2024-11-04 Evaluating Politicians?
How are we to evaluate politicians (or anyone seeking to sell themselves to us)? It seems obvious that politicians are especially adept at saying whatever they think will attract people to vote for and follow them. If this is true, how are we to discern what a particular politician actually believes and truly will do if elected?
There are several things we can do. We can listen to what they say. We can listen to what other people say about them. Actually most "electioneering" involves politicians and their representatives "saying" things about what they believe and "promise" to do if elected. Experience tells us that what politicians "say" and what they "do" are all too often not the same thing.
To simply believe what a politician says about what they plan to do if elected without very careful evaluation of what they have done in the past is not only foolish but irresponsible.
Evaluating politicians (or anyone seeking to sell themselves to us) requires that we pay much more attention to what they have done in the past than to what they say they will do in the future.
How are we to evaluate politicians (or anyone seeking to sell themselves to us)? It seems obvious that politicians are especially adept at saying whatever they think will attract people to vote for and follow them. If this is true, how are we to discern what a particular politician actually believes and truly will do if elected?
There are several things we can do. We can listen to what they say. We can listen to what other people say about them. Actually most "electioneering" involves politicians and their representatives "saying" things about what they believe and "promise" to do if elected. Experience tells us that what politicians "say" and what they "do" are all too often not the same thing.
To simply believe what a politician says about what they plan to do if elected without very careful evaluation of what they have done in the past is not only foolish but irresponsible.
Evaluating politicians (or anyone seeking to sell themselves to us) requires that we pay much more attention to what they have done in the past than to what they say they will do in the future.
2024-09-12 - WHAT OR WHO MOST INFLUENCES OUR VOTE?
It occurs to me that at least the two main sides in United States politics support and claim the simple phrase "Make America Great." (It could be argued that even those who desire the total collapse of America desire it to be remade into something "great.")
The argument is over the word "Again" which is added to one sides phrase. The opponents of that word argue either that America was never really great, or they are never going back to what America was but ahead to what we can be. The general arguments are that the most recent direction chosen by the election of 2020 should be continued or changed with some important changes.
One of the main problems voters have in deciding how to vote is the nature of politicians to rarely answer questions directly. They typically use questions to repeat campaign slogans which do not inform but tend to simply say what the politician believes the voters want to hear. This makes intelligent voting difficult, but it is only half of the problem.
Perhaps an even greater problem is that many voters only really listen to what they want to hear. And what they want to hear is often not what they need to hear.
It was announced yesterday that a wildly popular entertainer, with 300 million worldwide followers, endorsed one side in the campaign for president and vice president. People on both sides feel strongly that this endorsement has the potential to dramatically influence the election. This entertainer has no particular insight into economics, International affairs, or any other things that really matter to the future of America, but she can entertain.
If the next President and Vice President of the United States is chosen because they are endorsed by entertainers it will say more about the nature of the electorate than it does about the real value of the directions in which the politicians will lead us.
I long for statesmen (and stateswomen) to lead the politics of our country. But seemingly we prefer politicians who tickle our ears. But our greatest misconception, or deception, is that common belief that political leaders are the answer to the life problems that plague all of humanity. But that's an issue for another post.
It occurs to me that at least the two main sides in United States politics support and claim the simple phrase "Make America Great." (It could be argued that even those who desire the total collapse of America desire it to be remade into something "great.")
The argument is over the word "Again" which is added to one sides phrase. The opponents of that word argue either that America was never really great, or they are never going back to what America was but ahead to what we can be. The general arguments are that the most recent direction chosen by the election of 2020 should be continued or changed with some important changes.
One of the main problems voters have in deciding how to vote is the nature of politicians to rarely answer questions directly. They typically use questions to repeat campaign slogans which do not inform but tend to simply say what the politician believes the voters want to hear. This makes intelligent voting difficult, but it is only half of the problem.
Perhaps an even greater problem is that many voters only really listen to what they want to hear. And what they want to hear is often not what they need to hear.
It was announced yesterday that a wildly popular entertainer, with 300 million worldwide followers, endorsed one side in the campaign for president and vice president. People on both sides feel strongly that this endorsement has the potential to dramatically influence the election. This entertainer has no particular insight into economics, International affairs, or any other things that really matter to the future of America, but she can entertain.
If the next President and Vice President of the United States is chosen because they are endorsed by entertainers it will say more about the nature of the electorate than it does about the real value of the directions in which the politicians will lead us.
I long for statesmen (and stateswomen) to lead the politics of our country. But seemingly we prefer politicians who tickle our ears. But our greatest misconception, or deception, is that common belief that political leaders are the answer to the life problems that plague all of humanity. But that's an issue for another post.
2024-09-09 - WHAT TO DO WITH DIRT?
While they usually call it "news," it seems that most media (news and social) follows the theme: "dig up all the dirt" on those with whom we disagree. The reason they publish it is because people (we, you and I) want it. It is said that most people get their information from sources with which they agree. So our beliefs and opinions are more often reenforced rather than researched. We, of course, claim to research, but usually look for sources that support our established beliefs. And the more "dirt" we can find the more justified our preferred perspective becomes. What can we do as individuals in this "mud slinging" culture to have a constructive rather than a destructive influence?
1. Recognize that dirt is dirty and has only dirtying effects.
(There are bad truths about people that must be exposed, but those truths become dirt when they are shared with dirty motives)
2. Recognize that most of us tend to like dirt more than truth.
3. Listen and think more than we talk. Dirt is much easier to share than truth.(Remember to check our sources and motives before we share what we believe to be truth)
4. Remember that we all have "logs in our own eyes that Jesus said ought to be removed before we try to remove the splinters in the eyes of others."
5. Remember how Jesus told the truth to and about those to whom He was opposed. Read again what he said about how to live a broken world.
Matthew 5: " Be poor in spirit; mourn; be meek; hunger and thirst for righteousness; be merciful; be pure in heart; be peacemakers; remember that truth-livers are persecuted."
6. Remember the purpose of the greatest Truth source (the Bible) is to 2Timothy 3: "teach, reprove, correct, and train," ME and YOU. These are the motives that transform "mud slinging" to "truth telling."
7. Realize that "mud slinging" is in our human DNA (our sin nature). Only God can rescue us from our self-centered hearts. He can, will, and does as we repentantly ask Him to.
2024-08-25 - THE REAL OBJECTION OF PRO-CHOICE ADVOCATES?
Questions for Pro-Choice Advocates:
Can you describe any Pro-Life law that:
- Keeps you from having sex with anyone of your choice?
- Keeps you from choosing to become or not become pregnant?
- Forces you to become pregnant?
- Forces you to remain pregnant or keep a baby against your choice?
(People have always, and will always, found a way to eliminate babies and children they do not want - no law can stop them.)
- Actually Stops you from choosing to have an abortion?
> If you think that laws take away your free choices, do you not realize that you can disobey any law you choose?
> Laws may prescribe some consequences for our choices but they cannot force our choice to obey or disobey.
> Laws may seek to coerce our choices but they cannot force them. It seems obvious that for every law someone has found a way to choose to violate it.
> Certainly, Pro-life laws seek to discourage abortions, but they cannot stop them.
> Pro-Choice Advocates claim to be opposed to their choices regarding their "reproductive rights" being taken away. But in reality they are primarily opposed to being told that their choice to kill babies disregards God and is awfully dead wrong.
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
2024-08-23 - DO ONLY SOME MATTER?
Whether the numbers are accurate or not, I do not know. I read that:
On the weekend before the Democratic Convention 30 people in Chicago were shot and 5 were killed. On day 2 of the Democratic Convention 12 people in the city of Chicago were shot and 1 was killed. On day 3 of the Democratic Convention 10 people in Chicago were shot and 1 killed. On day 4 of the Democratic Convention in Chicago, which has been controlled by Democrats since 1931, the crowd was stirred by the stories of four past school shootings around the U.S.. But no mention was made of the recent violence in Chicago, I wonder why.
It seems that it is easy to blame guns and the people who refuse to ban them. It seems easy to blame one race or the other. It seems easy to blame one group of people or another. What is hard, if not impossible, apart from the enlightening Grace of God is to blame our individual and collective sin that the Bible describes as "everyone does what is right in his own eye." (Judges 21:25) The solution is not political. The solution is not legal. The solution is not psychological. The solution is not economical. The solution is Spiritual. Only God can change our selfish hearts. But many of us prefer to blindly rally around the rousing things that have never worked and never will.
Refusing God's rescue, those claiming to wisely lead us, will continue to repeat their tried and failed mantras. All the while, God is as close as a prayer to those willing to humbly pray; "God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13)
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
2024-08-21 - Pro-Choice Choices?
How many choices has a woman made before she seeks the free choice to have an abortion? How many important questions has she chosen to face or ignore?
- Do I choose to listen to or ignore both sides of the abortion debate?
- Is this temporary pleasure worth the possibility of getting pregnant?
- Am I certain that the contraceptives I am using will be effective?
- Am I willing to stop an intimate moment if there is a chance I become pregnant?
- What kind of men do i choose to date?
- Has this man proven he would be a good father?
- Will I let alcohol or drugs affect my relationships with men?
- Am I confident that I am emotionally, financially and spiritually mature enough to make these life determining choices?
- Do I think about or ignore the impact my motherhood choices will have on my family and friends?
- Do I think about or ignore how I might feel about my choice in the months and years ahead?
- Do I think about or ignore thinking about the thoughts, feelings and potential life of the baby growing inside me?
- Do I consider or ignore the alternative choices available to me.
- Have I worked at being the kind of woman a faithful man would seek?
- Do I listen to or ignore what God says about sex?
- Do I listen to or ignore what God says about motherhood and children?
- Am I willing to personally listen to or watch what actually happens in an abortion?
- Am I willing to listen to or read the testimonies of women who regret having an abortion?
- Have I spent any time really thinking about the potential joys of motherhood with a faithful loving husband?
> NOT EVEN ONE of these questions or choices are prohibited by any so called "pro-life" law.
> BUT woman do make these choices in one direction or another.
> The ONLY CHOICE that Pro-Life laws restrict is the choice to kill a baby in the womb.
When a woman comes to the place where she is choosing whether or not to have an abortion, she has already made many many unrestricted choices that have resulted in what she now considers a predicament. She has already made many many unrestricted choices regarding her "reproductive rights."
It is certainly misleading and indeed untrue to claim that pro-life laws deny a woman's reproductive rights. Additionally it is misleading to claim that pro-life laws are uncaring, hateful, anti woman's choice. In fact pro-life laws are grounded in sincere love and a strong desire for women to know the high calling God gives to women to be faithful wives and mothers, and to know the deep joy of trusting God's faithful working in their lives.
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
2024-08-11 - God Uses Years - All of Them?
My wife and I just got home from my 1964 High School Reunion. I had never been to a class reunion before. I have been in contact with only a couple of you over the years. Thus the majority of my high school classmates I have not seen for sixty years. I was surprised that people remembered me.
As a young man I was a combination of shyness and blind selfishness that didn't really take life very seriously. Of course I enjoyed things but without much genuine care about what was presently or eternally good for myself or others. Thankfully, over the past sixty years I have changed, or more accurately God has changed me.
I had only a few close friends while in High School, and I, like many others moved away from my hometown, so it is understandable that I would neither miss or be missed, especially after sixty disappearing years.
So, why did I choose to go to this reunion after so long? I thought, even talked, about going to a reunion throughout the years. I always had what I considered good reasons not to go back to a past which I assumed, had little influence on me, or on which I had such little influence. But as I have matured, or as God has graciously taught me, I realize that these thoughts and feelings are not unusual. Thankfully most people grow out of the blind arrogance of youth. I believe that none of us deserve the credit for any good changes in our lives. I was curious about how God has changed the people I knew in my youth.
It is not surprising that beyond, and much more significant than, gray hair and "wrinkles," amid the variety of vocations and accomplishments I witnessed sincere interest in and appreciation of each other. One man, summarizing our time together, mentioned that our shared youth had more influence on who we have become than we tend to realize. I agree and admit that I have been slow to learn how God uses every circumstance and every person in our lives.
Thank you, class of 1964 for the reminder that God can grow and change us, when we let Him.
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
2024-08-02 - Reproductive Rights?
A candidate for President of the United States says they want "Reproductive Rights" to be "guaranteed in every State." This statement is disingenuous at best. The truth is that the real issue is abortion. This candidate actually wants women in every state to have the right to choose abortion to end an unwanted reproduction.. It would be more accurate and honest to recognize there are no laws against choosing to reproduce. The issue involves choosing to reproduce or not reproduce. I have never heard a pro-life argument against the right to choose to reproduce. Women can choose to reproduce or not reproduce. The pro-life objection is when abortion is used in the choice to not reproduce. Tellingly, abortion advocates seem compelled to misrepresent pro-life supporters as being against "reproductive rights." Pro-choice people do not oppose "reproductive rights," they oppose killing unborn babies.
In the same campaign ad, this candidate also said they want an America where "hard work is rewarded." It should be recognized that the insinuation that America does "not reward hard work" is similarly disingenuous at best.
Could it be that one of America's (in fact mankind's) most significant problems is how easily and often misrepresentation is followed?
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
Spectacular? Glory?
2024-07-27
The opening ceremony of every Olympic Games is always spectacular. In fact, each one seems to be more amazing than the last. Combining technology, imagination and talent every hosting country seeks to offer a most spectacular experience for the world.
The 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris was no different. It was indeed a spectacular laser show featuring the Eiffel Tower. The creators said they wanted to celebrate "inclusion and diversity." They wanted everyone to feel welcome to and impressed by their portrayals of contemporary French culture. For their efforts they, like most people, anticipate, consciously or unconsciously, the glory that usually follows.
This is the way it has been throughout human history. From the Pyramids of Egypt, the Roman Colosseum, and Notre Dame in Paris, human beings have designed and built countless spectacular things. For their efforts, they have received multiplied glory. The quest to be spectacular seems to be both everywhere and unquenchable. And the glory received is equally everywhere enthusiastically given.
BUT, it is also true that virtually every "spectacular" thing humans have done or are doing are doomed to be superseded and even forgotten or decayed. Thus, no matter how spectacular, human glory is always fading. And it is often misplaced as it was in the shameful drag queen display of the Paris opening ceremony.
There has been one thing in history that was truly spectacular and truly glorious. The Bible says in John 1:14 "And the word (Jesus/God) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." Those who do not see the matchless spectacle and glory of Jesus Christ, have either denied or misunderstood the Bible story of Who Jesus Christ is and What Jesus has done for the the world and for them personally. They are missing the eternal reality of the Biblical fact that "they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. But as it is written, what no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1Corinthians 2:9
I pray that those enthralled by the temporary spectacle and glory of Paris (and all other human glories) will come to know the true glory of Jesus Christ.
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
Does Trump Represent a US Theocracy?
2024-07-18
A very influential and long-time Democratic spokesman has claimed that Trump and his followers represent an alarming Theocratic takeover of the United States. He sites claims that "God protected Trump from assassination" as one of many warning signs that Trump is a theological figure. Identifying of Trump's persecutions with those of Jesus Christ is seen as a clear "deification" of Trump and that he and his followers plan to replace our Constitutional Democracy with a Biblical Theocracy. That, he and others claim and fear would result in the oppression and destruction of any and all non-Christian ideas and individuals.
Interestingly many Christians claim and fear that they themselves are the objects of oppression and planned destruction by exalted contemporary liberal beliefs and behaviors. Setting aside the important discussion of the reality of the claims and fears within our various political and civil factions. how does the Bible actually describe and direct the followers of Jesus Christ to relate to those in authority over them?
Here are two key Bible passages that direct and describe a true Christian's relationship with their political leaders. Sadly, content with their preferred perspectives, both opponents of Christianity and many people who are, to use a phrase, "Christians in name only," will most likely ignore reading and pondering what the Bible really says about Christian citizenship.
Romans 13:1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
1Peter 3:13-17 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
There are many very important things that could be noticed in these few verses but I mention only these:
1. It is understandable and easy for Christians to long for leaders who govern with Biblical wisdom. We claim we would gladly submit to them. But the Bible says that God has sovereignly appointed all our authorities, past, present and future. In that sense, we already live in a Theocracy, just not the kind we imagine. (As an aside... We must recognize that in His Sovereignty, God has undoubtedly protected President Biden (and all of us) from numerous harms, in ways just as real, though undoubtedly not as public and dramatic as what we all saw on television with Donald Trump.)
It is worth noting that Jesus did not die to defeat oppressive Rome, but to pay for and redeem our proud rebellious hearts. God's greatest desire is to change our hearts, not our political party affiliation.
2. Though anti-Christ's disagree, a Theocracy with Jesus Christ as King will be a very good thing for everyone except those who misunderstand and misrepresent good and evil. It will one day come to pass, accomplished not by human politics or religion but by the very presence of Jesus Christ Himself. Any individual or group, large or small, who invites or welcomes credit and praise from those they claim to lead are both deceived and deceiving. True leadership is a gift not a longing or an achievement.
GOD is the Only One Truly Worthy of our full Dependence, Trust, Praise and Fear.
Read Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
Everything Comes To Pass
2024-07-13
For the moment it is being reported that Former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear. The assumed shooter was killed after shooting two other people, one died and one was wounded. It can reasonably be assumed that a variety of theories and conjectures for these events will be explored and presented in the days to come.
Why does it seem more alarming for someone to kill politicians than for 100 people to be shot in Chicago over the fourth of July holidays?
Some will say that in the social and political climate in which we live, such violence is inevitable. Actually, it is.
As much as people like to think that human beings are basically good, the opposite it true. We are all selfish, proud and usually blind to the depth of it. Though we tend to attribute this foundational "sin" to other people, it infects us all and the consequences are the relational, social and political climate in which we live.
In such a world, where Jesus said: "you will have tribulation," all sorts of things come to pass. Every day, for all of us, welcome and unwelcome, expected and unexpected, events come to pass. Things we hoped and planned for come to pass; but so do things we dreaded and did not plan.
It is true that our beliefs, attitudes and behaviors greatly influence the happenings of our days. But it is also true that many things in our days are beyond our control and even our influence.
As I heard the description of the man, who was simply an attendee at the Trump Rally, was shot in the head and killed instantly, I thought about the the reality, the fact, that for every one of us our death will come to pass. Most likely it will come at an unexpected, unplanned time.
Why do we tend to think that such a certain event will not happen to ourselves, at least not today, or the near future? We behave like we think we can make the march of time stand still? One day, and much sooner than we think, we will, like the Bible says, die and stand (or bow) before the Perfectly Righteous God and face His Judgment. He will judge our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. But He will primarily judge our relationship with Jesus Christ Who simply and profoundly asks "who do you say that I am?
The shooter and the man he killed today both had plans for their day. We can assume that one man's plans were more benign than the other. But I wonder if either of them thought about what would come to pass after they died. I wonder too, if Donald Trump thinks differently about what may inevitably come to pass on his tomorrow? I wonder what we all think about the fact that our tomorrow will surely come to pass. I wonder how many people think that the question "what will you do with Jesus?" can be put off for a later day?
Read more Crucial Questions We All Face Every Day
An Overlooked Friend!
2024-07-10
I first met Dan Wolf about twenty years ago. The first thing I noticed was what probably most everyone else noticed. He was socially awkward. He had an undeveloped understanding of how to talk and behave with others. He talked, but not the way normal people are expected to talk. Dan was politely considered "mentally disabled." He lived next door to his parents who lovingly watched over him as he adequately cared for himself. He did the things adults do. He drove his pick-up truck wherever he wanted and needed to go. He cooked and cleaned, minimally, for himself. He made his own doctors appointments and, like many people, fretted over many real, and many imagined, medical issues.
Dan was present at almost every church function, seeking to be accepted and included like everyone else. Dan agreed with spiritual things that were talked about, but was unable to articulate the truths in his own words. He was always ready to help, but help usually meant watching.
Dan was accepted and included, sincerely, but with mostly unconscious caution. We don't (I don't) know how to relate to "slow, mentally disabled, different" people. How are we supposed to normally treat abnormal people?
Actually I did spend quite a bit of time with Dan. Probably because he "hung around me," rather than me being with him. For that I am regretful and ashamed. Dan was needy and dependent. I didn't really know how to adequately give him what he wanted and needed. And it seemed like few other people knew either. I played verbal and relational games with Dan. We teased each other with fun criticisms of our likes and dislikes. I habitually put small stones on his truck bumper or windshield and he would gleefully chase me away. Dan would make fun of my "old Chevy truck that wasn't near as good as his Toyota pick-up."
I watched and listened as Dan tried to develop and maintain a romantic relationship with a woman of similar mental and social stature. I didn't know how to help with something that was so longed for yet so surely unworkable. Interestingly Dan sincerely desired for all his relationships to be Biblically moral. He sought to be truthful, kind, faithful, pure in everything he did. He was frustrated that so many other people were not so inclined.
I moved away and the daily interactions with Dan ended. We talked on the phone periodically. The conversations were most often about his latest medical crisis. Dan would send us cards with simple, misspelled messages of sincere love for us. On a recent and rare trip back to Enterprise, we visited Dan at his home. It was more lonely now with his parents both in Heaven. We helped him feed "his deer" who came every evening to feast on the deer feed Dan purchased for them. Dan rummaged through his cluttered garage to find a gift to give us. I have and use a small hand axe that Dan gave me many years ago. He polished and etched it with the message: "To Neil Evans from Dan Wolf." This time he gave us two rough agates he said we might like to polish; and a small handmade cross Christmas tree ornament.
Last week I got a text message that "Dan Wolf died." Then after inquiring, "He was full of cancer. His relatives did not want a service. Gary visited Dan in the hospital." I have checked several times in the county news sources and found no death notices or obituary for Dan. I assume the church he attended made mention of Dan's death. The last time we talked he said he didn't go as often and people didn't visit him much.
People like Dan do not usually dress as nice, smell as nice, or interact as normal people do. But then what is normal? I suspect that our "normal," from God's and Dan's perspective is being focused on ourselves. Dan had the same problem but there was a simple, yet genuine (Holy Spirit) caring love for others that, I for one, tended to overlook, to my own loss. Dan loved me, and others, without the blinding and crippling self-interest that most of us "normal" people have.
Thank you God for putting Dan Wolf in my life. I miss him. Help me to be less judgmental, like him.
The World of Hate?
2024-05-21
A good friend posted a response to a local news report about a "Pride Festival" in a public park. The city published an explanation about why the festival was allowed to use the park.
My friend used Biblical words to describe his objection to the festival. What he wrote was admittedly blunt, yet Biblically accurate. I don't know whether or not he anticipated the volume and negative responses he received. In a variety of ways he was accused of being intolerant, behind the times, ignorant and hateful.
I am confident he wrote because God prompted him. Christians must not be silent just because others believe they should be. When we confront our world we ought to be Biblically truthful, salty, and wise, which is not our human nature to be. Only Jesus did it perfectly.
When we confront the world with these Biblical motives it is crucial that we recognize while the world receives it as hate, Jesus demonstrated it as love. In fact Jesus understood and described the world's response to His love as their hate not only for His message but for He Himself. He said that His followers ought not be alarmed by the hate of the world, because the World hated, and hates, Him. In remembering this we must not mistakenly assume that we are free to be unloving to a blindly captive hateful world.
Jesus summarized our privileged responsibilities as we live as His Saints in this fallen world. He said we are to: "be poor in spirit ... mourn ... be meek ... hunger and thirst for righteousness ... be merciful ... be pure in heart ... and be peacemakers." These are all things I see in my friend.
Jesus concluded this list (we call the "Sermon on the Mount") with these words: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
May we all be challenged and encouraged by Jesus' words. And pray for each other as we seek to love those around us who either consciously or unconsciously hate Jesus in their attitudes and behaviors.
My Easter Pessimism?
I don't know about you, but I am basically a pessimist. It seems rather easy to see that everything in life is getting worse. Of course there are some good things happening, but they are the exception rather than the rule. We are told that if we just elect the good guys, things will improve; if we just take this pill or eat the right foods and exercise we will feel better; if we follow the experts advice things will turn out all right. The engraving on a tombstone rather sums up life as we experience it; "See, I told you I was sick."
I am simply saying that pessimism is very easily justified. We all have many good reasons to think that tomorrow will be worse, not better, than today. But... was Jesus mistaken when He said: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world?" (John 16:33)
Adam and Eve, on the day they disobeyed God, set the deadly pattern for their (and thus our) days to be all sorts of "tribulation." Every effort at finding personal peace and prosperity is challenged by the efforts of others looking for their own personal peace and prosperity. All our conflicts are fundamentally grounded in the selfishness of humans seeking to "be like God," as the Serpent promised. For the Jews, their conflicting efforts resulted in "400 years of slavery in Egypt;" "40 years wandering then dying in the wilderness;" "the glorious and gory victories and defeats of the rise and fall of Israel's fortunes." No matter how optimistic they tried to be, the "good days" never seemed to last.
Then came a day that seemed like the "last straw." Babylon entered Jerusalem, destroyed both the city and their beloved Temple. Then they marched at least half the population back to Babylon as exiled slaves. Faced with the prospect of never-ending slavery, hopeless pessimism reigned.
The prophet Jeremiah, who had warned of judgment if they did not repent of their selfish idolatry, was left in Jerusalem and wrote a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. It was a letter of Biblical optimism. He said:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
Notice three very important things in God's letter to the Jews in exile:
1. Their 70 years of exile were not what we pessimists would normally call pleasant circumstances. BUT... God had "sent them there."
2. Their "welfare," their multiplied family life, was what should be called "good" by anyone with even a little bit of optimism.
3. God was with them, fulfilling His promises to hear them and finally and wonderfully bless them.
My circumstances are nowhere near what the Jews in exile faced. But I confess that sometimes my hope is lost in pessimism. So I, and perhaps you too, need to remember:
1. God's listening and caring presence in my past, present and future is more important and valuable to me than the condition of my present circumstances.
2. The good hope of God's plans for my future are wonderful beyond my comprehension.
3. My pessimistic doubts are simply blindness to God's Glorious and Gracious optimistic plans for me.
At Easter, the followers of Jesus Christ thought all was lost. Jesus was brutally killed on a cross, buried and gone. But in that time of truly enormous disappointment, Jesus Christ conquered sin and death for all who were willing to repent and accept what Jesus did on our behalf. Jesus' resurrection on Easter morning should give us hope and optimism beyond anything the world can offer.
We may not know what the days just ahead of us will be like. But, knowing Jesus as our Savior, we know that our eternity is in His presence. What a privilege today to remember Our LORD's Death, and Resurrection until He comes. -938
2024-03-11 MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHOSEN
I. WHY I LIKE "THE CHOSEN"
A. IT IS ABOUT THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE.
- Does The Chosen present Jesus the way I have usually understood Him? Not always but neither do preachers or books.
- It gives some thought provoking perspectives different from what I have tended to imagine.
- I have not even once been led by the videos to doubt Jesus being the God-Man-Savior the Bible declares Him to be.
- I have been prompted to reread portions of the Gospels to confirm, clarify, reevaluate, my assumptions and convictions about events regarding Jesus and the various people around Him.
- I have gained a more realistic understanding of the culture in which Jesus lived.
- I have gained a more realistic understanding of how Jesus was viewed by the people around him.
- I have seen myself more realistically as I have imagined myself as various people who were in His story.
- Could I have done these things without The Chosen? Of course, it is what I have been doing my whole life, with the Bible and a variety of other things prompting me.
B. GOD USES IT.
God, with the Bible as the Lamp, uses a great variety of things to communicate Himself to us.
- The world around us declares God's being and character as He works in "all things." He works in things I like and things I don't like; He works in pleasant and unpleasant things; God works in things I understand and things I do not understand.
- The Bible uses descriptive, imagination provoking words to lead our thinking about Him, ourselves, and our relationship with Him. i.e. "I AM the Good Shepherd."
- Jesus Himself was a master illustrator, provoking our imagination with parables and life-challenging questions. i.e.: "Is not life more than food?"
- Even as the Bible accurately and sufficiently tells the whole story from beginning to end, it leaves at least as many questions as it gives answers. If we don't have questions as we read the Bible, we are not seriously reading it.
- The whole story of Jesus (God's relationship with mankind) is so complex, so varied, so wonderful that there are not words enough, books enough, videos enough to tell it with full and complete accuracy. (I am not saying 'we need other things, but God uses other things to help us understand and appreciate what He has Written.)
- Everything God uses to communicate Himself to mankind, has been misunderstood and misapplied by some people. But God continues to use them all. When I do not, cannot, or will not appreciate them it does not mean God is not using them. The Bible does not say "only the things I like work together for good."
II. MY THOUGHTS ON SOME OBJECTIONS TO "THE CHOSEN"
Most of the objections I have read or heard involve the following things:
A- "THE VIDEOS PRESENT AN UN-BIBLICAL OR NON-BIBLICAL JESUS."
