I see where those of you in the Valley are getting some heavy rains driven by high winds.  We are getting a little bit of moisture but nothing like that.

A friend told Carla she thinks our deer have moved over to her place, while I doubt it – she is a couple miles away, and lives in a dense populated area, for The Dalles anyway, she did have quite an experience.  Seems she heard some noise in her carport, went out and six does were there, eating her apples.  She was getting ready for bed so had her bed clothes and a bath robe on, picked up a broom and went out to confront them.  She ended up chasing them down the street, holding her bathrobe together in one hand and the waving the broom in the other – must have been quite a scene.

Luke 14:26-27  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

There are times that we read some very harsh commands in God’s Word, this is one of them.  We look at this, and try and reconcile it with loving our parents, loving our spouses and children as He also has commanded – how can He tell us to hate them?

I am mindful of a story I recently read about a Doctor in China who was incarcerated, beaten and tortured for his refusal to deny Christ and worship the statue of Mao.  After several days of this his wife and seven children were brought in to convince him to deny Christ.  For several days his wife asked him to think of her and the children, what would they do without him.

They cried and pleaded, it came to the point where he could almost bear it no more and that night knelt before God telling Him he was no longer able to resist.  God sent a peace over him and comforted him.  He felt God’s strength and when they started it all over the next day, he told them it would be no use he would not deny Christ.

They threatened him by telling him he would have one more day to think it over and if he did not bow down to the statue of Mao, they would kill him.  The next day came and he said he would never forsake Christ.  They did not kill him and later released him to go back to his family.

We read similar stories – mainly from those countries that have pagan Gods where the Christian is ostracized, separated from his family, condemned to a life of being forever the outsider.  Many times it means they have a difficult time making a living, they are prevented from doing all but the most menial of labor.  They are often incarcerated and tortured with death not uncommon.

There have been times when the Christian parent has watched their innocent children suffer, physically and emotionally because of their faith in Christ.  In some countries they have killed the children and wife in front of them to try and make them deny their faith.

Yet they refuse to turn from Christ. 

It is hard when a person must leave the closeness of their family because of their faith in Christ.  Satan works on their emotions and fears.  The family, even in the United States, may cut off all ties to the Christian and it is if they never existed.  They loved each other, yet the Christian has been condemned by the family.  Even if they don’t completely separate themselves from the Christian there is a wall that has been installed and the relationship is never the same – unless the family comes to Christ and that can happen.

God does expect us to honor our commitments to our families.  He tells us over and over that is His expectations:

Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

² Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

³ That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Ephesians 5:24-26  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

We are expected to treat each of our family members with respect and love.  We have many obligations as a spouse and parent and God expects us to fulfill them.  However, we should never let that relationship come between us and Christ.

There very well may come a time when we have to choose between Christ and the safety of our loved ones, IF that happens, God expects us to choose Him.  As Abraham trusted God when he was told to sacrifice Isaac, so must we trust God at all times, even at the death of a loved one.

Frankly it is a scary and very heavy thought; none of us wants to be in that position.  We cannot do this of ourselves, we must truly turn our fears and weakness over to God. 

The world is a dangerous place, one that can erupt at any time, much like a volcano.  With the onset of the many things occurring right now all over the world, we could be into a world war tomorrow.  America is wrestling within our borders as to how to proceed in this world and many are choosing to deny God and the deity of Christ.

We are seeing laws passed, court rulings and feeling the pressure of ‘society’ to deny our beliefs and to incorporate sin into our life as acceptable behavior.  We are only beginning to see and feel the oppression than many in other countries are enduring.  None the less, we must not lower our stand with God and we should not lower the standards He has applied to all mankind from the beginning.

If our stand is taken for God, He will be there for us:

Luke 21:12-15   But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

¹³ And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

¹⁵ For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again