The Sanctuary Friend

We've all heard of "sanctuary cities." They are in the news a lot lately. In the present context, they are cities, run mostly by Democratic mayors, where illegal immigrants can go to avoid being deported.

The concept is actually biblical.

"When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, ¹¹select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. ¹²They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly." - Numbers 35:10-12 

However, in the present-day context, the sanctuary city concept actually defies the law in favor of political preference.

Let's abandon this "sanctuary city" thing and shift our focus to personal relationships. We'll call them sanctuary friends. Do you have any of those? I hope so.

Sanctuary friends are those you can talk to openly and freely, without fear of retribution or persecution. They usually have a similar mindset, and you know you are 'safe' speaking with them.

Sanctuary friends are a blessing and are easily labeled as our very best friends. And, in a world filled with anxiety and political rhetoric, it's a good idea to have several of these precious friends on hand.

There is a certain amount of unconditional love involved in sanctuary friendships. There is also trust. These are extremely valuable characteristics.

Is Jesus one of your sanctuary friends? I hope so. He should be at the top of our list. We can talk to Him about anything at any time of day. And unlike our earthly friends, Jesus is always with us.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

May God give you the blessing of having trusted friends who will never leave you or forsake you. But always remember that you are never alone, without the most-trusted friend ever - Jesus.

Born Blind

Every once in a while, I have a link to a song at the end of my blog stories. Rarer still are the times I place those links at the beginning of a story but here it is today.

Yours To Hold - Skillet

I had a dream the other night featuring Skillet, a Christian rock band from Wisconsin. But they weren't performing in my dream. I was having a conversation with their lead singer - John Cooper.

We weren't talking about anything in particular, but a song came to mind as I thought about a few people in my life who need Jesus. Here's a few lines from the song. Imagine our Lord singing this to the lost...

I see you standing here

But you're so far away

Starving for your attention

You don't even know my name

I wouldn't say that Jesus is "starving" for our attention, but He DID sacrifice Himself so that we might live.

A Bible story comes to mind as I write about this - the story of the man born blind. It's really a story about each of us. We are all, in fact, born blind.

"As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“³Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." - John 9:1-3

Think about that for a moment. Aren't we ALL born blind, spiritually, "so that the works of God might be displayed" . . . in us?

The story continues . . .

"⁴As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” - John 9:4-5

Jesus fortold of a dark time in the future when "no one can work." Of course, Jesus would be put to death in the NEAR future, but I think He also might be talking about the time of the end.

Jesus was truly "the light of the world." He STILL is. And He still wants us to shine brightly, letting everyone see hear about the good news, The Gospel. And He also wants others to SEE The Gospel, active in God's sons and daughters.

Only upon hearing, and seeing, the good news of The Gospel can we truly be made to see and believe. We all become changed. Only when God's Holy Spirit enters us can we be made to truly see.

"One thing I DO know. I was blind, but now I see!” - John 9:25

Emily

What can you decern by looking at this picture? A young woman being prepped for surgery? Yes. Is she upbeat or fearful? She is smiling and flashing the "I love you" hand sign. I'd say VERY upbeat, almost excited. Why?

Well . . .

This is Emily Damari. She was one of the hostages recently released by Hamas. She had two of her fingers shot off on October 7th, 2023. If you look closer at the picture of her hand you can see that her 3rd and 4th fingers are not folded over. They're gone! Yet, she smiles. Why?

Of course, I can only guess but she is no longer being kept in tunnels (where she was held for 471 days). She is finally being treated for the nerve damage caused by her wounds. She was in constant pain during her captivity. Her physical pain is finally coming to an end. But what about her emotional and psychological pain? When will that subside?

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

We all suffer pain in this life. Most of OUR pain is nothing compared to what this young lady went though. Perhaps her purpose now is to serve as a visual reminder of perseverance and hope. She has accomplished that already.

In the JNS article (link below) she thanked President Trump for getting her out and also asked that he get the remaining hostages out as well. But Emily is missing something else besides her two fingers.

Emily was given a gift. That's for sure. But her thanks and praise are directed to human hands. She speaks of hell (in the tunnels) and miracles (her survival) but never mentions God at any time.

Perhaps Emily will one day realize that the reason she was set free was not due to the efforts of any one man. Its roots are in the grace, love, and mercy of the Lord God Almighty.

We must continue to pray for the remaining hostages as well as their families. Even prayers for Hamas, that God would soften their hearts.

It is good to see Emily smile. Hopefully, one day, she will smile because she is standing before Jesus, having accepted Him as her Lord and Savior. He has already saved her once. May He do so again.

One final thought. Look at Emily's hand again. A permanent reminder of God's love . . . a permant 'I love you" for all to see.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:3-4

Lord, please heal Emily's emotional and physical pain. Also, heal her heart, and her hand. Prepare her heart as she testifies to others about what she went through. But most importantly, heal her soul through the shed blood of Jesus. Her testimony will be a powerful one. May she thank YOU and praise YOU for her safe return as she shares it. In you merciful name I pray. Amen.

