Tag Archives: Bible

Manifesting the Glory of God

I was reading John 17 when the word “glorified” struck me. Jesus says it here:

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. (NASB) John 17:4

The word “glory” has to do with value, worth, character and nobility. Jesus demonstrated and made known the value and worth of God by obeying him, and said we also can do so:

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing….My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples….If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (NASB) John 15:5, 8, 10

I had to include a few verses to point this out: We can demonstrate and make known the value of God! Does that strike you as amazing? If it does not, then I think you should look for this in the Bible. One of the most important things for any Christian to understand is just how magnificently glorious our Heavenly Father is. Having this knowledge will be a humbling experience, and humility is the first step toward bearing much fruit and bringing God glory (Matt 5:3).

Once we are struck by the incredible value of God, it should be an amazing thing to realize we can connect directly to that glory, we can manifest it and demonstrate it and make it known in this life!

I desperately want to connect with the glory of God. What could be more magnificent? What could be more valuable? Is there anything more meaningful that I could do? I think not. And these verses tell me exactly how to do this: obey God. However, we cannot obey commands that we do not know, which points to what I have already mentioned, that the first step is studying the Bible.

I feel intimately connected to God when I study his Word, but I have never felt intimately connected to my Savior after hearing a sermon or reading a great book about him. Never! The experience of directly studying the Bible is entirely different for me. I have often heard many excuses for not reading the Bible, but nothing replaces it because Jesus is the Word (John 1:1, 14).

When we read a book about Jesus, we are disciples of the writer. When we listen to a sermon, we are disciples of the preacher. But every great teacher will always point us to Jesus, who is the source of anything good they have to say or write. Paul did this:

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (NIV) 1 Cor 11:1

I admire my pastor and his teaching, I think very highly of it and respect how much time and effort he has put into knowing Christ, following him, and helping others to know him. However, the true value of this is how he points us to the Word and to our personal responsibility to study it and do what it says.

My Savior has tremendous value to me, more than anything else. If this is a true statement, it will show in my life. It will be reflected in how I choose to sit with him in the morning, studying his Word, considering who he is and how to be like him, then choosing to live that way. This is being a Christian, a disciple of Christ. This is how I manifest the glory of God.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

Fetters of Debt

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My debt used to feel so oppressive and I let it dictate so much of what I did and how I felt. Previously, I believed debt was extremely evil, a tool Satan used to control me. As a Christian, I felt I had a duty to get rid of it quickly.

This perspective caused me no end of stress and worry, which also affected those around me and caused friction in my marriage. I now see the Bible offering a different perspective, one that is more freeing.

Debt is like slavery in that it limits options, is very difficult to overcome, and feels quite oppressive, thus it makes a great analogy. Slavery was legal in New Testament times and was addressed in the epistles. It may be surprising that Christian slaves were told to serve even oppressive masters well.

“Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” (1 Peter 2:18, NIV)

This is not what I would expect to be told if I were in an oppressive situation! Yet Peter makes it clear that oppressive circumstances do not excuse bad behavior. Rather, we are blessed if we do good despite harsh circumstances.

“For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God….To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps….But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” (1 Peter 2:19, 21, 3:14, NIV)

Peter says there is a blessing in these humbling circumstances, and I believe we can apply this to being in debt as well. I want to qualify all this before continuing, though. The New Testament writers did tell slaves to gain their freedom if they could:

“Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.” (1 Corinthians 7:21, NIV)

And Paul also makes it clear to not let yourself be enslaved:

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.” (1 Corinthians 7:23, NIV)

This definitely applies to debt, we should avoid getting into it and do what we can to get out of it. However, having gotten yourself into an unfriendly situation, there is no need to go crazy trying to free yourself from it. “Do not be anxious about anything” (Phil 4:6).

For Christians, there is freedom. The circumstance of debt is humbling, and we should respond to it obediently and with joy, the way the New Testament writers instructed us.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2, NIV)

Trials bring us closer to God because they force us to rely on his strength rather than ours. A slave who fights or rebels against a harsh master does so in their own strength and gives up an opportunity to see God work in their life, and any victory will bring pride in oneself.

But a slave who is obedient, refusing to give into anger, resentment or worry, this one is forced to cry out to God for strength. In submission they are able to see God do the work for any relief that comes, and in humility and sacrifice will identify with Christ’s journey to the cross. For a Christian who desires to draw near to their Savior, such a trying circumstance leads to this unexplainable joy.

