Paul Alton MBA

Saturday is low key. Juanita did the weekly run to the laundromat while I did some online chores and started going through some accumulated scraps of paper I have been carrying around for weeks and years.

On one page are some notes from March 2020. I had observed a toddler dominating his parents in the airport in Houston and jotted down some thoughts about parenting and managing people  and about the Canadian government and its handling of Covid in its early stages. These are contemporaneous notes while still in the early stages of this ongoing fiasco. Here goes:

Managing and parenting have a lot in common. Ignore small irritants with little potential for growth. Snuff out small problems with potential for growth. Bad parenting is to stew, stew, stew and then blow up over behaviour you have been permitting. My perception of the current Canadian government is not one of competence. My expectation is that the Canadian government is not doing enough now and will overreact in the future.

Do you think I guessed right?

Enough pondering. Off the chair and out the door to run some errands. The latest People magazine was displayed on the rack near the drugstore cashier. “Betty White at 100!” was the cover story. I wish it wasn’t ironic. I liked Betty and feel bad she died a few days short of her hundredth. We can’t count on tomorrow.

After dropping off our purchases we headed north, past the training center and then out to the coast. When we drove out to Arroyo City Juanita said it wasn’t quite as she remembered. I said it seemed pretty close to my memory. We talked about her memories and I knew the place she was talking about but neither of us could quite place them on the map. Definitely coastal Texas, but not as far north as Port Lavaca. Further shifting through Google Maps turned up a likely candidate. I remembered the drive and the return trip stopping for lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Raymondville. Today we see if the overlay in our minds matches the reality on the ground. No Tex-Mex, though. We’ve had lunch and tend to avoid high carb choices.

Port Mansfield is a fishing and resort village on the Texas mainland, sheltered by South Padre Island but with ocean access through a channel cutting across South Padre Island. We drove around and admired the houses, fishing piers and the herds of tame, tiny deer. Juanita’s biggest memory from the last time we were here was the deer. I had totally forgot them but seeing them in the flesh stirred some faint familiarity. They are so friendly they walk right up to your car. If you were so inclined, you could feed them. There is a sign mentioning a $200 fine for feeding them, however, suggesting that is a terrible idea especially after you see the sign and then wave at the friendly policeman monitoring the situation. We explored by car and foot a bit in areas we discovered on Google maps. Then off to Raymondville and home. We drove past where we both remembered the Walmart was in Raymondville but finally gave up followed the frontage road and pulled onto the freeway and went home. We can buy that stuff tomorrow. A search on Google Maps showed that our memories weren’t at fault. Walmart was. That store is permanently closed. I wonder if the local businesses bounce back or if people just end up driving to Harlingen more often.

Sunday morning early, I ran to Walmart and Home Depot to pick up the last of the needed items to finish off the bathroom re-painting task. Walmart was almost empty of customers. Any time I needed to ask a question there was a Walmart employee nearby to ask. Not quite the same shopping experience as a busy weekend afternoon. There were no lines at the tills! When I got home we left for church.

The morning message began in John 10:10. It’s a new year. Many people make New Year’s resolutions. God is a God of fresh starts. Isaiah 43:18 & 19 remind us not to look back at bad things nor spend time glorying in the past. Look forward. Go forward. This year let’s give God the opportunity to work in our lives. By giving God time. By fasting.

We picked up lunch on the way home and then did some touch up painting so the paint would be dry enough to put things back in the bathroom this evening.

After an early afternoon coffee ritual, we drove to South Padre Island and walked on the beach. It was like a cool summer day in Saskatchewan so quite pleasant for us. There were a lot fewer of the locals than normal for a Sunday. Cold for them, I guess. Chatted with Lynn, a Sudbury resident we met on the beach and shared a few curved illusion tracts.

On the way home we drove back through Brownsville and went to dinner at a Texas Roadhouse. At home we put back stuff in the bathroom and I sorted my tools and stored the painting tools and supplies and leftover paint. There’s always one more thing that could be done but we’re at a good stopping point. The apartment is better than we found it. It was good enough, but better is better.

Oscar spoke at Monday morning staff meeting beginning with John 6:26.

When Jesus fed the 5,000 it brought people to Him in a way that bothered Him, just because He fed them.

Oscar has been studying animals for a kids’ Bible teaching series. Penguins are a funny animal. When courting the male brings the female a rock. Penguins pair bond. Sometimes, however, when female penguins don’t have enough rocks they will visit the single males on the edge of the colony and flirt and then steal the proffered rock. Or they may trade sex for rocks. They have a mate, but they will engage in casual relationships to get more rocks. Whatever she does has nothing to do with attraction just wants the stone.

