Who Rocks Your Babies Cradle?

There is an old saying that “the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world”. Which simply means that mothers have a profound influence on their children to the extent that a mother’s attitudes are usually adopted by the child and therefore become the attitudes of the next generation. No! on second thought that isn’t what it means, because it is not always the mother who spends most time with the baby is it? So it really means that whoever spends the most time with the child, in its formative years, is the one who will shape its character and attitudes. Governments know this only too well, that is why Communist countries, and other nations that have atheistic people in charge of their educational institutions, legislate that children must enrol in some form of schooling at a very early age. The aim of this is of course to stop their parents, and other family members, influencing them by introducing them to Christian ideals and Christian living, (as you see happening in these photos ). Because these “educators” want to indoctrinate them with secular thinking instead.

That little Great Granddaughter of mine, pictured has been attending church since she was born, as were the four great grandchildren on the next page and our son that you see on Audrey’s lap. As soon as these children could understand they all wanted to be involved in daily family prayer times. Our son pictured there with Audrey, proves the truth of the scripture that says “Bring up a child in the way he should

go and when he is old he will not depart from it” because he is a grandfather now and his family are all keen Christians, of course he married a Christian wife and they have co-operated with God to achieve that wonderful outcome. On the other hand, if he hadn’t been raised as a Christian, he wouldn’t have necessarily looked for a Christian wife, would he? Nor would a Christian girl have wanted him. (2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14).

In his 2^nd letter to his young friend Timothy, (as recorded in the New Testament) Paul reminds Timothy that the faith he has is largely due to the influence of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. When we think about this some of us might have regrets that when our children were little we didn’t have a good understanding of God’s great love ourselves, so obviously didn’t bring up our children to understand God’s life changing love, and what a shame that was. Don’t get the impression that I am letting Fathers “off the hook” either, because they are also responsible for “rocking cradles”. Little boys, in particular, copy their fathers. No doubt you have heard people say “He is a chip off the old block”. Well let’s hope the “old block” was (or is) a good example!

Thank God that many people do know enough so they can pass on some faith to their children and grandchildren. Therefore, the “Good News” of Jesus saving grace that offers people forgiveness of sin, (and therefore eternal life, as outlined in the New Testament), is still being circulated by them in the community where they live, and will be passed on down to the next generation by their children and grandchildren as they also “Rock Cradles.”

To some degree each one of us affects the lives of those we meet (particularly children) and we will be held responsible by God for our example, because Jesus said that “if we place a stumbling block in the path of one of these little ones, it would have been better for us if we were never born.” You know, a young person who has been brought up to “love God and their neighbour as themselves,” could never strap a bomb to their waist and indiscriminately kill innocent people in a shopping Mall, or go to their school and shoot children and teachers. No! Children brought up in a Christian atmosphere could never do that because Jesus showed, in Luke 10 verses 25-37 (and other places), that we are to be kind to our neighbours and love our enemies.  When we next “Rock a Cradle” we should remember what a terrific responsibility we have been given. This is an interesting subject, isn’t it? Best wishes as you think it through.            Regards, Tom.

 

Bees and Other Things

It is the 11^th February 2018 and I have just been watching Land Line on the A.B.C. T.V. where they were talking about bees. Just prior to that I was at a church service where the preacher was pointing out just what a real person Jesus was. In my mind both these “Programs” are on the same “wavelength”: We have known for thousands of years just what remarkable creatures’ bees are and of course we have had the bible to explain what a unique person Jesus was with Isaiah introducing Him to us hundreds of years before He was even born on earth.

The A.B.C. pointed out that there is some wonderful scientific work being done with bees “in the field” and in the Lab. In Western Australia, at the moment. Indeed, they have found that honey collected by bees from the Jarrah forests contains remarkable healing properties to the extent that other countries are clamouring to purchase it at excellent prices; the health properties of some varieties of honey have been well known for many years, but this is a real “break -through”. It is nothing new to God or Jesus of course, as Jesus in His capacity as “the Word of God” was the one who created bees with all their ‘abilities’, and also the flowers with all their ‘virtues’. This simply highlights how very special Jesus is as John says in verse 14 “and the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us”. And in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15 He is described as “the image of the invisible God, the first born over all Creation for by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and on Earth……in Him all things consist”.

