Author Archives: Tamar

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About Tamar

Tamar Knochel at your service! From sewing and crafting to words of encouragement when you need them most. I'm here for you. ❤️

Vain Efforts

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Tamar

1 Chronicles 16:1-19:19

Looking back over today’s reading and the things I underlined I noticed a theme. Let’s see if you can pick up on it before I give it away:

“And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house.” 1 Chronicles 17:10

“There is none like You, O LORD,” 1 Chronicles 17:20

“For You, my God, have revealed to your servant that You will build a house for him.” 1 Chronicles 17:25

“for it is You, O LORD, who have blessed and it is blessed forever.” 1 Chronicles 17:27

“Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to Him,” 1 Chronicles 19:13

The LORD will subdue all your enemies and will build you a house. You, O LORD, are different; You will build a house for your servant. You have blessed so it is blessed forever. May the LORD do what seems good to Him.

It all reminded me of a verse that we have had taped to our bathroom mirror since we were first married 13 years ago.

Psalm 127 “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His Beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

I love the point of this Psalm, unless God is in it, it won’t be fruitful. I find it beautiful that Solomon of all people wrote this Psalm. Because there was this house that his dad, David, desperately wanted to build but God said, “No. Not you, but your son.” Solomon was that son. “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

No amount of effort on my part is going to build a house if God isn’t on board with it. No amount of ADT Security equipment is going to keep a robber out of my house if God isn’t protecting it. No amount of staying up late and getting up early to work is going to produce money that lasts. No amount of money can produce a child within a womb if God isn’t the one who put it there. “There is none like You, O LORD.” “For it is You, O LORD, who have blessed and it is blessed forever.” “May the LORD do what seems good to Him.”

There are so many hopes, dreams and aspirations that we strain to achieve. Yet there is no possible way we can achieve them on our own. No amount of late night chapters written by the glow of a computer screen are going to land me that coveted book deal if God doesn’t want me to have it. Proverbs 23:4-5 says, “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”

Oh how I have seen the many sprouted wings of money! It seems like no matter how big or small those paychecks are, they always seem to sprout wings and fly out our door! It makes me think of that scene in Charlotte’s Web when the baby spiders finally hatch and Wilber is so excited to see them and without hardly a hello or goodbye they’re gone with the wind. It’s a very helpless feeling. And yet, what was that scripture yesterday?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

If the LORD builds it, your effort is not in vain.

Categories: 1 Chronicles, 365 Life, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

Temporary Affliction=Permanent Reward

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Tamar

1 Chronicles 12:1-15:29

Oh my goodness how I have missed you my friends! It was a very interesting week, was it not? I think we had more technical glitches last week than ever before. There were several points where I said, “It would be so much easier if I were just posting myself.” But that’s not what God told me to do. He said to have other’s post for me.” And so while it was more work, I did it anyway.

At the beginning of this week “off” God posed me with a decision. “You choose. Neither answer is wrong. It’s your life; do you want to be a hobby writer or a career writer?” I chose, “Career writer”. “Then you need to start acting like one.” And for the next hour we went over schedule and borders (crossable and un-crossable). The first and firmest rule was that I had to treat it like a “real job” with office hours, open phone hours and specified times to work on the computer at my desk. But then came the tricky part. Helping those around me see it as a “real job” too. Because it is. My friends aren’t used to me having a schedule where I am unavailable to their phone calls. They’re used to me being able to sit for HOURS and talk. But if this writing thing is a career then I can’t do that like I used to. Because if I want to make money doing this (and I believe I can) then I’ve got to do it. God didn’t put this talent in this body for no reason. I’ve seen too many lives transformed from this pink pen of Grace to slack back and make it a hobby. Plus, honestly, while it would’ve been OK with God if I had chosen writing as a hobby, I think Satan would have been thrilled! This influenced me greatly in my decision.

