Jan 6 -Snow angels

Jan 6

Snow Angels

Job 38:22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?

Forty One people were dead!

Forty Seven others were alive but in bad shape. They were members of the Donner Party. The Donner party was a wagon train on the way to California that became snow bound in the Donner pass. Nearly half of them died of starvation or exposure.

Where I live in northern Michigan we see more than our share of snow. It seems that in the last year or two many parts of the United States have seen more cold and snow than they wanted to. When I checked to see who gets the most snow the statistics were for one day, one month, one storm, etc. A little town named Tamarack in California is located about 60 miles south of the Donner Pass and holds the record for most snow in a month. A few years ago they received over 32 feet of snow in 30 days.

All this talk about snow, and the problems it causes may make you look at today’s verse and ask “What treasure in the Snow?”

To better appreciate what is being said we need the context of what is taking place in this portion of Job. In Job 36:1 we find Elihu speaking.

Job 36:1 ¶ Elihu also proceeded, and said,…

All of chapter 36 and 37 contain the comments of Elihu, where he explains to Job that God wants to help people over their sin problems, and will care for them. In chapter 38 Job does not get to answer because God speaks out of the whirlwind in response to Elihu’s comments.

Job 38:1 ¶ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Here we find the LORD responding to what Elihu has said. He asks who is this guy who gives bad advice without knowledge. Then to demonstrate how little Elihu or Job knew he asks several question that no man can answer. One of the questions is our verse for today.

Job 38:22 Hast thou entered into

the treasures of the snow?

 The literal meaning of the verse is to ask “Have you seen where snow is stored” or “have you been to the treasure house where snow is kept?” The verse is not suggesting that such a place exists. Rather the purpose of the question is to point out their limited knowledge. It is like saying “You think you know all the answers but you do not even know where snow comes from.”  Read Job 38 and you will see many such questions. They are all designed to show that man is not able to answer basic questions about everyday events.

How does snow form? How can so many snowflakes all be different? If snow is just frozen rain, what makes it fluffy, or heavy, dry or wet, very small or large? The Eskimo’s have several words for snow, depending on the type of snow. English also uses different words  for frozen precipitation; flurries, blizzard, sleet, hail, freezing rain, heavy snow, powder, and whiteout to list some common expressions. Verse 23 explains one way God uses snow.

Job 38:23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,

against the day of battle and war?

Winter snow was the downfall of two ambitious dictators. Both Hitler and Napoleon tried to conquer Russia in mid-winter. The snow defeated their mighty armies and was the beginning of the end for both of them.

However snow is made, and for what purposes the key point to remember is that God is in control. We may not understand why we have snow and may grumble about it, but it is all part of a great complex design that serves His purposes.

Job 37:6 ¶ For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth;…

Ps 148:8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word

One thing we can understand is the concept we find in other verses that uses snow as a standard of comparison.

Ps 51:7 ¶ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together,

 saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow; …

There is almost a magical beauty in seeing a landscape that is covered with a layer of fresh white snow. For a moment we can forget the extra work and cold that snow brings when we see the sparkling snow on a blue sky sunny day. What better picture could we have of how God can purge us of our sin debt, and see us as pure as the driven snow.

If the only reason for snow was to remind us of our sin nature, and the cleansing power of Christ blood, so that we appear whiter than snow, it would be enough. But snow serves a lot of other purposes beyond our understanding. Dogs love it, kids play in it, snow angels leave their mark in it, and it provides some healthy recreation for families. It is a storehouse for water that is needed in the spring for new growth and as a steady supply of water in the summer. Most importantly, it serves God’s purposes and is under His control.  

For our meditation today let us think about how God uses even snow for his purposes. While we ponder the mysteries of snow and how God uses it, let us also think about the wonder of our being made whiter than snow. If you cannot bring yourself to be thankful for snow, as a born again Christian, you certainly can be thankful that He has made you whiter than snow, through His son Christ Jesus. 

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

Jan 5 Please and Thank You

January 5

       Please and Thank You

Lu 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us…. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, …, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,… giving him thanks.  (Luke 17:13-16)

 In a few more seconds he would probably be dead. It was doubtful he would survive a three story fall from the steep roof he was slowly sliding down. In desperation he cried out “Oh God, don’t let me fall off this roof!” Just then his coveralls caught on a nail, and his sliding stopped. His immediate response was “Oh, never mind God, I have it under control now”

At this time of year it is common for the media to review last year. Who died, what tragic events took place, the winners and the losers, etc. For our devotional today let us look back at the blessings we have received and be thankful.

The title of our devotional “Please and Thank You” is a good reminder that we should not be like the roofer who asked for help, did not recognize the answer to his prayer, and never said thank you.

In Luke chapter 17 we have an example of lepers who said “Please” but not “Thank You”. Christ was passing through a village in Samaria when ten lepers called out to him from afar off.  “Master, have mercy on us.”  Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest. That was in accord with Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 that required anyone who was cured of leprosy to present themselves to the priest and be declared “clean”. The only problem was they still had the disease. It required faith on their part to follow Christ’s instructions, even though it seemed like a fool’s errand. So the ten men, who still had leprosy headed off to see the priest, and as they went they were cured. They must have been overjoyed and anxious for the priest to declare they were clean and go back to normal living.

But one of the ten men, when he saw he was healed turned back toward Christ and loudly Glorified God. He understood the connection between his healing and God’s answer to their prayer. Then he returned to Christ and demonstrated by his actions and words that he was thankful.