-- It would be more fair to object that "the Jesus of the Chosen is portrayed differently than I would portray Him." The Jesus of the Chosen is basically presented as He demonstrated and claimed to be, the Messiah of the Old Testament, come to seek and save the lost. He worked miracles, forgave sin; He did the things that only Immanuel could do. Yes, the videos use words that the world often uses with different meanings, but that does not mean the world's definitions are intended by the producers of the videos.
-- Virtually every presentation that has ever been given about Jesus since the Gospels were written, have what might accurately be described as embellished descriptions of the circumstances of Jesus life. Every Bible teacher, preacher, and writer adds the words of their studied perspective of the texts of the Bible. Could they simply quote Bible verses and not add any other words? Of course they could. But then the hearer would begin to, in their mind, add explaining words and pictures to more fully understand the Bible's words. Actually, every translation of the Bible (except Hebrew and Greek ones) in our modern world uses words that Jesus Himself never said or heard. But God somehow designed and uses human thought and imagination to accurately communicate Himself and His Word to anyone who wants to receive it.
B. "CHARACTERS PORTRAY UNTRUE THINGS."
It is claimed that various characters in The Chosen believe and say things about Jesus that contradict the true character and behavior of Jesus.
--Is that not exactly what the Bible itself says. Jesus was called a sinner and a blasphemer. Portraying this reality does not mean that the intention of the videos is to promote the idea that Jesus really was what others accused him of being.
C. "THE VIDEOS ARE IDOLATRY"
- Regarding the criticism that using actors to portray Jesus is Idolatry seems to me to misrepresent what the Bible means by idolatry. I understand idolatry to involve two primary elements. First, idolatry involves man making something, whether tangible or intangible, to take the place of the One God; having and or making an "other God." Mankind has done that with virtually everything. The second element of idolatry involves worship, submission, dependence, exaltation and the like. A figurine on a shelf becomes idolatry when it is considered and treated as in the place of God Himself. And yes, we actually do that with many things, people, and ideas in our lives. We, who call ourselves Christian, even approach idolatry in the way we think of our favorite preachers, writers, singers, etc. And of course we all do it in the way we idolize our own selves and our own beliefs and perspectives. It is in our fallen human nature to do right things the wrong way. Adam and Eve clothed themselves, the wrong way.
- Do some people idolize The Chosen videos or Jesus the actor? Probably so. Does that mean that to write, produce or act in The Chosen promotes idolatry. I don't think so, any more than to attempt to preach accurately and effectively promotes idolatry of the preacher. If The Chosen invited or welcomed being idolized it would be a serious problem, but I do not see that happening.
D. "UNBIBLICAL AFFILIATIONS"
- How about the objections to The Chosen based on perceived close affiliations with what are considered false beliefs? Specifically, some people believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, have had and do have a significant influence on the production and thus the content of The Chosen. Is this actually true? It should be hoped that every Christian has both friends and associates who do not accurately understand or believe the Bible. So, the accurate recognition that the writer-producer of The Chosen has Mormon friends and has in the past used a company owned by mormon individuals to make and market The Chosen is not the most important question. The primary and legitimate question is, have those Mormon friends and associations had an influence that has resulted in LDS doctrines being presented in the message of The Chosen? In the three season I have viewed, I have seen absolutely no LDS slant in the doctrinal portrayals in The Chosen. It has been observed that in one scene Jesus responds to a Pharisee with: "I Am The Law." It is accurate that the Bible never quotes Jesus saying those exact words, while the Book of Mormon does. Are people aware that the Book of Mormon and the Bible have many words and phrases that are identical. Does that mean that whenever any of those words or phrases are used by Christians they are quoting and giving authenticity to the Book of Mormon.?Of course not. Specifically, in the video Jesus said "I Am The Law," to a Pharisee in response to the accusation that Jesus was breaking the Law. While the phrase is not an exact quote from the Bible, it is entirely plausible that Jesus could have made the statement because it is clearly in accord with the "I AM" that Jesus claimed and presented Himself to be. To claim that the phrase was included as a quote from and thus an authentication of the Book of Mormon is a stretch indeed. Could it be that God will use the interest some Mormons seem to have in The Chosen, to rescue them from the misunderstandings they have about the True Jesus of The Bible?
E. "NON-CHRISTIANS INVOLVED IN PRODUCTION"
- What about the participation of other non or un-Christian people in the making of The Chosen? It has been openly admitted that being an Evangelical Christian is not a requirement for working behind or in front of the cameras in order to be hired to work on the productions. A pride flag on the personal camera of one of the cameramen has been widely used to suggest that The Chosen supports the LGB... agenda. Guilt by association is a very easy and too often effective criticism. You remember, the pharisees used it when they accused Jesus of being one with tax gatherers. I have heard Dallas Jenkins, the writer and producer of The Chosen say that he hires individuals and companies on the basis of their professional skills not their Christian credentials. Does the Bible say that only Christian resources should be used in Bible presentations? Are the sources and destinations of our dollars to be from and to Christians only?
III. FINAL THOUGHTS
A. DANGER OF HEAR-SAY
Finally, while virtually everything we believe relies on some degree of hear-say, it seems most wise and honest to personally research the things we believe, as much as is reasonably possible. We are all prone to not question what we believe and also be susceptible to being misled. Additionally, we believe that our way is the best and right way. Shouldn't we be thankful that God uses other people in addition to ourselves to reach people outside our sphere of influence and expectations. It is one thing to say that a video about Jesus is not what we like or the way we think it should be done. It is another to oppose it as un-Biblical without Biblically clear and accurate objections.
B. THE BIBLE MUST BE FOUNDATIONAL
It is valid to be concerned that media about the Bible not be a substitute for the Bible itself. This is a very common problem, as Christians, we tend to quote favorite pastors, writers and musicians more than we quote the Bible itself. But while this can be wrongly welcomed and encouraged by the preacher, writer, etc., it is mostly the responsibility of the hearer to diligently, like the Bereans, "examine the scriptures daily, to see if these things are true."
I heard Dallas Jenkins say that, rather than The Chosen being intended as the object of the Bible, the Bible is the object of the videos. His primary goal is to get people reading their Bibles more because, "The Book is far better than the movie." If it does that for people, I am glad. Please read your Bible more prayerfully, earnestly and carefully. God Bless you with HIMSELF!!!
Watch an interview with Dallas Jenkins of The Chosen
I. WHY I LIKE "THE CHOSEN"
A. IT IS ABOUT THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE.
- Does The Chosen present Jesus the way I have usually understood Him? Not always but neither do preachers or books.
- It gives some thought provoking perspectives different from what I have tended to imagine.
- I have not even once been led by the videos to doubt Jesus being the God-Man-Savior the Bible declares Him to be.
- I have been prompted to reread portions of the Gospels to confirm, clarify, reevaluate, my assumptions and convictions about events regarding Jesus and the various people around Him.
- I have gained a more realistic understanding of the culture in which Jesus lived.
- I have gained a more realistic understanding of how Jesus was viewed by the people around him.
- I have seen myself more realistically as I have imagined myself as various people who were in His story.
- Could I have done these things without The Chosen? Of course, it is what I have been doing my whole life, with the Bible and a variety of other things prompting me.
B. GOD USES IT.
God, with the Bible as the Lamp, uses a great variety of things to communicate Himself to us.
- The world around us declares God's being and character as He works in "all things." He works in things I like and things I don't like; He works in pleasant and unpleasant things; God works in things I understand and things I do not understand.
- The Bible uses descriptive, imagination provoking words to lead our thinking about Him, ourselves, and our relationship with Him. i.e. "I AM the Good Shepherd."
- Jesus Himself was a master illustrator, provoking our imagination with parables and life-challenging questions. i.e.: "Is not life more than food?"
- Even as the Bible accurately and sufficiently tells the whole story from beginning to end, it leaves at least as many questions as it gives answers. If we don't have questions as we read the Bible, we are not seriously reading it.
- The whole story of Jesus (God's relationship with mankind) is so complex, so varied, so wonderful that there are not words enough, books enough, videos enough to tell it with full and complete accuracy. (I am not saying 'we need other things, but God uses other things to help us understand and appreciate what He has Written.)
- Everything God uses to communicate Himself to mankind, has been misunderstood and misapplied by some people. But God continues to use them all. When I do not, cannot, or will not appreciate them it does not mean God is not using them. The Bible does not say "only the things I like work together for good."
II. MY THOUGHTS ON SOME OBJECTIONS TO "THE CHOSEN"
Most of the objections I have read or heard involve the following things:
A- "THE VIDEOS PRESENT AN UN-BIBLICAL OR NON-BIBLICAL JESUS."
-- It would be more fair to object that "the Jesus of the Chosen is portrayed differently than I would portray Him." The Jesus of the Chosen is basically presented as He demonstrated and claimed to be, the Messiah of the Old Testament, come to seek and save the lost. He worked miracles, forgave sin; He did the things that only Immanuel could do. Yes, the videos use words that the world often uses with different meanings, but that does not mean the world's definitions are intended by the producers of the videos.
-- Virtually every presentation that has ever been given about Jesus since the Gospels were written, have what might accurately be described as embellished descriptions of the circumstances of Jesus life. Every Bible teacher, preacher, and writer adds the words of their studied perspective of the texts of the Bible. Could they simply quote Bible verses and not add any other words? Of course they could. But then the hearer would begin to, in their mind, add explaining words and pictures to more fully understand the Bible's words. Actually, every translation of the Bible (except Hebrew and Greek ones) in our modern world uses words that Jesus Himself never said or heard. But God somehow designed and uses human thought and imagination to accurately communicate Himself and His Word to anyone who wants to receive it.
B. "CHARACTERS PORTRAY UNTRUE THINGS."
It is claimed that various characters in The Chosen believe and say things about Jesus that contradict the true character and behavior of Jesus.
--Is that not exactly what the Bible itself says. Jesus was called a sinner and a blasphemer. Portraying this reality does not mean that the intention of the videos is to promote the idea that Jesus really was what others accused him of being.
C. "THE VIDEOS ARE IDOLATRY"
- Regarding the criticism that using actors to portray Jesus is Idolatry seems to me to misrepresent what the Bible means by idolatry. I understand idolatry to involve two primary elements. First, idolatry involves man making something, whether tangible or intangible, to take the place of the One God; having and or making an "other God." Mankind has done that with virtually everything. The second element of idolatry involves worship, submission, dependence, exaltation and the like. A figurine on a shelf becomes idolatry when it is considered and treated as in the place of God Himself. And yes, we actually do that with many things, people, and ideas in our lives. We, who call ourselves Christian, even approach idolatry in the way we think of our favorite preachers, writers, singers, etc. And of course we all do it in the way we idolize our own selves and our own beliefs and perspectives. It is in our fallen human nature to do right things the wrong way. Adam and Eve clothed themselves, the wrong way.
- Do some people idolize The Chosen videos or Jesus the actor? Probably so. Does that mean that to write, produce or act in The Chosen promotes idolatry. I don't think so, any more than to attempt to preach accurately and effectively promotes idolatry of the preacher. If The Chosen invited or welcomed being idolized it would be a serious problem, but I do not see that happening.
D. "UNBIBLICAL AFFILIATIONS"
- How about the objections to The Chosen based on perceived close affiliations with what are considered false beliefs? Specifically, some people believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, have had and do have a significant influence on the production and thus the content of The Chosen. Is this actually true? It should be hoped that every Christian has both friends and associates who do not accurately understand or believe the Bible. So, the accurate recognition that the writer-producer of The Chosen has Mormon friends and has in the past used a company owned by mormon individuals to make and market The Chosen is not the most important question. The primary and legitimate question is, have those Mormon friends and associations had an influence that has resulted in LDS doctrines being presented in the message of The Chosen? In the three season I have viewed, I have seen absolutely no LDS slant in the doctrinal portrayals in The Chosen. It has been observed that in one scene Jesus responds to a Pharisee with: "I Am The Law." It is accurate that the Bible never quotes Jesus saying those exact words, while the Book of Mormon does. Are people aware that the Book of Mormon and the Bible have many words and phrases that are identical. Does that mean that whenever any of those words or phrases are used by Christians they are quoting and giving authenticity to the Book of Mormon.?Of course not. Specifically, in the video Jesus said "I Am The Law," to a Pharisee in response to the accusation that Jesus was breaking the Law. While the phrase is not an exact quote from the Bible, it is entirely plausible that Jesus could have made the statement because it is clearly in accord with the "I AM" that Jesus claimed and presented Himself to be. To claim that the phrase was included as a quote from and thus an authentication of the Book of Mormon is a stretch indeed. Could it be that God will use the interest some Mormons seem to have in The Chosen, to rescue them from the misunderstandings they have about the True Jesus of The Bible?
E. "NON-CHRISTIANS INVOLVED IN PRODUCTION"
- What about the participation of other non or un-Christian people in the making of The Chosen? It has been openly admitted that being an Evangelical Christian is not a requirement for working behind or in front of the cameras in order to be hired to work on the productions. A pride flag on the personal camera of one of the cameramen has been widely used to suggest that The Chosen supports the LGB... agenda. Guilt by association is a very easy and too often effective criticism. You remember, the pharisees used it when they accused Jesus of being one with tax gatherers. I have heard Dallas Jenkins, the writer and producer of The Chosen say that he hires individuals and companies on the basis of their professional skills not their Christian credentials. Does the Bible say that only Christian resources should be used in Bible presentations? Are the sources and destinations of our dollars to be from and to Christians only?
III. FINAL THOUGHTS
A. DANGER OF HEAR-SAY
Finally, while virtually everything we believe relies on some degree of hear-say, it seems most wise and honest to personally research the things we believe, as much as is reasonably possible. We are all prone to not question what we believe and also be susceptible to being misled. Additionally, we believe that our way is the best and right way. Shouldn't we be thankful that God uses other people in addition to ourselves to reach people outside our sphere of influence and expectations. It is one thing to say that a video about Jesus is not what we like or the way we think it should be done. It is another to oppose it as un-Biblical without Biblically clear and accurate objections.
B. THE BIBLE MUST BE FOUNDATIONAL
It is valid to be concerned that media about the Bible not be a substitute for the Bible itself. This is a very common problem, as Christians, we tend to quote favorite pastors, writers and musicians more than we quote the Bible itself. But while this can be wrongly welcomed and encouraged by the preacher, writer, etc., it is mostly the responsibility of the hearer to diligently, like the Bereans, "examine the scriptures daily, to see if these things are true."
I heard Dallas Jenkins say that, rather than The Chosen being intended as the object of the Bible, the Bible is the object of the videos. His primary goal is to get people reading their Bibles more because, "The Book is far better than the movie." If it does that for people, I am glad. Please read your Bible more prayerfully, earnestly and carefully. God Bless you with HIMSELF!!!
Watch an interview with Dallas Jenkins of The Chosen
2024-03-02 Beautiful Music In Heaven?
My wife, Diane and I went to hear JH (a talented High School student from our church) play in the Boise Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a wonderful concert. It was a joy to spend a couple hours listening to beautiful music. As I was listening, I was prompted by some new thoughts. I began to think about what music might be like in Heaven. The kids were enjoying playing the music together. It seemed that parents, family and friends were enjoying it too. I imagined a crowd of millions, enjoying a symphony of thousands playing music more beautiful than we we can imagine. I also visualized God sitting in the middle of the front row enjoying the the music while the members of the orchestra were enthralled with the privilege of playing for God.
I had two other thoughts that I had not considered much before. I have understood that God created beautiful things. But I had not thought about God creating humans with the natural capacity to both enjoy and produce beautiful things, namely music. Full disclosure: I am very musically challenged particularly when it comes to producing music. I am jealous of the musical talents of others. The thoughts of Heavens music were captivating.
But then I began to wonder how many people in the orchestra and the audience might not spend eternity in the beauties of Heaven. Sin corrupts everything. Absolute sin (hell) corrupts absolutely. The only beauty in hell will be some sort of counterfeit. But it gets worse. One of the joys of music is making it together, and there will be no friendships in hell. There will only be strife, jealousy, suspicion and all things hostile. If there are musical instruments, someone will steal them, there will be no harmony, How awfully sad to think about people who enjoy beauty here, leaving it all behind because they refused the Gracious Creator of music and all things beautiful.
Read "The Gospel"
My wife, Diane and I went to hear JH (a talented High School student from our church) play in the Boise Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a wonderful concert. It was a joy to spend a couple hours listening to beautiful music. As I was listening, I was prompted by some new thoughts. I began to think about what music might be like in Heaven. The kids were enjoying playing the music together. It seemed that parents, family and friends were enjoying it too. I imagined a crowd of millions, enjoying a symphony of thousands playing music more beautiful than we we can imagine. I also visualized God sitting in the middle of the front row enjoying the the music while the members of the orchestra were enthralled with the privilege of playing for God.
I had two other thoughts that I had not considered much before. I have understood that God created beautiful things. But I had not thought about God creating humans with the natural capacity to both enjoy and produce beautiful things, namely music. Full disclosure: I am very musically challenged particularly when it comes to producing music. I am jealous of the musical talents of others. The thoughts of Heavens music were captivating.
But then I began to wonder how many people in the orchestra and the audience might not spend eternity in the beauties of Heaven. Sin corrupts everything. Absolute sin (hell) corrupts absolutely. The only beauty in hell will be some sort of counterfeit. But it gets worse. One of the joys of music is making it together, and there will be no friendships in hell. There will only be strife, jealousy, suspicion and all things hostile. If there are musical instruments, someone will steal them, there will be no harmony, How awfully sad to think about people who enjoy beauty here, leaving it all behind because they refused the Gracious Creator of music and all things beautiful.
Read "The Gospel"
2024-02-28 Three Voices?
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus said several times: "You have heard ... but I say to you..." You should go read the chapters yourself to get the specifics of what Jesus said. I want to briefly think about what we "hear." Obviously they were hearing Jesus speak. And when we read the Bible texts ourselves we are hearing Jesus. But who or what are the "you have heard" voices we all hear? I believe the voices fall into two categories, one very broad and varied, the other singular and ever present.
We are surrounded with information. We are bombarded by people giving us their opinions on virtually everything. The voices are sometimes loud and demanding (i.e.: advertisements, both heard and seen; politicians, protestors, even sometimes preachers). Sometimes the voices are quiet and subtle, relying on endless repetition to persuade. The messages are heard from both friends and foes. Sometimes the messages are just banter or conversation, other times the voices are intended to conquer and capture. Sadly, too much of the time we are content to let the voices flow in and through us without much careful thought. And like Jesus was implying, those voices lead us to the harmful conclusions from which He was seeking to rescue us.
The third voice is the most constant, and the most influential. It is the voice inside our own self that says "yes," "no," or "it doesn't matter" to all the other voices we hear. Our inner voice is the beginning and the end of all the other voices we hear. It is the voice that tells us what is right, what is wrong, and that some things don't matter. The problem with the "other" voices, and our "inner" voice is that they all have been proven to be deadly wrong over and over and over. In every arena, on every subject, in every time, in all places, the loudest voices, the most popular, the most persistent have all been proven prone to being not just misleading but deadly false.
And the voice that leads that list is our own voice, the one on which we all most rely. Our own voice is the one we listen to first, last and most often in between.
I am writing to challenge myself, and you, to listen to Jesus' voice, to God's voice as He speaks to us in the Bible. To prove my point, some of you are hearing your inner voice say, "why should I give such authority to the Bible, to Jesus?" Some of you are hearing your inner voice say: "I've heard lots of people, smart people, say the Bible is not reliable." But perhaps some of you will listen to the, perhaps faint, voice inside you that says: "maybe I should reconsider what I have heard about Jesus and what He says about my life and His." It is guaranteed that there will be voices that try to drown out that voice. But my goal, with my voice, is to persuade you to listen to the One, Who by the way, used words, to create the universe, the earth, and you. He is the One Who is not trying to get something from you, but to give you something. Jesus said "But, (there is something different about the words) I say to you..."
I challenge you, I beg you, to open a Bible and read, try reading in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Perhaps you will hear Jesus (The Word) speak to you.
Read "The Gospel"
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus said several times: "You have heard ... but I say to you..." You should go read the chapters yourself to get the specifics of what Jesus said. I want to briefly think about what we "hear." Obviously they were hearing Jesus speak. And when we read the Bible texts ourselves we are hearing Jesus. But who or what are the "you have heard" voices we all hear? I believe the voices fall into two categories, one very broad and varied, the other singular and ever present.
We are surrounded with information. We are bombarded by people giving us their opinions on virtually everything. The voices are sometimes loud and demanding (i.e.: advertisements, both heard and seen; politicians, protestors, even sometimes preachers). Sometimes the voices are quiet and subtle, relying on endless repetition to persuade. The messages are heard from both friends and foes. Sometimes the messages are just banter or conversation, other times the voices are intended to conquer and capture. Sadly, too much of the time we are content to let the voices flow in and through us without much careful thought. And like Jesus was implying, those voices lead us to the harmful conclusions from which He was seeking to rescue us.
The third voice is the most constant, and the most influential. It is the voice inside our own self that says "yes," "no," or "it doesn't matter" to all the other voices we hear. Our inner voice is the beginning and the end of all the other voices we hear. It is the voice that tells us what is right, what is wrong, and that some things don't matter. The problem with the "other" voices, and our "inner" voice is that they all have been proven to be deadly wrong over and over and over. In every arena, on every subject, in every time, in all places, the loudest voices, the most popular, the most persistent have all been proven prone to being not just misleading but deadly false.
And the voice that leads that list is our own voice, the one on which we all most rely. Our own voice is the one we listen to first, last and most often in between.
I am writing to challenge myself, and you, to listen to Jesus' voice, to God's voice as He speaks to us in the Bible. To prove my point, some of you are hearing your inner voice say, "why should I give such authority to the Bible, to Jesus?" Some of you are hearing your inner voice say: "I've heard lots of people, smart people, say the Bible is not reliable." But perhaps some of you will listen to the, perhaps faint, voice inside you that says: "maybe I should reconsider what I have heard about Jesus and what He says about my life and His." It is guaranteed that there will be voices that try to drown out that voice. But my goal, with my voice, is to persuade you to listen to the One, Who by the way, used words, to create the universe, the earth, and you. He is the One Who is not trying to get something from you, but to give you something. Jesus said "But, (there is something different about the words) I say to you..."
I challenge you, I beg you, to open a Bible and read, try reading in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Perhaps you will hear Jesus (The Word) speak to you.
Read "The Gospel"
2024-02-08 Be Careful of Opinions?
What do you read, but more specifically, why do you read it? I assume there are a variety of answers and perhaps many of them unconscious. While I am interested in why you might read what I write, I am most concerned with why I write. We live in a world full of opinions, and we all have our own. Most of us live and die with the conviction that our own opinions are The Truth. But most of our opinions don't really matter much. Who is going to win the Super Bowl?, is Ford better than Chevy?, are examples of issues that don't really matter much. Even our opinions about issues like politics and health care, as important as they are, don't matter much in the light of eternity. Saint Peter will not ask us whether we were a Republican or a Democrat, healthy or unhealthy, rich or poor. But he will ask (actually he already knows) who we believed, trusted, placed our faith in. (Yes, I know Saint Peter is fictitious, but you get the picture) The password for Heaven is not Baptist, Buddhist, Methodist or Mormon. It is Jesus. Many will argue that I am just expressing my opinion, which is different from theirs, I argue that the only opinion that really matters is God's.
I write, not to persuade you with my opinions, but to hopefully prompt you to read your Bible seeking God's opinions on your life and your relationship with Him. It doesn't really matter what your favorite religious speaker or writer says. It doesn't really matter what your parents opinions were. Well, of course the influence of others matters, but none of them are the source, the standard of Truth that God Himself is. It is fascinating that The Bible is called The Word, that Jesus Christ is called The Word, The Way, The Truth, The Life. Whose opinion matters most to you? Your answer really matters. It Really, Really, Really matters! And it is revealed in what and why you read, listen to and watch the things you do.
I sincerely hope and pray that what I write prompts people to read their Bible, seeking God's opinion far above all others, including my own.
God Bless you with HIMSELF, through His WORD!!!
Read "The Gospel"
What do you read, but more specifically, why do you read it? I assume there are a variety of answers and perhaps many of them unconscious. While I am interested in why you might read what I write, I am most concerned with why I write. We live in a world full of opinions, and we all have our own. Most of us live and die with the conviction that our own opinions are The Truth. But most of our opinions don't really matter much. Who is going to win the Super Bowl?, is Ford better than Chevy?, are examples of issues that don't really matter much. Even our opinions about issues like politics and health care, as important as they are, don't matter much in the light of eternity. Saint Peter will not ask us whether we were a Republican or a Democrat, healthy or unhealthy, rich or poor. But he will ask (actually he already knows) who we believed, trusted, placed our faith in. (Yes, I know Saint Peter is fictitious, but you get the picture) The password for Heaven is not Baptist, Buddhist, Methodist or Mormon. It is Jesus. Many will argue that I am just expressing my opinion, which is different from theirs, I argue that the only opinion that really matters is God's.
I write, not to persuade you with my opinions, but to hopefully prompt you to read your Bible seeking God's opinions on your life and your relationship with Him. It doesn't really matter what your favorite religious speaker or writer says. It doesn't really matter what your parents opinions were. Well, of course the influence of others matters, but none of them are the source, the standard of Truth that God Himself is. It is fascinating that The Bible is called The Word, that Jesus Christ is called The Word, The Way, The Truth, The Life. Whose opinion matters most to you? Your answer really matters. It Really, Really, Really matters! And it is revealed in what and why you read, listen to and watch the things you do.
I sincerely hope and pray that what I write prompts people to read their Bible, seeking God's opinion far above all others, including my own.
God Bless you with HIMSELF, through His WORD!!!
Read "The Gospel"
2024-01-17 AI - EI - IA (WA)?
I just read an interesting article entitled "The History of Artificial Intelligence." It is brief and relatively easy to understand because it is historical rather than technical. The idea of AI is as old as robots in science fiction novels and movies. But the actual experimenting with "thinking machines" began in the 1950's and has evolved in a roller coaster fashion ever since. Obviously, the advancement of computer technology is the arena in which Artificial Intelligence" (AI) has evolved.
My interest in AI is primarily on the human part of the equation. The very words Artificial and Intelligence are intrinsically connected to what it means to be human. The word "Artificial" assumes that there is intelligence that is Not Artificial but "Real." There is still a recognition (at least by people who believe that humans are not merely machines) that while "Artificial Intelligence," is a real thing, it is not, "Real Intelligence."While the abilities of AI are advancing very rapidly, most people still recognize that there are things magnificently superior about Human Intelligence. But, I suspect that recognition will change much more rapidly than we expect. And that is the focus of my thoughts today.
Based on the willingness of those people who see no reality to the idea that humans are "created in the Image of God" but are simply evolving organic machines, I can see in the very near future the idea put forth of "EI." I foresee the idea of "Artificial Intelligence" being replace by "Enhanced Intelligence" or "Improved Intelligence;" improving God's design, if you will. Artificial Intelligence is already considered "superior" in many different applications.
As the idea, and abilities, of intelligence surpasses what evolutionists see as the limitations of Human Intelligence, another perspective will emerge. But it is not a new perspective, it is an old one, as old as humanity itself. For the time being at least, it is recognized that Artificial Intelligence is the result of applied Human Intelligence. There is a pride that accompanies that recognition. There is a collective, "WE BUILT THAT." And if we have the ability to build such magnificently intelligent machines "we must be amazing." In that declaration, our pride challenges God, the Bible's "I AM," with a collective "WE ARE."
At that point we are in the place that humans have always been, thinking that we are the masters of our own lives. And Human Intelligence, linked to an honest assessment of reality must acknowledge that we are not sovereign masters, or at least do a very poor job of managing ourselves. What we need as human being is not to Enhance our intelligence but to have our hearts, minds, our very lives reprogrammed by the God whose whole being, not just His intelligence, is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine. The Bible calls this reprograming "born again." It transforms, not our ability to create mathematical algorithms, but our ability to give and receive, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" in relationship to God, our circumstances, and each other, whether friend or foe. Neither "Artificial Intelligence," nor any of its derivatives can accomplish such feats. Our only Real Hope is in the God Who designed, created, loves and can rescue us from our own proud intelligence.
Read "The Gospel"
I just read an interesting article entitled "The History of Artificial Intelligence." It is brief and relatively easy to understand because it is historical rather than technical. The idea of AI is as old as robots in science fiction novels and movies. But the actual experimenting with "thinking machines" began in the 1950's and has evolved in a roller coaster fashion ever since. Obviously, the advancement of computer technology is the arena in which Artificial Intelligence" (AI) has evolved.
