July 31, 2013 - God's E-vite

The rain is amazing. Have you ever watched a parched peace lilly respond to being watered after their leaves are dragging bottom. Within about 30 minutes of receiving hydration, their leaves begin to stand again and declare, "I am healthy." If you ever need a visual reminder of the power of hydration, try that one. IT WORKS and it will really convey a message that water is absolutely LIFE GIVING! Not today's subject though.... John 10:10 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I don't know about you, but its good to know someone's plan for your life - even if it's bad. I would MUCH rather know the ill intent of a person than be gullible and sucker-pinched all the time. How about you? As we examine the context of satan in this verse, it becomes clear that he isn't planning to simply steal everything from us, he methodically calculates how to steal from us so that we NEVER KNOW WE'VE BEEN VIOLATED. That is really the Greek rendering of the word. And when he steals from us in a manner we don't detect, his intent is total annihilation of our very life - every area! That adds a deeper spin doesn't it? Can you see satan viewing you as healthy and stomping his feet, gnashing his teeth and snarling as HIS PLAN was for you and I to be trapped in a cell of obesity and despair and eventually give up on God. Satan plans for us to hear the same question he posed to Eve in Genesis, "did God really say?" He does it in such a way that we even begin to really question God - our Father, the Creator, the One who loves us more than all others. Crafty serpent - stealing from us the truth we clutch, in a manner designed to destroy! Yikes. Today, let's look despair, defeat, poor health, and failure in the eyes and remember that is not what God designed for us. That is the design of the crafty, pickpocket who needs to gather a party for his eternal destination. He sent the E-vite and thinks we are naive enough not to see beyond the party decor. He really doesn't care if we attend - he DOES care that we want to attend God's eternal party and his daily plan includes the destruction of our responding YES to God's E-vite. Hope you see this. After this study, I view the term "crafty" in the Genesis story in a different light. How about you? But I choose to NOT have my life stolen and I CHOOSE health. Let's be more keen to the craftiness of our enemy. Praise God for John 10:10 (b)........But Jesus came to give us LIFE. More on this tomorrow, PK