The Lion and the Lamb.

Greetings,

The one symbol which symbolizes our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ is the Lion and Lamb symbol. At first I
thought this symbol was found in Revelation 21 when
the Lord would create a new heaven and a new earth.
But it wasn't in that chapter. I saw the symbol as a
symbol of living in harmony when the new earth and
heaven were created.
It is actually in the Old Testament book of Isaiah in
chapter 11 verses 6-8 where both formerly dangerous
beasts live in harmony with animals that were once their
prey. Now it doesn't mention a lion lying with a lamb but
it does mention a wolf dwelling with a lamb in verse 6 and
a leopard lying down with a young goat. It also mentions
a calf and a young lion and a fatling together.
Of course Isaiah was foretelling the coming of the Messiah
(Jesus Christ) and wild animals dwelling with each other
could only be realized in Christ's return to establish the
kingdom of God. This reversal of nature is also mentioned
in Isaiah 65:17-25 Verse 25 says, "The wolf and the lamb
shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox."

I believe now in actuality that the lion and the lamb really
represented Jesus Christ in two ways. First he is symbolized
as a lion because Jesus was seen as a king and a lion was a
symbol of royalty as Jesus was also called the Lion of the tribe
of Judah. He was also considered a lamb because He was the
Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. (John
1:29)A lamb was an animal of sin sacrifice in Old Testament times.


Of course I can see the lion and lamb together symbolizing both
Jesus Christ and the symbol of living in harmony when Jesus
returns. Either way they represent our Lord and Savior and
in fact I even have a large figure of the lion and lamb together
as part of my living room decor, of which is my favorite of the
decor in my living room.

I can hardly wait until the day comes when we as humans can
dwell along side beasts, a new heaven and earth indeed.


Thank you for reading and God bless.


Modelautoman

He Saw You.

There is a picture on the wall in my
bathroom which I look at every
morning which reminds me why
Jesus Christ died for me (and you).
It shows an artist's painting of Jesus
carrying the cross all bloodied and
nearly crawling across a brick road.
Its a sobering reminder of how He
loved us enough to go through such
an ordeal so that we won't go through
an even worse ordeal after we die.
But the caption underneath this picture
is even more sobering. Its not a Bible
passage but it would sure be worthy of
such . I thought I would share this with
you to give you a sobering reminder as well
It is written by a man named Roy Lessin and
it is titled, He Saw You. Enjoy reading it.

He Saw You


What an incredible journey Jesus made;
what an overwhelming expression of love he undertook;
what an awesome purpose He had in mind.
You were on his heart.
When He left His home in heaven, He saw you;
when he became a man on eath, He was seeking you;
when He stretched out His hands upon the cross,
He was reaching out to you;
when He returned to His Father, He was preparing a place for you.
You are the sheep He has come to shepherd,
to guide, to feed, to protect, and to carry.
You are the one He call His own.


Roy Lessin


Touching and sobering, is it not? God bless and good night.


Modelautoman

David and Goliath: A Lowly Shepherd Boy Faces a Giant.

Greetings,

 That one movie created by Sherwood Pictures, Facing the Giants, where
a struggling high school football team goes against an undefeated opposing
team and wins, reminded me of the story from 1st Samuel chapters 16 and
17 where God chooses David as king and goes up against the mighty

Philistine warrior, Goliath.  But the part that mostly got my attention was in

the beginning of  1st Samuel 16 when the LORD says that He rejected Saul

as king of Israel and sends Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem for the LORD had

chosen a king from among one of Jesse's sons.

 And when Samuel had arrived to the place of Jesse and his sons, Samuel

begins to check out each of his sons, starting with Eliab. (vs. 6) Now from

what verse six reads, when Samuel stated, Surely the LORD's anointed is

before him," It was probably assumed Eliab was a large and muscular man

which would, in Samuel's eyes make a good king.  But God saw differently

and said to Samuel that He had refused him, because God does not see as

man sees. Man focuses on the outward appearance, but God looks on the

heart.