Jesus told followers you’re following me because I feed you. They didn’t deny. They said our forefathers were fed for forty years.

God is not just there as a bank, when you need something from him.

Unless you drink this cup… He’s not just there when you need something. If Jesus gave me nothing. Just because he died on the cross should be enough. His life is enough for you to fall in love with him forever. Material blessings are fine, but they are not the point. They are not what you follow God for.

Look at Job. Everything was taken away. How would I answer if that was me?

Why do you follow Jesus? The only answer is because I love him. You want to spend every waking minute with him.

There are going to be a lot of people going to Nicaragua in February to help with the missionary training school there. After chapel Juanita was involved in a meeting to discuss plans for keeping the food bank going with so few people. Then she helped set up the tent for Wednesday’s drive through food bank.

I helped Byron with putting the engine back in the forklift and ran errands for parts as needed. By the end of the day, we had made a lot of progress. Then Juanita and I drove up the Valley to McAllen to pick up the overhauled steering cylinder for the forklift. We did a bit of shopping while there for some things not in stock at the Harlingen HEB and then came home for a quiet evening.

Oscar spoke at the Tuesday chapel on 1Thessalonians 5:18-22 concentrating on verse 19. Verse 18 provides guidance on interacting with God versus verse 19, “quench not the spirit.” Not that you can quench God. But how can the spirit of God be interfered with by human interaction? The Spirit is likened to a Dove. A dove can be very sensitive. You can clap your hands and dove will fly away. There are things you can do to quench the spirit. How many times have I been in a Pentecostal church and there is a sweet spirit and somebody gets up and gets out of place and prophesising out of sync. Or musicians and one out of sync.

A preacher starts with 3 points and a poem. When you are talking and things are flowing and Holy Spirit tells you stop at a point and dwell on it. But you have your agenda, and you keep on going anyway and the whole thing goes flat. How about you gave five songs and when there is one that wasn’t supposed to sung then and whole thing goes flat.

In all aspects quenching the spirit seems to be something we don’t think about e.g. God gives you a revelation. You go to computer to look it up and get distracted and after that five minutes you go back to that passage and the revelation is gone.

Israel was moving to the promised land would take 11 days to get there then they got distracted by “giants in the land” and instead they end up 40 years in the desert. A whole generation dies in the desert because they quenched the spirit.

Not speaking about all the hoop and holler. The spirit of god is throughout the Old Testament. Then Jesus, “I am leaving you the comforter.”

When the Holy Spirit gives you conviction in your heart of some sin then you quench the spirit by finding some preacher to affirm your sin. When God is dealing with you do not run to find somebody to ease the burden but run to God with your burden.

When you speak something and wish right away you could take the words back. You can’t but you can learn from that.

Juanita worked with others setting up the food tent for tomorrow. Many pitched in to get rid of a lot of accumulated debris. Byron and I worked on the forklift. By end of the day it was up and running with no obvious fluid leaks.

Another quiet evening at home with a brief shopping outing before Jeopardy! came on. While Juanita was in the stores, I cleaned up my tools in the trunk of the car sorting all the ones that had been returned from working on the apartment and the forklift.

Oscar spoke at Wednesday’s chapel. I took extensive notes in an email to myself but apparently didn’t send it and sometime during the day the open draft message ate its words. Here’s a very rough summary from memory nine hours later.

Mark 10:9 & 10 We all like to be liked but be careful of the cost of compromise.

The norm is for Christians to be hated and persecuted. We may have seen a time when that has not been the case but that is changing. The solution is acceptance of that reality and holding fast to the Word and promises of God not by watering down the gospel. God accepts all people but he is not willing to accommodate sin.

Realize that no matter how much we may want to befriend people of other religions the basic premises of Christianity oppose their beliefs and that Christianity will be hated.

Juanita helped in the drive through food bank and I worked with Byron to prepare for a team of volunteers coming next week. Notice I didn’t say I helped. There are a lot of details to process and I was probably more of a distraction and hindrance than a help today. I remember an essay in a high school lit book. The author said he was always bemused by math questions that asked if one man can dig a ditch in two days how long will it take two men. He said the answer was definitely not one day and was probably longer than two days. Two men will talk and get distracted and lose focus.

Speaking of losing focus, I frittered away the last nice evening for a few days in binge watching re-runs of  Bluebloods.

