Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”
30 He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.”
31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.”
33 So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.

By Deacon Josue Gonzalez

As I read numbers 10:29-33, I was inspired to write about this passage. You need to have your Bible with you. 

Jethro lived among the Israelites in the desert, all the while experiencing how Moses and God dealt with God’s people when they left Egypt. Time and time again the Israelites continue with disbelief of God’s provision for them. At every turn, God showed His promise and His power. Jethro, not being an Israelite, was probably scratching his head. 

How can these people not know this God is trustworthy? 

Jethro was a Midianite priest in the land of Midian. He knew what false gods were and the worship of false gods. He had his family, culture, livestock and his own property. Why in the world would he leave all this and still go with a people that had nothing and were still wandering in the desert fighting God? I believe that through experiencing the Word of God and the power of what God was doing, true faith was created within Jethro’s heart. God made things happen. There was no explanation through human power or wisdom or by any other gods. Jethro saw pagan gods being destroyed and subdued by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He witnessed for himself the truth about this God. 

In some common ways with Jethro, I too believe about this God. I have lived a life as a nomadic person in the desert, wandering from state to state, not knowing where I would sleep or what food I would be able to eat each day. I was not able to find rest for my soul. 

I have identified with a lot of pagan gods in my life and experienced false hope repeatedly. Faith develops by the Word of God and His power. Since starting this journey, just like Jethro, I came to have hope in my life and I fully understood there is one true God of all gods. Being around people of different cultures and languages, walking with them and seeing their struggles and my own, praying, listening and helping in any way I can…day or night, snow or rain, with plenty or in scarcity, feeling well or sick, I try to be a present with others and a witness to God’s power in this life. I am convinced because of the struggles and testimony of my life, that change can happen to anyone who allows themselves to experience God’s power through His Son Jesus who is the savior of this world. 

The Bible is not a story of fairy tales and mystical events. (God is being revealed) It is the true Word of God in this earth with all creation. God’s nature is visible and tangible. Through faith, Jesus Christ is and will be the only visible and tangible substance in this life and beyond. Let us come together in faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal to the world the unity that is in Christ Jesus. Amen

Originally posted January 11, 2011 at https://diariesofamissiondeveloper.wordpress.com/2021/01/11/venture-of-faith-the-life-of-faith-and-the-reward-of-faith/

By Deacon Josué Gonzalez
What is Science?  
The definition in Britannica online is the following: 
Science, any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation. In general, a science involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the operations of fundamental laws.
 
Science can only explain the natural world or anything that exists in it. Science can explain some diseases. Science can explain the galaxy and the rotation of the planets. Science can gather information of the past and the present, and some evidence of the future. Science has been a practice since the world was created and inhabited. A few examples of benefits are: medicine, carbon dating, astrology, nuclear physics, electronics, and so forth. Science has covered a wide range of human understanding and intuition.  

Since the beginning of time humans have always been curious about what has been created. In the Bible, it is written that God created all things out of nothing, so we that believe the Bible believe this. You can find science in the Bible, but it is not a science book. For example, the creation story account has carbon dating, medicine that comes from plants, blood that accounts for biology, stars and moon that account for astrology, our psychological make up and so on. The Bible is full of evidence of scientific proof. Yet with all this evidence science cannot improve on your soul or satisfy it.  

Throughout the ages, humans have always sought to improve their wellbeing and existence. We use products and gadgets to make our lives better or easier. We create norms for us to live by. Yet our soul is not science. Our soul is a living part of our DNA which cannot be explained or satisfied by human reasoning or understanding. In another word science cannot do anything for your soul.  

Dictionary.com describes it like this:  
–the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part. 
–the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death 
and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul. 

Where is the exact location of the soul? How can you separate the soul from the spirit of existence? 

There it is in a nutshell! We have many people today living in fear and unrest all over the world wondering what is going to happen to them and their families. What does the future hold? People are up to their wits end. With all of the technology and knowledge at our disposal, we cannot cradle the soul, no matter how much medicine we take or don’t take, no matter how much money we have or don’t have, no matter how much wiser we are or are not. We have a human condition that only can be satisfied by God. 

Just look at history and technology. Has anything changed as far as your soul? Can you determine how to regulate and live forever? Can you take your soul with you and know that this is you in whatever your belief is or not? Does science console the longing of being with your loved ones? Does it quench the desire and compassion that long deep within?  Can you change your soul for another?    

These are questions that cannot be answered from a human standpoint, not unless you have died and come back to life. My brothers and sisters, I want you to be aware that science can explain some things in life, but not all things of life. We need to come to the Creator of life. In Him we have the answer to life and our souls. Just look at the works of His hands. Look intently to your sons and daughters. No medicine or humanly created thing can cure a broken soul. Our God has given us Himself to have the answers we desperately seek in the form of Jesus Christ. Know Him, worship Him, thank Him from the heart for all He has given us.  

Originally posted January 28, 2021 here: https://diariesofamissiondeveloper.wordpress.com/2021/01/28/science-and-soul/