Tag Archives: God

Warning: Travel With a Compatible Companion.

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Carpool

Carpool (Photo credit: eltpics)

To my fellow humans:

I have had many a word with those who want to argue against the Gospel in various aspects.  I want to reassure them that their arguments have been and are heard.  They think their arguments are between humans.  But I know the One who listened to the arguments they purport long before their lips spoke them.

I just wanted to put them at ease here.  Your complaints are registered in your personal name at the throne of the Most High God.  If you want mercy for what you’ve said, I suggest that you appeal to Jesus.  If you don’t care now, I understand.  And so does God.  He will ask you plainly what you meant by what you said and thought.  And He will certainly take into consideration how you taught your arguments to others (especially children).

So don’t worry about how I listened to you.  You might have walked away from a conversation with me thinking that I was angry with you.  That’s absolutely not so.  I simply spoke the truth as I read it in the Bible.  You are no offence to me at all.  Even now, I can’t remember any specific argument with anyone about the ways of God.  Oh, there’s a general sense left within me that many hate what the Bible has to say.  And by that hatred I am on their short list of people they would least like to carpool to work with.  Got it.

Have a nice day folks.

Who Wants What?

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English: Sub-tropical paradise Mild winter wea...

English: Sub-tropical paradise Mild winter weather allows a superb sub-tropical garden of palms to survive and form a wonderful feature in this caravan park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Men say:

“I want: a new car, a house (a really nice house!), to matter, lots of money, tons of free stuff, to live in a tropical paradise, to be loved by everyone, to live peaceably, power among men, to never get old, to live in great ease without a single worry, to want.”

God’s response:

“I want: humble servants, godly people, obedient people, to be worshiped above all else, men and women who are ready to die rather than be selfish, a merciful people, a righteous people, people who work hard to provide for others, people who love My Son more than themselves, people full of faith regardless what comes to them, to give these people what they need, to reward according to My eternal riches, you to see Me as I am, a people with clean hands and a pure heart so they can ascend My Holy Hill.”

Who will step up from the debasing hatred of God to the place where He is loved above all other things in this world?  Who will lay down everything for the hope He offers?  Many say “I will”, but later do not.  What is the living definition of faithfulness?

 

Does Punishment Equate With Correction?

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English: Interior photo of a courtroom in Broc...

English: Interior photo of a courtroom in Brockville, Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Four men sat in the court room waiting their turn before the judge.  One of them was obviously scared.  He was wrongly arrested for a crime he knew he didn’t commit.  There was no way for him to know what would happen next.  All his life was being ripped away without his consent.  Though he would admit he was a citizen of a law filled land, he now was at the wrong end of the land he had come to think of as his.

Another was constantly wiping his eyes for fear that the others would see his weakness.  His guilt was obvious.  And he knew prison was waiting for him.  He also knew that his family and friends would never forgive him for what he had done.  One more thing he knew:  He knew he didn’t have the violent attitude necessary to cope with the elements in prison that would come to molest him, take his possessions, and force him to submit all his days as a slave to their depraved minds.

One more prisoner sat there with a slight smile on his face.  This wasn’t his first time here.  What was it to him if he lived a few more years behind bars.  He knew he would be convicted.  He also knew he had friends where he was going.  He was part of those who happily enslave the weak in prison.  And he had his eye on the man sitting next to him.

The last of the four sat there sobbing.  Not able to contain his fear, he had wet himself.  Life was about to change for this fellow.  And he knew he didn’t have what it took to endure the punishment for his foolish crime.  His throat was parched dry and he wasn’t sure he could answer when asked questions.  His mind was numb from fear.  Panic had set in quite severely.  What was to come of him now?  All he could think of was terror.

Punishment cannot bring about a correction of attitude in those who are not repentant.  In fact, punishment to the proud will only bolster their pride.  A man who is violent in his attitude will only grow more wicked over time.  And until his body cannot carry out violence anymore, that man will contrive all kinds of ways to do wicked things.

