The Church of God of Carmichael

Through his own disobedience, Finney was caught by a fisherman, who tossed Finney onto the sand before moving on to more promising fishing waters.  Finney was left to die.

As Finney called for help, Curt the Crab stalked by and gave him a stern lecture on the consequences of his disobedience.   Curt then left Finney to die.  Next, Stella Starfish pranced by, boasting of her beautiful appearance and her popularity.  She also left him to die, though Finney had claimed her as a friend.

Finally, Trumble Turtle plodded toward Finney when he recognized the danger for Finney's life.  Since he had made fun of Trumble on many occasions, and scorned him as a friend, Finney thought that Trumble would not rescue him.  However, Trumble, with a true heart of love, saw only a fellow creature in need, and reached out to help Finney in the best way that he could.  With his head and all the strength he could muster, he pushed Finney, slowly but surely, back into the water.

A very thankful Finney promised Trumble that he would no longer treat him unkindly and would let everyone know what a kind turtle he had proved himself to be.

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."  John 13:34

Pete was a packrat.  He hoarded all his trash and treasures in his little box house and wouldn't let anyone so much as place a toe on "his" property.  When the other animals asked to get a glimpse of his treasures, his refusal was imperious and final.  He bothered no one and expected that no one should bother him.  As a result, he had no enemies and he had no friends.  Thus he lived a lonely existence.

One day a storm destroyed all of Pete's possessions and nearly destroyed him as well.  The animals to whom he had been so unkind came to his rescue and even found for him a new home and some treasures with which to furnish it.  Pete was so grateful for their kindness that he began to share his treasures and time with the others.  In this way, he gained many friends and became a much happier rat.

It pays to be kind to others and to have an unselfish spirit.

"And let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works:"  Hebrews 10:24

"Give, and it shall be given unto you;..."  Luke 6:38

 Mount Sinai quaked, flashed, smoked, flamed, and blasted a trumpet sound when the presence of God descended upon it.  The Israelites trembled in fear, but Moses was not afraid to meet with God on this mountain.  He ascended into its turbulent heights a few times to talk to God and bring His words back to the Israelites, who trembled in fear at the bottom of the mountain.

When Moses repeated the words that God had given him, the people promised to obey all that God had commanded them.  During one of Moses' visits with God, God himself wrote His words on two tables of stone.  

After Moses had been absent from their presence for awhile, the people began wondering what had happened to him.  They had not expected him to be gone for so long.  Finally, they decided that Moses had perhaps been killed and that they needed a new God to worship.  Aaron, Moses' brother, crafted a god of gold in the form of a calf and the people began to worship it, bringing offerings and joining together in dancing and singing around it.  They completely forgot their promise to obey all of God's laws, one of which was to worship no other God but Him.

Meanwhile, God was looking on in anger.  He told Moses to leave Him while He destroyed the people, but Moses plead with God to spare their lives and God relented.

When Moses reached the camp, he understood the reason for God's anger.  In his own wrath, he threw the precious tables of stone to the ground where they broke in pieces.  He tore down the god, ground it to powder, and scattered it in the drinking water.  He then caused those to be destroyed who were not on God's side.  Those who were left were led onward by the angel of the Lord.

It is important to remember that there is only one God, who created the universe.  It is also important to be obedient to the will of God when it is revealed to us.  Sometimes we will be tested, as the Israelites were, but though they failed,  God has made it possible that, through the blood of Christ, we can always succeed.

"Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God is one Lord:"  Deuteronomy 4:4

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."  Mark 9:23

This is a story about Daniel.  He actually came to Babylon with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and each king that came and went liked these men because they were honest and hard workers.  They were always given the most  important jobs which made the other workers of the king jealous.

This time the king's name was Darius and he also liked Daniel.  He knew that Daniel was a good worker so he decided to put Daniel in charge of the whole country.  The other servants of the king were very jealous of Daniel and they tried to find something that would get Daniel in trouble.  They were trying to get him fired, but Daniel obeyed God so they couldn't find anything.

Finally these men said to each other, "We can't find any reason for the king to fire Daniel.  The only way we could get him to disobey the king is if we made a law against his god."  So they went to king Darius and said, "O great king, you are so wonderful that no one should pray to anyone but you."

The king said, "That sounds like a great idea!"  Then the men continued, "All of your workers have agreed that this should be done and that anyone that prays to any other god should be thrown into the lions den."

The workers lied and said that everyone who worked for the king agreed, but of course they never talked to Daniel because they knew he wouldn't agree.  The king didn't know this, so he made the law and it couldn't be changed.

When Daniel heard about the new law he did what he always did.  He went home to a room upstairs and opened the windows that looked out over the city.  Three times that day he went down on his knees and prayed to God just like he always had.

These men went as a group to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking God for help.  So they ran straight to the king and told him, "Your worker Daniel is ignoring your command.  We have seen him praying to his God three times today."

When the king heard this he was very sad.  He really liked Daniel and he didn't want him to die.  He tried everything to get the law changed to stop Daniel from being thrown in the lions' den, but the men came to him and reminded him that the law could not be changed and Daniel would have to be punished.

So at the end of the day the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den.  The king said to Daniel, "I hope your God who you serve and pray to will rescue you!"

A large, heavy stone was rolled in front of the den and the king went back to his palace with tears in his eyes.  That night King Darius couldn't eat or sleep he was so worried for Daniel.

The next day, as soon as the sun came up the king got up and ran to the lions' den.  As he got closer he shouted, "Daniel, has your God who you serve and pray to rescued you from the lions?"  The king waited quietly for a response.

