The Cross in Our Bodies

This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that few of us know. It's brief, so please read. (FROM A DOCTOR)

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio, ...and I was BLOWN AWAY!

I want to share what I learned...

Louie was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is. How He spoke the universe into being. How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire... etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..."How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this?"

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart ...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!! It was because he started talking about Laminin.

I knew about Laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them:

"Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue."

You see, Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what hold one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE. But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already).

Here is what the structure of Laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a "Christian portrayal" of it. If you look up Laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see.

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing!! The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us.....is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV) comes to mind.

"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; All things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool.....thousands of years before the world knew anything about Laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another....by the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what Laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

Other examples of the structure of Laminin when googling "Laminin" are:

Contributor - Anonymous

Personal Note:
A question asked,

"If five years from now we discover that the laminin protein actually has a different shape, would that change the truth found in Colossians 1:17?"

While the extract above from an anonymous medical doctor is exciting and certainly worth noting ....can't help it ...the structure do look like the Cross, and that God do speaks through the natural world (Romans 1:19-20) ....our belief in the truthfulness that Christ holds all things together should start and end with God’s Word alone. It is through faith that we are saved/redeemed.

Referencing "Laminin and the Cross - Is There a Connection?" by Dr. Georgia Purdom, AiG-U.S. on October 29, 2008.

The People Who Hear

God speaks to people who make themselves available to Him.

• Remember we are meeting with a Person, not trying to accomplish a task
• Set aside a daily time to meet with God
• Psalm 5:3
  

  Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.
  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

• Mark 1:35
  

  The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.

• Be confident God will speak to you
• Psalm 38:15
  

  For I am waiting for you, O LORD.
  You must answer for me, O Lord my God.

• James 1:5-8
  

  5 If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

• Learn the Language of the Holy Spirit
• Job 33:14
  

  God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.

God speaks to people willing to do His will

• John 7:16-17
  

  16 So Jesus told them, "I'm not teaching my own ideas, but those of God who sent me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.

• Hebrews 10:7
  

  Then I said, `Look, I have come to do your will, O God--
  just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.'"

• Sometimes God will speak to us in "installments." We don't get the second instalment until after we have obeyed the first.
• Acts 6:5-7 - Seven Men Chosen to Serve
• Acts 6:8-10 - Stephen is Arrested
• Acts 7:1-590 - Stephen Addresses the Council
• Acts 8:26-40 - Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

God speaks to humble people

• God spoke to Moseses fact to face
• Numbers 12:6-8
  

  6 And the LORD said to them, "Now listen to me! Even with prophets, I the LORD communicate by visions and dreams. 7 But that is not how I communicate with my servant Moses. He is entrusted with my entire house. 8 I speak to him face to face, directly and not in riddles! He sees the LORD as he is. Should you not be afraid to criticize him?"

• No one in the Old Testament heard the voice of god as well as did Moses. He was also the humblest person on the earth.
• Number 12:3
  

  Now Moses was more humble than any other person on earth.

• Psalm 138:6
  

  Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble,
  but he keeps his distance from the proud.

• Humble people:
• Are small in their own eyes
• 1 Samuel 15:17
  

  And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel.

• Know that it is not their physical strength, intelligence, nor luck
• Proverbs 21:31 - Physical Strength
  

  The horses are prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD

• Proverbs 16:9 - Intelligence
  

  We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

• Proverbs 16:23 - Luck
  

  From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive

• Put their confidence in the mercy of God rather than in their intentions or abilities
• Romans 9:15-16
  

  15 For God said to Moses,
  "I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
  and I will show compassion to anyone I choose."
  16 So receiving God's promise is not up to us. We can't get it by choosing it or working hard for it. God will show mercy to anyone he chooses.

• Know that no matter how great their character or their abilities, they can do nothing apart from Christ
• John 15:5
  

  "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

• Put their confidence in the Holy Spirit's ability to speak, not in their ability to hear, and in Jesus' ability to lead, not in their ability to follow.
• Are willing to associate with and serve people of lower positions
• Romans 12:10
  

  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

• Galatians 5:13
  

  For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.

• Philippians 2:3-11
  

  3 Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4 Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. 5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Isaiah 57:15
  

  The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.

• Isaiah 66:2
  

  My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken!
  "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.

• Humility is acquired through:
• Pain
• Hebrews 12:4-13 - God's Discipline Proves His Love
  

  4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
  
  9 Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?
  
  11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

• Being with humble people
• Proverbs 13:20
  

  Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.

• A life long process
• Philippians 3:12-14
  

  12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

Recognizing God's Voice

Four voices speak to us:

1. God speaks to us
• Job 33:14
  

  God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.

• Acts 8:26
  

  As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza."

2. Our own voice speaks to us
• 1 Corinthians 10:27
  

  If someone who isn't a Christian asks you home for dinner, go ahead; accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you and don't ask any questions about it. Your conscience should not be bothered by this.

