On March 15, 2011 Maryland state employees poured into Annapolis and marched on the State House demanding that Governor Martin O'Malley State legislators keep their promises of a living wage, reasonable medical and care coverage and their pensions. The State workers had kept their promise, but they were facing the possibility on not receiving what they were promised in exchange for years of dedicated high quality hard work.
The state employees such as teachers, para professionals, secretaries, and building service workers marched chanting "Keep Your Promise!" They raised their voices as they raised the signs in their hands demanding what they had worked for, some for decades. The entire situation became more tense when State police blocked State employees from the entrance of the State House. Weren't the men and women in blue also State employees, who were they supposed to be protecting, the governor and the legislators or the employees?
Finally, O'Malley game out of his inner office, and outside where his employees were protesting his proposals to cut funding to them because of the shortfall in the budget and the Maryland State law that the budget must be balanced. The crowded quieted to hear him speak, but booed him if he said something he did not like. Finally, he convinced the crowd that changes would be made, and they were. Over half of the money was put back in the budget for these employees.
In the book of Genesis chapter 12 in the Bible we learn of one of God's great promises. He tells a man named Abram who is seventy five years old to leave his country and everyone he knows and go to a land He would show him, and promised Abram he would make him a father of a nation.
Think about this for a moment. God told Abram to leave and go to a place He would show him. All we know about Abram at this point is his family tree and how it connects to Noah, but nothing else. It is Abram's response to God's request that we start to learn about the man he is. He did as God asked and to do and took incredible faith.
To have faith means to have complete confidence in someone or something. In this case it is a strong belief in God, doctrines of religions, based on a spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Abram did what God asked for two reasons, the first reason was faith.
To leave everyone and everything you know to go somewhere God would show him had to be difficult on Abram. He had to pack up his belongings, his wife, his servants, and his livestock and go somewhere unprotected by his family. Can you imagine the questions he got? "Abram why are you leaving us? How long will be gone? Where are you going? What will you be doing? How far away do you think you will go? When will you be back?" These are all perfectly natural questions to ask, but Abram could not answer any of them, not even one, because God did not tell him any of that. All God told him to do was to leave.
Abram did as God asked, which meant he had to know God. He had to trust and love God more than he loved his family and his home because if he didn't he would never of left. He had spent some one-one- one time with God because he knew God's voice when he spoke, and he trusted God enough and faith in him enough to do what God asked him to do without hesitation, argument, or fight.
Do you have that kind of faith in God? If you don't, you know you can change that. God always wants to be in relationship with you. He longs for you to know Him better. He wants you to Hear from Him and he is always ready to hear from you. So make a date with God each and every day. Give yourself the time to get to know Him better. Spend time reading the Bible and mediate on what you read. Simply talk to God, it's called praying, which is another word for conversation. If you don't know how to start, just spend 15 minutes a day getting to a quiet space and relaxing and letting go of everything. Clear your mind and open your heart and God will be right there waiting to bless you.
The state employees such as teachers, para professionals, secretaries, and building service workers marched chanting "Keep Your Promise!" They raised their voices as they raised the signs in their hands demanding what they had worked for, some for decades. The entire situation became more tense when State police blocked State employees from the entrance of the State House. Weren't the men and women in blue also State employees, who were they supposed to be protecting, the governor and the legislators or the employees?
Finally, O'Malley game out of his inner office, and outside where his employees were protesting his proposals to cut funding to them because of the shortfall in the budget and the Maryland State law that the budget must be balanced. The crowded quieted to hear him speak, but booed him if he said something he did not like. Finally, he convinced the crowd that changes would be made, and they were. Over half of the money was put back in the budget for these employees.
In the book of Genesis chapter 12 in the Bible we learn of one of God's great promises. He tells a man named Abram who is seventy five years old to leave his country and everyone he knows and go to a land He would show him, and promised Abram he would make him a father of a nation.
Think about this for a moment. God told Abram to leave and go to a place He would show him. All we know about Abram at this point is his family tree and how it connects to Noah, but nothing else. It is Abram's response to God's request that we start to learn about the man he is. He did as God asked and to do and took incredible faith.
To have faith means to have complete confidence in someone or something. In this case it is a strong belief in God, doctrines of religions, based on a spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Abram did what God asked for two reasons, the first reason was faith.
To leave everyone and everything you know to go somewhere God would show him had to be difficult on Abram. He had to pack up his belongings, his wife, his servants, and his livestock and go somewhere unprotected by his family. Can you imagine the questions he got? "Abram why are you leaving us? How long will be gone? Where are you going? What will you be doing? How far away do you think you will go? When will you be back?" These are all perfectly natural questions to ask, but Abram could not answer any of them, not even one, because God did not tell him any of that. All God told him to do was to leave.
Abram did as God asked, which meant he had to know God. He had to trust and love God more than he loved his family and his home because if he didn't he would never of left. He had spent some one-one- one time with God because he knew God's voice when he spoke, and he trusted God enough and faith in him enough to do what God asked him to do without hesitation, argument, or fight.
Do you have that kind of faith in God? If you don't, you know you can change that. God always wants to be in relationship with you. He longs for you to know Him better. He wants you to Hear from Him and he is always ready to hear from you. So make a date with God each and every day. Give yourself the time to get to know Him better. Spend time reading the Bible and mediate on what you read. Simply talk to God, it's called praying, which is another word for conversation. If you don't know how to start, just spend 15 minutes a day getting to a quiet space and relaxing and letting go of everything. Clear your mind and open your heart and God will be right there waiting to bless you.
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