By Faith Alone
Midi music (click on title):
Amazing Grace, Hosanna(traditional), Hosanna(rock), Impossible Dream, Jesus Christ Superstar
By Eunice Soper
"Character-Filled Work"
There is a certain man who periodically comes to our house when we have trouble with our heating or plumbing. He is an expert in his field, a man who loves his work and takes great pride in it. Anything he does is done expertly and neatly. He has nothing but contempt and impatience with slipshod craftsmanship.
"Whoever did that didn't know what he was doing," he remarks, pointing to a gadget that isn't working right. His busy fingers go to work, and in minutes everything is in working order again.
"That was a careless way of doing things," he said disgustedly, when I complained about a sink that had pulled away from the wall and allowed bobby pins and soap chips to collect behind it. Off the wall came the sink, and in a few minutes the job was done right. It now fits tightly against the wall, with no space for stray soap and pins.
You see, when this man looks at work that has been done before, he sees something of the character of the previous workman. He recognizes good work, and conversely, he also sees slipshod work when it appears.
There is never anything careless about the way God does things. When He made the earth, each little cell and atom fitted into its place. Each organ in the human body, each part of a plant, everything about the creation of God, works as a part of the whole.
We can see God's wisdom, His skill, His engineering ability in the earth and its inhabitants which He created. We can see His thoughtfulness, for He has provided food, clothing, and shelter for us. He has provided the sun to light and warm the earth. He gives rain to water it and wind to dry and cool it.
He is a God of compassion, for He provided not only for our comfort but He also provided certain plants for help in time of illness. He is a lover of beauty. Think of the lovely coloring, the delicate shapes of flowers. He not only provided food for us but He made much of that food appealing to the eyes as well as to the taste. Think of the cool smoothness of apples, the soft cheeks of peaches, the interesting textures of nuts, the golden grains, the deep greens and oranges and reds of vegetables.
He is a lover of movement. Think of the darting, floating, swooping movement of the birds; the swaying of grasses; the billowing of clouds; the slant of the rain before the wind.
He loves music. He provided the songs of the birds, the tinkle of the brooks, the roar of the waterfalls, the crash of thunder, the swish of rain, the trumpeting of elephants, and the twittering of sleepy chicks.
If we look at the wonderful world about us we can see these tracings of God's character through His creative work. The world of nature is truly "God's second book."
Lana is a "water bug," her mother says. She loves water, and spends as much time as possible there. She has enjoyed taking swimming lessons each summer and easily learned to swim. She hopes by more lessons and much more practice to become a really good swimmer.
One day she watched a nestful of downy ducklings plop into the water and paddle away within an hour or so after they had hatched. They took to the water as if they had been swimming for years. "Why, I couldn't do that," Lana laments, thinking of all the hours of practice she has put in.
Her mother spends hours every summer making jams and jellies to use on their table. She works hard, but even so sometimes she has trouble and the jelly refuses to jell or else turns to sugar. Yet out in the orchard, not very far away, the bees turn nectar into honey without any training and without any failures. Are they cleverer than mother?
Ants build bridges, bees make hives, beavers build dams, spiders spin lovely lacy webs, all without ever being taught. These things are all done by the instinct created in them. They are things that are amazing to humans, and very necessary for the survival of the creature.
A duck doesn't have time to take swimming lessons. Its life depends upon being able to take to the water immediately to get away from its enemies, and to be in the environment that helps provide its food. The bees can't afford to waste time learning how to make honey. A single failure might mean the death of the whole colony from starvation.
Although God didn't give us these instincts, which are not necessary to our existence, He gave us something better. He gave us intelligence -- brains and ability to think things through, to profit by our mistakes and those of other people, to build upon the experiences of today and so do better tomorrow.
A duck can swim and dive, but that is all. Who ever heard of a duck learning to swim or dive a half-dozen fancy ways as a human being can learn to do? And a bee, no matter how long it keeps working, can make only honey. It never provides jam, jelly, marmalade, and preserves from the fruits and flowers it visits.
Yes, God gave certain instincts to creatures that we do not have naturally, and it may seem at times as if they have the advantage over us. But God made us higher than the animal world, and gave us the thinking ability that enables us to make something more of ourselves. We can become wiser, better, healthier than our ancestors through the use of the abilities God gave us, for we are made above the animals, and "in the image of God."
During plantation days before the Civil War, a visitor stood watching the slaves of a plantation go off to their work of the day. One by one they slouched or shuffled by, heads bowed, shoulders slumped, pictures of discouragement.
Just then a broad-shouldered young man strode by, head erect, a gleam in his eye, and pride showing in every movement of his lithe young body. The visitor watched him with surprise, then asked, "Why is that man so different?"