 

Satan hates people reading in their Bibles because that’s where they meet Jesus. *Whispered aside* Satan doesn’t like Jesus very much. But more than that, Satan really hates when people have someone to explain that Bible to them. (Acts 8:26-40) He hates when people open themselves up to the Word of God to transform them and make them more like Christ. (Because remember, he hates Christ.) So when someone as bull-headed as me makes up her mind to help people understand the Word of God and bring them closer to God through something as simple as a blog and books. Well, Satan gets downright pissed off. And boy did I see that this week too! But honestly, it didn’t matter to me. You know why? Because I had made a choice to step into Enemy territory and fight a winning battle for as many souls as God will allow me.

The deepest desire of my heart is for YOU to know the love of Christ. I want you to experience how deep and wide, high and long His love for you is. I want you to experience your heart burning with the fire of His presence. I want you to experience the depth of complete transformation that is only possible through the knowledge of the Grace of God. I want you to know what it’s like to hold the hand of the man who can do all things and has promised to never leave you.

Yes. It’s hard to do the will of God sometimes. But it’s worth every second of fighting and hardship. Just imagine meeting someone in heaven you never met on earth and having them embrace you with a hug of gratitude because you unknowingly endured that hardship for the purpose of their salvation. They will stand there in heaven because you sacrificed just a little bit on earth. Wouldn’t that make it all worth it?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient (temporary), but the things that are unseen are eternal (permanent).” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Yes, it is an affliction. Yes, it is hard and a huge pain. But is the pain permanent? Will it last forever?

No.

Does that pain have a purpose?

Yes!

What is that purpose?

It is to “prepare you for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

While the affliction feels heavy at the time. This word from God tells us the Truth. That affliction is light compared to the weight of the glory you will receive from bearing that affliction.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:38 “Whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” We each have a cross to carry, financial hardship, death of a loved one, loss of a friendship, cancer, hospitalization, trouble at work, car break downs, lost keys, the list goes on and on. But each of those afflictions, though difficult and cumbersome to carry, are temporary and light.

In the next chapter of Matthew we find Jesus urging His followers to

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (11:29-30)

A yoke is the rabbi’s teaching, this is why in verse 29 He follows “take My yoke upon you” with “and learn from Me”. The teaching of Jesus is as simple as any of them get – LOVE. And in Him alone our souls find true rest. The burden He places on our shoulders is LIGHT. We are called to be His light-bearers, torches of love to a dark and dying world. We are to be an ever-present help to others in times of trouble; Jesus’ hands and feet to the helpless and broken.

Christ carried the heavy cross so that we wouldn’t have to. (We wouldn’t have been able to if we tried anyway.) His lessons for us are easy and His burden upon us is light, it’s our future glory that is heavy.

It’s like Dory from Finding Nemo says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”

Just keep swimming my little fish, this temporary affliction will pass and all that will be left is your reward. “An eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”.

Categories: 1 Chronicles, 365 Life, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

“Back Burner” with Guest Writer Beth Lively

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Tamar

061313_0054_IsThataSire1.jpg 1 Chronicles 7:30-11:47

Mmmmmm…. my Spirit feels nice and filled after this week of feasting on the Word of God prepared by my Beloved friends! I am so amazingly blessed to call you all “friend”. You have no idea how much you all mean to me. Thank you all from the bottom-most place in my heart! We all are eternally grateful for your willingness to contribute to our cause. I pray that God will bless you more tremendously than you ever though possible! And if you ever wish to come back and share the stage here you are more than welcome!

Today’s guest is an artist extraordinaire! She can sing, she can play guitar, she can draw and paint and makes jewelery. She writes poetry and stories too, so I had no idea what to expect from her offering today. She decided to go with a devotional for us. And after having read it I  am positive that you will all love it! (I know I do! Maybe because her message is so similar to mine and therefore quite close to my heart. a DAILY walk with God.) Anyway, I digress, so without further ado, I give you my friend Beth Lively!

*Thunderous round of applause* You know, because this place is ROCKIN! (Can you tell I’m feelin’ frisky today?)

Philippians: 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.

