5 11 03

Mother�s Day

Oh-too-early-in-the-morning-thirty (AKA 6:24a)

So, it�s Mother�s Day today. This is a good thing. Dad has threatened to treat Mom and I to our Mother�s Day Brunch at Costco. This is not a bad thing to me, I like the whole hot-dog-and-a-soda-for-a-buck-and-a-half thing, but I think Mom was hoping for something a little less stand-and-wolf-your-�dog thing. After I�ve had a nap, I�m sure the day will get much better. (I didn�t go to sleep until nearly 2:30a and I got up at 6)

Anyway, enough kvetching from me, on with the Bible study.

II Chronicles 25

This is the story of a young, arrogant king, Amaziah. He had a brief reign. He began his reign listening to God, but after a while, he just wanted to do things his own way. What I get from this accounting is that if you�re going to follow God, you�d best do it all the way. You can�t have any of this worshipping Him one day and ignoring Him the next. That�s the whole point behind being either hot or cold and not lukewarm. One can�t just worship/obey/believe in God when it is convenient, but all the time.

Luke 21:5-24

This passage talks about the signs of the end-time. The thing that strikes me here is that one of the major signs of the end is that there will be people who come, saying they are the Christ risen. To the best of my knowledge, there haven�t been any of those. At least, I�ve not heard of anyone claiming to be Jesus.

Secondly, I�m struck by verse 14 in regard to Jesus� saying that before the end-time His disciples will be persecuted. The verse specifically states, �But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.� And, verse 15 goes on with, �For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.�

I think of my Mother when I read those two verses. She often has to go to court in her work. Because she is a State employee, there is great restriction in what she can or can not say in regard to God. Though the answer to many of her clients� problems is God and a Christian way of life/understanding, she can�t talk about God. She can�t mention Him, nor can she talk about Jesus, church things or anything smacking of religion. For a woman dedicated to God and Christianity, that can be a very difficult position.

What I have noticed over the years, though, is that her clients often get exposure to God and Christianity after they have been placed on Mom�s caseload. They get a friend, family member or acquaintance who talks to them about God stuff. It�s very interesting for me to see that aspect of her job. She may not be able to say the words, but almost always, someone else is provided to show her clients the correct path.

The awesome-ness of God just amazes me.