Are You Ready For Your Final Exam?

For a long time I had a hard time with trust. It was hard for me to see what I could not see. For whatever reason I had a hard time trusting people. I wanted proof. I wanted to see. I wanted to know for sure. God is the same he wants to look into our heart and see that we have faith, believe in and love him. I would imagine great disappointment if after the end times all in heaven rebelled and once again God had to cast out those he made and loved into hell. Does God test us? Yes and I can blame him. In the world we live in today people worship fame and money. Material possessions seem to be the top priority if you spend even 30 minutes watching network TV. Rather than follow the will of God we focus on ourselves at times that we appear to worship what we see in the mirror. We constant look for easy money, are envious of others that have more, take our wrath out on those that disagree with us. We treat our fellow men and women like objects to be used for mere sexual pleasure and spend our days trying to get as much as we can while doing as little as possible. Instead our lives should be for God and everything we have and do should be pointed towards him. God comes to all loving and wanting our communion. He is willing to share all he has, take away our pain and forgive our sins, but we have to choose him. For God anything is possible and in his ways so much is easy, but we have to choose. We have to want. We have to desire. God wants to see us turn away from the world and turn towards him, his son and his spirit. For our life in this world is a mere training ground. Where do we want to go and who do we want to be. It's all about how we answer the questions in this test of life. 

Genesis 22:1-19

1After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 2He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together. 9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 12He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided." 15And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." 19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

Psalms 115:1-6, 8-9

1Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to thy name give glory, for the sake of thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness! 2Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" 3Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. 4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 8Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them. 9O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

Matthew 9:1-8

1And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." 3And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." 4But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise and walk'? 6But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic -- "Rise, take up your bed and go home." 7And he rose and went home. 8When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

You Say You Want Protection?

I have a very stubborn son. He insists that his world will come to an end if he is to sleep in the dark. Each night I pray with him talk to him. I tell him that I love him and will keep him free of harm. Each day he arises from his slumber unharmed. Night lights, the door open and various light-up stuffed animals are all at his disposal but he needs to hear me pray with him each night. Just like with my other children this will soon pass. As they learn of the horrible things in the world they begin to worry what can come creeping into their room in the night. I assure them that they are safe in my home under my guard. God is the same, if we stay with him we will be safe. If we trust in God and follow his ways he will watch over us and help us. Is there evil in the world? Yes, I can't help to see it in action every day that I look around. It's camouflage is very concealing and can be hard to see. In my past, in my youth and in my reckless abandon of God wishes I fell to the temptation of the evil in this world. I got off the path and found myself in the dark woods of despair but I got out. Not by my way but it was with my choice. I called to God and he sent the light of his son Jesus into my world and I followed my way out. I paid attention to his lessons and I try my best to heed them. I see the evil in this world and I can see when I begin to walk into the shadows again and so I turn back. I am no perfect man. I am no great man but I am a man that loves God and I know that if I follow the light I will never become lost again. I can find eternal peace and happiness in heaven if I use free will given to me by God to choose God. 

Genesis 21:5, 8-20
5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 8And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." 11And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the lad and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. 13And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring." 14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16Then she went, and sat down over against him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Let me not look upon the death of the child." And as she sat over against him, the child lifted up his voice and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation." 19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20And God was with the lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.

Psalms 34:7-13
6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him! 9O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! 10The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12What man is there who desires life, and covets many days, that he may enjoy good?

Matthew 8:28-34
28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 30Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." 32And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.