Heb 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ ; to whom be glory for ever and ever .Amen"
Yesterday, we went to the zoo with our nieces and grand nieces and nephews. It was an exciting and educational trip for myself as I had not been there for umpteenth years! Above was the photo of the stately lion I took from just a moat of water in between us.
This last chapter in Hebrews ended a thought. In v9" Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them that have occupied therein"
Diverse and strange teachings are the "in" thing in this age. As I gazed at the lion - the king of the jungle , I was reminded of 1 Pet 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" The devil too roars like a lion but he is the counterfeit. There is only one Lion of Judah - Jesus Christ. But the end times would be a turbulent period- the rise of the unholy trinity - The devil, the anti-christ (not against - but "instead" of Christ) and false prophet.
As Hebrews reading come to a close, we who know YHWH, we thank God for the great shepherd of the sheep who is worthy to open the book and the seals in Rev 5. Rev5:4" Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof...v6 stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having 7 horns and 7 eyes which are the 7 Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth...V 9 for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nations ...v12 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.
This is the Lion of Judah whom I know. With His blood we have this everlasting eternal covenant. Heb13:6 He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. He is our helper. v8 He is the same yesterday today and forever. V13 reminded us that we do not have an enduring city here but we seek one to come.
Reflections
The end times that is coming. We as believers ought to know and be sober and vigilant and be on our guard always - never to be devoured by the devil - the other roaring lion.
Like the Chronicles of Narnia - we will have our little adventures on earth. Before the world began, we were on His mind. As we were born into this world, He is in the process of perfecting us for His own pleasure.
- Can we endure? Can we hang in to the supernatural hupomeno?
- Can we continue to offer the sacrifice of praise to Him continually, giving thanks to His name?
- Can we have a good conscience & in all things willing to live honestly?
After He Brews series of making over 13 cups of coffee since Jan this year...Here is a tea story! Let's have coffee and tea with our Potter!
"There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups.
Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."
As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone," but he only smiled, and gently said, "Not yet."
Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was made to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. "Help! Get me out of here!" I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, "Not yet."
When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! "Ah, this is much better," I thought.
But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Oh, please, stop it, stop, I cried." He only shook his head and said, "Not yet."
Then suddenly he puts me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering, "What's he going to do to me next?"
An hour later he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself." And I did. I said, "That's not me. That couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!"
Quietly he spoke: "I want you to remember. I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you."
The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. (Isaiah 64:8) He will mold us and make us and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect.
So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this.
Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter!"
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