Our Father in Heaven Watches Over Us

I'm sure all of us have felt abandoned by God at times when everything went sideways. But feelings are deceiving. The truth is that our Father always watches us.

Take heart in Psalms 33:18 and 19 (BBE) which reads, "See, the eye of the Lord is on those in whose hearts is the fear of him, on those whose hope is in his mercy; To keep their souls from death; and to keep them living in time of need."

And in reference to doing our alms and prayers in private, Jesus gave us a wonderful promise in Matthew 6:3 and 4 (BBE). "But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does: So that your giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward."

Likewise, Christ said in Matthew 6:6 (BBE) that God hears our private prayers. "But when you make your prayer, go into your private room, and, shutting the door, say a prayer to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward."

Being children of the King of Kings, those who persecute us are in for a bad time on Judgement Day. Matthew 18:10 (BBE) is a warning to those who abuse Christ's adopted siblings. "Let it not seem to you that one of these little ones is of no value; for I say to you that in heaven their angels see at all times the face of my Father in heaven."

Of course persecution will come our way but we have the Spirit to help us through. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8 and 9 (BBE), "For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life: Yes, we ourselves have had the answer of death in ourselves, so that our hope might not be in ourselves, but in God who is able to give life to the dead:"

Though our trials seem long, they're but a moment compared to eternity's bliss. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17 and 18 (BBE), "For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory; While our minds are not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are for a time; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

What a blessed hope we have. We aren't alone in this world but we have our Father to fall back on.

On Thursday, if Christ doesn't return before then, I hope to continue the theme of encouragement amid discouragement.

Who Are Christ's 'Little Ones'?

For decades, I thought that his little ones were all the children of the world. Certainly Jesus loved children but what he said about the Kingdom of Heaven is really about believers.

Read the eighteenth chapter of Matthew carefully and you'll realize that the child he set in the midst of his disciples was an example of trusting faith. When the twelve asked who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, Christ spoke about those who believe in him implicitly. Matthew 18:5 (BBE) shows that these childlike believers are the ones he meant. "And whoever gives honour to one such little child in my name, gives honour to me:"

Now connect that with Acts 9:4 (BBE) when Jesus blinded Saul with his glory. "And he went down on the earth, and a voice said to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly?'" Notice the personal pronoune?

When a believer is misled or attacked, Christ feels it. In fact, he considers us his siblings. Matthew 12:49 (and 50 BBE) shows this when his biological family came to see him. "And he put out his hand to his disciples and said, 'See, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the pleasure of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.'"

Jesus also spoke of 'little ones' in Matthew 10:42 (BBE) after instructing his disciples. "And whoever gives to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will not go without his reward."

Jesus also appears to say in Matthew 18:10 (BBE)that we believers have angels representing us in heaven. "Let it not seem to you that one of these little ones is of no value; for I say to you that in heaven their angels see at all times the face of my Father in heaven."

All this makes me feel glad whenever I hear of Christians being persecuted for their steadfast faith in Christ. They aren't ignored by our Lord but he feels every blow and jab they suffer.

On Thursday, I'll hopefully post about an unorthodox way of getting by giving. It isn't that "faith seed" nonsense either.

Who Are Those "Little Ones" of Whom Christ Spoke?

Our Lord certainly loved children. The gospels contain many references to him touching, blessing, and even using a child as an example of trust in him.

Unfortunately for trusting souls, unscrupulous ministers misread certain passages of Scripture and come up with bizarre doctrines. For instance, the cultic teacher I once knew believed that children had angels assigned to them but once they turned twenty, they no longer needed their supervision  since they were full grown. He got this notion from Matthew 18:10 (KJV) which reads, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."

It's clear from what Jesus said earlier in the passage that he meant all believers, not physical children. Matthew 18:6 (KJV) says, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Scripture is clear that Jesus meant leading trusting believers astray was a serious offense. Even James recognized this when he wrote in the third chapter of his epistle,  (Bible in Basic English) "Do not all be teachers, my brothers, because we teachers will be judged more hardly than others."

The heavenly Father also takes a strong stance against lying teachers. Look at what 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV) boldly states. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

One of those teachers of lies misled me for fifteen years and caused me to hate God for another nine. I wrote about how the Lord freed me from his wicked lies in a book called How I Was Razed. Visit Amazon to find out more about this wondrous testimony of providential leading.