August 31, 2010

Luke 13:1-3 “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, 'Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.'”

So many times folks stay with the one definition of “repent” that means to feel bad for a certain deed, completely forgetting that, on order to truly repent, one must also stop doing that very deed.

For me, when I learned of the deadly earthquake in Haiti I did not think of how the local folks had “brought it on themselves.” Even with their practicing of voodoo, and other sins, were they sinning any worse than the United States? How about Bernie Madoff?

“Oh, he is EVIL,” some say. “He deserves to burn in hell for his thievery.” Still, when you take away all the media bunkum, is what he did any worse than someone who takes advantage of a grocery store clerk who mistakenly gives them too much change?

America, the time for repentance is now. We dropped “the bomb” on Japan, we went to war looking for imaginary weapons of mass destruction, we take much joy in the filthy goings on of the rich and famous, and we watch the destruction of the innocents with the same blood-lust exhibited by the perverted purveyors of violence, except, since it's on television and not in a dog-fighting ring, we think it's OK.

The sins of America are no more justified or overlooked than any other nation- ANY other nation.

Will WE repent, or will we “all likewise perish?”

God, Please Bless America ...

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August 30, 2010

2 Kings 20:19 “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, 'Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken.' And he said, 'Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?'”

Ah, yes. Peace and Truth. I wish for Peace and Truth, not only for myself, but for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. This is regardless of religion, color, anything. I want everyone to know the Peace of Jesus, and to bathe in his Truth.

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August 29, 2010

Luke 11:4 “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus had been asked by one of His disciples to teach them how to pray. He did, of course.

Today, I focused on the word “indebted.” I remembered reading and hearing, from a few Bible scholars, how the word “forgive” comes from the financial world, where a loan, or other type of debt, is dismissed- no longer owed.

So, to forgive someone is to no longer require them to pay you or to make restitution for their “sin” against you. Easy to do if someone steals a small pebble from your driveway, but what about the wife who is beaten by her husband, or the child molested?

It takes a lot of healing, and some time, sometimes a lot of time, but this too can happen. Not for the sake of the offender but for the injured. It's only then that we can release the pain and move on.

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August 28, 2010

Luke 10:20 “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus had sent out 70 men to spread the word of His coming, and to heal and preach the Word. When they returned they were rejoicing that the spirits had to obey them, in the name of Jesus. Which brings me to the passage for today.

My ultimate joy does not depend on my earthly status, if so, I would never be happy! There would always be something I wanted or thought I needed in order to be fulfilled. However, since my name is written in the Lambs Book of Life, I can feel happy in any situation. The key word here is “can.”

The continuing goal is to remember not what I am, but “whose” I am.

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August 27, 2010

2 Kings 17:30, 31 “And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.”

In today's passage I have underlined the names of gods that people worshiped, as described in 2 Kings 17. The interesting part is that they also “feared the Lord,” at least at first. These folks weren't all that different from people in today's world who try to “ride the fence,” in other words, please everyone while worshiping God.

The problem is, we cannot do this, it is impossible. They would eventually lose their “fear” of the Lord, though. Does this sound familiar?

How about those children who were “burnt” to appease a false god? It makes me think of the children whose parents “burn” them in honor of the god of vanity. You could easily replace “Adrammelech and Anammelech” with “Fame” and “Celebrity Status.”

That's why my God IS God!

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August 26, 2010

Luke 8:52,53 “And all wept, and bewailed her: but He said, 'Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.' And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.”

Isn't it amazing, all the things we “know.” Remember in History class, learning about the era when folks “knew” the world was flat? That was easy. That was because the farthest one could see was the horizon, even with whatever kind of “glass,” a rudimentary telescope, was available.

Still, some folks saw how even at such a short distance, how the surface of the earth curved, and could postulate that continuing that arch, the world MUST be round.