You know, God gave us a “Garden of Eden” to live in with all the most wonderful

things for us to discover and enjoy and the most remarkable Commandments telling us to love each other and share. Oh! If we could only wake up and stop spending billions of dollars on bombs and equipment to kill one another and do things God’s -way, for a change, we would instantly have a form of Heaven on Earth.

You and I were made in a very special relationship with Jesus. Indeed, if we reclaim our birthright (through the forgiveness Jesus purchased for us at Calvary) we will once again become “Children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” as Romans 8 verse 17 says. Now I don’t know how that affects you, but to me it is amazing and incredible that God loves you and me so much that he would arrange such a reconciliation for us to come back to Him. Life is more than just eating and sleeping and God wants to help us achieve what He has in mind for us, just as honey is not just a sweet “spread” but when analysed contains wonders God placed within it.

None of this should really surprise us though, when we think of how Jesus spent his time on earth: He just wanted to help us. He performed miracles everywhere, healing the sick, raising the dead, and feeding thousands of people with a handful of food, restoring sight to the blind and so on, none of this was any problem to him because of His relationship with God and his great love for us.

Therefore, we should make sure that our relationship with Jesus is correctly established, and “cast all our cares on Him” because we have been assured that “all things work together for good to those that love God, the called according to His purpose”. However, this is not child’s play, it requires repentance (a change of thinking) sincerity and commitment. Just as none of those competitors in the Olympic Games got where they are without giving up their old way of life and concentrating on what they wanted to achieve. Then once those that coached them saw that they were sincere, they did all they could to help them achieve their aim.

Exactly the same assistance is promised to us too; God’s Holy Spirit wants to help us to be the people we are supposed to be and “have a more abundant life”, here and now, and for ever more. But like learning to skate, or Snow Board or whatever, it takes time and perseverance to perfect what we want to do, but we don’t give up just because we make mistakes.

Best wishes as you “get your balance right”, as Paul said (regarding Christian perfection): “not that I have already attained, but I press on”. Kind regards, Tom.

Be Consistent Not Hypocritical

Now personally, I don’t believe that the so called “Smog” caused by coal burning Power Stations controls “Global Warming”. My contention is that God placed the coal there for our use to produce cheap Electricity and therefore He would have “Factored-In” the effect of any Smog when planning our environment. I recognise that many people would disagree with me and they have every right to do that because what I have just said is hard to prove. Our Government disagrees with my thinking and has legislated to close down Coal fired Power Stations and progressively

replace them with Windmills and Solar panels. They have committed themselves to this even though it is going to mean that this electricity will be too dear for many of our industries and many people will find they cannot afford it. Now that shows just how very sincere the Government is, to see that “pollution” is reduced. Or does it? If they really are sincere how come that they are allowing other nations to come and mine our coal and take it home and use it in their Coal fired Power Stations?  If they think a thing is so bad for the environment that they won’t use it themselves then surely it is hypocritical to sell it to someone else to use. If the Government refused to sell it, I would at least give them “full Marks” for consistency.

It is so easy to be inconsistent isn’t it? I was looking at this beautiful flower that I

photographed near the Mall some time ago, isn’t it lovely? Look at it closely. Now the first page of the Bible tells us that God made plants, which would include this one, complete on the third day of the Creation Week, by speaking them into existence, and it tells us that He saw that “it was very good”. John’s Gospel explains that Jesus (as the “word of God”, long before He took on the body of a human at Bethlehem) was the one who actually spoke all these things into being; indeed, it says that “without Him there was nothing made that was made” (John Chapter 1 Verses 3-14). The Bible goes on to explain that God made the world, and everything on it in 6 days and rested on the seventh day “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis chapter 2 verse 3). That of course, is the reason we have a 6 day working week and are supposed to rest and worship on the 7^th day. It is what God designed for us and it is very practical. I find it very easy to believe that God did make flowers, like the one above, together with everything else, including human beings, instantly and complete, in one week, (as the scripture says he did), because our bodies and all these other things are so complex that they had to be perfect from the beginning or they couldn’t have functioned. If you find this hard to understand, just believe it, because we don’t even understand how our Mobile Phone works, do we?

