He made a pitiful sight, full of pain,
The beleagured One, laden and bestooped,
Hessian* bundles heaped, in careless disdain;
The unburdened others, so gaily trooped!
In compassion I bent to see His face,
Asked, "What of these, no lading, or sad Peniel**,
Whose empty backs filled could quicken your pace?
Are they not constrained for the second mile,
When you've carried the first, to undertake?"
"Ah, yes," He answered with a tender smile;
"But here am I, glad their portions to make;
Willing their loads to bear the second mile."
Dear Christian! Perform your own assigned task,
He is so selfless. we hardly dare ask!
*Hessian = hired soldier; **Peniel = stress
One of the laws that the Roman military imposed upon conquered people was that a soldier could require a civilian to carry his heavy pack for one mile. The Jewish people were familiar with this law, detested it, and tried to avoid getting near the marchers. They were looking for a Messiah who would be a military genius, who would assume leadership and drive the Romans from the land, so that they could re-install the Davidic kingdom of a thousand years ago.
Jesus taught them a radically different method. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, He said they had to love everyone, even their enemies. He said, if your enemy makes you carry his pack for a mile, carry it a second mile. In this way, He said, you will heap burning coals of fire on his head. What a strange new commandment! All His teachings were of nonviolence; His chief weapon was love. That is why the Jewish leaders did not embrace Jesus as the Messiah. Instead, they crucified Him! There were plenty of self-appointed Messiahs who gathered followers willing to fight for Judea's freedom, but they were quickly smashed by the Romans. The Jews' Old Testament contains more than 300 prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, not one of which hinted at a violent military Messiah, but they had been calloused by God in Isaiah's time, and they were unable to discern the real Son of God when He miraculously healed and preached the coming Kingdom.
Christians today are hardly different. Jesus still teaches a gentle, spiritual message, but people are so hardened in the opposite ways of the world that His way seems foolhardy and impractical. Islam is just the opposite. It intends to win control of the world by terror, violence, and fear. Jesus hopes to win the hearts of people by love, mercy, and kindness. They are opposite to each other, and so is God and Allah. In fact, I believe that Satan is Allah.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Through Worldly Eyes
I looked away, walking faster along,
When the scroungy beggar implored for bread;
His kind, on this street? He didn't belong----
He might rob, or molest, instead of beg!
I stopped askance, as my friend turned aside,
Gave bills to the outcast, with a big smile,
"Take this, and buy; it might your need provide;
Better days await, in a little while!"
We walked on; he answered my silent plea,
"Who knows, but that Jesus was here today,
In the guise of that hungry man, testing me?
He warned us, it might happen just that way!"
My friend saw in him Jesus in disguise,
While I saw a bum through my worldly eyes!
In the Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus told His disciples a very imortant story. It is both a real prophecy and a parabolic description of the "Great White Throne" Judgment at the end of the world. It is really going to happen. Plus, it reveals a very clear description of what a person needs to do while living in order to be accepted into heaven. I imlore you to read the scripture for yourselves; there isn't enough space here to quote it. It will give you a definite thing you can do for salvation.
Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected at the end of time and be gathered into an immense multitude before God (Jesus Christ). His angels will divide us into two separate groups. The "sheep" on His right will be welcomed into heaven, and the "goats" on His left will be condemned to hell. There will be surprised folks in each group. The surprised ones among the sheep thought they were destined for hell (for reasons they knew). They will ask Jesus, Why? He will say, You gave me food when I was hungry; water when I was thirsty; clothes when I was threadbare; you visited me when I was sick and in jail; etc. They will ask, When did we do these things? He will say, Inasmuch as you showed love to the poor, lame, and outcasts, you did it for me. Likewise. the surprised among the "goats", who thought they were sure to go to heaven, will be weeping and gnashing their teeth, and will ask Jesus, why? He will answer, Because you did not do it for the poor, lame, outcasts, you did not do it for me. "I never knew you!"
How can you remain in the love of Jesus? By a lifetime of responding to the hungry, thirsty, poor, unloved, outcast, down-amd-out; by never turning down a request for alms, no matter how you think he will spend it.
When the scroungy beggar implored for bread;
His kind, on this street? He didn't belong----
He might rob, or molest, instead of beg!
I stopped askance, as my friend turned aside,
Gave bills to the outcast, with a big smile,
"Take this, and buy; it might your need provide;
Better days await, in a little while!"
We walked on; he answered my silent plea,
"Who knows, but that Jesus was here today,
In the guise of that hungry man, testing me?
He warned us, it might happen just that way!"
My friend saw in him Jesus in disguise,
While I saw a bum through my worldly eyes!
In the Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus told His disciples a very imortant story. It is both a real prophecy and a parabolic description of the "Great White Throne" Judgment at the end of the world. It is really going to happen. Plus, it reveals a very clear description of what a person needs to do while living in order to be accepted into heaven. I imlore you to read the scripture for yourselves; there isn't enough space here to quote it. It will give you a definite thing you can do for salvation.
Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected at the end of time and be gathered into an immense multitude before God (Jesus Christ). His angels will divide us into two separate groups. The "sheep" on His right will be welcomed into heaven, and the "goats" on His left will be condemned to hell. There will be surprised folks in each group. The surprised ones among the sheep thought they were destined for hell (for reasons they knew). They will ask Jesus, Why? He will say, You gave me food when I was hungry; water when I was thirsty; clothes when I was threadbare; you visited me when I was sick and in jail; etc. They will ask, When did we do these things? He will say, Inasmuch as you showed love to the poor, lame, and outcasts, you did it for me. Likewise. the surprised among the "goats", who thought they were sure to go to heaven, will be weeping and gnashing their teeth, and will ask Jesus, why? He will answer, Because you did not do it for the poor, lame, outcasts, you did not do it for me. "I never knew you!"
How can you remain in the love of Jesus? By a lifetime of responding to the hungry, thirsty, poor, unloved, outcast, down-amd-out; by never turning down a request for alms, no matter how you think he will spend it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Fig Tree's Lament
Figs I grew aplenty in other years,
To share with many hungry passersby,
But when Christ chose my road before the jeers,
Green leaves promised fruit I could not supply!
He chid* me for failing His hunger slake;
I withered, ashamed my Maker to grieve;
Having no fruit when He wished to partake!
He judged, not for what I couldn't relieve,
But for my nurture of the minor----
My small care for the major things of life!
More stress on fruit would would have been the finer,
And less on what aids not in the strife!
Waste not your plenty on vainglory's pound;
Spend it all on winning the higher ground!
*chid = chided
Jesus lodged in Bethany at the home of His friends----Mary, Martha, and Lazarus----in the last few days of His life. He walked into Jerusalem to the temple each morning, On the second morning a curious incident occurred with a fig tree,
"Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on the tree except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered." (Matthew 21:18-19)
If this incident is considered out of context, it could be interpreted as a fit of pique by Jesus, who lived a sinless life----anger at a helpless fig tree is certainly a sin in most circumstances. It must be considered in the light of being created by God to provide fruit for mankind; upon this instance it had its one-in-a-million opportunity to be of service to its Maker only to fail. This event took place only a day after the occasion of Martha's conplaint to Jesus about having all the work of preparing supper while her "indolent" sister Mary sat with Jesus in conversation. Jesus rebuked her, saying Mary had chosen the better thing----to be with her Lord while she could. How important is a timely supper when compared to a two-on-one talk with Jesus?
To share with many hungry passersby,
But when Christ chose my road before the jeers,
Green leaves promised fruit I could not supply!
He chid* me for failing His hunger slake;
I withered, ashamed my Maker to grieve;
Having no fruit when He wished to partake!
He judged, not for what I couldn't relieve,
But for my nurture of the minor----
My small care for the major things of life!
More stress on fruit would would have been the finer,
And less on what aids not in the strife!
Waste not your plenty on vainglory's pound;
Spend it all on winning the higher ground!
*chid = chided
Jesus lodged in Bethany at the home of His friends----Mary, Martha, and Lazarus----in the last few days of His life. He walked into Jerusalem to the temple each morning, On the second morning a curious incident occurred with a fig tree,
"Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on the tree except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered." (Matthew 21:18-19)
If this incident is considered out of context, it could be interpreted as a fit of pique by Jesus, who lived a sinless life----anger at a helpless fig tree is certainly a sin in most circumstances. It must be considered in the light of being created by God to provide fruit for mankind; upon this instance it had its one-in-a-million opportunity to be of service to its Maker only to fail. This event took place only a day after the occasion of Martha's conplaint to Jesus about having all the work of preparing supper while her "indolent" sister Mary sat with Jesus in conversation. Jesus rebuked her, saying Mary had chosen the better thing----to be with her Lord while she could. How important is a timely supper when compared to a two-on-one talk with Jesus?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
God's Full-Time Ministers
See how beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of those who bring glad tidings,
Who tell of mercy's redeeming fountains;
How the blood of Christ man's sins overriding!
There is a special grace about the ones
That preach the gospel's redemptive powers;
Who fearless go in vales the wise man shuns,
Who reveal Christ in remotest bowers,
Where brave men fear to speak and walk in dread!
Theirs the Kingdom they tell others about;
Theirs the King whose love they so tireless spread;
They win fruit that invokes heaven to shout!
Harm not those who in the Lord's vineyard toil----
They're God's soldiers, and Satan's work they foil!
A man or woman does not "choose" to be a preacher for Jesus unless Christ "calls". Jesus told His apostles they did not choose Him, but He chose them. He called Paul to be a witness to the Gentiles. Before he was called by Jesus Christ, Paul/Saul was a zealous persecutor of Christians, arresting them for trial, prison, and execution by the Jewish religious authorities. On the road to Damascus to make more arrests he was called.
"I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads [Evidently Christ's Holy Spirit had been tugging at Saul's/Paul's heart to repent and accept Jesus as Lord, even as He does to lost people's hearts today but Saul had stubbornly resisted]. Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.'" (Acts 26:13:17)
Not everyone considering full-time ministry will experience such a dramatic call from Christ, but the person will experience a definite, describable intervention from God. If he does not have such a call, it is best not to begin preparing for full-time service. Such a person that enters service without a call will fail or not be happy. A believer should pray long and hard for guidance in the choice of career, spouse, and everything contemplated in life anyway, but full-time Christian ministry requires His approval and a sign supporting His desire for your service.
Are the feet of those who bring glad tidings,
Who tell of mercy's redeeming fountains;
How the blood of Christ man's sins overriding!
There is a special grace about the ones
That preach the gospel's redemptive powers;
Who fearless go in vales the wise man shuns,
Who reveal Christ in remotest bowers,
Where brave men fear to speak and walk in dread!
Theirs the Kingdom they tell others about;
Theirs the King whose love they so tireless spread;
They win fruit that invokes heaven to shout!
Harm not those who in the Lord's vineyard toil----
They're God's soldiers, and Satan's work they foil!
A man or woman does not "choose" to be a preacher for Jesus unless Christ "calls". Jesus told His apostles they did not choose Him, but He chose them. He called Paul to be a witness to the Gentiles. Before he was called by Jesus Christ, Paul/Saul was a zealous persecutor of Christians, arresting them for trial, prison, and execution by the Jewish religious authorities. On the road to Damascus to make more arrests he was called.
"I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads [Evidently Christ's Holy Spirit had been tugging at Saul's/Paul's heart to repent and accept Jesus as Lord, even as He does to lost people's hearts today but Saul had stubbornly resisted]. Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.'" (Acts 26:13:17)
Not everyone considering full-time ministry will experience such a dramatic call from Christ, but the person will experience a definite, describable intervention from God. If he does not have such a call, it is best not to begin preparing for full-time service. Such a person that enters service without a call will fail or not be happy. A believer should pray long and hard for guidance in the choice of career, spouse, and everything contemplated in life anyway, but full-time Christian ministry requires His approval and a sign supporting His desire for your service.
Friday, March 27, 2009
God's Special Revelation
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise
the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warmed; in keeping them, there is
great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule
over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19:7-14)
This beautiful portion of David's Psalm 19 describes God's special revelation of Himself to man, which is the Bible. Not dictated by Him, but through His Spirit's guiding the forty authors over more than one thousand years, we have laid out for us God's great master plan, conceived by Him to its last detail before time began and before there existed any matter or energy at all. The Bible is true in every word; any knowledge achieved by man will be found to dovetail perfectly with its revelation when time ends and what is now hidden is revealed. In fact, the Bible itself is probably the weightiest evidence man has access to of the existence of God, because of its internal consistency and completeness. It is a miracle in and of itself that such an intricate and complex system of theology resulted from such diverse languages and sources.
For example, in yesterday's blog, we saw that one of the thorniest questions about Christianity----that is, what about God's justice to all people, when many will never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; should remote pagans be condemned to hell justly?----is resolved by the Bible in Romans 1:19-20, where we are told that nature itself spreads knowledge of God all over the world, and no man is excused from knowing Him! They, too, can be saved by "hearing" the voice of God in the natural wonders of His creation! "Seeing" God in nature is possible for everyone; that is called general revelation of God. C. S. Lewis calls Psalm 19 the "greatest lyrics ever written". The Bible contains the answers to any question doubters can pose.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise
the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warmed; in keeping them, there is
great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule
over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19:7-14)
This beautiful portion of David's Psalm 19 describes God's special revelation of Himself to man, which is the Bible. Not dictated by Him, but through His Spirit's guiding the forty authors over more than one thousand years, we have laid out for us God's great master plan, conceived by Him to its last detail before time began and before there existed any matter or energy at all. The Bible is true in every word; any knowledge achieved by man will be found to dovetail perfectly with its revelation when time ends and what is now hidden is revealed. In fact, the Bible itself is probably the weightiest evidence man has access to of the existence of God, because of its internal consistency and completeness. It is a miracle in and of itself that such an intricate and complex system of theology resulted from such diverse languages and sources.