My interest in AI is primarily on the human part of the equation. The very words Artificial and Intelligence are intrinsically connected to what it means to be human. The word "Artificial" assumes that there is intelligence that is Not Artificial but "Real." There is still a recognition (at least by people who believe that humans are not merely machines) that while "Artificial Intelligence," is a real thing, it is not, "Real Intelligence."While the abilities of AI are advancing very rapidly, most people still recognize that there are things magnificently superior about Human Intelligence. But, I suspect that recognition will change much more rapidly than we expect. And that is the focus of my thoughts today.
Based on the willingness of those people who see no reality to the idea that humans are "created in the Image of God" but are simply evolving organic machines, I can see in the very near future the idea put forth of "EI." I foresee the idea of "Artificial Intelligence" being replace by "Enhanced Intelligence" or "Improved Intelligence;" improving God's design, if you will. Artificial Intelligence is already considered "superior" in many different applications.
As the idea, and abilities, of intelligence surpasses what evolutionists see as the limitations of Human Intelligence, another perspective will emerge. But it is not a new perspective, it is an old one, as old as humanity itself. For the time being at least, it is recognized that Artificial Intelligence is the result of applied Human Intelligence. There is a pride that accompanies that recognition. There is a collective, "WE BUILT THAT." And if we have the ability to build such magnificently intelligent machines "we must be amazing." In that declaration, our pride challenges God, the Bible's "I AM," with a collective "WE ARE."
At that point we are in the place that humans have always been, thinking that we are the masters of our own lives. And Human Intelligence, linked to an honest assessment of reality must acknowledge that we are not sovereign masters, or at least do a very poor job of managing ourselves. What we need as human being is not to Enhance our intelligence but to have our hearts, minds, our very lives reprogrammed by the God whose whole being, not just His intelligence, is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine. The Bible calls this reprograming "born again." It transforms, not our ability to create mathematical algorithms, but our ability to give and receive, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" in relationship to God, our circumstances, and each other, whether friend or foe. Neither "Artificial Intelligence," nor any of its derivatives can accomplish such feats. Our only Real Hope is in the God Who designed, created, loves and can rescue us from our own proud intelligence.
Read "The Gospel"
2024-01-16 BEWARE OF PREYING saints? (and don't be one)
What started as a fun snow prank turned into a good lesson on the dangers of roaring lions seeking to devour their prey by masquerading as angels of light. We live in a time when words, pictures and ideas are very easily made to appear true.
Seeing and hearing the hype about the BIG snow storm coming last Saturday, I thought it would be fun to go into my front yard and kneel down in the snow. The picture looked so real I posted it on facebook to see how many people would be fooled. My serious posts rarely get as many responses. The majority of the respondents were devoured by the deception. (I probably would have been also) In this case, the deception is harmless, except for the tendency it reveals. Many people will blame me for being deceptive. But how many are willing to admit that they readily, willingly, uncritically, fell prey to the deception. (Those people who know me well, or don't live in the area, were not so easily led astray)
But this is the story of our fallen human nature. Adam and Eve were willingly deceived by lying Serpent, and we have all been his prey ever since, as we fall for his false promises and different gospels in all the counterfeit forms they take. Our Enemy is the original and greatest photo-shop artist of all time and he alters words, pictures and ideas all the time in order to lead astray the unsuspecting (you and me).
We criticize "Doubting Thomas" because he questioned the testimonies of others. But Paul put the issue into perspective when he said that "even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Everything and everyone is to be questioned regarding their conformity to the Bible.
Everyone has a primary truth source and for most of us it is our own feelings and thoughts, the very things that are most easily deceived. Questions, skepticism, and doubts should be our first and repeated response to the deceptive world in which we live. The Bible alone has proven for centuries and millennia to be our most reliable source of TRUTH. The lies will always pile up around us, only the Bible can save us from falling prey to them. Our challenge is to be like the blessed man who is not led astray but "delights in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." (Read Psalm 1)
What started as a fun snow prank turned into a good lesson on the dangers of roaring lions seeking to devour their prey by masquerading as angels of light. We live in a time when words, pictures and ideas are very easily made to appear true.
Seeing and hearing the hype about the BIG snow storm coming last Saturday, I thought it would be fun to go into my front yard and kneel down in the snow. The picture looked so real I posted it on facebook to see how many people would be fooled. My serious posts rarely get as many responses. The majority of the respondents were devoured by the deception. (I probably would have been also) In this case, the deception is harmless, except for the tendency it reveals. Many people will blame me for being deceptive. But how many are willing to admit that they readily, willingly, uncritically, fell prey to the deception. (Those people who know me well, or don't live in the area, were not so easily led astray)
But this is the story of our fallen human nature. Adam and Eve were willingly deceived by lying Serpent, and we have all been his prey ever since, as we fall for his false promises and different gospels in all the counterfeit forms they take. Our Enemy is the original and greatest photo-shop artist of all time and he alters words, pictures and ideas all the time in order to lead astray the unsuspecting (you and me).
We criticize "Doubting Thomas" because he questioned the testimonies of others. But Paul put the issue into perspective when he said that "even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Everything and everyone is to be questioned regarding their conformity to the Bible.
Everyone has a primary truth source and for most of us it is our own feelings and thoughts, the very things that are most easily deceived. Questions, skepticism, and doubts should be our first and repeated response to the deceptive world in which we live. The Bible alone has proven for centuries and millennia to be our most reliable source of TRUTH. The lies will always pile up around us, only the Bible can save us from falling prey to them. Our challenge is to be like the blessed man who is not led astray but "delights in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." (Read Psalm 1)
2024-01-07 - WORDS HAVE MEANING, EXCEPT WHEN THEY DON'T?
We live in a confusing time, as if all times have not been confusing. The confusion of our time seems to be exaggerated. It may seem that a popular president started the confusion when he famously made the statement: "it depends on what the meaning of 'is' is." Today the questions about what words mean has expanded to include "he - she - they - it - man - woman - and the list is so long that it actually includes almost every word we use.
We all know, well, we should all know, that defining words in whatever ways we choose does not work. It does not work because the basic function of words is to accurately communicate common understanding and thus facilitate effective cooperation. If words only mean what I as individual want or decide them to mean it makes civil understanding and cooperation impossible. Here are two obvious examples.
We are all familiar with intersection traffic control signals. There are "red," "green," and "yellow" lights positioned so that they can be seen from every angle. Suppose we all chose our own definition of what the colors mean. We all know what happens when someone believes that "yellow" means "speed up to get through as fast as you can." Fortunately, that meaning can be sort-of-right, except when someone else at the same time believes that "red" means "it's okay to go if you are in a hurry." But imagine if everyone had their own definition of each of the colors. Chaos and collision would be the order of the day. That is sort of what is happening in our culture today.
Imagine this: what if we all had different definitions of each alphabet letter? What if I wrote that sentence this way: "awn dc ow men khs, gpfbanent ceiintons wc apch nvznabc jebrox!" I could claim all day long that the letters are combined in just the right way to say exactly what I mean. but it would not only be useless in furthering our understanding and cooperation, it would require an understanding of the code that would translate the letters into their common use. Isn't that the fundamental goal of words? Confusion and uncooperation is exactly what is happening in our culture today.
The result is worse today because, while it has always been that there is disagreement about the meaning of words, there is today a blind vitriolic demand that everyone else accept our own definitions as right and true. Actually that has always been the case except the nature of acceptance has been "assumption" rather than "demand." Today, while some assume that others understand and use words the same as ourselves, more and more people demand that their own unique definitions be accepted as standard and true. It is simply the old idea that "truth is relative," "truth is whatever I perceive or want it to be." We are reaping the consequences as that thinking is more and more generally believed and lived.
The consequences are more grave than which bathroom we use (though that is indeed very important). The way a culture defines words like "life," "freedom," "good," and "evil" determine the condition of our every day. And for us as individuals, words like, "God," "Christ," "heaven," "hell," "sinner," "saint," and "gospel," have consequential meaning for both our present and eternal lives.
The question is, do I really care about what words really mean? Most of us think our understandings and beliefs are TRUE. Our personal TRUTH SOURCE is most often ourself, and the group that most agrees with what we believe. Are you willing to seriously consider the possibility that GOD is the Real Source of TRUTH and that He has communicated His TRUTH to us in the words of the Bible? Or are your definitions more accurate than His?
We live in a confusing time, as if all times have not been confusing. The confusion of our time seems to be exaggerated. It may seem that a popular president started the confusion when he famously made the statement: "it depends on what the meaning of 'is' is." Today the questions about what words mean has expanded to include "he - she - they - it - man - woman - and the list is so long that it actually includes almost every word we use.
We all know, well, we should all know, that defining words in whatever ways we choose does not work. It does not work because the basic function of words is to accurately communicate common understanding and thus facilitate effective cooperation. If words only mean what I as individual want or decide them to mean it makes civil understanding and cooperation impossible. Here are two obvious examples.
We are all familiar with intersection traffic control signals. There are "red," "green," and "yellow" lights positioned so that they can be seen from every angle. Suppose we all chose our own definition of what the colors mean. We all know what happens when someone believes that "yellow" means "speed up to get through as fast as you can." Fortunately, that meaning can be sort-of-right, except when someone else at the same time believes that "red" means "it's okay to go if you are in a hurry." But imagine if everyone had their own definition of each of the colors. Chaos and collision would be the order of the day. That is sort of what is happening in our culture today.
Imagine this: what if we all had different definitions of each alphabet letter? What if I wrote that sentence this way: "awn dc ow men khs, gpfbanent ceiintons wc apch nvznabc jebrox!" I could claim all day long that the letters are combined in just the right way to say exactly what I mean. but it would not only be useless in furthering our understanding and cooperation, it would require an understanding of the code that would translate the letters into their common use. Isn't that the fundamental goal of words? Confusion and uncooperation is exactly what is happening in our culture today.
The result is worse today because, while it has always been that there is disagreement about the meaning of words, there is today a blind vitriolic demand that everyone else accept our own definitions as right and true. Actually that has always been the case except the nature of acceptance has been "assumption" rather than "demand." Today, while some assume that others understand and use words the same as ourselves, more and more people demand that their own unique definitions be accepted as standard and true. It is simply the old idea that "truth is relative," "truth is whatever I perceive or want it to be." We are reaping the consequences as that thinking is more and more generally believed and lived.
The consequences are more grave than which bathroom we use (though that is indeed very important). The way a culture defines words like "life," "freedom," "good," and "evil" determine the condition of our every day. And for us as individuals, words like, "God," "Christ," "heaven," "hell," "sinner," "saint," and "gospel," have consequential meaning for both our present and eternal lives.
The question is, do I really care about what words really mean? Most of us think our understandings and beliefs are TRUE. Our personal TRUTH SOURCE is most often ourself, and the group that most agrees with what we believe. Are you willing to seriously consider the possibility that GOD is the Real Source of TRUTH and that He has communicated His TRUTH to us in the words of the Bible? Or are your definitions more accurate than His?
2024-01-01 - Hello! Goodbye! Hello?
We just spent a great Christmas week with our son and daughter and their families. One lives ten minutes away and the other 35 (driving) or 9 (flying) hours away. We get to see the close ones often but similar feelings accompany all their visits. There is fun anticipation of each visit accompanied by glad "hellos!" But no matter how short or long the visit, there is always the inevitable and sad "goodbye!" Part of the "goodbye" is the hopeful anticipation of another "hello."
While this cycle seems perpetual, we were reminded this time that the anticipation of the next "hello" always feels a little uncertain. Our daughter, her husband and young son were in a serious car accident. The two involved pick-up trucks were totally destroyed. Thankfully our daughter and her family suffered minor injuries that required no hospitalization. The two teenagers in the other vehicle were hospitalized but are recovering. The sobering reality is that any or all of the people involved could have been killed, were it not for airbags, which God graciously used to cushion each of them.
Our Christmas "hello" could have been a truly sad, and seemingly permanent "goodbye." We are certainly thankful that God had other plans for our family. We are certain the teens family is thankful as well.
We had a good Christmas week, but inevitably said "goodbye" at the airport. Now we sit in our quiet house remembering the noisy "hellos," with a slight heart-ache from the lonely "goodbye." Of course we all look forward to the next "hello." But there is the realization that by some unwelcome event it may not come.
These real thoughts and feelings make God's promises more comforting and encouraging to our family. In the Bible God says: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you;" and "I Am with you always." And even more, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." This is a more sure "hello" in our future, than any we could hope for here in this temporary world. And it is a "hello" planned, paid for, and prepared for by God Himself. This confident assurance cushions the temporary "goodbyes" we say to each other here.
We are more aware and understanding of the "goodbyes" others have had to say to loved ones. Thank you Jesus for the wonderful time we had together this Christmas. But help us to more faithfully anticipate the permanent "hello" that is promised us.
We just spent a great Christmas week with our son and daughter and their families. One lives ten minutes away and the other 35 (driving) or 9 (flying) hours away. We get to see the close ones often but similar feelings accompany all their visits. There is fun anticipation of each visit accompanied by glad "hellos!" But no matter how short or long the visit, there is always the inevitable and sad "goodbye!" Part of the "goodbye" is the hopeful anticipation of another "hello."
While this cycle seems perpetual, we were reminded this time that the anticipation of the next "hello" always feels a little uncertain. Our daughter, her husband and young son were in a serious car accident. The two involved pick-up trucks were totally destroyed. Thankfully our daughter and her family suffered minor injuries that required no hospitalization. The two teenagers in the other vehicle were hospitalized but are recovering. The sobering reality is that any or all of the people involved could have been killed, were it not for airbags, which God graciously used to cushion each of them.
Our Christmas "hello" could have been a truly sad, and seemingly permanent "goodbye." We are certainly thankful that God had other plans for our family. We are certain the teens family is thankful as well.
We had a good Christmas week, but inevitably said "goodbye" at the airport. Now we sit in our quiet house remembering the noisy "hellos," with a slight heart-ache from the lonely "goodbye." Of course we all look forward to the next "hello." But there is the realization that by some unwelcome event it may not come.
These real thoughts and feelings make God's promises more comforting and encouraging to our family. In the Bible God says: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you;" and "I Am with you always." And even more, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." This is a more sure "hello" in our future, than any we could hope for here in this temporary world. And it is a "hello" planned, paid for, and prepared for by God Himself. This confident assurance cushions the temporary "goodbyes" we say to each other here.
We are more aware and understanding of the "goodbyes" others have had to say to loved ones. Thank you Jesus for the wonderful time we had together this Christmas. But help us to more faithfully anticipate the permanent "hello" that is promised us.
2013-12-25 THE UNSEEN TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS?
Our church Christmas Eve Service told the Christmas Story through scripture reading and Congregational singing. It was joyful, and thought provoking. There were about 100 people gathered together praising God for His Gift of our Salvation. I watched a football game on TV this afternoon with about 100,000 people in the stadium and who knows how many watching on TV. Considering all the TV specials celebrating with non-religious themes, is easy to think that what is sometimes called "The Real Meaning of Christmas" is being transitioned to the dustbin of history. It is easy to wonder why there are so many people so enthusiastic about sports and things other than "the real meaning of Christmas?"
But then I stop and think about what is really happening. Our church is one of many in our little town in Idaho. Our Christmas Eve service was only one of several in town. I begin to imagine the tens, hundreds, thousands, even millions of gatherings where the "True Meaning of Christmas" is celebrated. Then I multiply what is occurring around the world and begin to realize that it is the 100,000 people at a football game that are the small venue. And, many of the people at the football game or watching the various holiday extravaganzas, also celebrate the "True Meaning of Christmas."
The world's media may not focus on the "True Meaning of Christmas," but I believe that the Name of "Jesus Christ" (or "GOD") is the most frequently spoken name in the world. It is true that for many "The Name" is spoken in vain or in ignorance. But IT is also spoken in Truthful Reverence, Awe, and Submission by billions of people around the world.
The Bible says that, one day, "every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is LORD." For billions it will be a day of victorious rejoicing, but tragically, many will bow and confess while shaking their fist in proud rebellion. But when they see HIM, HIS Awesome Majesty will compel them to bow and admit, "I am wrong, YOU are right, YOU are Savior, but I still reject Your offers to me.
The conclusion must be that the "True Meaning of Christmas" (Jesus Christ) truly deserves, in every and all circumstances, the thanks, the admiration, the excitement, the praise for what GOD has, does and will accomplish for every believing (submitting) heart. This is TRUE far beyond what may for now seem real.
Our church Christmas Eve Service told the Christmas Story through scripture reading and Congregational singing. It was joyful, and thought provoking. There were about 100 people gathered together praising God for His Gift of our Salvation. I watched a football game on TV this afternoon with about 100,000 people in the stadium and who knows how many watching on TV. Considering all the TV specials celebrating with non-religious themes, is easy to think that what is sometimes called "The Real Meaning of Christmas" is being transitioned to the dustbin of history. It is easy to wonder why there are so many people so enthusiastic about sports and things other than "the real meaning of Christmas?"
But then I stop and think about what is really happening. Our church is one of many in our little town in Idaho. Our Christmas Eve service was only one of several in town. I begin to imagine the tens, hundreds, thousands, even millions of gatherings where the "True Meaning of Christmas" is celebrated. Then I multiply what is occurring around the world and begin to realize that it is the 100,000 people at a football game that are the small venue. And, many of the people at the football game or watching the various holiday extravaganzas, also celebrate the "True Meaning of Christmas."
The world's media may not focus on the "True Meaning of Christmas," but I believe that the Name of "Jesus Christ" (or "GOD") is the most frequently spoken name in the world. It is true that for many "The Name" is spoken in vain or in ignorance. But IT is also spoken in Truthful Reverence, Awe, and Submission by billions of people around the world.
The Bible says that, one day, "every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is LORD." For billions it will be a day of victorious rejoicing, but tragically, many will bow and confess while shaking their fist in proud rebellion. But when they see HIM, HIS Awesome Majesty will compel them to bow and admit, "I am wrong, YOU are right, YOU are Savior, but I still reject Your offers to me.
The conclusion must be that the "True Meaning of Christmas" (Jesus Christ) truly deserves, in every and all circumstances, the thanks, the admiration, the excitement, the praise for what GOD has, does and will accomplish for every believing (submitting) heart. This is TRUE far beyond what may for now seem real.
2023-12-23 - WHAT IS IT WORTH?
Jeopardy answer: In 2006 an Andy Warhol painting of a soup can was sold for $11.7 million. Jeopardy question: “What is it worth?”
People like to play games. Wheel of Fortune started in 1975. Jeopardy started in 1964. Price is Right started in 1956. And they are all still going strong as contestants play on the shows and millions play along in front of their TV. We tend to think of games as fun but many of them are very serious. Gambling is considered a game but it can have very serious consequences. There is a game Adam and Eve and every one of their descendants have played over and over every day. It could be called “What Is It Worth.”
The game involves sellers and buyers. The sellers try to get as much as possible for what they are selling and the buyers try to get things with as little expense as possible. We tend to think of the game being played mostly with money. The seller tries to sell a trinket for x$ while the buyer looks for a better price of y$. But the game is often played with time, energy, prestige and any other things we value. Employers are buyers who seek to buy the time, talents, energy, experience and devotion of their employees. Employees seek to sell those things to the employer who will pay them the most money, security, satisfaction, etc.. Both buyers and sellers constantly answer the question “what is it worth?” as they seek what, is to them, the best value.
While we all play the game in every area of our lives we carefully observe how other people answer the question. Many parts of the game we consider unfair. Employers don’t pay enough; employees don’t work hard enough; products are misrepresented. In fact lying and cheating are common in the game. The greatest unfairness in the game seems to be the undervaluing or overvaluing of products. To buyers things seem overvalued. To sellers things seem undervalued.
Watching the game being played it is natural for us all to wonder “What Am I Worth?” “What Is My Value?” We try to sell our time, our talent, our experience, our character to the highest bidder. We cry “foul” when we see people being taken for granted, being abused, being undervalued. But we also see people being overvalued. What makes a company executive so much more valuable, or an athlete or actor worth millions when most of us are valued in mere hundreds or thousands? Economic theories have answers to these questions, but the question remains, “What Am I Worth?” Is a person really more valuable if someone pays them ten or a hundred times more than what others get?
The question gets even more fundamental. Is my worth even measurable in dollars? Even though we know that dollars are a very misleading answer we still measure our own worth by comparing ourselves to the kind of attention other people get, by how life seems to compensate them for their presence and performance. A big part of the game involves improving our value. We are counseled to increase our credit score, get an education, develop skills, improve our appearance, make what we are selling more appealing. After all isn’t that what we look for when we are buying? If we want to be more valuable we must build our resume, expand our portfolio, put our best foot forward.
It is interesting that many who play the game call it a “rat race.” They recognize the illusion, the futility, of measuring our worth, our value, by such superficial standards. If this is true, and we all sense that it is, the question remains, “What Am I Worth?” There is an answer, but it is not found in the rat race game. The answer is found in looking at what we really are selling and who is doing the buying. The truth is that we all tend to overvalue ourselves. The Bible says, and we all know in our heart of hearts that it is true: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) And even if we blindly don’t think it true of ourselves, we see it in everyone around us that “there is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans) Yes, we sometimes help little old ladies carry their groceries, but by the righteous standards of the Ten Commandments we all fail.
We are used to buying imperfect products, so as we buy and sell each other, we simply look for the best flawed companions we can afford. But what if there is a PERFECT BUYER in the “game”? What if this Buyer not only has limitless resources to spend, but also perfectly understands the actual nature of what is being sold? If the product up for purchase is clearly flawed, sinful, unrighteous, it would be understandable that the purchase price would be considerably lower than what a perfect product would be worth. And it would be reasonable to assume that a spruced-up, improved, product would be worth a little more.
I assume that you can see where this is going. It can be summarized by the Bible verse that says: “God shows His love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ( Romans 5:8) God didn’t, and doesn’t wait for us to perfect ourselves before He welcomes us to His fellowship. (We all know that perfecting ourselves is not possible anyway. We have failed every time we try).
By-the-way, Adam and Eve started the “game” by purchasing the promised freedom of the lying Serpent, by giving up the loving freedom they had in fellowship with God. They gave up all the good they had to the buyer who paid with a cheap lie. And we have been selling ourselves to the same buyer for all of human history. This lying merchant sees us only as objects to be devoured. Our only value to him is the bragging rights of ownership.
In the greatest contrast possible, knowing our every flaw and complete unworthiness, “while we were yet sinners,” before any upgrades, improvements, “Christ died for us.” God considered and considers, our worth, to be equivalent to the expenditure of the very LIFE of HIMSELF, HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. Of course it doesn’t make sense, why would the JUST die as a substitute for the UNJUST? Why would God want rebels for communion? Could it be that God paid the ULTIMATE price for us not for what we make of ourselves but for what He could make of us?
I don’t need to keep repeating the amazing truth of the price God’s atoning love paid for our salvation. We will have eternity to marvel at the Amazing Grace of it. I simply conclude with the reminder that this is what Christmas and Easter is all about. To measure our worth in the market of human trade is truly blind and foolish. The measure of our worth is declared for time and eternity by the price God paid for us. We all have the choice of who we believe about our worth. We all begin life believing the Devil’s lie that our worth is measured by what we can make of ourselves. But the Good News, the Gospel, is that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may have eternal LIFE. (John 3:16) God demonstrated that, to Him, we are worth dying for. God loved us not because of what we could make make of ourselves, but simply because He is profoundly loving and can give us His Righteous LIFE which we could never gain by our own effort. Do you believe you are worth this much to God?
Christmas and Easter do.
Jeopardy answer: In 2006 an Andy Warhol painting of a soup can was sold for $11.7 million. Jeopardy question: “What is it worth?”
People like to play games. Wheel of Fortune started in 1975. Jeopardy started in 1964. Price is Right started in 1956. And they are all still going strong as contestants play on the shows and millions play along in front of their TV. We tend to think of games as fun but many of them are very serious. Gambling is considered a game but it can have very serious consequences. There is a game Adam and Eve and every one of their descendants have played over and over every day. It could be called “What Is It Worth.”
The game involves sellers and buyers. The sellers try to get as much as possible for what they are selling and the buyers try to get things with as little expense as possible. We tend to think of the game being played mostly with money. The seller tries to sell a trinket for x$ while the buyer looks for a better price of y$. But the game is often played with time, energy, prestige and any other things we value. Employers are buyers who seek to buy the time, talents, energy, experience and devotion of their employees. Employees seek to sell those things to the employer who will pay them the most money, security, satisfaction, etc.. Both buyers and sellers constantly answer the question “what is it worth?” as they seek what, is to them, the best value.
While we all play the game in every area of our lives we carefully observe how other people answer the question. Many parts of the game we consider unfair. Employers don’t pay enough; employees don’t work hard enough; products are misrepresented. In fact lying and cheating are common in the game. The greatest unfairness in the game seems to be the undervaluing or overvaluing of products. To buyers things seem overvalued. To sellers things seem undervalued.
Watching the game being played it is natural for us all to wonder “What Am I Worth?” “What Is My Value?” We try to sell our time, our talent, our experience, our character to the highest bidder. We cry “foul” when we see people being taken for granted, being abused, being undervalued. But we also see people being overvalued. What makes a company executive so much more valuable, or an athlete or actor worth millions when most of us are valued in mere hundreds or thousands? Economic theories have answers to these questions, but the question remains, “What Am I Worth?” Is a person really more valuable if someone pays them ten or a hundred times more than what others get?
The question gets even more fundamental. Is my worth even measurable in dollars? Even though we know that dollars are a very misleading answer we still measure our own worth by comparing ourselves to the kind of attention other people get, by how life seems to compensate them for their presence and performance. A big part of the game involves improving our value. We are counseled to increase our credit score, get an education, develop skills, improve our appearance, make what we are selling more appealing. After all isn’t that what we look for when we are buying? If we want to be more valuable we must build our resume, expand our portfolio, put our best foot forward.
It is interesting that many who play the game call it a “rat race.” They recognize the illusion, the futility, of measuring our worth, our value, by such superficial standards. If this is true, and we all sense that it is, the question remains, “What Am I Worth?” There is an answer, but it is not found in the rat race game. The answer is found in looking at what we really are selling and who is doing the buying. The truth is that we all tend to overvalue ourselves. The Bible says, and we all know in our heart of hearts that it is true: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) And even if we blindly don’t think it true of ourselves, we see it in everyone around us that “there is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans) Yes, we sometimes help little old ladies carry their groceries, but by the righteous standards of the Ten Commandments we all fail.
We are used to buying imperfect products, so as we buy and sell each other, we simply look for the best flawed companions we can afford. But what if there is a PERFECT BUYER in the “game”? What if this Buyer not only has limitless resources to spend, but also perfectly understands the actual nature of what is being sold? If the product up for purchase is clearly flawed, sinful, unrighteous, it would be understandable that the purchase price would be considerably lower than what a perfect product would be worth. And it would be reasonable to assume that a spruced-up, improved, product would be worth a little more.
I assume that you can see where this is going. It can be summarized by the Bible verse that says: “God shows His love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ( Romans 5:8) God didn’t, and doesn’t wait for us to perfect ourselves before He welcomes us to His fellowship. (We all know that perfecting ourselves is not possible anyway. We have failed every time we try).
By-the-way, Adam and Eve started the “game” by purchasing the promised freedom of the lying Serpent, by giving up the loving freedom they had in fellowship with God. They gave up all the good they had to the buyer who paid with a cheap lie. And we have been selling ourselves to the same buyer for all of human history. This lying merchant sees us only as objects to be devoured. Our only value to him is the bragging rights of ownership.
In the greatest contrast possible, knowing our every flaw and complete unworthiness, “while we were yet sinners,” before any upgrades, improvements, “Christ died for us.” God considered and considers, our worth, to be equivalent to the expenditure of the very LIFE of HIMSELF, HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. Of course it doesn’t make sense, why would the JUST die as a substitute for the UNJUST? Why would God want rebels for communion? Could it be that God paid the ULTIMATE price for us not for what we make of ourselves but for what He could make of us?
I don’t need to keep repeating the amazing truth of the price God’s atoning love paid for our salvation. We will have eternity to marvel at the Amazing Grace of it. I simply conclude with the reminder that this is what Christmas and Easter is all about. To measure our worth in the market of human trade is truly blind and foolish. The measure of our worth is declared for time and eternity by the price God paid for us. We all have the choice of who we believe about our worth. We all begin life believing the Devil’s lie that our worth is measured by what we can make of ourselves. But the Good News, the Gospel, is that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may have eternal LIFE. (John 3:16) God demonstrated that, to Him, we are worth dying for. God loved us not because of what we could make make of ourselves, but simply because He is profoundly loving and can give us His Righteous LIFE which we could never gain by our own effort. Do you believe you are worth this much to God?
Christmas and Easter do.
2023-11-23 HAPPY THANKSGIVING?
