THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

August 13, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I have recently begun reading the book of Romans in the Bible. Paul is writing a letter to the believers in Rome.

Romans 2:13 says, "For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight."

As I was reading, the two words that stood out to me were "listening" and "obeying".

There is a huge difference between listening to what you are told to do and actually obeying those instructions. This begins with toddlers. They can be told, "No, no! Don't touch!" I've watched many times as that child will intentionally reach out to touch that very thing that they are told not to touch, all the while, looking at the one who told them not to do so. In fact, there are times when they will do so, while laughing, as if it's a game. The parent or one in charge may gently slap the hand and again and again while saying, "No, no! Don't touch!" It is obvious that the child hears and knows that what they are doing is wrong, yet they will continue to disobey.

That type of listening and disobedience doesn't end with toddlers. As children grow and have a deeper understanding of right and wrong, they will be told "No", yet many times they're response will be, "But why?!" Sometimes, they will listen and obey. Yet other times, they will try doing that very thing that they are told not to do. When their parent or teacher or the one in charge asks them why, they're response is often, "I don't know!"

Teenagers have a reputation for listening and not obeying. They think they know it all and are smarter than their parents.

I've had dealings with teens who will look me in the face while I tell them something; then as soon as they're out of my sight, they do the opposite. I'm sure they think this "old lady" is clueless!

Honestly, there is no age limit on listening but not obeying. There are adults of all ages who will listen to instructions and wise teachings, yet fail to obey those things that they heard.

In Paul's letter to the Roman believers he was telling them that listening to God's law didn't make them right with God. What makes them right in His sight is when they obey the law of God. Listen, then obey! It didn't matter how many years of teaching and training they had. If they failed to believe and put into practice those things that they had learn about the law of God, then they were not right in His sight. It's not how much you know; it's what you do with what you know.

It's the same for us today. We can attend church and heard sermons every Sunday. We can listen to christian podcast or to online church services. But if we don't obey those things that we hear taught from the Word of God, we are as lost as those who live in rebellion and refuse to even listen to anything spiritually related. It doesn't matter how much we know or how good of a person we are, it's about being right with God.

When we stand before God on judgement day, He's not going to test us on our spiritual knowledge of the scriptures. There are many who are living separated from God who can quote scriptures. In fact, some of those people have more "book learning" about the Bible, than those who faithfully attend church. But what God is going to look for is if our name is written down in the Book of Life. How our name is written in God's Book is by our repentance of our sins and acknowledging Jesus as our Savior.

This is mentioned in Revelations. In chapter 3, Jesus is speaking and says to repent and turn to Him. Verse 5 says, "All who are victorious will be clothes in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine."

Revelations 20:12-13 says, "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds."

Again in Revelations 21:27, this is written about. It says that only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be allowed to enter.

It's vitally important that we aren't just hearers of God's Word, but we are doers. We listen and obey. This is the most important decision we will ever make, because it impacts our eternal destination.

James 1:22-25 says, "Don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

It's like a builder who knows building codes and laws, and also knows the proper techniques to build good quality houses that will stand for at least 100 years, but then goes out and builds houses that only last long enough for any legal warranty to run out. They wouldn't want to live in one of the houses they built.

Even the devil knows the scriptures. Matthew 4 describes a conversation between Jesus and the devil. The devil used several scriptures to try to coerce Jesus into doing things for his amusement, and finally tried to get Jesus to worship him, all using scriptures. He knows it; he just doesn't live in it.

The church leaders at the time had also gotten so wrapped up in knowing the law that they rejected Jesus again and again. They spent much of their time debating and discussing the law. They just didn't live in it.

Many people use an analogy that our hearts are like a temple to God. We can decorate it well to honor God, or trash it and be a disgrace. We should each keep our heart in a way that we would be happy to live in it for eternity.

ON THE MENEWE:

Crescent Roll Tacos

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown hamburger with taco seasoning.

Roll out crescent rolls on a cookie sheet. Spoon meat, veggies,and cheese onto half of the screscent roll triangles; leaving the other half of the crescent rolls for the tops. Place other half of crescent roll on top of the filled triangles and seal the edges, to make individual pockets. Press firmly together.

Cook until golden brown.

Note: You can make crescent pockets to fit individual's taste. You could use the diced tomatoes and peppers, or not; and use other veggies such as sliced jalapenos or black olives.

Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Recently, I was with my niece's four kids. One of the teenage sisters was giving her little 11-year old sister a hard time about needing to shave her legs. It brought back a memory of when I was around her age. My older sisters had, also, told me that I needed to start shaving my legs. They acted like they were going to hold me down and shave them for me. Mama told them to leave me alone; I'd start shaving them when I was ready. I shared my story with the girls and told them to leave their little sister alone; she'd shave her legs when she was ready. Baby sister problems!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God, help me to remember that while you are sometimes silent, you are never absent.

And you are always working on my behalf. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org