For example, in yesterday's blog, we saw that one of the thorniest questions about Christianity----that is, what about God's justice to all people, when many will never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; should remote pagans be condemned to hell justly?----is resolved by the Bible in Romans 1:19-20, where we are told that nature itself spreads knowledge of God all over the world, and no man is excused from knowing Him! They, too, can be saved by "hearing" the voice of God in the natural wonders of His creation! "Seeing" God in nature is possible for everyone; that is called general revelation of God. C. S. Lewis calls Psalm 19 the "greatest lyrics ever written". The Bible contains the answers to any question doubters can pose.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
How Pagans Can Be Saved
The heavens declare the glory of God;
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
Night after night they portray knowledge.
They have no speech, there are no words;
No sound is heard from them.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his
pavilion,
Like a champion rejoicing to run his course
It rises at one end of the heavens
And makes its circuit to the other,
Nothing is hidden from its heat.
(Psalm 19:1-6)
This portion of Psalm 19 is a beautiful poem. Together with the rest of the hymn it is a song of David that C. S. Lewis describes as "the greatest lyrics ever written". This portion depicts how nature reveals God to the entire world without words. It is called God's "general revelation" of Himself, and it reveals how it is possible for any person on earth to know about the divine Creator and to worship Him without knowledge of the Bible or encountering the gospel through formal preaching or teaching. If you have ever thought the question, How can God condemn a Hottentot from darkest Africa who never had a chance to hear about Him?, this is the answer----because of God's unmistakable signature written bold in the wonders of nature, no man is excused from condemnation who has observed creation's divine beauty.
"...Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities----his eternal power and divine nature----have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
"Men are without excuse"; if you have a friend who excuses himself from being Christian on the basis of not having been reared in a non-church-going family, have him discuss this scripture passage with you. He has no excuse.
The Bible is not a book based on science. Gallileo built a crude telescope in the Middle Ages, and concluded that the sun was stationary, while earth and the planets revolved about it. However, the Catholic Church tried him for heresy on the basis of this Psalm. If you reread it, you will see that it states that "the sun rises" and circles the earth. That usage is just a figure of man's common speech. The church leaders at that time held the belief that the words in the Bible were literally true on every field of knowledge. He was forced to recant; after speaking aloud that the earth didn't move, Gallileo was heard to mutter under his breath, "But it does." The Bible is true and will be found to agree with science when all is known after the world ends, but it can't be held to a literal exactitude with science or any other of man's disciplines.
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
Night after night they portray knowledge.
They have no speech, there are no words;
No sound is heard from them.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his
pavilion,
Like a champion rejoicing to run his course
It rises at one end of the heavens
And makes its circuit to the other,
Nothing is hidden from its heat.
(Psalm 19:1-6)
This portion of Psalm 19 is a beautiful poem. Together with the rest of the hymn it is a song of David that C. S. Lewis describes as "the greatest lyrics ever written". This portion depicts how nature reveals God to the entire world without words. It is called God's "general revelation" of Himself, and it reveals how it is possible for any person on earth to know about the divine Creator and to worship Him without knowledge of the Bible or encountering the gospel through formal preaching or teaching. If you have ever thought the question, How can God condemn a Hottentot from darkest Africa who never had a chance to hear about Him?, this is the answer----because of God's unmistakable signature written bold in the wonders of nature, no man is excused from condemnation who has observed creation's divine beauty.
"...Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities----his eternal power and divine nature----have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
"Men are without excuse"; if you have a friend who excuses himself from being Christian on the basis of not having been reared in a non-church-going family, have him discuss this scripture passage with you. He has no excuse.
The Bible is not a book based on science. Gallileo built a crude telescope in the Middle Ages, and concluded that the sun was stationary, while earth and the planets revolved about it. However, the Catholic Church tried him for heresy on the basis of this Psalm. If you reread it, you will see that it states that "the sun rises" and circles the earth. That usage is just a figure of man's common speech. The church leaders at that time held the belief that the words in the Bible were literally true on every field of knowledge. He was forced to recant; after speaking aloud that the earth didn't move, Gallileo was heard to mutter under his breath, "But it does." The Bible is true and will be found to agree with science when all is known after the world ends, but it can't be held to a literal exactitude with science or any other of man's disciplines.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Fate Worse Than Death
Had Lucifer been a mortal traitor
And God a human king, he would have died
For treason against his own creator,
With no trial or delay for what he tried!
God's thoughts are not like ours, nor are His ways;
By His Spirit, not by power or might,
His Kingdom is ruled; the Ancient of Days
Will turn the other cheek instead of fight!
Man's justice demands an eye for an eye,
But God's word is sharper than any sword;
His mercy to foes heaps coals of fire high,
While His grace imparts what they can't afford!
Lucifer will spend his days in torment;
To a fate worse than death he will be sent!
"And there was war in heaven, Michael [archangel] and his angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer], and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down----that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:7-9) [brackets added]
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8)
"This is the word of the Lord...'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, 'Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.'" (Matthew 5:38-39)
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of fire on his head." (Romans 12:20)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith----and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
God's way is by His word, not by force. Natural man cannot understand spiritual warfare. It is gentle, merciful, and loving.
And God a human king, he would have died
For treason against his own creator,
With no trial or delay for what he tried!
God's thoughts are not like ours, nor are His ways;
By His Spirit, not by power or might,
His Kingdom is ruled; the Ancient of Days
Will turn the other cheek instead of fight!
Man's justice demands an eye for an eye,
But God's word is sharper than any sword;
His mercy to foes heaps coals of fire high,
While His grace imparts what they can't afford!
Lucifer will spend his days in torment;
To a fate worse than death he will be sent!
"And there was war in heaven, Michael [archangel] and his angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer], and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down----that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:7-9) [brackets added]
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8)
"This is the word of the Lord...'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, 'Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.'" (Matthew 5:38-39)
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of fire on his head." (Romans 12:20)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith----and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
God's way is by His word, not by force. Natural man cannot understand spiritual warfare. It is gentle, merciful, and loving.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
God's Image And Free Will
In God's own image He created man;
Wonder of wonders! Mystery divine!
Astute the minds bequeathed, part of His plan,
Their light the beacons across the earth shine!
To guide us amiss, He did not intend;
But free will was imparted with the brain;
Each by choice must his own journey portend----
Whether God's road or hell's is man's to attain!
Man's image honored when Jesus was born,
For His copied man's in ev'ry aspect;
The circle completed: All the same form----
God, the Father, the Son, and the elect!
Man was equipped to make his choice aright;
That most do not, adds to Satan's delight!
Many travel the broad road that leads to destruction and still see themselves as "good", in the ethical sense of human understanding. They would be offended at being described as "sinful". This is because of their not understanding that "sin" is an offense to God only; it is disobedience by commitment or omitment in observing His commandments. Natural man does not know what God expects of him unless he has a pervasive knowledge of the contents of the Bible.
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noting that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' 'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'" (Mark 12:28-31)
Here Jesus condenses all 10 commandments into only two. Any human being who lives a good moral life based on his natural best instincts and the expectations of the best in world culture is woefully short of keeping these two most important commandments of God and is sinful. He is on the "broad road that leads to destruction (hell)", no matter how "good" he is in the world's eyes. In God's eyes, he is condemned to everlasting judgment, because he has not loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; neither has he loved his "neighbor" (meaning every person in the world to which he has even the remotest contact). Can the world's very best "good" man honestly say he has put God and neighbor first when he has lived without God or His church and failed to share his goods, love, and service with any but his closest family members? Can Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, or Boone Pickens claim to be good on the basis of their charitable giving if he has ignored God and the best interest of His Kingdom's advance? (Example only; I know not anything about any of these and his relationship with God)
Wonder of wonders! Mystery divine!
Astute the minds bequeathed, part of His plan,
Their light the beacons across the earth shine!
To guide us amiss, He did not intend;
But free will was imparted with the brain;
Each by choice must his own journey portend----
Whether God's road or hell's is man's to attain!
Man's image honored when Jesus was born,
For His copied man's in ev'ry aspect;
The circle completed: All the same form----
God, the Father, the Son, and the elect!
Man was equipped to make his choice aright;
That most do not, adds to Satan's delight!
Many travel the broad road that leads to destruction and still see themselves as "good", in the ethical sense of human understanding. They would be offended at being described as "sinful". This is because of their not understanding that "sin" is an offense to God only; it is disobedience by commitment or omitment in observing His commandments. Natural man does not know what God expects of him unless he has a pervasive knowledge of the contents of the Bible.
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noting that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' 'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'" (Mark 12:28-31)
Here Jesus condenses all 10 commandments into only two. Any human being who lives a good moral life based on his natural best instincts and the expectations of the best in world culture is woefully short of keeping these two most important commandments of God and is sinful. He is on the "broad road that leads to destruction (hell)", no matter how "good" he is in the world's eyes. In God's eyes, he is condemned to everlasting judgment, because he has not loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; neither has he loved his "neighbor" (meaning every person in the world to which he has even the remotest contact). Can the world's very best "good" man honestly say he has put God and neighbor first when he has lived without God or His church and failed to share his goods, love, and service with any but his closest family members? Can Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, or Boone Pickens claim to be good on the basis of their charitable giving if he has ignored God and the best interest of His Kingdom's advance? (Example only; I know not anything about any of these and his relationship with God)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Life Stolen Staring
Of no small concern should be the hourglass!
How often turned, each span unretrieved;
The sand's cycled falls, unnoticed, march past;
Each turn marks your life that much less, ungrieved!
Do you count how few remain till it's o'er?
What noble deeds undone, that might have been;
What rich service rendered, but now, no more;
How much greater the race you still could win!
"Dear Lord: Hold back the turns of falling sand,
That my life's finish will its start surpass;
Let each turn expire under your command,
No more wasted spans of my life's hourglass!"
The gift of time is too precious and brief,
To waste it staring at the tee-vee-thief*!
*tee-vee-thief = television set
"Now, listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13-15)
Can you fathom why the average adult in America spends 4 hours per day on his backside staring at the wrong-principled, pre-teen fare offered on television, while the mist that is his life slowly dissolves away? Of what service and love is that for others, which is what Jesus commanded us to occupy our lives with? How can we spread our hands in frustration and say, 'If I just had more time!'? Can you believe employees steal their employers' precious time discussing what happened on last night's edition of "Survivor", a program that teaches us opposite principles than those the Bible advocates?
Television is not the only tool of Satan that pulls our attention from Godly activities and sucks up the mist that is our time to live. The pursuit of money without working for it on the stock market, when we cannot be assured of living long enough for it to produce a profit, taunts God. Jesus told us the parable of the boastful farmer who planned to tear down his small barns and build larger to hold his wealth, even though his life through the night was not assured him. We can't even guarantee to be able to finish a movie we begin, much less use a time-share purchase for oodles of future vacations! The Christian doesn't put off until tomorrow his service to others when he can do it today!
How often turned, each span unretrieved;
The sand's cycled falls, unnoticed, march past;
Each turn marks your life that much less, ungrieved!
Do you count how few remain till it's o'er?
What noble deeds undone, that might have been;
What rich service rendered, but now, no more;
How much greater the race you still could win!
"Dear Lord: Hold back the turns of falling sand,
That my life's finish will its start surpass;
Let each turn expire under your command,
No more wasted spans of my life's hourglass!"
The gift of time is too precious and brief,
To waste it staring at the tee-vee-thief*!
*tee-vee-thief = television set
"Now, listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13-15)
Can you fathom why the average adult in America spends 4 hours per day on his backside staring at the wrong-principled, pre-teen fare offered on television, while the mist that is his life slowly dissolves away? Of what service and love is that for others, which is what Jesus commanded us to occupy our lives with? How can we spread our hands in frustration and say, 'If I just had more time!'? Can you believe employees steal their employers' precious time discussing what happened on last night's edition of "Survivor", a program that teaches us opposite principles than those the Bible advocates?
Television is not the only tool of Satan that pulls our attention from Godly activities and sucks up the mist that is our time to live. The pursuit of money without working for it on the stock market, when we cannot be assured of living long enough for it to produce a profit, taunts God. Jesus told us the parable of the boastful farmer who planned to tear down his small barns and build larger to hold his wealth, even though his life through the night was not assured him. We can't even guarantee to be able to finish a movie we begin, much less use a time-share purchase for oodles of future vacations! The Christian doesn't put off until tomorrow his service to others when he can do it today!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mr. Small Slips
Maybe your pastor's gone on this Lord's Day,
Or the kids will preach and provide the choir.
Is one furloughed who serves in Mandalay,
Scheduled to show slides of the muck and mire?
That's when Satan whispers, "Stay home today;
Let your stubble grow; lean back, feet upraised!
No one that counts will miss you anyway;
And it matters not from where God is praised!
You work so hard at church throughout the year,
You deserve one Sunday just to kick up!"
Why, then, is your conscience so hard to clear,
And you yell at the kids, and swat the pup?
The devil tempts the faithful most of all,
Because he knows small slips lead to a fall!