It is encouraged, common and appropriate to be thankful for the things in our lives that we feel are pleasant and beneficial. The list is longer than we may at first think. Most gifts I receive, my first thought, and perhaps longest, is of how nice they are to have. But how often is my first and most genuine thought of the Giver of the good things I have?
Also consider how easy and common it is to think bad of things that are actually for our good; and to think good of things that are actually bad for us.
Try searching "thank" and "thanksgiving" in the Bible and see what we can learn about what and who truly deserves our thanks. Failing, or refusing to see my circumstances from God's perspective (The Bible) is probably the main cause of my tendency to be superficially thankful.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17
"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!" 2Chronicles 16:8,9
Thank You God for forgiving me of my foolish, and often arrogant, blindness to Your Amazing Gift of Abundant LIFE in Jesus. (Read John 10:10) Thank You God that You make True Saints.
It is encouraged, common and appropriate to be thankful for the things in our lives that we feel are pleasant and beneficial. The list is longer than we may at first think. Most gifts I receive, my first thought, and perhaps longest, is of how nice they are to have. But how often is my first and most genuine thought of the Giver of the good things I have?
Also consider how easy and common it is to think bad of things that are actually for our good; and to think good of things that are actually bad for us.
Try searching "thank" and "thanksgiving" in the Bible and see what we can learn about what and who truly deserves our thanks. Failing, or refusing to see my circumstances from God's perspective (The Bible) is probably the main cause of my tendency to be superficially thankful.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17
"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!" 2Chronicles 16:8,9
Thank You God for forgiving me of my foolish, and often arrogant, blindness to Your Amazing Gift of Abundant LIFE in Jesus. (Read John 10:10) Thank You God that You make True Saints.
2023-10-28 QUESTIONS ABOUT FACEBOOK?
I am thinking about quitting Facebook. It is probably my naivety that sort of assumed that Facebook was about friends sharing their thoughts with each other. As it is now, the great majority of posts that Facebook sends me are not from friends, but from "things that might interest you." I am, like I assume you, fairly curious and find myself scrolling through posts that I don't need to see or even should not see. And I suspect that is exactly what Facebook wants me t do. Clicks=$. I have a couple hundred "friends" on my list and the majority of those I rarely see their posts. Perhaps they don't post any more, but I suspect that the Facebook algorithms think they don't fit my interests. At any rate, I don't see many posts from my "friends" and I assume my "friends" don't see my posts either.
I am curious how others are experiencing "Facebook." I am wondering if it is an unfruitful use of our time. (Both posting and reading)
What do you think?
I am thinking about quitting Facebook. It is probably my naivety that sort of assumed that Facebook was about friends sharing their thoughts with each other. As it is now, the great majority of posts that Facebook sends me are not from friends, but from "things that might interest you." I am, like I assume you, fairly curious and find myself scrolling through posts that I don't need to see or even should not see. And I suspect that is exactly what Facebook wants me t do. Clicks=$. I have a couple hundred "friends" on my list and the majority of those I rarely see their posts. Perhaps they don't post any more, but I suspect that the Facebook algorithms think they don't fit my interests. At any rate, I don't see many posts from my "friends" and I assume my "friends" don't see my posts either.
I am curious how others are experiencing "Facebook." I am wondering if it is an unfruitful use of our time. (Both posting and reading)
What do you think?
2023-10-01 THE GREAT DELUSION?
Todays' delusions are the same Great Delusion of all times.
We gather in groups, point at each other and declare: "You are delusional!" "You believe things that are not true!"
Perhaps delusion just seems more widespread. But the idea that a person really is whatever they feel like being seems to be growing. This idea is quite easily demonstrated to be a delusion when confronted with reality. Who can walk into a bank, claim to be Bill Gates, and walk out with his money? Who can stand up in a school board meeting and simply claim to be the superintendent and without question be given the gavel? Who could walk up to the White House, claim to be the President, and walk in unopposed. These impossibilities are everywhere around us even though there is a growing number of people who claim to be able to define their own terms and thus change reality. Any reasonably aware person can recognize that creating Truth by their own will is delusion.
But, this is exactly the Great Delusion that has plagued humankind for all time. There can only be one "GOD." If there are more than one, they each become only "Gods." The more "Gods" there are, they become only "gods."
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden felt himself to be "like the Most High." Of course it was a delusion or he would have been visiting with the people he created, in the Garden he created, in the universe he created, rather than crawling around in Someone Else's garden looking for someone to devour by delusion. In his own delusion this "God" imagined himself to be "GOD" and thus tempted Adam and Eve to join the delusion. In delusion, believing the Serpent rather than believing "GOD," they too became "Gods," or more accurately "gods." They believed the lie that they could be the agents (gods) of their own destines, their own identities.
We all know it is not true, but we still try, believing that trying is sufficient. We believe that even slight and temporary feelings of being the effective agents of our own reality, are really True.
Jesus Christ expressed the issue clearly. As GOD, Jesus had no delusion, no misunderstanding of the real issue we all face. As Man, Jesus said to GOD The Father: "not my will, but Yours be done." Refusing to say what Jesus said is the Great Delusion. We actually believe that our will, our agency, our feelings, our desires, our plans, our preferences, our intelligence, our understanding, our wisdom, our powers are equal, and even greater than GOD'S.
But who of us can speak worlds into existence, can hold together all that is, can perfectly judge all the affairs of men? Who can rescue themselves from the awful lives of their own making? Who can pay the price of their own redemption? We have always tried, and sometimes appear to succeed; at least we tell ourselves we succeed. But the fact remains that we are only "gods." In our Great Delusion we tell ourselves that "my will is better than GOD'S" will. And too often we argue that "my delusion is not as bad as your delusion." This is just what "gods" do.
Whose will do you want to rule your life? While we cannot choose the consequences of our decision, we can choose whose will we will follow. The consequences of choosing GOD'S will is Restful Eternity, with GOD HIMSELF, His LIFE, as a gift by His Grace. The consequences of choosing my will is an eternity of pursuing an exhausting life of self-exaltation, surrounded by other deluded gods with the same hopeless conflicting goals.
Todays' delusions are the same Great Delusion of all times.
We gather in groups, point at each other and declare: "You are delusional!" "You believe things that are not true!"
Perhaps delusion just seems more widespread. But the idea that a person really is whatever they feel like being seems to be growing. This idea is quite easily demonstrated to be a delusion when confronted with reality. Who can walk into a bank, claim to be Bill Gates, and walk out with his money? Who can stand up in a school board meeting and simply claim to be the superintendent and without question be given the gavel? Who could walk up to the White House, claim to be the President, and walk in unopposed. These impossibilities are everywhere around us even though there is a growing number of people who claim to be able to define their own terms and thus change reality. Any reasonably aware person can recognize that creating Truth by their own will is delusion.
But, this is exactly the Great Delusion that has plagued humankind for all time. There can only be one "GOD." If there are more than one, they each become only "Gods." The more "Gods" there are, they become only "gods."
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden felt himself to be "like the Most High." Of course it was a delusion or he would have been visiting with the people he created, in the Garden he created, in the universe he created, rather than crawling around in Someone Else's garden looking for someone to devour by delusion. In his own delusion this "God" imagined himself to be "GOD" and thus tempted Adam and Eve to join the delusion. In delusion, believing the Serpent rather than believing "GOD," they too became "Gods," or more accurately "gods." They believed the lie that they could be the agents (gods) of their own destines, their own identities.
We all know it is not true, but we still try, believing that trying is sufficient. We believe that even slight and temporary feelings of being the effective agents of our own reality, are really True.
Jesus Christ expressed the issue clearly. As GOD, Jesus had no delusion, no misunderstanding of the real issue we all face. As Man, Jesus said to GOD The Father: "not my will, but Yours be done." Refusing to say what Jesus said is the Great Delusion. We actually believe that our will, our agency, our feelings, our desires, our plans, our preferences, our intelligence, our understanding, our wisdom, our powers are equal, and even greater than GOD'S.
But who of us can speak worlds into existence, can hold together all that is, can perfectly judge all the affairs of men? Who can rescue themselves from the awful lives of their own making? Who can pay the price of their own redemption? We have always tried, and sometimes appear to succeed; at least we tell ourselves we succeed. But the fact remains that we are only "gods." In our Great Delusion we tell ourselves that "my will is better than GOD'S" will. And too often we argue that "my delusion is not as bad as your delusion." This is just what "gods" do.
Whose will do you want to rule your life? While we cannot choose the consequences of our decision, we can choose whose will we will follow. The consequences of choosing GOD'S will is Restful Eternity, with GOD HIMSELF, His LIFE, as a gift by His Grace. The consequences of choosing my will is an eternity of pursuing an exhausting life of self-exaltation, surrounded by other deluded gods with the same hopeless conflicting goals.
2023-09-25
WHAT DO WORDS MEAN?
Words Have Meaning, but often they mean different things to different people. This is one of the reasons for so much misunderstanding between people. We often talk on opposite sides of an issue using the same words but not recognizing or admitting that we are using different definitions of those words. Sadly we are too often content to keep talking without doing the difficult work of seeking to understand what we are meaning in the words we choose to use. Sometimes we blindly, or arrogantly, demand that our definitions are the only true ones and the communication fences get higher and thicker.
The meaning of words is no where more important than in religion. Religious words, morality words, have great significance not only for our interpersonal relations with other people, but determine the present and eternal relationship we have with God.
Our communication with God is different because it is wise to recognize that God is the only one in the conversation that, with perfect accuracy, understands what is being both said and heard. It could be said that God is the author of the dictionary and He alone perfectly knows the definition of words. And even more significantly, God understand perfectly the ideas, thoughts and feelings that our words are seeking to convey.
It is interesting that God has chosen to use our human words to communicate Himself to us. And He doesn't rely on catchy slogans or loud words to get us to understand. He uses a Book (the Bible) full of words in all sorts of different contexts to help us learn what He wants us to understand about Himself, ourselves, and the world in which we live.
If God is GOD, and I believe He Is, His definitions of words are the ones I want to learn to know and use. So, with sincerity and respect I must recognize that in communicating with each other about our religious views, it is important that we seek to understand the different ways we define the words we use. But, while this is important, it is crucial and vital that we all seek to know how God uses the words He uses to communicate with us. The way we learn God's definitions is described in Psalm 1 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."
What do words mean? (Especially religious words) Blessed people do not depend on the definitions of men (yours and mine) but meditates on, ponders, the way God uses the words of the Bible (the law of the LORD) to describe Himself, ourselves and our world.
The goal of the public facebook group and the website "True Saints" is to be challenged to ponder, ask and answer questions about Bible texts, in order to truly know what it means to be a Christian, a Saint, a Follower of Jesus Christ, to have Eternal LIFE, and all the other things God wants to give us.
WHAT DO WORDS MEAN?
Words Have Meaning, but often they mean different things to different people. This is one of the reasons for so much misunderstanding between people. We often talk on opposite sides of an issue using the same words but not recognizing or admitting that we are using different definitions of those words. Sadly we are too often content to keep talking without doing the difficult work of seeking to understand what we are meaning in the words we choose to use. Sometimes we blindly, or arrogantly, demand that our definitions are the only true ones and the communication fences get higher and thicker.
The meaning of words is no where more important than in religion. Religious words, morality words, have great significance not only for our interpersonal relations with other people, but determine the present and eternal relationship we have with God.
Our communication with God is different because it is wise to recognize that God is the only one in the conversation that, with perfect accuracy, understands what is being both said and heard. It could be said that God is the author of the dictionary and He alone perfectly knows the definition of words. And even more significantly, God understand perfectly the ideas, thoughts and feelings that our words are seeking to convey.
It is interesting that God has chosen to use our human words to communicate Himself to us. And He doesn't rely on catchy slogans or loud words to get us to understand. He uses a Book (the Bible) full of words in all sorts of different contexts to help us learn what He wants us to understand about Himself, ourselves, and the world in which we live.
If God is GOD, and I believe He Is, His definitions of words are the ones I want to learn to know and use. So, with sincerity and respect I must recognize that in communicating with each other about our religious views, it is important that we seek to understand the different ways we define the words we use. But, while this is important, it is crucial and vital that we all seek to know how God uses the words He uses to communicate with us. The way we learn God's definitions is described in Psalm 1 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night."
What do words mean? (Especially religious words) Blessed people do not depend on the definitions of men (yours and mine) but meditates on, ponders, the way God uses the words of the Bible (the law of the LORD) to describe Himself, ourselves and our world.
The goal of the public facebook group and the website "True Saints" is to be challenged to ponder, ask and answer questions about Bible texts, in order to truly know what it means to be a Christian, a Saint, a Follower of Jesus Christ, to have Eternal LIFE, and all the other things God wants to give us.
2023-09-24
A DAY IN LIFE?
A week ago today we were at the funeral of a good friend. It was both a celebration and a mourning. Floyd was a Godly man whose Christ-like life impacted many. We were all sad when he died what we all consider "too soon." But from Heaven's side there was gladness to welcome Floyd, free from his physical suffering.
Today, my wife went to a glad baby shower to celebrate the soon coming birth of a young couples first baby. They will be good parents, raising their baby to love and serve the LORD.
This afternoon we got a phone call telling us that a new friend struggling with ALS can no longer swallow. Choosing to stay at home with his wife, it seems his death is near. They have served Jesus Christ for many years and countless people are closer to God because they have seen Jesus Christ in their faithful service.
A few minutes ago we got a call that another good friend who is just a few years shy of 100 years old fell and broke her leg. She, like the others, has faithfully represented Jesus most of those years. Then we got a return call telling us that it was not our friend but another elderly lady. In our relief we realized that another family is dealing with the sad news.
In life, everything comes to pass. We anticipate the good news and dread the bad news. Knowing that God is always present and powerfully caring, moving His people toward an eternity enjoying His magnificent perfections.
I cannot imagine facing the welcome and the unwelcome events of every day life without the confidence and joy that there is a GOD who promises those who trust Him that He will never leave or forsake them. GOD is faithful in every moment of every day, no matter whether the day is glad or sad. One of the saddest things in life is that some people neither know nor care, and are choosing to spend eternity apart from the God who loves them so.
A DAY IN LIFE?
A week ago today we were at the funeral of a good friend. It was both a celebration and a mourning. Floyd was a Godly man whose Christ-like life impacted many. We were all sad when he died what we all consider "too soon." But from Heaven's side there was gladness to welcome Floyd, free from his physical suffering.
Today, my wife went to a glad baby shower to celebrate the soon coming birth of a young couples first baby. They will be good parents, raising their baby to love and serve the LORD.
This afternoon we got a phone call telling us that a new friend struggling with ALS can no longer swallow. Choosing to stay at home with his wife, it seems his death is near. They have served Jesus Christ for many years and countless people are closer to God because they have seen Jesus Christ in their faithful service.
A few minutes ago we got a call that another good friend who is just a few years shy of 100 years old fell and broke her leg. She, like the others, has faithfully represented Jesus most of those years. Then we got a return call telling us that it was not our friend but another elderly lady. In our relief we realized that another family is dealing with the sad news.
In life, everything comes to pass. We anticipate the good news and dread the bad news. Knowing that God is always present and powerfully caring, moving His people toward an eternity enjoying His magnificent perfections.
I cannot imagine facing the welcome and the unwelcome events of every day life without the confidence and joy that there is a GOD who promises those who trust Him that He will never leave or forsake them. GOD is faithful in every moment of every day, no matter whether the day is glad or sad. One of the saddest things in life is that some people neither know nor care, and are choosing to spend eternity apart from the God who loves them so.
2023-09-20
Who Do I Believe?
Everyone believes someone. What we believe is fundamentally an issue of who we believe. We each make the final decisions ourselves, but it is extreme foolishness to either seek or claim to make choices without any reference to the input of others, This may not seem so important regarding which clothes are most appropriate for the day. But many daily decisions really are impacted significantly by who we believe. Who we believe when it comes to the use of our money, our time, our possessions is very important. But there is nothing as important as our life. Who do we believe regarding our present and eternal life? We all believe someone.
Advise about present and eternal life surround us. "We can't know," "it doesn't matter," "this is right," "that is right," are all claims with real consequences. Who we believe about our present and eternal life is far more important than we tend to think it is. Opinions and claims of revelations surround us. Who do we believe? While many choose to believe others, the God of the Bible says that to believe Him is the only way to real LIFE both now and for eternity. What does the God of the Bible require that we believe in order to have the LIFE that He offers?
There are real disagreements about what a person must believe in order to have the LIFE that God offers. We all choose who we believe regarding what we must believe. To say that we must believe "the Bible," is accurate but can be very confusing and open to many different opinions. Perhaps it is helpful to compare believing the Bible to mathematics. We all begin by believing that 2+2=4 and building on the confirmed belief that it is true we move on to more and more understanding of the mathematical world in which we live. With that analogy in mind it could be said that there are fundamental beliefs in the Bible on which all other beliefs are based. Perhaps you have been reading the Bible and listening to what a variety of people say about it. Perhaps it seems like calculus to you, or the different opinions and interpretations make it seem like no one can know the truth. Again the question, "who do I believe?"
The question and the answer is described in the beginning of and throughout the Bible. It really is a very simple answer that unless answered correctly the whole Bible is confusing and easily misinterpreted.
The Bible begins with the phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In these fundamental words resides the beginning of the answer to the question "who do I believe?" There is a Being Who names and describes Himself as "God, the Designer and Creator of all that exists outside of Himself. If this is true He certainly deserves to be believed. And looking at the magnificent complexity of the heavens and the earth, who is qualified to question God?
This God said to Adam and Eve: "don't eat the fruit of one specific tree in the garden, if you do you will die." The Devil asked Adam and Eve, "did God really say not to eat the forbidden fruit?" Then the devil said: "surely you won't die." Not believing God but believing the devil, they ate the fruit and they died both spiritually and eventually physically. Who they believed affected all their offspring, including you and me. The solution to the dying life they, and we, experience was simply and profoundly to believe God.
From the moment of their unbelief, God began both saying and demonstrating His LIFE giving truths as recorded in the Bible. God revealed the truth about Himself, about mankind, and about our relationship with Him. Humans have imagined all sorts of alternatives to what God says, and live with the deadly consequences of believing someone other than God.
God says regarding Himself: "I AM the One and Only True God; I AM Perfect, Flawless; I AM fulfilling My sovereign plan for all things that displays and shares Myself with anyone who will believe and trust Me.
God says regarding mankind: "The first people I created, Adam and Eve, were created to believe and trust Me completely. But because they disbelieved and disobeyed Me, every one of their offspring is born separated from Me (spiritually dead) in disbelief and rebellion. Their hostile selfishness believes they can either figure out life for themselves or by doing religious things they think it will please Me and earn the LIFE for which they yearn. If they continue in unbelief they will exist for eternity with the deadly independent personal agency apart from Me that they have chosen. In their unbelief they will blame Me as unfair for the choices they themselves have made."
God says regarding our relationship with Him: I created mankind in order to bless them with the LIFE that only I can give. To rescue individuals from the present and eternal consequences of their hostile unbelief, I became a human man, Jesus Christ, in order to pay the deadly penalty of their rebellion. I give LIFE, both present and eternal to anyone who will believe what I say about Myself, about them, and about the sacrifice of Myself for their rescue from the consequences of their unbelief.
Many different people claim to have the right list of what must be believed in order to have Eternal LIFE with God. But the question remains, "who do I believe?" No one is accountable to believe me. But we are all accountable to believe God. We are all at different stages of life and understand words according to our background. But we all can understand and answer the simple question: "do I believe God, or someone else?"
Faced with this question, a man in the Bible answered sincerely: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." Are you willing to admit that you do not understand, but want to? Are you willing to admit that in your selfishness (sin) you do not deserve His LIFE, but want it? If God is GOD He both hears and understands your heart's desire. Just tell Him that you believe Him and need His help to believe what He says about Himself, about you, and about the relationship He can have with you. God has given and preserved the Bible to reveal these things to us. Believing God is where every true saint begins and continues daily to live the LIFE only God can give.
Who do I believe?
Who do you believe?
Who Do I Believe?
Everyone believes someone. What we believe is fundamentally an issue of who we believe. We each make the final decisions ourselves, but it is extreme foolishness to either seek or claim to make choices without any reference to the input of others, This may not seem so important regarding which clothes are most appropriate for the day. But many daily decisions really are impacted significantly by who we believe. Who we believe when it comes to the use of our money, our time, our possessions is very important. But there is nothing as important as our life. Who do we believe regarding our present and eternal life? We all believe someone.
Advise about present and eternal life surround us. "We can't know," "it doesn't matter," "this is right," "that is right," are all claims with real consequences. Who we believe about our present and eternal life is far more important than we tend to think it is. Opinions and claims of revelations surround us. Who do we believe? While many choose to believe others, the God of the Bible says that to believe Him is the only way to real LIFE both now and for eternity. What does the God of the Bible require that we believe in order to have the LIFE that He offers?
There are real disagreements about what a person must believe in order to have the LIFE that God offers. We all choose who we believe regarding what we must believe. To say that we must believe "the Bible," is accurate but can be very confusing and open to many different opinions. Perhaps it is helpful to compare believing the Bible to mathematics. We all begin by believing that 2+2=4 and building on the confirmed belief that it is true we move on to more and more understanding of the mathematical world in which we live. With that analogy in mind it could be said that there are fundamental beliefs in the Bible on which all other beliefs are based. Perhaps you have been reading the Bible and listening to what a variety of people say about it. Perhaps it seems like calculus to you, or the different opinions and interpretations make it seem like no one can know the truth. Again the question, "who do I believe?"
The question and the answer is described in the beginning of and throughout the Bible. It really is a very simple answer that unless answered correctly the whole Bible is confusing and easily misinterpreted.
The Bible begins with the phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In these fundamental words resides the beginning of the answer to the question "who do I believe?" There is a Being Who names and describes Himself as "God, the Designer and Creator of all that exists outside of Himself. If this is true He certainly deserves to be believed. And looking at the magnificent complexity of the heavens and the earth, who is qualified to question God?
This God said to Adam and Eve: "don't eat the fruit of one specific tree in the garden, if you do you will die." The Devil asked Adam and Eve, "did God really say not to eat the forbidden fruit?" Then the devil said: "surely you won't die." Not believing God but believing the devil, they ate the fruit and they died both spiritually and eventually physically. Who they believed affected all their offspring, including you and me. The solution to the dying life they, and we, experience was simply and profoundly to believe God.
From the moment of their unbelief, God began both saying and demonstrating His LIFE giving truths as recorded in the Bible. God revealed the truth about Himself, about mankind, and about our relationship with Him. Humans have imagined all sorts of alternatives to what God says, and live with the deadly consequences of believing someone other than God.
God says regarding Himself: "I AM the One and Only True God; I AM Perfect, Flawless; I AM fulfilling My sovereign plan for all things that displays and shares Myself with anyone who will believe and trust Me.
God says regarding mankind: "The first people I created, Adam and Eve, were created to believe and trust Me completely. But because they disbelieved and disobeyed Me, every one of their offspring is born separated from Me (spiritually dead) in disbelief and rebellion. Their hostile selfishness believes they can either figure out life for themselves or by doing religious things they think it will please Me and earn the LIFE for which they yearn. If they continue in unbelief they will exist for eternity with the deadly independent personal agency apart from Me that they have chosen. In their unbelief they will blame Me as unfair for the choices they themselves have made."
God says regarding our relationship with Him: I created mankind in order to bless them with the LIFE that only I can give. To rescue individuals from the present and eternal consequences of their hostile unbelief, I became a human man, Jesus Christ, in order to pay the deadly penalty of their rebellion. I give LIFE, both present and eternal to anyone who will believe what I say about Myself, about them, and about the sacrifice of Myself for their rescue from the consequences of their unbelief.
Many different people claim to have the right list of what must be believed in order to have Eternal LIFE with God. But the question remains, "who do I believe?" No one is accountable to believe me. But we are all accountable to believe God. We are all at different stages of life and understand words according to our background. But we all can understand and answer the simple question: "do I believe God, or someone else?"
Faced with this question, a man in the Bible answered sincerely: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." Are you willing to admit that you do not understand, but want to? Are you willing to admit that in your selfishness (sin) you do not deserve His LIFE, but want it? If God is GOD He both hears and understands your heart's desire. Just tell Him that you believe Him and need His help to believe what He says about Himself, about you, and about the relationship He can have with you. God has given and preserved the Bible to reveal these things to us. Believing God is where every true saint begins and continues daily to live the LIFE only God can give.
Who do I believe?
Who do you believe?
2023-09-03
TWO QUESTIONS WE THOUGHTLESSLY ANSWER EVERY DAY?
Our daily behaviors are demonstrated answers to life questions we all answer every day. The way we spend our money answers the questions: "what does money mean to you? and "what is most important to you?" The way you dress answers the question: "How important to you is your appearance?" The way you drive answers the questions: "How patient are you? and "How much do you respect other drivers?" What you eat and drink answers the question: "How do you care for your body?" On and on we go through our days answering questions we rarely think about, answering by habit, impulse or indifference.
There are two questions that are more important than all the others, which we also answer most thoughtlessly. The first is a question God has asked everyone from the beginning of time. Just as He asked Adam and Eve after they disobeyed Him, he asks us: "Where Are You?" Of course God knew their geographical and circumstantial location. He was asking about their spiritual, emotional, relational location. He was asking: "how is this disobedience going for you?" Just as they answered, we answer with superficial behaviors that seek to hide our internal guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, fear, anger, and an endless list of maladies. We try to clothe ourselves with happiness and blessings of our own making, which soon grow old and warn, so we try more or new, hoping to make our "where are you" more permanently satisfying.
The second question was actually asked before the first one. The Devil asked Adam and Eve: "Did God really say?" God had given them instructions and the Devil was hell-bent on drawing them away from God and LIFE He had given them. The Devil's question challenged them, and us, to doubt and ignore God and His Word. God, through the Bible, addresses every fundamental issue of our human life. Thus, our every belief and every behavior answers the question: "Are you doing this according to God's Words?" For most of us this question doesn't even enter our mind. But even for those who may consider the question, we usually excuse the question by doubting or disbelieving what the Bible says. "God didn't really say _____!" The point is that we, more often than we should, don't really think about what God might say about any particular issue. Thus we go through our day thoughtlessly answering the two most important questions of each day.
The Devil, in his intelligence, which is usually greater than our own, unwittingly asked the question that, when answered sincerely, and understanding God's great love for His people (Adam and Eve and you and me) will prompt us to actually seek to know what "God says" regarding "where we are."
Do you know that God cares "where you are." Do you know that "God has something to say" about "where you are?" Do you know that pondering, believing, and behaving according to what God says is exactly what God wants to use to rescue us from the dilemma of "where we are?" Maybe if we used the Devil's question to prompt belief rather than disbelief we might find the LIFE that only God can give.
TWO QUESTIONS WE THOUGHTLESSLY ANSWER EVERY DAY?
Our daily behaviors are demonstrated answers to life questions we all answer every day. The way we spend our money answers the questions: "what does money mean to you? and "what is most important to you?" The way you dress answers the question: "How important to you is your appearance?" The way you drive answers the questions: "How patient are you? and "How much do you respect other drivers?" What you eat and drink answers the question: "How do you care for your body?" On and on we go through our days answering questions we rarely think about, answering by habit, impulse or indifference.
There are two questions that are more important than all the others, which we also answer most thoughtlessly. The first is a question God has asked everyone from the beginning of time. Just as He asked Adam and Eve after they disobeyed Him, he asks us: "Where Are You?" Of course God knew their geographical and circumstantial location. He was asking about their spiritual, emotional, relational location. He was asking: "how is this disobedience going for you?" Just as they answered, we answer with superficial behaviors that seek to hide our internal guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, fear, anger, and an endless list of maladies. We try to clothe ourselves with happiness and blessings of our own making, which soon grow old and warn, so we try more or new, hoping to make our "where are you" more permanently satisfying.
The second question was actually asked before the first one. The Devil asked Adam and Eve: "Did God really say?" God had given them instructions and the Devil was hell-bent on drawing them away from God and LIFE He had given them. The Devil's question challenged them, and us, to doubt and ignore God and His Word. God, through the Bible, addresses every fundamental issue of our human life. Thus, our every belief and every behavior answers the question: "Are you doing this according to God's Words?" For most of us this question doesn't even enter our mind. But even for those who may consider the question, we usually excuse the question by doubting or disbelieving what the Bible says. "God didn't really say _____!" The point is that we, more often than we should, don't really think about what God might say about any particular issue. Thus we go through our day thoughtlessly answering the two most important questions of each day.
The Devil, in his intelligence, which is usually greater than our own, unwittingly asked the question that, when answered sincerely, and understanding God's great love for His people (Adam and Eve and you and me) will prompt us to actually seek to know what "God says" regarding "where we are."
