The 5 Disadvantages - One

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely, but from the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:16-17

“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked and behold, the bush was not consumed. – When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and he said, ‘Moses. Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said also, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Genesis 2, 4-6

ONE: “I have often longed for God to act in a direct, closeup manner. If only He would show Himself! But in the Israelites’ dreary stories of failure I can perceive certain ‘disadvantages’ to God acting so directly. One problem they encountered immediately was the lack of personal freedom. For the Israelites to live in proximity to a holy God, nothing – not sex, menstruation, the content of clothing fabric, or dietary habits – could fall outside the purview of His laws. Being a “chosen people;’ had a cost.” *

It is wonderful to have God in our lives as long as He doesn’t get TOO close, for then he can see the blemishes more clearly and we can see His perfection. It is His grace in love that saves us no matter how close or far we are from Him. Thank God!

Take care to understand His Word. Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: New Prayer Requests: For Cris, whose father just had two stokes in a week and is hospitalised. For Di whose brother (55 years old) just passed away suddenly. Fred’s heart surgery. Lavie, whose 28-year old brother died unexpectedly. Casey, with huge life changes. Sue, recovered from cancer, now battling paraneoplastic syndrome. Earl, with cancer and Lyle, his brother has been found to be a perfect match. Lyle leaves to be hospitalised with him for a two week procedure. Pray for them both. Ulfur and David P – for strength to overcome the hold of powerful addictions. Adrian for loss of a special friend (and praise the Lord has helped him find a home and work).

JOB Related: Pray for those seeking work, that they will trust the Lord to be preparing the perfect role for them, even now as we pray: Barb and Carla both had job interviews recently, yet God has other jobs for them than the ones they interviewed for and did not get; and for Tim (as he supports Barb) who also needs work.

Praise: Leslie has completed her chemo and no signs of cancer remain. Freddy came home to see his mom! David (great health now!); Nancy (with head trauma) has passed 6 month mark and doing well. The other Nancy continues her battle with Ovarian Cancer.

Thanksgiving for: Reg, Carla and Paul.

Continue to pray for: Deb, special friend with multiple Myeloma, Isaias (family safety & his mission work in Philippines); Adrian with significant life changes. God’s grace on USA. Wisdom for doctors caring for Doris, David, Poetry and Gary. Michael (his mum grows more frail); Randy (unexpected changes in his life). For Kevin (wisdom with his son).



*Disappointment With God, by Philip Yancey