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
I believe Paul meant this admonition to Christians who think they are saved by living according to a formula or checklist. He knew there were several scriptures that ostensibly state one or two or more specific steps required for salvation, but that its actual achievement is not certain until Christ reads the candidate's heart in judgment after death of the flesh. The term work above does not mean salvation is achieved by particular works, but it does mean each person must concern himself for sincerity of belief; what attitudes, character traits, and priorities possessed; as well as habits and activities of service and love to others.
1. No human being or religion can guarantee that a particular individual will be saved. God determines that by judging the depth and mix contained in the heart during physical life and after death.
2. Sincerely believe in historical Jesus as God in man's flesh
3. Admit that you commit sins by disobeying God's commandments, and by omitting to do things you should do. Humble yourself before God and ask Him to forgive you, repeatedly, as long as you live.
4. Put God first in your life above everyone else, and above everything else. Recognize that you must learn as much as you can of His Holy Bible; follow Him in baptism and put His church and its training and worship activities into your life. Learn to love all people (friends, eneimies, strangers) and practice it at all times.
5. Realize that doing all these things may not save you; not doing every item mentioned or any one item will not condemn you. As previously stated, it all depends on what God finds in your heart!
I hope you see Paul's admonition as a warning---each one of us must work out his own salvation. Back to the poem; if we immerse ourselves in regular church attendance and service, staying home one Sunday for no good reason won't cost us our salvation, but practicing such small slips in every Godly activity might erode our resolve and end up changing the approved mix in our heart to something less pleasing to God.
Or the kids will preach and provide the choir.
Is one furloughed who serves in Mandalay,
Scheduled to show slides of the muck and mire?
That's when Satan whispers, "Stay home today;
Let your stubble grow; lean back, feet upraised!
No one that counts will miss you anyway;
And it matters not from where God is praised!
You work so hard at church throughout the year,
You deserve one Sunday just to kick up!"
Why, then, is your conscience so hard to clear,
And you yell at the kids, and swat the pup?
The devil tempts the faithful most of all,
Because he knows small slips lead to a fall!
"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
I believe Paul meant this admonition to Christians who think they are saved by living according to a formula or checklist. He knew there were several scriptures that ostensibly state one or two or more specific steps required for salvation, but that its actual achievement is not certain until Christ reads the candidate's heart in judgment after death of the flesh. The term work above does not mean salvation is achieved by particular works, but it does mean each person must concern himself for sincerity of belief; what attitudes, character traits, and priorities possessed; as well as habits and activities of service and love to others.
1. No human being or religion can guarantee that a particular individual will be saved. God determines that by judging the depth and mix contained in the heart during physical life and after death.
2. Sincerely believe in historical Jesus as God in man's flesh
3. Admit that you commit sins by disobeying God's commandments, and by omitting to do things you should do. Humble yourself before God and ask Him to forgive you, repeatedly, as long as you live.
4. Put God first in your life above everyone else, and above everything else. Recognize that you must learn as much as you can of His Holy Bible; follow Him in baptism and put His church and its training and worship activities into your life. Learn to love all people (friends, eneimies, strangers) and practice it at all times.
5. Realize that doing all these things may not save you; not doing every item mentioned or any one item will not condemn you. As previously stated, it all depends on what God finds in your heart!
I hope you see Paul's admonition as a warning---each one of us must work out his own salvation. Back to the poem; if we immerse ourselves in regular church attendance and service, staying home one Sunday for no good reason won't cost us our salvation, but practicing such small slips in every Godly activity might erode our resolve and end up changing the approved mix in our heart to something less pleasing to God.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
God Forced Israel To Reject
"Who will go for me?" requested the Lord God.
"Here am I," responded Isaiah; "Send me!"
"Go! And tell this stubborn people, 'You trod
On me, though I brought you from Egypt, free!
You've trampled my laws, and hardened your hearts;
My words are ignored, like smoke in the night!
Alien wives you have taken from these pagan parts;
You worship idols that pervert the light!'
"Say, 'Your eyes see, but your minds are more slow;
Your ears hear, but you will not comprehend;
Hearts are more calloused to truths Christ will sow;
You'll be blind and deaf to Messiah I send!'"
These grim words by Isaiah faithfully went
Seven hundred years ere Jesus was sent!
The Chosen People (Israel) were stubborn, rebellious, disobedient and incorrigible failures in keeping their end of the covenant with God. Time after time, He forgave them and rescued them, only to be rewarded with new transgressions. For several hundred years He relented His anger and restored them. Finally, in the time of the prophet Isaiah, He imposed a permanent (or seemingly permanent; it's still in effect in 2009) judgment of stonehearted callousness upon them, which insured they would reject the Messiah Jesus when He came. This judgment had the effect of delaying Israel's salvation while opening it up for the whole world under a spiritual covenant of faith.
"He said, 'Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'" (Isaiah 6:9-10)
No one can come to a saving belief in Jesus Christ spiritually blind. The Jews have always prided themselves on earthiness, practical words interpreted in a literal, concrete manner. This was the trait that inspired Jesus' strongest indictments. The Pharisees took God's commandments---for example, Keep the Sabbath day holy---and made hundreds of picayune oral rules defining what a Jew had to do to be considered obedient, with no flexibility, no mercy, no exceptions, no matter what. So when Jesus healed a crippled man on the Sabbath, it infuriated the religious leaders; and when the disciples picked kernels of corn to eat while walking on the Sabbath, also aroused anger. Jesus answered them that God required mercy rather than sacrifice, and spiritually the Sabbath wasn't dishonored by doing good.
Some Jews overcame the doubled callousness, believed the words of Jesus, accepted Him as the Messiah, and were saved all through the years. Most, however, will be delayed in spiritual understanding until Christ returns and lifts the judgment.
"Here am I," responded Isaiah; "Send me!"
"Go! And tell this stubborn people, 'You trod
On me, though I brought you from Egypt, free!
You've trampled my laws, and hardened your hearts;
My words are ignored, like smoke in the night!
Alien wives you have taken from these pagan parts;
You worship idols that pervert the light!'
"Say, 'Your eyes see, but your minds are more slow;
Your ears hear, but you will not comprehend;
Hearts are more calloused to truths Christ will sow;
You'll be blind and deaf to Messiah I send!'"
These grim words by Isaiah faithfully went
Seven hundred years ere Jesus was sent!
The Chosen People (Israel) were stubborn, rebellious, disobedient and incorrigible failures in keeping their end of the covenant with God. Time after time, He forgave them and rescued them, only to be rewarded with new transgressions. For several hundred years He relented His anger and restored them. Finally, in the time of the prophet Isaiah, He imposed a permanent (or seemingly permanent; it's still in effect in 2009) judgment of stonehearted callousness upon them, which insured they would reject the Messiah Jesus when He came. This judgment had the effect of delaying Israel's salvation while opening it up for the whole world under a spiritual covenant of faith.
"He said, 'Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'" (Isaiah 6:9-10)
No one can come to a saving belief in Jesus Christ spiritually blind. The Jews have always prided themselves on earthiness, practical words interpreted in a literal, concrete manner. This was the trait that inspired Jesus' strongest indictments. The Pharisees took God's commandments---for example, Keep the Sabbath day holy---and made hundreds of picayune oral rules defining what a Jew had to do to be considered obedient, with no flexibility, no mercy, no exceptions, no matter what. So when Jesus healed a crippled man on the Sabbath, it infuriated the religious leaders; and when the disciples picked kernels of corn to eat while walking on the Sabbath, also aroused anger. Jesus answered them that God required mercy rather than sacrifice, and spiritually the Sabbath wasn't dishonored by doing good.
Some Jews overcame the doubled callousness, believed the words of Jesus, accepted Him as the Messiah, and were saved all through the years. Most, however, will be delayed in spiritual understanding until Christ returns and lifts the judgment.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Piercing My Inane
Please forgive, when my mind wanders a bit,
While holding the cup and wafer of bread;
Lord, I try my best to imagine it,
Your passion, on Golgotha's hill of dread.
But my thoughts tarry amid the mundane;
To the nape* in front they want to attend,
Or how many tiles in the window pane,
Or if on the juice, the deacons did stint!
Yet the Spirit does my conscience stir,
Piercing my inane**; Christ's suff'ring I view;
I share the pain of crucifixion's myrrh***,
Then once again, His broken flesh I chew!
Thank you, Lord, for the sacrament of tables,
That my presence at the cross enables!
*nape = back of the neck; **inane = unspiritual thoughts;
***myrrh = bitterness
What some call the "Lord's Supper", Catholics call the "Eucharist", is a sacrament of every church.
"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)
Jesus often referred to Himself as the "bread of life", and strange as it sounds, told people that eternal life required them to "eat His flesh" and "drink His blood". Churches have set up a worship procedure called a sacrament which is repeatedly observed in which a bread wafer and grape juice or wine are ingested by believers in obedience to His command. Most protestants view these items as symbolic of His flesh and blood, while our Catholic brethren believe they miraculously become actual flesh and blood at the moment of blessing by a priest. To them, Jesus is present in body with them each time the sacrament is observed. Non-Catholics, on the other hand, are expected to focus their whole beings on Him on the cross. For all believers, the ceremony is a solemn and central part of worship, intended to bring them closer to the goal of making Christ a continuous dominating influence in life.
The poem illustrates how the participant is expected to empty his mind of all everyday unspiritual thoughts with Jesus Christ filling it entirely, and how difficult that is. Psychologically, it shows him how far he falls short of loving Christ with all his mind, heart, soul, being.
While holding the cup and wafer of bread;
Lord, I try my best to imagine it,
Your passion, on Golgotha's hill of dread.
But my thoughts tarry amid the mundane;
To the nape* in front they want to attend,
Or how many tiles in the window pane,
Or if on the juice, the deacons did stint!
Yet the Spirit does my conscience stir,
Piercing my inane**; Christ's suff'ring I view;
I share the pain of crucifixion's myrrh***,
Then once again, His broken flesh I chew!
Thank you, Lord, for the sacrament of tables,
That my presence at the cross enables!
*nape = back of the neck; **inane = unspiritual thoughts;
***myrrh = bitterness
What some call the "Lord's Supper", Catholics call the "Eucharist", is a sacrament of every church.
"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)
Jesus often referred to Himself as the "bread of life", and strange as it sounds, told people that eternal life required them to "eat His flesh" and "drink His blood". Churches have set up a worship procedure called a sacrament which is repeatedly observed in which a bread wafer and grape juice or wine are ingested by believers in obedience to His command. Most protestants view these items as symbolic of His flesh and blood, while our Catholic brethren believe they miraculously become actual flesh and blood at the moment of blessing by a priest. To them, Jesus is present in body with them each time the sacrament is observed. Non-Catholics, on the other hand, are expected to focus their whole beings on Him on the cross. For all believers, the ceremony is a solemn and central part of worship, intended to bring them closer to the goal of making Christ a continuous dominating influence in life.
The poem illustrates how the participant is expected to empty his mind of all everyday unspiritual thoughts with Jesus Christ filling it entirely, and how difficult that is. Psychologically, it shows him how far he falls short of loving Christ with all his mind, heart, soul, being.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Blame No Other
I knew it was wrong, but I had excuse:
"Lord, she provoked me with revealing clothes,
Unfit for public view, wanton and loose;
I'd have passed, had she not enticed me close!
It's her fault, not mine; she's the one to pay.
Make her garb herself in more somber hues,
Lest some other man fall, as I, one day,
Innocent, but forced to pay evil's dues!"
"Ho!" thundered God; "Like Adam diverted,
Pointing to Eve as blame for his deceit,
Though guilty, you have another perverted,
Your own punishment hoping to deplete!"
God forgives not, save you humbly confess,
Blaming no other for your own transgress!
God put the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, with only one condition, not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan, in the guise of the serpent, tempted Eve first, and she fell for it; Adam was present with them all the time. Then she offered the fruit to him, and he complied. Here is what happened next.
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.' And he said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?' The man said, 'The woman you put here with me---she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.' " (Genesis 3:8-12)
You ladies will recognize the man's natural trait of blaming his spouse, but he was even more duplicitous than that; notice he first blamed God for putting her there. Then he tried to divert God's attention to her for being first to eat. God didn't buy his craven excuses at all. He has always placed a greater responsibility upon the man than the wife (Incidentally, that is one reason same-sex marriage is sinful; who is the captain of the ship?).
In today's world, males accused of raping females use 'she tempted me' as a defense in trials, and many succeed in getting off. God created the woman with a body that draws men sexually regardless of circumstances, even as she is drawn. When she reaches a certain stage of arousal, though mentally resistant, she is inescapably drawn into consensual sex. God did that on purpose, for complex reasons, to populate the world and to establish the family. The man is held responsible by God by pushing her past that point against her will.
"Lord, she provoked me with revealing clothes,
Unfit for public view, wanton and loose;
I'd have passed, had she not enticed me close!
It's her fault, not mine; she's the one to pay.
Make her garb herself in more somber hues,
Lest some other man fall, as I, one day,
Innocent, but forced to pay evil's dues!"
"Ho!" thundered God; "Like Adam diverted,
Pointing to Eve as blame for his deceit,
Though guilty, you have another perverted,
Your own punishment hoping to deplete!"
God forgives not, save you humbly confess,
Blaming no other for your own transgress!
God put the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, with only one condition, not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan, in the guise of the serpent, tempted Eve first, and she fell for it; Adam was present with them all the time. Then she offered the fruit to him, and he complied. Here is what happened next.
