Psalm 8

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You make him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all he earth!
NIV

PRAYER

LORD God of heaven and earth, you are glorious beyond understanding.
The most innocent and youngest among us look to you and are in awe of you.
This mutes the voice of the enemy.

God in your creativity of the universe, the galaxies that move in harmony with the heavenly planets,
all placed there by your fingertips, who am I but a speck that you should even think about me.

Still humanity has a responsibility to care and manage all living things whether they live in the sky, land or seas.

I praise the name of the All powerful, knowing, present One; Elohim.
Amen

Don't Allow Yourself To Be Led Astray

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:  These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.  I know where you live - where Satan has his throne.  Yet you remain true to my name.  You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives.  Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:  You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Repent therefore!  Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it known only to him who receives it.
Revelation 2:12-17 NIV

When I was young I had to move to a number of different schools because we moved around a lot.  I was in a new school, again, and was trying to make new friends, but when you do that you don't have time to really get to know peoples character.

There was a stream not to far from where the school was and it was close to home also.  One day after school a new 'friend' and I went to the stream, found some cray fish and put them in a bucket to take back to show our teacher.  She  seemed impressed by what we found and how we were handling them.  This new friend didn't want to take them back to the stream and let them go, he dumped the bucket and started stepping on them.  I joined in and the teacher came outside as we were finishing off the last of the crayfish.  Needless to say she was not impressed anymore with us and we ended up doing detention for the rest of the week.

People are easily led astray.  Whether a child in a school yard or like in the adults in Pergamum who were led astray by the teachings of the Nicolaitans.

The Nicolaitans were liberal thinkers that brought in such things as pagan holidays to observe instead of the Jewish holidays as well as sexual immorality in religious worship etc.

Today I'm calling us to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11), to be astute with Scripture, searching out truth, and knowing when we are not being told it.  Then to be courageous enough to not follow false doctrine, to not tolerate it.  Also, if we have been led astray by it, to ask forgiveness and turn from it.  Not to do as I did in the school yard, to gain friends by stepping on the crayfish.  Instead I should have had the courage to say no and release them into the stream again.  Let's be humble and wise and bring glory to His name.