Blessed Is He That Readeth

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Revelation 1:1-3Β King James Version

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

No Broadband! :(

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No broadband since last Sunday! It’s come back on for a little while but Virgin Media may still have some more repairs to do. Hope to be back at full speed soon! 😦

If I Condemn You, Blame Me Not.

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Ye call Me Master and obey me not,

Ye call Me Light and see Me not,

Ye call Me Way and walk not,

Ye call Me Life and desire Me not,

Ye call Me wise and follow Me not,

Ye call Me fair and love Me not,

Ye call Me rich and ask Me not,

Ye call Me eternal and seek Me not,

Ye call Me gracious and trust Me not,

Ye call Me noble and serve Me not,

Ye call Me mighty and honor Me not,

Ye call Me just and fear Me not,

If I condemn you, blame me not.

inscription inside the LΓΌbeck Cathedral, Germany.

God Means What He Says

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I’m being seriously convicted at the moment as i study the books of Revelation & Genesis seeking TRUTH. it’s completely Β blowing my mind as i realise how i’ve been deceived and conditioned by the lies of the world my whole life.

The article below by David Wilkerson was in my inbox this morning and i thought id share it with you.

GOD MEANS WHAT HE SAYS
by David WilkersonΒ 

Do you sit under strong preaching that lovingly exposes your sin? If so, do you allow that word to convict you? Or, do you go right back to your sin without grieving at all?

If you are rejecting the warnings of the restraining Holy Ghostβ€”disobeying God time after time, without any heart-griefβ€”then you are being recruited for the cult of Antichrist. The devil is silently initiating you into his β€œmystery of iniquity” and when the promising, miracle-working Antichrist comes along, you will be swept up in his lies and given over to a delusion!

Listen to what Paul says about compromising believers who refuse to love and obey God’s Holy Word: β€œThat they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

Here are the ominous results of not believing and acting on God’s truth:

  • The heart becomes hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
  • Satan works on the hardened heart to justify itself, so that it is relieved from all fear of penalty.
  • The believer becomes blinded by the lie that says there are no wages for sin and no Judgment Day, and that he can get away with his lustful pleasure.
  • The believer falls prey to doctrines of demons, thinking evil is good and good is evil.
  • He eventually drifts so far from Christ and the truth, he becomes blinded to who the Antichrist isβ€”and he ends up worshiping and serving him as a god.
  • On Judgment Day, God will say to such a person, β€œDepart from Me, you worker of iniquity!”

Beloved, it does not have to be this way for any of us. God has made a covenant promise to remove all delusion from us and give us victory over sin, through the power of Christ’s cross. All He asks is that we declare war on our sin, saying, β€œI won’t make peace with this habit. I refuse to abide it. Deliver me, Father, by Your Spirit.” When He hears this prayer, He will send such Holy Ghost power and glory from heaven, the devil will not stand a chance!

Pray right now that God implants in you a great reverence for His Word. Ask Him to help you be disciplined in your reading of the Scriptures and ask the Spirit to help you take to heart what you read and believe that God means what He says!

Furry Angel

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2 years ago today we said goodbye to Bruce (Furry Angel). We still miss him, his character & his ability to love at all times! We also miss his squeaky toys at Christmas too! πŸ™‚

Genesis 9:12Β (NIV)

And God said, β€˜This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:Β 

Distinctive Mark Of A Christian

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A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.

Billy Graham

Update #2 On ‘Join Me In Prayer For Sarah’

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Hi, sorry it’s been a little over two week since the last update, but we’ve been waiting for this mornings appointment before we could bring you more news.

Sarah’s had a few complications in the last couple of weeks, so we’ve been back and forward to the hospital to try and narrow down whats causing them. Sarah’s cornea developed a scratch and an infection which was causing her a lot of pain and irritation. (understatement!) Β They first gave her more eye drops and said to come back in a couple of days.