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.' And he said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?' The man said, 'The woman you put here with me---she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.' " (Genesis 3:8-12)
You ladies will recognize the man's natural trait of blaming his spouse, but he was even more duplicitous than that; notice he first blamed God for putting her there. Then he tried to divert God's attention to her for being first to eat. God didn't buy his craven excuses at all. He has always placed a greater responsibility upon the man than the wife (Incidentally, that is one reason same-sex marriage is sinful; who is the captain of the ship?).
In today's world, males accused of raping females use 'she tempted me' as a defense in trials, and many succeed in getting off. God created the woman with a body that draws men sexually regardless of circumstances, even as she is drawn. When she reaches a certain stage of arousal, though mentally resistant, she is inescapably drawn into consensual sex. God did that on purpose, for complex reasons, to populate the world and to establish the family. The man is held responsible by God by pushing her past that point against her will.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Psalm 2009
What man can know God's thoughts, much less His heart?
Can any foretell the wonders in store,
Conceived by Him e'en before time's start?
Take the noblest words penned in human lore;
Combine the skills of Milton and Shakespeare;
Write rhyme greater than the world has e'er seen;
As a fleeting day to an endless year,
Man's best songs fall short of divine demesne*!
His ways are unlike those practiced by flesh;
His mind's a mystery to mortal's mind;
For who else discerns the good in distress,
Or His perfect will in disaster find?
Fret not of reasons whatever betide**;
His hidden plan in good or bad reside!
*demesne = where God rules; **betide = happens
The Book of Psalms are ancient lyrics to Jewish hymns, praises to God. This poem tries to describe the great gulf between mortals and holy God. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the immensity of God compared to the infinite smallness of man. Most sins are based on human pride; the sinner refusing to accept that a superior being can know, remember, and ultimately demand him to be accountable.
Even Jesus' apostles were constantly vying among themselves to be awarded the highest place in the Kingdom of God, next to Him, of course. The mother of James and John, sons of Zebedee, catching Jesus away from the others, asked Him if her sons could sit on thrones, one on His right, and one on His left, when He ruled. He tactfully answered her that that reward was not his to give; it belonged to the Father. Of course, Jesus and the Father are one. Later He told the disciples again that whoever is least on earth will be greatest in heaven.
"Then he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all---he is the greatest.'" (Luke 9:48)
Humility is the trait that is the hardest to develop for a human being. It also must be pervasive; that is, in every activity of life. Donald Trump's TV show, Celebrity Apprentice, highlights the candidate most skilled in outwitting and triumphing over the others by any means; that type of aggressiveness is precisely what God deplores in His believers. We must show our humble nature even in the competitive world of careers. This example is indicative of why mortals will never understand God.
Can any foretell the wonders in store,
Conceived by Him e'en before time's start?
Take the noblest words penned in human lore;
Combine the skills of Milton and Shakespeare;
Write rhyme greater than the world has e'er seen;
As a fleeting day to an endless year,
Man's best songs fall short of divine demesne*!
His ways are unlike those practiced by flesh;
His mind's a mystery to mortal's mind;
For who else discerns the good in distress,
Or His perfect will in disaster find?
Fret not of reasons whatever betide**;
His hidden plan in good or bad reside!
*demesne = where God rules; **betide = happens
The Book of Psalms are ancient lyrics to Jewish hymns, praises to God. This poem tries to describe the great gulf between mortals and holy God. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the immensity of God compared to the infinite smallness of man. Most sins are based on human pride; the sinner refusing to accept that a superior being can know, remember, and ultimately demand him to be accountable.
Even Jesus' apostles were constantly vying among themselves to be awarded the highest place in the Kingdom of God, next to Him, of course. The mother of James and John, sons of Zebedee, catching Jesus away from the others, asked Him if her sons could sit on thrones, one on His right, and one on His left, when He ruled. He tactfully answered her that that reward was not his to give; it belonged to the Father. Of course, Jesus and the Father are one. Later He told the disciples again that whoever is least on earth will be greatest in heaven.
"Then he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all---he is the greatest.'" (Luke 9:48)
Humility is the trait that is the hardest to develop for a human being. It also must be pervasive; that is, in every activity of life. Donald Trump's TV show, Celebrity Apprentice, highlights the candidate most skilled in outwitting and triumphing over the others by any means; that type of aggressiveness is precisely what God deplores in His believers. We must show our humble nature even in the competitive world of careers. This example is indicative of why mortals will never understand God.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Man: Created By God
Had man developed from one single cell,
Guided only by nature, without God,
Conflicted at each step. the weakest fell,
Chance directing what change in the path trod,
God's believers have one question to ask:
"Of all life-forms that survived the process,
Why does man only in supremacy bask?
It is his brain, you say, that gives him success?
Well, then, if you don't mind, answer me this:
Isn't it likely blind chance would have caused
Two or more life-forms with brains to exist,
Rather than one ere the process paused?
The odds of just man with brain are zero
Without God to design the whole tableaux*!
*tableaux = development of man and universe
The Christian army has its problems, one being the 'young earth' fanatics.
They believe fanatically that God created man in a literal 7-day one week period about 6000 years ago, and their public opposition to Darwin's theory of evolution and a 13.7 billion-year creation has brought ridicule upon Christ's believers. It makes the general public look at us with skepticism and prevents many from joining us, thinking we're all nutty. I assure you that is not the case---you don't have to leave your brain outside of the church to be a Christian.
The three most damaging events of this kind are the conviction of Galileo of heresy, forcing him to make a public recant of his insistence that the earth revolved about the sun, not vice versa; the ex-communication of Charles Darwin from the Anglican Church for his theory in The Origin of the Species; and the prosecution of John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, by my namesake, William Jennings Bryan, in 1925, in which he was found guilty and fined $100. The Catholic Church now has pardoned Galileo; the Anglican Church has recently apologized and reinstated Darwin; and Tennessee repealed the anti-evolution statute after Clarence Darrow, defending Stokes 'cut Bryan to ribbons' on the witness stand as an expert witness for the Bible. The Bible Belt 12-man jury was never going to acquit Scopes of the charge. The fine was only a token, the most the judge had the nerve to impose.
Today the young-earth fringe is campaigning in every state to prevent science textbooks from teaching evolution, trying to substitute creation by intelligent design for it. The irony is that the latter belief is fact, and even Albert Einstein concluded that since nothing whatsoever existed before the "Big Bang" occurred, there had to be intelligent design (translation: God) as the source of all matter. I don't believe anyone is going to ridicule Einstein's brain. Christianity and science have no differences; bring your brain to Christ!
Guided only by nature, without God,
Conflicted at each step. the weakest fell,
Chance directing what change in the path trod,
God's believers have one question to ask:
"Of all life-forms that survived the process,
Why does man only in supremacy bask?
It is his brain, you say, that gives him success?
Well, then, if you don't mind, answer me this:
Isn't it likely blind chance would have caused
Two or more life-forms with brains to exist,
Rather than one ere the process paused?
The odds of just man with brain are zero
Without God to design the whole tableaux*!
*tableaux = development of man and universe
The Christian army has its problems, one being the 'young earth' fanatics.
They believe fanatically that God created man in a literal 7-day one week period about 6000 years ago, and their public opposition to Darwin's theory of evolution and a 13.7 billion-year creation has brought ridicule upon Christ's believers. It makes the general public look at us with skepticism and prevents many from joining us, thinking we're all nutty. I assure you that is not the case---you don't have to leave your brain outside of the church to be a Christian.
The three most damaging events of this kind are the conviction of Galileo of heresy, forcing him to make a public recant of his insistence that the earth revolved about the sun, not vice versa; the ex-communication of Charles Darwin from the Anglican Church for his theory in The Origin of the Species; and the prosecution of John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee, by my namesake, William Jennings Bryan, in 1925, in which he was found guilty and fined $100. The Catholic Church now has pardoned Galileo; the Anglican Church has recently apologized and reinstated Darwin; and Tennessee repealed the anti-evolution statute after Clarence Darrow, defending Stokes 'cut Bryan to ribbons' on the witness stand as an expert witness for the Bible. The Bible Belt 12-man jury was never going to acquit Scopes of the charge. The fine was only a token, the most the judge had the nerve to impose.
Today the young-earth fringe is campaigning in every state to prevent science textbooks from teaching evolution, trying to substitute creation by intelligent design for it. The irony is that the latter belief is fact, and even Albert Einstein concluded that since nothing whatsoever existed before the "Big Bang" occurred, there had to be intelligent design (translation: God) as the source of all matter. I don't believe anyone is going to ridicule Einstein's brain. Christianity and science have no differences; bring your brain to Christ!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Comfort For Believers (Psalm 23)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.
He leads me beside still waters; He calms my soul.
He guides me in righteous paths for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for He is with me.
His rod and His staff comfort me.
He prepares a table before me
In the presence of my enemies.
He anoints my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely, goodness and mercy will accompany me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell with Him forever!
Well, this no sonnet, but is a beautiful poem from the Bible; it is the 23rd Psalm, an old hymn written by King David 1000 years before Christ was born. It may seem a little strange to modern day computer buffs, for the believer/author begins as a sheep tended by a wonderful, caring shepherd.
It is a favorite scripture for most Christians, and it depicts clearly the comfort we share as children of God. You may wonder at the latter phrase, 'children of God', because it sounds presumptuous for me to claim to be a member of God's progeny; no, it's not, because through His grace the believer becomes the spritual brother of Jesus Christ and a joint-heir with Him of the eternal Kingdom of God.
"For if you live according to your sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ... The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children [of God], then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:13-14, 16) [brackets added]
Wow! To become a child of God, you must decide to become a Christian. You can; anybody can; it's a matter of the sincerity of your belief in Jesus as the Son of God. God alone can read a person's heart, and on Judgment Day or before, He is going to examine yours, not that He doesn't know it like the 'back of His hand' already. That doesn't matter now; it is the only thing that does matter at the time of your death. Putting this decision off is dangerous; you could die in the next minute, day, or month. Then it will be too late for you to accept this inheritance. It's like you know for certain that if you buy a lottery ticket right now, you will win a huge sum; but you keep putting it off.
Anybody living without God is, well, st... foolish!
He leads me beside still waters; He calms my soul.
He guides me in righteous paths for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for He is with me.
His rod and His staff comfort me.
He prepares a table before me
In the presence of my enemies.
He anoints my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely, goodness and mercy will accompany me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell with Him forever!
Well, this no sonnet, but is a beautiful poem from the Bible; it is the 23rd Psalm, an old hymn written by King David 1000 years before Christ was born. It may seem a little strange to modern day computer buffs, for the believer/author begins as a sheep tended by a wonderful, caring shepherd.
It is a favorite scripture for most Christians, and it depicts clearly the comfort we share as children of God. You may wonder at the latter phrase, 'children of God', because it sounds presumptuous for me to claim to be a member of God's progeny; no, it's not, because through His grace the believer becomes the spritual brother of Jesus Christ and a joint-heir with Him of the eternal Kingdom of God.
"For if you live according to your sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ... The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children [of God], then we are heirs---heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:13-14, 16) [brackets added]
Wow! To become a child of God, you must decide to become a Christian. You can; anybody can; it's a matter of the sincerity of your belief in Jesus as the Son of God. God alone can read a person's heart, and on Judgment Day or before, He is going to examine yours, not that He doesn't know it like the 'back of His hand' already. That doesn't matter now; it is the only thing that does matter at the time of your death. Putting this decision off is dangerous; you could die in the next minute, day, or month. Then it will be too late for you to accept this inheritance. It's like you know for certain that if you buy a lottery ticket right now, you will win a huge sum; but you keep putting it off.
Anybody living without God is, well, st... foolish!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Bogey-Men Of Straw
"Let not all pray out loud; some speak amiss,
Their words suspect; who knows what books he's read,
What false doctrine he's heard, and ask amiss?
Let the stranger only give thanks for bread,
While we chosen, who're given greater weight,
Importune for boons of holier hue!
He's of open mind; can he demonstrate
Belief like us, that all else is untrue?
We must exclude members who run amuck,
That fail on our litmus ears, and God's;
Just one hell-born word from our midst could pluck
A weak mate from the prescribed path he trods!"
"These zealots create bogey-men of straw,
While displaying real sins they never saw!"
Unfortunately, new Christians are quickly and tragically exposed to unnecessary road-blocks in their search for salvation from modern Pharisees, or legalists. Jesus unloaded His heavy artillery on the Pharisees of Israel during His earthly ministry. He called them 'snakes', 'blind guides', and 'whitewashed tombs', and other choice divine epithets, because they were the self-appointed creators and arbitors of the thousands of precise and detailed Oral rules the Jews had to follow. Only, they were blind to the spiritual intent of God in every divine commandment, and their niggardly rules were all based on lockstep materialism. This resulted in a perversion of God's desires for Israel, which is why Jesus had to come to earth in the first place. They rejected Him, did not repent, and He turned to the Gentiles with a new and simple gospel, so that the entire world had a chance for salvation.
The legalists are still with us in every church today. They are like the Pharisees, because they interpret the Bible their way, after which they become sort of doctrinal policemen who zealously inspect each word spoken in church and regard different interpretations as heretical. Even the questions asked by newer members are eyed with suspicion, and any statement that requires an open mind to consider optional conclusions are not welcomed. I can only warn you of them and urge you not to permit them to destroy your new-found joy in Christ. After all, He is the One who counts, not a gray-haired deacon who perhaps is a flawed example to you.
