Shade Tree Wisdom 7/9/09

Ah, blessed rain. Gentle rain, one that washed clean the dust off the leaves, soaked the parched earth, gave fresh life to vegetation. Brought new life to drooping plants, and brightened hope afresh.

It reminds that the God who created it all still works things according to His greater will and knowledge, giving us renewed faith in Him. Indeed, “Great is Thy faithfulness”.

And again, it seems, just in time when we consider the seeming bleak condition of life. The paper reports a cyber attack in South Korea that shut down services and interfered with other services. Our own computer now and then speaks of an attack on our system and warns against it.

The local paper offers a class on cyber bullying and speaks of sending pictures of a sexual nature to friends “just for fun”. But once you press that ‘send’ button it’s out there for all, and it might lead to your being labeled a pervert. That would go on your record for the next 25 years, and do you want that to pop up when a future employer checks your background?

Scary, isn’t it?

But when has life been without risk? The Bible is filled with such words as this: ”We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 24,22). Our lord Jesus Himself taught us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be not dismayed, I have overcome the world”. (John 16,33).

St. Paul, in his letter to the Church at Ephesus, tells them that God “has chosen us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him”, and all this “According to the good pleasure of His will”. (Eph 1,4,5,)

To this end St. Paul offers the armor that God gives us. An armor we need because “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. Against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (6,12)

Against all this Paul offers the “Whole armor of God” v.11 which includes weapons of offence, “taking the shield of faith, with which we may quench the fiery darts of the devil, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” vv. 16.17 St. John writes of this faith, ”and this is the victory that overcomes the world. Even our faith”. (1 John 5,4)

So, Christian, you stand prepared for the vicissitudes and trials facing you.
GPD 7/9/09