3. Others speaks to us. This also may be good, netural or wrong
• Galatians 1:10
  

  Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.

• Colossians 2:1818
  

  Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don't let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this. These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud.

4. The devil speaks to us
• Acts 16:16
  

  One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.

• 2 Timothy 1:7
  

  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

• Revelation 12:10
  

  Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
  "It has happened at last--the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth--the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night.

Four tests help us recognize His voice

1. God does not contradict His written word
• John 10:35
  

  And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people, who received God's message, were called `gods,'

• 1 Corinthians 14:37
  

  If you claim to be a prophet or think you are very spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself.

2. God's voice has a consistent character
• James 3:17
  

  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.

• Philippians 4:6-7
  

  6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

3. The fruit of God's voice is good
• Matthew 7:15-20 - The Tree and Its Fruit
• Matthew 7:21-23 - True Disciples
4. God's voice is different from our voice
• Isaiah 55:8-9
  

  8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

These tests only work with practice and in an environment of friendship with the Lord

1. Skill at anything is only acquired by practice
• Hebrews 5:14
  

  Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.

• Jeremiah 33:3
  

  Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.

• Isaiah 11:3
  

  He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay.

2. God shares His secrets and His plans with His friends
• Genesis 18:17
  

  "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" the LORD asked.

• Psalm 25:14
  

  Friendship with the LORD is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant.

• John 15:15
  

  I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

• Matthew 13:11
  

  Then he explained to them, "You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not.

• 1 Corinthians 2:7-15
  

  10 But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets.
  
  12 And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

• 1 Corinthians 4:1
  

  So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God's secrets.

How God Speaks

The following and subsequent postings comes from an A-4 size document on the topic of Prayer by Pastor J some years ago. He was a visiting pastor then from Malaysia when he left this document at the reception desk. Thankfully, he continue to speak at my church when he is over here. I have found his teaching most insightfull and encouraging.

The topics on Prayer covers the following three:

1. How God Speaks
2. Recognizing God's Voice
3. The People Who Hear

How do God speak to his people today is one of the most asked questions as it is foundational to many other questions asked of today, not just on prayers but in such topics as Faith, Healing and Miracles. It can be controversial at times, depending on one's leaning on scripture and what it means for today's time. It can also be controversial as it can be the motivation for why some people chooses a certain course of action in their respective lives that seem to be contrary to today's values and needs.

Regardless to the debate surrounding this topic, I have found the following points helpful with my own journey and I trust it will be for yours too, should you choose to embark on this "mission impossible".

When we come together, we are always supposed to bring a gift to give away.

• 1 Corinthians 14:26
  

  Well, my brothers and sisters, let's summarize what I am saying. When you meet, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord.

• Learn how to hear God consistently.
• ALL can know the voice of Jesus - John 10 - The Shepherd and His Flock

The most common way that God speaks is throught His written word.

• Psalm 1
• Psalm 119
• Luke 24:13-35 - On the Road to Emmaus

He speaks in person by appearing

• Revelation 1
• Acts 9 - Saul's Conversion

He sends angels to speak to us:

• Acts 5:19-20
  

  19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 "Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!"

• Acts 8:26
  

  As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza."

• Acts 10:3-6
  

  3 One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. "Cornelius!" the angel said.

He speaks in an audible voice

• Deuteronomy 4:9-14 (to a whole nation)
• Exodus 3:1-4 (to an individual)
• John 12:28-32 (to Jesus and a crowd)
• Acts 9:4-6 (to an enemy)
• To people today

He speaks in a voice audible to your ears alone

• 1 Samuel 3 - The LORD speaks to Samuel
• Acts 22:9
  

  The people with me saw the light but didn't hear the voice.

He speaks in an "internal audible" voice. Like when the prophets of the Old Testament said, "the word of the Lord came to me saying ....."

He speaks in sentence fragments. The fragment is clear but the meaning may not be ....as in Isaiah 8:1

He speaks through impressions

• In the form of a "knowing"
• Matthew 22:18
  

  But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" he said. "Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions?

• Mark 2:8
  

  Jesus knew what they were discussing among themselves, so he said to them, "Why do you think this is blasphemy?

• John 6:15
  

  Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone.

• As a "leading" to do something
• Nehemiah 7:5
  

  So my God gave me the idea to call together all the leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah.

• In the ability to "see" something in or on a person that you can't see with your physical eyes.
• Acts 14:9
  

  He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed him and realized he had faith to be healed.

He speaks through the natural world

• Romans 1:19-20 - a revelation of the nature of God
  

  19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

• Proverbs 6:6-11 - a revelation of wisdom
  

  6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! 7 Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 9But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- 11 and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

• Joel 2:25-27 - a prophecy
  

  25 The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27 Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this.

He speaks through fleeces and lots

• Judges 6:36-40
  

  37 prove it to me in this way. I will put some wool on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised."