This is a challenging perspective to grasp, but one every Christian should spend time considering.

Regarding debt, I have given up worrying over it. I do my best to make good decisions, but I trust that the circumstance is well within God’s powerful and merciful hands. When it seems insurmountable, I cry out to God and feel joy! Because the only way I get through it is with God near me, something I long for, and I know he is near me in this. I do not pinch every penny or track every expense or refuse myself every small pleasure. Yet, time and time again, I have seen my finances go further than they should, and I continue to tithe and be generous with my tips and find other ways to give to others.

While I am still trapped in the fetters of debt, I am free and full of joy in the Lord, and I feel closer to God than ever before in my life.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

The Refugees – 10,000 Chances to Choose Faith

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Tired and Poor and Hungry and Hurting
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I want to comment on allowing Syrian refugees into America, but from a Christian perspective not a political one. As a Christian I strive to be guided by Christ and the Bible, not by conservative or liberal political ideas. Too many Christians allow a political affiliation determine their beliefs, and consequently their actions. The only filter we should have for political arguments is our faith.

President Obama wants to bring 10,000 refugees from the conflict in Syria over to America, but ever since the Paris attacks occurred, this plan has become a political weapon for conservatives to attack liberals. Politics is politics, and some politicians are playing into the fears of the people to get attention. What bothers me is seeing Christians using the exact same rhetoric as the politicians in arguing against bringing over refugees from this conflict. My point is not to call anyone out specifically, so I will not cite any examples. I simply want to examine this issue from a Christian perspective.

These refugees are fleeing exactly what we are trying to keep out of America: the war and terror and lawlessness, the killing and death and bombs and gunshots. These refugees are tired and poor and hungry and hurting, they are persecuted and desperate and have no where to go but places that don’t want them or can’t handle all of them. They are what James, the brother of Jesus, meant when he wrote this:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (Jam 1:27, NIV84)

When James wrote this, orphans and widows were those who were unable to provide for and protect themselves. They survived off the generosity of others. Do not these refugees of the conflict in Syria qualify? Especially since there are so many trying to get into Europe that Europe cannot handle all of them. We absorb millions of illegal immigrants, what is 10,000 more who will be vetted before coming over? Was not John, the close friend and disciple of Jesus, referring to just this circumstance when he wrote,

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18, NIV84)

Should not Christians be rushing to help these refugees, rather than joining with those who are yelling for them to be kept out?

The argument for refusing these refugees has to do with our security. Americans want to feel insulated from the killing and explosions and the resulting fear and instability. I understand the concern, but this argument is allowing fear to trump love, and God commands love. If we are to fear, we should be fearing God, not terrorists. Jesus said this,

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28, NIV84)

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah provided an example of this faith, the proper kind of fear, when they said this to Nebuchadnezzar,

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or woship the image of gold you have set up. (Dan 3:17-18, NIV84)

I for one trust that our American vetting process will keep out all the terrorists, a process that takes one and a half to two years! But if our process fails, I will accept the risk of harm to me and my family to give 10,000 hurting and suffering people the opportunity to experience the same freedom from war and death that I enjoy here in America.

We Christians should be calling for much more than a mere 10,000 of these refugees to be allowed over, and the Christian community alone can absorb every one of them. Let me know what you think.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

A Hard Teaching for Americans

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Slavery is a hard word for Americans to deal with.
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Americans have a thing about slavery. It is offensive to us, it is an embarrassment, it is something hateful, it is a dark past that has never fully unlatched itself from our present, and it is completely and absolutely not-good! It is in opposition to the motto we sing, “Land of the free, home of the brave,” and goes against our founding document that states our belief in the “unalienable rights” of every human being.

This is probably why many Bible translations today changed the word “slave” to “bond-servant.” I have heard pastors explain away Biblical teaching directed to slaves, saying the word really refers to someone who voluntarily submitted to their master. Kind of like an employee.

It makes it sound not so bad that way.

As far as I can tell, when the New Testament writers used the word slave (or bond-servant), they were writing about what we would consider slavery, or human trafficking: a person who was property with no rights. This distinction is important because what the Apostles wrote to slaves is a beautiful expression of how deeply a Christian’s commitment to God must be.

