A crust of bread

Digital photography truly has some great features. I was able to take pictures of Randy, the wounded goose, in late light that film cameras could not compete with because of the limitations of the film speed. At a setting of 1600 my ten year old digital camera did quite well. Randy swam by, alone as I captured his image from the fishing dock. The LORD's eyes are not limited by technology. He sees his creation, knows our problems and he cares for us. Inasmuch as we are hearing God, then we respond by his eyes of direction to accomplish his good will.

Randy is at the shore where he sleeps on one leg in the safety of the shallow water.

This time I remembered to bring a crust of bread that I tossed into the water. Three hungry male Mallard ducks quickly eat up the bread.

Mat 10:40  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 
Mat 10:41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

Mat 10:42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 

What is this? Randy has returned for a snack. He reminds me of a cat I once had. If I opened a can of cat food, she was there at my feet, no matter if she was asleep or far away, she just knew.

He eats a portion of the offering. The ducks and geese usually forage for themselves, but when someone shares bread, they are grateful. That is how it should be for birds and for humans too. God designed them to work and to go out and get their own food, not to be dependant. God can bless his people as he chooses, but government seeks to make slaves of people. It is God who gives us the ability to work or to find help as needed. We give God the glory for all we receive.

Two black Scoters are always diving for their food. They do not come for handouts. God has given them the ability to take care of themselves and they do not get too near humans. God made all creation and he supplies their needs.

2Ch 29:5  And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 

2Ch 29:6  For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 

Pro 15:3  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 

Psa 34:15  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 

Weightier Matters

Mat 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Mat 23:24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

The problem with those who pride themselves in keeping laws, is they do not keep them perfectly. They have  a form of righteousness, but they really do not keep the laws in their hearts. 

The scribes and Pharisees ignored the more important things of the law: judgment; which is justice; knowing right from wrong and administering a just sentence on a wrong doer, according to God's laws.

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Mercy; kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.

Deu 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deu 7:10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

Faith; in the LORD and his promises to His people.

Mat 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

There was a great deal of pride in these religious leaders thinking that they obeyed the laws and condemning others who they did not approve of, including Jesus. 

Have we in the church ignored the law? Have we given grace too big a definition making it an excuse to live casually? Have we too come up short regarding justice, mercy and truth? Revival starts in each believers heart. We are not to be rigid Pharisee law keepers, nor loose living sinners hiding under the name of grace. It is a spiritual walk we must take. We must stay close to Jesus, allowing his Spirit to search our hearts as we read the Bible. He is perfecting his bride. Do not think that you are yet perfect. Only in him are we made perfect. Our identity is hidden in Jesus Christ; he is seen and he is glorified.

In the sky

The sky was alive with clouds and streaks. The sky will show signs. Signs of the devil's activity, signs of man's presence and power and end time signs of the coming of the Lord.

Eph_2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

We were subject to the prince of the power of the air, the devil and sin. God broke this power over us by coming as Jesus, the Son of God to destroy the work of the devil and to redeem us with his shed blood. He gave us a great commission.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

Signs of two angels , a dead tree (the cross) and a cloud.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 

Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

Jesus is coming in the clouds. Do you hear the sound of a trumpet?

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

Luke 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 
Luke 21:26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
Luke 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

Luke 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 

Bread and leaven

I have been baking bread. Yesterday I made braided bread. I used to make this when I lived alone in a small cabin rental when I first moved north. It has been over 35 years since I made this kind of bread. I remember coming home from hard work in the cabinet shop and stirring up the bread dough. About midnight it would come hot out of the oven. I put butter on it and would eat a whole loaf. Back then it took longer because the store-bought yeast was not fresh. Leaven is a good thing in making soft bread, but leaven in a person is not good. It just takes a little leaven to permeate the whole loaf. Likewise one wolf or false one coming into a fellowship can permeate it with sin and doubts of the scriptures and strife with divisions. If in a Bible study he will attempt to take over and will bring confusion. When a wolf comes my first thought is to separate him from the sheep. 

The word for leaven, zumē, is from zeō, to boil, to seethe. It permeates the whole loaf. Usually leaven is used for sin or evil intent.