• Acts 1:26
  

  Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven

He speaks through physical manifestation in our bodies

• Luke 8:45-46
  

  45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, "Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you."
  46 But Jesus told him, "No, someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me."

He speaks through dreams, vision and trances

• Job 33:13-18
  

  15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in bed. 16 He whispers in their ear and terrifies them with his warning.

• Numbers 12:6
  

  And the LORD said to them, "Now listen to me! Even with prophets, I the LORD communicate by visions and dreams.

• Acts 22:17-18
  

  17 "One day after I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I fell into a trance. 18 I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, `Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them your testimony about me.'

• Acts 10:9-10
  

  9 The next day as Cornelius's messengers were nearing the city, Peter went up to the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

NASA and The Bible

For all the scientists out there, and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation, and that He is still in control.

Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true?

Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development.

'I think one of the most amazing things that God has done for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland .

They were checking out where the positions of the sun, moon, and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send up a satellite and have it bump into something later on in its orbits.

We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.

They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries, and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong with either the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.
They called in the service department to check it out, and they said, 'What's wrong?' Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time.

They scratched their heads and tore their hair out. There was no answer.

Finally a Christian man on the team said, 'You know, one time I was in Sunday School, and they talked about the sun standing still.' While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, 'Show us, '

He got a Bible and went to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with 'common sense.'

There they found the Lord saying to Joshua,

The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you."(Joshua 10:8 NIV)

Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy! And if darkness fell, they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right... 'The sun stood still and the moon stayed and lasted not to go down about a whole day!'
(Joshua 10:12-13)

The astronauts and scientists said, There is the missing day! They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes. not a whole day.

They read the Bible, and there it was about [approximately] a day. These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes, you'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now...

Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS.

The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his death bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said 'Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?'

Hezekiah said, 'It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.' Isaiah spoke to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes!'

Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing?

References: Joshua 10:8 and 12,13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11.

If God could do this then; how much more can he do for us today. If we only believe in his word. Never be afraid to try something new.

All I have and all that I am is by the Grace of God!

Contributor - Anonymous

Picture from NASA Picture Album Gallery
Polar Ring Galaxy NGC 4650A: A Disk of Red Stars Ringed By Dust, Gas, and More Stars

Fearless Heart - Prayer

I wanna live with a fearless heart
Courage that's coming from trusting God
It's constantly guiding me
Though the road may seem dark
I wanna live, wanna live with a fearless heart

An extract from CD "How You Live" by Point of Grace

Jabez Prayer

1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV)

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,

"Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain."

And God granted his request.

A Little Girl and Her Father - Part 2 - The Bond

Romans 2:4 (NIV)
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you towards repentance?

Often what sounds like the obvious way, good, logical or even spiritual, need not necessarily mean that it is the truth. There are many incidents throughout the Bible where you'll find that God does things differently to the way the world would have done things. In fact, it is very often the very opposite. The verses prior to Romans 2:4 are about judging others, what wicked people a certain group are and how they should be punished. Though we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does wicked things, yet God chooses to show His kindness, tolerance and patience, which are an expression of His love, to lead them into repentance. It is His way to begin the transformation process in His people, to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and thus come into His likeness.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives the biblical definition of LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT)
4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. 6It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (tolerance).

In my first posting on "A Little Girl and Her Father - Perspective", the essence of the story is the little girl's trust in her father, that her trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. This is also the same for us with Christ Jesus.


Why is this bond with Jesus, so important?

John 11 teslls about the death of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. This chapter shows the differences in the way Jesus response to the two sisters very same words when they each met up with Him.

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (v21 - Martha, v32 - Mary)

Jesus response to Martha was that her brother will rise again and that He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:23, 25).

With Mary, Jesus response was, Jesus wept (John 11:35).

The differences in Jesus response to these two sisters reflect the strength of the relationship, the bond Jesus had with them as revealed in Luke 10:38-42 - Jesus Visits Martha and Mary.

The strength of the bond or relationship we have with Jesus, will determine how much we entrust our lives to Him. The stronger the bond, the stronger our trust in Him, the greater will our response in faith to Jesus be.


How do we develop this bond with Jesus?

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

Like Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught (Luke 10:39), come to Jesus and sit at His feet, listening to Him.

Prayer is how we communicate with God. Set aside a daily time to meet with God (Psalm 5:3) and be confident God will speak to you, expect Him to answer and He will gladly do so (James 1:5-8)


Be conscious of God's love for you.

The following are more scripture verses that shows of God's love for you and His desire to form a bond with you.

Proverbs 8:17 (NLT)
17I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me.

Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)
10For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

Hosea 2:19 (NIV)19 I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Ant and the Contact Lens

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.'

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying.. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.'

She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist.. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'

I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

"Great acts are made up of small deeds."

Contributor - Anonymous