Grains of Sand

Pixabay Submission is one of those thorny aspects in Scripture that prompt, "But you don't know what I'm dealing with!" In 1 Peter 2:13-17 Peter addresses the issue of submission to authorities. He is writing to those who have been, and are being, persecuted for their faith and who may have wondered why Peter was asking them to respect and honour those who nursed hate in their hearts for all those who followed Jesus and who demanded that they recant or suffer the consequences.  " Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether it be to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will  you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, h...

Charlottetown, PEI “ But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth ” (Exodus 9:16). This was part of a message that Moses was to deliver to Pharaoh. It caught my attention. With all the current horror, or glee, with which we greet those who come into authority over us, there is an overriding truth we need to remember. The Scripture is clear as to Who does the final choosing of those who, for better or worse, are handed the mandate of command over our affairs. Daniel prays this prayer: “ Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with him ” (Daniel 2:20-22). Jesus reminded Pilate that his power was limited: “ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if i...

Pixabay January is a scary month—if only because the December bills begin to pile up in the mail box. Debt haunts us and then hunts us down. Here's a lesson from Abraham. How odd that the first piece of the promised land that Abraham ever owned was a burial plot for Sarah. The Almighty had promised to give him all of Canaan as an inheritance, but when Sarah died, he was still a pilgrim, a nomad, a tent-dweller without a stake in the ground to mark his turf. Genesis 23 describes the negotiations between Abraham and the owner of the cave in which the patriarch wanted to bury his wife. This is, apparently, the first mention of metal (silver) being exchanged for goods and services, and a reference to the custom of using a go-between or a mediator to negotiate a transaction. Abraham goes to the Hittites and asks, “ …intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf so he will sell me the cave at Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me...

Google Images I’m declaring myself a sovereign state. In doing so I don’t have to give account to anything or anyone. The laws don’t apply to me. I don’t recognize any civil authority. Sound familiar? All over North America there are groups of people who have done what I have just declared. It’s an action as ridiculous for them as it is for me. When we live in a country, or even visit a country, we are subject to the laws and authorities of that country. Even those with “diplomatic immunity” can be thrown out if the country where they are stationed decides that they are personas non grata. In Matthew 17:24-27, an interesting conversation is recorded between Peter and Jesus. It was a tax question. The tax men asked Peter if Jesus paid the temple tax. Peter took the question to Jesus and the Lord answered it by first asking another question. The bottom line was: Do those who are under the kingship of someone other than the king of the land in which they are living, have to pay taxes?...

Reading: 1 Timothy 1-6 Yesterday, I had slipped and fell on the street. This was the second time in three weeks and it happened in almost the same spot both times. This time I smashed my head against a chunk of ice/snow/sand/salt, melded together and lying at the edge of the sidewalk. No great damage done, thank the Lord. A few scratches on my face, more abuse to already abused knees, and the right lens of my glasses will have to be replaced. But that beats a broken leg or hip or whatever else could have happened. I sent an email to the city Public Works department to advise them that this particular section was extremely dangerous and perhaps needed a little more attention that what it seems to be getting. It never occurred to me to pray for the salvation of the city engineer to whom my email was addressed. So when I read these verses from Timothy this morning I was reminded that my duty as a believer goes beyond being a good citizen—or reporting slippery sidewalks! “ I u...