Daniel said, "I will not defile myself" What Say You?

Holy Land Picture of the Day

Leventine Bears Today's picture is of a species of Bears native to the Levant, playing in a pool at Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo. It reminds us of David's conversation with Saul about the challenge of Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:36-37; "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will  “But the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Hey Gang:  Many years ago, at least it seems that way, a Christian brother called and asked if I would pinch hit for him at a teen agers retreat.  In my tenure as Village chaplain, I had learned a hundred ways to open the young folks eyes to a God they really did not know.  I readily accepted his invite for I longed to be able to share with folks who were not locked into the kinder-garden of faith and share some of the neat things that God had taught me. Shortly after our arrival and first contact with the thirty or so teen agers and six adult support team, we learned that we were a wee bit optimistic in the content of the materials we had prepared for the three days.    I learned the card game ‘scum” was of far more interest than learning what God wanted to do with their hearts and lives. One of the young ladies wore a T shirt that kind of focused on the attitude of the group, that night “ANYTHING GOES”.  I haven’t a clue what message she was trying to send but it certainly got my attention.   I wondered if anyone of the group had ever read the words of Daniel when he declared, “I will not defile myself”.  I changed my message that first night and centered on a little wooden match that I lit. I invited anyone who was willing to come and put their finger in its flame.  I had no takers.  As I read Revelation 20:11-15 to them there was a hush that settled over the group and I sensed a change of attitude from what they thought they were there for – to what they needed to be there for. In the following two days, God opened the hearts of teens and adults alike.  The weekend culminated around a campfire when God moved in a mighty way in the hearts of all. They developed a pact that each signed that they would remain pure until God showed them who was to be there help mate for life.  Soooo, gang, You may not have the opportunity to challenge a group of teens to put away their ‘Anything Goes’ T-shirts and ‘scum cards,’ but the Word tells us the harvest is rich but the workers few.  Ask God to send a person across you path today who needs your witness and be bold as  “lion”. Blessings, Gramps