The people involved here had the same situation. They all “knew” that Jesus could heal their loved one, but actually laughed at the idea that she merely “slept.” Had they followed the “curvature” of the situation--the power of Jesus, the fact that He is the Son of God– they would have seen that the girl was sleeping.

Image courtesy of NASA

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August 25, 2010

Luke 7:7 “Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.”

I love this story. A centurion, a member of the Roman military, considered to be the backbone of the Roman Army, sent a few “elders of the Jews,” (Luke 7:3), to Jesus to ask Him to come and heal his beloved servant who was “sick, and ready to die,” (Luke 7:2). These elders, likely acquaintances of the centurion due to his rank, didn't waste a second when they finally reached Jesus, but began immediately to plead with our Lord, saying that this centurion was indeed worthy of this request.

“He loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.” Luke 7:5

So, Jesus goes with them to see the servant and heal him. Before He got to the house, the centurion sent friends to Jesus to tell Him that he was not worthy for Him to be in his house, or even to be in His presence. “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed, because I follow orders, and give orders.”

He knew that Jesus need only give the order, and his servant would be healed.

Jesus recognizes this, and replies in Luke 7:9 “I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

The Roman Centurion would have no reason to be afraid of Jesus. His was the occupying force.

He knew who Jesus was. My question is this- would I have?

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August 24, 2010

Luke 6:6,7 “And it came to pass on another Sabbath, that He entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.”

Let me get this straight. They, the scribes and Pharisees-- essentially the writers and upper crust of the day-- studied Jesus' every move, hoping to catch Him doing something illegal, so they could accuse Him.

Which means this- they KNEW He could heal! They KNEW it! They were witnesses to the power of Jesus and all they wanted to do was accuse Him!

Such arrogance, to make it your goal to bring down God by the law, something they themselves shattered by not recognizing the Messiah.

Courtesy of Jews for Jesus

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August 23, 2010

Luke 5:12-13 “”And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, 'Lord, if Thou wilt, (are willing), Thou canst (can) make me clean.' And He put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, 'I will: be thou clean.' And immediately the leprosy departed from him.”

It's ridiculous how many times I've known that God could heal me, that He had the power but was not willing to! Deeply ingrained in my psyche is the mantra “You are NOT worthy! God's Mercy is not going to save YOU!”

And to that voice I say You are a LIAR!

Jesus, if You are willing, please heal my mind.

Even now I can feel His hand on me, and can hear Him say, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”

"Be thou cleansed."

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August 22, 2010

Luke 4:40,41 “Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying 'Thou art Christ the Son of God.' And He rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that He was Christ.”

I read this passage and was reminded of the different areas of the New Testament where Jesus would perform a miracle, or heal someone, then tell them not to talk about it or tell anyone who He was. Why would He do that?

Again, I was reminded that we are to look for Christ with our Spiritual eyes, not our physical eyes.

Jesus did not want the celebrity that came with the performing of miracles. He wanted to heal the sick, remove unclean spirits, and to sacrifice Himself for us. He was not looking for a BFF, or His own “Reality” show, unlike so many “preachers” on TV today. He was here for us and to save us.

And He did just that!

Thy Will be Done

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August 21, 2010

Luke 3:10-11 “And the people asked him, saying, 'What shall we do then?' He answered and saith unto them, 'He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.'”

A crowd had gathered to hear John, the son of Zacharias, (John the Baptist), preach and were now asking him what they could do to obey the Lord. Our passage today shows what we are to do when we come upon someone who is in need. Share what we have.

God is pleased when we take something of ours and give it to someone who needs it. Not only does it show Him our willingness to help others, it demonstrates our Faith that He will provide for us. There is another lesson here as well.

If we do not take care of ourselves we will have nothing to give to others.

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August 20, 2010

Luke 2:49-52 “And He said unto them, 'How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business?' And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subjected unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God.”

This is the Gift of Mary- not her gift to others but God's gift to her. She was chosen among many other women to bear, birth, and raise Jesus from infancy, you know, around the clock feedings, diapers etc, through the teenage years on to adulthood.

