Daily Thoughts

In the P of GP we read that Enoch was shown in vision the coming of Jesus Christ upon the earth, and he rejoiced because of it.  Moses 7:47 "And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me."

In the New Testament we read about how Paul was stirred up by the idolatry he saw and went forth to preach the gospel, trying to reach the people in a way they would understand.  Acts 17:16-28 "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.  Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?  For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.  (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

Sometimes I feel like my cats think they own the house and only by the goodness of their hearts do they allow me to live in it. How silly of them!  If it wasn't for me, they could be homeless and searching for food in garbage cans. But aren't we just as silly when we think we own things that really belong to God? Some scriptures from a thought booklet remind us that everything in the world belongs to the Lord.  God allows us to live in the houses that He owns and drive the cars that He owns and eat the food that He owns. When we look at our bank statements, do we really realize that everything we have is only because of the graciousness of God? Yes, maybe we worked to earn it, but who gave us the healthy bodies that allow us to work? We need to not only be more appreciative of everything the Lord has blessed us with, but we also need to be faithful stewards of the resources He has entrusted to our care, and generous in sharing those resources with those who stand in need.  Psalms 50:10-12 "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.  If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof."