We also have a pregnant goat, so not only are we awaiting calves, we are also awaiting kids.
There is an interesting “contradiction” in the 21st chapter of Luke.
Jesus tells of destruction, persecution, and death.
““But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you.
They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.”
Luke 21:12-17 NIV
Now he follows that ugliness with this statement:
“But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Luke 21:18-19 NIV
What in the world?
Jesus, of course, is speaking of eternal life and rewards in heaven. Our earthly bodies can be tortured and killed, but our spiritual being lives on forever.
He promises that nothing we endure on his behalf in our lifetime on this planet changes our eternity in heaven.
At the end of the chapter, he reminds us to stay focused on our task at hand – spread the kingdom.
““Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.””
Luke 21:34-36 NIV
I will now close with a snippet of Becky Brown’s writing on this piece of Luke:
Here is what I DO know: I do not need to concern myself with the future. I need to focus on daily walking with Jesus and moment by moment obedience as I share His story with others. When those troubled times come, I shall have done all that I can humanly do to follow His example. In verse 15, Jesus promises to be with us when we are on the firing line. He will give us the words to speak to testify in His name. To know with full assurance that whatever is ahead, Jesus will be Emmanuel, God with us… is enough.
Dr Vet Sonya 