I can't imagine Jesus being much of a problem child though, can you? Still, Mary endured the rigors of child raising that too many find to be too much to deal with. For example, when her family left Jerusalem, neither she nor Joseph were at all concerned that the Boy Jesus was not right there with them. They asked around for him after about a day of traveling, then went back to Jerusalem and found Him after 3 days, sitting in the temple, talking with well educated adults, asking questions and giving answers that amazed His learned audience. His “parents” were frantic, forgetting who He was.

When they found Him, Jesus went with them, being “subject” to them as their child. He would live the whole human experience, His “Fathers business,” as directed by God and our need for salvation. Even though I cannot even imagine it, I like to take time once in a while and contemplate how Mary and Joseph must have felt.

The Gift of Mary- the exclusive honor of watching Jesus grow into a man.

Wow …

12 year old Jesus in the temple

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August 19, 2010

Luke 1:59-64 “And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and the called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, 'Not so; but he shall be called John.' And they said unto her, 'There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.' And they made signs to his father, how that he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote saying, 'His name is John.' And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.”


Here we have the parents of John the Baptist, named so because of the many baptisms he performed during his ministry. His father, Zacharias, was “well stricken in years,” (Luke 1:18), as was his mother, Elisabeth. The big difference is this, Elisabeth learned she would be given a child when she became pregnant, and Zacharias was told by the angel Gabriel that he would be a dad, even at his age.

Then, instead of doubting and questioning God, Elisabeth “hid herself,” I believe, to give her body all the rest and care it needed to bring God's gift to fruition. However, when Zacharias was in the temple, having just learned that God would bless him with a son, said, “Me? How can that happen, We're too old!” He became unable to speak, and would remain so until the child was born.

How hard it is to simply accept the blessings God has for us! How often do we bring ourselves ailments and anomalies, even from a micro-second of doubt!

Photo courtesy of NASA

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August 18, 2010

2 Kings 7:6 “And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer saying, 'Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.'”

A certain woman had a son who had died. She called upon Elisha, the “Man of God,” and accepted the healing of her son. Some time later, Elisha told her to leave her country because there would be a 7 year famine. She did as instructed, returning after the famine was spent.

Now, the king became curious about all the wonderful things God had done through Elisha. He asked Gehazi, the servant of the Man of God, for a rundown of “all the great things that Elisha had done.”

(2 Kings 7:4) His account included the story of the woman's son being brought back to life.

And guess who “just happened” to come along, but that very woman! She “cried to the king for her house and for her land.” (2 Kings 7:5). Gehazi said ( paraphrasing here) Hey! That's her! And that's her son who was brought back from the dead!”

From this it is easy to see that God's Blessings follow those who follow Him. She simply obeyed God, and received His favor, over and over!

Wow!

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August 17, 2010

Mark 15:9-11 “But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.”

So, the people had a choice between two rebel leaders, one to be executed and the other released, as was customary during the Passover. One one hand, we have Barabbas, arrested for playing a crucial role in organizing a revolt against the Roman occupation of their homeland, and on the other hand, Jesus of Nazareth, who came to earth to pay for our salvation with His life.

Pontius Pilate can see that Jesus is being railroaded by the “church” of the day. Its leaders, the high priests, had a crowd made up mostly of their underlings, as the followers of Jesus were either hiding for their lives, or simply unaware of what was going on. Do you think it was just coincidence that Peter was confronted by “one of the maids of the high priest?” (Mark 14:66)

Even so, and even though Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and was being pushed to the cross by the church, it was in his best interest to appease the people and crucify our Lord. And, even though at any moment He could have called in thousands of angels to free Him, Jesus died for us.

Thank you, Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

"Ecce Homo" (Behold the Man!) by Antonio Ciseri

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August 16, 2010

Mark 14:60 “And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, 'Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?'”

It had been quite the scene, I'm sure. Jesus is standing, bound, while a parade of people passed by, all of them giving “testimony” against Him that did not match! Even when they changed tact and tried to give just one account of His alleged “lies,” their stories were so far off as to be unbelievable.

Finally, the high priest, who had grown tire of the fiasco, asked Jesus if He was indeed “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (verse 61)

Jesus responds in verse 62, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

That inspired the high priest to end it there. He put on his best “drama queen” and tore his clothes, and

fulfilled his part in the fleshing out of the prophecy of our Lord's death for our sins.

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August 14, 2010

Mark 12:44 “For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

This passage is the last verse in the story of the widow's mite. Jesus was observing the folks as they came into the temple and dropped their offering money into the treasury box. He saw the rich toss in a lot of cash, and then the widow just a tiny bit.

He spoke of the difference between the two, how even though the widow had given so little, her offering was so much more than that of the others, because hers was everything she had!

What a great lesson. How many blessings do we miss out on because we do not give everything? God does not need our money, but our commitment. That is the meaning of this story.

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August 13, 2010

Mark 11:22-26 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, 'Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.'”

Today's passages followed the account of Jesus cursing the fig tree after He came to it hungry and found no fruit. It really puzzled me as to why would He do this? The fig tree was only doing what it was designed to do, by God Himself!

Now, I've read this story many times before, and have heard it in sermons as well, but this morning I got a much deeper lesson from it that I could apply to my current situation. Jesus used the fig tree to demonstrate to the world the power of Faith, that with it we could do the phenomenal things such as order a mountain to throw itself into the sea!

The problem is this- we humans, most of us anyway, regardless of how strong our faith is, always have that tiny little doubt, and are waiting to see if what we pray for will really come to pass. Our minds forge a “plan B,” just in case. Add to that the likelihood that our hearts are harboring something against someone else and there you have it.

Father, please show me where I must forgive someone, so that I can remove all doubt, and open the doors of Your Blessing on me. In Jesus name, Amen

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August 12, 2010

Mark 10:52 “And Jesus said unto him, 'Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.' And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

This passage from Mark chronicles the result of a man crying out to Jesus for healing, in spite of the crowd's efforts to get him to shut up. This man, Bartimaeus, not only knew that Jesus was nearby, but knew who he was, and that He had the power to heal him.

Why would Jesus make Bartimaeus repeat himself? Why didn't Jesus rebuke the crowd for trying to silence the poor blind man?

It must be that Jesus wants us to be confident in His power to heal, in His willingness to heal, and that neither rest on the opinion of the “crowd.”

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August 11, 2010

Mark 9:23, 24 “Jesus said unto him, ' If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.' And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.'”

It seems to me that no matter how hard we try to believe there always remains a bit of unbelief, a sometimes anxious anticipation to see if God really will keep His promises. The father mentioned in today's passage knew this. This is why he added, after saying “I believe,” this prayer, “help thou mine unbelief.”

It's a part of human nature to leave room for “less than.” You know, room for the shame and sense of “not enough-ness” that fights against our pursuit of spiritual growth. We want, or feel we need, to have a plan “B,” or “C,” or “D,” just in case.

I'm reminded of what I've heard several people say over the years, that they would rather believe in God and be wrong, than to not believe and be wrong. Does that in any way sound like Faith? Does it really mean anything to place your some of your faith in a “likelihood,” rather than to put all or nothing?

In Revelation 3:15 Jesus says “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.” He goes on to say that he will spit out those who are lukewarm. I want to believe, Lord Jesus. Please, help my unbelief.

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August 10, 2010

Mark 8:11, 12 “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him. And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, 'Why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.'”

Those pesky Pharisees! There was our Lord, standing in front of them, and still they wanted a “sign!” Still, if you and I were having coffee at Starbucks, and Jesus were standing next to us, would we still need a sign? Or, would our hearts be so tuned to God that we would recognize Him right away?