JNS Article

Mystery Babylon

If you were to enter the word 'Babylon' in the YouTube search window, and then scroll down through the results, you would find many different interpretations. Who is this Mystery Babylon? Is it the United States? Is it New York City? Is it Iran? Is it the Roman Empire? Is it the European Union? No one really knows for sure.

I came across something today during my reading that made me stop and think for a moment. Is this the answer? What's your take on this passage from the Book of Isaiah?

"On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, ⁴you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:" - Isaiah 14:3

There WAS an actual Babylon back in Isaiah's day, but then what Babylon was John referring to when he wrote the following in the Book of Revelation? He wrote about a future Babylon.

"Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. ⁵The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

'Babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.'

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus." - Revelation 17:3-5

If we go back to Isaiah, remembering that he was a prophet of future events, let's keep reading, Verse 12.

"How you have fallen from heaven,

    morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

    you who once laid low the nations!

¹³You said in your heart,

    “I will ascend to the heavens;

I will raise my throne

    above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

¹⁴I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

    I will make myself like the Most High.”

¹⁵But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,

    to the depths of the pit." - Isaiah 14:12 -15

God is now speaking about Satan through the prophet Isaiah. So, what was the Babylon that Isaiah was talking about back in verse 3 of this very same chapter, just nine verses prior? A future Babylon. And who was this King of Babylon that Isaiah mentioned in verse 3? Satan?

What is Satan's Babylon? Is it a city? No. I don't think so. I think it is Satan's "kingdom." The one he has been building for himself ever since he fell to earth (in verse 12 above).

What if "Mystery Babylon" is everyone who takes the Mark of The Beast, all those who have not worshipped God? All the unbelieving people of the earth?

In verse 12, Isaiah refers to "the blood of God's holy people." Satan was drinking their blood, which is against God's commands.

"But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. ²⁴You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. ²⁵Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 12:23-25

It is SO important that we place our faith in Jesus and don't look back. Remember Lot's wife (Genesis 19:26)? She looked back and did NOT make it to safety. There are SO MANY warnings given to us in God's Word. Yet so few people heed them.😥

We must stand strong in our faith and never give up. Bad things WILL happen as we get closer to His return. But a whole lot of GOOD things happen after that.🙂

A Precious Gift

In the Book of Acts there is a story about The Apostle Paul. He begins this part of the text in Ephesus and ends up in Syria. This is part of Paul's last trip. Anywhere.

There are a few things worthy of noting here. Look who he was with at the beginning and the end of his journey. And notice all of the stops he made along the way.

"³⁶When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

¹After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ²We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. ³After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days." - Acts 20:36 - 21:4

Paul began and ended his trip with the "churches" he had started years earlier. He stayed with them and prayed with them. They loved each other and they all loved God.

Don't we all take similar journeys in our walk with Jesus? We begin and end in a church (baptism / funeral). We make many stops along the way. And we meet many people during our trip that we love. 

I talk to many people about Jesus. Some are already my brothers and sisters. Some are not. And SOME, I have no idea where they stand.

I was given a gift this past week. One of the "I don't knows" sent me a text message, asking me to pray for her son. This has never happened before from this person. Why me?

Years before this prayer request I had prayed for this lady as she went through a personal tragedy. We talked, and then I prayed for her. That was the beginning of friendship and a journey. A journey to Jesus.

We meet many such people as we "sail" from one "port" to another in this life. What is our purpose? Christ! How do we pour into those relationships? Prayer and love!

What did they do in verse 36? They prayed and loved as they hugged and kissed each other goodbye. Do we have those kinds of relationships in our lives? Do we ask each other for prayer? Do we embrace them and love them like Paul did? Will it be the last time that we ever see them?

Pray and love. Always.

I shared this movie clip a few weeks ago but I am sharing it again because it fits. It features a tearful goodbye that almost didn't happen. Tears of joy and thanksgiving were shed. THEN they said goodbye. Just like they did in the Book of Acts.

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." - Proberbs 17:17

Lost In Translation Ending

Waters Break Out

"Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; ¹⁰so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”

¹¹So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim." - 1 Chronicles 14:10-11

What the heck does "waters breaking out mean?" Where would David have seen or heard about waters breaking out? Breaking out of what? Did they have dams back then?

Well, there was The Flood back when God destroyed all of mankind (except for Noah and his family). Waters kind of "broke out" at that time but that was a 40-day event. "Breaking out" seems to indicate a sudden, explosive event. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt they found theselves up against the shores of The Red Sea. Remember how God parted the sea so that His people could cross it on dry ground?

"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” - Exodus 14:13-14

I wonder if the "waters breaking out" that David was referencing was when the Egyptians were pursuing the Israelites and God let the waters of the Red Sea "break out" over them. Killing them all. THAT was defintely a very sudden event.

Speaking of "waters breaking out," have you seen the almost daily breakouts of Executive Orders from the Resolute Desk? It was been a veritable flood. Perhaps the massive "sea" that is our government can be break out into something more manageable, and the taxpayers  can be saved as a result. Lol!

Finally, when Jesus returns, there will be another "breaking out" of sorts as a "flood" of believers takes off from the earth and joins Him up in the clouds.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:17

"Surf's up!"