Sunday, January 30, 2011

Thomas Jefferson, would he be elected president today?

 Thomas Jefferson is hands down the most slandered former president of our country. Jefferson sent a reply to a letter from a community of Baptists from Danbury, Connecticut and re-iterated to them the establishment clause of the first amendment. assuring the Baptists that congress would never interfere with the free exercise of religion, nowadays unethical, unscrupulous lawyers use his letter to attempt to do just that by taking his comments out of context.

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson's "separation of church & state letter written to the Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut on January 1, 1802
"Gentlemen:
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which are so good to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of the government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, of prohibiting the free excercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and state. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore man to all of his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessings of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."


"I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
John F. Kennedy to Nobel Prize winners of the Western Hemisphere,
at a White House function, April 29, 1962
"And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, Monticello, 28 May 1816. Ford 11:533
"I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe."
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, December 20, 1787
"Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others." "(If a) people (are) so demoralized and depraved as to be incapable of exercising a wholesome control, their reformation must be taken up ab incunablis (from the beginning). Their minds (must) be informed by education what is right and what wrong, (must) be encouraged in habits of virtue and deterred from those of vice by the dread of punishments, proportioned indeed, but irremissible. In all cases, (they must) follow truth as the only safe guide and eschew error which bewilders us in one false consequence after another in endless succession. These are the inculcations necessary to render the people a sure basis for the structure of order and good government."
In a letter to John Adams in 1819
"He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and it time depraves all its good dispositions." (1785)
"I never ... believed there was one code of morality for a public and another for a private man."
In a letter to Don Valentine de Feronda, 1809

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
Thomas Jefferson to A. L. C. Destutt de Tracy, 1820.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government has grown out of too much government."
Senator John Sharp Williams, Thomas Jefferson: His Permamnent Influence on American Institutions, p.49 (1913). Lecture delivered at Columbia University, New York City, 1912.
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
"And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
Letter to John Taylor, May 28, 1816
"The only foundation for useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion." "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
"To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others..."
"I consider the doctrines of Jesus as delivered by himself to contain the outlines of the sublimest system of morality that has ever been taught but I hold in the most profound detestation and execration the corruptions of it which have been invented..."
As President, Thomas Jefferson not only signed bills which appropriated financial support for chaplains in Congress and in the armed services, but he also signed the Articles of War, April 10, 1806, in which he:
"Earnestly recommended to all officers and soldiers, diligently to attend divine services."
In a letter to Horatio G. Spafford, dated March 17, 1814, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains."
"A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian; that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
"I have always said, I always will say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."
Jefferson declared that religion is: "Deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support."
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
Thomas Jefferson, while writing the 1st draft of the Virginia State Constitution.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."

this last quote by the very writer of the first amendment:
Fisher Ames (Author of the First Amendment)
"Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a schoolbook? Its morals are pure, its examples are captivating and noble....In no Book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant, and by teaching all the same they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith."

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Revolution!

 Found some folks in Egypt who's blogs I used to read a lot a few years ago now posting on their twitter accts somehow. while these folks are young intellectuals with ideas of more (and much needed) freedom. I can only hope these folks have a plan, as both history and the word of God state that even bad government is better that no government at all. this group of young, educated (usually educated overseas in American and European universities) have lived in oppression there for years. some of the bloggers I followed had been arrested and beaten for minor off the cuff remarks on their blogs against Mubarak's government this has happened time and again and they are tired of it. they deserve a better government. my concern, however is that a radical and even more despotic organization could step into the vacuum if these folks don't have some plan to keep that from happening. The Muslim Brotherhood are largely popular amongst the poorer and less educated young masses there and they are a large and probably well armed group. this bunch getting into power would be disastrous to the cause of personal freedom, and stability in the middle east. as the very idea OF personal freedom is completely foreign to Islam. I pray this all works out for the good. the history of revolutions teaches that they can be either good or bad. just study the difference between the American revolution and the French one. and the importance of the philosophy that was behind both that were very different. In America the obvious truth as our founders saw it was that God created all men equal, and the God gave men certain rights, chief amongst them were the right to life (and that's the best start, right there) liberty, and the personal freedom to pursue their happiness.