"Why, he is the son of an African king," the slaveowneer replied, "and he cannot forget it."
God has given each of us a period of time on this earth. He has given us a lifetime to use. We can shuffle through it, paying no attention to the good things in life, accepting things just as they come, making no effort to become better or to use the talents God gave us. We can keep our eyes on the ground, failing to look up and see the lovely earth God gave us, and not seizing the opportunities given us for improvement. We can let our shoulders slump in discouragement, showing by our very attitude that we don't think we are worth much and that we won't amount to much. Yes, we can live like this. But if we do, we are acting like slaves.
On the other hand, we can remember that we are sons of the King. We can straighten our shoulders and take on the hard things of life as they come to us, behaving like real sons and daughters of God. We can stride straight ahead, with the belief that since we are children of the King we can, by His help, be victorious in any situation. We can look the whole world in the face, because we know that we belong to God, that we are His, and we are under His care.
In other words, we can be slaves or we can be "sons of the King." Which one are you going to be? You can make your decision today, for John the apostle wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God" (1 John 3:2). That assurance is for all who accept it as a present inheritance.
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"Religion is a unique force in society. It promotes both good and evil. Historically, it has helped to abolish slavery. It has promoted racial integration, equal rights for women, and equal rights for gays and lesbians. It has motivated individuals to create massive support services for the poor, the sick, the hurting, and the broken. Conversely, it has been used to justify slavery, racial segregation, oppression of women, discrimination against homosexuals, genocide, extermination of minorities, and other horrendous evils." --
Religious Tolerance
"I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I am the Lord, that does all these things." Isaiah 45:6-7 Widely varied in size and structure, picturesque houses of worship cling throughout generations to Appalachia's hills and hollers. There's an echo of faith in everyday conversation and an ancient devotion steels residents in courage, humor and grace as they struggle with weather-related and man-made catastrophes. Eunice Soper has written many devotional books, mostly for children. Semi-retired from professional service worldwide for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, she and her husband, Francis, radiate peace, strength and practical good-heartedness from their adopted home in Virginia's central Shenandoah Valley. Sister Mary Rose McGeady, administrator of Covenant House, writes a very readable monthly on-line newsletter about her experiences with some of the 44,000 homeless and runaway children CH helps each year. Covenant House offers assistance, including food, clothing, medical aid, educational and vocational training and counseling, through shelters in 15 major cities. Their toll-free NINELINE (1-800-999-9999) connects children to counselors and resources in any area. "Love is the answer to the final question." -- Unknown. Spirit Web: Spiritual Consciousness on the WWW, a site maintained in Switzerland with copious worldwide links, introduces alternate and ancient paths of enlightenment which have become increasingly popular throughout this century, including within Appalachia. "The path of knowledge is that of the occultist and the sage; that of love is that of the mystic and the saint. The head or heart approach is 
not dependent upon the ray, for both ways must be known; the mystic must
become the occultist; the white occultist has been the saintly mystic.
True knowledge is intelligent love, for it is the blending of the
intellect and the devotion. Unity is sensed in the heart; its
intelligent application to life has to be worked out through knowledge."
-- Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on White Magic, page 120; quote from The Feather of Maat and other words of wisdom
The Hindu Tantric Home Page explores the ancient, complex spiritual tradition of India. "And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.... Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them with a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.... that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." -- Deuteronomy 11:13,14,18,21 
"Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit." Zechariah 4:1-6. Beth El Shaddai, a small Messianic Synagogue uniting Jews and Gentiles from Birmingham Alabama, updates their informational site weekly with pertinent Biblical history, feasts and holidays, and maintains related web links. "The [Japanese] Ninja that played an important role in the information battles upraised their abilities to the highest level by using the Ninpou they established. The Ninpou forming prompt actions and the toughest mental powers can also be a trustworthy guide to success.... The Iga Ninpou were developed in order to train the mind, techniques and body of the Ninja. Among the secrets that turned impossible into possible, there are relaxing techniques, health maintaining methods and healthy diets that all can be adapted to the lives of modern people. " -- The Truth of Iga Ninja "Mine is the secret that opens upon the door of youth and mine is the Cup of the Wine of Life and the Caldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man upon earth. I give the knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before.... I who am the beauty of the Green Earth, and the White Moon amongst the stars and the mystery of the Waters, and the desire of the heart of man, I call unto thy soul to arise and come unto me. For I am the Soul of Nature who giveth life to the universe; from me all things proceed and unto me all things must return.... I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire." -- Book of Shadows |
Midi (click on title): "The Rose," Words & Lyrics by Amanda McBroom
Word Preserve -- A Country Rag Index
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And the soul, afraid of dyin', that never learns to live. 
By Faith Alone, text © Eunice Soper, 1996, 2000. All rights reserved.