It's an interesting thought. Especially when you realize that Jesus IS standing next to us, not in a physical form perhaps, but He is there nonetheless.

NASA's 3D Image of our sun.

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August 9, 2010

Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Man, when I stop and think of all the dumb and hurtful things I've said over the years! It makes me even more grateful for God's Mercy to me! And, if that's not enough, I realize that there are so many actions I took as a result of the evil things coming out of my heart.

I haven't murdered anyone, at least physically, but how many times have I hurt some with just a word or two, or the lack of a word or two- a sin of omission?

Lord. Help me to be mindful of my words and actions that do not glorify You. Thank You for Your Mercy, for Your Grace, and for Your Son's sacrifice on the cross. In Jesus name, Amen.

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August 8, 2010

1 Kings 18:41 “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”

King Ahab had turned from God and was worshiping Baal. He had even built a temple for the false god. There had been no rain for a long time and everything was drying up. So, Elijah the prophet set up a “contest” to see who was indeed God.

The 450 prophets of Baal against Elijah, a fair fight? The prophets of Baal set up their altar and put their sacrifice on it, but nothing! Not even a spark. Elijah set his altar up, made from stones and wood, set his sacrifice on it, had his helpers pour water on it until a trench built around it was full. Then, he prayed for God to show the people who he was. Fire came down from heaven and consumed everything, even the stones, and “licked up” the water from the trench!

Now, who is God?

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August 7, 2010

Mark 5:15 “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.”

What a sight that must have been! There was this guy, famous throughout the area for his crazy behavior, sitting “in his right mind” with our Lord. Just a short while before that, he was still in his home amongst the tombs, cutting himself with stones and spewing filth to passersby. Now, he is properly clothed and enjoying some face time with Jesus.

This man went from being controlled by a legion of demons to a close relationship with Jesus! Wow!

How many of us have been controlled by evil? Answer- everyone of us! I have to believe that this man fought against the controlling spirits to turn his face to Jesus, acknowledging who He was and His power. His unclean state was evident, his need for redemption glaringly obvious.

We, too, can be in a close relationship with Jesus, can have Him cleanse us of our demons and restore us. Think about it. Even the demons knew Him, knew who He was. One must be willing to submit to His cleansing to be saved.

Jesus deals with the "legion."

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August 6, 2010

Mark 4: 36-41 “And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.”

“And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, 'Master, carest thou not that we perish?'”

“And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, 'Peace, be still.' And the wind ceased, and there was great calm.”

“And He said unto them, 'Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?'”

“And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, 'What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'”

This story fascinates me. These guys are taking Jesus across the sea in their ship, a massive storm comes up that fills the ship with water--except where Jesus slept, obviously--and totally rattles these seasoned sailors. They wake Jesus up, astounded that He was able to sleep through it.

Then, when He had calmed the sea and stilled the storm, these same guys were again astounded that He could have that kind of power. Grown men, full of fear during the storm and after the storm.

I have to wonder if they would have preferred to have the storm back.

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August 5, 2010

Mark 3:5 “And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, 'Stretch forth thine hand.' And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”

Jesus always seemed to draw a crowd. Well, it was actually three crowds in one. First, there was the folks gathered around to receive healing, then those who came to watch and see if healing would actually take place, finally, there was the ever-present “scribes and Pharisees.” This last bunch needed to disprove our Lord, to catch Him in a lie, so that they could keep the power they held over the people.

And, there they were again, watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. This is where I see that the image so many millions hold of Jesus falls apart.

As you can tell by today's passage, Jesus was angry, not the frightened milquetoast that we see in so many paintings. Our Lord is the Lamb of God, but He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will be coming back soon, maybe a few years, maybe a few minutes. We need to be ready.

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August 4, 2010

Mark 2:3-5 “And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.'”

