“YOU JUDGE A CHURCH’S HEALTH ON IT’S SENDING CAPACITY, NOT IT’S SEATING CAPACITY. WE’VE SENT 8,769 MEMBERS OVERSEAS – PAST 5 YRS.”

Rick Warren on Twitter

Big white letters on a dark background. It is very difficult to miss this ad ( I have seen it at least twice) in the local paper: “LEAVE BIG FOOTPRINTS FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO FOLLOW.” It also says in  smaller print: “Be the greatest leader in their lives.” –  “Build a clear pathway to the future.”

How can you be the greatest leader in the lives of your children? How can you build a clear pathway to the future?

In his first letter to the Corinthians the apostel Paul says in chapter eleven in verse one: ” FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE , AS I FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST.” First Corinthians 11:1

Follow the example of Christ!

Then you are the greatest leader in the lives of your children. Then you are building a clear pathway for your children to follow, a pathway that reaches into eternity. Leave big footprints for your children to follow by teaching them the Word of the Living God and taking them to a church where the Word of God is proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The ad has two more exhortations, namely: “Do what you say you are going to do.” –  “Live with integrity.”

I personally do not like people who say something and don’t do it. I have also learned, not to promise anything any more. I think it was a shop assistant I knew very well who told me long ago that his boss was looking for a person with integrity when he hired him.

In one of our local papers – latest issue – , the ‘NORTHERN NEWS’, I find at least one ad that has to do with FREE HEARING TESTS for anyone aged 50 plus. In the same issue are also two ads about eyecare. One big advertisement says: “Specsavers – Changing the face of optometry.

Yes, our eyes and our ears are very important! We all know that.

We spent last Christmas in Auckland and I remember that there were not only eye tested available – but the  eye tests were FREE! It was hard for me to believe, but for a certain time they were absolutely free.

“Eye tests available today!”

We are not only reading about our ears and our eyes in the newspapers , but also in the Bible, the Word of the Living God.

The Lord Jesus Christ says: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” Not only a test for the eyes, but also a test for the ears. Two tests at the same time.

The Lord says that we have eyes, but we do not see. We have ears, but we do not hear. We just don’t understand.

The Lord says also that it has to do with our hearts. Our hearts are calloused.

If we want our eyes to see and our ears to hear we must TURN. The Lord will heal and make our eyes and ears blessed. ( Matthew 13:13-16.)

I like Matthew 13:16 very much, where the Lord says to his disciples:

“But blessed are

your eyes because they see, and

your ears because they hear.”

“FEED YOUR THIRST” you can read in big letters on the machine for drinks at the local SUBWAY restaurant. I am all for feeding my thirst, especially in this heat. We are experiencing a drought at the present time. But I was more interested in the recently added note on which it said that the refill policy has been abused and that there are no more refills available.

It proves again that we can drink and drink, and that  it is so difficult to quench our thirst. But that is not all. The next day we are thirsty again. I did not need to tell you that, did I?

What does the Bible, the Word of the Living God, say about thirst? Get a concordance and find out!

In John chapter 4 the Lord Jesus Christ is talking with a Samaritan Woman at the well. He says to her: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,…..” How true is that!  “…., but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” Praise the Lord. But that is not all. The Lord continues to say: “Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

And here the Words of our Savior again: “…., and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John6 :35

The Samaritan woman believed and because of her testimony many Samaritans from that town believed.

I believe also. What about you? Please believe!

The ‘rainmakers’ are having a notice for the public in the local paper today, that they are going to conduct a ceremony to create rain for mother earth.

The water crisis is getting worse and spreading to Kawakawa and Moerewa.

We humans want to be independent. But we are dependent beings – we are dependent on God, our creator. We are dependent on God for everything. He is in charge. He is also in charge of the weather.

Maybe the day is yet coming when all the brothers and sisters of the  different churches in Kaitaia will come together in one place to ask God for rain!