 42 degrees and outside of 51 degrees was solved simultaneously by Persian scholar Kamāl al-Dīn Fārisī and Dominican monk Theodoric of Freiberg in the first decade of the fourteenth century.”

“Fārisī and Theodoric both approached the problem with the combination of mathematical rigor and experimental honesty that defines modern science. They both filled spherical balls with water to simulate a raindrop, measured angles of light entering and leaving the ball, and used these measurements to arrive at a correct geometrical interpretation of how light bounces around inside. However, there were errors in the details that weren’t resolved until René Descartes solved the problem in 1637.”

I mainly wanted to show when scientists started the whole process of a droplets and the temperature, the whole conditions for a rainbow to form, etc., etc. Of course Genesis was written around 1450 – 1410 B.C. and according to Pivarski “the first part of the puzzle was solved by Aristotle (350 B.C.): why is the rainbow a bow?” You can read the entire article here: http://coffeeshopphysics.com/articles/2011-10/30_the_discovery_of_rainbows/ It’s funny to me that God creates something and then scientists feel like they have to prove or disprove its origin, like how long the Earth has been formed, and how it was created, there may be another article about that coming soon.

The Qualifications of a Bishop (Pastor)

1 Timothy 3 King James Version (KJV)

“3 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

⁴One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

⁵(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

⁶Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

⁷Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

⁸Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

⁹Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

¹⁰And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

¹¹Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

¹²Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

¹³For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

¹⁵But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

¹⁶And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

The Church I attend is looking for a Pastor and I am honored to have been selected to the Pastoral Committee and it has been challenging to find the Pastor the Lord wants us to have, especially with the World shutting down due to COVID-19. Finding a man that fits all these criteria is challenging to say the least, but we are using the Bible as our guide. There are 19 criteria that the man has to meet to be qualified to serve as the Bishop of a Church, so it’s definitely difficult to find a qualified man to be the Pastor of a Church.

Pray for our Church, that God’s will, will be done, that we would find the Pastor he wants us to have, thank you, God Bless you!

Why do we Give in to Temptation?

My wife and I are reading the Bible, we’re on a one year Bible plan, kind of a funny story: she started reading the Bible before me and she would read her Bible at night after we put the kids down to bed and I would watch TV. We like to watch cooking shows, or when “The Voice” is airing, we watch it, and “Songland” too. Anyway, it took me a while to come around and join her in reading the Bible. Men tend to be slower than women in some areas, but I am glad I did. It’s very rewarding spiritually and it’s something we can do together. Anyway, we are reading in Judges, see my message below:

Judges “10:1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

²And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

³And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

⁴And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

⁵And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

⁶And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.

⁷And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

⁸And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

⁹Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

¹⁰And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

¹¹And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

¹²The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

¹³Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

¹⁴Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

¹⁵And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

¹⁶And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

¹⁷Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.

¹⁸And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” (Bible Gateway King James Version, 2020)

What I find remarkable about this is that God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, he conquered the land of milk and honey, God allowed them to conquer the Amorites, the children of Ammon, the Philistines, the Zidonians, the Amalekites, the Maonites, and the Israelites still forsake God by worshipping false Gods after they were warned not to.

What is remarkable to me is that the Israelites knew they were sinning because they said “We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.” (Bible Gateway King James Version, 2020)

I don’t want to sound like I am not a sinner, but I don’t understand if we know something is a sin, then why do we do it anyway? I know we are humans and make mistakes and give in to temptation, but it just amazes me, how we can mess up a good thing and not live a pleasing life towards God, or at least try to, and worship him and thank him for our blessings.

Everyone stay safe out there and God Bless.

What if You Knew Your Destiny?

What if you knew your destiny? What if we knew when we were going to die and how? Would you want to know, when and how? I don’t think I would want to know. Then we could possibly change the outcome? I don’t want to know the date I’m going to pass away. I would be more focused on that date than living my life. Would it change the way you’re living if you knew your destiny?

We should live our lives to the best of our abilities like today is the last because tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. I believe each day is a gift from God and if you’re not living the way you should, we may not live a long and fruitful life. On the flip side of that, is it so bad to die? I mean the ultimate goal is to live a life pleasing to God and to go to Heaven, through our belief in Jesus Christ and God’s grace. However, I will feel sad for the people that I leave behind that love me, my wife, my children and loved ones.