Then all of a sudden Daniel said, "O king, live forever!  My God sent an angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because I have done nothing wrong."

The king jumped with joy and immediately ordered that Daniel be removed from the den.  And when Daniel was lifted from the den, there wasn't even a scratch on him because he trusted in God.

The king knew that the men had tricked him into punishing Daniel so he punished them.

After that the king made a new law and he said, "Daniel's God is great, and I order that everyone in my kingdom must pray to the Lord God, who rescued Daniel from the hungry lions."

After the miracle God performed at the Red Sea, Moses led the people forward into the wilderness.  Although God had shown his mighty power in the great plagues on Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, the people soon forgot and complained every time they faced a new difficulty.  They complained when the drinking water was bitter; they complained of their hunger;  they complained of their thirst. 

Each time the people complained, Moses prayed to God and God supplied the need.  Moses threw a tree into the water and it became sweet;  God rained manna from heaven and sent quails for meat; Moses struck a rock and water gushed forth. The Bible doesn't record whether or not the people thanked God for His miraculous provision, yet He was ever a merciful and a faithful God to them.

When we are facing difficulties, God wants us to cry to him in our distress and he will supply all our needs.  Then, He wants us to be thankful.

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears....Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name."  Psalm 18:6,49

God's people, the Israelites, were free from the hard bondage of Egypt.  They were now on their way to a land God had promised to them.  But which way to go?  God gave them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to show them the way.  He had a very specific direction for them, and as long as they followed Him, they would be safe.

Once they reached the Red Sea however, they looked back and saw the Egyptians in hot pursuit.  They were terrified and cried out to Moses in fear.  Then God made His own special way for them by parting the waters so they could walk through on dry ground.  Though the Egyptians attempted to follow, the waters came crashing down on their heads and destroyed them.

The Israelites were once again encouraged by the mighty power of God.

As long as we do our best to follow close behind Jesus and trust in Him, His mighty power will defeat every enemy that comes against us.

"...Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day..."  Exodus 14:13

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."  Exodus 14:14

At God's command, Moses asked Pharaoh to allow God's people to leave their work and worship God at the place appointed.  Pharaoh refused and commanded the people to work even harder than they had previously done. 

There followed the mighty hand of God as He sent plague after plague to show everyone His power and glory.  Though Pharaoh witnessed this power, he would not let the people go until God sent the death angel to destroy every firstborn in the land of Egypt.  At this point, with his land in ruins and many people and animals destroyed, Pharaoh pleaded for God's people to leave his land.  Moses and his people were finally free.

It is far better to obey God and receive the blessings He has for us, rather than to disobey and receive the punishments.

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."  Isaiah 1:19-20

Moses grew up in a palace, learning the Egyptian language and culture.  However, he never forgot his people, the Israelites, and he desired to help them.  He saw how poorly they were treated by the Egyptians and one day he killed one who was abusing an Israelite.  When he realized his deed was public knowledge he feared the wrath of the Pharaoh and fled from Egypt. 

Moses reached the land of Midian and remained for many years.  Here he married and served as a shepherd over the sheep of his father-in-law.  One day as he was watching the sheep, he noticed a bush that, though engulfed in flames, was not consumed by them.  When he approached to take a closer look at this strange phenomena, the voice of God spoke to him.

God informed him of His plan to use Moses to lead his people, the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt.  Although Moses felt inadequate for this awesome responsibility, God was able to use him to fulfill his desire to help his people in God's own best way.

Moses had wished to help his people from the very beginning, but he had used his own methods and they had failed.   But when Moses proceeded under the strength and direction of God, he was able to see the mighty hand of God not only bring the people out of Egypt, but perform many marvelous miracles as well.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:8-9

In the beginning there was no earth or sky or sea or animals.  And then God spoke in the darkness:  “Let there be light!”  And right away there was light, scattering the darkness and showing the infinite space.  “That’s good!” said God.  “From now on, when it’s dark it will be ‘night” and when it’s light, it will be ‘day’.”

The evening came and the night passed and then the light returned.  That was the first day.

On the second day, God made the earth and over it He carefully hung a vast blue sky.  He stood back and admired His creation.  “That’s good too!” said God and the second day was over.

The next morning God looked around and thought, “the earth needs to be a bit more organized.”  So, He put all the water in one place and all the dry land in another.  When He had finished that, God made plants to cover the land.  Dandelions and daffodils appeared.  All sorts of trees and grasses began to grow.  “It’s looking great”, said God and that was the end of the third day.

On the fourth day, God looked around and though, “the daylight still needs a bit more work and the night is just too dark.”  So, He made the sun to light the sky during the day and the moon and stars to add a bit of sparkle to the night.  He hung them in the sky and stepped back to look at his work.  “This is coming along very well,”  said God.

The next day, God turned his attention to the water he had collected in the oceans.  “I want these waters teeming with life!”  As soon as He said it, it was so.  In no time, there were millions of small fish darting through the shallow water and huge fish swimming in the ocean.  God made birds, too.  He sent them soaring through the air.  “Ahh, that IS good!, “said God.  The dusk fell over the water and the sky grew dark and that was the end of the fifth day.

On the sixth day, God added creatures to the land.  He made lions and tigers and bears.  He made rabbits and sheep and cows.  He added everything from ants to zebras to the land.  But He still felt something was missing. There was no one to love and serve Him. So God created Man and Women to enjoy and take care of all that He had created.  God looked around and was happy with all He had made.

After six days, the whole universe was completed.  On the seventh day God had a nice long rest and enjoyed looking at all He had made.