We returned with more irritation, sleep depravation (the pain has been keeping Sarah awake) and Sarah’s eyesight had become very poor, Sarah said β€œit’s like trying to look through a frosted glass window”. Another doctor said that Sarah maybe allergic to the preservatives in the eye drops, and prescribed “preservative free” eye drops. We then had to wait 10 day’s before this mornings appointment.

The doctor said that he could see no sign of infection, and the scratch had healed and disappeared. Yay! But the reason that the eye is healing so slowly and continues to be very sensitive is the Diabetes. The nuropathy is slowing the healing, making the eye feel like it’s about to burst and maintaing the extremely itchy painful irritation that’s driving Sarah crazy, which, is making her really fed up. 😦

We have another appointment in two weeks time and i’ll keep you lovely friends updated. Sarah was really hoping to be back at work this week and is trying her best not to feel too inpatient!Β 

We both thank you all so much for the love, kindness, prayers and support as you journey through this with us. Can’t thank you enough! πŸ™‚

See also:

Why Christmas?

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Why Christmas?

Because God loves you so much that He gave His one and only Son, sending Him into the world as a poor baby so that He could show you how to live.

Even more than that,

that He might be your life. He lived perfectly, died a grizzly death, shed His blood so that your sins might be removed, so that you will not perish, but spend forever with Him.

Have you received this gift?

The Spirit Of Christmas

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β€œThe spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.”

Stuart Briscoe

The Truth Is…

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Β The LIE

Genesis 3:4-5Β The Voice

Serpent: Die? No, you’ll not die. God is playing games with you. 5 The truth is that God knows the day you eat the fruit from that tree you will awaken something powerful in you and become like Him: possessing knowledge of both good and evil.

My Thoughts πŸ’­

Do you hear the whispers thet are making you feel like your missing out on something, you need more to be finally fulfilled, telling you that you need the latest …………(fill in the blank with any worldly/created item) Β to be satisfied?!

It’s a LIE, and we still fall for it everyday!

Β The TruthΒ 

2 Peter 1:3-4Β The Voice

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.

God took the first step to rescue us from this corrupt world. He has granted us His power, revealed to us true knowledge, and spoken to us great promises. He has done all this for a reason: that we might participate in His own nature and reflect His own life. But we are not passive observers of God’s saving actions. We must receive His grace, grow in knowledge, and join Him in this work of redemption.

Listen out for the LIE, then, remember we have everything we need in Jesus!

Verbal Sunshine

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Be generous with encouragement. It is verbal sunshine. It costs nothing and it warms hearts.

Happy Thanksgiving

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Β The Voice

Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. (This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed.)

God’s Special Work Of Art

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Each one of us is God’s special work of art. Through us, He teaches and inspires, delights and encourages, informs and uplifts all those who view our lives. God, the master artist, is most concerned about expressing Himself- His thoughts and His intentions- through what He paints in our character; He wants to paint a beautiful portrait of His Son in and through your life. A painting like no other in all of time.

Joni Eareckson Tada

The Kindness Of Your Heart

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Father, I want to show the kindness of YourΒ heart today. Please show me who I can helpΒ and in what way. I want my words and deedsΒ to convey Your love. Amen.

Celebrity Substitutes

lessonsbyheart's avatarLessons by Heart

Sheep need a shepherd to lead them to green pastures. Without his/her assistance, these animals will stay in the same area and eat the grass down to the roots. In a short period of time, a lush, green pasture becomes a dust bowl.

Perhaps this is why Psalm 23 says, β€œHe makes me lie down in green pastureS.”

See the plural?

This leads to the question:

Where do you, as one of God’s β€œsheep,” feed?

Do you only eat in one pasture…the one in your church?

Or do you β€œgraze” in other locations as well?

I am not suggesting β€œchurch hopping,” but if we are to receive a balanced diet, we need to be fed in more than one location…from more than one source.

Podcasts are a wonderful way to do this during the week. I listen to several preachers, myself: our own J. S. Park, Louie…

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Daily Prompt: Simply Irresistible

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“Tell us about the favorite dish or food that you simply cannot turn down.”