Do you know that God cares "where you are." Do you know that "God has something to say" about "where you are?" Do you know that pondering, believing, and behaving according to what God says is exactly what God wants to use to rescue us from the dilemma of "where we are?" Maybe if we used the Devil's question to prompt belief rather than disbelief we might find the LIFE that only God can give.
WHOSE VOTE ARE THEY SEEKING?
Politicking and electioneering seem to be perpetual sports in our country, and probably the world. There is no shortage of both combatants and spectators. Both sides border on being rabid in their participation. On the one side are the competitors who are vying for endorsement of their leadership. On the other side are those looking to sell their votes to the highest bidder.
To be fair, there are those who are not completely sold out to what they perceive is the prevailing wind. There are those who have a measure of consistent conviction. But for most, their feet are planted firmly in mid air. They love the prestige and power of leadership so much that they are willing to espouse whatever it takes to gain it. Granted, most of them do so while appearing, for the moment, to stand on firm principles.
To continue being fair, (isn't that a popular slogan?) voters, or followers if you will, usually get what they want. It has been said that we get the leaders we deserve. Everyone sincerely, and strongly, believes that their personal (and group) convictions are best and most desirable. They even construct opinion polls to prove their perspective is democratically superior.
Why do we find ourselves in an election season where, to adapt an old story of a king who fancied himself dressed in splendid garments and the crowds applauded him for his style, but in reality as he paraded before his subjects he was naked, yet adored. Truth sees that "the candidates have no clothes."
We seem to have an electorate that is easily duped into accepting leaders that simply promise, yet rarely deliver, what they believe the voters want. And the self-centered marriage continues on its merry cycle of honeymoon-divorce-courtship-remarriage and on and on.
Is there a solution? To put it bluntly and briefly, yes! Have leaders and followers who want God's Vote. But there is a problem, no leader who genuinely ran on such a platform would ever be elected because we the people want our way rather than God's way.
There is one arena where seeking God's vote works, though rarely for long. Local Bible Believing churches led by pastors and Elders who genuinely desire God's will above all else are the only places on planet earth where leaders and voters can be united in harmony for the furthering of God's Will in their midst.
Fortunately, the fact that God is Supreme and Sovereign gives us the confidence that even if the majority of self-centered voters elect self-centered leaders, God can and does use it to bring about His will of both judging unrighteousness and blessing all who seek His will above all else. And it is accomplished even if all the voters scream "crucify Him, crucify Him!" There was One Who prayed: "not my will but Yours be done."
Politicking and electioneering seem to be perpetual sports in our country, and probably the world. There is no shortage of both combatants and spectators. Both sides border on being rabid in their participation. On the one side are the competitors who are vying for endorsement of their leadership. On the other side are those looking to sell their votes to the highest bidder.
To be fair, there are those who are not completely sold out to what they perceive is the prevailing wind. There are those who have a measure of consistent conviction. But for most, their feet are planted firmly in mid air. They love the prestige and power of leadership so much that they are willing to espouse whatever it takes to gain it. Granted, most of them do so while appearing, for the moment, to stand on firm principles.
To continue being fair, (isn't that a popular slogan?) voters, or followers if you will, usually get what they want. It has been said that we get the leaders we deserve. Everyone sincerely, and strongly, believes that their personal (and group) convictions are best and most desirable. They even construct opinion polls to prove their perspective is democratically superior.
Why do we find ourselves in an election season where, to adapt an old story of a king who fancied himself dressed in splendid garments and the crowds applauded him for his style, but in reality as he paraded before his subjects he was naked, yet adored. Truth sees that "the candidates have no clothes."
We seem to have an electorate that is easily duped into accepting leaders that simply promise, yet rarely deliver, what they believe the voters want. And the self-centered marriage continues on its merry cycle of honeymoon-divorce-courtship-remarriage and on and on.
Is there a solution? To put it bluntly and briefly, yes! Have leaders and followers who want God's Vote. But there is a problem, no leader who genuinely ran on such a platform would ever be elected because we the people want our way rather than God's way.
There is one arena where seeking God's vote works, though rarely for long. Local Bible Believing churches led by pastors and Elders who genuinely desire God's will above all else are the only places on planet earth where leaders and voters can be united in harmony for the furthering of God's Will in their midst.
Fortunately, the fact that God is Supreme and Sovereign gives us the confidence that even if the majority of self-centered voters elect self-centered leaders, God can and does use it to bring about His will of both judging unrighteousness and blessing all who seek His will above all else. And it is accomplished even if all the voters scream "crucify Him, crucify Him!" There was One Who prayed: "not my will but Yours be done."
DOES BELIEVING MAKE IT TRUE?
In this Biblically described culture where "everyone does what is right in their own eye," we have entered the stage where "anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot!" And often with expletives added. Things are right or wrong "because I believe it." It seems that for many people "believing makes it true." We actually know that things are not made true by believing. But that doesn't seem to stop people from pretending. That pretending is producing what it always has. It produces broken dreams, false hopes, and most of all chaos and division.
The question is, why do people so readily believe what is clearly not true. The question began with Adam and Eve. Why did they believe what should have been obvious to them, having lived in the Garden of Eden and visiting often with God. Yet when told that "you can become as God" they didn't seem to hesitate believing that seemingly obvious impossibility. Their believing the lie began with not believing God's warning about the consequences of disobedience. They were consumed with the "I want what I want when I want it, because I deserve it" plague. We are all well acquainted with that attitude in our own hearts.
Could it be that for most of us, facts and truth are things we use when they help us get what we want but we don't let them get in the way of what we really want to believe and do. We imagine that we are intelligent but do not very often really think carefully about the true reality of what we believe. It is much easier to just believe what we want to, and call it truth. Sadly it is quite easy to find others willing to join the charade because they too are content with the immediate and temporary pleasures that blind them.
We all have a truth source, and probably several of them. But most often our go-to truth source is ourselves. We pick other truth sources that tell us what we already believe is true. There really are only three sources available for us to choose from. We can choose God, the Devil, or other human beings. Which truth source is the root of all the chaos and division that surrounds us? Actually, all human beings get their fundamental truth from either God or the Devil. Where does what you believe come from? If you do not believe the Bible, what truth source are you following that is more reliable than the Bible?
In this Biblically described culture where "everyone does what is right in their own eye," we have entered the stage where "anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot!" And often with expletives added. Things are right or wrong "because I believe it." It seems that for many people "believing makes it true." We actually know that things are not made true by believing. But that doesn't seem to stop people from pretending. That pretending is producing what it always has. It produces broken dreams, false hopes, and most of all chaos and division.
The question is, why do people so readily believe what is clearly not true. The question began with Adam and Eve. Why did they believe what should have been obvious to them, having lived in the Garden of Eden and visiting often with God. Yet when told that "you can become as God" they didn't seem to hesitate believing that seemingly obvious impossibility. Their believing the lie began with not believing God's warning about the consequences of disobedience. They were consumed with the "I want what I want when I want it, because I deserve it" plague. We are all well acquainted with that attitude in our own hearts.
Could it be that for most of us, facts and truth are things we use when they help us get what we want but we don't let them get in the way of what we really want to believe and do. We imagine that we are intelligent but do not very often really think carefully about the true reality of what we believe. It is much easier to just believe what we want to, and call it truth. Sadly it is quite easy to find others willing to join the charade because they too are content with the immediate and temporary pleasures that blind them.
We all have a truth source, and probably several of them. But most often our go-to truth source is ourselves. We pick other truth sources that tell us what we already believe is true. There really are only three sources available for us to choose from. We can choose God, the Devil, or other human beings. Which truth source is the root of all the chaos and division that surrounds us? Actually, all human beings get their fundamental truth from either God or the Devil. Where does what you believe come from? If you do not believe the Bible, what truth source are you following that is more reliable than the Bible?
THE MOST OVERLOOKED CRISIS?
It is no secret that there are crises all around us. It is not necessary to be specific for the crises are numerous in lots of categories. There are financial crises, medical crises, insurance crises, weather crises, political crises, education crises, family crises, and on and on.
There are several things common to all these crises.
1. Some people think it is a crisis and other don't think it is.
2. For those who think it is a crisis, they most often have differing solutions.
3. We tend to blame people other than ourselves for causing the crisis.
4. We tend to think other people should be significantly involved in solving it, by force if necessary.
5. Over time, most crisis are are not as bad as they were presented to be.
6. As more crises are proclaimed, they must be hyped or exaggerated more and more to get people's attention.
7. With crisis being declared all around us, it is more and more difficult to take a crisis seriously.
8. Most of us tend to think it is sad when other people face a crisis, but we also think "it won't happen to me."
The old phrase "foxhole conversion" comes to mind. A solder usually gets real serious about their relationship with God when the bullets start flying and he hunkers down in a foxhole.
We may face many crises in life, but none so consequential as "it is appointed for man to die, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
Could it be that God wants to use the various crises in our lives to awaken us to the real crisis of facing eternity apart from the God Who loves us.
We are so easily energized to address other crises, all of which carry virtually no eternal consequences. But we so casually consider, and usually dismiss, the crisis of our sin against God. We dismiss both our sin and the fact that God has made every provision to rescue us.
We answer: "but what about the __________ crisis? We can think about God later."
Read: "The Gospel?"
It is no secret that there are crises all around us. It is not necessary to be specific for the crises are numerous in lots of categories. There are financial crises, medical crises, insurance crises, weather crises, political crises, education crises, family crises, and on and on.
There are several things common to all these crises.
1. Some people think it is a crisis and other don't think it is.
2. For those who think it is a crisis, they most often have differing solutions.
3. We tend to blame people other than ourselves for causing the crisis.
4. We tend to think other people should be significantly involved in solving it, by force if necessary.
5. Over time, most crisis are are not as bad as they were presented to be.
6. As more crises are proclaimed, they must be hyped or exaggerated more and more to get people's attention.
7. With crisis being declared all around us, it is more and more difficult to take a crisis seriously.
8. Most of us tend to think it is sad when other people face a crisis, but we also think "it won't happen to me."
The old phrase "foxhole conversion" comes to mind. A solder usually gets real serious about their relationship with God when the bullets start flying and he hunkers down in a foxhole.
We may face many crises in life, but none so consequential as "it is appointed for man to die, and after that comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
Could it be that God wants to use the various crises in our lives to awaken us to the real crisis of facing eternity apart from the God Who loves us.
We are so easily energized to address other crises, all of which carry virtually no eternal consequences. But we so casually consider, and usually dismiss, the crisis of our sin against God. We dismiss both our sin and the fact that God has made every provision to rescue us.
We answer: "but what about the __________ crisis? We can think about God later."
Read: "The Gospel?"
DEVOURED BY A COUNTERFEIT GOD'S COUNTERFEIT GOSPEL?
The trial of Lori Vallow Daybell has attracted a lot of interest because of amazement that a mother would be involved in murdering her own children. It seems to be popular agreement that her sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is well deserved. The prosecutors and the news media have generally described her as delusional in a web of sex and money. Whatever else is involved it is clear that her views and behaviors have produced tragedy in herself and those around her.
It is well documented that Lori Vallow has been significantly involved and influenced by a movement known as "Preparing a People." There are various forms of the movement but it is basically focused on preparing people for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The phrase was first used by a popular church as they encouraged their members to prepare for the end times by storing food and other resources to care for themselves and their fellow believers in the upheaval and chaos that will precede the coming of Jesus. It included encouragement and training to, by obedience to "Gospel principles," make themselves worthy of the coming of Jesus.
To prepare for hardship is wise and certainly not wrong in itself. But as one person commented: "she justified their killings “by going down a bizarre, religious rabbit hole." The prosecutor said she "was motivated by arcane religious beliefs about "dark energy" and the "end times."
As I read about the Preparing a People movement and the Vallow-Daybell involvement, I see how it has become what is considered bizarre and arcane. But I see two fundamental underlying beliefs that are as old as human history.
1. Something is desperately wrong with our world, with ourselves, but we can fix it ourselves if we will only work hard enough.
2. We can get personal messages from God about how to live if we make ourselves receptive.
One reason these things are so commonly believed is because they each have a grain of truth to them.
1. There is something desperately wrong with our world, and we are personally involved in both the problem and the solution.
2. God does have the answer, and He wants us to know it.
The reason Preparing a People, and many other belief systems wind up giving death rather than life is because, while claiming to be God-centered, they are actually man-centered. We all have the uncanny ability to hear God say anything we want Him to say. We all have the ability to sincerely believe our plans are God's plans. We all have inherited from Adam and Eve the desire to be like God, to reign and rule our own realm. We all are prone to seek the Glory that only God truly deserves.
We are all on the menu of the Devil who seeks to devour by tempting us with counterfeit gods and their counterfeit gospels. It is fascinating that we ourselves are the counterfeit gods and our selfish imaginations are the counterfeit gospels. We think we are good and wise enough to earn and deserve Jesus Christ to come back and reward us.
The Biblical focus of preparing for the return of Jesus Christ is to be in a forgiven relationship with God so that He (God) is the real object of Thanksgiving, Joy and Glory. This is the LIFE, FREEDOM, HOPE, that the Devil always works to devour for his own glory. We have witnessed, in the Vallow-Daybell saga, the deadly consequences of believing in counterfeit gods and counterfeit gospels. The Real God has told us the Real Gospel in the Bible.
Read:
"The Gospel" (The Bad News and The GOOD NEWS)
The trial of Lori Vallow Daybell has attracted a lot of interest because of amazement that a mother would be involved in murdering her own children. It seems to be popular agreement that her sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is well deserved. The prosecutors and the news media have generally described her as delusional in a web of sex and money. Whatever else is involved it is clear that her views and behaviors have produced tragedy in herself and those around her.
It is well documented that Lori Vallow has been significantly involved and influenced by a movement known as "Preparing a People." There are various forms of the movement but it is basically focused on preparing people for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The phrase was first used by a popular church as they encouraged their members to prepare for the end times by storing food and other resources to care for themselves and their fellow believers in the upheaval and chaos that will precede the coming of Jesus. It included encouragement and training to, by obedience to "Gospel principles," make themselves worthy of the coming of Jesus.
To prepare for hardship is wise and certainly not wrong in itself. But as one person commented: "she justified their killings “by going down a bizarre, religious rabbit hole." The prosecutor said she "was motivated by arcane religious beliefs about "dark energy" and the "end times."
As I read about the Preparing a People movement and the Vallow-Daybell involvement, I see how it has become what is considered bizarre and arcane. But I see two fundamental underlying beliefs that are as old as human history.
1. Something is desperately wrong with our world, with ourselves, but we can fix it ourselves if we will only work hard enough.
2. We can get personal messages from God about how to live if we make ourselves receptive.
One reason these things are so commonly believed is because they each have a grain of truth to them.
1. There is something desperately wrong with our world, and we are personally involved in both the problem and the solution.
2. God does have the answer, and He wants us to know it.
The reason Preparing a People, and many other belief systems wind up giving death rather than life is because, while claiming to be God-centered, they are actually man-centered. We all have the uncanny ability to hear God say anything we want Him to say. We all have the ability to sincerely believe our plans are God's plans. We all have inherited from Adam and Eve the desire to be like God, to reign and rule our own realm. We all are prone to seek the Glory that only God truly deserves.
We are all on the menu of the Devil who seeks to devour by tempting us with counterfeit gods and their counterfeit gospels. It is fascinating that we ourselves are the counterfeit gods and our selfish imaginations are the counterfeit gospels. We think we are good and wise enough to earn and deserve Jesus Christ to come back and reward us.
The Biblical focus of preparing for the return of Jesus Christ is to be in a forgiven relationship with God so that He (God) is the real object of Thanksgiving, Joy and Glory. This is the LIFE, FREEDOM, HOPE, that the Devil always works to devour for his own glory. We have witnessed, in the Vallow-Daybell saga, the deadly consequences of believing in counterfeit gods and counterfeit gospels. The Real God has told us the Real Gospel in the Bible.
Read:
"The Gospel" (The Bad News and The GOOD NEWS)
THE AWFUL SOUND OF FREEDOM?
A movie you need to watch
Yesterday Diane and I watched the current movie "The Sound of Freedom." It is an understatement to say that it was difficult to watch. If you have not heard about the movie is is about a man who worked for the United States government investigating human trafficking. He found a way to rescue a young boy and his sister from the evils of sex trafficking. (The sex in the movie is implied, never displayed) It is awful to watch because the subject is so unthinkable to us. It is awful because it forces us to realize that human, child slavery is much worse than we tend to think it is. It is awful because it gives us a needed insight into the deep pain victims experience. It is awful because it gives us needed insight into the real evil that resides in our human heart. It is awful because it opens our eyes to our complacent blindness that tolerates such evil. It is awful because it prompts us to see the related evils that are spreading like wildfire all around us. It is awful because it demonstrates what happens when "everyone does that which is right in their own eyes."
The Sound of Freedom is wonderful if it prompts us to seriously ponder the righteous justice of God. It is wonderful if it leads us to repent and submit to the powerful Grace of God. It is wonderful if it gives God's hope to captive, broken lives.
You need to see The Sound of Freedom to let God break and heal your heart. May God use it to set our hearts free to love and live the LIFE that only Jesus Christ can give.
A movie you need to watch
Yesterday Diane and I watched the current movie "The Sound of Freedom." It is an understatement to say that it was difficult to watch. If you have not heard about the movie is is about a man who worked for the United States government investigating human trafficking. He found a way to rescue a young boy and his sister from the evils of sex trafficking. (The sex in the movie is implied, never displayed) It is awful to watch because the subject is so unthinkable to us. It is awful because it forces us to realize that human, child slavery is much worse than we tend to think it is. It is awful because it gives us a needed insight into the deep pain victims experience. It is awful because it gives us needed insight into the real evil that resides in our human heart. It is awful because it opens our eyes to our complacent blindness that tolerates such evil. It is awful because it prompts us to see the related evils that are spreading like wildfire all around us. It is awful because it demonstrates what happens when "everyone does that which is right in their own eyes."
The Sound of Freedom is wonderful if it prompts us to seriously ponder the righteous justice of God. It is wonderful if it leads us to repent and submit to the powerful Grace of God. It is wonderful if it gives God's hope to captive, broken lives.
You need to see The Sound of Freedom to let God break and heal your heart. May God use it to set our hearts free to love and live the LIFE that only Jesus Christ can give.
WHAT KIND OF AMERICANS?
Today there are Americans of all sorts of different personal and group identities. We seem to be the "Divided States of America" more than the "United States of America." I wonder how many of those who complain so strongly about where we have been and where we are, would be willing to take the oath that millions of true Americans have taken, and will take, because they believe in the true foundational greatness of America.
~~~
The United States Oath of Allegiance (officially referred to as the "Oath of Allegiance," 8 C.F.R. Part 337 (2008)) is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens.
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
~~~
America is in the present condition because so many have not asked for God's help; so many have refused to seek and submit to Him.
Today there are Americans of all sorts of different personal and group identities. We seem to be the "Divided States of America" more than the "United States of America." I wonder how many of those who complain so strongly about where we have been and where we are, would be willing to take the oath that millions of true Americans have taken, and will take, because they believe in the true foundational greatness of America.
~~~
The United States Oath of Allegiance (officially referred to as the "Oath of Allegiance," 8 C.F.R. Part 337 (2008)) is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens.
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
~~~
America is in the present condition because so many have not asked for God's help; so many have refused to seek and submit to Him.
JUST CALL CANCER GOOD?
At the serious risk of someone accepting the idea, why don't we solve the awful nature of cancer (or of all diseases) by changing their label from "bad" to "good?" After all, cancer provides good jobs for many people. And evolutionists might say it "culls the herd of weak and bad genes." Others might see that it brings families together. I trust that most people consider these ideas blindly perverse.
But wait, don't we already think that changing labels solves many of the challenges of our lives, of our humanity? The examples surround us. "No-fault divorce." "Single-parent households." "Welfare entitlements." "Abortion healthcare." "Plea bargains." "Whatever..crisis." Actually, a seemingly necessary part of cultural "progress" is the relabeling of virtually everything as our human knowledge and "wisdom" increases.
It is in this spirit that relabeling has become rampant in recent years. Many words long-used to describe our lives, our selves, are now called insensitive, intolerant, and many other things. All our words are being redefined to suit our present preferences. Our communication atmosphere is changing so tragically that many cannot even clearly define the words "man" or "woman."
Actually, this is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the Bible. There have always been those who "call evil good, and good evil." There have always been those who "do what is right in their own eyes." Our ancient enemy the Devil (whom some today label a friend) told Adam and Eve that the disobedience God called "death" was actually "life," even "God-likeness."
We readily recognize cancer (which is body cells gone rogue) as a true enemy. We see that it is a deadly attack on the good and right functioning of the body which Nature (God) designed for us. To simply relabel cancer or disease as "good" could never be a wise solution. Why then do we think relabeling things about our humanity that have for millennia been considered "wrong" and "hurtful" be made "good" simply by calling them "good?"
To think that it is not a good thing for "everyone to do what is right in their own eye" is popularly considered "intolerant" and a growing list of negative labels. Not only "common sense" but all of human history demonstrates that to "call evil good and good evil" is a blind, hopeless and futile attempt to alter the LIFE that God designed and gives to all who accept His labels for our lives. The Bible says: "let God be true and every man a liar." Even if all of humanity called evil good and good evil, it could not and would not change how God defines "evil" and "good." And neither could it change the consequences of either.
(As a thought provoking aside: is it not fascinating that the Bible is called "The Word of God." And Jesus Himself is also called "The Word." Consider where relabeling them as "myth" has taken us.)
Can we already hear how these comments that I sincerely mean as caring will be labeled as "hateful" and "xenophobic."
At the serious risk of someone accepting the idea, why don't we solve the awful nature of cancer (or of all diseases) by changing their label from "bad" to "good?" After all, cancer provides good jobs for many people. And evolutionists might say it "culls the herd of weak and bad genes." Others might see that it brings families together. I trust that most people consider these ideas blindly perverse.
But wait, don't we already think that changing labels solves many of the challenges of our lives, of our humanity? The examples surround us. "No-fault divorce." "Single-parent households." "Welfare entitlements." "Abortion healthcare." "Plea bargains." "Whatever..crisis." Actually, a seemingly necessary part of cultural "progress" is the relabeling of virtually everything as our human knowledge and "wisdom" increases.
It is in this spirit that relabeling has become rampant in recent years. Many words long-used to describe our lives, our selves, are now called insensitive, intolerant, and many other things. All our words are being redefined to suit our present preferences. Our communication atmosphere is changing so tragically that many cannot even clearly define the words "man" or "woman."
Actually, this is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the Bible. There have always been those who "call evil good, and good evil." There have always been those who "do what is right in their own eyes." Our ancient enemy the Devil (whom some today label a friend) told Adam and Eve that the disobedience God called "death" was actually "life," even "God-likeness."
We readily recognize cancer (which is body cells gone rogue) as a true enemy. We see that it is a deadly attack on the good and right functioning of the body which Nature (God) designed for us. To simply relabel cancer or disease as "good" could never be a wise solution. Why then do we think relabeling things about our humanity that have for millennia been considered "wrong" and "hurtful" be made "good" simply by calling them "good?"
To think that it is not a good thing for "everyone to do what is right in their own eye" is popularly considered "intolerant" and a growing list of negative labels. Not only "common sense" but all of human history demonstrates that to "call evil good and good evil" is a blind, hopeless and futile attempt to alter the LIFE that God designed and gives to all who accept His labels for our lives. The Bible says: "let God be true and every man a liar." Even if all of humanity called evil good and good evil, it could not and would not change how God defines "evil" and "good." And neither could it change the consequences of either.
(As a thought provoking aside: is it not fascinating that the Bible is called "The Word of God." And Jesus Himself is also called "The Word." Consider where relabeling them as "myth" has taken us.)
Can we already hear how these comments that I sincerely mean as caring will be labeled as "hateful" and "xenophobic."
NEED BETTER LAWS?
It is often claimed that human beings just need the right environment and opportunities to exercise their basic goodness. Passing laws seems to be the preferred solution for helping people do things that are good for themselves and for humanity. But, there are so many laws already in existence. Would it not be simpler to pass just one law such as: "It is against the law to do anything immoral, illegal, or illogical. If it is true that people are basically good that should suffice.
Actually, it might take a few more laws, like maybe ten or so. Oh, I guess that has already been tried. And I don't know anyone who has ever perfectly kept just those ten. Maybe if we modified those ten laws to make them easier for us to keep.
1- You shall only believe in Gods who let you do whatever you believe is right and good.
2- You shall schedule your days for what gives you the most pleasure.
3- You shall not be angry or hostile with anyone unless they interfere with your lifestyle. (like unplanned babies)
4- You shall enjoy sex with whomever agrees with you.
5- You shall not steal because you can get whatever you want from the government.
6. You shall not judge others for believing, as you do, that "my truth is the truth."
There, we don't need ten laws, six is plenty to guide good people through life.
But what if even simple laws are not effective at stopping people who are basically good from doing bad things? I know it is generally considered an unreasonable idea, but what if finding the right laws are not the problem. What if the problem is that people are not basically good, but basically selfish and even evil? What if laws, rather than preventing bad behaviors, primarily demonstrate that everyone breaks them.
Human beings, who are basically selfish and evil, do not need better laws. We need transformed hearts, and only God can do that.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to leans us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:8,9)
Read: "The Gospel"
It is often claimed that human beings just need the right environment and opportunities to exercise their basic goodness. Passing laws seems to be the preferred solution for helping people do things that are good for themselves and for humanity. But, there are so many laws already in existence. Would it not be simpler to pass just one law such as: "It is against the law to do anything immoral, illegal, or illogical. If it is true that people are basically good that should suffice.
Actually, it might take a few more laws, like maybe ten or so. Oh, I guess that has already been tried. And I don't know anyone who has ever perfectly kept just those ten. Maybe if we modified those ten laws to make them easier for us to keep.
1- You shall only believe in Gods who let you do whatever you believe is right and good.
2- You shall schedule your days for what gives you the most pleasure.
3- You shall not be angry or hostile with anyone unless they interfere with your lifestyle. (like unplanned babies)
4- You shall enjoy sex with whomever agrees with you.
5- You shall not steal because you can get whatever you want from the government.
6. You shall not judge others for believing, as you do, that "my truth is the truth."
There, we don't need ten laws, six is plenty to guide good people through life.
But what if even simple laws are not effective at stopping people who are basically good from doing bad things? I know it is generally considered an unreasonable idea, but what if finding the right laws are not the problem. What if the problem is that people are not basically good, but basically selfish and even evil? What if laws, rather than preventing bad behaviors, primarily demonstrate that everyone breaks them.
Human beings, who are basically selfish and evil, do not need better laws. We need transformed hearts, and only God can do that.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it" (Jeremiah 17:9)
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to leans us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:8,9)
Read: "The Gospel"
FOUR GODS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
The presence of four gods in the Garden of Eden ought to be especially understandable to us in our day. We live in a time when some people truly believe that whatever one believes is the truth. The assumption seems to be that choosing and changing definitions creates truth and reality.
In this way there were four beings claiming to be God in the Garden of Eden. There was the Creator God, the Serpent God, and two human Gods. The Serpent claimed to have mastered the process of “becoming like God.” He assumed superiority over humanity and sought authority over them. He believed he was rescuing them from the domination of the Creator God. The appeal he used to entice the humans was their own interest in “becoming like God.” The freedom to make their own rules, to choose their own way, to be the sovereign of their own world, had an appeal they could not resist. Had they not been taking good care of the Garden? Had they not been subduing all that was under their control? The Serpent thought he deserved the praise of the humans for setting them free. The humans thought they would be honored for their bold independence.
But, as it always does, reality set in. Three of the Gods were quickly revealed to be imposters.
The CREATOR GOD entered the scene with judgments the three Gods were powerless to resist. The amazing thing is that the three Gods continued to believe their charade. Thus we too seek to be sovereign and honored in our own domains.
Think about our contemporary fascination with the idea of “GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).” Honor, praise and the power that follows is present from the playground to the statehouse. We crown GOATs from little league to the Super Bowl. Of course we praise corporate GOATs with lavish salaries. Then there are the perpetual Award shows of our Entertainment culture. Religion gets in on the adulation with Mega buildings, speakers and ministries that welcome the praise they pretend goes to God. The three little gods of the Garden spawned a world full of flower-fading goats all wishing to be GOATs. The Apostle Paul, who himself was a rescued GOAT, recorded God’s description of humanity in Romans 1:18-23.
:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
There cannot be two (or more) GOATs of anything. With the addition of each “Greatest” the Greatness become more and more ordinary and less and less Great.
Only GOD is GOD. All others who have aspired to be GOD have cowered like the three before the true HOLY DIVINE MAJESTY of GOD. The reality is that there are no “Gods,” only blind “gods” pretending to be something they never were, are, or could ever be.