This is from the Holman translation of 1 Timothy 6:1

All who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters to be worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and His teaching will not be blasphemed. (HCSB)

Now, read that again. The Greek word translated to “respect” means either value or honor. This is an instruction for Christian slaves to not only treat their unbelieving masters with “all respect,” but to consider them worthy of all respect! This has nothing to do with deserving it, either, since these masters were likely quite harsh. Rather, the reason is to protect the name, or reputation, of God.

Who would tell a slave to give their harsh master a high value and deem them worthy of great honor? No one in America, I think. But if you get caught up in the slave/master relationship, you may miss that this has nothing to do with those harsh masters. It is about God, how glorious he is, and how important he is to us.

I asked myself if I take God’s name that seriously. Is the reputation of my Lord and Savior so precious to me that I am willing to honor those who have taken away my rights, abused and oppressed me, bullied me and harmed me? Do I value those who have made themselves my enemy so that I can ensure God’s name is held in high esteem?

How many Americans are willing to hear this? How many Americans who go to church every Sunday actually live this? We Americans believe in our rights, we cling to them and champion them and demand laws protecting them. We even protect the rights of criminals, those who have grossly violated others’ rights. The thought of a loving God wanting a slave to give honor to a vile master is unthinkable to us.

This, however, is what the Bible tells us to do. And it goes much further than teaching us to be good employees. This shows us how far the command to love our enemies must go, and that our Heavenly Father is worthy of so much respect that we give honor to the unrespectable.

I heard a story on the radio of a woman whose daughter was bullied. They responded by praying for the bully and by the end of the year the daughter and the bully were good friends. That is loving our enemies, giving the oppressors enough value to spend time in prayer for them.

Can you think of an example of how to do this in your life?

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

That Distant Darkness

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What awaits you in that distant darkness ahead?
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I recently changed (day) jobs and the transition has not been as smooth as I anticipated. This is causing me stress that is sapping my energy and joy, which affects my family life.

My wife encouraged me last night to listen to the advice I gave her a couple months ago when she changed careers. This was: to let go of the past and all my mistakes, to focus on today, and to do so trusting in the Lord for the results (the future). This is good advice that gave me instant peace, because it is true.

This morning she pointed me to a couple Bible verses that say exactly what she reminded me of.

Mat 6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV1984)

This is actually a memory verse of mine, one of the first verses I clung to over 15 years ago, and for good reason. It is a common struggle of mine, and probably many others. It is difficult to let go of our need for food, shelter, and clothes, for provision and protection. As a man, I feel obligated to maintain a good job so that I can provide for and protect my family. Going through a rocky transition always creates fear over what will happen tomorrow, whether I will be able to pay the bills and keep us in a home. It is an act of faith to trust God with the results of my decisions and actions.

In seeking God, I am not lazy but hard working. I am not rebellious but a good servant who listens to instructions and attends to the needs of management and customers. I am not wasteful but a good steward of resources. I am not disrespectful but polite to everyone, even when I am upset or offended. (All of these come from a heart guided by Matt 5:3-10, not a legalistic list of do’s and don’ts.)

And when I fail in these or other areas, this is still true: I am not perfect but a work in progress, and God is my judge not the critics (including my inner voices) who intentionally or unintentionally bring me down.

Here is another verse she pointed me to, one I was not familiar with.

Deu 29:29 The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. (LASB:NLT Bible)

We are only accountable for what we know, this I knew. But the future is an unknown, which means it is in God’s hands, and this I never thought of! Is this not encouraging? It still takes great faith to move forward today without knowing what will happen tomorrow, especially when so much of my past screams out my potential to fail. But I want to be a man of faith, so I must take this challenge head on and press forward into the future, in faith, seeking God’s kingdom first and trusting that my decisions are in his hands.

One more verse that many are probably familiar with.

