The Faith of a Bird

There is an interesting phrase found in Psalm 104: 16. It says "the trees of the Lord are full of sap." The birds make their refuge in these trees yet they don't belong to the birds. They belong to the Lord. The next verse talks about the high hills where the wild goats live. The goats make homes in the caves of the hills, yet the hills belong to the Lord as well. There is a point here we all need to consider. It is about trusting God. Jesus told us in Luke chapter 12 to consider the birds of the air. They don't work, nor do they save for the winter. Yet God takes care of them. Why? Because somehow they understand that the trees belong to God and he will always see that they have food. God is so careful to take care of the birds that not even one of them dies without him knowing. Matthew 10:29.

If God takes such good care of the birds of the air, don't you think he will take care of his children? We talk about having the faith of a child but perhaps we should have the faith of a bird. Just understand that it all belongs to God, do what we know to do, and let him care for us. It really is that simple.

Thankfully,

Sullivan Jones 

I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord

I awoke this morning with the words to a Sunday School song going through my mind.

I may never march in the infantry, ride in the Calvary, shoot the artillery,
I may never zoom over the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's army.

Little boys often dream of growing up to be war heroes, much like little girls dream of being princesses. To a six year old singing that song in Sunday School war just seems like an adventure. He has no idea what war is all about. What he is really saying is, "I want to grow up and do something important." Something important seems like sinking enemy submarines or capturing a mountain for the Fatherland. Yet, these things are not what most of us experience. Although I highly respect our men and women in uniform, I am thankful that most of us are spared the atrocities of war.

Yet all of us are in a warfare everyday. The Bible tells us that we do not fight against flesh and blood .... but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). This battle that we are fighting is largely a battle for control of our minds and our spirits. It is a battle to see who will be in charge that day, the enemy of our souls or our Lord Jesus Christ. This is real warfare and the outcome is far more important, eternally speaking, than any human battle. 

The idea of war strikes fear into the hearts of many. Yet the Christian need never fear. We are promised the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57.) We have an armor that is impenetrable when applied everyday in prayer. We have the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us and gives us strength to fight. We have a God who hears every prayer that we pray. We are on the winning side. 

This battle is real, but GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD. 

I am a soldier in God's army and HE always wins his battles. 

Victoriously,

Sullivan Jones 

The quality of mercy

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Shakespeare

All of us like the idea of receiving mercy. We like to talk about mercy until we are the one who needs to give it to someone else. Mercy, in a nutshell, is forgiveness. It is not giving someone the punishment they deserve. Mercy is letting a past wrong go or being kind and gentle when someone is less than perfect. All of us have needed mercy at some point in our lives and I'm sure we will need it again eventually, some sooner than others. Lamentations 3:22 says that it is because of God's tender mercies that we are not consumed. If God were to give us all what we really deserve, none of us would be here. But he gives us new grace every morning. Should we not show the same quality of mercy to others. In the words of Shakespeare, let mercy drop as the gentle rain from heaven. It will bless both the one who gives and the one who receives. 

Thankful for his Mercy,

Sullivan Jones