If a man steals

 

Exodus 22:1-15

 

September 22, 2024

 

 

 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.  If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,  but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.  If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey, or a sheep, he shall pay double. (In other word’s there is a price to pay for wrong actions.)

 

“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

 

“If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.  If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. 

 

For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

 

“If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it,  an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.  But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.  If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

 

 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.  If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.

 

Now that you have read these laws God has given to His chosen people, do you believe your nation at this time in history could live under them?  I can only speak for the USA, which is a long way from what the culture and people would abide by.  Let me share some of the reasons: he was raised without a dad, his mother was on drugs,/his folks let them do as they please, or maybe they were poor, uneducated, street kids, mentally sick, or demon possessed. And, in the USA, it is your race or color that gives you an out.  If you are rich, a celebrity, or a politician, you are treated differently from others who are not.

 

A good example, the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  Just a bunch of nobodies in our culture went into the Capitol, and many of them have been in jail without a trial since.  What happened to more than 1,265 people charged?  “Authorities are still working to identify more than 80 people wanted for acts of violence at the Capitol and to find out who placed pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic national committees’ offices the day before the Capitol attack. And they continue to regularly make new arrests, even as some Jan. 6 defendants are being released from prison after completing their sentences.” Roughly 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while another roughly 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury, according to an Associated Press database.  

 

The truth is that some good people got caught up with some bad guys who came to harm, but all were treated wrong by not having access to a fast trial and lawyers. Many were not allowed to see anyone, and it makes you wonder what if one of them had been somebody in our culture, a star athlete, a person of wealth, a movie star, would they have been treated that way?  We have laws that did not apply to these Americans, why?

 

Now you may be sure it is a Culture of I’m not responsible for my actions, it's mom or dad’s fault, it is the color of my skin, it's being poor, it's being rich, it was my environment, so I’m not to be blamed.  But the problem is our laws do not apply equally to all, and a nation cannot stand that does that.  God’s laws did not change; they were applied to all the same, and when they were not, it was not because God favored one over the other; it was because men's hearts are evil.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

Laws About Restitution

 

 

 

Exodus 21:33-36

 

September 21, 2024

 

Laws About Restitution

“When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,  the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

 “When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.  Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

 

I live in the state of Texas, in the country of the United States of America, and in Texas, as well as the USA, we have problems with lawbreakers. One of my dear friends was Herbert Weeks, a captain in the Texas Department of Public Safety.  Herbert was a man of integrity, and he loved the Lord, and often I had him speak at Lay Renewal to men.

 

The captain did not mince words. This was his opening line, many of you find Christian men, encourage my young troupers to break the law.  If you ask him to fix a ticket, and he crosses the line, he/she is now corrupted.   It got really quiet when Captain spoke, and many in that room of men who had the title of Christian were wondering why he was so worked up over such a small thing.  He went on to say to then cross that line, and it is easy to cross others.

 

Is that not true in our Culture? Have you noticed how many people are breaking traffic laws, with no regard for red lights and the speed limit?  I was pulled over a couple of months ago for exceeding the speed limit. I had a good reason; I was running late for a doctor’s appointment.   But my excuse was not in keeping with the law; I was a lawbreaker, and the policeman was kind and let me go with a warning.

 

I want you to reread the three verses above and ask yourself this question: Is God wiser than man?  If you have a problem with that answer, then you need to sit in a quiet room and have a talk with your Creator.  Without a doubt, He is.  We are lawbreakers. I used traffic and driving to make a point, but I could have used lying or stealing to make the same point.  We have all fallen short in this area; you and I have stolen, only a little thing like a pen or notepad, or a Post-it note from work, but God calls that stealing.  

 

What about telling someone a lie? It's so great to have run into you today. I’ve been wanting to see you. Where the truth is, I have not given a thought about that person in years.  Yes, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

 

As we enter a time of National elections, our thoughts go to how the other side cheats.  I’ve come to the understanding that without Truth and Jesus being the Truth, we as a people will do and say evil things.  As a follower of Jesus, I must do as He has said, pray for my enemies, which is a full-time job, in that many who have never known you hate you for being a follower of Christ.

 

We, as followers of Christ, must have only Christ as our leader, not some political party.  Pray that God’s will is done. If it is time to judge the sins of a nation, you cannot change that, but you can love your enemies when you follow Jesus. He is the only one who can, so let Him guide you into all truth.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Know Your Enemy

 

Know Your Enemy

 

If you do not know your enemy, how will you ever hope to defeat him?  This is one of the biggest problems facing Christians we have no understanding of the enemy of our soul.  By using the life of Esau, the older brother of Jacob, who despised his birthright and gave it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew, we will be able to have a better understanding of our flesh and how the Enemy works in our life. 