Psa 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. (HCSB St)

It was pointed out to me that a lamp only provides light for a few footsteps ahead of you in the dark, but you cannot see the distance ahead of you where you are going. That distant darkness that you cannot see, that is what you trust to the Lord, whether it is good or bad, favor or correction, life or death, prosperity or poverty. I can trust in God for that darkness because I know the end of that darkness is being in heaven, in the glorious presence of my God.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

Poetic Justice

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The poetic prophet Isaiah
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Based on Isaiah 28:1-13

What is good poetry? It is beautiful, has a depth of meaning, and expresses a truth that we can see at work around us. The prophet Isaiah is so poetic! Let me show you:

Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley
Of those who are overcome with wine!
Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;
As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,
He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.
And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the fertile valley,
Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer,
Which one sees,
And as soon as it is in his hand,
He swallows it. (NASB) Isa 28:1-4

It stands out to me in this passage that those who are against God are described as beautiful and having glory. God gives us such incredible ability to create beautiful things: buildings and compositions and organizations. He made us beautiful and placed us in a world that overflows with magnificent beauty. He also gave us a choice to pursue and enjoy this beauty for his glory or ours, to serve him or ourselves. Too often we serve ourselves.

What concerns me most is not how non-believers serve themselves, but how the church and Christians are doing this very thing, which is what this chapter in Isaiah is all about. I wish I could play the audio from the dramatized NIV audio version, it does a great job of expressing it. But the word will have to suffice here:

And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.” (NIV) Isa 28:7-10

At first, I wondered why the priests were drunk. Were they depressed? Is the drunkenness symbolic of their self-indulgence and abuse of their position? The way they mock the prophet explains it, I believe.

I have seen Christians, friends as well as church leaders on television and in print, make excuses for the standard in the Bible. They make excuses for their pursuit of pleasure, for their sin, and mock the Bible by saying it is outdated or misunderstood. Like these drunk priests Isaiah describes, in order to validate our pursuit of pleasure we must discredit the Bible’s teaching. Discredit is too small a word for what is really being done, though. Malign is more accurate, and honest Christians would agree.

The pleasures we pursue sinfully are not ugly and sinful in themselves. God gave us beauty and pleasure in our wine and sex and art and music and the ability to build and create and organize, and he wants us to use and implement all these things. But he wants us to do it to his glory, not ours, because he created them and gave them to us. It is simply a matter of respect. We are created and we ought to hold our Maker high esteem. We do this by enjoying the beauty and pleasures of this world within the confines he gave us. Drink in moderation, sleep only with your spouse, build in prayer, compose the beauty of God’s truths, organize and lead in humility and meekness.

The Bible is clear about what will happen to those who, like these mocking priests, malign God’s truths:

Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there —
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured. (NIV) Isa 28:11-13

Notice, the poetry they used to mock God is used against them. Observe as well that before God’s judgment came, he reached out to these mockers, even using the same words Jesus spoke years later, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (NIV) Mat 11:28 (italics added)

The poetic prophecy continues with what I believe is the most important part. When we enjoy and exercise God’s beauty appropriately, he offers a promise:

In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate. (NIV) Isa 28:5-6

See how God wears the crown, not us. If God is our glory and not ourselves, if we pursue his beauty instead of ours, he promises to be our strength at the gate where our enemies come against us to mock us and hurt us and tear us down. This is truly poetic justice in every sense of the phrase, with beauty and irony and depth and truth.

Blessings! – Shamar Covenant

God’s Creatures

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My mom’s adorable bundle of playful energy, Zippy! Zippy © Photos by Terri

Do you have a pet? The picture above is my mom’s dog Zippy, and she loves that little guy. Do you have an animal you love? I wonder about what God thinks of our pets. Do dogs go to heaven? Will my mom get to enjoy the company of Zippy in the big upstairs? What about the animals we eat and use for clothing and such, does God care about them and how we treat them?

In an audio book I was listening to, Myth in Human History (The Great Courses), the instructor Professor Grant L. Voth was discussing the Christian creation myth told in Genesis chapters 1-3. He differentiated this myth from others by pointing out that it makes humans “lords of creation,” and further expands on this by stating that it leaves no room for animal rights. This is what he said:

“This story gives us pretty much carte blanche to do what we want with nature since God isn’t in it, outside it, it exists for our use and he gave it to us to use however we wanted. The ecological consequences of this are obvious now. We can sometimes wish that we had been heir to a tradition that required us at least to apologize to a buffalo when we had to kill it or to a mountain when we had to level it, and do as little of this as we possibly could get by with. There was an 18th century clergyman whose sermon I read once who argued in the sermon that the only reason that animals were given life at all was to keep their meat fresh until we killed it. This is the days before refrigeration. There is no sense of animal rights here. There are no rights except ours, and that is inherent in this Genesis account.” (Part I at 2:33, or 26 minutes into lecture 5, “Hebrew Creation Myths”)

There are a number of inconsistencies with his analysis of Christian “myth,” but I want to focus on the animal rights issue. The Bible does not, in any way, promote cruelty toward animals, nor is it condoned, nor is the Bible apathetic on this topic. The professor quoted a number of verses throughout the Bible during the course, so he had to have read it, and I assume a professor would read it through more than once. He seems to have focused more on the verses that supported his view of it as myth and the paradigms he was using to analyze myths.