There is a great challenge in comparing GOD or gods. "GOD" cannot be big enough or bold enough for the GOD Who "fills all in all." And "god" or "gods" cannot be small enough or faded enough. The difference between "GOD" and "gods" is not a matter of degree but of nature and essence.
The fundamental meaning of “holy” is not "righteous," as we often think, but “unique.” There is only one GOD, He is supreme (truly GOAT) in every category of perfection. He exists in ways beyond our comprehension. For the Serpent, for Adam and Eve, for me, to think that we could be wholly like Him is the height of folly, blindness and arrogance. It is true that God has made us capable of many things, but our pride seeks to gather the praise to ourselves rather than give it to the One Who gifted us.
As a silly, and incomplete illustration, imagine me, or yourself, attempting to be Tom Brady, who is commonly called the football GOAT. Picture us putting on the uniform and taking the field. I don’t know about you, but I would be the object of colossal laughter and they would take me off the field on a stretcher. By the way, there is nothing wrong with working at perfecting the gifts GOD gives us, as Tom Brady and many others have done and we all should do. What is wrong is believing the lie, welcoming the self-deception, as the Serpent and Adam and Eve did in the Garden, that we can be “like GOD.” They stood on the ground, in the midst of the lush garden, surrounded by a magnificent zoo. Captivated by their high roles they ignored the fact that they had absolutely no power or wisdom to design the macro and the micro majesty of it all; to speak it all into existence, and to accomplish its ongoing flourishing and preservation. This creative otherness of GOD is not even the height of His ability and character. In the Garden, GOD declared and demonstrated His plan and ability to not only punish those who challenged Him, but to forgive those who would believe Him. God punishes GOATs, but He Shepherds sheep.
The “image of God” in us is not our present or potential ability to be His peer, but the things about us that allow us to know and enjoy relating to Him as recipients of His amazing and eternal Grace. There was really only One GOD in the Garden.
Read "The Gospel?"
The presence of four gods in the Garden of Eden ought to be especially understandable to us in our day. We live in a time when some people truly believe that whatever one believes is the truth. The assumption seems to be that choosing and changing definitions creates truth and reality.
In this way there were four beings claiming to be God in the Garden of Eden. There was the Creator God, the Serpent God, and two human Gods. The Serpent claimed to have mastered the process of “becoming like God.” He assumed superiority over humanity and sought authority over them. He believed he was rescuing them from the domination of the Creator God. The appeal he used to entice the humans was their own interest in “becoming like God.” The freedom to make their own rules, to choose their own way, to be the sovereign of their own world, had an appeal they could not resist. Had they not been taking good care of the Garden? Had they not been subduing all that was under their control? The Serpent thought he deserved the praise of the humans for setting them free. The humans thought they would be honored for their bold independence.
But, as it always does, reality set in. Three of the Gods were quickly revealed to be imposters.
The CREATOR GOD entered the scene with judgments the three Gods were powerless to resist. The amazing thing is that the three Gods continued to believe their charade. Thus we too seek to be sovereign and honored in our own domains.
Think about our contemporary fascination with the idea of “GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).” Honor, praise and the power that follows is present from the playground to the statehouse. We crown GOATs from little league to the Super Bowl. Of course we praise corporate GOATs with lavish salaries. Then there are the perpetual Award shows of our Entertainment culture. Religion gets in on the adulation with Mega buildings, speakers and ministries that welcome the praise they pretend goes to God. The three little gods of the Garden spawned a world full of flower-fading goats all wishing to be GOATs. The Apostle Paul, who himself was a rescued GOAT, recorded God’s description of humanity in Romans 1:18-23.
:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
There cannot be two (or more) GOATs of anything. With the addition of each “Greatest” the Greatness become more and more ordinary and less and less Great.
Only GOD is GOD. All others who have aspired to be GOD have cowered like the three before the true HOLY DIVINE MAJESTY of GOD. The reality is that there are no “Gods,” only blind “gods” pretending to be something they never were, are, or could ever be.
There is a great challenge in comparing GOD or gods. "GOD" cannot be big enough or bold enough for the GOD Who "fills all in all." And "god" or "gods" cannot be small enough or faded enough. The difference between "GOD" and "gods" is not a matter of degree but of nature and essence.
The fundamental meaning of “holy” is not "righteous," as we often think, but “unique.” There is only one GOD, He is supreme (truly GOAT) in every category of perfection. He exists in ways beyond our comprehension. For the Serpent, for Adam and Eve, for me, to think that we could be wholly like Him is the height of folly, blindness and arrogance. It is true that God has made us capable of many things, but our pride seeks to gather the praise to ourselves rather than give it to the One Who gifted us.
As a silly, and incomplete illustration, imagine me, or yourself, attempting to be Tom Brady, who is commonly called the football GOAT. Picture us putting on the uniform and taking the field. I don’t know about you, but I would be the object of colossal laughter and they would take me off the field on a stretcher. By the way, there is nothing wrong with working at perfecting the gifts GOD gives us, as Tom Brady and many others have done and we all should do. What is wrong is believing the lie, welcoming the self-deception, as the Serpent and Adam and Eve did in the Garden, that we can be “like GOD.” They stood on the ground, in the midst of the lush garden, surrounded by a magnificent zoo. Captivated by their high roles they ignored the fact that they had absolutely no power or wisdom to design the macro and the micro majesty of it all; to speak it all into existence, and to accomplish its ongoing flourishing and preservation. This creative otherness of GOD is not even the height of His ability and character. In the Garden, GOD declared and demonstrated His plan and ability to not only punish those who challenged Him, but to forgive those who would believe Him. God punishes GOATs, but He Shepherds sheep.
The “image of God” in us is not our present or potential ability to be His peer, but the things about us that allow us to know and enjoy relating to Him as recipients of His amazing and eternal Grace. There was really only One GOD in the Garden.
Read "The Gospel?"
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE "I AM?"
I just read a couple of articles about the phrase “Who do you think you are, ‘I Am’”. According to what I read, a few years ago in a tournament a professional bowler rolled a spare on his tenth frame and was heckled for his flawed performance by someone in the audience. In response, he says that the thought in his mind was “who the f… do you think you are?” But what came out of his mouth was “who do you think you are, I am?
Fast forward to a recent response by an NFL football player who commonly claims to be a Christian: he said to a heckler: “who do you think you are, ‘I am?’” I don’t know whether the football player was quoting the bowler or simply came up with it on his own.
The article I read focused on the bowler who was glad for the fresh notoriety he was receiving because his phrase was being repeated by a famous athlete. I don’t know if either the bowler or the football player knows the significance of what they said. I assume that the hecklers simply laughed off the silly, nonsense question.
Actually, Jesus Christ was asked the question, but He answered “Yes!” Jesus knew that “I AM” was a title God gave Himself and it became the common word “LORD” in the Old Testament. In the New Testament Jesus repeatedly used of the two word description of Himself, as in the phrase “I AM The Way, The Truth and The Life.” But like the word “GOD,” which is used so commonly and profanely without any real thought, the hecklers, and at least the proud bowler, most likely just laughed it off and continued on their merry way.
The truth is, most of us would answer: “of course I am neither ‘GOD’ nor ‘I AM.’” But at the same time most of us think and act, too much of the time, like hecklers who foolishly behave as if we are the all-wise rulers of our little domains. We all need to be constantly reminded that “there is a GOD, and we are not Him.”
I just read a couple of articles about the phrase “Who do you think you are, ‘I Am’”. According to what I read, a few years ago in a tournament a professional bowler rolled a spare on his tenth frame and was heckled for his flawed performance by someone in the audience. In response, he says that the thought in his mind was “who the f… do you think you are?” But what came out of his mouth was “who do you think you are, I am?
Fast forward to a recent response by an NFL football player who commonly claims to be a Christian: he said to a heckler: “who do you think you are, ‘I am?’” I don’t know whether the football player was quoting the bowler or simply came up with it on his own.
The article I read focused on the bowler who was glad for the fresh notoriety he was receiving because his phrase was being repeated by a famous athlete. I don’t know if either the bowler or the football player knows the significance of what they said. I assume that the hecklers simply laughed off the silly, nonsense question.
Actually, Jesus Christ was asked the question, but He answered “Yes!” Jesus knew that “I AM” was a title God gave Himself and it became the common word “LORD” in the Old Testament. In the New Testament Jesus repeatedly used of the two word description of Himself, as in the phrase “I AM The Way, The Truth and The Life.” But like the word “GOD,” which is used so commonly and profanely without any real thought, the hecklers, and at least the proud bowler, most likely just laughed it off and continued on their merry way.
The truth is, most of us would answer: “of course I am neither ‘GOD’ nor ‘I AM.’” But at the same time most of us think and act, too much of the time, like hecklers who foolishly behave as if we are the all-wise rulers of our little domains. We all need to be constantly reminded that “there is a GOD, and we are not Him.”
HE GETS US?
Perhaps you have seen the “He Gets Us” ads on TV or some other media. If not, look for them during the Super Bowl and other times and places. The brief ads are attention getting because they are unusual and thought provoking. They show pictures of people in various situations of hardship, being misjudged or alienated. The brief clips end with the simple phrase “He Gets Us” centered on the screen and a reference to their website.
On the hegetsus.com website it says: “Jesus Knows Your hardships - Whatever You Are Facing, Jesus Faced It Too. His Teachings Can Help You Through Anything”
The campaign is criticized for being incomplete in its descriptions of Jesus’ identity as man and God; a too simplistic, and thus inaccurate description of the Biblical Gospel; a repeat of the somewhat ineffective, and misleading “seeker sensitive church” emphasis of recent decades.
The ads creators claim their desire is simply to get people who are ignorant of or misunderstand Jesus to investigate Him. They believe that their unique ads may get people who feel hurt or alienated by life to think about the possibility that Jesus is more than they have assumed.
The ads I have seen are mostly focused on what might be termed “down and out” people. It is neither accurate or productive to claim the church has been totally ineffective at reaching our culture with the message of Jesus. But the ad prompts me to remember that Jesus really does “get us.” He alone truly, perfectly knows every one of us and loves us so much that He died to pay the price of our sin and give to us the gift of forgiveness and eternal LIFE. Too often I, and perhaps you, knowing the value of my local church, consciously, but most unconsciously, behave as if what hurting people need is “church.” But is not the value of the church that, if it is functioning as Jesus intends, it prepares individuals to accurately and effectively represent Jesus to those who do not realize that Jesus truly, perfectly, and fully “gets them?”
I know, by The Word and by personal experience that “Jesus Gets Me.” I know by observation that there are people outside the church, and sadly too many inside, who do not really know that “Jesus Gets Them.”
The “He Gets Us” phrase really has two meanings. Jesus both “understands” and “acquires” us. He knows every detail of our individual lives. He does not just observe from a distance, but personally sees and perfectly understands our thoughts and feelings. He knows how we are treated by and how we treat others. He knows our obstacles and challenges. He knows our trying and our failing. He knows our hopes and disappointments. And in understanding us, Jesus does not merely empathize with our predicaments. Jesus “gets us” by offering Himself as the ultimate, present and eternal answer to our every heartache, failure and alienation. Jesus has given Himself for each and all of us.
Perhaps the one foolish thing God has done in “getting us” is leaving the job of communicating that “He Gets Us” to me and you, and our churches. (Of course we can’t, and He did not expect us to, do it without His Holy Spirit Power and Help.) We seem to spend most of our time and resources on communicating “church,” which is of Great but secondary importance, to the “us” around us. It is obvious that it is Jesus, not ourselves, that “gets-acquires” people, and that is the objective of our message. But I don’t think I “get-understand,” truly love, the people around me well enough to accurately and effectively help them see that the GOD/MAN JESUS CHRIST really does “Get Us.”
Dear God, help me, help Your people, Your Church, want to more truly and effectively love, as You love, the people around us who do not yet know how “WONDERFULLY YOU GET US.”
Perhaps you have seen the “He Gets Us” ads on TV or some other media. If not, look for them during the Super Bowl and other times and places. The brief ads are attention getting because they are unusual and thought provoking. They show pictures of people in various situations of hardship, being misjudged or alienated. The brief clips end with the simple phrase “He Gets Us” centered on the screen and a reference to their website.
On the hegetsus.com website it says: “Jesus Knows Your hardships - Whatever You Are Facing, Jesus Faced It Too. His Teachings Can Help You Through Anything”
The campaign is criticized for being incomplete in its descriptions of Jesus’ identity as man and God; a too simplistic, and thus inaccurate description of the Biblical Gospel; a repeat of the somewhat ineffective, and misleading “seeker sensitive church” emphasis of recent decades.
The ads creators claim their desire is simply to get people who are ignorant of or misunderstand Jesus to investigate Him. They believe that their unique ads may get people who feel hurt or alienated by life to think about the possibility that Jesus is more than they have assumed.
The ads I have seen are mostly focused on what might be termed “down and out” people. It is neither accurate or productive to claim the church has been totally ineffective at reaching our culture with the message of Jesus. But the ad prompts me to remember that Jesus really does “get us.” He alone truly, perfectly knows every one of us and loves us so much that He died to pay the price of our sin and give to us the gift of forgiveness and eternal LIFE. Too often I, and perhaps you, knowing the value of my local church, consciously, but most unconsciously, behave as if what hurting people need is “church.” But is not the value of the church that, if it is functioning as Jesus intends, it prepares individuals to accurately and effectively represent Jesus to those who do not realize that Jesus truly, perfectly, and fully “gets them?”
I know, by The Word and by personal experience that “Jesus Gets Me.” I know by observation that there are people outside the church, and sadly too many inside, who do not really know that “Jesus Gets Them.”
The “He Gets Us” phrase really has two meanings. Jesus both “understands” and “acquires” us. He knows every detail of our individual lives. He does not just observe from a distance, but personally sees and perfectly understands our thoughts and feelings. He knows how we are treated by and how we treat others. He knows our obstacles and challenges. He knows our trying and our failing. He knows our hopes and disappointments. And in understanding us, Jesus does not merely empathize with our predicaments. Jesus “gets us” by offering Himself as the ultimate, present and eternal answer to our every heartache, failure and alienation. Jesus has given Himself for each and all of us.
Perhaps the one foolish thing God has done in “getting us” is leaving the job of communicating that “He Gets Us” to me and you, and our churches. (Of course we can’t, and He did not expect us to, do it without His Holy Spirit Power and Help.) We seem to spend most of our time and resources on communicating “church,” which is of Great but secondary importance, to the “us” around us. It is obvious that it is Jesus, not ourselves, that “gets-acquires” people, and that is the objective of our message. But I don’t think I “get-understand,” truly love, the people around me well enough to accurately and effectively help them see that the GOD/MAN JESUS CHRIST really does “Get Us.”
Dear God, help me, help Your people, Your Church, want to more truly and effectively love, as You love, the people around us who do not yet know how “WONDERFULLY YOU GET US.”
UNANSWERED PRAYER?
Like everyone I know, I sometimes feel surrounded by hurting people. Illness, tragedy, broken dreams and failures. Hurting circumstances seem more and more common. For many of those situations, I, and the people involved have prayed for rescue, relief and remedy. And, it seems like more often than not my prayers are not answered the way that I, with sincere faith, pray.
Sometimes I have felt challenged with having insufficient faith. Sometimes I have felt like if only more people had prayed the outcome would have been better. Why would God not heal or rescue people who are faithfully serving Him? Why would it seem that God is so unaware or uncaring of the suffering of good people?
The Bible tells us “ask, and you will receive.” It also says that “you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives.” What could be wrong with asking that someone be relieved of their illness or hardship, especially if they seem to be an innocent victim or sufficiently repentant and in a good relationship with God? It doesn’t seem like a wrong motive to desire relief from suffering.
In our praying prayers that are not answered to our liking we are in much better company than we may realize. Jesus prayed for deaf and blind individuals to hear and to see, and they did! He prayed for bread to feed the hungry, and it was provided! He even prayed for dead individuals to come back to life, and they did! Was it simply because He had more faith than I do? If Jesus’ prayers were so powerful, effective and apparently answered as He asked, why was His most earnest prayer not answered the way He wanted?
We are very familiar with the story of Jesus taking His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew in perfect detail every moment that was before Him. He knew the physical pain and the spiritual suffering that was planned for the hours just ahead. Jesus took those in His “prayer chain,” His faithful followers with Him to pray regarding the awful hours just ahead. Remember that they all fell asleep while Jesus prayed alone in such earnest, troubled, sorrow that He sweat blood. I have never prayed like that.
In perfect, human sincerity and faith, Jesus asked The Father to “let this cup pass from me.” And, remember that Jesus was not sinning (He was entirely sinless) in asking for what might seem a selfish request. Jesus was praying what He wanted, what He “willed.” But, like many of my, and your, prayers, His will was not fulfilled. We all have read and know the rest of the story. Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” We know Jesus’ prayer so well that we often include in our prayers: “if it be Your will.” If I ask for God’s will to be done, why am I so often disappointed and discouraged when my prayers seem unanswered? Could it be that I am more attached to “my will” than I am to “God’s will?”
Jesus “unanswered prayer” was accompanied by the greatest suffering, heartbreak and agony that anyone has ever experienced. BUT, it also resulted in the Greatest, LOVE, JOY, PEACE, in His LIFE and the LIFE of those who put their faith in Him. Jesus put His faith and trust not in the words of a prayer, but in the Wisdom, Power and Love of The Father.
“Unanswered Prayer” is not accurate terminology. You have heard that God answers all our prayers with some form of “yes / no / not yet.” But God’s answer is much more than any of these. God certainly answers Jesus’ prayer with our Salvation in Jesus’ awful death and wonderful resurrection. But for Jesus there was a personal answer that we can only dimly see. The Unity of the Father, Son and Spirit, is an unfathomable mystery to us that we call Trinity. It was and is so much more than a common purpose or goal. The Father answered Jesus prayer with His Presence. The Father accompanied, went with, felt, thought and endured every moment of Jesus suffering. I don’t’ fully understand what was involved in the moment of “why have You forsaken Me?” But, I do know that even in that moment, The Father shared in the “forsaking.”
I must admit that in my “unanswered prayers” it often feels like God is forsaking me. But I must use those times to remember that real prayer is not to get “my will,” but rather “God’s will,” no matter how much suffering it may involve. AND, when “God’s will” seems to be suffering, His Powerful, Loving answer is “I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” “I Am going through this with you,” “this suffering will soon pass into an eternity where “all sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Jesus came as “Immanuel, God with us.” By His Spirit, God lives with and in those who believe and accept that Jesus suffered and died in our place for our forgiveness, for our LIFE.
I must pray not to get “my will” but “God’s will.” And I must realize that in getting “God’s will” I get His Presence, because He loves (in every circumstance, because He knows the Good He has planned) to be with His People. Thank you God that, truly You know how to best answer my prayers.
Like everyone I know, I sometimes feel surrounded by hurting people. Illness, tragedy, broken dreams and failures. Hurting circumstances seem more and more common. For many of those situations, I, and the people involved have prayed for rescue, relief and remedy. And, it seems like more often than not my prayers are not answered the way that I, with sincere faith, pray.
Sometimes I have felt challenged with having insufficient faith. Sometimes I have felt like if only more people had prayed the outcome would have been better. Why would God not heal or rescue people who are faithfully serving Him? Why would it seem that God is so unaware or uncaring of the suffering of good people?
The Bible tells us “ask, and you will receive.” It also says that “you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives.” What could be wrong with asking that someone be relieved of their illness or hardship, especially if they seem to be an innocent victim or sufficiently repentant and in a good relationship with God? It doesn’t seem like a wrong motive to desire relief from suffering.
In our praying prayers that are not answered to our liking we are in much better company than we may realize. Jesus prayed for deaf and blind individuals to hear and to see, and they did! He prayed for bread to feed the hungry, and it was provided! He even prayed for dead individuals to come back to life, and they did! Was it simply because He had more faith than I do? If Jesus’ prayers were so powerful, effective and apparently answered as He asked, why was His most earnest prayer not answered the way He wanted?
We are very familiar with the story of Jesus taking His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew in perfect detail every moment that was before Him. He knew the physical pain and the spiritual suffering that was planned for the hours just ahead. Jesus took those in His “prayer chain,” His faithful followers with Him to pray regarding the awful hours just ahead. Remember that they all fell asleep while Jesus prayed alone in such earnest, troubled, sorrow that He sweat blood. I have never prayed like that.
In perfect, human sincerity and faith, Jesus asked The Father to “let this cup pass from me.” And, remember that Jesus was not sinning (He was entirely sinless) in asking for what might seem a selfish request. Jesus was praying what He wanted, what He “willed.” But, like many of my, and your, prayers, His will was not fulfilled. We all have read and know the rest of the story. Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” We know Jesus’ prayer so well that we often include in our prayers: “if it be Your will.” If I ask for God’s will to be done, why am I so often disappointed and discouraged when my prayers seem unanswered? Could it be that I am more attached to “my will” than I am to “God’s will?”
Jesus “unanswered prayer” was accompanied by the greatest suffering, heartbreak and agony that anyone has ever experienced. BUT, it also resulted in the Greatest, LOVE, JOY, PEACE, in His LIFE and the LIFE of those who put their faith in Him. Jesus put His faith and trust not in the words of a prayer, but in the Wisdom, Power and Love of The Father.
“Unanswered Prayer” is not accurate terminology. You have heard that God answers all our prayers with some form of “yes / no / not yet.” But God’s answer is much more than any of these. God certainly answers Jesus’ prayer with our Salvation in Jesus’ awful death and wonderful resurrection. But for Jesus there was a personal answer that we can only dimly see. The Unity of the Father, Son and Spirit, is an unfathomable mystery to us that we call Trinity. It was and is so much more than a common purpose or goal. The Father answered Jesus prayer with His Presence. The Father accompanied, went with, felt, thought and endured every moment of Jesus suffering. I don’t’ fully understand what was involved in the moment of “why have You forsaken Me?” But, I do know that even in that moment, The Father shared in the “forsaking.”
I must admit that in my “unanswered prayers” it often feels like God is forsaking me. But I must use those times to remember that real prayer is not to get “my will,” but rather “God’s will,” no matter how much suffering it may involve. AND, when “God’s will” seems to be suffering, His Powerful, Loving answer is “I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” “I Am going through this with you,” “this suffering will soon pass into an eternity where “all sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Jesus came as “Immanuel, God with us.” By His Spirit, God lives with and in those who believe and accept that Jesus suffered and died in our place for our forgiveness, for our LIFE.
I must pray not to get “my will” but “God’s will.” And I must realize that in getting “God’s will” I get His Presence, because He loves (in every circumstance, because He knows the Good He has planned) to be with His People. Thank you God that, truly You know how to best answer my prayers.
OFFENDING WORDS?
I just read an article warning against using “culturally sensitive words.” The idea of “offending people with words” is is very common right now.
One proponent of such sensitivity said: "Language is too critical to our culture, that we can't just casually use language in ways that might offend and/or even, do harm to certain groups of people.”
It seems that the list of offensive words we should not use grows every day. We are being encouraged to control our words in order not to offend a growing list of easily offended groups.
Does anyone find it curious that the names of the beloved Deity of millions of Christians are the swear words we hear around us without any concern of offense. Apparently offending Christians, and more significantly, offending God Himself, is not any concern for millions of people. Actually, while hearing the words, most Christians do not feel personally offended because we realize that the real harm is to the people who care-lessly use the Names of the One Who loves and cares for them more than anyone else ever has or could.
In reality, most of us are selfishly more concerned about being offended than we are about offending.
I just read an article warning against using “culturally sensitive words.” The idea of “offending people with words” is is very common right now.
One proponent of such sensitivity said: "Language is too critical to our culture, that we can't just casually use language in ways that might offend and/or even, do harm to certain groups of people.”
It seems that the list of offensive words we should not use grows every day. We are being encouraged to control our words in order not to offend a growing list of easily offended groups.
Does anyone find it curious that the names of the beloved Deity of millions of Christians are the swear words we hear around us without any concern of offense. Apparently offending Christians, and more significantly, offending God Himself, is not any concern for millions of people. Actually, while hearing the words, most Christians do not feel personally offended because we realize that the real harm is to the people who care-lessly use the Names of the One Who loves and cares for them more than anyone else ever has or could.
In reality, most of us are selfishly more concerned about being offended than we are about offending.
TRYING TO REMEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I FORGET?
In November I anticipated that December would be one of my best ever. Our children gave us a trip to the homeland of the most important person who ever has, is, or will live. We had talked of looking forward to visiting Israel when Jesus Himself will be our guide, but our children lovingly arranged this earlier trip. Their plans and our plans were for a delightful, adventure, making more real the life-long Bible stories we love, and thought we knew so well. In addition, we planned to spend the remaining three weeks at our son’s home in New York and celebrate Christmas in their home. (They usually travel to our home in Idaho for Christmas with us and our daughters family)
It is not an understatement to say that I “hate” things that don’t work like my plans suppose they should. How blindly foolish is that since Adam and Eve bequeathed to us, their willing followers, a life that is so unlike what God planned, that the Bible calls it “death.” Just like them, I tend to forget that God’s plans are infinitely better than mine.
Our month long adventure started perfectly. We got on the plane and settled into the first class seats our kids so generously arranged for us. We felt “special.” But our feelings probably had an inappropriate mixture of “privilege” in it. I tend to forget that any “specialness” I have is because of who loves me not because of anything I have earned or deserve.
We finished the first leg of our flight in fine shape, easily got to the next gate in plenty of time. Then began our “December to Remember.” The next flight was delayed first for an hour, then two hours, then three hours, then cancelled due to bad weather. Our “Plan” was to arrive at the Newark Airport in time to make our tour flight to Israel the next day. We “slept” on airport seats and caught a flight to Philadlephia early the next morning and took the uber taxi our son arranged the one and one half hour drive to the Newark airport. We endured the ten hour flight to Israel and landed even more tired than we started. I tend to forget that God prepares us to learn by trying to make us aware of our weaknesses and inadequacies, the very things we seek to avoid, deny, and ignore.
Accompanied by people who deeply love Jesus, we visited site after site that not only confirmed the accuracy of the Bible, but added the emotional confidence of personal experience that only actually being there can provide. But I tend to forget that we only get what we give from such experiences. Content to feel more tired than transfixed, I undoubtedly missed out on some the the awe that surrounded us.
Tiredness was followed by a cough and cold that got worse and worse. Abundant and beautiful food that would normally have been delicious lost its appeal. I have lived a generally healthy life with very little illness. I tend to forget that good health is something I neither earn or deserve. Actually, being sick, in one form or degree, is probably the norm for all of us. Jesus said “in this world you will have tribulation.” I tend to forget that challenges should never be excuses for a defeated attitude. “Woe is me” blinds us to the “overcoming” Jesus bought for us. While it is true that Satan means evil in our challenges and illness, it is also true that God means them as opportunities to trust His wise goodness.
The world tends to proclaim that “suck it up” and “fight through it,” or even a casual “have faith,” are the best solutions to adversity. To do so without primarily seeking what God wants to accomplish is chasing after wind. I sincerely tried that, though observers may question my effort. It is natural for us to want to “have our strength renewed, to mount up with wings like eagles, to run and not be weary, to walk and not feint.” But I forget that those victories belong to those who “wait on the LORD.” I tend to want the waiting to be much shorter than the running.
Evidently the LORD wants me to wait a little longer. I anticipated coming to our son’s welcoming home in New York to rest a couple of days, then to regain my youthful vim, vigor and vitality. Those plans did not pan out. I told them “I am truly feeling like an old man for the first time in my life.” Some might ask “why don’t you go see a doctor?” I suppose “pride” is the primary answer. I’ve always gotten over colds, and this does’t feel like anything worse than a prolonged cold.
Perhaps the greatest lesson of my trip to Israel is how much God waits. I know that God is always at work in our lives. But doesn’t the history of the Bible and the story of Israel tell us that perhaps the greatest work God does is wait for us to wait on Him.
Of course I am disappointed that our children’s loving and generous plans for our December didn’t work out as planned. I am disappointed that I was a damper on the fun times we wanted to have. But I am trying to remember that “being with” the people we love, no matter the conditions, is one of the most important things we forget. And “being with” the people we love can be “in thoughts, in prayers, on face time,” even when we are miles apart. I tend to forget that needing and being needed are perhaps the greatest contribution we make to the lives of people we love and who love us.
I realize that I forget these things almost as quickly as I write them. I tend to think that God’s greatest blessings are the fulfillment of my plans and dreams. It could be easily argued that the greatest heartaches and catastrophes in human life are the fulfillment of our selfish and proud plans and dreams. Such arrogance blinds us to what God wants us to see Him doing in our lives. Thankfully, God is willing to wait for us while He reminds us, with some temporary afflictions, that His plans are the only ones truly worth seeking.
