The devotional - 145 - Precepts and Design

Thought of the Day – 145 – Precepts and Design

 

Psalm 119:128  Life can be measured by the precepts of God, and we must become confident that His ways are trustworthy. Like the psalmist I have consider those precepts that I know and this is enough to help me to hate the counterfeit way.

Comments and Challenges

 

A man watched as the butterfly emerged from the cocoon. The butterfly struggled and seemed stuck, the man thought, maybe I should help as it may die in the struggle. With his pocket knife in hand he went to the rescue, carefully slicing a thin slit on the side of the cocoon. The butterfly popped out and fell to the ground. It lay there for a while, feebly flapping the wings. Then it collapsed and died. “How tragic” we might conclude and we would be correct.

 

God designed the cocoon, the caterpillar and the butterfly. The caterpillar matured to a ripe old age and constructed a retirement shelter preparing for the future. As the retirement shelter matured, the transfer from caterpillar to butterfly began. The little creation was beginning a new or regenerated life. All would have been well except for one small help by man, thus causing an irreversible shutdown.

 

The struggle of the butterfly was cut short. The strength to fly was not accomplished because the man interfered with the process. The struggle to break free would have built the strength in the butterfly's wings to fly and survive. God does not expect us to live in spiritual weakness and to die feebly. He wants us to grow spiritually and mature, the only help we need is His designed Plan; so then… abide under His Wings!

 

 

Mark 6:14-16

 

Superstition is one of the characteristics of guilt and guilt is the personal knowledge of indwelling sin. Kings, monarchs and leading officials all over the world live in some form of guilt even if they believe that they are above the law and governing constitution. Yet there is one problem… these men and women are not above the Law of God. Even if you seek to deny the existence of God such as King Herod does here in these few verses.

 

“Now King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become well known. And he (Herod) said, “John the Baptist is risen form the dead and therefore these powers are at work in Him.” Others said, (on Herod’s staff) “It is Elijah” and yet other of Herod’s council said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.” But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!”

 

The beheading of John the Baptizer happened in Israel’s history around AD-31 and by AD-70; thirty-nine years later the Romans enter Jerusalem and destroy it. Herod represents a modern governing body of leadership that believes it has beheaded the church of Jesus Christ. Albeit the government would not say that it is at fault, yet it has said that religion should be controlled, locked up or mandated to perform sin, sin like that of the nation; abortion and same sex marriages for example.

 

In an effort to right this wrong, the people complain or applaud, groan or pray or say things like; “what shall we do? Or “Jesus is coming soon!” yet birthdays come and go, celebrations of marriages and the deaths of infants increase. All are marching to the beat of a tune called “Taps”. Not the personal death of anyone you might know, but the death of what we call… HOME SWEET HOME!