JOTS FROM OLD JAKE
RELIGIOUS ICONS:
Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 - 10:03 p.m.
I know of some churches where the congregation will bow down before the altar or a statue of Christ. Don�t get me wrong� kneeling at the altar and praying to God is not wrong. However the alter is not the only place you can find God. He resides in His temple of the Holy Spirit� US. God was and still is a jealous God. He wants His people to worship Him and Him only. Not some thing to look at that is an imagination of His physical appearance. We have no idea what Jesus looked like back when He was walking the streets of Galilee. Yes I do have pictures of Him as portrayed in the mind of the artist who painted it� but that is very unlikely how He looks.
Why is it that the world seems to need something that they can see with their eyes of feel with their hands to worship? Faith in the resurrection of the Only Begotten Son of God is the only salvation available. Faith is the substance of things hoped (the confidence in having) for� and the evidence (proof or conviction) of things not seen. In other words it is not something you see with you physical eyes or feel by touching with your hands. Israel found out the hard way that the ark of the covenant of the Lord was not what protected them. Yep it was where He met with those who were elected to do so� and where they went to seek his protection. But just having it in their midst did not protect them.
1 Samuel 4:2-11 (KJV/NIV) And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!" So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Eli�s sons were typical preachers kids� they were abusing their position in the temple to further their own wealth. They definitely were not doing what was right in the sight of God! They ended up dying and one of their wives died in child birth after she heard of all that had happened� The baby, a son, was named Ichabod meaning: �No Glory,� the mid-wife "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."
I believe that you should reverence any place you go to fellowship with other believers and show respect toward them during the time you are there to worship and fellowship. Don�t be misled that you have to go to a certain place to ask of the Father or to praise Him or His Son. He lives within you and knows your very thought. You can worship Him in spirit and truth aloud or within your self quietly. Other wise praying with out ceasing would not be possible. He can not be the only thing you think about� He can be the basis for everything you think. I have programs that play in the back ground on this computer that are working even when I don�t see them working but never the less are active in every keystroke. God does that� only in a more perfect way.
VERSE FOR THIS ENTRY!
Psalms 145:14-15 (NIV) The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
ULTERIOR WORDS OF WISDOM� OR/NOT!
Patron at a bar: �I want something cold and loaded with rum!�
Willie the bartender: �The fat broad will be in at ten!�
~ BC~
May you be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit!