My Thoughts πŸ’­

My number one β€œsimply can’t turn down” is a Lamb Doner Kebab on a naan bread. I don’t have a photo of one so i posted my 2nd fave, Chips!!!Β 

Chips

Not Necessarily Doubting

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We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

C. S. Lewis

‘Smoke and Mirrors’ – My Son’s Way Back

Please check out Nick Estrada’s music, an amazing talent!

Sherri Matthews's avatarA View From My Summerhouse

A few month’s ago, I read this in UCB*

β€˜Tenacity is the hallmark of all successful people.Β  They keep trying, keep learning and keep moving forward.Β  They win the battle in their minds and then it
overflows into what they do’.

It wasn’t too long ago when I wrote my post β€˜Write Your Dream but Don’t Kill the Creativityβ€˜ in which I expressed my thoughts on the writer’s paradox of wanting to keep the dream alive by writing a book for publication (which is my dream) but at the same time not letting our creativity fall by the way-side.

As an another example of this, I wrote about my son’s experience of pursuing his dream of writing, recording and performing his own music but how studying a professional musicianship degree killed his creativity and his dream.

Almost.Β  For a time.

Over the next few years he continued…

View original post 381 more words

Your Essential Worship

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Romans 12:1-2Β The Voice

Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.

Paul urges those who read and hear his letter to respond to the good news by offering their bodiesβ€”eyes, ears, mouths, hands, feetβ€”to God as a β€œliving sacrifice.” Paul knows well enough that sacrifices end in death, not life. But the sacrifice of Jesus changes everything. His resurrection steals life from death and makes it possible for those who trust in Him to become a sacrifice and yet live. But how do we live? We do not live as before, wrapping ourselves in the world and its bankrupt values. We live in constant renewal and transformation of our minds.

Share The Truth

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Father, empower me and motivate me with Your love. Give me a sincere heart for those who are bound for a Godless eternity. Equip me and make me willing to allow You to use me to destroy myths and share the truth about Your love with any and all people that You place in my path. Amen.

Study The Word Of God

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Study the word of God daily. You will sense Him speaking to you directly – refreshing your heart, feeding your mind and changing your life.

Your Words Reveal What’s Within Your Heart

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Luke 6:44-46Β The Voice

You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.

What good is it to mouth the words, β€œLord! Lord!” if you don’t live by My teachings?

Seeking Happiness?

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The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance; the wise person grows it under his feet.

James Oppenheim

The Bible And The TV Guide

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On the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride,
No, not the Bible, the TV Guide.

One is used daily to help folks decide,
No it isn’t the Bible it’s the TV Guide.
As the pages are turned what shall they see?
Oh, it doesn’t matter, just turn on the TV!

And so they open the book in which they confide,
Not the Bible the TV Guide!
The word of God is seldom read;
Well, maybe a verse e’er they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be,
Not from reading the Bible but watching TV.

So back to the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One is cherished and well worn with pride,
Not the Bible, the TV Guide!

The plan of salvation is seldom heard,
(Nor the love of God, or encouraging words,)
Forgiveness of sin so full and free
Is found in the Bible not on TV!!

I heard Jarrod Cooper (Days of wonder) read this poem on UCB UK

Everlasting Life

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John 3:16-21Β The Voice

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.

No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the world’s darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.

Jesus makes the point clear: stay connected to Him, and have no reason to fear. Jesus doesn’t mean that at the instant someone has faith, fear simply vanishes or only good things happen in that person’s life. In fact, the blessings that come with eternal life often have nothing to do with present or future circumstances, but they have everything to do with the individual’s connections to God and others. That is John’s message to his listeners. God came to earth embodied in flesh, and then He reached His greatest acclaim through a torturous death. If this is all true, then believers will find strength and beauty in places never imagined. Abiding in Jesus the Anointed is the good life, regardless of the external circumstances.