 That part of the story in 1st Samuel was the part I liked most, where God

does not as man sees. So it goes on that Jesse check out the other sons of

Jesse but God has chosen none of them ( vs. 8-10 ) then Samuel asks Jesse

if this was all of his children whereas Jesse tells him of his youngest son David

who was out keeping sheep. Samuels says for Jesse to send for him and when

he was brought to Samuel, he finds that the boy was of youthful countenance

but the LORD commanded Samuel to arise and anoint him, for God had chosen

David.

 I take it Samuel, as well as Jesse and his other sons, were a bit sceptical about

David being a king, after all, to them he was just a shepherd boy.  Nevertheless

Samuel obeys the LORD and anoints the boy in the midst of his family and the

Spirit came down on him from that day on. ( vs. 13 ) 

 Now let's fast-foreward to Chapter 17 of 1st Samuel when the army of Israel

was at war with the Philistines and there came out from among the Philistines

a giant of a man named Goliath who went out to taunt the armies of Israel,

demanding they send a man to challenge him. He was no doubt wanting to

know, "Is there no warrior mighter than I?" ( vs. 8-10 )

 Well King Saul and all of Israel were greatly afraid as Goliath presented

himself forty days, no doubt taunting the armies of Israel to send him a

man so they could fight together, all the while defying the armies of Israel.

 Now let's fast-foreward to verses 20-30 where David left his sheep with

a keeper and went to where the battle was being fought and saw Goliath

come out yet again to taunt the army of Israel and asks of what shall be

done to this Philistine, seeing how he saw how he defied the armies of

the living God.

 David's older brothers were angry at David for coming into the battle and

accused him of pride and for leaving the sheep in the wilderness. David replies

by saying, "What have I done? Is there not a cause?"  David's reply was told

to King Saul and David offers to go against Goliath. 

 Now here again is where the example of man looking on the outer appearance

comes in, with Saul stating that David was a youth and Goliath a warrior since

his youth. And the comparisons between David and Goliath were quite obvious,

a young shepherd boy going against an armed and battle hardened giant. It was

quite obvious to everyone present that this was an impossibility.

 David then tells Saul of how he overcame a lion and a bear that came after his

sheep and how the LORD was with him.  He then goes on to say that Goliath

shall be as the lion and the bear and that the LORD would be with him in this 

battle as well.

 So then Saul sends David into battle by first equipping him with armor and

sword but David refused them, saying he has not proved them.  David then

takes five stones out of a brook and brings along his sling.  I bet this must 

have really flabbergasted anyone who noticed this. Going up against a giant

with stones?  I'm quite sure they were thinking, This kid is absolutely nuts.

 Well, when David and Goliath meet for the first time in the battlefield,

Goliath himself had the same attitude when he sees who his opponent is.

Goliath taunts David after noticing David's appearance but David is

undaunted by the Philistine's remarks and tells him what was to become of

him. The part I liked was when David had stated that the LORD does not

save with sword and spear, for the battle was the LORD's.

 And then it comes to pass that when he ran to meet Goliath, he took a stone

from his bag and hurled it with his sling, the stone striking the giant in the

forehead so hard it sank.  Yep, David brought a giant down with one stone.

One shot equaled one kill.

 This was the story of where armed might meets faith in God.  Or I could also

say that faith in God verses prideful arrogance. Guess which one won?

 God had chosen an unlikely candidate to beat an otherwise unbeatable foe

and to be King over His chosen people. People saw only a shepherd boy

but God saw a king. God saw a king because God saw his heart.

 If you feel you are an outcast of society, please do not lose heart, if you

have chosen Jesus as your Savior, He sees a valuable treasure.

Have a blessed day.

Joseph's Temptation: An Example of Fleeing Lust.

