Each of us feel at times like things are falling apart because of house maintenance problems, car repairs and personal issues that were strapping them financially and taxing them emotionally. But like the giraffe we need to learn to get back up. God is always there to keep us moving.
"Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
- Job 17:9 (New American Standard Bible)
Dear Lord we pray that we will have the strength to get up and keep going, knowing that you are there to encourage us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
One day, six blind men decided to go to the zoo. They hired a guide to tell them about all the exotic animals they couldn't see. When they came to the elephants, the zoo keeper wanted them to have more than a verbal description, so he allowed them each to feel the elephant.
Since the elephant was large, and since the zoo keeper had limited time, he let each man touch one part of the giant mammal.
The first blind man reached out and his hand grabbed the elephant's tail. "Aha," he exclaimed, "the elephant is like a big rope."
The next man felt a massive elephant leg. He looked strange, no rope was that big. "No, the elephant is like a large log or tree." He was sure of this.
The third blind man walked forward and ran straight into the elephant's side, whereupon he pronounced that, "The elephant is really a big wall."
Next, another of the blind men reached out and took hold of one of the elephant's ears. It must have tickled, because the elephant wiggled the large ear, causing the fourth man to exclaim, "Oh, see this, the elephant is like a big fan."
The fifth blind man decided that the first four were all slightly daft and they couldn't be describing the same creature, so he carefully walked up and put out his hand, the elephant raised his trunk to the man who felt it and grinned in wonder. "My friends, it is obvious the elephant is like a huge snake."
The final man was totally confused, he walked forward and reached out, hoping to find the truth, and encountered a tusk. He paused and brightened, "I understand, the true nature of the elephant is this, he is a sword."
The zoo keeper and guide smiled at one another, knowing that none had seen the big, elephantine, picture.
How often are we guilty of the same thing? There are times when terrible things come our way during the course of our lives. When this happens, we tend to only look at what we can see. However, there is far more to the picture than we can see..
As the Psalmist teaches us we need to get our eyes off of our circumstances and place them squarely upon the Lord. You see, like those 6 blind men, where a person stands determines what that person sees. Put your trust in God for He alone knows the whole truth.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
- Psalm 143:8 (New International Version)
Dear Lord we pray that we will trust in You and You alone. Help us not make our choices based on where we stand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Consider, for a moment, the lowly penguin. Each Spring they look for a rocky place where they can nest. Such a place is called a rookery. Large numbers of penguins lay their eggs and raise their young there. The rookery is very crowded. Up to a million penguins can live in single rookery, but each penguin has her own nest. If thousands upon thousands of penguins live in one spot how can a penguin tell which babies are hers? After all, they are all dressed alike. Each penguin has a different voice. The parents can pick out their own children from thousands of others just by the sound of their voices. They know their own children, and take care of them. In the same way, millions upon millions of people are scattered all over the world, but God knows those who belong to Him -- those who have trusted Jesus as Savior.
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
- Psalm 139:1-5 (New International Version)
Dear Lord we are thankful that You know us. We pray that we will always be aware that you are there and want the very best for each of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The grizzly bear is the meanest animal in the forest. It can terminate the life of any other creature with one swipe of its paw. There is one animal that the grizzly bear will not attack. He has even allowed this animal to eat with him, even though it is his adversary.
The animal is the skunk. The grizzly bear does not like the skunk, but he has decided it is better to coexist with him than to create a stink! Sometimes it is better to learn how to get along with the skunk in your life than fight him and make your situation even worse.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
- John 13:34-35 (New International Version)
Dear Lord we pray that we will have the strength to get along with those around us even those that are hard to love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As we look at Narnia you don't have to be too familiar with the main Bible stories to recognise some of the key characters and themes. Without doubt, Aslan represents Jesus Christ, and also God Himself, and perhaps the White Witch represents Satan. Narnia, then, where the adventure happens, might also represent the Kingdom of God, as well as the Kingdom of Aslan.
Clearly, there is no direct retelling of any of the Bible stories, but if you look, you will find elements taken and retold for readers, in that special C S Lewis way. Do you remember how Edmund arrives in Narnia alone, disgruntled with his brother and sisters, and immediately meets with the White Witch in the forest? He is tempted with the enchanted Turkish Delight, and the promise of becoming a prince of Narnia:
'I think I would like to make you the Prince - some day, when you bring the others to visit me.'
Succumbing to temptation is a very powerful theme in the Bible. Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness with promises of great power. Also Judas betrays Jesus, much as Edmund betrays his brother and sisters later in the story.