Their words suspect; who knows what books he's read,
What false doctrine he's heard, and ask amiss?
Let the stranger only give thanks for bread,
While we chosen, who're given greater weight,
Importune for boons of holier hue!
He's of open mind; can he demonstrate
Belief like us, that all else is untrue?
We must exclude members who run amuck,
That fail on our litmus ears, and God's;
Just one hell-born word from our midst could pluck
A weak mate from the prescribed path he trods!"
"These zealots create bogey-men of straw,
While displaying real sins they never saw!"
Unfortunately, new Christians are quickly and tragically exposed to unnecessary road-blocks in their search for salvation from modern Pharisees, or legalists. Jesus unloaded His heavy artillery on the Pharisees of Israel during His earthly ministry. He called them 'snakes', 'blind guides', and 'whitewashed tombs', and other choice divine epithets, because they were the self-appointed creators and arbitors of the thousands of precise and detailed Oral rules the Jews had to follow. Only, they were blind to the spiritual intent of God in every divine commandment, and their niggardly rules were all based on lockstep materialism. This resulted in a perversion of God's desires for Israel, which is why Jesus had to come to earth in the first place. They rejected Him, did not repent, and He turned to the Gentiles with a new and simple gospel, so that the entire world had a chance for salvation.
The legalists are still with us in every church today. They are like the Pharisees, because they interpret the Bible their way, after which they become sort of doctrinal policemen who zealously inspect each word spoken in church and regard different interpretations as heretical. Even the questions asked by newer members are eyed with suspicion, and any statement that requires an open mind to consider optional conclusions are not welcomed. I can only warn you of them and urge you not to permit them to destroy your new-found joy in Christ. After all, He is the One who counts, not a gray-haired deacon who perhaps is a flawed example to you.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Hope For Some; None For Others
What sting can the devil's tribe deliver
That can harm those who are Jesus Christ's own?
They fear no arrows from Satan's quiver*;
Like a shield, hope can stop the hardest thrown!
Hope increases strength of the righteous few;
Its power can repel any evil foe;
It is the balm that heals the stricken pew**;
The flag that spurs faithful warriors to go!
Fight always beneath your helmet of hope,
Lest Satan dampen your arduous campaign,
Reduce your resolve to forever cope
And overcome; pray hope always remain!
Because you're saved, hope on you is bestowed;
It helps you travel heaven's narrow road!
*quiver = scabbard for arrows; **pew = Christians
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, you have a hope that non-believers can never have. You have an advantage in your struggle against the evils of this world. I know it is not popular these days to describe one group of people as having a distinct advantage over all other people, but it is a simple fact that life is more hopeful to the child of God than it is to a non-believer. It is a matter of free choice: The non-believer evidently has not yet realized that he is living under a handicap. It is extremely important for each person to come to a realization that he is losing out by failing to investigate the claims of Christ and to decide to follow Him, or the person will be forever lost. I wiil list again what you must do to be saved. It would be wise of you to copy and paste (literally) this list to the refrigerator.
1. No human being or religion can guarantee that a particular individual will be admitted to heaven. Only God can read what is in a person's heart and know his entire life and his true intentions. He will do that on Judgment Day or before.
2. Believe truly that the historical man Jesus was God come to earth to tell us how to live His way and to die for our sins; He was resurrected and is living today; He will return to earth.
3. Admit to yourself and to God in prayer that you have sinned; humbly ask Him to forgive you, and resolve not to sin again (although you and He know you will sin again, do your best not to).
4. Begin to put God, the Bible, the church, and other Christians first in your life. Let nothing overshadow God---not career, family, golf, money, recreation, television, movies, nothing...or come first but Him.
That can harm those who are Jesus Christ's own?
They fear no arrows from Satan's quiver*;
Like a shield, hope can stop the hardest thrown!
Hope increases strength of the righteous few;
Its power can repel any evil foe;
It is the balm that heals the stricken pew**;
The flag that spurs faithful warriors to go!
Fight always beneath your helmet of hope,
Lest Satan dampen your arduous campaign,
Reduce your resolve to forever cope
And overcome; pray hope always remain!
Because you're saved, hope on you is bestowed;
It helps you travel heaven's narrow road!
*quiver = scabbard for arrows; **pew = Christians
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, you have a hope that non-believers can never have. You have an advantage in your struggle against the evils of this world. I know it is not popular these days to describe one group of people as having a distinct advantage over all other people, but it is a simple fact that life is more hopeful to the child of God than it is to a non-believer. It is a matter of free choice: The non-believer evidently has not yet realized that he is living under a handicap. It is extremely important for each person to come to a realization that he is losing out by failing to investigate the claims of Christ and to decide to follow Him, or the person will be forever lost. I wiil list again what you must do to be saved. It would be wise of you to copy and paste (literally) this list to the refrigerator.
1. No human being or religion can guarantee that a particular individual will be admitted to heaven. Only God can read what is in a person's heart and know his entire life and his true intentions. He will do that on Judgment Day or before.
2. Believe truly that the historical man Jesus was God come to earth to tell us how to live His way and to die for our sins; He was resurrected and is living today; He will return to earth.
3. Admit to yourself and to God in prayer that you have sinned; humbly ask Him to forgive you, and resolve not to sin again (although you and He know you will sin again, do your best not to).
4. Begin to put God, the Bible, the church, and other Christians first in your life. Let nothing overshadow God---not career, family, golf, money, recreation, television, movies, nothing...or come first but Him.
Friday, March 13, 2009
When I Hurt Others
I confessed my sins and asked for pardon,
To remove the guilt from my grieving heart;
Not my will but His, like Christ in the Garden,
I asked the Lord to give me a new start.
As the Bible said, His promise was kept,
For sweet peace of forgiveness spread o'er me;
Yet the Spirit's tug inside I still felt,
As if more were needed, to set me free.
I reviewed my list, and thought all were done;
Then I recalled my offended neightbor,
Still unpled; God is not the only one;
All I hurt I should also belabor!
My sins hurt my God, and also others;
I must redress all, God and my brothers!
Regular readers of these poems know they are not of equal import. This one is very important for a Christian. The sins of all men were paid for by Jesus' dying on the cross, and whoever asks forgiveness sincerely will be forgiven. A 'sin', by definition, is an offense to God. Therefore, it is necessary to ask Him for forgiveness of every sin. However, many "sins" are also offenses against others, usually loved ones of the sinner. They, too, need to be apologized to as well. Many Christians make the mistake of asking God's forgiveness only, forgetting the ones who have been emotionally, financially or even physically hurt by the same sin. Other human beings are not "sinned" against, but they certainly are harmed by the actions committed by the wrongdoer; when God forgives the sinner, He does not repair the damage done. The effects of another's sin last forever. Remember Zaccheus, the tax collector at Jericho? When he was forgiven by Jesus, he voluntarily stated he would repay fourfold anyone he had cheated. We are not required to repay fourfold, or any specified reparation, but the law of love requires us to make appropriate amends.
What about the victim of being offended by a sinner in his act of sinning? Well, Jesus told us exactly what we should do if we are "sinned" against in His Sermon on the Mount.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)
This is a very hard thing to do in innumerable cases. Suppose a pervert rapes and kills a child, is caught, found guilty, and sentenced. You are a parent of the child, and you have an opportunity to speak to the killer in the sentencing phase of the trial. You are speaking in public, with reporters writing what you say for publication. You guessed it. God is watching. You are a Christian. What should you say? Is it going to be difficult to show your love for God? This is something for you to think about. Your answer to this question might give you a clue about Judgment Day. Are you going to be among the 'sheep' or the 'goats'?
To remove the guilt from my grieving heart;
Not my will but His, like Christ in the Garden,
I asked the Lord to give me a new start.
As the Bible said, His promise was kept,
For sweet peace of forgiveness spread o'er me;
Yet the Spirit's tug inside I still felt,
As if more were needed, to set me free.
I reviewed my list, and thought all were done;
Then I recalled my offended neightbor,
Still unpled; God is not the only one;
All I hurt I should also belabor!
My sins hurt my God, and also others;
I must redress all, God and my brothers!
Regular readers of these poems know they are not of equal import. This one is very important for a Christian. The sins of all men were paid for by Jesus' dying on the cross, and whoever asks forgiveness sincerely will be forgiven. A 'sin', by definition, is an offense to God. Therefore, it is necessary to ask Him for forgiveness of every sin. However, many "sins" are also offenses against others, usually loved ones of the sinner. They, too, need to be apologized to as well. Many Christians make the mistake of asking God's forgiveness only, forgetting the ones who have been emotionally, financially or even physically hurt by the same sin. Other human beings are not "sinned" against, but they certainly are harmed by the actions committed by the wrongdoer; when God forgives the sinner, He does not repair the damage done. The effects of another's sin last forever. Remember Zaccheus, the tax collector at Jericho? When he was forgiven by Jesus, he voluntarily stated he would repay fourfold anyone he had cheated. We are not required to repay fourfold, or any specified reparation, but the law of love requires us to make appropriate amends.
What about the victim of being offended by a sinner in his act of sinning? Well, Jesus told us exactly what we should do if we are "sinned" against in His Sermon on the Mount.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)
This is a very hard thing to do in innumerable cases. Suppose a pervert rapes and kills a child, is caught, found guilty, and sentenced. You are a parent of the child, and you have an opportunity to speak to the killer in the sentencing phase of the trial. You are speaking in public, with reporters writing what you say for publication. You guessed it. God is watching. You are a Christian. What should you say? Is it going to be difficult to show your love for God? This is something for you to think about. Your answer to this question might give you a clue about Judgment Day. Are you going to be among the 'sheep' or the 'goats'?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
One Grain Of Sand
"What is my cross? How best take it up?
I'm no prophet*, nor Polyhymnic** rage.
I cannot build, nor could I fill the cup;
Nor, by preaching, decorate any stage!"
"Look not just among flagons*** of the great,
For your special role on the pilgrim's road;
For each Paul, fifty thousand mute ones wait;
Nor seek a David's skill again bestowed!
Look at your fellow seekers about;
None has great talent, or a noble skill!
The soil in muddy waters is seined out,
When flowing o'er sand in every rill****!
Be content if you're one more grain of sand,
That removes chaff and helps the righteous stand!"
*prophet = preacher; **Polyhymnic = hymn singer; ***flagons = cups;
****rill = stream
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)
Jesus used the expression 'Follow me" in calling his disciples, and they dropped what they were doing immediately and followed Him. That is what He is asking you and I to do, 'Take up your cross and follow me'. He wants us to undertake the same persecution heaped on Him, which is our 'cross', and to put Him before everything else in our lives---career, family, friends, and way of life. We may not have to give them up, but we must be willing to.
It is not 'a piece of cake'.
Some us are drawn to Him, but we try to identify an important role for us to play. We imagine ourselves to be a worldwide preacher, singer, or to be another Pope---anything that brings recognition. This poem denounces that by reminding us how important a grain of sand is in cleaning and puritying the running water of a stream. We should be content to be an anonymous grain of sand among millions who purify sinners of their impurities. After all, Jesus also said, "He who is least upon earth will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven".
I'm no prophet*, nor Polyhymnic** rage.
I cannot build, nor could I fill the cup;
Nor, by preaching, decorate any stage!"
"Look not just among flagons*** of the great,
For your special role on the pilgrim's road;
For each Paul, fifty thousand mute ones wait;
Nor seek a David's skill again bestowed!
Look at your fellow seekers about;
None has great talent, or a noble skill!
The soil in muddy waters is seined out,
When flowing o'er sand in every rill****!
Be content if you're one more grain of sand,
That removes chaff and helps the righteous stand!"
*prophet = preacher; **Polyhymnic = hymn singer; ***flagons = cups;
****rill = stream
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)
Jesus used the expression 'Follow me" in calling his disciples, and they dropped what they were doing immediately and followed Him. That is what He is asking you and I to do, 'Take up your cross and follow me'. He wants us to undertake the same persecution heaped on Him, which is our 'cross', and to put Him before everything else in our lives---career, family, friends, and way of life. We may not have to give them up, but we must be willing to.
It is not 'a piece of cake'.
Some us are drawn to Him, but we try to identify an important role for us to play. We imagine ourselves to be a worldwide preacher, singer, or to be another Pope---anything that brings recognition. This poem denounces that by reminding us how important a grain of sand is in cleaning and puritying the running water of a stream. We should be content to be an anonymous grain of sand among millions who purify sinners of their impurities. After all, Jesus also said, "He who is least upon earth will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven".
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Witnesses
The silent angels watched in bleak dismay,
As the doctor deftly pulled out its head
With forceps, uncaring for scars today;
None would e'er see the remains of the dead.
He split the skull, smirked at the nurse, so fast,
For at least twelve more await the scalpel;
The broken body in toxic trash cast,
And he paused to eat the breakfast apple
His loving wife had so thoughtfully sent.
The angels left, cradling the little soul,
Aghast at what the child had underwent;
Puzzled that God did swift judgment withhold!
Others the empty places soon did fill,
Curious at creatures who'd a baby kill.
