Good morning to everyone. Grace and peace be with you.
This morning I was flipping through the bible and landed on this passage….Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:2-3)
Let me preface this page with I am not a bible scholar. The leading title to this particular passage is called “An Invasion of Locusts”. So I would have to presume that the human race did something dumb again and God had to bring us back into line; however, I did not read the chapter to find out. This particular verse sent me along a different line. Stick with me … It will be fine.
In today’s society, you would think that most everyone would know the Word. Technology has opened up the world of knowledge to a new end. However, that is not the case. In fact, I think we have gone so far backward that we may be even worse off than those in the days that Jesus walked the earth. It feels as though we may have become the Pharisees of today. Is it possible that over the course of time, we have forgotten what Love was and felt that ‘hard love’ was a better way? Somewhere along the way, we became the judges of who was offered salvation … ‘I don’t like them, they hurt me, they deserve hell.’ Or ‘Look at them, they don’t even try to clean up, why would I want to talk to them?’ Or ‘Look at what they have done. They have made our church a laughingstock. How can I ever forgive them?’ There are plenty more that I could cite; however, I think you get the picture. As a matter of fact, we have gone so far as to NOT talk about the gospel … at all … to anyone.
In the opening scripture, it talks about the elders sharing their experiences with the younger generation and so on. To keep the knowledge alive. I presume, for this passage, it was to teach how to overcome hard times. (Without reading the passage, this is my speculation.) The same is true for not sharing the gospel at all and leaving it up to the person to find it themselves. Why would they? What incentive do they have? The world is providing them with all the ‘knowledge’ they need…it is not healthy or godly, but they are getting fed. Why would they seek Jesus, when the world tells them that they don’t need anyone but themselves…and convincingly.
In some ways, I believe that in our attempt to not be like the Pharisees and ‘cram’ rules down everyone’s throat, we have forgotten the teachings of Christ. We are to plant seeds into everyone. Even those we do not necessarily like. How do you know that the person you are sowing into is not the next Paul? I have a person whom I am helping sow into that drives me crazy with their practices. I sincerely have wanted to walk away many times. Yet, God has kept me in place.
If we, the elders, do not share our stories with the next generation, then they will be left to the guidance of those who do not believe. If we do not share and demonstrate how to navigate difficult times, they will give up … maybe permanently. If we do not share the saving grace of Him who saved us, then they will have no desire to be kind and help others…it will be everyone for themselves. If we do not share, then we are condemning them.
This post strikes home for me. As I have been typing, I have had several visions fly through my thoughts. Places where I have acted like a Pharisee and or decided in my heart that my time would be better suited somewhere else. That makes me not feel very good … but there is a solution … Today I will ask for forgiveness. Today I will watch my witness. Today, I will seek to do better for the kingdom and share my experiences to help those who need a guiding light. And if I fail, I will try again tomorrow.
What will you do?
Be blessed today my friends.
*** Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. – Joel 1:2-3
This morning I was flipping through the bible and landed on this passage….Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:2-3)
Let me preface this page with I am not a bible scholar. The leading title to this particular passage is called “An Invasion of Locusts”. So I would have to presume that the human race did something dumb again and God had to bring us back into line; however, I did not read the chapter to find out. This particular verse sent me along a different line. Stick with me … It will be fine.
In today’s society, you would think that most everyone would know the Word. Technology has opened up the world of knowledge to a new end. However, that is not the case. In fact, I think we have gone so far backward that we may be even worse off than those in the days that Jesus walked the earth. It feels as though we may have become the Pharisees of today. Is it possible that over the course of time, we have forgotten what Love was and felt that ‘hard love’ was a better way? Somewhere along the way, we became the judges of who was offered salvation … ‘I don’t like them, they hurt me, they deserve hell.’ Or ‘Look at them, they don’t even try to clean up, why would I want to talk to them?’ Or ‘Look at what they have done. They have made our church a laughingstock. How can I ever forgive them?’ There are plenty more that I could cite; however, I think you get the picture. As a matter of fact, we have gone so far as to NOT talk about the gospel … at all … to anyone.
In the opening scripture, it talks about the elders sharing their experiences with the younger generation and so on. To keep the knowledge alive. I presume, for this passage, it was to teach how to overcome hard times. (Without reading the passage, this is my speculation.) The same is true for not sharing the gospel at all and leaving it up to the person to find it themselves. Why would they? What incentive do they have? The world is providing them with all the ‘knowledge’ they need…it is not healthy or godly, but they are getting fed. Why would they seek Jesus, when the world tells them that they don’t need anyone but themselves…and convincingly.