I believe we should shine our lights and try to sow seeds with unbelievers, so they can have what we have, everlasting life. I think that if you are not trying to expand God’s Kingdom, we may not live a long and fruitful life. If you have everlasting life and you’re not worried about dying, or what happens when you die, then you can focus on living your best life and spreading the good news about Jesus and telling people that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins so we don’t have to worry about dying and going to a Devil’s Hell, which wasn’t even created for us, therefore we do know our destiny. If you’re a believer, you’re going to Heaven and you’ll have everlasting life.

The Church in Obedience

In our Sunday school lesson this week we are studying being obedient as a Christian. And while we are not meeting in Sunday school, my wife and I try to keep up with our Sunday lessons.

In the introduction our lesson states “Sometimes we can complicate the concept of following God. Following God can be summed up simply as obedience. This is really all that God demands of His people. He does not call believers to be perfect, for God knows that perfection is impossible for mortal human beings. All God asks is that we obey him. Christianity is really that simple. This lesson challenges the believer in the area of obedience. Are you willing to be obedient to God even though it may result in opposition by men? We find a great example to follow from the apostles as they remained obedient to God despite the opposition they faced. More firsts develop in Acts 5:17 – 32: the first miraculous escape from prison and the first beating.” (Baptist Expositor Learner/Spring 2020 Witness to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria: A study of Acts 1-8)

As Christians we get persecuted because we believe in something that others may not, because we believe in God and that we are saved by God’s grace. That he sent his only son to die on the Cross for our sins so that we may have eternal life in Heaven. You can see in the below scripture that the apostles stood fast in their faith in God, even though they knew they were going to be persecuted.

^17 “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

¹⁸And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

¹⁹But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

²⁰Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

²¹And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

²²But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told,

²³Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

²⁴Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

²⁵Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

²⁶Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

²⁷And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

²⁸Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

²⁹Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

³¹Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

³²And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

³³When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

³⁴Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

³⁵And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

³⁶For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

³⁷After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

³⁸And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

³⁹But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

⁴⁰And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

⁴²And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

It’s hard to stay the course and have faith as Christians, but that is exactly what we are called to do. Love, Pray and Fish (more on that later).

How Do You Thank God?

How do you thank God when he answer’s a prayer? I was praying the other day that God would keep us safe in this weather coming into Arkansas from Oklahoma. There was a tornado on the ground from Idabel, Oklahoma. The local TV channel had two tornado warnings close to Dequeen, Arkansas, 38 miles away from us, apparently it didn’t turn out to be too serious, but it got my attention.

How do you thank God, when he answers your prayers? I thanked God for keeping us safe. But I wonder if we pray more asking for something than thanking God when he does deliver.

The best thing we can do is make sure we do pray and thank him for answering our prayers and to live a pleasing life towards God. We’re all sinners, it’s hard to live a pleasing life to God, without mistakes, or judgements in error, but he must try our best and ask for forgiveness when we do sin.

We also can make sure we are spreading the good news about Jesus, taking opportunities to tell people about Jesus and about being a Christian. To put our faith in Jesus, that he will take care of us, that he paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so that we can be forgiven for our sins and are saved by God’s grace, that we will spend everlasting life in Heaven with him.

Don’t forget to shine our light and sow the seed with unbelievers and let God convict their hearts and be patient. It may take a long time for their hearts to become convicted, but we need to have faith that it will happen. God bless and thank God.

Would You Drop Everything To Follow Jesus?

Would you give up everything you have, all your possessions, which God allowed you to have, to follow Jesus, to serve him and learn from the ultimate teacher? What an honor it would that would be.

Matthew 19:16^“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

¹⁷And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

¹⁸He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

¹⁹Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

²⁰The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

²⁷Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

²⁸And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

³⁰But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

I don’t know how long it would take to sell all your things and donate the proceeds to the poor, but can you imagine the opportunity to go and serve Jesus? Jesus knew the man wouldn’t sell his belongings and donate his wealth to the poor and come and follow him. What would you do? I would like to think that I would. Now, I believe I would, but a few years ago, I may not have. Now, I know what an honor it would be and we should want to do this, not because we are sure to be rewarded in Heaven, but because Jesus died for our sins. It’s the least we can do.

God allows us to have our possession anyway. Why not give it all back for him, for we will be paid back (rewarded) in Heaven. “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020). What would you do?