God intended our lives to be like children at play—happily completing the tasks of our days, our hearts filled with wonder and joy, as we relish the company of loved ones, friends, and coworkers; working hard, satisfied in our labor, comfortable in our careers; fulfilled in our families, our heritage . . . but, often enough . . . we don’t, we aren’t, we are not.

We are guilty of worry; we waste time, sleep, and peace of mind, even to the point of endangering our mental health. We run our minds over worries like gerbils on a metal wheel—over and around, over and around—essentially, stubbornly, attempting to solve this weary world’s troubles and challenges  all by ourselves.  The temptations and tragedies of this world corrupt us as we struggle through the evil imposed by our complicated civilization.

Truly, though, we do not have to be tainted by any of it—not any of it.   By simply, literally, placing God firmly in front, our vision of the world (and ultimately our reaction to it) will change.

Getting closer to God is something we can fix . . . and that will fix everything else!  Keeping God close is easy, but initially takes practice until keeping a prayer, (a running conversation) with God on the back burner of our minds, becomes a hot mug of love, goodness, joy, and hope, ready at hand in our souls, as we meet the challenges and joys of each day.

Devotionals, Stephen’s Ministers, Pastoral Counseling, Bible study, Disciple classes, Christian music, radio talk shows, and phone apps. can help create the habit, and once firmly fixed in our daily routine, (and I do mean daily, because this wicked world is loud, enticing, harsh, discouraging, and can eat up our strength so fast and cunningly we are drowning in negativity before we even realize), will carry us safely above the currents of distress.

Salvation isn’t only about dying and meeting God in Heaven; Jesus saved us here, too—saved us from daily troubles and worries—when He showed us beyond doubt that nothing can separate us from the love (joy) and protection (worry free) of God.

So . . . go fly a kite, catch a fish, jump in a pool, roast a marshmallow for a so’ more, then laugh until your eyes tear up and your tummy hurts . . . and pray for God to take care of the rest!

Categories: 1 Chronicles, 365 Life, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

“Family Affair” with Guest Writer Dalaiah Hepburn

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Tamar

061313_0054_IsThataSire1.jpg 1 Chronicles 4:24-7:29

Dalaiah Hepburn is back with us today! Yay! I am so excited to share her writing with you! Plus, this time she brought me cupcakes mmmmmm……. Those I won’t be sharing with you. 😉 If you would like to visit her TransparenMe blog click here. Or her other blog, Not so Empty Nest Days, click here. Dalaiah thank you so much for coming back today. Let’s all give her a nice round of applause as she takes the stage.

*Thunderous Round of Applause*

I have a big enough family, both on my mom’s side and my dad’s. for whatever reason, I know my dad’s side more than I do my mom’s. I also notice something about my dad’s family. As far as I can tell, they are into children’s work. I don’t know how far back it goes or when this legacy started but its there and my brother, myself and even my kids are showing this trait of desire to work with or for kids, from teacher all the way to advocate. Just like in this genealogy, I’m sure we have some kin we love to be around, some we don’t. Some we flock to, some we duck from and then there are the ones no one can remember how they are kin to us!
Jabez, earlier in the text (v9-10), was one of the family members we would have asked as we saw him walking in the room or backyard, “now how is he related? I see his mama, but who is his daddy?” The other thing we would have noticed about him is that he, “more honorable than his brothers.” But he didn’t notice it. How many times has someone told you how gifted you are in an area and you thank them, though not believing it because of the torment you lived with in another area of life. Ouch!!

This is really a part of the Bible I struggle with. Can I say that out loud and still be looked at the same? I skim the genealogies not so much because I don’t care, but because all I see is and this one begat this one, this one begat this one, this one, this one and two others by his helpmaid. It’s just not as active as Judges 15:4-16!! Now Sampson read like an action packed movie!! But because it is in God’s Word, it’s important. That’s when it began to hit me, quite recently actually. Like right as I was writing this, what’s in the genealogy of Jacob’s sons is family and how different they are yet still blood.