 

Why was the birthright that Esau despised of such importance?   Major Ian Thomas in “The Saving Life of Christ has the following to say on this subject; “The birthright was this – the promise that God had given to Abraham that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed, note, as Paul points out in Galatians 3, “…. Seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.”  That is to say, the birthright involved the birth of Christ – the Seed of Abraham in particular, through the seed of Abraham in general, the One who would redeem man from his lost condition, and restore him to his true relationship to God, - making him dependent once more upon the One whose presence is life, and who alone can enable man to behave as man, as God intended man to be “In Esau the spirit of Satan was incarnate. “What do I need of a birthright restoring me to dependence upon God?  I am independent, and I am self-sufficient, and I will be what I am, by virtue of what I am!”  (Page 99)

 

Out of Esau came many nations, one of them was the Amalekites who lived in the desert, south of Canaan around Kadesh.   They came from Eliphaz (Esau’s eldest boy) and were distant cousins to the Israelites.  Amalek makes a good representative of the flesh, and we find in Exodus 17, “then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”  In Amalek is a picture of the flesh, seeking at all cost to stop the journey of God’s redeemed people, and keep them from the Land of Promise, and that is the spirit of your enemy.  “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  (Galatians 5:17) Quoting from “The Saving Life of Christ” “The flesh contests every attempt of the Spirit of God to lead you on into spiritual maturity.  Standing across your pathway from the very outset of your Christian life is Amalek!”

 

On page 101 Major states, “It is the devil’s business to prevent your translation “from the power of darkness . . . into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” and Amalek, imbued with the spirit of Satan, is unrelenting in his opposition to the prosperity of the kingdom of God.”  In the book of Deuteronomy 25:17, 18, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.”  On page 102, Major states, “That is when Amalek hits you!  It is when you are faint and weary.  It is when you are one of the hindmost.  When you are dragging your feet.  When you are spiritually low, and the sun is hidden, and the skies are dark.  When you have withdrawn yourself from the conflict, because you feel the pace is too much for you.  When you think you are alone – but you are not alone, for Amalek will be there!”

 

“God says that there is something that you do not have the right to remember, because it is something which God forgets.  God says, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).  It is not that God pretends that you have not sinned.  He does not ignore your guilt.  He says, “I will remember your sins,” but in the light of the shed blood of His dear Son, having remembered your sins – every one of them – He says, “I will remember your sins no more.”  On to page 103, “Sin should and must be confessed to God, and restitution made where the Spirit of God demands it, but “the blood of Jesus Christ (God’s) Son cleanses us from all sin,” and “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

“If, however, you do not have the right to remember what God forgets, - you do not have the right to forget what God remembers, - and God remembers Amalek!  Amalek is the dirty well!  Amalek is the poisoned root!  Amalek is “. . . the mystery of lawlessness – that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority”

 

Amalek is the voice that you hear, and it sounds like your voice; it always does one of two things: it attacks your person with thoughts like, “you are a loser, and you have always been a loser,” or you deserve better than you are getting.  These are the words of the spirit of Amalek; they are not the words of the Holy Spirit of God.  God desires dependence, never independence; God desires fellowship never isolation.

 

From Our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Laws About Slaves

 

Exodus 21:1-32

 

September 20, 2024

 

Laws About Slaves

“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.  When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.  If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.  But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free, ’then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.  If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.  If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.  If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.  And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.  But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.  But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

“Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

“When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed,  then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.  But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.  But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.  If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

“When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.  But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.  If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.  If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.  If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

 

Often, we need to read the Law that Israel was required to keep to be in a relationship with God.  I will give you an understanding of what Jesus has done for you.   “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

 

You are no longer under the Law; you are under grace. Romans 3:20 gives insight to this truth: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”  Also, in Galatians 2:16, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

 

Grace gives us forgiveness, but to receive grace, one must come to the truth: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It also must have the understanding that your good life will not earn you a relationship with God.  He calls them filthy rags, but receiving the atonement of what Jesus did on the Cross by becoming sin, your sins and mine, by His death and the shedding of His blood to cover all sin.   

