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“‭He causeth the grass‭ to grow‭‭ for the cattle‭, and herb‭ for the service‭ of man‭: that he may bring forth‭‭ food‭ out of the earth‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Psalm 104:14.

This morning (26/2/24) I read the words: “‭Consider‭‭ the ravens‭: for‭ they neither‭ sow‭‭ nor‭ reap‭‭; which‭ neither‭ have‭‭ storehouse‭ nor‭ barn‭; and‭ God‭ feedeth‭‭ them‭: how much‭ more‭ are‭‭ ye‭ better than‭‭ the fowls‭?‭ . . . ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬Consider‭‭ the lilies‭ how‭ they grow‭‭: they toil‭‭ not‭, they spin‭‭ not‭; and yet‭ I say‭‭ unto you‭, that Solomon‭ in‭ all‭ his‭ glory‭ was‭‭ not‭ arrayed‭‭ like‭ one‭ of these‭,‭”‭ Luke 12:24, 27.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

When I thought upon the word ‘consider’, which is a translation of a Greek word which could also be translated ‘observe and understand’, I saw how that the Lord would have us observe His creation for it, in all its manifested elements, testifies of His merciful providence.

That caused me to think upon the verse above from the Psalms and particularly the words: “that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”

The Bible says: “And . . . ‭‭‭‭‭of making‭‭ many‭‭ books‭ ‭there is‭ no end‭,‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭”‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭ Ecclesiastes 12:12. This is certainly so of cookery books! I never search the internet for news reports of the events of the day without coming upon innumerable recommended meals and recipes that can be prepared. I do not think I am wrong in thinking that such is the variety of food available from the earth for man that the combinations and dishes that are possible are almost infinite.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I. THE FOOD THAT THE EARTH BRINGS FORTH DECLARES GOD’S KINDNESS.

I wonder have you ever thought of just what it is God provides for our good from the earth? I have often pondered how that man, who was created out of “the dust of‭ the ground‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭” (Genesis 2:7), is daily sustained from that which springs up from the earth.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

1. Everything we eat has its origin in the dust. Whether it be fruit, vegetables or meat, it has all come from the earth. What a miracle is involved in the transforming of grass into a juicy steak! It is most laughable that the ‘learned’ evolutionist thinks that the many ruminants somehow taught themselves to chew their cud and turn grass into that which man find’s delicious! Man cannot digest grass otherwise we would have a very abundant food source produced by our lawn! But God has ordained that many creatures can digest grass and from that produce that which we delight to feast upon and digest! (more…)

The following headline is taken from the website of a legal organisation dedicated to exposing the immorality of the Roman Catholic Church.  I was sent the link by a friend from Australia about one hour ago.

The following statement may be found on the website: (Church Abuse):

“The prevalence of child abuse throughout Australian religious institutions is truly shocking. Countless children across the country were exposed to physical, psychological and sexual abuse in churches, religious schools, religious children’s homes, and charitable organisations.

The response to this abuse has been just as disgraceful, with church authorities often covering up clerical abuse to protect their own image, exposing further children to abuse and helping offenders to go unpunished. In recent decades, religious institutions have spent millions in legal fees trying to deny compensation to victims and protect their bottom line.

One of the worst offenders is the Catholic Church, where a shocking 7% of all priests were accused of abusing children between 1950-2010. In some Catholic orders, the numbers were as high as 15%, 20% and even 40%.

Other religious institutions such as the Christian Brothers, Anglican Church, Salvation Army and the Uniting Church all have similarly shameful histories.”

Despite such repeated exposés, it is sad to know that people still attend the services of what the Reformers rightly called ‘Babylonianism’!

It is a system of the devil and is energised and upheld by him. I believe that any Protestant denomination which was subjected to a similar exposure would be abandoned by its attenders!

Every Christian should pray for their Roman Catholic neighbours that they might be delivered from the deceptions of Romanism, even as prayer was undoubtedly offered for Saul of Tarsus, resulting in his conversion and transformation from persecutor to Paul the apostle to the Gentiles. (more…)

“Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him,” Luke 8:22-25.

These verses were part of my New Testament Bible reading for today (22/2/24). The Bible is a living BOOK and our reading of it entails a two-way conversation. It speaks to us and we within our soul answer and oftentimes are prompted to speak out in prayer to the Lord in response to what we read.

My own heart was stirred as I read this passage, not for the first time by any means, but it came with fresh power and blessedness to my heart this morning.

It is to be noticed that this incident took place as the disciples of the Lord Jesus were obeying His command. “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth,” verse 22.

As I pondered the short passage it occurred to me that:

I. EVEN WHEN WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD WE MAY FIND OURSELVES IN A STORM!

It has ever been a source of perplexity for Christians that when they seek to obey the Lord they find themselves in the midst of trouble.

1. In truth, this should not surprise us. Obedience to God makes us a target of the devil and all his minions. It is stated of him that he is “the prince of the power of the air,” Ephesians 2:2. He is permitted of God to use his powers to create storms of wind like that which occurred on this occasion. It was the devil who created the troubles and woes of Job though he was unaware of this fact and sadly felt that the Lord had failed him. (more…)