We are actually able to see what Jacob had spoken over his sons and grandsons come forth. In the latter part of chapter 4, we see the family lining up and starting their own family trees, some of great worth, some not so great yet not counted out. In chapter 5, speaks of Reuben’s lineage and how sin can cast you out of the place of honor you were once in (his birthright was as firstborn) but not out all together. We also see others lineage as faithful, as small, as disobedient. In chapter 6, we literally see the birth of the Levites. We see the birth of Aaron, Miriam and Moses (in that order) and the understanding of their portion being the LORD. These were those set apart for Him. Chapter 7 gives no explanation of the omitting of Zebulun and Dan but they are visibly absent. This chapter ends speaking of where Joseph’s sons are…. and the saga continues right up to Jesus!

Whew!! What I pulled out of that is that we all have families we don’t get to choose. Some good, some bad and some…. yeah pray for those ones! But in our lineage, they were family before we knew it. And they left a legacy for us. Our forefathers and patriarchs, or matriarchs in some families, paved the way for a path. What I love about Christ is that when you surrender, this is no longer your path! When the path is filled with addictions, so on and so forth, our life in Christ is what now defines us! On the flip side, there are some whose lineage is success, fame, power, blah blah blah and when they surrender He may call them out of that! Only he knows what your path is in your Jesus journey! Your family cannot make or break you. The biggest thing I pulled away was that this was all BEFORE Christ! These folks had family lines they had to walk out due to the prophetic speaking of Jacob and his “blessings.” Our families don’t have to be that way!
My family is marked with all sorts of generational curses, but once I surrendered, Jesus’ blood covered me and I broke those with His authority! I now speak life and cancel every assignment made by the enemy for my kids! But it doesn’t stop there. Just speaking it isn’t enough! We must walk it out, no matter what!

Have you had a sordid, rough past? That doesn’t make you who you are, HE does! I leave you with this saying that God gave me as I did devotion one day, blessings!

photo

Categories: 1 Chronicles, 365 Life, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Sabbath

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Tamar

NO

READING

TODAY!

Categories: Writing Through the Bible in a Year | 2 Comments

Help Me, I’m Drowning

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Tamar

Word of the Day: 1 Chronicles 1:1-4:23
Today I am Re-blogging my current favorite blogger’s post from yesterday. Kristin Lamb is a hilarious writer who blogs about writing professionally. In this post, as in most of her posts, the things that she uses as suggestions for ways to be a successful writer translate amazingly well for anyone else who is not a writer.
While the entire blog helped me. Her ending sent me to tears. “Focus on What Endures” – It’s so easy to lose sight of the things in life that are truly important. I’d love to say more but the Holy Spirit is reminding me that I’m not supposed to be talking today, Kristin is. I’m just supposed to introduce her. 😉
So without further ado, MY role model, Kristin Lamb!
*thunderous applause*

Author Kristen Lamb's avatarKristen Lamb's Blog

Many writers feel overwhelmed. We’re frequently trying to balance a day job, family, special occasions, emergencies, blogging, social media, laundry and even BATHING. It seems like just about the time we get a good juggling rhythm, someone tosses another bowling pin in our hand (sick kid, car breaking down, computer crashing).

I’d love to say that I’m perfect at these tips I’m about to offer, but I’m a lousy liar. But, I will say that though I’m not where I’d like to be, I’m far from where I used to be (again, thank you Joyce Meyer).

Sometimes We JUST Need to Outsource

I do a fairly good job of at least keeping the house looking like it was hit by a Category ONE Hurricane and not a KATRINA. But, do I have time to scrub all the floors properly and dust the blinds and make the shower sparkle like new?…

View original post 1,069 more words

Categories: Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

“Is That a Siren?” with Guest Writer Dalialah Hepburn

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Tamar


Amos 5:1-9:15

I am so pleased as punch to introduce today’s guest writer, my friend and fellow blogger, Dalialah Hepburn. Click here if you would like to visit her “Transparenme” blog or here if you would like to visit her “Not so Empty Nest” blog.