In some ways, I believe that in our attempt to not be like the Pharisees and ‘cram’ rules down everyone’s throat, we have forgotten the teachings of Christ. We are to plant seeds into everyone. Even those we do not necessarily like. How do you know that the person you are sowing into is not the next Paul? I have a person whom I am helping sow into that drives me crazy with their practices. I sincerely have wanted to walk away many times. Yet, God has kept me in place.
If we, the elders, do not share our stories with the next generation, then they will be left to the guidance of those who do not believe. If we do not share and demonstrate how to navigate difficult times, they will give up … maybe permanently. If we do not share the saving grace of Him who saved us, then they will have no desire to be kind and help others…it will be everyone for themselves. If we do not share, then we are condemning them.
This post strikes home for me. As I have been typing, I have had several visions fly through my thoughts. Places where I have acted like a Pharisee and or decided in my heart that my time would be better suited somewhere else. That makes me not feel very good … but there is a solution … Today I will ask for forgiveness. Today I will watch my witness. Today, I will seek to do better for the kingdom and share my experiences to help those who need a guiding light. And if I fail, I will try again tomorrow.
What will you do?
Be blessed today my friends.
*** Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. – Joel 1:2-3
Good morning to everyone. Grace and peace be with you.
This morning I was flipping through the bible and landed on this passage….Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:2-3)
Let me preface this page with I am not a bible scholar. The leading title to this particular passage is called “An Invasion of Locusts”. So I would have to presume that the human race did something dumb again and God had to bring us back into line; however, I did not read the chapter to find out. This particular verse sent me along a different line. Stick with me … It will be fine.
In today’s society, you would think that most everyone would know the Word. Technology has opened up the world of knowledge to a new end. However, that is not the case. In fact, I think we have gone so far backward that we may be even worse off than those in the days that Jesus walked the earth. It feels as though we may have become the Pharisees of today. Is it possible that over the course of time, we have forgotten what Love was and felt that ‘hard love’ was a better way? Somewhere along the way, we became the judges of who was offered salvation … ‘I don’t like them, they hurt me, they deserve hell.’ Or ‘Look at them, they don’t even try to clean up, why would I want to talk to them?’ Or ‘Look at what they have done. They have made our church a laughingstock. How can I ever forgive them?’ There are plenty more that I could cite; however, I think you get the picture. As a matter of fact, we have gone so far as to NOT talk about the gospel … at all … to anyone.
In the opening scripture, it talks about the elders sharing their experiences with the younger generation and so on. To keep the knowledge alive. I presume, for this passage, it was to teach how to overcome hard times. (Without reading the passage, this is my speculation.) The same is true for not sharing the gospel at all and leaving it up to the person to find it themselves. Why would they? What incentive do they have? The world is providing them with all the ‘knowledge’ they need…it is not healthy or godly, but they are getting fed. Why would they seek Jesus, when the world tells them that they don’t need anyone but themselves…and convincingly.
In some ways, I believe that in our attempt to not be like the Pharisees and ‘cram’ rules down everyone’s throat, we have forgotten the teachings of Christ. We are to plant seeds into everyone. Even those we do not necessarily like. How do you know that the person you are sowing into is not the next Paul? I have a person whom I am helping sow into that drives me crazy with their practices. I sincerely have wanted to walk away many times. Yet, God has kept me in place.
If we, the elders, do not share our stories with the next generation, then they will be left to the guidance of those who do not believe. If we do not share and demonstrate how to navigate difficult times, they will give up … maybe permanently. If we do not share the saving grace of Him who saved us, then they will have no desire to be kind and help others…it will be everyone for themselves. If we do not share, then we are condemning them.
This post strikes home for me. As I have been typing, I have had several visions fly through my thoughts. Places where I have acted like a Pharisee and or decided in my heart that my time would be better suited somewhere else. That makes me not feel very good … but there is a solution … Today I will ask for forgiveness. Today I will watch my witness. Today, I will seek to do better for the kingdom and share my experiences to help those who need a guiding light. And if I fail, I will try again tomorrow.
What will you do?
Be blessed today my friends.
*** Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. – Joel 1:2-3
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