Oscar won’t be at the staff meetings Thursday and Friday so on Thursday people shared some Bible verses that were meaningful them. After staff meeting Byron and I changed the brake control rod on the forklift brakes. The brakes worked better after that. Then we ran errands picking up stuff that the visiting volunteer team will need next week. Juanita helped set things up for the drive through food bank. Thursday was fairly miserable weather and overnight it got worse with much rain including freezing rain. When I went to bed Thursday night the weather app was showing it warmer in Edmonton.

Ben delivered Friday’s staff meeting devotional. He said he had talked with somebody this morning about David, who had always been one of his heroes. Then started talking based on 1 Samuel 21 & 22.

In chapter 21 David is running from Saul. Saul is trying to kill David. David is on his own. Stops at temple and asks priests for five loaves of show bread. It was made fresh every day and taken down. Priest said only the clean could eat the show bread. They couldn’t have been with a woman for a certain length of time. David said he hadn’t. Then he lied to the priest and said he was on a secret mission from Saul and left too quickly and needed a weapon. Then priest gave him the sword of the lion. Goliath’s sword. David went to Goliath’s hometown and acted crazy. They let him go because they thought he was crazy. Then he escaped to cave of Adullam not far from where he killed Goliath. David was there for some time. A time of rest for David. Time with Lord. From hero to down and out, alone, and a habitual liar.

Then we see more exciting things happen in chapter 22.

David got all the malcontents and they all served together. Very small portion were Israelites, but God sent them to David and they served God.

There were consequences for David’s lies. When Saul heard about the bread, he had the priests killed.
There are times we need to go to the cave of Adullam. Out in the wilderness and alone with the Lord.

There are times we (this ministry) have been in the cave of Adullam. When the cartels hit Mexico we went from 40 groups a year to 1 and that was a small group. Finances went to almost zero. Before you knew it we were in debt and creditors were calling. Ben went to Padilla and walked down on the Purification River. God had already dealt with him over some issues. Need to be like a tree planted by the river. He saw two huge cypress trees right on the bank of the river. God was saying I want you by the river you’ve been too far from the river. I went to the trees and looked further down the river and there were two huge trees about a mile away, but they were dead. I went down and looked at them. The river had changed course and they were about a hundred feet from the river, and they died. We changed course to Nicaragua. God’s truth never changes but our methods change to adapt to changing circumstances.

Recently with Covid the river moved again. And we put up tents and opened the drive through food bank.

Remember if we get used to a method and things change we need to look for another method to do God’s work.

The food bank was cancelled due the windy, near freezing working conditions. Juanita went out to the training center and spent the day loading suitcases with stuff for Nicaragua. There are several staff members headed there next week and they will have one suitcase for their own stuff and will carry the balance of their allowable luggage as suitcases with stuff for the ministry in Nicaragua. Byron and I worked on planning some of the plumbing jobs for the visiting team next week. Before you can plan a job you have to find a working drain, which is a hands-on adventure in an old industrial canning plant like the WOTC warehouse. After we had a plan and a parts list, we ran related errands. At the end of the day, I abandoned Byron while he still had the task of augering out a sewer line at the training center.

Juanita and I got back to the apartment at about the same time. She helped carry my stuff upstairs. Good timing. The rain had stopped at noon. By the time we got home the ceiling leak had stopped dripping into the bowl we left under it. I guess the high winds last week took their toll. A leak showed up with last night’s downpour. The new roof the visiting team is scheduled to install couldn’t have come at a better time, except maybe two weeks ago.

We had scheduled a Zoom meeting at four. The first we have ever initiated. It was with Don & Carol Pickel a couple in Winnipeg that arranges support for churches in Cuba. The call went well. Afterward we went out for dinner and returned home for a quiet evening.

It was a quiet Sunday.

The pastor’s sermon was more teaching then preaching. It looked at the subject of whether you could take the mark of the beast accidentally. After church Juanita pointed out a problem with the taps in the kitchen at the training center. The spigot had come out. It looked like it could be put back together if the scale was gone. I left them soaking in vinegar overnight.   

On the way home we picked up a keto compliant lunch and ate it at home where we continued our quiet Sunday.

Some of the team members from a church in Iowa had arrived Sunday and were at the staff meeting on Monday.  Oscar was traveling on Monday, so Ben shared what was in his heart.

We need to pass on what God has taught us. Moses was overwhelmed and God told him to choose 70 men.