It amazes me just how varied any sense of urgency can be amongst a group of people. We each have our own set of problems to deal with, many of which are similar, or maybe even exactly the same, as those of our fellow humanoids. So, what is the difference?

The answer can be found in today's passage. “When Jesus saw their faith.” Faith, that evidence of Hope that is “dead without works,” (James 2:20), prompted these folks that were carrying the sick of the palsy to Jesus to be healed, to go up on the roof of the room He was in, tear off a section of the roof, lift their sick friend up onto the roof, then lower him into the presence of our Lord. All this they did because of their faith that Jesus could, and would, heal him.

If they had not done so, their faith would be dead and their friend still suffering from the palsy that crippled him.

"faith without works is dead" James 2:20

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August 3, 2010

Mark 1:15 “And saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.'”

What does it mean to repent? It means to feel a sorrow for doing the wrong thing, for sin, and then making changes in your life so that you do not do that wrong thing anymore. But, what if the wrong thing makes you feel so good? To take a bit further, what if the wrong thing that was done TO you, makes you feel good?

Here we have a paradox of sorts: it seems it would be easy to enjoy doing something wrong to someone else, or for ourselves, but how can you feel good when something bad is done to you?

If a husband needs to fix his car so he can get to work, but doesn't want to work, wouldn't it play into his sin for someone to steal his tools or his car, or maybe even burn down his house, murdering his family in the process and therefore removing his obligation altogether? All you have to do is watch a few of those forensic shows on TV-- not the ones with actors and a written plot, but the ones with actual detectives and victims and evidence-- to see that people do this sort of thing everyday.

Even though Jesus spoke these words almost 2000 years ago, they are still true and relevant- “The time is at fulfilled ...repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

What does the Bible hold for you?

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August 2, 2010

2 Samuel 22:2-4 “And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”

I spent many years wondering why we were placed on this planet. I ruled out getting rich, collecting toys, and reaching lofty social heights fairly quickly. After all, when I die I will leave all that stuff behind, right? So, why did God create a position for me here?

I have reached the conclusion that I, like all other humans, am here to grow spiritually. Trials and tribulations are only the tools used to shape and refine my spirit.

When I die I will not spend eternity floating on a cloud, taking breaks only to polish my golden harp. God, who has always been and always will be,(a concept that stymies the human mind), has so much more in store for me, during this life and for all eternity. Maybe I'll have a planet of my own. Maybe I'll be as an angel, serving God by tending to His “sheep” on an as yet unknown area of the endless universe.

With an omnipotent God, an unending eternity, and an equally unending universe, the problems of this world simple do not compare!

Hmmm, where will I go next?

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August 1, 2010

Matthew 27:39-42 “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.”

So, we have our Lord, the Son of God— God as man, the Second of the Trinity --hanging on the cross, bleeding and dying, paying for the sins of the world, fulfilling prophesy; and the self-proclaimed “authorities” of the day were taunting Him to “save thyself.” They that were to be the ones proclaiming the arrival of the Savior!

Still, even they saw and knew that He was the Christ. That fact had shaken them to the very core when their own vile wretchedness came to light in His presence, “He saved others,” they said, throwing down a huge Freudian slip by acknowledging His power, ability, and willingness to do so, then seek to save their lofty and prestigious positions, “Himself He cannot save.”

How evil, petty, and selfish these men were. But, here's the real problem.

Re-read the above passages, replacing “they” with “I.” In other words, we all have done our part to keep Christ on the cross. Not one human being has ever, on their own, been any more sanctified than the very people who drove the nails into His hands, or the crowd that celebrated the act. Here's where the difference comes in.

The chief priests and Pharisees could have accepted Jesus as their Savior, could even have hung out at the tomb to witness His resurrection. If they had been so worried that His disciples would steal His body to make it seem He had risen from the dead, they would have stood guard themselves. They did not want to know the truth.

Do you?

The Tomb is empty, Death has been defeated.

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