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I thought I would share something funny this evening. Who remembers Garfield the Cat? Garfield was funny in some ways, but not so much in other ways, but he has made me laugh a lot. I still watch it on the Pluto TV app, which is completely free to watch, download the app and start watching.

Looking at this picture of him, it is only raining on him, and no other place. I can see that this annoys him. Who knows what he’s done for it to only be raining on him? He tormented Odie, and could not stand Nermal, but ordered John around as if he was John’s master. Garfield was sneaky and greedy. If you have watched the show you know what I am talking about.

Don’t get me wrong, but I can see that we can be that way too at times, only thinking about ourselves and not others. We do not want to be that way. Yes, it rains on the just and the unjust just as the sun shines on us all, but do we appreciate the sun and the rain that God provides for us to enjoy? Maybe we do, and maybe we don’t. We complain about both, but what can we do about it, the answer is nothing. We just have to accept it as it is.

Unlike Garfield, he is only a cartoon character made up by someone who had a vivid imagination, but unlike us, we were created by someone who is the creator of all things. We were created in His likeness. We are human beings who have a soul living within us. We have the Spirit of God living inside of us. Without Hus Spirit, we cannot live and have our being.

See, cartoons are just what they are, cartoons. They don’t have a spirit living inside of them. They are not real, but technology makes them look real. When the show is over, it’s over, and the cartoon characters cannot speak, move, or do anything until the film is running again, but it is the same thing over and over again; nothing changes.

When we look at our lives, what do we see ourselves doing? Do we see ourselves doing something different, or do we see a rerun of the same thing over and over again? What can we do differently to have a different outcome in our lifetime? When one gets tired of the same old thing happening, you have to do something different to see a different outcome. No one wants to be compared with a movie reel. When we think about how things happen in our lives, who do we blame? Do we blame God, the enemy, or do we blame ourselves? That’s something to think about.

It is always going to rain on the good and the bad, but we can’t blame God for what we go through. It is not His fault when things go wrong in our lives. I can truly say that we all have blamed God for something when things did not turn out as we wanted them to. He knows that we have, but because of the love He has for us, He helps us to see our wrongs and forgives us. He knows that we don’t have it all together as we appear to but through it all, we love Him as we should. He will discipline us when we need it, but it is for our good and not to harm us. So, the next time it rains, thank Him for it whether you are feeling good, or sorrowful.

As always, stay safe, stay blessed, and thank you for joining me on my journey with Food for the Soul. © by Shaunelius L. Sterns 2022

The Bible is filled with pictures and metaphors from its extensive cultural context. Often, these metaphors are used in such a way as to encourage us to walk in obedience. Once such metaphor comes from the world of sports. In this case, the world of the arena and the games. This is the metaphor of running a race. The Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archeology has an interesting article on the use of this metaphor in Hebrews 12:1. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1) Running the Race with Endurance The author of Hebrews used the metaphor of an athletic competition in a stadium to illustrate spiritual truth. This was a common practice of moral philosophers in hellenistic cities during the first century as well as in Jewish synagogues of the Greek-speaking Diaspora. The reference to “a cloud of witnesses” seems to describe a city’s amphitheater with its ascending rows of seats filled with spectators gathered to watch athletic events. The author uses this general background, based on the “witnesses” in his “hall of heroes” in the previous chapter (11:2–40) offered as examples of constancy in faith, to encourage Christian perseverance as they run their spiritual race toward the heavenly goal and its reward. Running The metaphor of running a race is taken from the Greek footrace contests in the pentathlon during the panhellenic games. Bream notes that “at the Olympic Games, the footrace was the only athletic contest for an extended period.” This fits well with the charge here to run with “endurance” (z8Greek hupomonesz8) since in the marathon the prize is won not simply by how fast one runs, but how far. Removing Hindrances In the phrase ogkon apothemenoi panta (“throw off everything that hinders”) the emphasis is upon the term ogkon, “excess weight,” probably with reference to the length of a robe, the extra weight of which could interfere with running or to excess body weight. The use of panta (“all,” “every”) reveals that the analogy is not restricted, and could include whatever compromise in conduct might be made in deference to custom or culture and thereby reduce our spiritual progress. Sin is here described as “entangling” or “diverting,” another idea drawn from the athletic metaphor where there is the fear of losing ground and being impeded in the race due to shifting the runner’s focus from the goal. The writer therefore warns his audience to guard against sin in any form because it will distract them, causing them to look away when they should be fixing their gaze upon Jesus (12:2). Removing Uncleanness Archaeological discoveries have given us examples of the architecture and elements involved in athletic competition. Stadiums in the form of theaters and amphitheaters appear at sites throughout the Greco-Roman world and images of athletic competitors adorn artifacts from vases to tombs. One object common to both the stadium as well as the bathhouse was the strigil. This curved bronze tool was designed to fit neatly over arms and legs and was employed as a scraper. Archaeological examples of this instrument are plentiful, as they were an essential item in the Greco-Roman bathhouse. Preparation for the race required contestants to remove all clothing before running so that nothing could impede them progress during the race. The “excess weight” may refer to clothing, but it may also be a reference to the need to resolve a problem faced by every runner on a track. Athletes would also apply olive oil to their unclad bodies to reduce friction when they ran. However, in the act of running they would become coated with a fine layer of dust they kicked up on the track. If they were to participate in other games, they would have to remove the accumulated dirt and debris before continuing. This practice of “scraping off the excess” may be what the author of Hebrews had in mind when he spoke of “throw[ing] off” or “removing” (Greek apothemenoi) that which slows us down in the race of faith. Running through this world the Christian becomes soiled with the things of this world and so must regularly remove these contaminants in order to persevere and reach the goal, that is, conformity to Christ and completed service for him. Bring the Bible to Life with Archaeology! If you liked what you read here, then check out the Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology in our store!