When God sent Moses to speak to the rock and he said “we” and struck the rock and God prevented him from going into the promised land

God told Moses to take Aaron up the mountain and take off his clothes and put them on his son. This was a sign of passing the anointing to son. Commanded to take Joshua up the mountain and he received a portion of Moses’ anointing. So, Moses and Aaron couldn’t go into the Promised Land but their anointing went in.

He then talked about Elijah, Elisha at Gilgal. The next place on the trail of anointing was Bethel - the house of God. We’ve all been there. That place where we fall in love with the Lord. Then the trail goes on and they go to Jericho- “a sweet smelling fragrance” where we become a sweet smelling fragrance to others and the Lord. Then from Jericho and crossed the Jordan. Touched the water with mantle and crossed on dry ground. Prophets followed but didn’t cross river. Jordan means death. Means to Ben it is the place where you die to your flesh.

Asked for a double portion. Firstborn son received double portion

We have a responsibility to pass onto others what we have learned. That is why missionary training school is so important to Ben. Fathers have the responsibility to pass on what God has taught you.

After staff meeting Ben and Byron met with the team while I got the bike repair people set up. Then I ran errands for team supplies. In the middle of the errands, I tried to reassemble the spigot on the kitchen taps at the training center. It was beyond repair, so I bought a replacement set and installed them. Juanita helped with food bank tent set up and shopping for food for team meals.

Zac spoke at Tuesday chapel. Trust what the Bible says not what people say. He read the Bible five times in two years of solitary confinement.

More volunteer team members had arrived from Iowa. After chapel I got the A/C guy set up at the staff motel, ran a few errands and ended day with helping the A/C guy wire in a mini-split unit he had installed in an office in the warehouse. Juanita helped with food for the team, including cooking supper at the training center.

Oscar spoke at Wednesday chapel. Malachi 4:5, Revelation 2:20-23 Elijah had lived his life long before the book of Revelation. He had a great struggle. Her name was Queen Jezebel. They struggled for the heart of a nation. She wanted to control everything. She did it through her husband. She worshiped Baal.

Elijah was a great man. He commanded it to not rain and it didn’t. He commanded it to rain and it did.

They were going to clash.

His word was unambiguous. He didn’t go to homiletics class and learn to say things softly.

Jezebel had different approach. She was a seducer. Ahab wanted to buy a vineyard and was refused. Ahab came home and cried. Jezebel hired two to witness against vineyard owner. She created the environment she needed to accomplish what she wanted. Always going to clash with Elijah.

John the Baptist had the same spirit. Went to Herod and said it wasn’t lawful to marry his sister-in-law.

The daughter of Herodias danced before Herod. Herod said he would give her whatever she wanted up to half his kingdom. She asked for what her mother had primed to ask - the head of John the Baptist.

Now to the time of revelation, today or the future. Here we see Jezebel mentioned. She is long dead, but her spirit is alive. If Jezebel is here, where is Elijah? He is not the preachers who fit their preaching to please people. Elijah like John the Baptist points to God. John pointed to the first coming of Christ. Elijah will be sitting in this place in the heart of every believer who is looking to the Second coming of Christ.

Elijah and John say “this is what is right” this is the word of God. The Bible doesn’t change. Call sin, sin.
Jezebel is in the ring. Where is Elijah? It is in the hearts of believers who love God no matter what and don’t compromise. Those who stand.

The big team from Iowa is still here and had grown in numbers overnight. A couple of electricians and I loaded some solar lights in the van and loaded the scissor lift and took it over to the staff motel. I took the van for fuel and left it at the motel. The brush cutters used it and the trailer to haul away their trimmings to the burn pile at the training center. Byron’s wife, Susan, gave me a ride back to the warehouse where I picked up our car. Most of the rest of the day was spent running errands to pick up stuff for the electricians or the group putting the tin roof on the fourteen-plex. I also picked up some pipe and fitting for the plumber for tomorrow and dropped it off at the warehouse. I learned that you can carry six ten-foot lengths of 2” PVC pipe in our car if you open the glove compartment, lower the back seats and feed it into the car just so. Juanita spent the day working the food bank drive through and then went out to the training center to help cook supper for the team.

Thursday

I missed most of the message being mostly on hold with Service Canada until I got a real person and she put me on hold for “five to seven minutes” and the call dropped off about ten minutes later without her coming back on. Both as a client and an MBA I can see so many ways they could streamline their processes, but only the clients suffer with the existing processes so there is no incentive to fix things. It’s not like the clients have a choice in who they deal with. There is no “threat of substitution” with government services. I will have to find a couple of hours to set aside next week to deal with a two minute issue.