Greetings,

As Christians, even we are not above giving in to temptation and
committing sins against God. It is also unfortunate that temptation
can and does overwhelm us and some have given in to the temptation,
whatever it may be.
The most common example is sexual sin, which is probably the most
powerful and toughest temptation to fight. Who hasn't struggled with it?
I believe we all have and I would seriously question those who say they
haven't struggled with it.

In the Old Testament story of Joseph, we see an example of temptation
and how it was overcome.
Joseph was Jacob's son, whom he found favor with because he was the son
of his old age (Genesis 37:3) but that had caused jealousy among his brothers
so they conspired against him and sold him to the Ishmaelites who in turn took
him into Egypt. (Genesis 37: 27-36) There he was turned over to a high-ranking
official of Pharoah, whose name was Potiphar.
Now we go to Genesis 39 where Potiphar notices that the Lord was with Joseph
and that the Lord made everything Joseph did prosper in his hand (Gen. 39:3)
and because of that Potiphar made him overseer of his house (Gen. 39:4) and
God had blessed Potiphar's household for Joseph's sake. But alas, Joseph's
handsome features were not unnoticed by Potiphar's wife, who had longing
eyes for the young man, and tried to seduce him by saying, "Lie with me,"
(Gen 39: 7-12) but each time she said that he refused, stating to her how
her husband had entrusted everything to him and that he could not sin
against God. It was when Joseph was alone in the house going about his
chores that Potiphar's wife seized the opportunity to seduce Joseph but
when she caught hold of his garment, he simply fled her, leaving her holding
his garment as he ran away naked.
Potiphar's wife did not handle Joseph's rejection of her advances at all well
and decided to report a false rape charge against him to her husband and
the staff of the house. Joseph was imprisoned as a result but he decided
to risk false rape charges and prison than to sin against God by committing
adultery.
I believe Joseph was a great example of how Christian men today (and women,
too) should handle lust. Flee. Realize that the Lord is watching all that you do.
2 Timothy 2:22 says to flee youthful lusts. King David should have done the
same when he saw Bathsheba next door to his palace (2 Samuel 11: 2-27) but
he couldn't take his eyes off of her and gave in to his lusts which would effect
him badly from then on, and this was a man after God's own heart.
Flee temptation, cut it off at its source, nip it in the bud, or else suffer the Lord's
chastening. Get rid of reminders, too.

As a greeter of a conservative, evangelical church, I will say that I put myself in
a vulnerable position as I see everyone that comes in. I have had women who were
fair to look upon come to our church , fortunately though, they were not dressed
immodestly so thus far its been easy, but I constantly have to remind myself
that the possibility is there, and I must always guard my heart and be prepared
for that eventuality, because its going to happen one way or the other.
As a church servant contact (not physical) and communication is limited as far
as women and girls are concerned. I will not ever flirt, not even in jest, as flirting
can be extremely flattering. I know I will probably (if I haven't already) run the
risk of being considered cold and distant by some women. So be it then.
Many of the young women of my church I have known when they were much
younger than they are now, the daughters of my fellow men and it is knowing
that that has kept me from thinking anything impure about them. In fact I
don't even have the heart to think anything impure about them because of the
aforementioned reasons. So if any of my fellow brothers of my church read
this, rest assured your daughters are safe from me, and that you can bank on.

Thank you for reading and God bless.


Modelautoman

Sharks in the Body of Christ?

Greetings,

 On the Saturday, January 28th page of the inspirational booklet Our Daily Bread

the title of the topic was Feeding Frenzy.  It talked of how people who study sharks

tell of how they are most likely to attack when there is blood in the water and on how

it triggers the feeding mechanism in sharks and how the blood also marks the vulnerability

of the prey.

 The author goes on and talks of how the blood in the water is like the failings of certain

folks among the congregation of a church which when other members of the congregation

notice the flaws of the less fortunate, they go on a "feeding frenzy" of scorn, chiding and

generally an unloving attitude.  These "sharks" in the congregation kick the less fortunate

when they are down instead of lifting them up.

