I am often reminded that Jesus taught His disciples from the things He observed. Whether He spoke of the lilies of the field, or a mustard seed, a mountain or the wind, the birds of the air, or an ox that falls in a well---Jesus spoke of what he observed--and applied it to what God was saying to His people.

He would speak of the Love of the Father, or the Father's Power; the faith needed by a Believer of the hypocrisy of man--often using things observed in the natural.

TROOPER

God still speaks to us today, in exactly the same way. Some look around and see what is happening and say, 'that's interesting,' but I believe the Lord is removing the scales from our eyes through the things he shows us "in the natural."

We have a horse. It was a gift for our oldest daughter for her eight-grade graduation. The Lord has spoken a number of things regarding this horse, "Trooper."

For instance, four years after we bought Trooper, our finances became so dismal, that though we all begged and pleaded with God, and Tawny prayed her little heart out, we could no longer afford the boarding costs for Trooper and we had to sell him. A wonderful Christian family bought him for $1,000 and we had to sit back and watch Tawny cry and then write a letter to God about her pain. (mentioned here with Tawny's permission) She showed us the letter, and it hurt our hearts that she had pleaded with God--to no apparent avail. The whole letter could have been summed up in two words, .. . "Why God?"

Just about a year later, after many prophecies of restoration . . . the Lord had opened up a beautiful home on 20 acres (actually hundreds of acres but 20 went with the house we now rent) where we could board a horse for free in a 3-acre enclosed pasture. A few weeks after moving we received a call from this same family, offering Trooper back to us, for the same price we sold him. He now enjoys probably the nicest home he's ever had.

RESTORATION

Through Trooper, God spoke to us about RESTORATION and His ability to do far more than we could ask or think. Through this silly horse, God showed us that His promises are yes and amen. We learned that we don't get to pick the how, or when of restoration, but His Word is sure!

A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT LESSON

This week, the Lord spoke to me through Trooper again. Trooper has a personality, kind of like a person, I'd say. He is jealous and let's it show. He is persistent to a fault and demanding.

Ol' Trooper's had 3 acres full of tall grass all summer. . . but it's winter and he's pretty well eaten the grass down--with the help of his two miniature donkey companions.

But the "grass is always greener on the other side" and Trooper spotted some of that greener stuff in the dog pen--a rather large enclosure behind a fenced area within the 3 acres. In his zeal to get what he wanted, he pretty much collapsed the fence. We had to tie up the dogs for a few nights until we could repair the fence with new steel fence posts.

FEELING HELPFUL LATELY?

I was feeling in a helpful mood, and since the dog's pen was quite muddy, we (the family) got some of Trooper's hay and spread it over the pen to un-muddy it. It worked great! Now, I know this horse is smart, but he doesn't understand ownership of hay, does he?

No sooner did he get wind of this hay on the mud floor of the dog's pen, than he decided, green, or dry--he wanted some of that stuff inside the pen.

The result? We look out the window and here is trooper pushing another part of the fence down! This time, it was caught before the fence was completely destroyed. When my wife saw it, she ran and got some fresh hay for both the horse and the donkeys. Now we've got double trouble. Trooper sees his hay and starts to eat it. Then he sees the donkeys eating some of it in their own pile. He chases them away. He sees hay inside the dog's pen and goes right back to it, even though he has his own.

Now the dogs are barking at the horse, the donkeys are running from Trooper whenever they try to eat their own hay. Trooper is so jealous, he goes back and forth eating everyone's hay but his own, the fence that just got repaired, is now broken again, I'm late for work and everyone's upset, trying to figure out what to do next.

TROOPER WENT TO LOCKUP MODE

For the record--Trooper's spent a few days in his stall, locked up. But he had fresh hay. And now, there is new barbed wire around the dog's pen to welcome him should he go for the hay that IS NOT HIS!!

As I drove to work that day , I couldn't help but be struck by the new lesson I just learned about GRACE!