Oscar spoke to staff and the visiting team members. I caught the last couple of minutes. Gideon received two messages from the Lord but he was still doubtful about his success with only 300 warriors against an overwhelming force. Then in a dream he was impressed that he was only a barley loaf. Insignificant. It was only through God’s strength not his own that success was possible and he realized his force would prevail. We all need to realize we are just barley loaves.

I helped at warehouse a bit. Helped with the furniture being moved outside then ran errands. Midday the flashing was ready at the metal shop and I worked with the brush hauling team to pick that up. Byron was totally occupied going in multiple directions at once keeping the team going. He got a lot of small jobs out of way. When the team broke for lunch he used the rental forklift with man basket to finish off stuff on the punch list for the electric supply service entrance.

Ben had put out an e-mail to a large number of pastors in the valley that there was going to be furniture and supplies for the taking at the warehouse today. Juanita spent the day helping fill pastor’s cars with stuff.

The team invited staff members to dinner at a local restaurant. I noted to Byron that he seemed more relaxed. He agreed. All the loose ends had pretty well come together. Some of the team was late getting to dinner they had missed the turn to the training center and tried to go around the block at the next intersection and got bogged down on a backroad. Valley mud is just as nasty as prairie gumbo. They got out by disconnecting the trailer and manhandling it around and towing it our with a team members Dodge Ram then towing the van backward until it had traction.

Friday Oscar spoke beginning with Psalm 42:1&2. This is a popular psalm. Looking at the title remember this is as one of favour

Numbers 26:11 Korah was the leader of a great rebellion. He was a Levite. Both Numbers 16 & 26 mention the judgement against Korah, but “notwithstanding the children of Kora, died not”

Korah looked into the eyes of the leader and said if we are all the same who made you the leader? This is a common argument at university. It is flawed. It is based on the equality of results not equality of opportunity. It doesn’t work. Why are UPS & FedEx making money, but postal service is broke. If you don’t work in UPS you get fired. If you don’t work in postal service, you get promoted. The church in China tried church with no leaders. It didn’t work.

Here is a guy making an argument but wants to destroy system so he can become leader. God judged. Fire came down on some, earth opened.

Elijah went up to heaven alive. Korah went down to hell alive. Nobody in the congregation raised a hand against them but God did.

Socialism takes everyone to equality. Equally poor.

The judgement came down swiftly. Everything is dying because God judged it.

Yet in Ps 42. This is a psalm, but it is also Korah. God saw the rebellion of the father, but he gave the children an opportunity to prove themselves. They are crying out from a broken family, and they turned that into a blessing. They write from experience and brokenness. God saw something good in their heart and gave them an opportunity to become psalmists. To this day we benefit from their works.

You can turn it around and turn it into a blessing bc Gid sees something good in you. What did I do with what I gave you? You don’t get to say I was a son of Korah as an excuse.

Some team members had to head back to Iowa today, but most were still present and working on Friday and a few on Saturday morning. The list of jobs to do that had been used in planning was just that. A list. It was longer than possible to do to make sure nobody ran out of work and it would be possible to adapt to weather conditions. It also included some jobs that relied on certain skill sets being available. List of jobs is not necessarily list of everything that will get done. There is weather, skills, etc.

I woke up at 2:30 with much congestion. I took drugs which helped but by the start of the work day I was still under the weather. The teams had settled into a groove and didn’t need any errands run by me so I started work installed a new drain for the kitchen sink in the training center. We had bought the parts but the plumber ended up on other higher priority projects. Once I was into the project I didn’t notice not feeling well. Interesting work is a bit of an antidote. Juanita helped in the drive through food tent. It was short staffed so some of the Iowa team diverted from their warehouse tasks and helped in the tent. The day was rainy and windy with fewer cars showing up than usual. I had gone home and brought Juanita back some boots and dry socks. When the drive through ran down to a halt she got a ride home with Martha. I stayed a bit longer to finish my mini project. And that was the week. 

I woke up Saturday with my cold still there but not so bad as on Friday. I keyboarded a bit while Juanita went to the laundromat. Then I keyboarded and surfed some more. Pretty low energy day for me. Not much physical action other than finishing caulking around the tub surround and do a walkaround with Byron and a hand-off of some tasks to be done while he is in Nicaragua. He and a number of staff leave tomorrow morning to join a few that are already there for Missionary Training School. Doesn’t look like I will run out of things to do while he is gone.

Another quiet Sunday.