Mat 16:11  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 

Mat 16:12  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 

It surprises me how easily a wolf can deceive. Even the disciples were slow to understand when Jesus warned them of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. I suppose that they were fooled by their outward appearance and their confident speaking. Wolves full of leaven can destroy a nation too, because the people have little discernment. Read the Bible and walk in the light, then you will know the true from the false ones.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

Randy's new year

I was able to download the pictures I took of Randy and the park on January first, using another device. By the drooping wing, we know it is Randy the goose. Some may judge the bird as an invalid, but he has survived three years at his new home at the park with it's green grass for food and the pond for foraging. His kin fly great distances together but he is doing quite well where he is. When I first began to minister on the Internet I was able to go places that you could not fly to. Inside locked bedrooms, in homes where a woman huddled to protect her children from an abusive mate. The Internet brought me friends in Canada, India, Scotland and Great Britain. We shared testimonies of people in China and Africa. Some scoffed at the Chat rooms saying God doesn't go there. Is there anyplace that God cannot go?

 His Spirit spoke heart to heart to the lost, to the new convert or the abused person. The Holy Spirit showed us how to minister through the Internet in AOL chat rooms and instant messages.

Randy may be alone, but he is in a beautiful place. We should be thankful for our blessings, for if we are in Christ we certainly are a blessed people, both here and with him in heavenly places.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

It is hard to stop reading when the verses are so meaningful. The important thing is that we are more precious to God than a goose or a tree or a sunset. All were made by Jesus for his good pleasure and for us to enjoy.

Walking by the cat tail rushes I get a quick look at a fawn. The camera was on manual focus, I took the picture without focusing, but the telephoto lens was the right focus to see him before he ran across my path. Some things we only get a glimpse of. Think of friends in the past who were sent to guide us on our correct path, but who have gone now. Perhaps one was an angel?

Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Two people sharing the sunset. Sometimes we put all our attention on a person to meet our needs. We are not to forget God, who provides to us all good things, including the sunsets. Give God the glory and thank you Jesus for another beautiful day.

Randy alone

I took a nice walk in the park at sunset time and I saw Randy, the Canadian goose with a broken wing. He was alone at the foot of the pond. The pond was a lovely shade of pink. Other fowl were swimming in the far side of the pond, but I saw no other geese. God has kept him going. I felt like I was Randy as I looked over the quiet pond soaking up the sunset sky; alone with God, thankful, scarred from life in the flesh, but so blessed and fortunate to discover the LORD and the beauty of his creation. Yes, I made pictures, but the computer could not load them up, saying the card needed formatting. Well if I format the card full of memories, all are lost. In the same way we are to format our own minds and hearts to be usable to God, losing the old thinking. God speaks through circumstances, so look for the message in your setbacks. If I have a problem, a concern or a need to hear from God about something, I usually sleep on it, in the morning I see things in the spirit better than in the night when the mind and body are tired.

How to format your thinking

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Faith requires faithfulness, faith in action.

Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 
Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 
Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Faith comes by hearing the word of God and faithfulness is doing what God requires us to do. As we are faithful he gives to us more responsibility and more blessings, both here and hereafter. It starts with submission. Are we willing to submit all to God in this new year and forever? We are not all the same and that is why we need each other. Each are gifted by God to bless the body of Christ. We together are his body, placed together in love, to be like Jesus. Our fellowship with God will result in a spiritual relationship; we shall be the bride of Christ. We are complete in Him.

Looking ahead

Looking back there was one goal that was realized. That was to again do a daily Bible study. There was not a day that an Eaglewings Journal entry was not sent out. I hope these have some fruit and I just know that the word of God will accomplish it's purpose. We are to be faithful, not looking to man for approval. If we look to man we get discouraged and quit. In the early days of the ministry a family of saved young people  who we called the "Free family", would receive the Daily Bible lessons and save them in notebooks. They would seek others, from bad places and from off the streets, give them a place to live and get them saved with Bible studies as a requirement. They knew the importance of God's word for a new life. They were disciples making disciples of Jesus Christ. In time they went there own way, but this ministry gave them a fresh start in a new life in Jesus. I was as a father to them, but even a father must let the children have their own purpose to fulfill.

2Ti 2:1  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 
2Ti 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 
2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 
2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

2Ti 2:5  And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 

Keep the faith and stay in the word. Look to God, not to man for approval and he will reward you when you see Jesus, face to face.