Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Cause and effect. Because is used in the King James Version of the bible 1138 times. I’ve read them all at one time or another. You would think that I should have a fair warning of the consequences of choices.

Psalm 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Not all those because clauses lead to evil ends. Some of those because refrains point out clearly the benefits of believing and trusting in our God.

Jeremiah 35:17 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

God has repeatedly warned us and we stopped listening. God repeatedly called and His Word fell on deaf ears. God is not to be blamed for the consequences.

It amazes me that some who do not even believe in God blame Him for the evil that besets them. It is the devil cursed in Genesis 3:14 that hates all mankind. God loves you and has done everything possible to demonstrate His love.

If you reject His love offering, God is not to blame. Satan has the world in handcuffs and only Jesus has the key to set you free.

That key is faith.

Exodus 34:23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.

These three pilgrimage festivals are Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. It was a Jewish tradition held at the time of Christ. These traditions were handed down from father to son and may well have been the only time these men presented themselves before God.

This sounds vaguely familiar to a common practice among Christians in my youth. There were many that only went to church on the holidays, Christmas and Easter. What happened with these men in the 1^st century and with my modern counterparts is a mystery. I know nothing about the lives of either.

That is problematic from our call to make disciples. God used the Pilgrimage Festival Pentecost to change the lives of the men that came to honor tradition and found the power of God alive before their eyes.

I don’t get to judge the lives of the two timers, for they did not invite me into their homes to observe their daily lives. I cannot imagine the thought process that said “Twice a year is enough for me.”

For that matter, is once a week enough? How about twice a week? Fellowship is about gathering together with fellow believers and encouraging and exhorting one another. Or is it? My views about what ought to happen are my observances not unlike the 1^st century Jewish observances. They are my personal reasons.

Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

I have to live with myself. My relationship with my Lord is personal and I cannot expect anyone else to hold my traditions and festivals. Living a life of faith means allowing that faith to direct my actions, daily if not hourly.

What does your faith mean to you?