First, I would like to cite the verse in the Bible that explicitly states God gave animals to humans for food. This did not occur in the creation part of the story, chapters 1-3 which the professor was discussing, but after the flood that only Noah, his family and his animals survived, which is in chapter 9 of Genesis.

Genesis 9:3, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

The Bible says we can eat meat. Or animals, rather. But does it say we can treat them negligently or even cruelly? Let’s start with Deuteronomy and the Ten Commandments, the fourth one in particular.

Deuteronomy 5:14, “but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.”

Notice animals are required to get the same day of rest as humans. That seems rather…humane. Another regulation found in the same part of the Bible is about the agricultural process.

Deuteronomy 25:4, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”

Animals should be able to eat the grain as they work. There is a very similar regulation prohibiting Israelites from reaping to the edge of their field, or gathering the gleanings of the harvest, or what falls to the ground. Rather they are to leave these leftovers behind for the poor and the foreigners (Lev 19:9-10). God cares for the poor, he cares for the estranged, and in much the same way, he cares for the laboring animals.

Does the Bible ever state explicitly that we are to treat animals decently? To provide for and protect them? To not torture them? Yup.

Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

The contrast within this proverb not only points to the righteousness of caring for an animal, but also to the wickedness of cruelty toward animals. Also, from the prophets:

Habakkuk 2:17, “The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed man’s blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.”

For me, knowing that God’s justice extends to those who “destroy” animals warms my heart. Once, while working on an overseas military base, I saw a soldier and a fellow contractor murder the puppies of a stray dog living in the gate of the base. In my questioning of the contractor on this, I called him a “puppy-killer.” This title disturbed him, and he quickly became uneasy about what he had done. Too bad he did not think of that before he murdered them.

How does God feel about these animals he has created? Does he care for them like he cares for humans? Or are they simply food he provided for us, carriers of meat? Let us take a look at Jonah’s story. The following verse is God speaking to Jonah, who is very depressed that the city of Nineveh was spared from God’s wrath after repenting of their evil ways.

Jonah 4:11, “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

This verse is the end of a story of a man who was sent to preach to a people he did not want to see saved. Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to burn in hell for what they had done. The details of their violation against Jonah are not mentioned in the story, but apparently Nineveh at this point in history was known for their violence and lust.

God felt differently than Jonah. Despite the terrible reputation of this city, God calls it “great” in the verse above. What made it great? I do not believe God was referring to their ability in war or trade. Their greatness was due to there being 120,000 of his creations living in it! Their abilities and accomplishments did not matter. This is an amazing point, and deserves its own blog post, but I want to point out the mention of cattle in there. Yes, what made the city of Nineveh great in God’s eyes was not only the 120,000 people, but also the cattle! God did not want to destroy the people or the cattle, but to save the cattle as well. This, I believe, expresses how God feels about animals.

A couple other verses:

Psalm 36:6, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.”

Psalm 145:16-17, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.”

God’s righteousness, justice, provision, and his love are all directed toward the animals of the earth as well as the humans. It seems to me that the Bible makes it clear that we are not to be cruel to animals. Rather, we are to care for them, provide for them, protect them, and love them! Since being a Christian is to be Christ-like, my mom loving her Zippy is a very Christian thing to do.

Do dogs go to heaven? I do not know. But, clearly God wants us to care for them because he cares for them, and if he cares for them, do you think maybe we will get to enjoy our pets in heaven like we did on earth? I believe so. I think my mom will get to enjoy Zippy’s crazy playful energy in heaven. God created animals for his pleasure, and for ours, and it makes sense to me that they would continue giving us pleasure in heaven. This is only my opinion, though.

