Hate Evil, But Love What Is Good

It always brings delight to my heart to see a squirrel scurry rapidly about in God's creation. They are so energetic, cute, and sometimes crazy. However, I know some people who hate squirrels and will kill them for gratification.

The Bible says that every animal God created is good — not most of them, but all of them. Therefore it is wrong to develop animosity for certain kinds of animals. Don't get me wrong; I don't think it's wrong to kill an animal that has become a danger to society, or to kill an animal for food. However, it is a sin to destroy or be cruel to animals simply because you hate its kind.

"God made all sorts of wild animals,

livestock, and small animals,

each able to produce offspring of the same kind.

And God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:25 (NLT)

If we develop malice towards certain kinds of animal, we are saying that God made a mistake and that what He created isn't good. God has commanded that we hate evil, but love what is good. And God saw that all He created was good.

"Hate evil, but love what is good."

Amos 5:15a (NLT)

God Will Never Let You Go

"And surely I am with you always,

to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:20

"Don't ever let me go," is a common phrase for a woman to say to a man she loves, as he holds her close in his arms, when she is uncertain of his love for her. However, as God's children, we never have to worry about saying that to God. If we do, He will respond by assuring us that nothing in all of creation will separate His love from us.

"For I am convinced

that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us

from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

If we remain in love with God, there is not any person or anything in this world that can tear us apart from His loving arms holding us close to His vibrate heart. We never need to doubt His love for us, even when others may hurt us, when sickness comes to our bodies, when loved ones are taken away, when valued relationships fail, when jobs are lost, or when dreams are shattered. God loves us now and forever.

Continue to trust in God and love Him through the favourable seasons and the distressing ones, as He wraps His faithful arms around you.

What The World Might Say, God Says Differently

Costco is my favourite grocery store. With three young men to feed, it is the most economical store from which to purchase large quantities of various foods. I usually go there once a week.

Three years ago, when we first moved here, I couldn't help but notice one of the cashiers at Costco. He was a flamboyant homosexual. His medium-length hair was dyed bright pink and stuck straight up. He wore pink glasses, earrings in both ears, and a pink scarf around his neck. He also imitated the talk and actions of homosexual male hairdressers or fashion designers who are portrayed in the media.

As soon as I saw this man, I felt compassion. I wondered how many people mocked or harassed him because of his open sin, while at the same time hiding their own sins. If this man was working at the times I went to Costco, I would always go to his till and be extra friendly to him. Then I would take the meeting as a reminder to silently pray for him to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. There was an arrogance about him that indicated deep insecurities.

Then about a year ago, as I was doing my weekly shopping at Costco, I noticed that this man looked totally different. His hair was cut short in a typical men's hair style, he wore normal men's clothes — no earrings or pink scarf — and he had a new pair of glasses. I was baffled as to the change, but the answer soon came when I saw his black shirt with the words displayed: "I am evidence that God can change a life." I had to quickly pull out of the lineup to regain my composure, as tears welled up in my eyes. What a testimony for God!

At Costco yesterday, I once again saw this Christ-like man. He talked to me about his great concerns for the people in New Orleans. Everyone else there seemed to be unmindful to these people's plight, but he wasn't. He cared. As I sensed his compassion for others, I again had to fight back tears. There was no arrogance in this man any longer. The world might say that some people can never change, but God says differently. The Bible says that the God who made light shine out of complete darkness can do the same in people's hearts.

"For God, who said,

'Let light shine out of darkness,'

made His light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge of

the glory of God in the face of Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)

The Veil Has Been Removed And We Are Changed

Two months ago our cat Osha was close to death. Here is a picture of what he looked like after a bath:

Osha needed this bath because he was sticky and gooey from the coconut milk and raw egg mixture I was bottle-feeding him. I had no choice but to put him in the tub of horrors. Fortunately Osha was too sick to even care. As you can see from the picture above, there wasn't much left of him except for some skin and bones. I had to force-feed Osha for three weeks to keep him hydrated and nourished enough to stay alive until the mile-long string he ate finally passed through his system.

Below is a picture of Osha today. He is . . . um, well, healthy. Did I say that right?

All of us in the family still look at Osha with amazement because of his recent transformation from death to life, from skinny to, um . . . (here I go again) . . . corpulent. (I'm pretty sure I'm safe with that word. Osha won't know the meaning and it sounds dignified.)