Lu 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet,

giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus responded by asking where the other nine were. He had healed ten men but only one had returned to say “Thank you”, even though all ten had said “Please!”

Christ was speaking to the Pharisees when he recalled this event. His message to them was clear. They were not thankful for the blessings God had sent them. While this passage was directed at the Pharisees it is easy for us to see an application to our own lives.

We frequently ask God for things. “Dear Lord, please….” but may not remember to say thanks. It isn’t that we aren’t thankful. Sometimes we do not recognize God has answered our prayers. The old saying is “Do not pray for patience or God might send you children” or more in keeping with our hurry scurry lives “Please give me patience and give it to me right now.”

Sometimes our busy life squeezes out time for appreciation. Other times we fail to see the blessings in what others see as adversity.

My wife recently had a stroke. When someone was expressing how awful that was and feeling so sorry for us, I responded that we felt blessed. Their said it was good to keep a positive attitude. But we don’t have a positive attitude about it, we have a thankful spirit. God has blessed us in so many ways. That is the reason for today’s devotional thought. When I started reviewing and making a mental list of all the ways God has blessed us I felt a little guilty that I had been enjoying so many blessing and had not said thanks often enough.

That is the essence of our devotional thought for today. Spend a few minutes thinking about how God has blessed you. Now think harder. Look for the blessings in what others might see as adversity. Consider the things you take for granted; job, home, family, health, faith.  Are you starting to feel overwhelmed with blessings. Have you said “thank you” often enough?

It is a little ironic that when we were children we were taught to say “Please and Thank you”.  And as adults we continue that practice of saying please and thank you to people who might be complete strangers. But we do not always remember to do the same with our heavenly Father. The beginning of a new year is a good time to change that. Let us be more thankful and remember to connect thank you with please.

When a little boy was given a cookie his mother encouraged him by asking “Johnny, what do you say when someone gives you a cookie?”

“Oh” he paused in deep thought and then said “Can I have another one?”

May our prayers not resemble Johnny’s response.

2Co 9:15  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us

the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.    

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

Jan 4 - The Resolution

                                          

 Read Luke 16:1-15

 

Lu 16:4 I am resolved what to do,…

He was smart. He was also a crook. His boss suspected he had been stealing money from the company and was having the books audited. An audit would reveal he was a crook and he would be fired! He needed to come up with a plan. He was not about to go out and dig ditches or any other manual work. It would be too humiliating for him to become a beggar.  Eventually he came up with a new scheme.

Who was he? He was the unjust steward in a parable that Christ used as an example of how money can corrupt people.

In the King James Bible the word resolved occurs once. It is in this parable in Luke. Here we find the unjust steward comes up with a resolution of what he would do. It was a dishonest solution, but then he was a crook so what would you expect.

We need more details about how the unjust steward came up with his dishonest scheme. In Luke 16:1 A rich man is told his steward has been wasting his goods. The steward was spending his masters money as if it was his own.

In verse 2 the rich man calls him in and says he has heard stories so he wants an account of where the money went and threatens to fire the steward.

3. The steward is concerned about losing his job because he is too lazy to work and too proud to beg.

4. He comes up with a plan “I am resolved what to do…”

His plan is to call all the guys who owe his master and offer to reduce their bill if they pay on the spot. That will cheat his master even more but at least all the creditors will “receive me into their houses”.

By verse 8 the master learns about the unjust stewards plan and commends him for being so “slick”.  I Imagine it goes without saying the master then said what Donald Trump often says “You’re Fired!”

By now you are probably wondering what the parable was about and what it has to do with New Year’s resolutions. Explaining the meaning of the parable will also answer how it is connected to resolutions you may want to make, even if it is a few days after New Year’s Day, it is never too late to set better goals for ourselves.

Lu 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least

is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust

in the least is unjust also in much.

Here Christ explains the difference between the faithful and the unjust. How does it apply to us? Where are the places in our lives where we allow ourselves to be a little unjust. Do we take little things from work and excuse it because we think we are underpaid? Do we engage in a little gossip or smutty talk when at work or with our friends? Are we faithful with the finances God has given us or do we spend too much on electronic toys, expensive clothes, adult toys, or excessive frills? Where in our lives have we allowed ourselves to be a little unjust and found excuses why it is OK? That was what the unjust steward had done.

Lu 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful

in the unrighteous mammon,

who will commit to your trust the true riches?

The steward in our parable probably had to find a new occupation. Who would hire him to handle their money when they learned he was a crook? In verse 11 there is a connection between unrighteous mammon and true riches, or material riches and spiritual riches. Is this teaching that a person who is unfaithful, even in little things of the world will not be able to be faithful in spiritual things? I think so. Hypocrites eventually give themselves away.

Mt 12:34 …for out of the abundance of the heart

the mouth speaketh.  

(Also see Luke 6:45)

Thirdly, and the main point of the parable is a man cannot serve two masters. The unjust steward was serving himself, and not his master. Who do you serve? How you handle money is a good indicator. If you have allowed the pursuit of riches, or pleasure, or material goods, or fame, or any other thing to be your master, this parable simply says you can’t serve two masters.

Christ finished His parable with this summary in verse 13. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. He had chosen this parable to suit his audience, Pharisees and Scribes, who were covetous and were more interested in mammon than true righteousness.

So what does any of this have to do with resolutions? An old hymn may help us. 

“I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.”

We should all examine our souls and perhaps add a couple more resolutions to our list. Somehow finding a better job, bowling a 300 game, or losing 10 pounds no longer seem like the most important things we should resolve to do this year.

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you.