Thank you, to all the people who have been so kindly patient we me in this December. Most of all, thank you God for waiting for me to remember some of these most important things I so routinely forget.
In November I anticipated that December would be one of my best ever. Our children gave us a trip to the homeland of the most important person who ever has, is, or will live. We had talked of looking forward to visiting Israel when Jesus Himself will be our guide, but our children lovingly arranged this earlier trip. Their plans and our plans were for a delightful, adventure, making more real the life-long Bible stories we love, and thought we knew so well. In addition, we planned to spend the remaining three weeks at our son’s home in New York and celebrate Christmas in their home. (They usually travel to our home in Idaho for Christmas with us and our daughters family)
It is not an understatement to say that I “hate” things that don’t work like my plans suppose they should. How blindly foolish is that since Adam and Eve bequeathed to us, their willing followers, a life that is so unlike what God planned, that the Bible calls it “death.” Just like them, I tend to forget that God’s plans are infinitely better than mine.
Our month long adventure started perfectly. We got on the plane and settled into the first class seats our kids so generously arranged for us. We felt “special.” But our feelings probably had an inappropriate mixture of “privilege” in it. I tend to forget that any “specialness” I have is because of who loves me not because of anything I have earned or deserve.
We finished the first leg of our flight in fine shape, easily got to the next gate in plenty of time. Then began our “December to Remember.” The next flight was delayed first for an hour, then two hours, then three hours, then cancelled due to bad weather. Our “Plan” was to arrive at the Newark Airport in time to make our tour flight to Israel the next day. We “slept” on airport seats and caught a flight to Philadlephia early the next morning and took the uber taxi our son arranged the one and one half hour drive to the Newark airport. We endured the ten hour flight to Israel and landed even more tired than we started. I tend to forget that God prepares us to learn by trying to make us aware of our weaknesses and inadequacies, the very things we seek to avoid, deny, and ignore.
Accompanied by people who deeply love Jesus, we visited site after site that not only confirmed the accuracy of the Bible, but added the emotional confidence of personal experience that only actually being there can provide. But I tend to forget that we only get what we give from such experiences. Content to feel more tired than transfixed, I undoubtedly missed out on some the the awe that surrounded us.
Tiredness was followed by a cough and cold that got worse and worse. Abundant and beautiful food that would normally have been delicious lost its appeal. I have lived a generally healthy life with very little illness. I tend to forget that good health is something I neither earn or deserve. Actually, being sick, in one form or degree, is probably the norm for all of us. Jesus said “in this world you will have tribulation.” I tend to forget that challenges should never be excuses for a defeated attitude. “Woe is me” blinds us to the “overcoming” Jesus bought for us. While it is true that Satan means evil in our challenges and illness, it is also true that God means them as opportunities to trust His wise goodness.
The world tends to proclaim that “suck it up” and “fight through it,” or even a casual “have faith,” are the best solutions to adversity. To do so without primarily seeking what God wants to accomplish is chasing after wind. I sincerely tried that, though observers may question my effort. It is natural for us to want to “have our strength renewed, to mount up with wings like eagles, to run and not be weary, to walk and not feint.” But I forget that those victories belong to those who “wait on the LORD.” I tend to want the waiting to be much shorter than the running.
Evidently the LORD wants me to wait a little longer. I anticipated coming to our son’s welcoming home in New York to rest a couple of days, then to regain my youthful vim, vigor and vitality. Those plans did not pan out. I told them “I am truly feeling like an old man for the first time in my life.” Some might ask “why don’t you go see a doctor?” I suppose “pride” is the primary answer. I’ve always gotten over colds, and this does’t feel like anything worse than a prolonged cold.
Perhaps the greatest lesson of my trip to Israel is how much God waits. I know that God is always at work in our lives. But doesn’t the history of the Bible and the story of Israel tell us that perhaps the greatest work God does is wait for us to wait on Him.
Of course I am disappointed that our children’s loving and generous plans for our December didn’t work out as planned. I am disappointed that I was a damper on the fun times we wanted to have. But I am trying to remember that “being with” the people we love, no matter the conditions, is one of the most important things we forget. And “being with” the people we love can be “in thoughts, in prayers, on face time,” even when we are miles apart. I tend to forget that needing and being needed are perhaps the greatest contribution we make to the lives of people we love and who love us.
I realize that I forget these things almost as quickly as I write them. I tend to think that God’s greatest blessings are the fulfillment of my plans and dreams. It could be easily argued that the greatest heartaches and catastrophes in human life are the fulfillment of our selfish and proud plans and dreams. Such arrogance blinds us to what God wants us to see Him doing in our lives. Thankfully, God is willing to wait for us while He reminds us, with some temporary afflictions, that His plans are the only ones truly worth seeking.
Thank you, to all the people who have been so kindly patient we me in this December. Most of all, thank you God for waiting for me to remember some of these most important things I so routinely forget.
THE UNFORBIDDEN FORBIDDEN FRUIT?
Words are very interesting, in fact fascinating. While we tend to think they define reality, they actually often only demonstrate what we imagine reality to be. Soon after the Sovereign command was given defining the One Fruit as “forbidden,” the counterfeit sovereign called it “unforbidden.” As “Forbidden” it promised death, as “unforbidden” it promised life and freedom. From that first encounter, the Great Imposter, and we his followers, have thought that our definitions of the issues of life determine the way they really are. We have tended to believe and behave as if because we have the “right” to use words the way we choose it makes the usage “right.” The result has been that the more people who use a word in a similar way it makes their use seem more “accurate” and “right.” It is true that words evolve. And because words evolve it can make us feel like the realities they describe evolve as well.
Perhaps in many, if not most, cases the result is rather inconsequential. But what if an individual, group, or nation, actually believes that altering the definition of a word makes that definition real and true? What if the majority of the German population defined the “solution” of the Jewish “problem” as “extermination?” Did their “right” to use those definitions, make their definitions “right?” The Nazis thought it did, but now it is clearly realized that what they believed was good was in fact evil.
To the immediate (right now upon us) point: does changing the definition of “marriage” by a legal action of the government change what “marriage” really is? Does the newly proposed definition truly offer freedom and life to those previously not defined as “married?” Does redefining “marriage” make the new definition true, right, respectable and good? Does making it “legal” make it right? Who gets the final say in what is truly right and good? Is it simply a matter of popular vote? Is it whatever each individual decides for themselves?
How has it worked out for us that we challenged the FIRST SOVEREIGN’S definition of the One Fruit as “Forbidden?” Has calling it “unforbidden” given us the freedom and life we sought and seek? What has been the real result as we have called good “evil” and evil “good?”
While I recognize the “right” of the government to define marriage, or anything, in whatever way they choose, I, as one who claims to follow the TRUE SOVEREIGN cannot and do not agree with, support, submit, or “Respect” separating what GOD has joined.
Having said this, refusing to respect this new definition, does not mean I deny the fact that every person, no matter how they define life, is due love and respect as individuals created in the image of God. If God came as Jesus Christ to die and pay for my sinful redefinitions of His Words, I am gladly bound to love and respect all the others for whom He died. But I am also bound to challenge them to reconsider how they view God’s Words.
Words are very interesting, in fact fascinating. While we tend to think they define reality, they actually often only demonstrate what we imagine reality to be. Soon after the Sovereign command was given defining the One Fruit as “forbidden,” the counterfeit sovereign called it “unforbidden.” As “Forbidden” it promised death, as “unforbidden” it promised life and freedom. From that first encounter, the Great Imposter, and we his followers, have thought that our definitions of the issues of life determine the way they really are. We have tended to believe and behave as if because we have the “right” to use words the way we choose it makes the usage “right.” The result has been that the more people who use a word in a similar way it makes their use seem more “accurate” and “right.” It is true that words evolve. And because words evolve it can make us feel like the realities they describe evolve as well.
Perhaps in many, if not most, cases the result is rather inconsequential. But what if an individual, group, or nation, actually believes that altering the definition of a word makes that definition real and true? What if the majority of the German population defined the “solution” of the Jewish “problem” as “extermination?” Did their “right” to use those definitions, make their definitions “right?” The Nazis thought it did, but now it is clearly realized that what they believed was good was in fact evil.
To the immediate (right now upon us) point: does changing the definition of “marriage” by a legal action of the government change what “marriage” really is? Does the newly proposed definition truly offer freedom and life to those previously not defined as “married?” Does redefining “marriage” make the new definition true, right, respectable and good? Does making it “legal” make it right? Who gets the final say in what is truly right and good? Is it simply a matter of popular vote? Is it whatever each individual decides for themselves?
How has it worked out for us that we challenged the FIRST SOVEREIGN’S definition of the One Fruit as “Forbidden?” Has calling it “unforbidden” given us the freedom and life we sought and seek? What has been the real result as we have called good “evil” and evil “good?”
While I recognize the “right” of the government to define marriage, or anything, in whatever way they choose, I, as one who claims to follow the TRUE SOVEREIGN cannot and do not agree with, support, submit, or “Respect” separating what GOD has joined.
Having said this, refusing to respect this new definition, does not mean I deny the fact that every person, no matter how they define life, is due love and respect as individuals created in the image of God. If God came as Jesus Christ to die and pay for my sinful redefinitions of His Words, I am gladly bound to love and respect all the others for whom He died. But I am also bound to challenge them to reconsider how they view God’s Words.
TWO DIFFERENT THANKSGIVINGS?
There is a common idea that Thanksgiving is inappropriate because it celebrates an oppressive and brutal colonization that set the pattern of treatment of non-white people for all of American history to the present day. To deny that non-white people have suffered is clearly wrong. But to ignore that oppressive and brutal colonization is the history of the human race is equally blind. It is a human problem, not a racial problem. If anyone “celebrates or gives thanks” for their oppressive and brutal treatment of other people they are clearly wrong. That sort of celebration has and does happen, but the vast majority of Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving do so from appreciation for the numerous shared blessings they have been given. Is there a fundamental difference between the two “thanksgivings?”
I believe there is a fundamental difference that alienates people from each other in every time and place of human history. The focus of our thanksgiving affects everything about our individual and collective lives.
Jesus Christ told a story about two thankful men who, at the same time, “went up to the Temple to pray.” (Luke 18:9-14) He told the story to people who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” Both men prayed with “thanksgiving” One man prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers…” He reminded God of his good deeds. If we are honest, we all compare ourselves to other people and see ourselves as “not like other men.” And, we are thankful for it. In fact we can list things that put us in more honorable light than those “other men.” The first man even pointed out a specific man that he believed did not deserve the same blessings he himself deserved and was thankful for.
The second man, Jesus said, was a tax collector. Who couldn’t look down on a tax collector? But Jesus said this man also “came to the Temple to pray,” and pray he did but with an entirely different focus. He “would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.” While Jesus doesn’t specifically say it, it is clearly implied that while the first man thanked God that his good works earned blessings, the second man thanked God that while his sin deserved judgment, God gave him the blessing of mercy.
Jesus concluded His story with: “the second “man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Notice too that Jesus did not say it was the humble mans job to humble the proud man. God is perfectly capable of doing that himself, in the time and manner of His choosing.
This Thanksgiving, am I thankful for the blessings of my self-righteous attitudes and deeds, or for the blessing of God’s mercy toward my sin? My focus will be revealed by the atmosphere around the Thanksgiving table, and every social interaction in this certainly imperfect but most blessed country called America. To change America, we must change our focus.
There is a common idea that Thanksgiving is inappropriate because it celebrates an oppressive and brutal colonization that set the pattern of treatment of non-white people for all of American history to the present day. To deny that non-white people have suffered is clearly wrong. But to ignore that oppressive and brutal colonization is the history of the human race is equally blind. It is a human problem, not a racial problem. If anyone “celebrates or gives thanks” for their oppressive and brutal treatment of other people they are clearly wrong. That sort of celebration has and does happen, but the vast majority of Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving do so from appreciation for the numerous shared blessings they have been given. Is there a fundamental difference between the two “thanksgivings?”
I believe there is a fundamental difference that alienates people from each other in every time and place of human history. The focus of our thanksgiving affects everything about our individual and collective lives.
Jesus Christ told a story about two thankful men who, at the same time, “went up to the Temple to pray.” (Luke 18:9-14) He told the story to people who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” Both men prayed with “thanksgiving” One man prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers…” He reminded God of his good deeds. If we are honest, we all compare ourselves to other people and see ourselves as “not like other men.” And, we are thankful for it. In fact we can list things that put us in more honorable light than those “other men.” The first man even pointed out a specific man that he believed did not deserve the same blessings he himself deserved and was thankful for.
The second man, Jesus said, was a tax collector. Who couldn’t look down on a tax collector? But Jesus said this man also “came to the Temple to pray,” and pray he did but with an entirely different focus. He “would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.” While Jesus doesn’t specifically say it, it is clearly implied that while the first man thanked God that his good works earned blessings, the second man thanked God that while his sin deserved judgment, God gave him the blessing of mercy.
Jesus concluded His story with: “the second “man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Notice too that Jesus did not say it was the humble mans job to humble the proud man. God is perfectly capable of doing that himself, in the time and manner of His choosing.
This Thanksgiving, am I thankful for the blessings of my self-righteous attitudes and deeds, or for the blessing of God’s mercy toward my sin? My focus will be revealed by the atmosphere around the Thanksgiving table, and every social interaction in this certainly imperfect but most blessed country called America. To change America, we must change our focus.
ALL RISE?
Even if we haven’t personally been, we are familiar with, by watching TV and movies, how court room proceedings begin. A bailiff announces: “All Rise,” and everyone stands as the judge enters the room and takes the raised seat behind the grand desk. The “All Rise” is a symbolic demonstration of Respect, Submission and accountability to the rule of law. Witnesses are sworn to “tell the truth,” and a gavel demonstrates that the judge controls the court proceedings.
But, how does the courtroom of daily life work? Life is a constant ebb and flow of differences of opinion, disputes, conclusions, and consequences. It never seems as settled as we would hope. Perhaps the reason for our perpetual disagreements is the way we all tend to walk into the courtroom of life. We walk into the courtroom, hear the words “All Rise” and look around expecting to see everyone standing as, with gavel in hand, we take our seat behind the desk.
Of course most of us would deny that we are the judge, but while we all can acknowledge that we live by rules, we submit willingly only to the rules with which we agree. Our basic rule is, “I decide the rules for my life.” We surround ourselves with people who sort of agree with us and life goes, smoothly, until someone disagrees.
The Bible has a verse that says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it.” Of course that verse applies to your heart not mine. (Sarcasm) The basic point of the Bible is that there is a God, and it is not me. Even though I think I am the judge and jury of all around me, I “look on the outward appearance, while God looks on the heart.”
Yesterday I wrote about the “Respect For Marriage Act.” I am sure that some people consider it unloving and judgmental. Let me simply say that I am as sinful as anyone. Our common sin nature is revealed in all sorts of different behaviors. God judges our heart, and our sinful behaviors prove His judgment is just.
It doesn’t really matter what I say about your behaviors. But it matters supremely what God says about your heart. Perhaps you have heard the story about the little boy (his name is Neil) who was in line for recess. The teacher told everyone to stand still and wait to walk outside in an orderly fashion. The little boy, as most little boys do, anxiously jumped around and disrupted the line. The teacher sent him to the corner of the hallway with instructions to stand still in the corner until he was ready to obey. He went to the corner and stood there mumbling “I am standing on the outside, but jumping on the inside.”
The question we all must, and do, answer every day is “whose rules do I follow?” Who is the Judge in my life? For Whom do I stand, and To Whom do I bow? Please love me by challenging me with these questions.
Even if we haven’t personally been, we are familiar with, by watching TV and movies, how court room proceedings begin. A bailiff announces: “All Rise,” and everyone stands as the judge enters the room and takes the raised seat behind the grand desk. The “All Rise” is a symbolic demonstration of Respect, Submission and accountability to the rule of law. Witnesses are sworn to “tell the truth,” and a gavel demonstrates that the judge controls the court proceedings.
But, how does the courtroom of daily life work? Life is a constant ebb and flow of differences of opinion, disputes, conclusions, and consequences. It never seems as settled as we would hope. Perhaps the reason for our perpetual disagreements is the way we all tend to walk into the courtroom of life. We walk into the courtroom, hear the words “All Rise” and look around expecting to see everyone standing as, with gavel in hand, we take our seat behind the desk.
Of course most of us would deny that we are the judge, but while we all can acknowledge that we live by rules, we submit willingly only to the rules with which we agree. Our basic rule is, “I decide the rules for my life.” We surround ourselves with people who sort of agree with us and life goes, smoothly, until someone disagrees.
The Bible has a verse that says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it.” Of course that verse applies to your heart not mine. (Sarcasm) The basic point of the Bible is that there is a God, and it is not me. Even though I think I am the judge and jury of all around me, I “look on the outward appearance, while God looks on the heart.”
Yesterday I wrote about the “Respect For Marriage Act.” I am sure that some people consider it unloving and judgmental. Let me simply say that I am as sinful as anyone. Our common sin nature is revealed in all sorts of different behaviors. God judges our heart, and our sinful behaviors prove His judgment is just.
It doesn’t really matter what I say about your behaviors. But it matters supremely what God says about your heart. Perhaps you have heard the story about the little boy (his name is Neil) who was in line for recess. The teacher told everyone to stand still and wait to walk outside in an orderly fashion. The little boy, as most little boys do, anxiously jumped around and disrupted the line. The teacher sent him to the corner of the hallway with instructions to stand still in the corner until he was ready to obey. He went to the corner and stood there mumbling “I am standing on the outside, but jumping on the inside.”
The question we all must, and do, answer every day is “whose rules do I follow?” Who is the Judge in my life? For Whom do I stand, and To Whom do I bow? Please love me by challenging me with these questions.
SEEKING WHOSE APPROVAL?
Here is the recent news release of a well known church:
“The doctrine of name of the church related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged.
We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.
We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding.”
The Respect for Marriage Act, nearing final passage into Federal law, establishes the rights of marriage for non-traditional (man/woman) relationships, thus legally mandating public “respect” and equality for such “marriages.”
The statement by this church basically says: we believe same sex marriage is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
But consider if a church were to replace the phrase “same sex marriage” with other words from the Ten Commandments.”
we believe not honoring your father and mother is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe murder is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe adultery is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe stealing is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe lying is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe coveting is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
I realize that this church will likely proclaim that “respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters” and, seeking to “heal relationships and foster greater understanding” is not an endorsement of sin.
It is certainly true that God, in the Bible, instructs (indeed commands) us to love each other by patiently, earnestly and actively working for their present and eternal good. But does not true love involve teaching that sin is wrong and has awful consequences. Where then is this churches public teaching that same sex marriage is sinful and facing the judgment of a Holy God? It seems to me that this church is preferring the approval of man to the the approval of God. This itself is fundamental and dangerous sin. But this is our culture which increasing “calls good evil and evil good.” We are reaping the consequences of our imagined “freedoms.” It is from this bondage that God’s Grace can set us truly free.
Here is the recent news release of a well known church:
“The doctrine of name of the church related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged.
We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.
We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding.”
The Respect for Marriage Act, nearing final passage into Federal law, establishes the rights of marriage for non-traditional (man/woman) relationships, thus legally mandating public “respect” and equality for such “marriages.”
The statement by this church basically says: we believe same sex marriage is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
But consider if a church were to replace the phrase “same sex marriage” with other words from the Ten Commandments.”
we believe not honoring your father and mother is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe murder is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe adultery is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe stealing is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe lying is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
we believe coveting is sinful but support and respect those who are involved in it.
I realize that this church will likely proclaim that “respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters” and, seeking to “heal relationships and foster greater understanding” is not an endorsement of sin.
It is certainly true that God, in the Bible, instructs (indeed commands) us to love each other by patiently, earnestly and actively working for their present and eternal good. But does not true love involve teaching that sin is wrong and has awful consequences. Where then is this churches public teaching that same sex marriage is sinful and facing the judgment of a Holy God? It seems to me that this church is preferring the approval of man to the the approval of God. This itself is fundamental and dangerous sin. But this is our culture which increasing “calls good evil and evil good.” We are reaping the consequences of our imagined “freedoms.” It is from this bondage that God’s Grace can set us truly free.
AN HONOR SERVING YOU?
My cousin, a Vietnam Veteran sent me an unusual text today. It simply said: “It was an Honor Serving You.” It was not his first comment. He first sent a simple “Happy Veterans Day.” I should have initiated the conversation since he is a Veteran, and I am not. Our fathers, who were brothers, were both pilots in the 2nd World War in the South Pacific. They are both gone. I thanked him for his faithful service, and he responded with “It was an Honor Serving You.”
I am sure that there are many Veterans who have that same attitude. It reminded me of the fact that being a government employee, especially an elected politician, is often called being a “public servant.” I am not sure that there are many politicians who sincerely consider their position as “serving.” I suspect that there are too many “public servants” who are blinded by their notoriety and do their job for what they can get rather than for what they can give. O that we might be, and vote for, more people who truly consider it “an Honor to Serve.”
My cousin, a Vietnam Veteran sent me an unusual text today. It simply said: “It was an Honor Serving You.” It was not his first comment. He first sent a simple “Happy Veterans Day.” I should have initiated the conversation since he is a Veteran, and I am not. Our fathers, who were brothers, were both pilots in the 2nd World War in the South Pacific. They are both gone. I thanked him for his faithful service, and he responded with “It was an Honor Serving You.”
I am sure that there are many Veterans who have that same attitude. It reminded me of the fact that being a government employee, especially an elected politician, is often called being a “public servant.” I am not sure that there are many politicians who sincerely consider their position as “serving.” I suspect that there are too many “public servants” who are blinded by their notoriety and do their job for what they can get rather than for what they can give. O that we might be, and vote for, more people who truly consider it “an Honor to Serve.”
MISPLACED EXPECTATIONS?
We live in a “Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat” world. While the phrase was made popular in the 1970 Olympics, the emotion is made real a million times a day in a million different ways. While there is thrill and agony, there is also mocking and mourning, gloating and second-guessing, and various other reactions. Whatever the reaction, it is grounded in our expectations. While our “expectation” can be more realistic than our “wishes” they are often so closely linked that no matter the outcome it feels like either a “victory” or a “defeat.”
We naturally get emotionally involved in our plans, our hopes, our convictions, our expectations. We put our time, our energy, our resources, our selves into the things we long for. Our attachments to our expectations are often so strong that it leads to serious conflict. Such is the case with our politics and elections.
One of the key things we overlook in politics (and sports, and virtually every competitive arena) is the ebb and flow, the up and down, the reversals that constantly take place. It is so common for victory to be followed by defeat and defeat to be followed by victory. In this we overlook the fact that both our victories and our defeats are rarely permanent even though they may seem so in the moment.
This leads me to consider the strong possibility that my expectations are often misplaced. It is natural that I expect my opinions, my preferences, my beliefs, my timing, my purposes, my methods, my goals my ___, to be “victorious” and when they are not, to feel “defeat.”
What if I were to recognize that the real attachment in my life is “my.” It is not enough to recognize that once in awhile “others” may be right, we ought to recognize that all of us are on both the winning or losing side of life votes all the time. So, are there any “expectations” with which we could really win?
I recognize that many people will disagree with what I am about to say, but remember that the polls are not yet closed, all the votes are not yet in. Only God’s purposes, methods, goals and timing are perfect. Mine, and yours, have been proven mistaken over and over again. While humanity works to fulfill the expectations of our good and our glory, those hopes are constantly dashed in our proud conflicts. A better expectation, a more sure hope is found in: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) What do you see as the key word in this verse? Is it not “His”? Only God’s purposes, goals, methods, timing are perfect. And lest anyone think that the polls are closed and you cannot change your vote, consider: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Repentance from what you ask. Repentance from seeking and living for my purposes, my methods, my goals, my timing, and my glory. The polls are not yet closed, but they soon may be: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2Peter 3:9,10)
Our “me” centered victories are temporary at best. Whose expectations and hopes are you voting for?
We live in a “Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat” world. While the phrase was made popular in the 1970 Olympics, the emotion is made real a million times a day in a million different ways. While there is thrill and agony, there is also mocking and mourning, gloating and second-guessing, and various other reactions. Whatever the reaction, it is grounded in our expectations. While our “expectation” can be more realistic than our “wishes” they are often so closely linked that no matter the outcome it feels like either a “victory” or a “defeat.”
We naturally get emotionally involved in our plans, our hopes, our convictions, our expectations. We put our time, our energy, our resources, our selves into the things we long for. Our attachments to our expectations are often so strong that it leads to serious conflict. Such is the case with our politics and elections.
One of the key things we overlook in politics (and sports, and virtually every competitive arena) is the ebb and flow, the up and down, the reversals that constantly take place. It is so common for victory to be followed by defeat and defeat to be followed by victory. In this we overlook the fact that both our victories and our defeats are rarely permanent even though they may seem so in the moment.
This leads me to consider the strong possibility that my expectations are often misplaced. It is natural that I expect my opinions, my preferences, my beliefs, my timing, my purposes, my methods, my goals my ___, to be “victorious” and when they are not, to feel “defeat.”
What if I were to recognize that the real attachment in my life is “my.” It is not enough to recognize that once in awhile “others” may be right, we ought to recognize that all of us are on both the winning or losing side of life votes all the time. So, are there any “expectations” with which we could really win?
I recognize that many people will disagree with what I am about to say, but remember that the polls are not yet closed, all the votes are not yet in. Only God’s purposes, methods, goals and timing are perfect. Mine, and yours, have been proven mistaken over and over again. While humanity works to fulfill the expectations of our good and our glory, those hopes are constantly dashed in our proud conflicts. A better expectation, a more sure hope is found in: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) What do you see as the key word in this verse? Is it not “His”? Only God’s purposes, goals, methods, timing are perfect. And lest anyone think that the polls are closed and you cannot change your vote, consider: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Repentance from what you ask. Repentance from seeking and living for my purposes, my methods, my goals, my timing, and my glory. The polls are not yet closed, but they soon may be: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2Peter 3:9,10)
Our “me” centered victories are temporary at best. Whose expectations and hopes are you voting for?
YEAR ROUND HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE?
We seem to love costumes. Halloween is the grand masquerade, but dressing up, or down, for fun or to convey a message, seems to be an exploding trend. I suppose people have always dressed with some degree of conscious intention, but “fashion” and “statement” seem to be exaggerated now days. From belts-below-butts, to tattoos, to tee shirt slogans, people seek to say specific things about themselves by the way they dress. And Halloween is the highlight when young and old put on whatever to become whatever they choose to be that day. It really is the one day that “you can be whatever you want to be.”
But a transformation has taken place. While it used to be recognized as a masquerade, trying to look and act like something you are not, we are deceiving ourselves into really believing that simply by pretending we can actually become whatever we want. The examples are so common they are not worth describing. What is worth noting is the foolish hypocrisies that are not championed. We all know what would happen to the person who walked up the the White House and announced that they were the President and wanted to come into their office. Or, imagine a person walking into their bank and saying “I’m Bill Gates and I would like to withdraw $1,000,000 dollars from my account. Or, … you already get the picture. The only person we can be is ourselves. It is obviously true that there many things about ourselves we can grow and improve. But believing that we can become something we are not is the height of self-deception.
It is a cruel lie to encourage people to believe that a masquerade is true. What we all need is help and encouragement to become all that God has designed us to be. Believing this has become the foolishness of our age. Regarding those who believe our masquerades are the true wisdom, the Bible describes them: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man … exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Romans 1:22,23)
We seem to love costumes. Halloween is the grand masquerade, but dressing up, or down, for fun or to convey a message, seems to be an exploding trend. I suppose people have always dressed with some degree of conscious intention, but “fashion” and “statement” seem to be exaggerated now days. From belts-below-butts, to tattoos, to tee shirt slogans, people seek to say specific things about themselves by the way they dress. And Halloween is the highlight when young and old put on whatever to become whatever they choose to be that day. It really is the one day that “you can be whatever you want to be.”
But a transformation has taken place. While it used to be recognized as a masquerade, trying to look and act like something you are not, we are deceiving ourselves into really believing that simply by pretending we can actually become whatever we want. The examples are so common they are not worth describing. What is worth noting is the foolish hypocrisies that are not championed. We all know what would happen to the person who walked up the the White House and announced that they were the President and wanted to come into their office. Or, imagine a person walking into their bank and saying “I’m Bill Gates and I would like to withdraw $1,000,000 dollars from my account. Or, … you already get the picture. The only person we can be is ourselves. It is obviously true that there many things about ourselves we can grow and improve. But believing that we can become something we are not is the height of self-deception.
It is a cruel lie to encourage people to believe that a masquerade is true. What we all need is help and encouragement to become all that God has designed us to be. Believing this has become the foolishness of our age. Regarding those who believe our masquerades are the true wisdom, the Bible describes them: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man … exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Romans 1:22,23)
PLEASE DO NOT…?