Every Step An Arrival http://bible.com/r/3J6

Every day that we see a new day it is a moment in time. Do we ever think about the minutes we waste just doing nothing? When that time has passed, it is gone forever never to return again for that day or night. We are given 24 hours in a day every day, but do we use the time we have wisely? How do we spend our time doing things that matter? How do we make the best of the time we have?

When I think about time, I think about eternity. Eternity is a very long time that goes on forever and ever. Life on earth does not go on forever and ever, there will come a time when we all will be standing before the throne of Jesus Christ to give an account of all the things we did here on this earth while we were alive. One day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day in eternity, so we must make the best of the time we have here because one day it is going to run out. We do not have all of the time in the world to make things right with God. We do not have a lot of time to make things right with those who have hurt us. We should do it while we have time to do it, because Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. When He comes, it will be too late to do anything; it will be time to go.

I have heard some say that there is plenty of time to do this or that, but it is not. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Our next breath is not even promised to us, it is a gift from God to give and to take away as He sees fit. Our problem is that we procrastinate, and procrastination is not a good thing, it makes you lazy. I know that sometimes we may be tired from working, but things still have to be done, and working on our salvation with the Lord is one of those things. We may feel like we cannot go to Him because of our past and present mistakes, but He is always here when we need Him. It does not matter what we have or haven’t done He is always ready to hear from us. We should not only go to Him when things are not going good in our life, but we should go to Him when things are going well. He isn’t someone we can put in and out of a bottle and sit on a shelf at our convenience, we need Him every day of our life.

God is giving us time to get our lives right before Jesus comes back. If you have not ever known Jesus, you have the opportunity to go to Him and pour your heart out to Him, repent of your sins, and accept Him as your Lord and Savior today. He is ready to change your life for the better. He is ready to give you a new life in Him. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life for your eternal life. Remember, He loves you. He laid down His life for you. Your past does not define you. You are loved by the One who created you. His love never fails, it endures forever. We were all created in His image, and God did not create junk, He created masterpieces; that is what we are in His eyes. It doesn’t matter about our flaws. Our flaws are what make us unique. So, pour your beautiful heart out to Jesus and let Him mend those broken places that’s hurt you for so long.

With that being said, as always, stay safe, stay blessed, and thank you for joining me on my journey with Food for the Soul. c.2022

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.10.11.KJV

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Singing in the Dark: Finding Hope in the Songs of Scripture http://bible.com/r/6Z9

Click on the link above to start this Bible Study. See where the Lord will take you in four days. Have a blessed weekend.

http://divasinspirational.poetry.blog/2022/09/05/he-wouldnt-let/

Those of us who grew up going to church as kids were taught about Jesus. We were taught why He came into this world, how He died, and how He rose again on the third day. I know we may not have understood it all at such young ages, but it was fun to learn about someone who gave their life in the place of ours. It was fun to learn that we will always have someone who will love us no matter what and stand up for us whenever we call His name.