When a person asks Jesus to come into his/her life and heart, and to change him/her into the person God wants him/her to be, the transformation is just as amazing. That person, who was once blind and living an earthly life with a death sentence, now lives a Christ-like life with a clear vision and a promise of spending eternity in Paradise.

"So all of us who have had that veil removed

can see

and reflect the glory of the Lord.

And the Lord — who is the Spirit —

makes us more and more like Him

 as we are changed into His glorious image."

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

The Christian transformation will be as obvious to others as Osha's transformation from sickness to health is to us, because salvation is a conversion, not just a word we say.

I Cling To You

Last week, I saw in a Christian bookstore a beautiful print of a pencil-art picture that I wanted to give to the two girls I used to babysit in BC. Unfortunately, I needed two prints so that each could have one, but the store didn't have enough in stock. I then turned to my talented son Matthew and gave him a look that he was able decipher. He responded by saying, "Don't worry. I can draw a second one." His drawing is the one posted below. Didn't he do an amazing job?!

I chose this verse to go with the picture:

"I cling to You;

Your strong right hand holds me securely."

Psalm 63:8 (NLT)

It is when we cling to God that His strong right hand holds us securely. But we must first cling to Him, not to the things of this world or to other people.

With Good Teaching From God's Word

I have always thought that the faces of turtles look like little old men:

Yesterday, two of my sons and I nervously went to a nearby church where a friendly old man greeted us at the door. I normally wouldn't have thought much about it because most churches these days have greeters, but this man was different. When he looked at me, he looked directly into my eyes and didn't quickly draw his eyes away to look elsewhere like most greeters. I was taken aback because at that moment I no longer saw an old man. Instead I saw the eyes of Jesus. My first thought was, "Who is this man?" Part of me wanted to turn around and run out, and the other part wanted to stay and find out. I stayed and so did my skeptical sons.

Then when the worship service ended and it was time for the message, it was this old man who got up to preach. He is eighty-one years old, was a missionary in South Africa for thirty-eight years, and is the Associate Pastor of this church. His son is the Senior Pastor.

This elderly man began his sermon by saying, "I know people have come here not to hear a man preach, but to hear Jesus preach, so I will read from Scripture." Then he opened up his Bible and read his first text, John 15:1-17, followed by many, many more Scripture verses. (I can't tell you how many sermons I've heard in the last few years whose supporting references were mostly Internet and popular sources, with only one or two Scripture verses to introduce the topic.)

Yesterday's Bible message was about how important it is for Christians to remain in Christ and to bear good fruit. I will be honest and say I was a little worried about how this man was going to approach the subject. My first thought was: "Oh wow! Is he going to be one of those screaming, fire-and-brimstone preachers whom I have never personally heard but have seen imitated on television?"

Well, I can say in all honestly that there wasn't even the slightest bit of condemnation in the man's speech, only the deepest of concern. He never raised his voice or cracked jokes. He spoke seriously and calmly the message of God.

My sons and I indeed went to Church yesterday to hear Jesus preach, and that is exactly what we heard. The eighty-one-year-old servant of God, with the Spirit of Christ in him, fulfilled this verse.

"Preach the Word of God.

Be prepared,

whether the time is favourable or not.

Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage

your people with good teaching."

2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT)

Sometimes We Need To Let Dreams Go And Trust God

I have recently decided that it is best our cat Osha not be allowed in my bedroom. Therefore, I have been keeping my bedroom door closed so he can't get in. Osha, however, still tries to reach in with his paws underneath the door. I think he figures if his whole body can't get in, at least his paws can.

Sometimes God closes doors on us too, and our dreams and ambitions are halted. It may be only temporary or it may be permanent. Many times we may never understand why. Nevertheless, we must continue to trust God by letting go of the reason to know why. This can be difficult, so it may be that we become like Osha: we continue to try to reach our goal by slipping our hands under the closed door to access it, thinking we know best. However, this proves to be just a waste of our time. God's thoughts are nothing like our thoughts. He knows all things and knows us better than we know ourselves. There will be times His plans will be different than our plans. We just need to submit to His ways and trust Him.

"'My thoughts are nothing

like your thoughts,'

says the Lord.

'And My ways are far beyond

anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are

higher than the earth,

so My ways are

higher than your ways

and My thoughts

higher than your thoughts.'"

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)