Of course, Edmund is rescued from the White Witch by Aslan, and although she later claims the life of Edmund as rightfully belonging to her, Aslan offers his own life in exchange for Edmund's. This action exactly follows that of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to save mankind.
We can also recognise the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the resurrection of Aslan, after his humiliation and execution by the Witch and her rabble of followers.
Even without reference to any of the religious symbolism, the characters in Narnia set high standards of personal behavior that each of us can follow.
O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me.
-Psalm 5:8 (New American Standard)
Dear Lord we thank you for those that can help bring lessons to live in stories they write. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Reepicheep told Peter, “My life is ever at your command, but my honor is my own.” The valiant mouse has now come to a point where he no longer reserves his honor as something which must be his own, something which must be kept back and not offered up in service and sacrifice. In Prince Caspian, Reepicheep held that a tail was “the honor and glory” of a mouse. Now he has a higher honor and a greater glory.
After losing his tail near the end of Prince Caspian, Reepicheep was “confounded” because of his appearance and confessed to Aslan: “I am completely out of countenance. I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion.” In restoring the mouse’s tail, Aslan made it clear that he did not do this for the sake of Reepicheep’s “dignity.” Here in a final indication that along with his sword Reepicheep has flung away any last concerns about his dignity and about maintaining an honorable appearance, Reepicheep allows Lucy to do “what she had always wanted to do.” She takes him in her arms and caresses him—an action which back in the beginning would have offended him deeply.
We are not told what happens to Reepicheep on the other side of the great wave. The narrator simply reports: “The coracle went more and more quickly, and beautifully it rushed up the wave’s side. For one split second they saw its shape and Reepicheep’s on the very top. Then it vanished, and since that moment no one can truly claim to have seen Reepicheep the Mouse. But my belief is that he came safe to Aslan’s country and is alive there to this day.” Jonathan Rogers has described Reepicheep’s final voyage in these words: “Forgetting himself, forgetting the world, forgetting everything that lies behind, he goes up, up, up, to be welcomed into the heart of things.”
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
- Philippians 3:20-21 (New International Version)
Dear Lord we thank you for heaven, we pray that we will live our live that will prepare us for meeting you and worshipping you for all times. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
After Eustace recounts his undragoning to Edmund, he apologizes for his behavior. Edmund then says something interesting:
"That's alright," said Edmund. "Between ourselves, you haven't been as bad as I was on my first trip to Narnia. You were a dragon, but I was a traitor."
Edmund was referring to his behavior in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where he betrayed his sisters and brother in hopes of becoming prince underneath the White Witch. Quite frankly, dear Ed's behavior was ghastly--some would say beyond forgivable. Yet Aslan gave his life in return for Edmund's freedom. Though Edmund's character doesn't necessarily talk about the incident much, we know through his actions that Aslan's sacrifice affected him greatly:
• It is Edmund who turns the tables during the war against the White Witch by severing her wand.
• While King of Narnia, Lewis tells us, "Edmund was graver and quieter man than Peter, and great in council and judgement. He was called King Edmund the Just."
• It is Edmund who first believes Lucy sees Aslan in Prince Caspian.
Edmund, in a sense, owed Aslan a greater debt than the others. He never forgets it.
It reminds us when Jesus was anointed by a "sinful woman" while eating dinner in a Pharisee's house. The Pharisee scoffs at the woman, who is pouring perfume on Jesus' feet as a sign of deep respect, and Jesus tells him a little story:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifteen. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
The Pharisee answers, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
We can learn 2 things from this:
• Nothing we have done in our life is unforgivable.Aslan died for a traitor; Jesus died for all of us--no matter what we have done. You may be struggling with something you have done in the past that you can't seem to forgive yourself for. This may drag you down or weigh on your mind consistently. Instead of constant blame of yourself, look at the example given to us by Edmund. He used his past history for good. He became "Edmund the Just." He reacted with mercy and forgiveness with Eustace. God can use our past, no matter how bad we think it is, for good.
• On the other hand, If nothing is unforgivable for God, then nothing should be unforgivable for us. If we are harboring a grudge against someone, get rid of it. If we are judging someone for something they did in his or her past, stop. Don't be a Pharisee. They lived righteous lives and obeyed "the law," but Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. Don't forget that the one who loved the moneylender more was the one who had more of the debt canceled. If God is willing to forgive and restore, so should we.
"The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;"
-Daniel 9:9 (New International Version )
Dear Lord we want to thank you for forgiving us, we pray that we would also forgive those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