Now, we all know that Jesus was born as a baby as all children are. We know that King Herod was upset when he found out that a new King was coming. He even had innocent children killed under the age of two just to try to stop the new King from growing up. What he didn’t know is that Jesus had been born, and after everyone had come and saw Him, the angel told Joseph to take the baby and Mary to Egypt until He sent word that those who wanted to kill the child had perished. When the king was dead, Joseph was given word from the angel to leave Egypt because those who wanted to kill the child had perished. God called His Son out of Egypt.

You know the story. I think it is one of the most beautiful stories of how God protected His Son, Jesus, and His parents from harm and danger. This story makes me think about how God protects us from danger. He is ever watching over His creation; we are a part of this creation. He loves us so much. I know things happen that we may not understand. I know that things happen in which we do not have any control of, but we do know who holds everything together in this world. Think about all of the planets, the moons on them, and the stars, the milky way galaxy and all of the other galaxies we do not know anything about, He holds all of it together in the palm of His hands.

So many things happened before Jesus was born. The Roman army were terrible people. The way they mistreated people were deplorable. The way they would leave bodies on the crosses after they had crucified people were so disrespectful and degrading. They did not have any regard for human life, or for the families of the people they crucified. I know it was wrong, but that is how it was.

After Jesus had become a grown man, and after He called the twelve disciples, Jesus taught them and told them many things that they did not understand in the beginning, but after it was all said and done, they did understand what Jesus was telling them. He told them about His death and resurrection and why things had to happen that way. Before that, He was baptized by John the Baptist, His cousin in the Jordan River and then He was led into the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil.

The Word of God tells us all of the things that Jesus did, when He started His ministry, when the disciples learned who He really was, and that He would always be with us even until the end of the age. How wonderful it is to know that? Doesn’t it make your heart happy, and your soul rejoice with everlasting joy?

Those of us who have been walking with Jesus for a very long time know that every day isn’t going to be perfect. We all struggle with things we do not understand. We wonder what’s going to happen because of whatever is going on. We need answers to questions about our life. We need answers as to what God wants us to do for the Kingdom. We have questions about everything. The disciples had questions also. (Matthew 9:14). (Matthew 21:23). (Matthew 22:23-28). (Matthew 22:36). (Matthew 12:10). (Matthew 13:10). (Matthew 15:2). (Matthew 17:19). (Mark 15:2). Not only did the disciples ask Jesus questions, but others did as well.

PROVISION

When I think about provision, I think about how Jesus fed the 5000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. (See John 6:9).

There are so many people in the world who are homeless living on the street with no one to take care of them. They struggle to eat when there isn’t someone to give them money or buy them something to eat. God always makes a way for them. They are not forgotten. When we help someone like that, we are doing what Jesus would want us to do. We are showing and sharing His love and kindness to them, just as the lad gave the disciple his two fish and five loaves of bread, and when Jesus blessed it and prayed to God, it was enough for everyone to eat with some left over.

He takes care of us the same way. How, by making a way out of no way, by being our provider in every aspect of our life. When we ask God for His help, we must believe that He hears us, because He does. We cannot ask God for something and not believe that He hears us. We cannot have doubt in our heart when we ask God for His help, because when we do it is like telling God we do not trust Him to provide for us.

JESUS FEEDS THE 4000 (See Matthew 15:29-39)

This time there are seven loaves of bread and a few fish that were small. Jesus told them to sit down on the ground. Jesus took the bread and fish and broke it, gave thanks and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. There were 4000 men that ate besides women and children.

So, what does that tell us? It tells us that it doesn’t matter how much one has, it can still be shared among many. God can take a little of what we have and turn it into a lot, and there will still be some left over. We should be thankful for all of the things God does for us, no matter how He blesses us, we should be thankful for it.