The french revolution was quite different, their mantra was Liberty, equality, and fraternity. and you have to note that they believed in fraternity first and foremost, then equality, then liberty as last. note there was no idea in the french revolution that anyone had any "God given" right. rights were recognized as liberties provided by the government to the individual and there was no recognized right to life at all! Fraternity meant the individual was to submit to to the will and the way of the revolutionaries in power, agree with them or meet with madame Guillotine, and many did! you see that if nobody has a right to life, there is NO liberty to be had. the leader of the french revolution had his own philosophy about this jump up and bite him in the ass. wonder if his last thought was that philosophy matters? and what of equality? Just because people are created equal does not mean they will remain equal in all the range of pursuits people will roam after. we all have differing abilities and ideas and goals. this guarantees differing finish lines. If  I witness my neighbor go to the store and get a coke, and I want a coke, what should I do? petition my sheriff my grievance that my neighbor has a coke and I don't have one? after all, is not my neighbor ignoring my "right" to equality? should he not meet the Guillotine for this heinous crime? so you see, the idea of equality is not personal liberty either. if you want a coke, get a coke. if you can't afford a coke, get a job, then get a coke. the issue of covetousness is a dead end. society can't deal with it, only persons can, nine of the ten commandments God gave Moses deal with actions, the one last commandment forbids a thought, the thought that is nothing but a big dead end waste of time. covetousness.

 Building a government requires building a philisophy of government first and foremost, maintaining a government requires maintaining that philosophy in word and deed and teaching that philosophy to the generations after. America is falling down on the job here, one might even say rolling backwards here. and the results of that could be catastrophic.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Love letters

 Young lovers look for little notes from their mates with excitement and anticipation. memories from high school are full of young girls giggling and young boys gushing. such were the responses of letters passed in class or stuffed through a locker vent. I can remember the anticipation and excitement on the faces as they unfolded their little notes. nowadays the methods those notes are passed is different, what with facebook, twitter, and smartphones but the responses to them are pretty much the same I'd bet. the bigger the note was the greater the excitement! and was it not just for such as response that these little notes were written?

  Fellow people, we have a love letter written to us from our maker, who, having poured out his heart to us in this letter is awaiting a response from us. can you remember the response you had from those letters in school? did you not honor and treasure those little notes then? what about now? and what about the letter written to you by your maker, what is your response to it? is it the same excitement and anticipation you felt for your young friend? and if not? why not?

  In thinking about the full range of responses someone may have about this blog I imagine the percentages would go like this: about 90% indifference, about 5% anger, about 4% friends or family seeking indications of my present or future insanity and less than 1% other than previously described. note that this is not an actual poll, just my guesstimate, but I can't be too far off. why bother to write, considering this, you ask? well, are you asking me, or are you asking the subject OF my writing? some may complain as to the "tone" or the "spirit" of my diatribes. after all, God is love, and love is all gushing and giggling, right?

Well, no, love is not all gushing and giggling, as any parent could tell you. and if you were to sort God's word into categories of gushing and giggling and instruction and admonition, the "gushing and giggling" category would hold a whole lot fewer pages than the "instruction and admonition" pile. If I am trying to testify as to God's word, and told you different from this, would this not be a most horrible crime?

  I point out to you today that there is much written in scripture specifically for the people of today. Many evangelical Christians of today think we are in the "last days". there is much written in scripture specifically about, and for the church in the "last days" too, the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John wrote certain things SPECIFICALLY TO AND FOR the last days church. are you willing to read it? do you feel the same excitement and anticipation you felt when you knew there was a note in your locker from your high school sweetheart?