Punishment, however, extended to a man who wishes to learn will certainly have a positive effect.  We can be sure that the last man will learn his lessons well.  Look at him quivering as he awaits his fate.  You could release this man today and be quite sure you won’t see him here again.  The Lord said it best (go figure)  “. . . he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  (Luke 7:47)

The other two are a bit of a curious matter.  The one who was wrongly arrested might go to prison anyway.  What will come of him is between he and God.  He might not have had an attitude about civil law.  But he is quickly developing one now!

And the one who was constantly wiping his eyes, what about him?  Won’t he also be in the same boat as the first?  It remains up to him as to how punishment will affect his heart.

What will happen to the Christian is largely brought on by his attitude.  God will do for us what the law of free will allows.  Sin has us all by the throat when we first come to the Lord.  And when we learn of the sentence of death against us we all respond a little differently.  We are told to fear God.  The more we fear Him the more we will find ourselves being able to become a student.  Only a student attitude will endure punishment favorably.  Fear is the only motivation that will result in love for the system that arrested our deviant behavior.  We might say this has to do with what the Lord said about Laodicea:  “‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”  (Revelation 3:16).   A lack of reverent fear will not provide the strength we need to learn to love Him.  Pride and sin will overcome the one who approaches the war of flesh with a lackadaisical attitude

The Lord approaches all of us in the same manner as the judge in that court room.  The difference being that The Lord is able to change the nature of things while we undergo His punishments.  The judge is constrained to the provided prison system.  The Lord has created all things.  And He is quite able to change the material nature of our circumstances.   He also knows how to change the attitude of His people so that their fear of God’s laws is refreshed when their attitude slips a bit.

So we look to what the writer of Hebrews had to say about this, for the conclusion of this post.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”  7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  (Hebrews 12)

Sure, You Can! For Now.

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Police Officer Breaking the Law

Police Officer Breaking the Law (Photo credit: Call To Adventure)

“I can, so I will.”

This is said of the majority of mankind.  They perceive an advantage is to be gained by stretching the laws of the land.  They don’t notice that they’ve already determined to stretch the laws of God.  So what does it matter if they push past the limits of man’s laws?

“I must, so I should.”

This is said by a handful of people who are striving with all their might to learn to love God and all His ways.  They subject themselves to the laws of God.  So it matters a great deal when it comes to obedience to the laws of man.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

The Nasty Gifts that Surround Us

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Symbol of Christianity, white version.

Symbol of Christianity, white version. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I wake at 3am.  My truck is parked near the back of a Home Depot.  What do my ears hear?  I hear music coming from the back of the store.   They left the music on all night.  I guess they do that all year long.

I don’t listen to music anymore.  It’s too much of a distraction for the essential thoughts regarding the war between the flesh and the Spirit.  I don’t say that to cause anyone else to do it also.  I stopped listening to music a couple years ago.  Oh I listen to a song now and then.   But I listen to the lyrics more than the melody.  It was the lyrics that caused me to turn away from music in the first place.  Even some Christian songs often get theology a bit askew.   So I turned to pondering the truth of God in my mind more than listening to what everybody is forced to endure in their ears all the time.  Now that is the point of this entry.

Think about something with me, if you dare.  I find it curious that at the beginning of the end of all creation man is being forced to endure distractions on a scale never before seen.  Televisions are on all day long.   Radios blast music in men’s ears constantly.   Cell phones are pressed against the head, threatening to leave an indelible mark.  Fingers are busy typing text even to the point of causing accidents while driving.   I even heard of a woman getting hurt while walking because she was texting.  I don’t know of a store you can walk into that isn’t playing some music.  Billboards announce everything saleable to us as we travel from point A to B.  Information surrounds us like water to fish.

All this becomes utter distraction.  Has anyone asked why?  I have said that the modern world is like a nation of kings.  Only kings enjoyed music like this.  They were the only ones rich enough to retain minstrels on a regular basis.  And their servants constantly brought news about their kingdom.  But even kings desired silence once in a while.  So we have passed from enjoying their riches to a slavery to noise.  And exceedingly few ask why.

