Catholic

There is a fountain

007

Don’t panic! Use what you have to cross your red sea

Image via jewishcurrents.org

Image via jewishcurrents.org

Don’t panic. Jesus assures His followers that He will never leave them or forsake them. So, why do you panic when you come upon a Red Sea. Indeed, facing a tough situation can be extraordinarily nerve-racking but it can also be a moment when you prove to the world that God‘s word is true, and your faith in Him is unshakable. When a child of God panics in a difficult situation you send a negative message to the world–one that breeds distrust and disbelief.

As a child of God, He empowers you beyond your imagination. You have authority to do wondrous things. Unfortunately, you either do not believe it, or you do not know it.

Here is what Jesus told His disciples about empowerment: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father is glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:12-14).

Hence, it is not crazy to assume that sometimes God directs you to the Red Sea to test your faith. Therefore, instead of allowing a difficult situation to send you into panic mode, use the experience as an opportunity to exercise your faith.

In the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites came upon their Red Sea, and they panic. They felt trapped. Sandwiched between the Red Sea and Pharaoh‘s army, there was no way out. They turned on Moses, but as a good leader should have, Moses remained calm. He knew God would deliver the group; he just did not know how.  He had no clue that the rod he used to help him to walk would be all he needs.

Still, when Moses cried out to God, for help God surprised him by saying: “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Read Exodus 14:15-16).

Essentially, God told Moses not to panic. Instead, he should use what he had (his rod) to do the miracle.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).

Do you live a good Christian life?

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Every good Christian dream of the day when you stand before Jesus Christ and hear Him say, “Welcome to my Fathers’ Kingdom, thou good and faithful servant. Unfortunately, not every so-called good Christian will see their dream turn into reality. As a matter of fact, Jesus, in one of His discourses made it clear, “Not every one that says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). That begs the question. Is living a good Christian life enough to get you into heaven?

Anyone can seem to live a good Christian life, until the truth comes out.  The Scribes and Pharisees appeared good until Jesus exposed them for what they were; hypocrites. In one, instance, He referred to them as: “You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). This pious group was more concerned about outward appearance than they were about the heart.

Unlike the Biblical Scribes and Pharisees, we Christians, must not only seem to live a good Christian life, but our hearts, words and actions must be in sync with the teachings of Jesus Christ. In other words, we must practice what we preach in public and in private. “For I say to you, this is Jesus talking, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:21). The blue print for a good Christian life can be found in Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount‘. (Read Matthew 5,6,7)

Rich, young and pretty.

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Image via http://www.modemmom.com

Image via hellomagazine.com

Image via http://www.billboard.com

No reasonable person will deny that the women pictured above are, ‘Rich, young and beautiful. And while nothing is wrong with the combination, without Jesus those women are nothing. God does not look at physical appearance and worldly possession. He looks at the heart.

Incidentally, “Young Rich And Beautiful”, is the title of a 1951 Musical I have stumbled upon recently. The title grabbed my attention, and I immediately thought about the rich ruler in Luke 18:18-25.

And as [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, but One, that is God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became extremely sorrowful, for he was extraordinarily rich.

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”