Tag Archives: Faith

Faith amid persecution

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Can you imagine being persecuted for your faith and belief in these modern times?  It happened to Christians in Gojra Pakistan in 2009.  Please read the incredible My Take: Looking for faith amid persecution story by Vivian Padilla-Chapman at CNN that details the incident and her feelings about it.

Per Matthew 5:11, Jesus said “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”  But, I think it is more than that.  People persecute others because of their beliefs, faith, country of origin, color of their skin, height, hair color, eye color, income, social status, and many other reasons to separate “us” from “them”.  But, that is the crux of the matter, “us and them” thinking is the only concept keeping us from everlasting peace.  I believe there is no “us” and “them”, there is only “we”, we the people of the world.  Maybe someday we will learn. I pray it is before a common world threat occurs, which is likely the only way we will unite.

 

The Birth of Jesus (Matthew 1)

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Bible Summary:

Matthew’s story of Jesus begins with a list of all ancestors from Abraham to King David and finally Joseph. He then tells the story of how Mary and Joseph get married. Mary is engaged to Joseph when she discovers she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph finds out and plans to break off the engagement in private. An angel appears to him in a dream, explains that she conceived by the Holy Spirit, tells him to marry her and to name the boy Jesus because he will save people from their sins. This happens as God foretold through the prophets that a virgin would give birth to a son called Immanuel, which means God is with us. Joseph marries Mary and names their son Jesus.

My Thoughts:

Ancestors: Lineage is very important to the Jews, so they show Jesus’ all the way back to King David, Abraham and ultimately Adam and Eve (see list below).

Faith of Joseph: I am sure most people concentrate on the immaculate conception of Mary, birth of Jesus, the Holy Spirit or even Angel Gabriel, but I decided to focus on Joseph this time. Joseph basically thinks Mary has been unfaithful and he plans to break off their engagement until an angel appears to him in a dream. Joseph has faith that God has a plan for Mary’s son and wants Joseph to be a part of that plan. He could easily have left her to deal with the shame that would have come from becoming pregnant out of wedlock, but instead takes on the role of essentially becoming Jesus’ step-father. God asked a big favor and Joseph came through.

Ancestors of Jesus:

  • Adam & Eve, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah
  • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse
  • King David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon
  • Josiah, Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph & Mary, Jesus

Moses Parts the Red Sea (Ex 14)

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Bible Summary:

The Israelites camp between the desert and Red Sea. When the king of Egypt is told the slaves have left, he changes his mind and pursues them with his entire army. Upon seeing the approaching army, the Israelites complain to Moses for taking them out of Egypt just to die in the desert. Moses tells them not to be afraid, that God will fight for them.

God places the pillar of clouds between the Israelites and the army, then, at God’s command, Moses lifts his walking stick and parts the Red Sea. A great wind blows all night and dries a path that the Israelites walk across with the walls of water on each side. The Egyptian army pursues them. After the Israelites reach the other side, the walls of water collapse on the Egyptian army, destroying them all. The Israelites stand in awe of God’s power and now have faith in his servant Moses.

My Thoughts:

Real Work: In the grief of losing his first-born son, the king sets the Hebrews free. A little while later he realizes that the Egyptians will have to do all the work the slaves used to do, including cooking and serving meals, so he wants them back.

Many people are afraid of real work. They want to take the easy way out and let someone else do the work. After a while, they rely on others for all their needs and cannot function when the help is taken away. Real work gives you strength, builds character, gives you confidence, and more. It is especially gratifying if you do it for someone else, like shoveling the elderly neighbor’s snow. So, plan a project, begin the work, and see what you can accomplish.

Keeping the Faith: Oh, ye of little faith. The Israelites were happy when Moses freed them, but quickly turned on him when the king’s army showed up.

It is difficult to keep the faith, especially during difficult times. We just want to give up and go back to our old dreary life. Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. God is with you and you will prevail to see brighter days and success. Keep the faith!

Prayer of Saint Francis

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Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
And where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

———————————————
Cool video by Angelina in Assisi on YouTube.
Another version by Sarah MacLachlan.

God Promises to Save the Israelites (Ex 5: 22-23, 6: 1-13)

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Bible Summary:

Moses complains to God that the king of Egypt is treating the Israelites worse since their request and God is doing nothing to help. God says he will force the king to let them go, even drive them out of Egypt. He reaffirms His promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and that He will save their descendents, the Israelites.