Begging For Water

Luke 16:19-31 King James Version (KJV)

^19”There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (KJV Bible Gateway 2020)

Can you imagine begging for water? Can you imagine begging for someone to have mercy on you and dip their finger in water to cool your tongue? I cannot imagine what that would be like, nor do I want to know. All because you rejected Jesus and didn’t live a life pleasing to God. You just have to believe, ask for forgiveness, repent for your sins, and God will convict your heart, while you are attending Church, reading your Bible and praying. He’ll show you what you are supposed to do and how you are supposed to live. It’s all in the Bible and you won’t have to worry about gnashing of the teeth, like it says in Matthew 13:42 King James Version (KJV).

^42 “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (KJV Bible Gateway 2020). Instead you will have everlasting life.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ and haven’t accepted Jesus into your life as your personal Savior, now would be a great time to, especially with the uncertain times we live in now.

Below is a site that tells you how to accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Savior.

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life

How to Accept Jesus Into Your Life – Steps

Trust Jesus Christ today!
Admit that you are a sinner and that you need God’s help.
Be willing to change your mind and turn from your sin (repent).
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Through prayer, invite Jesus into your heart to become your personal Lord and Savior.

Here is a prayer you can say to invite Jesus into your life:

Please forgive me for my sins. I believe that you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.

I believe that you love me. I believe in my heart who you are. You are the Son of God. I confess with my mouth that I am a sinner. I accept you Lord Jesus as my savior. Please cleanse me from my sin and create a new and clean heart in me. I do believe that you are my savior and I now want to live for you as my Lord and my God. I know that I have eternal life in you because of the work you did on Calvary’s cross for me. Thank you, God. In Jesus Name. Amen. Here are the scriptures behind this prayer:

Prayer to Accept Jesus

This is not an all-inclusive list, if you want more information, contact your local Church.

Should We Live In Fear?

Should we live in fear? With all the uncertainty of staying at home, or going out in public, and opening up the economy. Should we live in fear? No, having said that, I am not taking unnecessary risks. I am following the guidelines, six feet apart, no gatherings of more than 10 people, all that jazz. Only one person from our family goes and does the shopping, we don’t take the whole family to the store. I don’t even know if that is allowed?

I did go to Walmart a few weeks ago to get necessities and I didn’t wear a mask. I don’t think I had one to wear, now we are wearing one when we go. I’m saying all this to say that, while we are following our State’s guidelines, we shouldn’t live in fear.

I have faith that God will take care of us, one way or the other. Maybe I need to have more faith, but I’m not taking unnecessary risks. My work has closed the office to the public and only a few people are allowed to work in the office at a time, the rest are tele-working from home.

I’m not afraid to go out in public.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith, they didn’t worship the false God.

^13 “Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

¹⁵Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

¹⁸But if not, be it known unto thee, O king that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

¹⁹Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was won’t to be heated.

²⁰And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

²¹Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²²Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

²⁵He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

²⁷And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

²⁹Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.” (Bible Gateway King James Version, 2020)

Believers, we certainly shouldn’t live in fear, maybe we just need to have more faith.

Dove: Courage is Beautiful Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JARPndCkvGI

I was watching “The Voice” the other day and I saw this commercial. I love this commercial because courage is beautiful.

Thank you too all the health care workers, endlessly, working countless hours. I can’t imagine what you are going through, seeing people pass away right before your eyes, but let’s not forget, there are also many success stories that bring a smile to your face and warm your heart, knowing you helped reunite people with their families. Thank you for relentless dedication.

This spot captures the vulnerability of this situation. It also shows a glimmer of hope in the health care workers’ eyes, that this is going to be alright, eventually, and that we are in this together. The workers also show that they are strong and they are working together to keep us safe, that right now, it’s about them, the health care workers, but soon this will be about getting on with our lives and getting back to some of our families we haven’t seen, and going back to church and worshipping God with our church families. However, the Church is not defined to the four walls of our Church. Hopefully, you have been reading your Bibles, praying and watching devotionals and Church services on line or enjoying drive-in services.

Right now it’s about helping one another. If we learned anything from this it’s that we should help one another all the time, not just when there is a crisis.

We are truly blessed to have such a great Church family and neighbor to help us when we needed it. We returned from Germany about a month ago and they have certainly been there for us, helping with groceries, a lawn mower battery, the lawn definitely needed our attention when we returned. They helped with whatever we needed and we are thankful.

These trying times will bring us closer together and remind us that courage is beautiful. Thank you Dove for showing us that and for donating to Direct Relief. #UnitedforAmerica

https://www.directrelief.org/