Jesus did not send the crowd away hungry; He sent them away full. He was concerned about their well-being. Jesus healed many that were sick, lame, blind, crippled, mute and many others. He healed them all. He cared about every individual and their ailments. He cares for us the same way. He is the great physician. All we need is a touch from the Lord to heal us from the inside out. He can put back together whatever is broken and hurting inside of us. We just have to have faith and believe.

WHAT JESUS WENT THROUGH

Time has come and gone, and it is getting close for the time for Jesus to be betrayed by Judas Iscariot at the Last Supper. Whenever I think about that, it hurts. It hurts because no one would ever expect a disciple to do something like that to someone who has been there for them since they were called by Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was arrested. This was after the Last Supper. The kiss was given in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was arrested by the Sanhedrin. After Jesus was arrested, He was tried by the Sanhedrin before He was taken to Pilate to be tried for blasphemy for claiming, they said, to be King of the Jews.

After Pilate talked to Jesus, he saw that Jesus was an innocent man and wanted to know what He had done for them to want Him crucified. Pilate told the crowd that he found no fault in Him. Barabbas was released, and Jesus took His place; not only did He take his place, but ours also. Jesus was beat all night long, spat upon, mocked, hit. It was horrible. He could have called on the angels in heaven for help, but He didn’t. He could have called out to His Father, but He didn’t at that time. When that was over, they made Him carry the cross, but every time He fell, He got right back up. Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, helped Jesus carry the cross up that long dusty road to the place of the skull called Golgotha. A crown of thorns was thrust upon His head that pierced His head which caused bleeding.

After they reached the skull, the cross was laid down, and they laid Jesus down on it and began to nail His hands on either side of the cross. They stood the cross up and nailed His feet to the cross. Everyone was looking on as this was going on. Others were saying things, they even cast lots upon His vesture to see how it would be divided. About the nineth hour, it began to become dark. The prisoner had already asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His glory, and Jesus promised the prisoner that he would be with Him today in paradise. The prisoner’s leg was broken, but Jesus had called on His Father and asked Him why He had forsaken Him, Jesus even forgave them for what they were doing. Jesus committed His Spirit into His Father’s hands, said it was finished and hung His head and died. To make sure He was dead, the Roman soldier speared Him in the side where water and blood flowed down. It began to rain and that is when the Roman soldier realized that Jesus was really the Son of God.

We know that Peter denied Jesus three times just as Jesus said he would. In my opinion, that was a slap in the face. Judas had already betrayed Him, and hanged himself because of what he did, and now here Peter is denying that he did not know who Jesus was. I know that must have had to hurt Jesus, because it surely hurt Peter. After it was all said and done, Jesus still used Peter to lead the ministry. Little did Peter know that he was going to die the same way that Jesus did when Jesus told him what was going to take place when they were on the beach eating fish. In the end, it happened just as Jesus said it would, but Peter did not want to be crucified like Jesus was, he was turned upside down with this head to the ground and his feet in the air.

So, we do not know when our stay here on this earth will be over, but while we are here, we should get to know Jesus, serve Him, and follow Him. He is the only one that can save our sinful souls. When we accept Jesus into our life, we are changing the course of our life for the better. We are leaving our old life behind to start a new life in Jesus Christ.

God sent His only Son into this world to die for our sins. God does not want any of us to perish in the end. Jesus has taken away all of the sins of the world. He forgave us of everything on the cross before He died. When He was raised from the dead on the third day with all power in His hands in heaven and on earth, before He left, He told us to go ye into the whole world making disciples of men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Lo, I will be with you always even until the end of the age.

This is the Great Commission. Are we willing to go and do what Jesus told us to do? There are so many ways to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the Good News. If you have never known Jesus, you can get to know Him by repenting of your sins and asking Him to come into your life to be your personal Lord, and Savior today. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. Life is too short not to have Jesus in your life. Don’t wait until it’s too late, do it today while the blood is still running warm in your veins. Jesus is coming back again, so, will you be ready when that day comes? If He came back this very moment, there will be no time to make things right, there would be no time to repent, or to be baptized. I just want you all to know that Jesus is real, heaven is real, and so is hell. Where do you want to spend eternity? It is totally up to you; it is your choice where you want to spend eternity.

With that being said, as always, God bless, stay safe, and thank you for joining me on my journey with Food for the Soul. Have a wonderful week. If you would like to hear more of my messages, check them out on Spotify.

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