"GRACE?" you ask. "This may be a story about grazing-- but not grace!! How do you get grace out of this?"

IT'S ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF MAN

Well, it's like this.

We, as humans, (men and women alike) are problem solvers. We are created with that ability and when something needs fixing, we just get right to it.

Ever heard the expression that goes something like, "The best laid plans of mice and men" go awry?

It seems that no matter what we do . . . no matter how good our motive - we make as many new messes as the messes we clean up, or so it often seems. This is because we live in a world surrounded by jealousy, ambition, pride, dissatisfaction with life - and well, just a lot of sin! In others. In ourselves (even in our livestock, and our pets!!).

WE BUILD--AND WE TEAR DOWN

We build cities and pollute rivers in the process. We construct much needed dams in the river and fish die going through them. We invent antibiotics and save lives, while years later, others die because the antibiotics drop their resistance to new kinds of illnesses.

We fight wars for freedom but innocent civilians lose their lives. We create new amazing inventions and our new companies cause other companies to lose market share and thousands of workers lose their jobs.

We promote a co-worker only to offend another co-worker. We invite a friend to dinner, only to make another feel alienated that the invitation was not to him or her.

WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

And it goes on from there. With the best of intentions, we counsel with a friend, only to have our words used against us later. We lead a person to the Lord, only to have them discover the hypocrisy in our own lives and we are called on it. We sacrifice our lives for a loved one and are accused of false motives. We do good for others, and then discover our own hidden agendas and selfish ambition that no one has yet discovered. And it goes on.

You realize, at the end of the day, that you just weren't the dad or mother to your children you wanted to be, or you didn't treat your spouse very nice, or you watched too much TV instead of talking to each other, or you didn't spend enough time with the Lord today, or ANY DAY, or you haven't called your parents, or you and your son have been cross with each other for months, or you just haven't been... well, fill in the blanks. You've tried to be "good." You've tried to fix things or be a faithful person. You're sure you failed.

This is not a cynical response to life and the unfair things that happen to us. It's a realistic view - that from the fall of Adam, whatever man has put his hand to, even with the best of intentions, often ends up backfiring against him - HE HAS FAILED. And the Lord knew all along that it would happen this way.

I believe this is what the writer of Ecclesiastes discovered, when he exclaimed in agony, "All is vanity!" and then, after pondering all of life, says with resignation:

Eccl 12:13 "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man."

WHEN YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT

When your head hits that pillow, how often do you call out to God, in utter exhaustion, being fully overwhelmed by the tasks before you and the failures of the day just passed . . . and find only the strength to groan and whisper, "help God," or "Have mercy on me Lord," or: "I just need your Grace, Father, I have failed so miserably today."

I also am convinced that this was the plight of even the "GREAT" Apostle Paul (who was really just a man - anointed as he was- trying his best to walk with God) when he exclaims in that same agony,

Rom 7:24-25 "24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!

THE ANSWER IS IN JESUS!

WE MUST RUN TO THE LORD WHEN WE FAIL! HIS BLOOD HAS PAID FOR OUR MISTAKES.

When we fail miserably - and guess what? . . . We ALL FAIL MISERABLY on a fairly consistent basis - when our very best intentions have once again backfired, we MUST run the Father, to His Throne. It's called, "THE THRONE OF GRACE."

We will NEVER STOP NEEDING TO RUN TO THAT THRONE on this side of Heaven. NEVER, NEVER, N-E-V-E-R! If you find a person who is not running to the Throne of Grace, you may have found a person who has not looked in the mirror lately "to see what manner of man he is." For we all need Grace... and we need a lot of it.

As you read this, if you felt yesterday, or you feel now, or if you feel tonight you have failed yourself, a friend, or the Lord--I have this to say to you. . .

"Join the Christian Club!!"

. . . and then do what I do - and what we must all do - all the time . . .

". . . Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. . .

. . . Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb 4:14-16

Standing only because of His Mercy and Grace,