An Abomination?

This week in Alabama woman received a pig kidney transplant. This medical procedure freed her from 8 years of dialysis. A medical miracle, right? Or is it an abomination to The Lord?

When Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the end times He mentioned an 'abomination.' What was that?

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand. - Matthew 24:15

He referred to the prophet Daniel here. What did Daniel have to say?

"And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." - Daniel 9:27

At the temple? I have heard Bible experts say that "the abomination that causes desolation" will be the Antichrist sacrificing a pig on the altar in God's rebuilt temple. However, there is no physical temple right now. Nor has the Antichrist made himself known.

Consider this from the Apostle Paul:

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

When God gave The Law to Moses back in the day he said this about unclean animals in the Book of Leviticus. Guess what . . .

"And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you." - Leviticus 12:7-8

Sacrificing an unclean animal on something that was clean would definitely be an abomination to God.

Back to the pig/kidney story. So surgeons just "sacrificed" a pig (an abomination to God) and placed its unclean kidney into a human. If this human was a Christian their "temple" (their body) would contain the Holy Spirit. Do you think that might be an abomination to God?

Yeah, I know, I'm stretching things. But it might be wise for us to consider such things. Especially as we see the day aporoaching.

God is the performer of miracles, not man.

I am reminded of Dr. Ian Malcom from the Jurrasic Park movie. He said this about unchecked scientific endeavors:

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should."

Pig Kidney Transplant Story - AP

The Commands of Jesus: Don't Throw Stuff!

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." - Matthew 7:6

"Throwing pearls to swine." What the heck does THAT mean? And why would I do that? If I had some pearls (not likely) I sure wouldn't throw them at a pig.

So what does that phrase mean? Well I'll give you an example. A friend of mine at work made an amazing quilt to give to someone. It was very intricate and took a lot of time to sew all of the pieces together. Surely the recipient would be pleased wit such a treasure.

When the gift was given the response was, "Oh . . . uh, thanks." No appreciation at all. That's what Jesus meant when He told us NOT to throw our pearls to those who don't appreciate what they have been given.

Any Christian, when asked, "What is your most valuable possession?" should answer, "My salvation. We have been given a tremendous gift by God! Unfortunately, there are many people in this world who just don't want to hear about God or Jesus or anything faith-based. Try though we might, they just don't want to hear it.

I think what Jesus is saying here is don't waste your time speaking to those who don't want to hear the message. Move on. There are plenty of other people who will appreciate what we have to say.

That sounds a little cold, coming from Jesus, unless you know Him.

We are merely deliverers of a message. We are not in the business of changing people's minds. God does that. We should deliver God's message, The Gospel, and move on. There are some people will simply refuse to hear it because it is foolishness to them.

The gift of salvation is like a beautiful strand of pearls. Incredibly valuable. One might even say priceless. Why offer someone such a gift if they don't really want it?

We have been called to spread the Gospel wherever we go. We have also been told to make disciples. But nowhere does it say we are to waste our time where God's Holy Spirit has not laid the groundwork.

Preach the Gospel. Always! But if it is not received . . . time to move on to another town.

Thanksgiving is a great time to speak to others about the pearl of great price YOU have been given. Speak from your heart, speak in live, but don't spend time speaking to those whose hearts have been hardened. That is what prayer is for.

¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." - Matthew 10:14-15

Pearl of Great Price

Dishes

When I was growing up I had to do chores. You know, work around the house. I remember feeding the sheep, I remember having to keep my room clean, and I remember having to do the dishes. I hated doing dishes. I don't know of many people who enjoy it.

Doing the dishes is rather boring. You fill up the sink with water. Apparently, from all the television commercials I watched as a child, lots of bubbles is good.

Then you scrub all the yuck off everything, rinse it and then dry it. Sometimes, doing dishes WITH someone is a help. One person washes and the other one dries. Washing sucks because you have your hands in all the dirty dishwater and you have to scrape all those hard things off the plates. Where do those chunks of stuff come from anyway? At one time, whatever it was, was edible and now it's like a rock stuck to the plates with superglue!

Drying is much better. You get handed all the clean plates and all you have to do is dry them. Life is much better dealing with clean, wet stuff than it is trying to clean hard, dry stuff. In my opinion. Either way, doing the dishes is not fun.

I recently had a talk with a young friend of mine. She is a part time dishwasher at a local restaurant. Things haven't changed much since I was a kid. Dishes still need to be cleaned and doing the dishes still sucks. My friend is looking for a different job. But in the meantime, my friend is doing dishes.

I have a theory about BAD JOBS. Bad jobs exist to provide incentive to get a better job. But I also have another theory and that is what I am writing about today. The theory that God uses anything He can to get our attention.

Recently, my daughter has been going through a stretch of, what some may call, bad luck. I don't believe in luck. I believe that things happen for a reason. Even things we don't suspect. Let's go back to my young friend for a moment. She is a Christian. At least she prayed once to receive Christ. But when one looks at her life, the fruit that usually accompanied such a life-changing moment, is missing. That leads me to believe that she either is a false convert or has drifted away from her faith.

Back to my daughter. She recently had a job interview that didn't go well. Her car died and was sold for scrap. Someone used her check card to buy cigarettes . . . in Atlanta. One can almost hear the cry, "Why would God let this happen to me!?!"

Open up your Bibles to the Book of Luke, Chapter 15. The story of the Prodigal Son.

"15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father." - Luke 15:15:20

The Prodigal Son had a "dirty job" as Mike Rowe would call them - feeding slop to pigs. But he finally "came to himself" and realised the error of his ways. He craved something better. He returned to his father and sought forgiveness.

I think God uses rotten job to draw us to himself. He will use them to move people around from one job to another like he did with my friend here at work. She came here from a job that she did not like and God used her to help save an old man, me, and return him to the faith he left behind years ago. How amazing is a God who gives us dirty jobs! It is though them, and His Holy Spirit, that God directs and orchestrates our lives. Thank you Lord Jesus for the struggles and the pain. for it is through them that we find our selves drawing closer to you.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate." - Luke 15:20-24

The Prodigal - The Skit Guys