We know that there is a force which is trying to get mankind to ignore the call of God.  And, in my humble opinion, he is actually doing a pretty good job.   While people think they are receiving something precious, they are actually being kept from the very precious gift of introspection and reflection on what is pure and good.  They are taught all day long that sex is more important than virtue.  You think that is too harsh?  Listen to the lyrics of the majority of songs.  Listen close and think about it.  We are being taught that the body is far more important than the spirit.  Yet which one will outlast the other?  Where do you think that message might come from?

If I listen to the radio talk shows (which I do quite often), I turn it off when the commercials come on.  All I heard was money, bodily health, and liberal appeals for giving to institutions.  And now that the liberals are in charge of our lives through government, we are told how to eat, walk, run, sit, speak, listen, and think.  It is a sick merry-go-round when it comes to commercials.  So I jumped off while it was still spinning slowly.

I appeal to all who read this to consider what you are being assaulted by all day long.  Where is the moment of silence?  Where did it go?  Where is that “hour of prayer”?  Someone stole it from you.  Even Christian music becomes a distraction from what is true.  You’re being herded into a pen like an animal.   Commercialized music is saying, “Think this.”  And like narrow minded sheep you simply let someone lead you where they want you to go.

To top it all off, have you heard of how the information network is coming under the control of the government?  What was the switch to digital television all about?   Just a couple days ago, the President sent out a request to brainstorm for the sake of an executive order to allow him to take over the internet during a crisis.  How long until all we see on television, billboards, hear on the radio, and see posters everywhere displaying the president’s voice and face?  Propaganda is the instrument of seduction today.  And the masses are silently being embraced by it.  The net is laid.  And someone is about to pull the rope tight.  And who notices?

This isn’t a call to arms because we are being taken over.  It’s already happened folks.  Now it’s just a matter of them moving into our physical lives.  Oh wait, that’s already happening.  Isn’t it?

Break free from it all while you still can.  Just turn off the noise for 4 hours a day.  See how it makes you think.  Give it a try and see if I’m crazy.

P. S. I wasn’t going to post this.  Then I opened my email and found my brother Peter’s post:  http://theagetocome.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/the-fathers-heart/

Just Stick That Seed and Move On.

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English: Seed Time The fields have recently be...

English: Seed Time The fields have recently been ploughed, and I surmise that the machinery is planting a crop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It all started with a twist of God’s word, and wickedness among men was born.  Next came murder.  Now I’m not wise enough to know what the next elevation of sin was, and how it progressed to become a fullness of sin among men.  But I can be sure that we reached that point fairly early on.

Every day men fool each other into believing deadly folly.  And the truth of God has been accepted throughout the ages with the same percentage: Most don’t, some do.  (quite the mathematically calculated stat huh?)  I can’t speak for any days prior to about 20 years ago.  But I do think folly is becoming far more vocal today than ever before.  It’s not just the advent of radio signals that have promoted more broadly the things of wickedness.  It is the heart of man, as a whole, which is becoming less open to God’s truth.  But isn’t that what we were warned would happen?  “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, . . .”  (2 Timothy 3:13, 14)

Should we be concerned about this?  Nah.  Just stay the course and watch what happens.  Maybe they will involve us in the form of a persecution.  But it is they who they destroy.  If you have the truth of Christ within you, relax.  Speak with firmness and confidence.  But don’t let them drag you into the stupid war of man’s ideas regarding the Holy Commands of God.  We answer when asked.  But we should also learn when to refrain from another answer.

Look for the line of questioning.  Does it lead in a linear path?  Or does it do circles around the issue.  Avoidance is one trick men use to circumvent the truth.  Then, if that fails to provide the rotten fruit they are accustomed to eating, they will turn to blame.  For the sake of your partners in conversation, release yourself before they get to that point.  They will chase after all manner of folly regardless your involvement.  Go look for another conversation.  Let the seeds the Lord has given you remain planted.  Let’s see if something grows.

By His Grace.