Only you

This morning I was reading Acts 8. In particular verses 4-25 spoke to me. Read them below.

⁴But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. ⁵Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. ⁶Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. ⁷Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. ⁸So there was great joy in that city.

⁹A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. ¹⁰Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” ¹¹They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.

¹²But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. ¹³Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.

¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. ¹⁵As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. ¹⁹“Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”

²⁰But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! ²¹You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. ²²Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, ²³for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

²⁴“Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!”

²⁵After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.

Do you see how Simon the sorceror was completely missing the point. He didn't see that the true power was from God, nor that he had to submit to the Sovereignty of Him. No one else could pray for him. He had to make his heart right with God and repent of his sin directly to the Lord. Now we don't know what happened as Simon the sorceror isn't mentioned again.

The same is for us, however, that need to get right with God comes down to us alone.  I remember a Pastor's wife telling about how she had a dream. She had died and found herself outside the gates of heaven. They were shut and locked. She was pounding on them yelling "I'm the Pastor's Wife!" She said with great emotion in her voice that all she heard in reply was, "Go away from Me. I don't know you."

You see, she was relying on her relationship with man, not with the God most High. The only relationship that is valid in the transaction of eternal life is with God.

Only you can make that decision. Not your Grandmother dragging you to church. Not your family who all believe. Not your history of being good. No. Only by knowing and being known by the Creator of the universe. Having a right relationship with Him. Knowing He sent His only Son Jesus to die for your sins so you can be clean and worthy in his sight.

Pray. Ask. Seek. He will respond.

On Kindness

Today is the last day of "Be Kind to Animals Week" here in Australia. As my brother so aptly said when I shared the image on Facebook, "It should be every week."  I agree.

So what does kindness look like and which animals should we be paying attention to?

According to a Google definition search, Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.

So being friendly to animals would be treating them in a way that they perceive as not threatening in anyway. Being generous can involve time, money and presence. Consideration of the animals welfare, comfort, happiness and needs.

Kindness is also mentioned in the Bible in the book of  Galatians, as one of the "Fruits of the Spirit".

So which animals are we supposed to be kind to? The nice ones? The fluffy ones? The endangered ones? Yes. AND ALL THE REST. As much as is sanely possible.

God gave Adam and Eve dominion over all the animals of the Earth. Then they filled the Earth with their children.  We, as descendants of them, are still meant to carry out that mandate to look after and care for these animals. This includes meat-eaters before they use the animal for food, not like what factory farmers do now.

My choice is to not consume animals nor their by-products. I will adopt animals from rescue shelters instead of supporting pet shops and puppy farms. I will only have the amount of animals I can afford to take care of properly, including vet bills, worming, etc. I walk, bathe and feed my animals as needed as well as lavish love and attention on them. I don't leave my animals alone, locked up, nor unattended for extended periods of time. I allow adequate space for my animals. I have desexed my animals and do not let them wander the neighbourhood to harass other people or animals/wildlife. I donate to charities to help them care for animals or educate others on animals welfare.

This to me is what it means to be kind to animals.

A New Beginning

I love new beginnings. A chance to start over, fresh new outlook and a chance for something different. Change and improvement, two wonderful things that drive my life..

This new blog, "Elemque Writes" is where I will be exploring and expressing change and improvement in my life.

I have several areas in mind that I'd like to cover. My faith, my nutrition and fitness and the way I organise my possessions. I also love and appreciate beautiful art and create with my hands from time to time.  These things will be covered as well as other eclectic musings.

So please, come explore with me this thing called life!