All of us who believe the above are entitled to also accept the 6 day working week and rest on the 7^th day too. However, those people who believe, that everything somehow evolved over millions of years with no designer, should not rest on the seventh day if they are to be consistent; indeed, there is no logic in them accepting a 7-day week at all. It is hypocritical to do so.

What a dreadful mess people get into when they start to try and live independent of God and the commandments like “loving their neighbours” (Matthew 19:19); this has been very noticeable to those of us who have lived through the last few decades and watched people leaving God out of their lives, as there has been a dramatic increase in family breakdown, immorality, stealing, molesting, Cyber-bullying, physical bullying, alcohol and hard drug abuse etc. Friends, if we don’t turn back and read the New Testament, and teach our babies and young children to pray and look to Jesus, our families will collapse and ultimately our civilisation will collapse too, as have so many great civilisations of the past. Because God says that ‘He will honour those that honour Him’ (1 Samuel 2:30), and the reverse is also the case.

This is absolutely urgent for two reasons: Firstly: God alone can save our society from falling apart and He will only intervene if we repent and humbly request that He does intervene. Secondly: we will go to meet our maker in the not too distant future (could be to-night), and whether or not you or I have accepted Jesus forgiving act will determine where we will spend Eternity (and forever is a very long time). Interestingly, “the ball is in our court” because Jesus has paid the price for our “Visa” to Heaven, but we have to repent and humbly accept it in prayer. Otherwise we forfeit it.   A bit more food for thought, regards, Tom.

Sheep

If I mention “sheep” what picture comes into your mind? I guess it depends on whether or not you were brought up on a farm, and when that was. Last week I was visiting a property near Nyngan in N.S.W. and their sheep looked like this: No they are not freshly shorn; they are “Dorpers”.

The Dorper breed ideally doesn’t have any wool as they are just for breeding fat lambs. However, many people in the same district run “Merinos” like you see in the second photo, simply because they want the wool, so meat production is to them a secondary consideration as their main income is from selling wool.

There are also many different breeds like those in the third photo where people are trying to combine a good meat body and reasonably saleable wool.

Audrey and I were brought up with an interest in Merino breeding but during our time on the land also tried various other breeds.

Most sheep have one thing in common and that is they seem to think that the “distant fields look greener” and therefore if the fences holding them in their paddock or “field” (as some people call it) are not in good order they willingly “Go astray”. Interestingly, this was the case 2,000 years ago as Jesus likened us to sheep that had “gone astray and turned each one to his own way.” (As Isaiah 53 said). I am pleased to say though that “Shepherds” (people who look after sheep) recognise this trait of character in their charges and endeavour to find their strays, forgive them, and bring them back into the mob (or Fold). There are all sorts of reasons why it is undesirable for sheep to “go astray”; they can be attacked by dogs or dingoes, can pick up stomach worms, lice, footrot, blowflies, scabby- mouth, grass seeds and so on. When people stray away from God the list of problems they have to face alone is endless too, and that gets worse when they die.

God wants to guide and protect us (His Children) at all times and therefore Jesus described himself as “The Good Shepherd who looks after His sheep” and was so upset realising that we had all gone astray, with no hope of redeeming and reinstating ourselves as Children of God, that He decided to earn our forgiveness by sacrificing His life on our behalf. Which was something that He alone was capable of doing, because of who He was.

Very briefly it is just this: Sheep don’t have the mental capacity to fully appreciate how lucky they are to be brought back into the care of their Good Shepherd. But for us who do have that mental capacity, we should realise that unless Jesus intervened we would be without help in this life and wind up in Hell for Eternity, thus we should be so grateful that we would, with open hearts, embrace the statement made by Jesus when He said “God so loved the world (us) that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but inherit eternal life”. (John Chapter 3).

I’m always quoting this text because those are the most important few words ever spoken and accepting them completely changed my life.

Best wishes as you consider that.

Tom.