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Dumb Donkey

  For a rather obscure figure, the New Testament mentions Balaam a lot.   Jude 1:11, 2 nd Peter 2:15-16, and Revelation 2:14 all make mention of the prophet son of Beor, yet not in a good way. He is held up as the example of what not to be. His desire for wealth causes him to accept what was clearly wrong. It took a dumb donkey to make him see the error of his ways. And even then, he still used his influence to drive the people of God into error, all for his own gain. “ They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness .” --2 nd Peter 2:15-16   Maybe it does because his type is still common. Even in the early church, we see those more concerned about their pocketbook than the Good Book. Teachers who will say whatever as long as it fills their bank account. People who convince themselves that evil isn’t ...
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Made A Mother

    There are lots of firsts in Genesis. First Day. First Person. First Marriage. First Sin.   In Genesis 4:1, we have the first birth and the first mother Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD. " Genesis 4:1   What an amazing experience. Till that point, the man had been fully formed by God out of the dirt or out of another. Yet now the union of man and wife had brought forth a child. Eve had lived up to her name as the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20)   It wasn’t easy. Part of the punishment of the fall was the increase in pain of childbirth (Genesis 3:16). Yet just birthing a child isn’t the only part of being a mother. It is raising that child, and that wasn’t easy after that as well. Cain would go on to become the first murderer, taking the life of his own brother.  What a tragic turn of events for Eve as a mothe...
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About That Time

     Somebody had to save the beavers! The government of the Czech Republic was tasked with protecting the wetland marsh that the beavers called home. It was decided that a dam had to be built to protect the marsh, but the project got caught up in so much bureaucracy and red tape that by the time it was green-lighted, it was too late.   Not to protect the beaver but to build the dam. The beavers had built one all on their own.   Good intentions, however, don’t always mean good results. Many things we know need to be done are never done because we take too long to do them. If we are not careful, the plans we make are worthless, not because they were not good, but because we took too long to do them.   Proverbs 3:27-28 warns us, “ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you. ”   So, let get it d...
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Guess Who

    In 2 nd Kings 22, the wicked king Ahab has found out that God has set up a plan to get him killed. He had been trying to get the king of Judah, Jehoshapat, to unite with him in battle against the king of Aram.   But Jehoshaphat was hesitant, not sure that the prophets Ahab had brought forth to foretell God's blessing were really on the up and up. So, the prophet Micaiah is brought in, even though he’s never been pro-Ahab.  Ahab expects Micaiah to be against his idea; however, Micaiah says do it, it’s all part of God’s plan to knock off Ahab.   Yet, this revelation doesn’t make Ahab cancel his attack. Instead, he tries to fool God. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 1st Kings 22:30    At first, his ruse appears to work. The enemies’ orders are to attack Ahab personally, and they go after...
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Sorry

  Once there was a contest to show one’s skill at archery. Three men were challenged to shoot an apple off a young boy's head.   The first one draws his arrow back, shoots, and hits the apple off the boy's head. He then holds up his hand and proclaims, "I am William Tell!"   The second one draws his arrow back, shoots, hits the apple, and also splits the other archer's arrow. He then holds up his hand and proclaims, "I am Robin Hood!"   The third one draws his arrow back, shoots, and hits the poor boy right between the eyes. The other archers look at him, stupefied at what he has done. The man then holds up his hand and proclaims, "I am sorry.   When we mess up, we should be sorry. But when we continue to mess up without an effort to change,  we are just being sorry.   This is at the heart of repentance. Not just being sorry for what he did, but changing so he doesn’t continue to be sorry For the sorrow that is according to the will o...
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Taboo

    Years ago, I got into a discussion with a young man who was convinced the Bible did not prohibit homosexuality. He reasoned that that in passages such as Leviticus18:22 that describe the practice as an “abomination,” the Hebrew word “toebah,” which we know transliterate as taboo, is something only found wrong because it violates cultural norms. In other words, it was only said as wrong because it went against what was wrong for them. Since we no longer think that way, it’s not condemned.   There is a lot of wrong thinking there. First, we can’t take a modern use and apply it to what was said back then. Second, if we hold to that, we must apply it every time it is used. And the term is used for activities that God is always clearly against, i.e., idolatry and child sacrifice. Third, the Bible condemns the practice with various other terms and descriptions.   Yet maybe the biggest flaw in that thinking is that if we become ok with something, then God does. Ma...
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Chutes & Ladders

    Do you remember the old kids' board game Chutes & Ladders? For those unfamiliar, you spun the dial and advanced that many spaces trying to reach the top.  If you landed on a ladder, you take it skipping ahead, but if you got on a chute, then you slide back down.   The journey of faith is a lot like that game. We plug along, growing toward the goal. Something happens that moves us ahead with ease. Then comes the chute, knocking us back down. At times it is easy, at times it is hard, at times it just moves along. The key is to keep getting back up and moving forward.   There will be setbacks. There will be successes. Sometimes you move so fast you can’t believe how simple it is. Sometimes it seems all you do is fall down. Other times, it is slow progress but progress nonetheless.  You just need to keep spinning and keep taking your turns   The promise isn’t ease. It isn’t consistency. It is that if we keep going, we will reach the prize. ...
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