April 20, 2017

ADVICE FROM AN ANGEL

Tobit 12:6-7 LXX

Then Raphael secretly called the two of them, and said to them, "Bless God and give Him thanks. Ascribe greatness to Him and give thanks in the presence of all the living for what He has done for you. It is good to bless God and to exalt His name. Make known the words of God's works honorably and do not delay to give thanks to Him. It is noble to keep hidden the secret of a king, but glorious to unveil the works of God. Do good, and evil will not find you."

Encouraging Words

Just because someone might say that they do not believe in angels, or God, or Jesus as our Savior, does not make it so. As for me, I choose to believe in all of these and then to live my life accordingly. Throughout the book of Tobit, we find that Raphael, an angel sent by God, is active in the lives of both Tobit and his son, Tobias. Raphael is not controlling their lives or manipulating them because he cannot do that. We are all accountable for our own decisions and never coerced by God or His angels to do something against our will. After spending time with Tobit and Tobias, appearing as a human, he reveals who he is to them and gives them this powerful advice, advice that all of us can learn from. We should continually bless God and give Him thanks for what He does in our lives. We should freely ascribe greatness to Him in the presence of everyone in our lives. We should make known, from the rooftops, His words, His works, and His greatness in our lives and the lives of everyone.