One of the major reasons abortionists give to justify legalized abortion is that, they claim, while illegal, 10,000 babies a day were killed in back alleys with the use of coat hangers. It is a ridiculous claim, for the simple reason that the count is unverifiable. The U.S. Center For Disease Control keeps a more accurate count of legal abortions, and there are 4,000 a day, or 1.3 million a year in the United States. The reasons given by mothers-to-be for having the babies aborted are as follows by percentages: Feels unready for the responsibility, 25%; Can't afford to raise a baby, 23%; Doesn't want another baby, 19%; Single mother, 8%; Feels too immature, 7%; Interferes with career, 4%.
These are worries that parents have always felt upon learning of a new pregnancy, yet most parents feel that a new baby is a blessing, a gift from God, and they welcome its birth with loving hearts. The 1 in 5 above that doesn't want another baby should at least have learned to calculate the days in the menstrual cycle and refuse to engage in intercourse during the 12-hour period a month that they are fertile. Skipping sex once a month is far better than murdering your child. The 23% who can't afford a baby should do the same; just have safe sex. Besides, no family ever feels that it is able to afford a new child. Thank God for North Dakota---they only have abortions one day a week, and no N.D. doctor will perform one; he has to be flown in.
As the doctor deftly pulled out its head
With forceps, uncaring for scars today;
None would e'er see the remains of the dead.
He split the skull, smirked at the nurse, so fast,
For at least twelve more await the scalpel;
The broken body in toxic trash cast,
And he paused to eat the breakfast apple
His loving wife had so thoughtfully sent.
The angels left, cradling the little soul,
Aghast at what the child had underwent;
Puzzled that God did swift judgment withhold!
Others the empty places soon did fill,
Curious at creatures who'd a baby kill.
One of the major reasons abortionists give to justify legalized abortion is that, they claim, while illegal, 10,000 babies a day were killed in back alleys with the use of coat hangers. It is a ridiculous claim, for the simple reason that the count is unverifiable. The U.S. Center For Disease Control keeps a more accurate count of legal abortions, and there are 4,000 a day, or 1.3 million a year in the United States. The reasons given by mothers-to-be for having the babies aborted are as follows by percentages: Feels unready for the responsibility, 25%; Can't afford to raise a baby, 23%; Doesn't want another baby, 19%; Single mother, 8%; Feels too immature, 7%; Interferes with career, 4%.
These are worries that parents have always felt upon learning of a new pregnancy, yet most parents feel that a new baby is a blessing, a gift from God, and they welcome its birth with loving hearts. The 1 in 5 above that doesn't want another baby should at least have learned to calculate the days in the menstrual cycle and refuse to engage in intercourse during the 12-hour period a month that they are fertile. Skipping sex once a month is far better than murdering your child. The 23% who can't afford a baby should do the same; just have safe sex. Besides, no family ever feels that it is able to afford a new child. Thank God for North Dakota---they only have abortions one day a week, and no N.D. doctor will perform one; he has to be flown in.
How Sweet To Die
Hail, death! Dread foe of men, and king of fright!
Come whimpering to my loving embrace!
Your bony touch is no sting, but delight;
Your evil beckon's my welcome to grace!
Look not askance, that your presence I sing;
You're nothing to me but heaven's gatekeep!
Life's just prelude between me and my King;
With your appearance, I'll eternity reap!
I chose Jesus my Lord long years ago,
And lived each day as if it were the last!
The sight of you brings me joy, not woe;
Now I go where all my treasure I cast!
How sweet to live, when death is without sting!
How sweet to die, and straightway see my King!
It is hard for me to understand why everyone is not a Christian. Why? Jesus has been resurrected from death and every Christian will be as well! It is free to become Christian, but not so easy. You have heard that all you have to do is believe that Jesus, the Jew that lived 2000 years ago, was the Son of God, that He died and lived again. If you just give mental assent to the preceding statement, it won't be enough belief to make you a Christian. You must realize that you have committed sin and repent, which means to be sorry for them. Then you must pray and ask God to forgive your past sins. When you've done this, you must change your lifestyle to one taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
Summing up, you must believe, repent, pray for forgiveness, and change the way you live. The ultimate and only Judge of salvation is King Jesus who can see what you are inside your heart; if you do your best to follow the steps listed above, the Bible says you will be saved. It is not easy, and few find the way, but it is free for the asking. Why should everyone believe in Jesus? Because you can live this life with no fear of death being the end of life. Eternal life can be yours.
"Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Come whimpering to my loving embrace!
Your bony touch is no sting, but delight;
Your evil beckon's my welcome to grace!
Look not askance, that your presence I sing;
You're nothing to me but heaven's gatekeep!
Life's just prelude between me and my King;
With your appearance, I'll eternity reap!
I chose Jesus my Lord long years ago,
And lived each day as if it were the last!
The sight of you brings me joy, not woe;
Now I go where all my treasure I cast!
How sweet to live, when death is without sting!
How sweet to die, and straightway see my King!
It is hard for me to understand why everyone is not a Christian. Why? Jesus has been resurrected from death and every Christian will be as well! It is free to become Christian, but not so easy. You have heard that all you have to do is believe that Jesus, the Jew that lived 2000 years ago, was the Son of God, that He died and lived again. If you just give mental assent to the preceding statement, it won't be enough belief to make you a Christian. You must realize that you have committed sin and repent, which means to be sorry for them. Then you must pray and ask God to forgive your past sins. When you've done this, you must change your lifestyle to one taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
Summing up, you must believe, repent, pray for forgiveness, and change the way you live. The ultimate and only Judge of salvation is King Jesus who can see what you are inside your heart; if you do your best to follow the steps listed above, the Bible says you will be saved. It is not easy, and few find the way, but it is free for the asking. Why should everyone believe in Jesus? Because you can live this life with no fear of death being the end of life. Eternal life can be yours.
"Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Monday, March 9, 2009
It's A Droopy Young Flag
America! Once the land of the free!
Not now! Unfree for poor in-the-womb babes!
Since nineteen hundred and seventy-three
Her former glory in villainy fades!
Our judges chose to make murder lawful,
Giving mothers-to-be the stolen right
To slay their unborns, and, what's more awful,
Providing the means to pay for the blight!
How can any sing, "She's a grand old flag",
Or, "When Johnny comes marching home again"?
If Johnny aborted makes spirits drag,
And our drooping flag we can't long sustain?
"Our country, right or wrong!" once we could shout,
Ere fifty million babes were blotted out!
America's flag is a bloodstained young flag, and it may not have many years left to wave in infamy. We were the land of the free, but our Supreme Court have denied our youngest and most helpless the chance to choose between continued life or sudden death, giving the right to the mothers. Abortion mills are eager to yank them from their wombs, crush the skulls, and toss their poor lifeless, violated bodies into toxic trash bins. For money. Do the doctors, nurses, owners, and workers who do this have a conscience at all?
How long will it be until our elected and appointed leaders decide that the elderly are too expensive to keep alive and give families the right to decide to end their lives? Already Oregon and Washington allow assisted suicide for those who would rather die dignified death. How many will we inject and kill who may have recovered and live longer lives? Pope Benedict informed Nancy Pelosi, the House Majority Leader, third in line for the Presidency, and a Catholic, that 'it is a mortal sin for a Catholic to vote for a pro-abortion candidate, and it is the duty of every Catholic to protect human life from conception until natural death. Will she listen to her spiritual leader, who has the power to excommunicate her from her faith?
A majority of Americans disapprove abortion, 63% in the last poll. How can a minority of our citizens apply such a terrible act and not be stopped by the majority?
"The second angel sounded his trumpet and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8-9)
God is angry at America. He will pour out His anger during the tribulation prophesied in the Bible. Some believe a huge asteroid or comet will crash into the northeast Pacific ocean, with horrible consequencies. Its impact and accompanying side effects will destroy 80% of the North America continent. Who can say we don't deserved it?
Not now! Unfree for poor in-the-womb babes!
Since nineteen hundred and seventy-three
Her former glory in villainy fades!
Our judges chose to make murder lawful,
Giving mothers-to-be the stolen right
To slay their unborns, and, what's more awful,
Providing the means to pay for the blight!
How can any sing, "She's a grand old flag",
Or, "When Johnny comes marching home again"?
If Johnny aborted makes spirits drag,
And our drooping flag we can't long sustain?
"Our country, right or wrong!" once we could shout,
Ere fifty million babes were blotted out!
America's flag is a bloodstained young flag, and it may not have many years left to wave in infamy. We were the land of the free, but our Supreme Court have denied our youngest and most helpless the chance to choose between continued life or sudden death, giving the right to the mothers. Abortion mills are eager to yank them from their wombs, crush the skulls, and toss their poor lifeless, violated bodies into toxic trash bins. For money. Do the doctors, nurses, owners, and workers who do this have a conscience at all?
How long will it be until our elected and appointed leaders decide that the elderly are too expensive to keep alive and give families the right to decide to end their lives? Already Oregon and Washington allow assisted suicide for those who would rather die dignified death. How many will we inject and kill who may have recovered and live longer lives? Pope Benedict informed Nancy Pelosi, the House Majority Leader, third in line for the Presidency, and a Catholic, that 'it is a mortal sin for a Catholic to vote for a pro-abortion candidate, and it is the duty of every Catholic to protect human life from conception until natural death. Will she listen to her spiritual leader, who has the power to excommunicate her from her faith?
A majority of Americans disapprove abortion, 63% in the last poll. How can a minority of our citizens apply such a terrible act and not be stopped by the majority?
"The second angel sounded his trumpet and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8-9)
God is angry at America. He will pour out His anger during the tribulation prophesied in the Bible. Some believe a huge asteroid or comet will crash into the northeast Pacific ocean, with horrible consequencies. Its impact and accompanying side effects will destroy 80% of the North America continent. Who can say we don't deserved it?
Sunday, March 8, 2009
No Grace For Satan
I was asked. "What must I do to be saved?"
And it thrilled my heart; here was my first soul!
I struggled to speak. then became dismayed;
Not a word came; I was mute as a mole!
"The last preacher said I must be baptized;
Here's a cup of water; sprinkle on me!"
With mounting concern, I soon realized,
This fish is going back into the sea;
So I sprinkled him in the Father's name,
Thinking this will do unti we immerse.
By now the seeker was sorry he came;
"Compared to most folk, I'm not any worse."
"Satan! Quit your foolish dreaming!' said the imp;
"Grace won't work for you! Don't be such a wimp!"
This is the kind of stunt Satan is quite likely to pull---in the form of a lost man to approach a new preacher fresh from seminary and pass himself off as any seeker of salvation might, hoping to sneak back into heaven and be redeemed. But it won't work. He and the other fallen angels are lost forever; they have no chance of redemption. The grace of God is only for humans. The Holy Spirit recognized Satan immediately and befuddled the young preacher enough that the devil gave it up before the young man committed the error of accepting God's antagonist into the Kingdom of God.
John Milton's poem Paradise Lost depicts Satan picking himself up after his boot from heaven and giving his great monologue; he began in low spirits and felt sorry for himself, but, realizing that a defeatist attitude would only aid God, he pumped himself up and declared eternal his effort to unseat his Creator, vowing to carry the struggle to the ramparts of heaven itself. The great poet was able to make the fiend appear almost heroic to his readers, but we know what Satan's end will be from the Bible---he will be cast into the Lake of Fire in hell for eternity at the end of time. Until then, he is allowed to steal men's souls to accompany him to the Lake of Fire, and he is very successful in doing so.
It hardly seems fair to the human side of our nature that we are given multiple chances to accept Jesus Christ and be saved, while the fallen angels were not given a second chance. God says in Isaiah 55 His thoughts are not our thoughts; they are as high above ours as the heavens above the earth. He is the fairest of judges; Satan's crimes are so heinous that he doesn't deserve a second chance. Besides, God needs an almost-equal antagonist in the world to give each man the supremest of tests: Will he choose God for his champion, or His opposite number, Satan? If the evil one were not as vile as he really is, it would not be a sufficient test for men to decide.
And it thrilled my heart; here was my first soul!
I struggled to speak. then became dismayed;
Not a word came; I was mute as a mole!
"The last preacher said I must be baptized;
Here's a cup of water; sprinkle on me!"
With mounting concern, I soon realized,
This fish is going back into the sea;
So I sprinkled him in the Father's name,
Thinking this will do unti we immerse.
By now the seeker was sorry he came;
"Compared to most folk, I'm not any worse."
"Satan! Quit your foolish dreaming!' said the imp;
"Grace won't work for you! Don't be such a wimp!"
This is the kind of stunt Satan is quite likely to pull---in the form of a lost man to approach a new preacher fresh from seminary and pass himself off as any seeker of salvation might, hoping to sneak back into heaven and be redeemed. But it won't work. He and the other fallen angels are lost forever; they have no chance of redemption. The grace of God is only for humans. The Holy Spirit recognized Satan immediately and befuddled the young preacher enough that the devil gave it up before the young man committed the error of accepting God's antagonist into the Kingdom of God.
John Milton's poem Paradise Lost depicts Satan picking himself up after his boot from heaven and giving his great monologue; he began in low spirits and felt sorry for himself, but, realizing that a defeatist attitude would only aid God, he pumped himself up and declared eternal his effort to unseat his Creator, vowing to carry the struggle to the ramparts of heaven itself. The great poet was able to make the fiend appear almost heroic to his readers, but we know what Satan's end will be from the Bible---he will be cast into the Lake of Fire in hell for eternity at the end of time. Until then, he is allowed to steal men's souls to accompany him to the Lake of Fire, and he is very successful in doing so.