In His Hands

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Those who put themselves in His hands will become perfect, as He is perfect- perfect in love, wisdom, joy, beauty, health, and immortality. The change will not be completed in this life, for death is an important part of the treatment. How far the change will have gone before death in any particular Christian is uncertain.

C. S. Lewis

Reliving the Attack

Please join me in prayer for a blogging friend. πŸ™‚

blindsommelier's avatarblindsommelier

Never in my life have I considered myself a victim. Although by anyone’s perspective, I suppose I would be justified in doing so. Β The victim of child abuse at the hands of my father, the victim of a few nasty car accidents, the victim of a rare eye disease robbing me of my sight, the victim of a vicious dog attack 8 months ago. Β But I’m NOT a victim. Β I’m a visually impaired triathlete dammit! Β I’m strong, determined and full of purpose to be the best Amy I can be and fight hard for my friends in need and those that can’t fight for themselves. Β I’m not a survivor, but a THRIVER. Β 

So you can imagine my shock upon waking up from a nightmare reliving this dog attack last night. Β I tossed and turned and kept hearing my own screams while desperately reaching out for my guide dog to…

View original post 461 more words

Truth From The Heart

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Psalm 15Β The Voice

A recurring theme in the psalms is the dwelling place of God and its importance in worship. This Davidic psalm considers the moral qualities of the person who wishes to approach God.

Eternal One, who is invited to stay in Your dwelling?Β Who is granted passage to Your holy mountain?

Here is the answer: The one who lives with integrity, does what is right,Β and speaks honestly with truth from the heart. The one who doesn’t speak evil against others or wrong his neighbour, or slander his friends. The one who loathes the loathsome, honours those who fear the Eternal, And keeps all promises no matter the cost. The one who does not lend money with gain in mindΒ and cannot be bought to harm an innocent name.Β 

If you live this way, you will not be shaken and will live together with the Lord.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

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share a photo which means LAYERS to you!

Lissie

My Thoughts πŸ’­

I took this photo of brother Ben’s dog β€˜Lissie’ a few month before she sadly died. When I saw this weeks challenge was β€œLayers” i immidiatley thought of Lissie and her layers of fur.

Β More of my Weekly Photo Challenges

Erroneous Thinking Of The World

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Father, I don’t want to be conformed to the erroneousΒ thinking of the world. Renew my mind, transform me according to what is true about my TRUE identity and my new self. Amen.

Resentment

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The wordΒ resentmentΒ means to re-feel…to feel again.Β  Someone wrongs or wounds you; in resenting it, you re-feel the injury.Β  And you re-hurt yourself.Β  The Hebrew Talmud says that a person who bears a grudge is “Like one who, having cut one hand while handling a knife, avenges himself by stabbing the other hand.”

Β 

Norman Vincent Peale

The Greatest Source Of Power

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If you are a stranger to prayer, you are a stranger to the greatest source of power known to human beings.

Billy Sunday

Update #1 On ‘Join Me In Prayer For Sarah’

Riding The Wave Of Prayers

Β First i have to thank all of you amazing loving people for the show of extravagant love to me and Sarah. We’ve been simply overwhelmed with your prayers, kindness and love through this journey.

The Plan…

The plan was set. Go to the chemist to get pain killers (Sarah is not allowed d to leave the house for a few days), nip into the doctors to sort out a sick note for the next two weeks, then go for a [Cortado’ coffee at Costa at the train station with half an hour to enjoy our new fave coffee (mainly keep Sarah as relaxed as possible), then Sarah can put her last eye drops in before we catch the 11:04 train that will get us to Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London ready for the operation.Β 

The Hypo…

This was all going well up until Sarah had locked herself in the toilet by passing out with a hypo. The idea was that she went in to put in her eye drops as we still had 15 minutes until the train arrives (the platform is about 1 minute away from the coffee shop. As i was stood outside the door while staff kept walking past suspicious of the weird man lurking around the toilets. With 5 minutes left i knocked on the door, with the sound of the music and the coffee machines i could just make out what i thought was Sarah. Then as i realised too much time had passed and we’d missed our train i asked one of the passing staff if they could open the door as i think my wife is having a hypo. Sarah had know her blood was creeping down and she had a biscuit and sugar in her coffee but she felt and seemed ok.

