June 20, 2017

Greetings My Friend, I hear great pain in God's voice as I read in Ezra "They sacrificed their son's and their daughters to the demons; they poured innocent blood out, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan and the land was polluted with blood." God's has tears for those children's lives that were cut short, who would never grow up to live a full life, even more heart wrenching to God is that these children's lives were used to feed demon's their fill. When I read this I grieve the belief I once had thinking we were doing children a favor by not allowing them to come to life. I never could get rid of a child in my body although I accepted that it is the woman's right to do so. If God's heart is so broken over the spilling of blood for a child for human sacrifices then how much does it grieve His heart when we end a "fetus'" life so we can carry on with our own plans in life. Reading the Bible has opened my heart to God's heart and with each reading I learn to align my heart with His, the creator's heart. In recent months I sense I am shifting my thinking to align with the teaching of how we are to reach out to the poor and afflicted. In the OT when Moses was setting up the community of Israel I notice that God is teaching Israel to take care of their own in need. God has told the people to go through and glean their land of the produce once and to leave the outer edges for the poor and needy among them so they are able to feed themselves by gleaning the food. I read where when an Israelite becomes poor to the point of selling themselves or their land there is provisions for them. The land is to be given back in the year of jubilee as well as the Israelite slave is to be freed. God is teaching Israel to take care of their own although they don't get a free ride, even the lame would beg to provide for their needs. No one in the community is given a total free ride, each must do what they are able to support themselves within the community and the community at large is to allow for ways for the poor to help themselves. In the NT I see much the same message is taught to the church, which is the church needs to help provide for the poor and needy within the body of the church first. I have seen this in action within the churches I have belonged to. When Dad no longer needed his back brace and wheelchair he donated it to the church. The church then loaned medical equipment to the church body first and if the church body was taken care of then it loaned it out to the community at large. Most churches collect money to help those in need and first they provide for their own and if their is left overs then they will help the community at large. Junior and I have a heart for helping people and in recent years we have reached out to others in the community at large only to find many of the ones in the community at large are more interested in staying in their situation. As we have turned our eyes back to the church body we have seen some who are barely making ends meet that could use a small assist from time to time, they don't expect a hand out and are willing to provide for themselves as they are able to. While looking back at the church community I start to see how we as a church body can reach outside after we take care of our own. We need to be welcoming to all who ask to enter into the church body and by our example we can begin to train up new believers, strengthen longtime believers and slowly the church goes out into the world making disciples of all nations. I am sure that I have more growing to do in this faith journey so I will do my best to live as close to Jesus as I am able and to reach out with the Good News of the Gospel by the way I live my life, tell my story and share the hope I have. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet