Red sky in morning...

Matthew 16:2-3

"When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

 

At some time in your life, you may have heard someone recite this very old saying, "Red sky at morning, shepherds warning; red sky at night, shepherds delight."

Well, you now know where it came from? 

 

I used to think the farmers were savvy from a life spent outdoors but they were just very good bible scholars!

If you had to guess how long that saying has been around, you would have to go back before the time of Jesus.

 

Ecclesiastes 1:9

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

 

In today’s hectic life we are so busy looking for we fail to see! We (as Christians) run from meeting to meeting, from conference to event, from evangelist to healer, looking to see the wonders of God at work but Psalm 37v7 tells us:

 

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him”.

 

Religious people wanted to see the show & tell of Jesus ministry but he pointed to creation,

creation that enveloped them daily, blessed them, comforted them & spoke to them in signs & wonders!

We pray for miracles, we pray to see God move in our time but as our prayers are answered to fail to see them. God has blessed us we just need to take time to acknowledge the blessings!

 

Luke 16v10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much

 

When the morning sun rises & the bird sings, we are blessed.

When a child plays & giggles with innocence, we are blessed.

When we stop to watch the flow& ebb of a river, we are blessed.

When the snow falls on mountain tops or the spring rains bring renewal, we are blessed!

 

I think it is so easy for people to get caught up in what the media and others believe and think about our world and yet, fail to evaluate for themselves what is really taking place. We need to perceive the world as it is a place of blessing with Gods hand upon it & not some out of control chaotic punishment. 

Jesus simply showed them then & us now that the answers we seek are waiting to be seen, the words of comfort we need to hear have already be spoken we just need to listen & that the blessing we are looking for is unfolding right before our eyes. 

 

Battle ready

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:3

Am fear nach gheidh na h-airm 'nam na sìth, Cha bhi iad aige 'n am a chogaidh"

("Who keeps not his arms in time of peace, will have no arms in time of war")

Gaelic Proverb

Our readiness is for action always.

Attacks against our families, our churches, our schools, our nation, attacks of a spiritual nature against righteousness & justice are constant yet we are not...

We have become about self, self preservation, our needs, our wants, our luxuries come before the needs of others and more worryingly the commands of God.

Self is the source of all sin!

🔹 I need 

🔸 I want

🔹 I can

🔸 I know

🔹 I must

There is no room for self in Gods Kingdom, in his ranks there is His Word & we act, no room for greed, lust & selfish desires. We have to be ready for the fight!

We have to be at the ready to protect our buddy’s back.

They come first.

Per 1 John 3:16,

we are ready to lay down our lives for our friends....

As soldiers for Christ nothing is to get in our way or wavier our call. With focus, we never ever lose sight of what is important the soldier on your left, the soldier on your right. Our brothers & sisters in Christ & our potential brothers and sisters in Christ. Every human being has worth in our thinking and doing. We are prepared to die for them if it’s necessary – that is our true calling; our duty.

As a soldier, a righteous warrior we must;

🔸honour God

🔹be faithful to his church

🔸obey his Word

🔹do his will. Always.

As Christians, we have one goal to live for and to glorify God

(why did God create Adam? for this very reason. Knowing our role in Gods plan allows us to return to how things should be).

The chief way we do this is by living as sacrifices, pure and holy. Not every sacrifice means death but always discomfort, our comfort zones are where we chose to be but not where God needs us to be (see earlier blog "Location Location Location).

Being a soldier for Christ is the one true calling we all have.

Why does God allow suffering?

Steel needs to be tested!

God has faith in us, we can become forged by adversity! We are made stronger for the battles on the horizon.