While we should never condone sinful behavior, we as Christians need to show mercy

on those who have backslidden or fallen, not bring them further down by mercilessly

condemning them. Matthew 5:7 states "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall

obtain mercy."

 I have seen a good example of how one certain member was restored to fellowship

at our church after certain issues which for the sake of the person in question and the

other parties involved, I will not describe.  But I believed that was a good example of

showing mercy.

 Also, I might add that showing mercy on those who have fallen, whatever the issue may

be, is also showing forgiveness.  In Matthew 6:14-15 it says, "For if you forgive men

their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you do not forgive

men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive  your trespasses."

 Those who unlovingly condemn others are themselves trespassing. They are themselves

sinning as much as those they are condemning.

 After saying that, I just got to thinking, that these "sharks" are devouring themselves more

than they are their "prey." 

 I leave you with this verse from Matthew 7:3:  "And why do you behold the speck that

is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the log in your own eye?"

Have a blessed day.

  

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the 

beach with the Lord. In each I noticed footprints

in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of

footprints; other times there was only one.

During the lowest times of my life I could only

see one set of footprints, so I said, "Lord, you

promised me that you would walk with me

always. Why, when I needed you most, would

you leave me?"

The Lord said,  "My precious child,  I love you

and would never leave you. The time you only

saw one set of footprints, it was then that I

carried you."

 That folks, is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed day.

Zach "Modelautoman" Donaldson  

A Small Church with a Huge Spirit.

Greetings,

It has been nine years that I have been attending the church I am

currently a member of; the time has gone by fast. And as greeter

I have been able witness many wonderful things and a few that

weren't, (but that's common with any church) but whatever I

witnessed, be it good or bad, the grace of our Lord has lead

us through to victory, and I am privileged to have seen His

work in all of us who make up the congregation of Valley 

Chapel.  I am proud of every one of them! It has truly

been a blessing to have witnessed God's work in our beloved 

church.  It has also kept me going the times I felt dejected and

there were folks who were there for me as well. And to those

involved, thank you and God bless you!

It gives me great pleasure to say that I believe we are true

followers of Jesus Christ and I pray that His spirit dwells richly

in all of us. I can safely say His spirit has been with us all the

time.

 We are a small congregation but the presence of the Holy Spirit

is awesome.  And recently we have been blessed with a few visitors,

one who has visited more than once.  We are a small church with a

huge Spirit.

 My prayer for Valley Chapel:

 Lord, please bless Valley Chapel as a whole and each of us

individually in that we as a church continue to be a light for

the community we are in and to those who visit us for the first

time.  May the word of God dwell in those who visit us and if

they do not know You as their Savior, I pray you convict their

hearts and that they accept You as their Savior.

Lord, may You continue to richly bless us spiritually and

financially and however You bless us may we use it for your

glory. I ask this in Your name, Amen.

Have a blessed day.

The Small Joys That I Enjoy.

Greetings,


Since becoming a Christian nearly twenty years ago (Has it really been
that long ago?) I started taking joy in small pleasures and really started
appreciating them. I also began enjoying contentment, such as being
content with my job, for example. I take pleasure in the greeting
ministry of my church; Valley Chapel. I take pleasure in making
coffee and putting out snacks for the folks of our congregation for
when they arrive.  I take pleasure in picking up litter around the
church grounds so as to make the church and its surroundings more
representable.
 I even take pleasure in housework after I see the results.
 There is joy even in the mini-vacuuming of my miniature antique car
collection as caring for them is part of the hobby. And while it is obvious
that I enjoy my automobile kits when they are complete, I take joy in the
completion of the sub-assemblies and when I overcome a difficult step in
the building process.
 And there is the one joy which is the first photo on this topic, bringing joy
to the children of the church. While I do nothing extravagant, the children
take pure joy in such activity as is seen in the photo above. It would seem
that they, like me, appreciate the little joys of life.

Some of the little things below which bring me joy. :)

I believe there is big joys in little things because doing
a great many little things adds up to great joy!




Have a blessed day.