In Matthew 6:26, Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”

God provides for the birds of the air, because he cares for them. But Jesus continued, “Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Jesus did not die on the cross for animals, not even the cattle in Nineveh that Jonah apparently preached to. Jesus died for people, and that is the real message of the Bible.

God loves animals, but he REALLY loves us! So much so that he humbled himself and lived as a common man, then let us beat him up, insult him, and kill him. Receiving Jesus as God and believing in his life and death and resurrection (John 1:12) opens the door to a relationship with the most loving, kind, understanding, and compassionate person, Jesus Christ. I encourage you all to be kind to animals, and to get to know this man Jesus.

Blessings – Shamar Covenant

(All Bible quotations are from the NIV84 translation.)

Have Your Way In Me

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Recently, I was trying to get somewhere. As a truck driver working for a company (as opposed to having my own running authority where I find my own loads to pull), I had to get dispatched with a load to that destination. I put in the request for this “home time” well in advance. When the time approached, I could tell that I was not going to make my destination at the requested time, and I became frustrated.

Actually, I was angry. When I contacted my driver leader about this, I was also sleepy. I needed to get rest during the day, normal working hours for most, including my driver leader. My rest was interrupted continually with various dispatches that would not work. I sent a couple rude messages (Via my truck computer! Super-cool high-speed stuff, I know!) to my driver leader until I received a dispatch that appeared to have me sitting at my current location for almost two days, and I sent another rude message to my driver leader about that. When I say “rude,” you should read “angry.”

After this last message, I lay back down on my bed (My truck has a bed in the back! Too cool, I know!) and for some reason a song popped in my head, the song I posted above [Unspoken “Lift My Life Up” @unspokenmusic]. Specifically, my favorite part of the lyrics, “Have your way in me,” were singing in my thoughts. A peace came over my body, which had been tense with anxiety and anger. I got up and responded to the ridiculous dispatch only to realize that it started the next day, not two days away as I thought. Oops. As I was accepting that dispatch, my driver leader sent me a very polite message verifying the start time for the pick-up and asking if I was reading the dispatch correctly. My response was very short, “I wasn’t, just figured it out, sorry. I just accepted the load.”

It was late in the day and my driver leader left work shortly after. Laying back down, I got to thinking about how rude I had been and how wholly inadequate my apology message was, the song lyrics still singing in my head. I needed to give a real apology. Unfortunately, I had to wait till the next morning, but this actually gave me time to think up what I hope was a very good apology. The next morning, this is the message I sent him:

B–, I need to apologize, and I’m sorry I didn’t send this yesterday as soon as I realized my mistake. I was very rude yesterday. I was angry because I knew I wasn’t going to get to my home time destination, and then I was also trying to sleep while the dispatches were coming in and wasn’t paying attention. There’s no excuse, though. The Bible says, “man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires,” (Jam 1:20 NIV84) and I was far from righteous yesterday. I’m doing better controlling my anger, but I failed yesterday. Thank you for helping me as best you were able, I appreciate your work. I hope I do much better in the future. Blessings, Temujin

What makes my angry, rude messages more foolish was before any of those dispatches came in, I prayed with my girlfriend about God guiding where I would get dispatched, because I knew it was up in the air. Instead of waiting for the dispatches with faith and trust, I gave in to the angry response. And I already knew I would not make my home time!

I often say that I am a “bad Christian” because I am so aware of how far short of the mark I fall. But my girlfriend’s pastor recently told me that I am not a bad Christian, I am a work in progress. If I was bad, that would mean God looks at me based on my works, but he does not. He looks at me based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, therefore I cannot be a “bad” Christian. I do still sin, though, and am in the process of sanctification, progressing toward the goal of Christ-like perfection that I will not reach in this life.

I really like Unspoken’s song “Lift My Life Up” and always raise a hand while singing it. In context with my rude anger, I realized how I need God to have his way in me. His ways are righteous, and mine are selfish. So I will lift my hands up, lift my life up, and call to God to have his way in me, to work out all my anger and turn it into peace and love and joy, especially toward others. I am, after all, Christ’s ambassador.

Blessings – Shamar Covenant

P.S. If you pass me while driving (not very difficult since I drive at 57-58mph), and you see me with one hand on the steering wheel and the other raised in the air as I sing something with almost distracting enthusiasm, I may just be singing and worshipping to Unspoken’s song. I really like that song.