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Freedom

"The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Isaiah 1:3 (ESV) Animals recognize the one who cares for them. For years, I operated the horse program at Silver Birch Ranch. Over time, the horses recognized my voice and looks and could identify me at a distance. Depending on what they were up to, they either welcomed me or ran from me, but they always knew it was me. Those who listened to me lived relatively carefree and straightforward lives. I bore the burden of caring for them; they needed to allow me to do so. One day, four horses escaped into the massive National Forest, two of whom were MIA for quite a long time. I was concerned, for I knew that without my help and protection, they were easy prey in those woods. Within a few weeks, I saw them standing by the gate, waiting to return home. Skinny, scarred, and scared, they finally realized that being under the master was better than going alone.   http...
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Speaking To The Deaf and Blind

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: "Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me." Isaiah 1:2 (ESV) "Isaiah lived during the decline of Israel in the shadow of Assyria. He spoke the word of God to a people who were "deaf and blind," who refused to listen to his warnings of looming disaster. He warned that the sin of the people of Judah would bring God's judgment, yet he also declared that God is sovereign and would use Cyrus the Persian to return them from exile. The book speaks of a "servant," a "man of sorrows," who would be "pierced for our transgressions," accomplishing God's purposes of salvation. The final chapters give a beautiful description of a new creation in which God will rule as King, judging the wicked and establishing eternal peace." (ESV Introduction) Here is a prophet assigned to proclaim God's Word to the "deaf and blind." What a...
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God has not asked us to do anything we cannot do.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes  12:11-14  ESVST)   We must be careful not to add to what God has said, for adding parts to truth can be as devastating as subtracting parts. We must have the whole truth without additions or subtractions.   Anything that does not increase our fear of God is dangerous, and anything that compromises obedience to God is devastating.   God has not asked us to do anything we cannot do. He has asked us only to do things we can do when we obey and depend on Him. If you do not fear God, you do not know Him. If...
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Wise Investments

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 12:8   Our position in life, wealth, learning, or comfort will never bring lasting satisfaction to our souls. Life can be a failure or a triumph depending on our focus.   God created us to love, and Satan seems to want to tempt us to pervert love by enticing us to love what we should use and use what we should love.   At the end of our lives, all we possess will remain here and be managed by someone who may have had nothing to do with its accumulation.   However, those who invested their lives in loving God and people will enter an eternity of celebration, and will never really be without what they treasured most.   For now, the choice of what/who we treasure is ours. https://www.podbean.com/relate365
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We Are Designed To Be Loved By God

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them." (Ecclesiastes 12:1 ESVST)   Good habits are established early in life and easily broken if not attended to diligently attended. If one remembers his Creator, he remembers that he is created. If you are created, you realize your limited power and authority and that you have a purpose that has been given to you.   Many try to earn their purpose or change it to no avail, for our design is intentional, and will not yield well to something outside our design.   In the days of our youth, we can look ahead and see what we think we will enjoy when we are old, yet those who are old, like the writer of Ecclesiastes, warn us that the stuff of this earth and life are not worth our time and have no worthwhile yields.   Young people should often be reminded that God created them to love. They need to see older people demonstra...
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We Do Not Control The Future

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4 ESVST)   There are always reasons to procrastinate, delay a project, seek more information, consider other options, or wait for ideal circumstances.   Those who do not start cannot finish. There are countless stories of individuals who began journeys where the eventual destination was clear, but the path was blurry.   We need to remember that we cannot control future circumstances and that the One who can loves us and wants us to live in a way that demonstrates who He is and how He works.   To do that, we need to live in a way that allows life's current circumstances to have no real controlling factor over us or our decisions. Instead, we focus on the end result, and often, God uses the lack of clarity to allow us and others to see Him clearly.   There are many reasons to remain in a place you consider safe, and one overwhelming reason to consider starting some...
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Nothing on earth may be fair…

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them (Ecclesiastes  9:11-12  ESVST)   Why would we invest our time and money in being swift, strong, wise, intelligent, and ignoring God? God, alone, is in charge of the time and chances in life, and can make the poor rich, the slow appropriate, the weak strong, the simple wise, and the uneducated intelligent.   Our time and effort should be invested in knowing and following God, not in knowing and following the best educational practices. Many healthy, educated fools have ignored the one thing that would truly give them what they seek.   Nothing on earth...
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