Let’s give a warm welcome to Dalialah, she fought all day long for this message!

*thunderous round of applause*

Yesterday was very eventful for me! I worked a full day at my new job, my son (20 yrs old) picked me up from work (how crazy is that!) and we had one of the few warm and muggy days on the day of a church block party! Woo! But none of those was even the beginning of the highlight of my night! That came when I entered a small tent with a woman already sitting there. She was another prayer warrior who had volunteered to pray at this event. We met, we had small talk and before we could even pray over our time there, the mad dash was on. We immediately had someone come over for prayer and that is where God began to put the missing pieces of my past and everything I had been through in perspective.

The first lady had a 16 yr old daughter/ granddaughter. I’m doing time with my 16 yr old daughter and all her friends, attitude, rebellion, disrespect, disregard for others, etc. I’m sure some of you can relate to these so called friends I speak of.

As the night went on, I met pieces of me at different times of my life and prayed fervent and warring prayers over these women. Even at the end, I prayed over my new friend, who apparently knew my mom, and her need of healing. I came home semi exhausted but nothing prepared me for what was next.

I woke up the next morning after what appeared to be a long restless sleep (I don’t remember) and felt like a MACK TRUCK had not just ran over me but backed up two or three times to make sure the job was done!! It was only then and through crying out and prayer that I realized exactly what is in this text. We are at war and God is sounding the alarm.

In the beginning chapter, 5, what drew me in was the text, “seek me and live,” at the end of verse 4 and then at the beginning of verse 6 again, “seek the LORD, and live…”. Throughout these chapters that’s what I kept seeing. That’s what I keep hearing. That’s what God keeps on saying to us. How simple is that? “Seek me and live.” No jumping through hoops, no endless working, no sweat and blood to give, just seeking Him.

The other thing God drew my attention to is the alarm that was sounded. All through the text, its like God was saying, “Okay, y’all are not doing as I said. You better get it together because I don’t want to do this but I will to get my glory.” It’s interesting how the times have not really changed. We still have our idols, our false worship, our watered down sermons, our… okay I’m done. What I hear in this text is YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR FIRST LOVE!!! How soon we forget that we serve a Sovereign God just as much as we serve a jealous One. And at the end of the 9th chapter, haha!

Have you ever had your child act a plum fool in the store? I mean the crying and screaming, the fit on the floor and tearing down things and kicking as if you were a kidnapper trying to abduct this very violent little person? And all the way through the store and to the car you just keep saying, “Oh you are in for it!! Just wait until we get to that car! I am gonna wear your butt out!” And then you get to the car with a much quieter child only to realize that your baby, the one who just morphed into a creature from far away, is smiling and hugging you. They’re calm. That’s God with us. At the end of this text, I love this, He simply says,” ‘I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”

While He has every right, all the power to discipline us and would if necessary, what He desires is to commune with us and bless us. What a mighty God we serve!!

Categories: 365 Life, Amos, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Leave a comment

“The Lion has Roared!” with Guest Writer Jennifer Adams

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Tamar


Amos 1:1-4:13

Today’s guest writer is my dear friend Jennifer Adams!

*Thunderous applause*

If you would like to learn more about Jennifer and her children’s book (For I AM Always With You: Valerie’s True Fairy Tale) click here to visit her website. I HIGHLY recommend it! And now without further ado, I’ll hand the keyboard over to Jennifer!

 

“Before the Lord God does anything, He tells His servants the prophets. The Lion has roared! Who wouldn’t be afraid? The Lord God has spoken, and I must prophesy.” ~Amos 3:7&8

To be a prophet of God is an awesome responsibility, because you are appointed by God himself. It is a divine honor, but it is also a burden, as identified in Amos’ name which means “burden bearer”.

As for an Old Testament prophet, his name did carry its full weight. He was given the “burden” to declare to Israel the wrath that they were about to receive from God for all their sin and transgressions. Therefore, when we hear the word burden, it takes on a negative connotation.