Imagine if the Ten Commandments were the Ten Pleases. Laying aside the four commandments instructing our relationship with God (even though all ten are grounded in our relationship with God), consider the last six as “Pleases.”
5. Please honor your father and mother. 6. Please do not murder. 7. Please do not commit adultery. 8. Please do not steal. 9. Please do not lie. 10. Please do not covet.
How seriously would we take those “pleases?” How effective would those “pleases” be? Actually, the “Ten Commandments” are not taken very seriously, nor are they very effective at stopping the things they prohibit. The problem is not with the commandments but with our human nature. We are all bent toward breaking them, if not in our behavior, certainly in our hearts.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t see signs saying:
Please do not shoplift. Please do not cheat on your taxes. Please do not violate any traffic rules. Please do not use illegal drugs.
Could it be because we all know that simply asking “please” rarely works. Why then do we see signs saying “Please don’t drink and drive.” It is reasonable to assume that every drunk driver has seen the signs but drinks and drives anyway. Could it be that the signs and slogans are more to ease the conscience of our culture than they are to actually do something about drinking and driving. It could make one wonder if we really care about the results of drinking and driving.
Imagine if the Ten Commandments were the Ten Pleases. Laying aside the four commandments instructing our relationship with God (even though all ten are grounded in our relationship with God), consider the last six as “Pleases.”
5. Please honor your father and mother. 6. Please do not murder. 7. Please do not commit adultery. 8. Please do not steal. 9. Please do not lie. 10. Please do not covet.
How seriously would we take those “pleases?” How effective would those “pleases” be? Actually, the “Ten Commandments” are not taken very seriously, nor are they very effective at stopping the things they prohibit. The problem is not with the commandments but with our human nature. We are all bent toward breaking them, if not in our behavior, certainly in our hearts.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t see signs saying:
Please do not shoplift. Please do not cheat on your taxes. Please do not violate any traffic rules. Please do not use illegal drugs.
Could it be because we all know that simply asking “please” rarely works. Why then do we see signs saying “Please don’t drink and drive.” It is reasonable to assume that every drunk driver has seen the signs but drinks and drives anyway. Could it be that the signs and slogans are more to ease the conscience of our culture than they are to actually do something about drinking and driving. It could make one wonder if we really care about the results of drinking and driving.
OUR LIFE SLOGANS?
Slogans surround us. They are on billboards, on bumpers, on TV, on radio, on junk mail, on hats, on tee shirts, on protest placards. They even plague us in the jingles that we can’t stop ringing in our head, like “break me off a piece of that ___ ___ ___.” We both love them and hate them. We love ours, and hate theirs.
Ironically they can reveal a lot about the character of our lives. And sometimes we don’t even realize the significance of what our slogans really say. Take for instance, “My Body, My Choice” or “Keep Your Hands Off My Body.” The slogans of Pro-Abortion can seem so reasonable. Of course it is our choice to govern our own bodies; of course it is appropriate for us to protect our bodies from unwanted advances. But like all slogans we tend to only see the side we prefer. And we pay the price for refusing to think more carefully about what we champion.
In the choosing to govern our own bodies we very easily and naturally ignore the impact our choices have on others. Perhaps you have seen the road signs that say: “Please, don’t drink and drive,” or the phrase on alcohol ads: “Please, drink responsibly.” The irony is that in blindness to the impact drinking has on ourselves and others, some people choose to drive while drinking irresponsibly.
Getting back to “My Body My Choice” and “Keep Your Hands Off My Body.” The slogans blindly ignore the fact that choosing abortion for myself and others denies that choice to the human baby whose very life we take. And we blindly ignore the irony that abortion does indeed keep our hands off of each other. It keeps the baby from knowing the warm and gentle comfort of clinging to its mother and father. And it blindly refuses the joy-full hands-on cradling of a new-born baby son or daughter. Yes, we have the right to choose, and the right to be protected from unwanted touches. But our slogans can make it easy to ignore the fact that babies have those same rights.
We live in a cruel world. We are cruel to each other in our blind selfishness. But there is a God Who offers present and eternal refuge in His powerful, loving rescue from the consequences of our sinful choices. Aborted babies know the fullness of God’s love immediately. For now, we who live with our various slogans must wait to know the full consequences of our present choices. Fortunately God has not left us clueless but said things like: “… But to all who did receive Him (Jesus) who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12) We are each choosing and will live forever with the consequences of our choice.
Slogans surround us. They are on billboards, on bumpers, on TV, on radio, on junk mail, on hats, on tee shirts, on protest placards. They even plague us in the jingles that we can’t stop ringing in our head, like “break me off a piece of that ___ ___ ___.” We both love them and hate them. We love ours, and hate theirs.
Ironically they can reveal a lot about the character of our lives. And sometimes we don’t even realize the significance of what our slogans really say. Take for instance, “My Body, My Choice” or “Keep Your Hands Off My Body.” The slogans of Pro-Abortion can seem so reasonable. Of course it is our choice to govern our own bodies; of course it is appropriate for us to protect our bodies from unwanted advances. But like all slogans we tend to only see the side we prefer. And we pay the price for refusing to think more carefully about what we champion.
In the choosing to govern our own bodies we very easily and naturally ignore the impact our choices have on others. Perhaps you have seen the road signs that say: “Please, don’t drink and drive,” or the phrase on alcohol ads: “Please, drink responsibly.” The irony is that in blindness to the impact drinking has on ourselves and others, some people choose to drive while drinking irresponsibly.
Getting back to “My Body My Choice” and “Keep Your Hands Off My Body.” The slogans blindly ignore the fact that choosing abortion for myself and others denies that choice to the human baby whose very life we take. And we blindly ignore the irony that abortion does indeed keep our hands off of each other. It keeps the baby from knowing the warm and gentle comfort of clinging to its mother and father. And it blindly refuses the joy-full hands-on cradling of a new-born baby son or daughter. Yes, we have the right to choose, and the right to be protected from unwanted touches. But our slogans can make it easy to ignore the fact that babies have those same rights.
We live in a cruel world. We are cruel to each other in our blind selfishness. But there is a God Who offers present and eternal refuge in His powerful, loving rescue from the consequences of our sinful choices. Aborted babies know the fullness of God’s love immediately. For now, we who live with our various slogans must wait to know the full consequences of our present choices. Fortunately God has not left us clueless but said things like: “… But to all who did receive Him (Jesus) who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12) We are each choosing and will live forever with the consequences of our choice.
MY WOKE TEN COMMANDMENTS?
I was reading the Ten Commandments the other day and got to thinking that they seem pretty old fashioned. I thought I should give God a chance to update them for me so I walked up the hill just outside of town and sat down on a big rock underneath a broad green tree. I thought that God could probably read and prompt my mind so I sat there waiting for Him to give me the updated commandments that I wanted. After a while of silence I decided that maybe, since He is so old, God was taking a nap, or off busy chatting with someone else. Anyway, I got to thinking that I could probably rewrite the commandments in a modern way to which more people would pay attention. I figured, also, that if God objected to what I was writing He could stop me. He remained silent so I kept writing and these are my ten commandments. I suppose that if God isn’t going to talk to us anymore He won’t mind if we make up our own rules for good living. You might try it yourself, but I don’t know if you could improve on what I have written. I think my rules should be okay for most people.
1. I shall have no other gods before “ME.”
2. I shall not bow and serve anything other than me and the things I like.
3. I shall not misrepresent God, if He doesn't misrepresent me.
4. I shall Remember to keep weekends for myself since I work so hard during the week.
5. I will remember my dad and my mom whenever it is convenient.
6. I shall murder only those who interfere with my lifestyle. (like unwanted babies)
7. I shall not commit adultery with anyone who does not consent.
8. I shall not steal because I can get whatever I want from the the government.
9. I shall not lie because whatever I say is my truth.
10. I shall not covet anything because I deserve all good things.
In case there is any misunderstanding, THIS POST IS SAD SARCASM.
I was reading the Ten Commandments the other day and got to thinking that they seem pretty old fashioned. I thought I should give God a chance to update them for me so I walked up the hill just outside of town and sat down on a big rock underneath a broad green tree. I thought that God could probably read and prompt my mind so I sat there waiting for Him to give me the updated commandments that I wanted. After a while of silence I decided that maybe, since He is so old, God was taking a nap, or off busy chatting with someone else. Anyway, I got to thinking that I could probably rewrite the commandments in a modern way to which more people would pay attention. I figured, also, that if God objected to what I was writing He could stop me. He remained silent so I kept writing and these are my ten commandments. I suppose that if God isn’t going to talk to us anymore He won’t mind if we make up our own rules for good living. You might try it yourself, but I don’t know if you could improve on what I have written. I think my rules should be okay for most people.
1. I shall have no other gods before “ME.”
2. I shall not bow and serve anything other than me and the things I like.
3. I shall not misrepresent God, if He doesn't misrepresent me.
4. I shall Remember to keep weekends for myself since I work so hard during the week.
5. I will remember my dad and my mom whenever it is convenient.
6. I shall murder only those who interfere with my lifestyle. (like unwanted babies)
7. I shall not commit adultery with anyone who does not consent.
8. I shall not steal because I can get whatever I want from the the government.
9. I shall not lie because whatever I say is my truth.
10. I shall not covet anything because I deserve all good things.
In case there is any misunderstanding, THIS POST IS SAD SARCASM.
WELCOME IN HEAVEN?
The funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth was quite amazing. Millions of people lined the streets of London and millions more watched it on Television. It was an overwhelming demonstration of respect and admiration for the departed Queen.
Imagine the welcome of Jesus Christ when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.” The Queen has been described as “so graciously living to serve people.” There are no superlatives that can adequately or fully describe the perfections of Jesus Christ or the height or depth of His sacrificial service to pay the death penalty of sin for all of humanity. We comprehend neither the awestruck silence or the thunderous thanksgiving of the billions who stand on the golden streets of Heaven around the Throne of God.
Imagine too the welcome in Heaven when one of Jesus Own arrives Home. We tend to think that welcomes will be varied according to what each one has accomplished or earned by the way they lived. Perhaps many of us think or assume that we will likely slip quietly into heaven largely unnoticed. But let your heart wander for a moment and imagine stepping inside the gate where the first one to meet you is Jesus Himself. With a joyful tear in His eye He wraps His arms around you and says: “Welcome to the new home I have prepared for you.” And after the shock of that truly awesome experience that will last for eternity, Jesus holds you close to His side and turns you slightly and shouts more loudly than our human ears can even begin to imagine: “Hey, everyone, LOOK, Neil is here!” Then the deafening welcome of our eternal family envelopes us with more glad love than any throng on earth has ever even begun to muster.
The Queen of England is welcomed too. She too is overwhelmed. She is brought to tears of joy because the welcome is not for the Queen of England, but for a forgiven child of the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords.
The funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth was quite amazing. Millions of people lined the streets of London and millions more watched it on Television. It was an overwhelming demonstration of respect and admiration for the departed Queen.
Imagine the welcome of Jesus Christ when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.” The Queen has been described as “so graciously living to serve people.” There are no superlatives that can adequately or fully describe the perfections of Jesus Christ or the height or depth of His sacrificial service to pay the death penalty of sin for all of humanity. We comprehend neither the awestruck silence or the thunderous thanksgiving of the billions who stand on the golden streets of Heaven around the Throne of God.
Imagine too the welcome in Heaven when one of Jesus Own arrives Home. We tend to think that welcomes will be varied according to what each one has accomplished or earned by the way they lived. Perhaps many of us think or assume that we will likely slip quietly into heaven largely unnoticed. But let your heart wander for a moment and imagine stepping inside the gate where the first one to meet you is Jesus Himself. With a joyful tear in His eye He wraps His arms around you and says: “Welcome to the new home I have prepared for you.” And after the shock of that truly awesome experience that will last for eternity, Jesus holds you close to His side and turns you slightly and shouts more loudly than our human ears can even begin to imagine: “Hey, everyone, LOOK, Neil is here!” Then the deafening welcome of our eternal family envelopes us with more glad love than any throng on earth has ever even begun to muster.
The Queen of England is welcomed too. She too is overwhelmed. She is brought to tears of joy because the welcome is not for the Queen of England, but for a forgiven child of the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords.
MY HEART IS BROKEN?
I just got the news today that a church I love has closed their doors.
I suppose that the first questions are “why?” and “whose fault is it?” Those are valid questions and my initial response to both is “I don’t know.” But I do know some things. I do know some things that are NOT the reasons it closed, and I do know some people who are NOT at fault.
The doors are closing NOT because of unfaithfulness to God or to His Word. Those would be valid reasons to close. They have faithfully served God and taught His Word for decades. Could they have done better? Of course, we all could. Their Pastor has led in that faithfulness for many years. The Old Testament Temple was destroyed because “The Glory of God Departed.” I don’t see that being the case with this church. So the questions about “”why” and “who” must be somewhere else.
I do believe that God is not caught unaware. He is not surprised by the news. He has seen the attendance dwindling. In fact God will in some way, some time, bring about good for His people and Glory for Himself.
I think: what could I have done more to help? Should I have visited them more often, prayed more earnestly for them? I had no official responsibility for them. But what responsibility did I have? To ignore them doesn’t seem right. But that is sort of what I did.
It is true that the community around them is declining. It is certainly not a growing environment. Perhaps God wants to use the people leaving the closing church to help another church in the area represent Jesus more accurately and effectively.
Another question I am not responsible to answer, but must ask, involves the association of churches in which this small church belonged. What could have and should have the other churches done to help this sister church? For various reasons the little church would probably have been reluctant to accept help, and almost certainly not asked for it.
There are no clear or easy answers to these questions. But my experience is that we are so focused on keeping our own selves and churches alive that we don’t give the questions much thought. We tend to think that fellow Churches, like fellow Christians sort of get what they deserve. That is certainly partly true, but is is also true that in building His Church Jesus made us His Body that truly needs each other to accurately and effectively serve and represent Him in all the different places He plants us.
The questions of why and whose fault are somewhat distracting. The better question is “what does God want me to do to help the Christians and the Churches around me keep their lamps lit and their salt salty.
I just got the news today that a church I love has closed their doors.
I suppose that the first questions are “why?” and “whose fault is it?” Those are valid questions and my initial response to both is “I don’t know.” But I do know some things. I do know some things that are NOT the reasons it closed, and I do know some people who are NOT at fault.
The doors are closing NOT because of unfaithfulness to God or to His Word. Those would be valid reasons to close. They have faithfully served God and taught His Word for decades. Could they have done better? Of course, we all could. Their Pastor has led in that faithfulness for many years. The Old Testament Temple was destroyed because “The Glory of God Departed.” I don’t see that being the case with this church. So the questions about “”why” and “who” must be somewhere else.
I do believe that God is not caught unaware. He is not surprised by the news. He has seen the attendance dwindling. In fact God will in some way, some time, bring about good for His people and Glory for Himself.
I think: what could I have done more to help? Should I have visited them more often, prayed more earnestly for them? I had no official responsibility for them. But what responsibility did I have? To ignore them doesn’t seem right. But that is sort of what I did.
It is true that the community around them is declining. It is certainly not a growing environment. Perhaps God wants to use the people leaving the closing church to help another church in the area represent Jesus more accurately and effectively.
Another question I am not responsible to answer, but must ask, involves the association of churches in which this small church belonged. What could have and should have the other churches done to help this sister church? For various reasons the little church would probably have been reluctant to accept help, and almost certainly not asked for it.
There are no clear or easy answers to these questions. But my experience is that we are so focused on keeping our own selves and churches alive that we don’t give the questions much thought. We tend to think that fellow Churches, like fellow Christians sort of get what they deserve. That is certainly partly true, but is is also true that in building His Church Jesus made us His Body that truly needs each other to accurately and effectively serve and represent Him in all the different places He plants us.
The questions of why and whose fault are somewhat distracting. The better question is “what does God want me to do to help the Christians and the Churches around me keep their lamps lit and their salt salty.
DEBT FORGIVENESS?
… “Targeted to those who need it most.”
This is what has been said about the college loan debt forgiveness recently announced by the federal government. It has also been noted that the “those who need it most” are the politicians who need the vote of people who welcome being given free stuff by the government. But, it could be asked, why stop with college loan debt? Why not forgive medical bill debt? Why not forgive house rent debt? Why not forgive utility bill debt? Why not forgive all debt? Why not declare a national debt forgiveness day when all debts are forgiven and everyone gets to start fresh with no burden of past debts? Are there not people who “need it most”?
It may come as a surprise to some people that all debt is actually paid for, by someone. For instance, a person buys a car from a dealer for $30,000 by giving the dealer $3,000 cash plus signing a contract to pay the balance of $27,000 over the next several years. The car is driven home and we tend to pretend that the car belongs to the buyer, but in fact it belongs to the seller who is still owed the $27,000. Now suppose that the government “forgives” the burdensome debt and gives the car title to the buyer. It is not as if the debt simply vanishes, it is actually paid for by the car dealer who gave the loan. The interesting thing is that the politicians pretend that it was they who paid the debt, and they welcome the votes for their wise kindness.
These selfish attitudes about debt forgiveness not only blinds individuals to the realities of debt but also corrupts our whole culture. Everything costs something, and someone pays.
There really is a “debt forgiveness” which every one of us need most. Many people ignore or deny the fact that there is a debt to pay for our sin. The Bible says: “The wages of sin is death.” We tend to think that we can pay for our sins with good deeds or good intentions. But the cost is actually “death.” And it is not just physical death, but the death of alienation from the God Who created us and the One Whom we all choose to reject and disobey. If there is to be “forgiveness” of that debt of death (both physical and spiritual), it cannot be simply written off with the stroke of a pen, it must be paid for by someone. It is a debt that would cost our very life (physical and spiritual) to pay. It is an eternal debt that we could never pay in a billion years. The Good News of the Bible is that God Himself paid the debt for us by taking the totality of all our sins upon Himself and dying in our place.
Picture this, what if our President and politicians, out of their own pockets paid all our individual financial debts? It would be an illustration of Gods Gracious Gift of our Forgiveness. But just an illustration because our debt to The Holy God is infinitely greater than money.
The good news is that the debt has already been paid by Jesus Christ and forgiveness is ours for repentant, believing asking. God is not looking for our votes, He is simply and profoundly looking for us to welcome His Gracious Love for us. It costs us our prideful selfishness, It cost God what only He could pay.
God targeted His Debt Forgiveness to those who need it most. That is you and me. Have you asked Him to forgive you?
… “Targeted to those who need it most.”
This is what has been said about the college loan debt forgiveness recently announced by the federal government. It has also been noted that the “those who need it most” are the politicians who need the vote of people who welcome being given free stuff by the government. But, it could be asked, why stop with college loan debt? Why not forgive medical bill debt? Why not forgive house rent debt? Why not forgive utility bill debt? Why not forgive all debt? Why not declare a national debt forgiveness day when all debts are forgiven and everyone gets to start fresh with no burden of past debts? Are there not people who “need it most”?
It may come as a surprise to some people that all debt is actually paid for, by someone. For instance, a person buys a car from a dealer for $30,000 by giving the dealer $3,000 cash plus signing a contract to pay the balance of $27,000 over the next several years. The car is driven home and we tend to pretend that the car belongs to the buyer, but in fact it belongs to the seller who is still owed the $27,000. Now suppose that the government “forgives” the burdensome debt and gives the car title to the buyer. It is not as if the debt simply vanishes, it is actually paid for by the car dealer who gave the loan. The interesting thing is that the politicians pretend that it was they who paid the debt, and they welcome the votes for their wise kindness.
These selfish attitudes about debt forgiveness not only blinds individuals to the realities of debt but also corrupts our whole culture. Everything costs something, and someone pays.
There really is a “debt forgiveness” which every one of us need most. Many people ignore or deny the fact that there is a debt to pay for our sin. The Bible says: “The wages of sin is death.” We tend to think that we can pay for our sins with good deeds or good intentions. But the cost is actually “death.” And it is not just physical death, but the death of alienation from the God Who created us and the One Whom we all choose to reject and disobey. If there is to be “forgiveness” of that debt of death (both physical and spiritual), it cannot be simply written off with the stroke of a pen, it must be paid for by someone. It is a debt that would cost our very life (physical and spiritual) to pay. It is an eternal debt that we could never pay in a billion years. The Good News of the Bible is that God Himself paid the debt for us by taking the totality of all our sins upon Himself and dying in our place.
Picture this, what if our President and politicians, out of their own pockets paid all our individual financial debts? It would be an illustration of Gods Gracious Gift of our Forgiveness. But just an illustration because our debt to The Holy God is infinitely greater than money.
The good news is that the debt has already been paid by Jesus Christ and forgiveness is ours for repentant, believing asking. God is not looking for our votes, He is simply and profoundly looking for us to welcome His Gracious Love for us. It costs us our prideful selfishness, It cost God what only He could pay.
God targeted His Debt Forgiveness to those who need it most. That is you and me. Have you asked Him to forgive you?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? 2022-05-13
“Enough is Enough!” “Ensure something like this never happens again!” "When are we going to do something?!" "I’m so tired of getting offering condolences to the devastated families.” “I’m so tired of the moments of silence. Enough!” "Like when is enough enough man!!!" “Once again we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," "What is it that we truly value?” “How do we repair the problem?
These quotes are all from the days news following a mass shooting at an elementary school. Do we recognize something familiar about them? The same alarms, have been repeated after every human tragedy not only in contemporary America but in every place and every time throughout all of human history.
In addition to the familiar anguished cries to “do something,” There are the usual proposals to “repair the problem.” “Everyone be responsible.” “Stand up to the gun lobby!” “Put more police in place.” “Involve more personal counselors.” Each proposal makes several common assumptions.
Some of the assumptions are:
> Individuals are a product of their environment. > Society is generally responsible for what individuals do. > A society (America) must make a better environment where individuals can more easily make right and good choices.
The basic and common question is: Why do good people go bad? Why do good babies grow up to do bad things? The basic and common “repair to the problem” is: better education, better laws, better interventions, better … etc. etc.
The “elephant in the room” observation is: Why have these repairs not worked? We have tried better education, better laws, better interventions. It is argued that what has been done is not enough. But, the fact remains that none of these “repairs” have been enough. The question was asked a few decades ago in another era of American tragedy: “Why can’t we all just get along?” The human solution has always been to train people, help people, control people to build a society of equal “life, liberty, and happiness.”
Why do we refuse to even consider the possibility that human beings are not naturally good, as all these repairs assume? Why do we refuse to recognize that every human, me and you included, are not basically good but evil. We are not in need of instruction but in need of transformation.
This is the very thing that we fight against acknowledging. And it is because we are indeed self-centered not others-centered, unrighteous, not righteous. The Bible (the repair source our society rejects as judgmental and out-of-touch with our modern needs) says: “there is none righteous, no not one,” “we all, like sheep, have gone astray,” “each of us have gone our own way,” “everyone does what is right in their own eye.” Without a transformation of our rebel character, even our goodness is self-centered.
So, it really is true, that our environment influences us. We are each basically selfish and evil and thus we are collectively evil. History proves that no amount of human-focused repairs have been “enough” to fix the evil that surfaces so routinely.
“We can fix ourselves,” is our human mantra. “Just give us better examples to follow and we can do better.” But even Jesus did not claim to be just a better example (though He was, and is). Jesus claimed to be the transformation we need. He claimed to give us His new LIFE for our death, His righteousness for our unrighteousness, His forgiveness for our sin. His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control for our racism, hatred, our pride, our evil, our sin.
But most of us will refuse the repair God offers. Most of us will continue to cry that we are “not doing enough, we must do more.” We will cling to “doing things that are right in our own eyes,” and refuse God’s offer of transformation because we believe we don’t really need God to transform us, we just need to do more and better. As another saying goes: “how’s that working out for you.”
“Enough is Enough!” “Ensure something like this never happens again!” "When are we going to do something?!" "I’m so tired of getting offering condolences to the devastated families.” “I’m so tired of the moments of silence. Enough!” "Like when is enough enough man!!!" “Once again we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," "What is it that we truly value?” “How do we repair the problem?
These quotes are all from the days news following a mass shooting at an elementary school. Do we recognize something familiar about them? The same alarms, have been repeated after every human tragedy not only in contemporary America but in every place and every time throughout all of human history.
In addition to the familiar anguished cries to “do something,” There are the usual proposals to “repair the problem.” “Everyone be responsible.” “Stand up to the gun lobby!” “Put more police in place.” “Involve more personal counselors.” Each proposal makes several common assumptions.
Some of the assumptions are:
> Individuals are a product of their environment. > Society is generally responsible for what individuals do. > A society (America) must make a better environment where individuals can more easily make right and good choices.
The basic and common question is: Why do good people go bad? Why do good babies grow up to do bad things? The basic and common “repair to the problem” is: better education, better laws, better interventions, better … etc. etc.
The “elephant in the room” observation is: Why have these repairs not worked? We have tried better education, better laws, better interventions. It is argued that what has been done is not enough. But, the fact remains that none of these “repairs” have been enough. The question was asked a few decades ago in another era of American tragedy: “Why can’t we all just get along?” The human solution has always been to train people, help people, control people to build a society of equal “life, liberty, and happiness.”
Why do we refuse to even consider the possibility that human beings are not naturally good, as all these repairs assume? Why do we refuse to recognize that every human, me and you included, are not basically good but evil. We are not in need of instruction but in need of transformation.
This is the very thing that we fight against acknowledging. And it is because we are indeed self-centered not others-centered, unrighteous, not righteous. The Bible (the repair source our society rejects as judgmental and out-of-touch with our modern needs) says: “there is none righteous, no not one,” “we all, like sheep, have gone astray,” “each of us have gone our own way,” “everyone does what is right in their own eye.” Without a transformation of our rebel character, even our goodness is self-centered.
So, it really is true, that our environment influences us. We are each basically selfish and evil and thus we are collectively evil. History proves that no amount of human-focused repairs have been “enough” to fix the evil that surfaces so routinely.
“We can fix ourselves,” is our human mantra. “Just give us better examples to follow and we can do better.” But even Jesus did not claim to be just a better example (though He was, and is). Jesus claimed to be the transformation we need. He claimed to give us His new LIFE for our death, His righteousness for our unrighteousness, His forgiveness for our sin. His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control for our racism, hatred, our pride, our evil, our sin.
But most of us will refuse the repair God offers. Most of us will continue to cry that we are “not doing enough, we must do more.” We will cling to “doing things that are right in our own eyes,” and refuse God’s offer of transformation because we believe we don’t really need God to transform us, we just need to do more and better. As another saying goes: “how’s that working out for you.”
RANDOM THOUGHTS LINKS:
Evaluating Politicians?
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What Or Who Most Influences Our Vote?
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What To Do With Dirt?
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Real Objection of Pro-Choice Advocates?
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Do Only Some Matter?
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Pro-Choice Choices?
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God Uses Years - All of Them?
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Reproductive Rights?
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Spectacular? Glory?
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Does Trump Represent a Theocracy?
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Everything Comes To Pass
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An Overlooked Friend!
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The World of Hate?
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My Easter Pessimism?
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Help Me Improve TrueSaints?
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Why I Like "The Chosen"
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Beautiful Music In Heaven?
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Three Voices?
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Be Careful of Opinions?
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AI - EI - IA(WA)
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BEWARE OF PREYING saints? (and don't be one)
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Words Have Meaning, Except When They Don't
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Hello, Goodbye, Hello?
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The Unseen Truth About Christmas?
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What Is It Worth?
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Happy Thanksgiving?
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Questions About Facebook?
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The Great Delusion?
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What Do Words Mean?
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A Day In Life?
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Who Do I Believe?
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Two Questions We Thoughtlessly Answer Every Day?
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Whose Vote Are They Seeking?
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Does Believing Make It True?
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The Most Overlooked Crisis?
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Devoured by a Counterfeit God's Counterfeit Gospel?
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The Awful Sound of Freedom?
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What Kind of Americans?
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Just Call Cancer Good?
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Need Better Laws?
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Four Gods In The Garden Of Eden?
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Who Do You Think You Are, I AM?
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He Gets Us?
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Unanswered Prayer?
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Offending Words?
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Trying To Remember The Most Important Things I Tend To Forget?
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The Unforbidden Forbidden Fruit?
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Two Different Thanksgivings?
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All Rise?
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Seeking Whose Approval?
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An Honor Serving You?
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Misplaced Expectations?
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Year Round Halloween Masquerade?
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Please Do Not…?
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Our Life Slogans?
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My Woke Ten Commandments?
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Welcome In Heaven?
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My Heart Is Broken?
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Debt Forgiveness?
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Enough is Enough?
all content by J Neil Evans
Rapid Weaver - Foundation 6 — ©2024