I opened the door to find Sarah in a zombie like state (the only description i can find that closely resembles a hypo) not knowing where she was, what she was doing or where we were going! I’d like to state at this point that we only really had one must do for this morning, and that was to try and keep Sarah’s blood sugar stable as they won’t operate if it’s too high, low or on the move. I prayed:

β€œJesus, There is no way they can operate now, i did my best but i don’t know if there’s another train, if Sarah can even stand up, never mind walk, Β and Sarah’s blood sugar always ends up too high after a hypo and we always have a long struggle getting it back down. i hand it all to you, please help”.

I got Sarah to her feet and she could just about stand up without her knees giving way. We managed to leave the coffee shop and after catching Sarah from behind as she started to fall back down the platform steps (i was behind trying to push her up) we finally got to the platform. This is where Sarah normally guides me as she knows the trains. Usually the trains are announced, but today there were none, but a train arrived straight away and we got on anyway. I told Sarah to just sleep on my shoulder and hope that this train is going the right way! The inside train announcement only said which station it was pulling up to and not the stations of the full journey.Β 

Sarah woke and asked “where are we?” β€œI’m not sure, but i hope it stops at Clapham Junction”. Then a few minutes later we arrived at Clapham Junction. We then walked to the other platform and a train was waiting there too. We finally arrived at the day surgery unit a couple of minutes before the 12:30 appointment.

Sarah did a blood test and it was 8.6 which is really good for her, but we knew that it often goes into the 20’s after a hypo and there’s no way they’ll operate if it goes any higher or continues to rise. Sarah went in around 13:00 but there were 4 people before her, I stayed in the waiting room.

The Waiting Room

I wanted to update everyone but i’d never used the mobile WordPress app to post before, so i kept the post β€œPraying in waiting room for Sarah” short so i could begin praying. I started with my voiceover reading all of your prayers, i prayed through each comment individually about 2 times each from the 1st post “Please Join Me In Prayer For Sarah” then i had about an hour of personal prayer before loving sister Janet would arrive to drive us home.

The Operation

Sarah’s op happened around 16:30, her blood sugar stayed perfectly stable at 6.8 the whole time! (Amazing!) Her main worry was the really painful needle that she sees going into her eye and it feels like her eyeball is bursting out of her face! I need to quote Sarah at this point:

β€œI felt a real peace i’d not felt before, i knew everyone was praying for me and i knew God was with me the whole time. I felt no pain at all with the needle and the surgeon was surprised how well the operation went. I also heard him say:

β€˜There are always bubbles in this (not sure what he was talking about) always bubbles, but there aren’t any at all, i can’t explain it?!’ 

The Next Morning

I’m typing this post Saturday morning Β at 11am while Sarah is sleeping. I’d like to thank you all once again for giving time in prayer and the loving encouraging comments that helped us through this amazing journey (and still help us as we read back through them). I’ll update again soon.

Sarah said to me this morning:

I felt like the whole day you had your arms around me, and God had his arms around both of us!

Through The Eyes Of A Dog

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β€œGod, make me the person my dog thinks I am.”

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Crafted By Human Hands

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Psalm 115:1-8Β The Voice

Not for us, O Eternal One; this glory is not for usβ€”but for Your name
because of Your loyal love and truth.
Why should the nations ask,
β€œWhere is their God now?”
Our God is in heaven
doing whatever He chooses.
Those nations worship idols of silver and gold,
crafted by human hands:
They have given their gods mouths, but they cannot speak;
eyes, but they cannot see.
They have provided their idols with ears, but they cannot hear;
noses, but they cannot smell.
They have fashioned hands, but the idols cannot reach out and touch;
feet, but they cannot walk.
Their idols cannot make a sound in their finely crafted throats.
The people who make idols will become useless like them,
like all who trust in idols.