 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

True Love

It seems to me as though I have written these last few posts ass-backwards. and perhaps the last post might really be a good set-up for the previous few. funny how the world appears different when you take the time to stop, turn around and look back. It might be some benefit to you, dear reader, to consider this, go to my main page, and read these from the top down. then consider all that was written for your benefit in God's word, there is much both in what Christ taught, what the apostles wrote down that were written for this age, this generation (and a lot of it says we have a problem! are they lying? or telling the truth? think you, that "this doesn't apply to ME"?). all this that should bring you to the foot of the cross. when you are there look up, and witness the fact that the terrible cost of sin, and the terrible cost of Love hangs right there as a witness to you, Consider what God brought to this point, and what you brought here. God's begging you to understand. my prayer is that you would choose to understand, but then, whether this witness is for you or against you is YOUR choice. when it comes to writing, or reading I guess writing is really the easier part, choosing requires a multi-stepped effort. Jesus said "wisdom is justified of all her children". how many consider this, and lay it to heart? God knows. consider this fact, God chose to reveal himself to you through the written word, to honor someone, do you not have to honor their word? first and foremost? there have been many a time my words were not honored, even those, my most precious words "I love you" were regarded as trash, as shit, and dropped to the ground and stepped on by some. hey, we've all been there. that brings pain, tears, and anguish. but in my mind I know that the place of both my words and the response I got from them mean little in the big picture, but.... God's words divide truth and folly, light and darkness, life and death! imagine the pain, the tears, and the agony of our Lord Jesus Christ. how we respond to God's truth and Love matters.

the best gift I can give anybody is to bring them to the knowledge of Christ and testify to it's effect on me in the hope that that may open their eyes and inspire them to read the bible. some may consider my choice of forum for this as odd, but I do what I can do, I am hobbled in several ways physically at this point so all I can do is salute my friends and family from here. this is the fruit I can offer, sometimes fruit is taken as juice. the juice I offer is that little bit of the knowledge of Christ I have been given. juice is made by pressing and squeezing the fruit and throwing the husk away. if this juice is acquired though some pain and violence to the fruit so be it.
 the common proverb states "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" that is true for those beasts, if you know you are going to go ride out in the desert, you would hydrate yourself a bit extra before the trip, the horse, however, as an unthinking beast, knows not that his rider is leading him to a dry place and may not drink the water proffered. us humans are not unthinking beasts, though at times we all act like it. the idea of that old proverb is that you can lead a person to knowledge but you can't make him think. or feel. or love.

Do you see the tragedy? it's not in God's word that the tragedy lies, it is in our response to it. My Prayer is all will respond with all their heart and mind to God's True Love.

 Have a Blessed day.

Monday, January 24, 2011

If you want to know what water is like, don't ask the fish.

That is an old Chinese proverb (I think) can't honestly remember where I heard it, the Idea is that a fish that has been immersed in water it's whole life would have no common point of reference with us to explain to us what water is like. we think water is wet, does the fish? so likewise us, having grown up in the culture we find ourselves in...see the dilemma? we absorb traits from the culture around us. if we had grown up in a culture that has, for all our life called the color of grass purple, well, you get the picture.
 If we were to apply this to the subject of truth, how DO we find truth, can people actually find truth? God says yes, in the bible, do we understand it fully, no, but that does not mean one should give up trying and say it's not possible, People can have a relationship with truth, God says so, and wrote a book about it, in fact. as a society though, our relationship with truth is quite distant in this day and time, it would benefit all to think and study about this problem.

one of the problems of our post-modern philosophy of today is this:

borrowed from this website
You are here: Philosophy >> Nihilism
Nihilism – Abandoning Values and Knowledge
Nihilism derives its name from the Latin root nihil, meaning nothing, that which does not exist. This same root is found in the verb “annihilate” -- to bring to nothing, to destroy completely. Nihilism is the belief which:

  • labels all values as worthless, therefore, nothing can be known or communicated.
  • associates itself with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism, having no loyalties.
The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), is most often associated with nihilism. In Will to Power [notes 1883-1888], he writes, “Every belief, every considering something true, is necessarily false because there is simply no true world.” For Nietzsche, there is no objective order or structure in the world except what we give it. The objective of nihilism manifests itself in several perspectives:
  • Epistemological nihilism denies the possibility of knowledge and truth, and is linked to extreme skepticism.
  • Political nihilism advocates the prior destruction of all existing political, social, and religious orders as a prerequisite for any future improvement.
  • Ethical nihilism (moral nihilism) rejects the possibility of absolute moral or ethical values. Good and evil are vague, and related values are simply the result of social and emotional pressures.
  • Existential nihilism, the most well-known view, affirms that life has no intrinsic meaning or value.
Nihilism – A Meaningless World
Shakespeare’s Macbeth eloquently summarizes existential nihilism's perspective, disdaining life:

    Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.
Philosophers’ predictions of nihilism’s impact on society are grim. Existentialist, Albert Camus (1913-1960), labeled nihilism as the most disturbing problem of the 20th century. His essay, The Rebel1 paints a terrifying picture of “how metaphysical collapse often ends in total negation and the victory of nihilism, characterized by profound hatred, pathological destruction, and incalculable death.” Helmut Thielicke’s, Nihilism: Its Origin and Nature, with a Christian Answer2 warns, “Nihilism literally has only one truth to declare, namely, that ultimately Nothingness prevails and the world is meaningless."

Nihilism – Beyond Nothingness
Nihilism--choosing to believe in Nothingness--involves a high price. An individual may choose to “feel” rather than think, exert their “will to power” than pray, give thanks, or obey God. After an impressive career of literary and philosophical creativity, Friedrich Nietzsche lost all control of his mental faculties. Upon seeing a horse mistreated, he began sobbing uncontrollably and collapsed into a catatonic state. Nietzsche died August 25, 1900, diagnosed as utterly insane. While saying Yes to “life” but No to God, the Prophet of Nihilism missed both.

Beyond the nothingness of nihilism, there is One who is greater than unbelief; One who touched humanity (1 John 5:20) and assures us that our lives are not meaningless (Acts 17:24-28). 


a detailed treatise about this problem of human perception here


 Have a Blessed day.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Truth

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Joh 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

 Jesus made the claim that nobody can or will come to the Father but by him. Jesus made no room for anybody to make some soft-pedaled claim that he was a "good teacher" or a "great prophet" or "nice guy". that there was any other way to enter the presence of God but through him. this is the exclusive statement of exclusive statements. nobody can be ambivalent about Jesus, he left NO room for it, at all. period. You have to believe either Jesus is who he says he is, or that he is the craziest kook, the utter nutter, the absolute father of all lies. there isn't any gray area to be found in this issue at all.none.zero.zip.nada. He made it that way.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

This truth, is the sword Jesus is, there is only two sides to this sword people can fall to. one or the other.period. all of society and all of the world are hurling headlong into the edge of this sword. the consequences of the decision that has to be made are dire. this sword will cleave the world of humankind in two. just because our current society holds pluralism and relativism on some pedestal higher even that we hold God will not change this fact, just because this society, and the spirit of the age wills that all people should be shamed into keeping their core beliefs private will not change this fact. making human government bigger will not change this fact. If you happen to believe Christ you HAVE to spread this message! what's the alternative! let others fall? is keeping this truth private for the sake of your present relationships your goal? then this goal is your God. is the Idea that you "don't want to offend" what motivates you? what fruit will this bear? for you or your friend? Should Christians remain huddled in their homes and churches, pat each other on the back, and feel good about their selves? Should Christians be devoted to praying for what they want God to do for them? or should Christians be praying for God's will to be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.

Many Christians have read about the arguments the Lord Jesus had with the religious leadership in the day. would he not have many of the same arguments with many church leaders today? and how much more the worse for us that this is so, for while the pharisees had knowledge of  Moses and the Prophets in that day, this world has had the testimony of Christ these two thousand years! Are we where we should be spiritually? read the word, and judge.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Love

This essay is not my own, but written by Dr. Peter Kreeft. 
 A very good piece, enjoy the blessing. 

Without qualification, without ifs, ands, or buts, God's word tells us, straight as a left jab, that love is the greatest thing there is (1 Cor 13: 13). Scripture never says God is justice or beauty or righteousness, though he is just and beautiful and righteous. But "God is love" (1 Jn 4:8). Love is God's essence, his whole being. Everything in him is love. Even his justice is love. Paul identifies "the justice of God" in Romans 1:17 with the most unjust event in all history, deicide, the crucifixion, for that was God's great act of love.

But no word is more misunderstood in our society than the word love. One of the most useful books we can read is C. S. Lewis' unpretentious little masterpiece The Four Loves. There, he clearly distinguishes agape, the kind of love Christ taught and showed, from storge (natural affection or liking), eros (sexual desire), and philia (friendship). It is agape that is the greatest thing in the world.