Through the message God gave to Amos, the Lord was showing Himself as the one attacking Israel, rather than protecting her. Up to this point, He was her shepherd, but three transgressions plus one more equals destruction. Amos listed the sin of Israel’s enemies, then the sins of her allies, and then finally Israel’s list was adding all the sins to herself. God was accusing Israel to be the worst of all the nations. Why would God say this?

Because Israel was the apple of His eye, therefore her disobedience hurt Him the most. ” …to whom much has been given, much will be required.” ~Luke 12:48 God had given the Hebrews the law. They knew that their actions were defiant of the one true God. If only His people would repent. God knew that He could no longer forgive the inequities; His only choice was judgment. He made it clear to them that only a few would be snatched from the Lion’s mouth. God did not want them to mistake His anger as an idle threat.

As human nature would have it, it takes a Lion’s roar to gain our attention. Most of us need to become afraid to reach out for a savior. I believe that is what God has done here. He became the Lion so that he could send the Lamb. He knew that His children would never be able to uphold the law, but rather, He shed the blood of His son to cover all iniquity. Now when Jesus invites us to take His yoke, the burden has been redeemed.

Paul writes to the Galatians, that every man shall bear his own burden, expressing to the individual that each one of us has a specific task that God has assigned only to them.

This is impelling to me! I am awe struck with the knowledge that the Creator of the universe thought of me and what He wants me to be before I was ever born. Not only that, but HE has the confidence in ME to fulfill that purpose to help complete His kingdom. That right there should compel every one of us to fall on our faces and declare to Him we are truly humbled and willing to do anything that He ordains of us.

I admit, I was once afraid that I would be unable to do what He expected. I was like most of us who are scared that He may demand too much, or He may require something that I was not willing to do. However, Jesus reassures us that His burden is light. ~Matthew 11:30

He is not going to ask us to do anything that He has not equipped us to do. But you ask, how does He equip us? Jesus Christ dwells in those who have been baptized by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is His strength, His abilities that allow us to do what He asks. He is doing the work, yet He allows us to share in the glory! In the Old Testament, the prophets were called servants. With the New Testament Covenant, Jesus has called us friends. We each have the opportunity to be a prophet for the King of the Universe… Will you answer the Roar?

Categories: 365 Life, Amos, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | 3 Comments

“Shipwrecked” with Guest Writer Mark Trietsch

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Tamar

Word of the DayActs 25:13-28:31

Good morning all! So yesterday I finished the post, Take a Break! And then headed off to church and lo and behold wouldn’t you know it that the message God had waiting there for me to receive was that I should…take a break! Imagine that! LOL. So, just as THE doctor has directed I am taking this week off from posting. I will still be reading all the readings and writing about them, just none of you will ever get to see them. Instead, we will all be blessed to receive offerings from several friends of mine that have so graciously agreed to submit a story, or picture or video, whatever God leads them to share with us.

So without further ado, I present to you today’s guest writer, Mark Trietsch! Let’s give him a warm welcome.

*round of thunderous applause*

At our church Sunday, we had a very interesting guest speaker. His name is Douglas Carmel, (I hope I have his last name spelled correctly), and he is a Christ believing Jew. We have been studying the Passion of the Christ in my Sunday school class of middle-schoolers. So, I had Doug come in to speak to the class, as clearly, he would have more knowledge of Jewish history than I would.

One of the topics I asked Doug to address was the Roman-Jewish relationship. It struck me, the dynamic that presents itself so clearly, in both the case of Jesus and why Paul was sent to Agrippa. Doug explained to the class that the Romans didn’t really have a problem with Christianity, at least early on. They didn’t have a problem, because they didn’t really care. As explained by Doug, the Romans had their own gods, the gods of Olympus, so another religion wasn’t a huge concern for them. They were more interested in taxes. Worship anything you want, just keep the tax money rolling in. Sounds a lot like our government today, but that is another story.