Oscar preached at church. My incomplete notes of his message.

2Sam 23:13

Want you to remember valley of Rephaim the valley of the giants. A great battle happened there. Many battles happened there. It was a place of battles

Isaiah 17:4-7
Makes mention of the valley of Rephaim. Have you ever been around a tree and the fruit you want is at the top. This is what is described here. This is not the low hanging fruit. It is the high hanging fruit. It is extremely difficult to get there. That is the valley of Rephaim. The valley of the giants. David’s men had to fight there. Israel were walking in the desert. They saw the giants and said we’re not going there. Goliath was 9 1/2 feet. Who’s the tallest NBA player. 7-1/2 feet. 2’ shorter. Average height in David’s 5’ 5’4”. I’ve looked at their shores. Tiny.

The valley of the giants needs to be conquered but only by those willing to go there. Willing to climb for the high fruit. Strategic location. Had to go through valley to get anywhere. To get to Bethlehem. The giants would fight you. They represented the demonic forces. Right there was going to be born the Son of God.

If you look today. The giants are there to fight against people coming to Jesus. Look at Bethlehem today. Look at the universities. You want to mention Jesus then becomes separation of church and state issue. Only for Christians. You can bring up Buddha or Allah and won’t be fought but bring up Christ and the giants come out and oppose you.

I see a great persecution coming. Not for groups that are just named for Christ but no different than the world.

I hope you are prepared to face giants. Persecution is not somebody looking at you in a funny way. I think the church is unprepared. We’ve had it easy.

Easy to preach here. But I’ve been preaching to Hindus and Muslims around the world. Your life is on the line. I’m not saying you need to do that. I’m saying it’s coming here. You can see it changing with the issues you are not allowed to talk about. Crazy things.

By blocking the path to Bethlehem he is trying to prevent you from reaching Jesus. Preach Christ everywhere you can. Live a life that makes your neighbour ask why you do that.

The devil will try to block you from the bread of life. You need to eat that bread every day. Read the Bible every day. Things happen when you go to read. You have to fight in the Valley of Rephaim. Fight your flesh. Fight distraction.

Nearby town meant fellowship. Giants are trying to prevent your fellowship with God.

The value of a life of discipline. 3 chapters a day will read the whole Bible in a year.

Climb for it.

A bunch of went to play basketball. There was pushing and shoving. Had to stop and pray.

When Israel lost a whole generation they were doing well. Sent spies. Spies came back. Described the land. Fruit etc. but 10 came back and said there are giants. We look like grasshoppers next to them. That whole generation died in the desert. I suspect there are many Christians who have no fruit because they don’t want to fight the giants.

Two made it into the Promised Land. One was Caleb. Went to Joshua and said give me Hebron. Boasted I’m as strong as I was when we left Egypt 40 years ago. Caleb means a faithful dog. You can read about his victory. He fought the giants. The other who faced the giants was Joshua. That’s how you fight the giants. You face them and you bite into the will of God.

We all need to learn how to fight in the valley of Rephaim.

After church we gassed up the car, picked up lunch and went home to eat it. I did a couple of items that needed doing before the rain hit or that had to be done before Monday. We had planned to go out to South Padre Island after that, but the weather was turning worse than predicted and we cancelled that plan. We spent the rest of the day visiting with a missionary from Mexico.

Monday’s message from Oscar: Amos 1:1-15, Amos 2:1, 4

God is not having second thoughts. He gets to a place and then says I have another one. He is talking about completion. If you read this passage, you’ll see something fascinating. He does not mention the first 3 but talks about the 4th. It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. It’s saying that you might seem to get away with sin for a time but now comes reckoning time. The ultimate record keeper is in heaven. Time is nothing to God. Time erases sin in the memories of humans but not God. God doesn’t live in time.

He calls them out for sin that they knew better than to do. The judgement is even harder for one who knows God. Because they rejected the word of God. Rejected his commandments. Judah because despised the law of the Lord, have not kept his commandments caused them to err.

Those inside rejected the law, refused to live, followed wrong doctrine.

Today a society whose prosperity is based on the word of God is rejecting God. Not going to live by his word. Even within the kingdom of God.

There is a remnant. I’m afraid that if Amos looked at us today he would say that you have reached the point and yet for four…

Look inside you. Don’t take grace for granted. Just because you’ve got away for a time don’t count on that continuing.

After the devotional we went about our tasks for the day. I carried on installing some drain lines for sinks and urinals at the warehouse while Juanita helped set up the tent for the drive through food bank on Wednesday.