Making Pearls

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matt. 13:45, 46)

Sin wounds us and destroys the soul by keeping us from finding God. Yet in this parable, we learn that God can make something precious out of our sin and sorrows. Just as Jesus Christ has given all for us, we must be willing to give up all that we are to Him.

We also learn in this parable that the Kingdom is as precious to the King as it is to the citizens of the Kingdom. Each are willing to give all in order to gain it.

• The King gives all to gain a citizen, 
• The citizen gives all to gain the King.

The Kingdom of heaven and its King are:

1. Priceless
2. Hidden
3. Personally appropriated
4. A source of great joy
5. Some people stumble on to it and some are actively seeking it.
6. A personal transaction of giving up all that we have as the Lord Jesus has given up all that He has.

How the Pearl is Made

By wounding the inner mantle of an oyster, creating an inflammatory response, expending precious bodily fluids (Calcium Carbonate) the oyster or mollusk forms a hard, iridescent ball that when exposed to the sun, reflects its light like a rainbow.

Who Will Rule Egypt?

Isa 19:1	The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Isa 19:2	And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, [and] kingdom against kingdom. Brother against Brother, city against city and every one against his neighbor By Mike Collett-White and Alastair Macdonald CAIRO | Fri Jul 5, 2013 7:46pm EDT (Reuters) - At least 24 people died across Egypt on Friday as Islamists opposed to the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi took to the streets to vent their fury at what they say was a military coup. Fierce clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria left 12 dead and 200 injured, while in Cairo, five people were killed as pro- and anti-Mursi protesters ran amok in central areas and armored personnel carriers rumbled among them to restore calm. Five police officers were gunned down in separate incidents in the North Sinai town of El Arish, and while it was not clear whether the attacks were linked to Mursi's ouster, hardline Islamists there have warned they would fight back. Kingdom against Kingdom By Tarek Amara TUNIS | Thu Jul 4, 2013 12:44pm EDT (Reuters) - The toppling of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi divided the Middle East on Thursday, with Tunisia's ruling Islamists denouncing it as a coup while Gulf Arab leaders celebrated. The United States expressed concern at the overthrow of the elected Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood and called for a swift return to democracy, as did the European Union. But they stopped short of calling it a coup, which might have led to sanctions. The 54-nation African Union was likely to suspend Egypt for allowing "unconstitutional change", a senior AU source told Reuters. Across the Middle East, governments reacted to Mursi's fall in ways that reflected their embrace or loathing of political Islam.
Isa 19:3	And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. "Egyptians are deeply religious and superstitious at all levels of society. That is certain. Rich and poor alike keep talismans or purify their homes with incense. It is not unusual for Egyptians to observe the strictest religious rituals and, at the same time and without any sense of contradiction, hold to a belief in the protective blue bead, fortune-telling games, purifying with incense, palmistry and offerings to the divine (if only a piece of cloth), not to mention sacrifices..." Al Ahram weekly 11 - 17 June 2009  Issue No. 951

The Teachable God

Is it blasphemy to assert that God is teachable?

God is omniscient, He knows all things and does not need man to teach Him anything. Clearly, the Word of God teaches us that we have nothing to inform God of.

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or [being] his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and [who] instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?"

Isaiah 40:12-14

Yet, the idea that God is come in the flesh as a lowly carpenter's son, formed as an embryo in the womb of a young virgin is truly mysterious and beyond what we could imagine or even dare to contemplate, much less proclaim to the world.

"Without controversy, Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up into glory." 1 Timothy 3:16

Allow The Plow

The danger of frost had not passed.

I thought that it had, but it came and took a toll on the new growth.
Fortunately the roots of the corn and tomatoes were well protected, but the leaves wilted and it will take awhile for new growth to emerge.

This is not unlike the chill that comes into my soul from the sin which so easily besets me.  Any new growth leading to fruitfulness is easily stifled.

The chill gives an advantage to that root of sin that is so insidious, I don't even realize when I am engaged in the idolatry of self. Only by God's grace does the rain of God's righteousness on newly plowed furrows of my soul restore me to fruitfulness.

It is the discipline of grace from God that cuts into the hardened clay of my heart and turns it over to expose this idolatry.  I do not like it, yet it deepens my experience with God.

When you or I allow the plow, we see what God sees, we know as

What Is Keeping You Out Of The Garden?

For people who live at latitudes that experience changing seasons, springtime is a delightful time. It motivates us to shrug of the doldrums of coldness and share in the experience of God's promise of new life springing up from soil once rendered dormant by the lack of warmth from the sun.

While I am anxious for the fruit of labors in the garden, I am not so crazy about the actual work involved in getting the earth ready to plant. What's more the prospect of what thorns, thistles and rock may be uncovered bars me from making the commitment to get into the garden.

Four Life Lessons From Boys Basketball

Are you a team player?

Recently, I took some time to watch some six year old boys play a game of supervised basketball. It was entertaining and instructive to note the differing levels of ability and participation in the game.

Many of the boys were eager learners. They were keen to take the ball and run with it. In their excitement they forgot or hadn't yet learned the fundamental rule to bounce the ball. They also crowded the ball making it difficult for the ball handler to make any progress.

Their outward appearance marked a distinction in what team they belonged to. One or two wore the uniform of the team but were clearly not part of the team and not the least bit interested in the game.

When Sin Does Not Feel Like Sin

I felt ashamed.

Our five year old grandson asked one of those probing questions that the adults in his life didn't want to answer. No, it's not what you might be thinking....it's worse.

It was asked on the periphery of my attention.  When I heard the dreaded, "Why don't you ask Steve?" I felt an overwhelming urge to run from the room, but I was trapped. I had to formulate an answer to a difficult question that a five year old could understand. 

I bailed. 

I fell back on a stock, simplistic, unsatisfying, albeit correct catch phrase.