Moses conveys God’s promise to the Israelites but they do not listen because of their broken spirits from cruel slavery. God tells Moses to talk to the king again, but Moses complains that the king will never listen. God commands Moses and Aaron to tell the Israelites and the king that He ordered them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

My Thoughts:

Broken Spirit: A long period of cruel behavior can crush someone’s spirit to the point where they feel they cannot believe in anything. Losing faith is not easily rekindled. It takes baby steps and proof of success before a hint of belief can take root and then be nourished.

God Sends You: Everyone thinks God should show up and solve all the world’s problems, but He has – in you! He sent you to solve the world’s problems. I know it sounds like a heavy burden, but you in this case is plural. God asks everyone to work together to resolve the world’s ills. Collectively, we can make tremendous changes for good as long as we let love guide the way. Please commit yourself to moving the world in a positive direction, even in little ways.

Moses Returns to Egypt (Ex 4: 18-31)

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Bible Summary:

On the way to Egypt, God tells Moses to perform all the miracles to the king and that the king will not let the Hebrews leave. Moses is to tell the king that Israel is God’s first-born son and when he refuses that all the Egyptian first-born sons will be killed.

Meanwhile God tells Aaron to meet Moses in the desert at the holy mountain. Upon Aaron’s arrival, Moses tells him everything God shared with him.

Moses and Aaron go to Egypt and round up all the Israelite leaders. Aaron relays all the things God told Moses and then Moses performs the miracles. They believe and then bow down and worship God.

My Thoughts:

Seeing is Believing: Wouldn’t you love for God to show up and prove he exists like He did with Moses at the burning bush? I’m not sure we would believe the miracles Moses performed though, since many of us have seen David Copperfield do amazing illusions on TV.

Belief is an act of faith, but also an act of power. Power beyond our understanding, even that of the greatest doctors of our time. Belief has the power to heal or sustain someone with a debilitating disease well beyond what doctors predict. My aunt had breast cancer and was given six-months to live. Her faith carried her through some tough chemo and eight more years – long enough to watch her children become adults.

Last Days of Jacob and Joseph (Gen 49: 29-33, 50)

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Bible Summary:

On his deathbed, Jacob asks to be buried in Canaan next to his grandparents Abraham and Sarah and parents Isaac and Rebecca. Joseph orders Jacob’s body to be embalmed which takes 40-days. After 70-days of mourning, Joseph asks the king to allow him to bury Jacob in Canaan. The king agrees and a huge entourage ceremoniously transports Jacob’s body to Canaan and then buries him.

Joseph’s brothers are worried what he will do after the burial. They send a message seeking forgiveness for their crimes against him. Joseph reassures them not to be afraid since God orchestrated everything so he could save many lives. He tells them he will care for them and their children.

Joseph lives in Egypt with his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons until he is 110 years old. He tells his brothers God will care for them and lead them out of Egypt back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He asks them to bring his body back with them, so they embalmed it and put it in a coffin.

My Thoughts:

Faith, Forgiveness, & Love: Joseph has had complete faith in God’s plan for him. He forgave his brothers for their awful crime and believes it was God’s Will all along. He feeds everyone so they might live and makes sure each family has an allowance even in slavery. He is emotional, cries and shows his love to his family.

Joseph sounds a lot like how Jesus taught us to be.

Joseph Helps His Family (Gen 44-45)

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Bible Summary:

Joseph sends his brothers away with full sacks of grain and secretly all their money plus a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. His servant follows to question the brothers about stealing the cup. They all deny it, but the cup is found and Benjamin is ordered to stay. The brothers return to Joseph and Judah tries to negotiate Benjamin’s release because their father Jacob has already lost one son and would just die without Benjamin.

Joseph can no longer control his feelings so he sends his servants from the room and confesses his true identity. The brothers are so terrified they are speechless. Joseph calms them by saying God really sent him ahead to become ruler of Egypt to save people’s lives from the famine, including their family. He embraces each of them and cries for joy with Benjamin.

The news reaches the king and he tells Joseph to move his family from Canaan to Egypt to survive the last five years of the famine. He gives them wagons to move everyone. The brothers arrive back in Canaan with the stunning news of Joseph. When he can finally speak, Jacob tells them the only thing he would like before he dies is to see Joseph.

My Thoughts:

Forgiveness: Joseph tries to trick his brothers into leaving Benjamin but is overwhelmed by the possibility of his father dying over it. He does an incredible thing and forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery over twenty years prior. His forgiveness is possible from his everlasting faith in God having a plan for him, even though it took many years to fulfill. God has a plan for you. Be purposeful in all you do.

Footprints in the Sand

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One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was only one.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one
set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

– Mary Stevenson