I was only a boy of 8 or 9 years old when I first read Dr. Seuss’ story, “Horton hears a Who.” Even at that age I could grasp its poignant message. Consider the first few pages…
On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing… enjoying the jungles great joys…
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise.
So, Horton stopped splashing. He looked toward the sound.
“That’s funny,” thought Horton. “There’s no on around.”
Then he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp
As if some tiny person were calling for help.
“I’ll help you,” said Horton. “But, who are you? Where?”
He looked and he looked. He could see nothing there
But a small speck of dust blowing past through the air.
“I say!” murmured Horton. “I’ve never heard tell
Of a small speck of dust that is able to yell
So you know what I think?... Why, I think that there must
Be someone on top of that small speck of dust!
Some sort of creature of very small size,
Too small to be seen by an elephant’s eyes…
“… some poor little person who’s shaking with fear
That he’ll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer!
I’ll just have to save him. Because after, all,
A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
In Mark chapter 8 Jesus cast a very large and welcoming net for followers by asking for anyone to connect by articulating the phrase “whosoever will.”
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Seuss’ poetic children’s story tells the of an elephant named Horton who discovered a microscopic community of people living on a small speck of dust. It turns out that this small speck is a tiny planet with a town called “Who-ville”, inhabited by a race of people called… you guessed it, “Who’s”
The Mayor of Whoville asks Horton to protect them, which he happily agrees to, proclaiming throughout the story that “even though you can’t see, or hear them at all. A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
In doing so he is ridiculed and persecuted for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear.
The implied sense of the story is that there are unseen people all around us. We see ourselves at times as being so small and insignificant that no one hears us or sees us…
It’s not a great leap for us to feel this way for in a very real sense we are made of the simplest of things… we are dust… God formed us by gathering the dust of the ground and breathing into it the breath of life.…. Abraham said I am but dust and ashes… (Gen 18:27.) At funerals, you often hear the familiar phrase, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
So, I would say that it’s very natural to feel insignificant sometimes in this life. It’s very realistic that we at times feel small in relation to the big things going on around us.
One of those BIG things is God himself! The book of Revelations tells us that (Rev 17:14)
• he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:
In Isaiah (6:1)
• sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
We can easily feel that God is too far away and above our concerns…
But he sees…
• He remembered us in our lowly state(Psalm 136:23) Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
He sits high and looks low…
Mary the mother of Jesus said in Luke 1:48-49
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
If you could allow me a little liberty with my imagination, but I wonder how many people that the shouting “Whoville” Mayor on the speck passed before he found someone who could or would hear him?
Jesus said (Matt 10:29-31)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Not only does he know how many hairs are on your head; he knows the number of each one)
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me!
He’s not so much concerned with the “Rich’s,” the “Poors,” the “wealthy’s”, the “without’s”, the “have’s” and the “haven'ts,” – the categories in life -- he’s just concerned with the WHO’s because the “whosoever will’s” are in every walk of life
The writer of Psalms 139 had an understanding of Gods intimate connection with us…
Psalms 139:1-4
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
The story of Jesus is much more involved than any children’s book could ever be; because Jesus doesn’t just listen, he does something… He saw us on our little “speck,” and rather than just speaking to our problem, he (1 Timothy 3:16) was manifest in the flesh and stepped down into our insignificance; seeing life on our level; that’s how much he cares for you…
Isaiah 53:3-4
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Revelation 22:17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
He is the one who heareth, and HE IS the one who says come… Heaven hears You… Don’t stop crying out… He hears you…
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
This & That
Rom 13:9-11
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
We find in this scripture the sum of the Laws that regulate us in Christian living towards our neighbors… This text is one scriptural attempt at summarizing what our thought, actions, and behavior should be towards those around us…
There are people whose lives we come in contact with everyday and we must never forget that God has a plan for those lives… He has not put you in contact with them reasonless. We sometimes operate in a sort of bubble insulated against any "outside" personnel, attempting to associate the least with the very people that we are around the most… Have you ever considered that many times you are spending more time with the people you work with then your own family!
Paul admonishes us in these practices concerning our neighbors… Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet… I think most people in our lives would appreciate these practices. Wouldn’t you agree?
I like how he puts the next phrase… If there be any other commandment, any other rules I’ve left out, any mandates I’ve overlooked … as if some of you probably need me to spell it out… just in case I forgot some wrong that you could do to your neighbor… it is briefly and summarily addressed in this statement: You should love your neighbor like you love yourself!