The similarity in both cases is uncanny. The Jewish leaders, who knew the Old Testament, and therefore should have recognized the truth in the ministries of Jesus and Paul wanted them to be shut up by any means possible. This meant appealing to the very Romans, which they themselves hated, to do the dirty work for them. Meanwhile, the Romans, who knew little to nothing about Moses and the prophets, in both cases found the accused guilty of nothing.

Makes me think about how often times it is the people who should know better that are the hardest to reach with the Gospel. People who perhaps went to church as a child, attended vacation Bible school and heard all the stories, yet that is all they are to them, stories, People who can recite the Christmas story front to back, sing about the Silent Night but deny the very words they are singing. They may be the very definition of a “good person”, but ultimately they refuse to live for Jesus. They have head knowledge, but not heart knowledge. I marvel at the stories and testimonies of the drug addict or the alcoholic, with very little going for them, that they will receive the message of Christ openly, while the “normal” person shuts out the truth.

The other main thought I had while reading these chapters was that Paul never lost sight of his goal, his mission. Whether standing before a Roman ruler or an island dweller, Paul continued to present the Gospel message. He never let his circumstances change his mission.

It makes me cringe to think how often I let my daily surroundings determine my mood. If things are going bad at work, does that give me a valid reason to blow up, lose my cool, and act like a loon? Sitting in my living room, the answer is a very clear “of course not”. Yet how often do we let small things take us away from our ultimate mission. How many times do we let work situations, or the behavior of our kids, determine whether we publically show Christ’s love to others today? Or, will we get mad at our temporary hardship and focus on our need, and how we are being “cheated”? Through chains, prison, house arrest and shipwrecks, Paul saw every situation not as reason to throw up his hands and quit, but as a new stage to present the Word of God. Paul looked to make the best of every situation and circumstance.

Makes one want to lower their heads a little. Most likely we will never find ourselves lost at sea, or shipwrecked, or stand in chains before those which could kill us. Yet we can almost look for reasons not to be a witness for Jesus, to decide to “turn it off” if we feel like it. May we strive to be more like Paul, to see the opportunity in whatever God presents us with and to carry our witness for Him wherever we find ourselves.

Categories: 365 Life, Acts, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Take a Break

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Tamar

Acts 21:37-25:12

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TRUST in the LORD with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding!

“What shall I do LORD?” Acts 22:10

Is that not the question of the century or what! What’s shall I do Lord? For many of us true rest and stillness is a very difficult concept to master. For me, it is because I love feeling productive. I love the feeling of having accomplished something, or better yet many things. It makes me feel useful, valuable… important. If I’m not DOING something i feel less valuable.
Did I seriously just say that? Just looking at that sentence make me shake my head! How! How in the world can my physical activity affect my value? I mean, if a car isn’t driving me somewhere does that decrease it’s a value or ability to do so later? No. Actually, most cars are worth more if they haven’t been driven extensively and essentially worn out. Or my children. If they’re sitting and watching TV or sleeping rather than cleaning does that make them less valuable to me? What about my coffee maker? It’s job is to make coffee when I want it. I did does just that. So during those times when it’s not making coffee does it lose its value? Nope. So where in the world do we get the idea that if we’re talking a break of any length that we lose our value? Or that we’re not useful? If my coffee maker is not being used at the moment does that mean it has ceased to be a useful tool for my kitchen? If my car isn’t being driven at the moment has its ceast from being a useful way for me to get to the grocery store? Oh! Or what if it even ran out of gas which is totally happened! Has it ceased to be useful to me? By no means! Was it the car’s fault it ran out of gas, or mine?
Why do we feel so guilty about running out of gas physically or spiritually or emotionally? Why is it so hard to allow ourselves to be humans in need of a break? Why do we refuse to rest? Why do neglect to fill up our gas tanks or our water reservoir and then get angry when they run out and we’re forced to stop our movement and take a break and pray?
Prayer is our fuel and time in the word is our living water. The Lord is my strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.

Categories: 365 Life, Acts, Writing Through the Bible in a Year | Tags: , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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