Bible Men - Stephen: the Face of an Angel

Acts 6:5 -8:2

Stephen, by his life and  death, is a most wonderful testimony of faith and grace.

Stephen was chosen, along  with six others, to minister to daily needs of others so that the apostles could continue  their work of prayer and ministry of the Word. The men  desired for this job were to be "of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" (Acts 6:3), and Stephen is said to be  "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." Stephen may have been chosen to minister to the needs of others, but Acts 6:8 tells us  that he "full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people".   But there arose V9-11 "certain of the synagogue....and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke."  And they "suborned (bribed) men to say "we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God." They stirred up the people and Stephen was caught and taken to the council.  Then  V12-14 These men set up false witnesses to say that Stephen spoke blasphemous words against the synagogue and the law.

The Lord Jesus spoke of a time when his disciples would be taken and persecuted, and we are not to even think beforehand what we will say, his promise was as surely for us as it was for Stephen "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." (Luke 21:15)

 But when Stephen was before the council "all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15)  Surely it must have shone with that inner beauty and glow of peace and joy of one who is so devoted to the Lord Jesus that His light is seen by others.  Have you ever seen such a one?  I have seen many elderly saints whose faces shone with that inner peace and beauty.   What an example this should be to us, and cause us to examine our own lives to see how devoted we are to the Lord Jesus so that others see that light in us. 

Daily Living: Lessons From the Lake

Lessons From the Lake -  written by me in July, 2009

Today I spent a good deal of time sitting on the deck outside our motel room watching the little events taking place around me.

This morning there were some boys fishing off the floating dock. Their dog, a Labrador retriever, had jumped off the dock and was swimming around having fun, but then it became clear that he was trying to find a way back onto the dock without any success. The owner was calling him, and finally he swam towards one of the boys who grabbed his collar and pulled him to safety on the dock.

That reminded me of the unbeliever in the world, having a good time, and then they come to the end of themselves. The owner on the dock was someone preaching the gospel, repent! Come to the Lord Jesus. Finally the unbeliever believes, and by grace through faith he is saved..

Watching the sky was interesting also. In the Cariboo they say if you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes and it will change. Well, that was true today. Cloudy, then sunny, then very dark clouds, then sunny again. It was like that all day long. This reminds me of the Christian walk. Sometimes everything is going very smoothly, then trials come, and all a believer can do is give their trial to the Lord and trust in Him. Soon in one way or another, the trial will be over, and things will be "sunny" again.

Early this morning I went down to the lake to watch the little fish in the clarity of the water near the shore. But something happened during the day. Little by little I could see tiny flecks of green on the surface and below the surface. First here and there, and by the end of the day, it was a murky mess. The green going down to the depths, and the surface with so much green it looked like an oil spill. But it is not. There are reeds across the lake, and it seems that they are shedding. It didn't take long to change the whole look of the lake close-up.

All day I have been watching people having fun, playing games, fishing, without a clue that we are in the end times, and that things are going to get very bad. The green was a picture to me of the dark times coming in, until the whole world will know the judgment of God.

And finally, something for me.. I am allergic to bees and wasps, and thankfully have not seen but one wasp since we have been here. There have been bees, but gathering pollen on the flowers. This afternoon, as I sat on my deck chair, a bee landed right on my upper arm, hesitated, and then flew away.. This reminded me of the devil going about, seeking whom he may devour. But the Lord is in control, and He protected me from being stung.

The piece above was written in July 2009 when we were vacationing at McLeese Lake in B.C.'s Cariboo..   so much has changed since that time, but I am thankful that the Lord is in control.

Below is my photo of the storm lighting and the little dock.

Bible Men: Jonah - Part 2, Swallowed by the whale, Lesson Learned, and Repentance

Jonah - Part 2

Chapter 2 - Swallowed by the whale, his lesson learned, and his repentance

In the previous study of Jonah, (go here)  we learned how Jonah attempted to flee from the presence of the LORD after he was told to go and warn the people of Nineveh that the LORD knew of their wickedness.  We learned how he went aboard a ship sailing to Tarshish, and how the LORD brought a great wind and caused the mariners to throw Jonah overboard so that the sea would be calmed.  And most of all, we learned how Jonah gave witness to the mariners of "the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land."  And of how the LORD brought this about, not only to let Jonah know that He was in control, but also so that these mariners might  believe on Him...

Now Jonah is in the water, and the great miracle happens. Jonah 1:17 "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."  So much here.  This great fish, which the Lord Jesus calls a whale, was prepared by the LORD, to be in the right place, at the right time, and the right species so that Jonah would be not chewed up, but swallowed alive and able to exist inside its belly.  This is not a myth, or a fable,  the three days and three nights were for a specific purpose, not only for Jonah's sake, but so the Lord Jesus would bear witness to this with regards to his own burial and resurrection.  Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonas was three day and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Changing Direction

As of today, this blog is changing direction. It's description was formerly "sunlight and shadows while following Jesus" but it is now  "sharing  the Holy Bible and God's beautiful creation."

Since I began this blog one month ago, I have struggled with what its focus should be:  my daily life following the Lord Jesus? or bible articles? or photographs of the creation? It has been a combination of all three, and after one month it seems to me that my life in this world is but a vapor, and sharing God's Word should be my priority.

James 4: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

As well, because I believe that people spend too much time being concerned about the things of this world, they spend very little time looking around them, or looking up at God's beautiful creation.  For that reason, I will continue to post my photographs of the creation around me because it has always been good for my soul.

I hope that this changed direction will be a blessing, and because I have no clue regarding search engines, I trust the Lord will bring those for whom this blog is intended.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.