It hardly seems fair to the human side of our nature that we are given multiple chances to accept Jesus Christ and be saved, while the fallen angels were not given a second chance. God says in Isaiah 55 His thoughts are not our thoughts; they are as high above ours as the heavens above the earth. He is the fairest of judges; Satan's crimes are so heinous that he doesn't deserve a second chance. Besides, God needs an almost-equal antagonist in the world to give each man the supremest of tests: Will he choose God for his champion, or His opposite number, Satan? If the evil one were not as vile as he really is, it would not be a sufficient test for men to decide.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
God's Hammer
God's hammer of judgment would quickly fall
Upon our nation, if Israel were dropped!
Why does the great I Am hold back at all?
Four thousand unborns' heads a day are chopped,
Behind closed curtains at abortion mills
In the country, most at public expense;
Now, Obama's paying for foreign kills!
Your guilt and mine is becoming so immense,
Surely the Lord must soon apologize
To Canaan and Sodom for judgments made;
Of we three, for evil, we'd take the prize,
Even if Gomorrah joined the parade!
Cut Israel loose, and abortion must go,
Or the hammer strikes a most righteous blow!
In Genesis 12:3, God promises Abram that the nation he fathered (Israel) would have divine protection; whoever blessed her, He would bless; whoever harmed her, He would harm. Since 1948, when Israel became a nation for the second time, the United States has been her protector and friend, and because of that, God has withheld His judgment on us for killing babies by legal abortion. At least, that's the only reason I know of that would prevent God from sparing this nation from the destruction He dealt to Sodom, Gomorrah, and Canaan. Woe be to us if we drop our friendship and protection from Israel! As I write this, Secretary of State Hilary, acting on Obama's orders, has just warned Israel to quit establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to give concessions to the Palestinians. It seems that our new President is going to pressure Israel into making a peace that will leave them at a military disadvantage and possible extinction as a nation.
Since Obama, on his first day in office, issued an executive order to permit U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for abortions in foreign countries, it's obvious that our governmental leaders are determined to keep and expand legal abortion. The ice under our skates is getting thinner, while our weight of guilt against God's law is getting heavier.
We are breaking the Ten Commandments with every baby killed. Fifty million legal abortions have been committed in America since 1973, when the Supreme Court contrived to rule in a lawsuit that it was legal. Each state is free to make its own decision, and so far all 50 have permitted it. But give 3 cheers for North Dakota! No N.D. doctor will perform an abortion; the one mill that is left in the state is open only 1 day a week, and the surgeon is brought in from another state. The legislature in N.D. is very close to making it illegal.
God hates the sin of baby-killing so much that He told Moses and the Israelites to kill all the inhabitants of Canaan, so that their idol-worship would not rub off on them. Their worship involved the killing of babies by putting them in the fiery arms of Molech, their iron monster of a god. God told them if they did that, He would vomit them out of the land like He did the Caananites (Leviticus 18:28). Well, you guessed it! They did, and He did, which is why they were scattered over the world in the first place.
Upon our nation, if Israel were dropped!
Why does the great I Am hold back at all?
Four thousand unborns' heads a day are chopped,
Behind closed curtains at abortion mills
In the country, most at public expense;
Now, Obama's paying for foreign kills!
Your guilt and mine is becoming so immense,
Surely the Lord must soon apologize
To Canaan and Sodom for judgments made;
Of we three, for evil, we'd take the prize,
Even if Gomorrah joined the parade!
Cut Israel loose, and abortion must go,
Or the hammer strikes a most righteous blow!
In Genesis 12:3, God promises Abram that the nation he fathered (Israel) would have divine protection; whoever blessed her, He would bless; whoever harmed her, He would harm. Since 1948, when Israel became a nation for the second time, the United States has been her protector and friend, and because of that, God has withheld His judgment on us for killing babies by legal abortion. At least, that's the only reason I know of that would prevent God from sparing this nation from the destruction He dealt to Sodom, Gomorrah, and Canaan. Woe be to us if we drop our friendship and protection from Israel! As I write this, Secretary of State Hilary, acting on Obama's orders, has just warned Israel to quit establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to give concessions to the Palestinians. It seems that our new President is going to pressure Israel into making a peace that will leave them at a military disadvantage and possible extinction as a nation.
Since Obama, on his first day in office, issued an executive order to permit U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for abortions in foreign countries, it's obvious that our governmental leaders are determined to keep and expand legal abortion. The ice under our skates is getting thinner, while our weight of guilt against God's law is getting heavier.
We are breaking the Ten Commandments with every baby killed. Fifty million legal abortions have been committed in America since 1973, when the Supreme Court contrived to rule in a lawsuit that it was legal. Each state is free to make its own decision, and so far all 50 have permitted it. But give 3 cheers for North Dakota! No N.D. doctor will perform an abortion; the one mill that is left in the state is open only 1 day a week, and the surgeon is brought in from another state. The legislature in N.D. is very close to making it illegal.
God hates the sin of baby-killing so much that He told Moses and the Israelites to kill all the inhabitants of Canaan, so that their idol-worship would not rub off on them. Their worship involved the killing of babies by putting them in the fiery arms of Molech, their iron monster of a god. God told them if they did that, He would vomit them out of the land like He did the Caananites (Leviticus 18:28). Well, you guessed it! They did, and He did, which is why they were scattered over the world in the first place.
Friday, March 6, 2009
More Ready To Leave
Fear not the figure shimmering in white,
Seen by those who return from death's first throe;
It is God's angel, sent to hold you tight
On the flight to heaven, where saved ones go!
Why dread the dawning of your life's last day?
It brings the reward you have so long sought!
God has gone ahead, to prepare the way,
And awaits the one which His blood has bought.
Not so with those born only of water;
To whom truth was proclaimed, but did not see;
To whom death means just a final slaughter;
The end of hope; the start of nullity!
Let life offer whatever pull it may;
Be even more ready to leave than stay!
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
To Paul, all living was only the opportunity to serve Christ for better or worse, but his longed-for life after death was infinitely better. So should it be with us who love and follow Jesus; looking forward to death and its happy afterlife is our goal; living in this world should merely be for serving Him.
Many people have had near-death experiences that are very similar, and, after being brought back, have told what happened. It goes like this: The dying one is in a hospital bed, surrounded by family and doctors, when he feels himself leaving his body, rising above the bed, and looking down on the scene. He hears what is being said. Suddenly a brilliant light shines down a long tunnel, at the end of which is a figure dressed in white. He feels himself being drawn down the tunnel to the figure; his hospital room recedes. Just before he reaches the white "angel", he is drawn back into the room; he doesn't want to go back, but invariably returns to his body. He awakens and finds that he is not dead after all.
I believe that is what really happens when a Christian dies. The Bible tells us that 'to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord'. I believe the figure in white is Jesus come to snuggle His follower on the trip to heaven.
Seen by those who return from death's first throe;
It is God's angel, sent to hold you tight
On the flight to heaven, where saved ones go!
Why dread the dawning of your life's last day?
It brings the reward you have so long sought!
God has gone ahead, to prepare the way,
And awaits the one which His blood has bought.
Not so with those born only of water;
To whom truth was proclaimed, but did not see;
To whom death means just a final slaughter;
The end of hope; the start of nullity!
Let life offer whatever pull it may;
Be even more ready to leave than stay!
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
To Paul, all living was only the opportunity to serve Christ for better or worse, but his longed-for life after death was infinitely better. So should it be with us who love and follow Jesus; looking forward to death and its happy afterlife is our goal; living in this world should merely be for serving Him.
Many people have had near-death experiences that are very similar, and, after being brought back, have told what happened. It goes like this: The dying one is in a hospital bed, surrounded by family and doctors, when he feels himself leaving his body, rising above the bed, and looking down on the scene. He hears what is being said. Suddenly a brilliant light shines down a long tunnel, at the end of which is a figure dressed in white. He feels himself being drawn down the tunnel to the figure; his hospital room recedes. Just before he reaches the white "angel", he is drawn back into the room; he doesn't want to go back, but invariably returns to his body. He awakens and finds that he is not dead after all.
I believe that is what really happens when a Christian dies. The Bible tells us that 'to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord'. I believe the figure in white is Jesus come to snuggle His follower on the trip to heaven.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
This World's Not Your Home
All earth loves the birth of the Jesus child,
For its feel-goodness, and its commerce boon;
And Easter, for sales of candy eggs piled,
Bunny-baskets, cash registers' tune!
But let some Christian, for love to the world,
Plead that the Babe calls them to righteousness;
Proclaim He arose, live; that death's unfurled;
He offers grace, to free them from distress;
Then the hailstorm of hatred comes unleashed;
Hell's hidden plot unveiled, which seemed benign---
'Use Christ for profit, but no gospel preached;
Gain from Him's all right, with no truth divine!'
O saved! From this world keep yourselves apart!
It is not your home, nor should own your heart!
"You adulterous* people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4) *['adulterous means 'if a person loves the world more than he loves God, he is unfaithful in a like sense as if a spouse has an affair with another.']
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world...comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:15-16)
Of course, God made the world, man, and nature. The scripture is not saying 'do not love nature'; it is speaking of the society that men have created among themselves. Any manmade philosophy, institution, or activity is likely to be a disguised trap of Satan designed to attract people; if any social activity becomes an obsession greater than a person's wholehearted love for God and His concerns, it becomes an idol. There is nothing God hates more than idol-worship. The first and greatest Commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, body, soul, and being. Anything that encroaches on that is sin.
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God." (1 Corinthians 3:19)
Christianity is facing a huge dilemma today. Remember Star Trek? People have changed. The way churches present gospel today is 500 years old. It must change its ways of presentation, or risk losing everybody's attention. It has already begun. However, the Bible is 2000 years old; it is clearly dualistic and zealously immutable in its truths. I don't know what changes may have to be made in our witness for Jesus. As for now, I accept the Bible as it is. The "Jaws" that are dominating people's ways of thinking is called postmodernism. You're probably a postmodernist being whether you know it or not. More on this later.
For its feel-goodness, and its commerce boon;
And Easter, for sales of candy eggs piled,
Bunny-baskets, cash registers' tune!
But let some Christian, for love to the world,
Plead that the Babe calls them to righteousness;
Proclaim He arose, live; that death's unfurled;
He offers grace, to free them from distress;
Then the hailstorm of hatred comes unleashed;
Hell's hidden plot unveiled, which seemed benign---
'Use Christ for profit, but no gospel preached;
Gain from Him's all right, with no truth divine!'
O saved! From this world keep yourselves apart!
It is not your home, nor should own your heart!
"You adulterous* people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4) *['adulterous means 'if a person loves the world more than he loves God, he is unfaithful in a like sense as if a spouse has an affair with another.']
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world...comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:15-16)
Of course, God made the world, man, and nature. The scripture is not saying 'do not love nature'; it is speaking of the society that men have created among themselves. Any manmade philosophy, institution, or activity is likely to be a disguised trap of Satan designed to attract people; if any social activity becomes an obsession greater than a person's wholehearted love for God and His concerns, it becomes an idol. There is nothing God hates more than idol-worship. The first and greatest Commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, body, soul, and being. Anything that encroaches on that is sin.
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God." (1 Corinthians 3:19)
Christianity is facing a huge dilemma today. Remember Star Trek? People have changed. The way churches present gospel today is 500 years old. It must change its ways of presentation, or risk losing everybody's attention. It has already begun. However, the Bible is 2000 years old; it is clearly dualistic and zealously immutable in its truths. I don't know what changes may have to be made in our witness for Jesus. As for now, I accept the Bible as it is. The "Jaws" that are dominating people's ways of thinking is called postmodernism. You're probably a postmodernist being whether you know it or not. More on this later.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mary Is Not Divine
She's a special mother, no doubt of that;
Why not? For a maiden like no other?
In her untouched womb, the Spirit begat*
God's only Son; she was Jesus' mother!
But not divine; her place in history
No higher than flesh! She would be the first
To decline any holy ancestry;
In modest demur**, underclaim such worth.
With her role in heaven, she is content,
As a human soul in that happy clime!
Prayers mis-addressed to her're mis-sent;
The one Mediator is Christ divine!
Honor Mary as we should any saint;
Though steadfast, she was not without taint!
*begat = impregnated; **demur = refuse
"'You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus'" (Luke 1:31)
"'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you...'" (Luke 1:34-35)
"'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered." (Luke 1:38)
Our Catholic friends believe that God designated the Pope to continue Jesus' work on earth and was given divine authority to add truths to scripture. They have taken it upon themselves to declare Mary to be "immaculate" (that is, being born without Adam's original sin; being virgin all her life; sinless; did not die, but was "assumed" bodily into heaven before death; and being given a crown with 12 stars and the title "Queen of Heaven"; she has a throne). According to them, she is the "Mediatrix" between living Christians and Jesus Christ, who can deny her nothing; accordingly they encourage believers to pray to her; in turn, she presents their behests to Christ, which gives them with His approval to the Father. None of this is found in the Bible, and it is not true.
However, this fiction is accepted, evidently, by all Catholics and has grown into proportions so large that it's difficult to distinguish who is greater, Jesus Christ the King of the Universe or His mother. Who do they worship more, Christ or "Our Lady"? It's hard to tell.
Why not? For a maiden like no other?
In her untouched womb, the Spirit begat*
God's only Son; she was Jesus' mother!
But not divine; her place in history
No higher than flesh! She would be the first
To decline any holy ancestry;
In modest demur**, underclaim such worth.
With her role in heaven, she is content,
As a human soul in that happy clime!