 

Without understanding, there is no hope, and without seeking a relationship with JESUS, there is no forgiveness of Sin.  It is your choice: what will you do? He told us today is a great day to begin a new life in Christ.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Laws About Altars

 

Exodus 20:22-26

 

September19, 2024

 

Laws About Altars

And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.  You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.  An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.  If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you profane it.  And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

To the best of my understanding, hewn stones were cut or dressed stones.  They were to be the real thing, not cut or made by man.  Do you recall Jesus as the stone the builder rejected?  It is referred to in Mark 12:10-11,  ^“Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”  In Psalm 118:22-23, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.^[ This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”  If you read Isaiah 5, you see the cost to a nation that turns from God.

 

As followers of Jesus, we are called Living stones, 1Peter 2:4-8: ^“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”  So, the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. ”They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

That is the good news, but I must tell each of you the bad. Hell was not designed for humans, but for the devil and his angels, or demons.  Jesus makes clear in John 3:-17-18,  ^“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  We are told to choose today who we will serve. 

 

Please do as I often do: examine yourself, 2 Corinthians 13:5-6, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!  I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.”

 

From our Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

--

The Ten Commandments

  

Exodus 20:1-21

 

September 18, 2024

 

The Ten Commandments

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.  

 

I have been guilty of allowing many things in my past to take the place that only God deserves.  Things like my job, Sports, my child, and, in recent times, a political party.  Here is the problem, as a follower of Christ, I do not see these things as little gods that I am putting before my Creator, God.  But anything that you give allegiance to over God is a little god.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

 

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

When I hear someone take my Father's name in vain, it hurts me, and I wonder if they understand that God will not hold them guiltless.  Jan and I have stopped watching many TV programs we had enjoyed in the past because of this.  I will not allow my Lord's name to be taken in vain in my home, on something I have control over, like a TV.   It is sad when a person goes by the title of Christian and does this.

 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

I would say that the Church is very guilty of paying no attention to this Commandment.  For years, we went to Church and came home and worked outside like it was another day. God's Spirit convinced me that I had to stop doing so.

 

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

 

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

I've been guilty of adultery, guys and gals. It is not worth it, it disgraces your Lord, and it does great damage to those who love you.   I've learn how to not let my flesh or the enemy have this foothold in my life, pray for the lady, in that it is impossible to lust while you are asking God to bless her.

 

“You shall not steal.

In my childhood, the neighbor had Rose bushes and grew beautiful Roses.  My mother was always saying how beautiful those roses were, and so one day this four-year-old went and cut some Roses for Mother.  To my surprise, she was not happy with my stealing the neighbor's Roses and made me take them back.  The lady was not very nice and told me I was a thief and to never come into her yard again and grab the Roses.  Wow, I was trying to give my mother a gift.  But I took something that was not mine.  You would have thought I had learned, but as an adult, I took pens and Post-it notes to use at home, justifying it as for use in my office.  The problem was that they were used for personal use, which was once 

more stealing.  It is easy to justify one action till God's Spirit convicts you.

 

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

It is a wise person who shows love to their neighbors. Jan and I have had a few that it took time and effort, but we have never had one that we did not care for.  The Scripture gives us this advice: “Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.  Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”

 

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” (Proverbs 27:10)

Now, when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off  and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”  Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”  The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Third Day

  

Exodus 19:16-25

 

September 17, 2024

 

 On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.  Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.  Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.  And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.  The Lord came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.  Also, let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”  And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’”  And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.”  So, Moses went down to the people and told them.

 

As I read this yesterday to my bride of 59 years, I wonder how we could find application in these verses.  I hit me as I sat in my quiet living room, looking at the back porch, they were preparing to hear from God.  This was the requirement to wash themselves and their clothes.  To refrain from having sex with their wife and come and stand and wait for the lord to speak.  They were at Mount Sinai, and were ordered not to touch the Mountain or they would die; this was serious.

What has God told you and me, in Psalm 46:10, “He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  For me, it requires me to seek Him early in the morning, to ask for knowledge and the ability to allow the Holy Spirit to give me understanding of how to apply what I read in my daily life.  A person I often quote is Blaise Pascal, who spoke to me this morning: “Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”  Are we not told in the Scripture to seek first the kingdom of God?  Matthew 6:33, we have these words from Jesus: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” 

 

I often wonder what “all these things” and it is the basic needs of each of us, it is found in verses 31-32: ^“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” 

 

What is keeping you from seeking first the kingdom? Is it not making an appointment with the Lord to meet Him early, to spend time talking to Him about your desires for your family, your job, and how to manage the fund He has given you?  What keeps you from doing so? Another quote from Blaise, “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”

 

If we put anything- family, sports, or job- before God, we have shown we have a love problem, and it is time to wake up two we have not, because we have not loved the Lord our God, to seek Him first, before all else.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice