This link will take you to a reading I did of Communion with God by non-conformist preacher Matthew Barker. Matthew Barker lived from 1619-1698. https://anchor.fm/david-bennett48/episodes/Communion-with-God-e140a1f
God/Creator
All posts tagged God/Creator
Ecclesiastes 10:1 “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: [so doth] a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom [and] honour.”
Are you old enough to remember comedian Jimmy Durante who made frequent jokes about his, hmm, quite large nose? Well, those jokes and his nose gave him the nickname “Schnozzola”. While Jimmy’s nose made him very popular many if not most of us ‘…don’t often think about our sense of smell. While our noses are on the job all the time, we note an odor only when it is unusual. Most of the time, the scents around us contribute, unnoticed, to our overall impression of our surroundings.
It’s hard to remain tense at the beach. Simply the mention of the water and waves, the sand and sun brings back to memory the last trip to the beach and starts relaxing a person. However therapeutic these elements of the beach are, scientists have found that the one beach fixture that is probably most responsible for relaxing us is the smell.
The smelly chemical that utility companies put in natural gas so that we can smell leaks is methyl mercaptan. This chemical is also produced by rotting meat. The human nose is extremely sensitive to this smell. We can detect as little as one 400-billionth of a gram of it in a quart of air.
Doctors have long known that their noses are helpful in diagnosing disease. A person is brought into the emergency room in a coma. It’s very likely that the doctor will smell the patient’s breath as he tries to discover the problem. A sweet smell could indicate diabetes. The smell of ammonia could indicate a kidney malfunction. Arsenic poisoning smells like garlic. Diphtheria can be identified by a sickeningly sweet odor, and people with the plague smell like apples. A patient who smells like freshly baked bread may have typhoid.
While we seldom think about our sense of smell, it’s a wonderful gift from our Creator for which we owe Him thanks.’https://creationmoments.com/sermons/doctor-nose-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=doctor-nose-2&mc_cid=05543b6e46&mc_eid=00c1dcff3c
‘Johnny Hudson was born September 30, 1977 without arms, his left leg, and half of his right leg. His right foot was where the knee would be. After he was born, the doctors took him away and recommended his parents sign him over to the state as he would not live a ‘normal’ life. Instead, his parents kept him and raised him.
His parents raised him no different than his older sister, Rebecca. Despite the opinions of the doctors, by age 4, he was picking up skills like taking notes and flipping through a book with his foot. God even gave him the ability to climb up the stairs.
God did the greatest work in Johnny’s life on October 4, 1995. During a week-long revival, Johnny accepted Christ as his personal Saviour, and surrendered to preach God’s Word.’ https://www.familybiblemd.com/our-pastor
“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.” (Luke 12:33)
‘The Lord Jesus frequently warned us against trying to accumulate wealth here on Earth. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” He said. Rather, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). In our text above, He even says to sell what we have and give it away. To the rich young ruler, He said: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21).
God’s Word cannot contradict itself, however, so this teaching must also be balanced against a man’s responsibility to “provide…for his own, and specially for those of his own house” (1 Timothy 5:8). Similarly, “the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” (2 Corinthians 12:14).
We are also encouraged to “give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28) and to sow “bountifully” as “a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Such instructions imply that by faithful labor in the vocations God has given us, we shall have the wherewithal to do such things. Ananias and Sapphira were punished not for retaining part of their possessions for their own needs, but rather because they lied about it (Acts 5:1-10). Our giving should be done “with simplicity”—that is, with “singleness” of heart (Romans 12:8).
All we have is of the Lord and should be used in ways that honor Him, in accord with His Word and His providential leading. We should provide judiciously for the needs of those dependent on us, but our own personal needs and wants should be kept minimal so that more can be used in His service and to meet the needs of others.’ https://www.icr.org/article/12560/?utm_source=phplist9242&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=January+30+-+Treasure+in+Heaven