Prayers mis-addressed to her're mis-sent;
The one Mediator is Christ divine!
Honor Mary as we should any saint;
Though steadfast, she was not without taint!
*begat = impregnated; **demur = refuse
"'You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus'" (Luke 1:31)
"'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you...'" (Luke 1:34-35)
"'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered." (Luke 1:38)
Our Catholic friends believe that God designated the Pope to continue Jesus' work on earth and was given divine authority to add truths to scripture. They have taken it upon themselves to declare Mary to be "immaculate" (that is, being born without Adam's original sin; being virgin all her life; sinless; did not die, but was "assumed" bodily into heaven before death; and being given a crown with 12 stars and the title "Queen of Heaven"; she has a throne). According to them, she is the "Mediatrix" between living Christians and Jesus Christ, who can deny her nothing; accordingly they encourage believers to pray to her; in turn, she presents their behests to Christ, which gives them with His approval to the Father. None of this is found in the Bible, and it is not true.
However, this fiction is accepted, evidently, by all Catholics and has grown into proportions so large that it's difficult to distinguish who is greater, Jesus Christ the King of the Universe or His mother. Who do they worship more, Christ or "Our Lady"? It's hard to tell.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hope's Beacon Will Pierce
Could Christ provoke us go the second mile,
If we had no hope to allay our cares?
He knows the straits that do the course defile;
That wily Satan each soul re-ensnares!
Who of us can fend alone in the storm,
Maintaining flickering faith through the strife;
Seeing no rewards, though he long conform,
And others preaching blackness after life?
Him with hope is who, that wondrous of gifts;
It is the lighthouse that guides through the night;
The ring-buoy which to safety uplifts;
The magnet that draws His child to do right!
When my ship founders*, and waters o'ertake,
Hope's beacon will pierce, all my fears to slake!
*founders = sinks
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after I awake, though this body has been destroyed, then in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes---I, and not another." (Job 19:25-27)
After having lost his wealth, family, body covered with boils, sitting in the garbage dump, with his faith in God holding firm, Job could still recite his hope in resurrection; Satan could not make him curse God. That is the wonderful thing about being a Christian: We live with hope, not as people do who are not believers---the hope of living again with a new and undying, unaging body! If you have that, there is nothing in this life to fear.
The Bible says everyone will be resurrected, unbelievers as well as believers. The difference is, if you do not have the love of Jesus Christ in you, you will live forever in an awful place of fire; with the love of Jesus, you will live with God in a paradise, with no sorrow or unhappiness, no illness, no distress or disappointment. (See Matthew 25, the Parable of Sheep and Goats.) If you continue to believe there is nothing but unknowing blackness after you die, you are so wrong, I'm sorry to say. You will live forever, in the midst of suffering and deprivation.
When you are invited in this life to live in the love of Jesus, we who invite and plead with you are expressing our love for you, for we are anxious to persuade you to turn to the love of Jesus before it is too late. I want you to escape the eternity of suffering and to be with me in the eternity of happiness. This present life is but a heartbeat long compared to the length of a future life. Don't throw away your chance for that good life for this brief freedom on earth. All this life is, is a short time of testing---don't fail the test!
If we had no hope to allay our cares?
He knows the straits that do the course defile;
That wily Satan each soul re-ensnares!
Who of us can fend alone in the storm,
Maintaining flickering faith through the strife;
Seeing no rewards, though he long conform,
And others preaching blackness after life?
Him with hope is who, that wondrous of gifts;
It is the lighthouse that guides through the night;
The ring-buoy which to safety uplifts;
The magnet that draws His child to do right!
When my ship founders*, and waters o'ertake,
Hope's beacon will pierce, all my fears to slake!
*founders = sinks
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after I awake, though this body has been destroyed, then in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes---I, and not another." (Job 19:25-27)
After having lost his wealth, family, body covered with boils, sitting in the garbage dump, with his faith in God holding firm, Job could still recite his hope in resurrection; Satan could not make him curse God. That is the wonderful thing about being a Christian: We live with hope, not as people do who are not believers---the hope of living again with a new and undying, unaging body! If you have that, there is nothing in this life to fear.
The Bible says everyone will be resurrected, unbelievers as well as believers. The difference is, if you do not have the love of Jesus Christ in you, you will live forever in an awful place of fire; with the love of Jesus, you will live with God in a paradise, with no sorrow or unhappiness, no illness, no distress or disappointment. (See Matthew 25, the Parable of Sheep and Goats.) If you continue to believe there is nothing but unknowing blackness after you die, you are so wrong, I'm sorry to say. You will live forever, in the midst of suffering and deprivation.
When you are invited in this life to live in the love of Jesus, we who invite and plead with you are expressing our love for you, for we are anxious to persuade you to turn to the love of Jesus before it is too late. I want you to escape the eternity of suffering and to be with me in the eternity of happiness. This present life is but a heartbeat long compared to the length of a future life. Don't throw away your chance for that good life for this brief freedom on earth. All this life is, is a short time of testing---don't fail the test!
Monday, March 2, 2009
By What Right?
It takes three to plant a babe in the womb,
A boy, a girl, and Christ, to give its soul,
But only one may deny it a tomb---
The mother's request can its life withhold!
O? But you two thought none else would be there,
When in the rear seat of his father's car,
You copulated like a married pair,
Rather than the raw teens you really are?
The Lord, too, was there, like He always is,
At conception; He creates each new life!
What? You didn't think of any of this?
He is no husband? And you're not his wife?
Then by what right did his trousers unzip,
And who let his hand up her leg to slip?
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." (Jeremiah 1:5)
God told Jeremiah the prophet that He formed him in the womb. This fact is confirmed in several other scripture passages; every baby is created by God.
Combined with the pervasive influence of television and film exploiting promiscuity in America, we have adopted an attitude that the individual is no longer responsible for his actions. Children are growing up in a culture which has adopted the psychotherapeutic attitude that they are not individually responsible for their wrongdoing---it is attributed to inherited traits. Whatever the person immorally does, the fault lies in the genes, not in an undeveloped sense of responsibility. As a result, will power has flown away; I don't have to act honorably, because it's not my fault; I inherited it. This serious trend has resulted in a nation of sexually active youth, abortion, and single motherhood.
There are 4,000 abortions a day in this country. The Bible teaches that each of these is a murder. It is made legal, not by a law, but by a Supreme Court interpretation in a lawsuit. The fault, however, lies with all of us who vote; we have elected the most abortionist president and Congress ever. We are also facing same-sex marriages, and a tidal wave of homosexuality; this is based on the same idea---that homosexuality is inheirted, not learned. The Bible calls it sin; our culture refutes the Bible by adhering to the false idea that they can't help themselves. They can, if they accept responsibility for the aberration in their behavior, and if their will power is strong enough.
Each of us is born with varying traits. God assumes that each of us will apply our will power to obey the teachings He has written in the Bible. These guidelines vary, too; some of them will be easy to abide by for some of us, and vice versa. For example, Romans 1:26-27 commands men not to "lie" (simulated copulation) with men, and women not to lie with women. If you feel drawn to another of your sex, it doesn't mean you were born with a preference for the same sex. It is a perfectly natural tendency at the pre-puberty stage of your life. Unfortunately, it is possible to freeze in that stage far beyond puberty if you have one or more same-sex experiences early in life. When it happens to a person, he may begin to believe that it is a permanent trait for him. It is not. Use your inner will power to turn your thoughts to other subjects. In time, you can outgrow and overturn those attractions. Develop will power so that you can obey all the commandments.
A boy, a girl, and Christ, to give its soul,
But only one may deny it a tomb---
The mother's request can its life withhold!
O? But you two thought none else would be there,
When in the rear seat of his father's car,
You copulated like a married pair,
Rather than the raw teens you really are?
The Lord, too, was there, like He always is,
At conception; He creates each new life!
What? You didn't think of any of this?
He is no husband? And you're not his wife?
Then by what right did his trousers unzip,
And who let his hand up her leg to slip?
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." (Jeremiah 1:5)
God told Jeremiah the prophet that He formed him in the womb. This fact is confirmed in several other scripture passages; every baby is created by God.
Combined with the pervasive influence of television and film exploiting promiscuity in America, we have adopted an attitude that the individual is no longer responsible for his actions. Children are growing up in a culture which has adopted the psychotherapeutic attitude that they are not individually responsible for their wrongdoing---it is attributed to inherited traits. Whatever the person immorally does, the fault lies in the genes, not in an undeveloped sense of responsibility. As a result, will power has flown away; I don't have to act honorably, because it's not my fault; I inherited it. This serious trend has resulted in a nation of sexually active youth, abortion, and single motherhood.
There are 4,000 abortions a day in this country. The Bible teaches that each of these is a murder. It is made legal, not by a law, but by a Supreme Court interpretation in a lawsuit. The fault, however, lies with all of us who vote; we have elected the most abortionist president and Congress ever. We are also facing same-sex marriages, and a tidal wave of homosexuality; this is based on the same idea---that homosexuality is inheirted, not learned. The Bible calls it sin; our culture refutes the Bible by adhering to the false idea that they can't help themselves. They can, if they accept responsibility for the aberration in their behavior, and if their will power is strong enough.
Each of us is born with varying traits. God assumes that each of us will apply our will power to obey the teachings He has written in the Bible. These guidelines vary, too; some of them will be easy to abide by for some of us, and vice versa. For example, Romans 1:26-27 commands men not to "lie" (simulated copulation) with men, and women not to lie with women. If you feel drawn to another of your sex, it doesn't mean you were born with a preference for the same sex. It is a perfectly natural tendency at the pre-puberty stage of your life. Unfortunately, it is possible to freeze in that stage far beyond puberty if you have one or more same-sex experiences early in life. When it happens to a person, he may begin to believe that it is a permanent trait for him. It is not. Use your inner will power to turn your thoughts to other subjects. In time, you can outgrow and overturn those attractions. Develop will power so that you can obey all the commandments.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Choosing Sin To Ply
How can the unsaved be deaf to the voice,
That calls them to sin from behind a screen,
The author of evil, by his own choice,
Satan of a thousand faces, all unseen?
More puzzling is why the saved also trails
The spoor* that entices to halls of vice,
Knowing full well the Anointed's travails,
His blood freely spilled as redemption's price!
Ha! You sinning goats, pretend no surprise,
When His rod drives you from among the sheep!
Your mother warned you about Satan's tries,
And your conscience stung hard before its sleep!
Look not on your Judge with reproaching eye;
You know full well you freely chose sin to ply!
*spoor = scent
In Matthew 25:32 Jesus tells the apostles about the end of time when every person will stand resurrected before Him to be judged. He will separate them like a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Those who are in the "sheep" will receive eternal life in heaven; the "goats" will be condemned to life in hell.
The poem above speaks of how our mothers warned us of the temptations of doing evil things in life and not to do them. Also, each of us had an inborn conscience, that would advise us inwardly when a proposed activity was not the right thing to do. This conscience was strong and forceful in the start of life, but if we neglected its advice by continual rebuff, it faded away.
Those of us who became active Christians have the Holy Spirit (God) within our beings, and He replaced the conscience, advising us to conform to the teachings of Jesus as we learned of them attending church and reading the Bible. We know that when we disobey a commandment in the Bible, we have committed sin; we know that He expects us to grieve over our lapse, ask God for forgiveness, and use our strongest will power not to commit the same sin again. Unfortunately, all of us do sin, and far too many become inured by repeating those sins over and over, never repenting nor exerting much effort to abandon the sins forever. This behavior puts our expected salvation into question; in these cases, we may be like "goats" who are surprised to be in the condemned group and reproach God, knowing it was our own choices (but not acknowledging) that condemned us. (Read Matthew 25:31-46)
That calls them to sin from behind a screen,
The author of evil, by his own choice,
Satan of a thousand faces, all unseen?
More puzzling is why the saved also trails
The spoor* that entices to halls of vice,
Knowing full well the Anointed's travails,
His blood freely spilled as redemption's price!
Ha! You sinning goats, pretend no surprise,
When His rod drives you from among the sheep!
Your mother warned you about Satan's tries,
And your conscience stung hard before its sleep!
Look not on your Judge with reproaching eye;
You know full well you freely chose sin to ply!
*spoor = scent
In Matthew 25:32 Jesus tells the apostles about the end of time when every person will stand resurrected before Him to be judged. He will separate them like a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Those who are in the "sheep" will receive eternal life in heaven; the "goats" will be condemned to life in hell.
The poem above speaks of how our mothers warned us of the temptations of doing evil things in life and not to do them. Also, each of us had an inborn conscience, that would advise us inwardly when a proposed activity was not the right thing to do. This conscience was strong and forceful in the start of life, but if we neglected its advice by continual rebuff, it faded away.
Those of us who became active Christians have the Holy Spirit (God) within our beings, and He replaced the conscience, advising us to conform to the teachings of Jesus as we learned of them attending church and reading the Bible. We know that when we disobey a commandment in the Bible, we have committed sin; we know that He expects us to grieve over our lapse, ask God for forgiveness, and use our strongest will power not to commit the same sin again. Unfortunately, all of us do sin, and far too many become inured by repeating those sins over and over, never repenting nor exerting much effort to abandon the sins forever. This behavior puts our expected salvation into question; in these cases, we may be like "goats" who are surprised to be in the condemned group and reproach God, knowing it was our own choices (but not acknowledging) that condemned us. (Read Matthew 25:31-46)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