What a concept? If you love your neighbor like you love yourself there is no wrong that you could do that you won’t resist… Every bad thought, every wrong deed, every evil consideration or intention would be preceded with this thought - “I can’t do that because it would hurt me…” If this one commandment in scripture could be fulfilled it would prevent all fraud, injustice, oppression, and hate…
This same phrase is found in Moses' humanitarian laws in Leviticus 19:18 and in the very words of Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 19:19… reminiscent of the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…
Verse 10 - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Love has no agenda of hate. Love doesn’t conspire against, love does not plot… love does not imagine treachery… so love fulfills the law… Love is how you cover all those things the law can’t cover… love fills the gaps and the holes when the law is stretched thin. Our modern society has proven in the court of law that sometimes the law leaves room for injustice... Murderers have spent less time in prison that individuals who've broken the current "PC" environmental rules... You could sell crack on a street corner and face less punishment than capturing or killing an "endangered" spotted owl... In life, LOVE for one another is how we cover the holes left in the law...
Why do we love our neighbor? Why are we admonished in scripture to have a behavior towards them that would honor God? The answer is in verse 11… knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
We need to be mindful of the time! The signs of the end time are all around us! Every prophecy written in scripture concerning the return of Jesus Christ has already been fulfilled!
Jesus is coming back! We need to be ready!
The Lord is sending us a very strong message in this scripture… don’t forget your neighbors! Love them! Respect them! Treat them with care and dignity! Because I want them to be saved! If you love your neighbors like you love yourself then you won’t be able to let them be lost! You won’t go to bed at night without praying for them! The church has been sleeping on its responsibility too long… (That might be too general… you’ve been asleep too long- I’ve been asleep too long!) Wake up out of your sleep and realize that the day is at hand! The night is almost over… the day is at hand… cast off those works of the night and get serious!
A very curious point here in the scripture… In verse 9 the scripture says “FOR THIS” and in verse 11 it begins “AND THAT” The meaning may be thus expressed: All the requirements of the Law toward our neighbor may be met by two things: one is by love; the other is by remembering that we are near to eternity; keeping a deep sense of the "this" truth before the mind, tempered by the “That” truth.
THIS – Love and respect you neighbors
THAT- Jesus is coming back- Know the time…
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
We find in this scripture the sum of the Laws that regulate us in Christian living towards our neighbors… This text is one scriptural attempt at summarizing what our thought, actions, and behavior should be towards those around us…
There are people whose lives we come in contact with everyday and we must never forget that God has a plan for those lives… He has not put you in contact with them reasonless. We sometimes operate in a sort of bubble insulated against any "outside" personnel, attempting to associate the least with the very people that we are around the most… Have you ever considered that many times you are spending more time with the people you work with then your own family!
Paul admonishes us in these practices concerning our neighbors… Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet… I think most people in our lives would appreciate these practices. Wouldn’t you agree?
I like how he puts the next phrase… If there be any other commandment, any other rules I’ve left out, any mandates I’ve overlooked … as if some of you probably need me to spell it out… just in case I forgot some wrong that you could do to your neighbor… it is briefly and summarily addressed in this statement: You should love your neighbor like you love yourself!
What a concept? If you love your neighbor like you love yourself there is no wrong that you could do that you won’t resist… Every bad thought, every wrong deed, every evil consideration or intention would be preceded with this thought - “I can’t do that because it would hurt me…” If this one commandment in scripture could be fulfilled it would prevent all fraud, injustice, oppression, and hate…
This same phrase is found in Moses' humanitarian laws in Leviticus 19:18 and in the very words of Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 19:19… reminiscent of the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…
Verse 10 - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Love has no agenda of hate. Love doesn’t conspire against, love does not plot… love does not imagine treachery… so love fulfills the law… Love is how you cover all those things the law can’t cover… love fills the gaps and the holes when the law is stretched thin. Our modern society has proven in the court of law that sometimes the law leaves room for injustice... Murderers have spent less time in prison that individuals who've broken the current "PC" environmental rules... You could sell crack on a street corner and face less punishment than capturing or killing an "endangered" spotted owl... In life, LOVE for one another is how we cover the holes left in the law...
Why do we love our neighbor? Why are we admonished in scripture to have a behavior towards them that would honor God? The answer is in verse 11… knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
We need to be mindful of the time! The signs of the end time are all around us! Every prophecy written in scripture concerning the return of Jesus Christ has already been fulfilled!
Jesus is coming back! We need to be ready!
The Lord is sending us a very strong message in this scripture… don’t forget your neighbors! Love them! Respect them! Treat them with care and dignity! Because I want them to be saved! If you love your neighbors like you love yourself then you won’t be able to let them be lost! You won’t go to bed at night without praying for them! The church has been sleeping on its responsibility too long… (That might be too general… you’ve been asleep too long- I’ve been asleep too long!) Wake up out of your sleep and realize that the day is at hand! The night is almost over… the day is at hand… cast off those works of the night and get serious!
A very curious point here in the scripture… In verse 9 the scripture says “FOR THIS” and in verse 11 it begins “AND THAT” The meaning may be thus expressed: All the requirements of the Law toward our neighbor may be met by two things: one is by love; the other is by remembering that we are near to eternity; keeping a deep sense of the "this" truth before the mind, tempered by the “That” truth.
THIS – Love and respect you neighbors
THAT- Jesus is coming back- Know the time…
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