The old word for agape in English was charity. Unfortunately, that word now means to most people simply handouts to beggars or to the United Fund. But the word love won't do either. It means to most people either sexual love (eros) or a feeling of affection (storge), or a vague love-in-general. Perhaps it is necessary to insist on the Greek word agape (pronounced ah-gah-pay) even at the risk of sounding snobbish or scholarly, so that we do not confuse this most important thing in the world with something else and miss it, for there is enormous misunderstanding about it in our society.

The first and most usual misunderstanding of agape is to confuse it with a feeling. Our feelings are precious, but agape is more precious. Feelings come to us, passively; agape comes from us, actively, by our free choice. We are not responsible for our feelings-we can't help how we feel-but we are responsible for our agape or lack of it, eternally responsible, for agape comes from us; feelings come from wind, weather, and digestion. "Luv" comes from spring breezes; real love comes from the center of the soul, which Scripture calls the heart (another word we have sentimentalized and reduced to feeling). Liking is a feeling. But love (agape) is more than strong liking. Only a fool would command someone to feel a certain way. God commands us to love, and God is no fool.

Jesus had different feelings toward different people. But he loved them all equally and absolutely. But how can we love someone if we don't like him? Easy-we do it to ourselves all the time. We don't always have tender, comfortable feelings about ourselves; sometimes we feel foolish, stupid, asinine, or wicked. But we always love ourselves: we always seek our own good. Indeed, we feel dislike toward ourselves, we berate ourselves, precisely because we love ourselves; because we care about our good, we are impatient with our bad.

God is agape, and agape is not feeling. So God is not feeling. That does not make him or agape cold and abstract. Just the opposite: God is love itself, feeling is the dribs and drabs of love received into the medium of passivity. God cannot fall in love for the same reason water cannot get wet: it is wet. Love itself cannot receive love as a passivity, only spread it as an activity. God is love in action, not love in dreams. Feelings are like dreams: easy, passive, spontaneous. Agape is hard and precious like a diamond.

This brings us to a second and related misunderstanding. Agape's object is always the concrete individual, not some abstraction called humanity. Love of humanity is easy because humanity does not surprise you with inconvenient demands. You never find humanity on your doorstep, stinking and begging.

Jesus commands us to love not humanity but our neighbor, all our neighbors, the real individuals we meet, just as he did. He died for me and for you, not for humanity. The Cross has our names on it, not the name "humanity". When Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd, he said he "calls his own sheep by name" (Jn 10:3). The gospel comes to you not in a newspaper with a Xeroxed label, "Dear Occupant", but in a handwritten envelope personally addressed to you, as a love letter from God to you alone. One of the saints says that Jesus would have done everything he did and suffered everything he suffered even if you were the only person who had sinned, just for you. More than that, he did! This is no " if" ; this is fact. His loving eyes saw you from the Cross. Each of his five wounds were lips speaking your name.

A third, related, misunderstanding about love is to confuse it with kindness, which is only one of its usual attributes. Kindness is the desire to relieve another's suffering. Love is the willing of another's good. A father can spank his child out of love. And God is a father.

It is painfully obvious that God is not mere kindness, for he does not remove all suffering, though he has the power to do so. Indeed, this very fact-that the God who is omnipotent and can at any instant miraculously erase all suffering from this world deliberately chooses not to do so-is the commonest argument unbelievers use against him. The number one argument for atheism stems from the confusion between love and kindness.

The more we love someone, the more our love goes beyond kindness. We are merely kind to pets, and therefore we consent that our pets be put to death "to put them out of their misery" when they are suffering. There is increasing pressure in America to legalize euthenasia (so far only Nazi Germany and now Holland have ever legalized euthenasia), and this evil too stems from the confusion between love and kindness. We are kind to strangers but demanding of those we love. If a stranger informed you that he was a drug addict, you would probably try to reason with him in a kind and gentle way; but if your son or daughter said that to you, you would probably do a lot of shouting and screaming.

Grandfathers are kind; fathers are loving. Grandfathers say, "Run along and have a good time"; fathers say , "But don't do this or that." Grandfathers are compassionate, fathers are passionate. God is never once called our grandfather, much as we would prefer that to the inconveniently close, demanding, intimate father who loves us. The most frequently heard saying in our lives is precisely the philosophy of a grandfather: "Have a nice day." Many priests even sanctify this philosophy by ending the Mass with it, though the Mass is supposed to be the worship of the Father, not the Grandfather.

A fourth misunderstanding about love is the confusion between "God is love" and "love is God." The worship of love instead of the worship of God involves two deadly mistakes. First it uses the word God only as another word for love. God is thought of as a force or energy rather than as a person. Second, it divinizes the love we already know instead of showing us a love we don't know. To understand this point, consider that "A is B" does not mean the same as "A equals B." If A = B, then B = A, but if A is B, that does not mean that B is A. "That house is wood" does not mean "wood is that house." "An angel is spirit" does not mean the same as "spirit is an angel." When we say "A is B", we begin with a subject, A, that we assume our hearer already knows, and then we add a new predicate to it. "Mother is sick" means "You know mother well, let me tell you something you don't know about her: she's sick." So "God is love" means "Let me tell you something new about the God you know: he is essential love, made of love, through and through." But "Love is God" means "Let me tell you something about the love you already know, your own human love: that is God. That is the ultimate reality. That is as far as anything can ever go. Seek no further for God." In other words, "God is love" is the profoundest thing we have ever heard. But "love is God" is deadly nonsense.

A fifth misunderstanding about love is the idea that you can be in love with love. No, you cannot, any more than you can have faith in faith, or hope in hope, or see sight. Love is an act, a force, or an energy, but persons are more than that. What we love with agape can only be a person, the realest thing there is, because a person is the image of God, who is ultimate reality, and God's name is I Am, the name for a person. If anyone says they are in love with love, that love is not agape but a feeling.

A sixth misunderstanding about love is the idea that "God is love" is unrelated to dogmatic theology, especially to the doctrine of the Trinity. Everyone can agree that "God is love", it seems, but the Trinity is a tangled dogma for an esoteric elite, isn't it? No. If God is not a Trinity, God is not love. For love requires three things: a lover, a beloved, and a relationship between them. If God were only one person, he could be a lover, but not love itself. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, and the Spirit is the love proceeding from both, from all eternity. If that were not so, then God would need us, would be incomplete without us, without someone to love. Then his creating us would not be wholly unselfish, but selfish, from his own need.

Love is a flower, and hope is its stem. Salvation is the whole plant. God's grace, God's own life, comes into us by faith, like water through a tree's roots. It rises in us by hope, like sap through the trunk. And it flowers from our branches, fruit for our neighbor's use.

Faith is like an anchor. That's why it must be conservative, even a stick-in-the-mud, like an anchor. Faith must be faithful. Hope is like a compass or a navigator. It gives us direction, and it takes its bearings from the stars. That's why it must be progressive and forward-looking. Love is like the sail, spread to the wind. It is the actual energy of our journey. That's why it must be liberal, open to the Spirit's wind, generous.

Agape is totally defenseless against an objection like Freud's: "But not all men are worthy of love." No, they are not. Love goes beyond worth, beyond justice, beyond reason. Reasons are always given from above downward, and there is nothing above love, for God is love. When he was about six, my son asked me, "Daddy, why do you love me?" I began to give the wrong answers, the answers I thought he was looking for: "You're a great kid. You're good and smart and strong." Then, seeing his disappointment, I decided to be honest: "Aw, I just love you because you're mine." I got a smile of relief and a hug: "Thanks, Daddy." A student once asked me in class, "Why does God love us so much?" I replied that that was the greatest of all mysteries, and she should come back to me in a year to see whether I had solved it. One year later to the day, there she was. She was serious. She really wanted an answer. I had to explain that this one thing, at least, just could not be explained.

Finally, there is the equally mind-boggling mystery of the intrinsic paradox of agape: somehow in agape you give yourself away, not just your time or work or possessions or even your body. You put yourself in your own hands and hand it over to another. And when you do this unthinkable thing, another unthinkable thing happens: you find yourself in losing yourself. You begin to be when you give yourself away. You find that a new and more real self has somehow been given to you. When you are a donor you mysteriously find yourself a recipient-of the very gift you gave away.

There is more: nothing else is really yours. Your health, your works, your intelligence, your possessions-these are not what they seem. They are all hostage to fortune, on loan, insubstantial. You discover that when you learn who God is. Face to face with God in prayer, not just a proper concept of God, you find that you are nothing. All the saints say this: you are nothing. The closer you get to God the more you see this, the more you shrink in size. If you scorn God, you think you're a big shot, a cannonball; if you know God, you know you're not even buckshot. Those who scorn God think they're number one. Those who have the popular idea of God think they're "good people". Those who have a merely mental orthodoxy know they're real but finite creatures, made in God's image but flawed by sin. Those who really begin to pray find that compared with God they are motes of dust in the sun. Finally, the saints say they are nothing. Or else (Saint Paul's words) "the chief of sinners". Sinners think they're saints and saints think they're sinners.

Who's right? How shall we evaluate this insight? Unless God is the Father of lies (the ultimate blasphemy), the saints are right. Unless the closer you get to God the wronger you are about yourself, the five groups in the preceding paragraph (from scorners to saints) form a hierarchy of insight. Nothing is ours by nature. Our very existence is sheer gift. Think for a moment about the fact that you were created, made out of nothing. If a sculptor gives a block of marble the gift of a fine shape, the shape is a gift, but the marble's existence is not. That is the marble's own. But nothing is our own because we were made out of nothing. Our very existence is a gift from God to no one, for we were not there before he created us. There is no receiver of the gift distinct from the gift itself. We are God's gifts.So the saints are right. If I am nothing, nothing that is mine is anything. Nothing is mine by nature. But one thing is mine by my free choice: the self I give away in love. That is the thing even God cannot do for me. It is my choice. Everything I say is mine is not. But everything I say is yours is mine. C. S. Lewis, asked which of his many library books he thought he would have in heaven, replied, "Only the ones I gave away on earth and never got back". The same is true of our very self. It is like a ball in a game of catch: throw it and it will come back to you; hold onto it and that ends the game.

because my ass will hit the ground hard

 There is something I avoid doing because it will result in the title of this piece. Trying to look at how someone might take my writing as offensive (which I don't intend to be) I though it prudent to take a look at the underpinnings of how many people look at life, facts, and knowledge today. the way people think changes over time and distance. take a group of 500 people today and you will find probably 600 differing opinions about any event common to all of them. and while many differing opinions can exist in harmony, can all? are their any walls to this room or boundaries to this place? there are two tenets to today's  popular philosophy that I want to address today, the first being pluralism, this is basically the idea that all ideas are equally valid. and relativism, which is the thought that ideas are relative to the thinker. like morals, or truths are relative to either the culture, the time, or person to which they originate. The problem is that just the very concept of truth is what? can "truth" be relative or have plural meanings? what of the idea that there is no such thing as absolute truth? can one be absolutely sure there is absolutely no absolute truth? note the contradiction here? if there are no absolutes, than you cannot be sure of anything, not even the idea that there are no such. If I were to attempt, from a free standing position on this planet to lift my legs up suddenly what would happen? would it matter what i was thinking or would it matter if there were several others around doing the same thing, would the results be any different? no. every one of us would have the same result, our ass would hit the ground. there would be no different result because of religious views, cultural views, attitude, mood, or time. To read up on relativism and it's counter argument I offer this link here, I will go on to consider how this problem affects people who wish to approach the God of the Jew and the Christian, who is the same. If one were to approach the Bible with an idea of relativism in any of it's forms that person would have an experience both troubling and confusing. there would not seem to be any continuity to the book to them at all, that book is simply chock full of absolutes inspired by the very absolute of absolutes. I AM is who Moses took his middle management position from and I AM is who Christians profess to follow. sizing that book, or it's author by some rule you created by your experience, your culture, or any of your other pre-formed idea's or delusions will be a failure. one needs to start with who I AM says he is and use I AM's word for what we are, what he desires us to be, and what he says we will become. I can tell you that that is not hard or complicated, even a child or even those with major mental issues can understand Him. as well as those learned and intellectual. everyone has an open invitation. God bless.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

2nd Peter, the rest.

 A snowy day here, and one where I would rather like to stay in and keep warm. having realized I wrote a bit on the first third of this letter written by Peter I feel obliged to write about the rest of it, I'd really rather write something with a happier tone right now, but not every message is sweetness and cream, not even from a God who really Loves us all. Parents know sometimes tough lessons have to be taught to their children, parenting isn't always fun. a lot of it is hard. I can't imagine what a tough time God's prophets had with the job they were singled out for, to preach to a rebellious nation. worse yet, there will come prophets who will be sent to preach to a rebellious world. My intent with this blog is simply to try to get people to read the Bible, nuthin more. the effort has blessed me greatly, at one time I had no knowledge of God or his purpose for me or anyone else. now I know both. and while reading others commentary on the scripture helped me a lot, it was reading the scripture, the living water itself that saved me. For God is not who other people say he is, or who I say he is, or even perhaps what YOU think he is. God is who God says he is. now you can be in agreement with god here, as can anyone else. but even if two or three or any number of people come to some agreement on what God is, are they right? only if they are listening to the Holy Spirit, now have a look at all the many and varied churches there are today, all with their differing theologies, one cannot believe them all as many of these contradict each other. since many who claim to follow Christ will probably not completely humble themselves and submit to the Holy Spirit ( and yes I consider daily that this may apply to myself also) it looks like we should keep our nose in this book, the Bible, but then that is another study, the one about 2nd Timothy:)

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
 That verse is what it is, and says what it says. God provided truthful knowledge, but man's will? who can know it? often deception is loved more.
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
 If a lie is told often enough and loudly enough, it will eventually be believed by the masses, now, after that takes place, whoever dares speak truth will get smacked upside their head, will they not?
2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
 I'm not gonna lie, I think these two verses speak a lot to the condition of much of the modern church. read them again carefully and see if you agree.
2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
 People could be thankful for a word of warning from God, but just because they could does not mean they will.
2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
2Pe 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2Pe 2:10  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2Pe 2:11  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
 Read the story of Balaam in Numbers ch22.
2Pe 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
 could we not all use a talking ass to straighten us out?
2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
 continuing to the last chapter:

2Pe 3:1  This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2Pe 3:2  That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
many churches today say this, many do not preach or teach anything about the Lord's second coming. 


2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
 I have long wondered if the early world was encased in a mantle of ice in the upper atmosphere, making the world a giant greenhouse because of this verse and the genesis account, that remarks about waters above the firmament, and perhaps that melting for some reason caused the later flood.
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
 this explains the last 2000 years. patient and kind, the Lord is, though not all will think so.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
 Yay:)
2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
 Don't fight the word, trying to press it into your mold, let the word mold you!
2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 Okay now, tell me,  considering this letter, would Peter be accepted into your church today?

2nd Peter ch.1

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 
Obtaining = having accepted the free gift of God, note acceptance is an act of will.
2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
 Note Peter says that Grace and peace come from the knowledge of God and his Christ here.
2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
 Once again here everything that pertains to life and goodness comes from what? Knowledge of him that called, that is, Christ.
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
 Thru this knowledge of Christ we were given "great and precious promises"! we partake of the divine nature and escape corruption by applying this knowledge God gave us to our lives. 'tis an act of our will to do this. as the word diligence below indicates.
2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 The Spirit calls the Knowledge of God "living water", baptism is a spiritual image of a person getting immersed in the knowledge of god that washes away their sins, and will keep them from sin afterwords too. not that good people won't sin ever anymore but they should be noticeably apart from sin for the most part. one should be following the spirit of living water/knowledge of God more than their former carnal spirit.
2Pe 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
 God gave us a gift and he will never take it back, but, mystery that it is to me, I guess someone might "forget" this gift in some form or fashion in their will, by choosing to follow the spirit of the age rather that God's holy spirit? would be a shame.
2Pe 1:11  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:12  Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
 Peter is intent to remind his friends of these facts, despite that fact they know them and are established in the truth. those following the Holy Spirit are never offended by truth, if you find yourself offended by truth, you should realize you need to wash up with that spiritual "living water". because you are not following God's spirit, but the rebellious spirit of the age.
2Pe 1:13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
 As long as he lives, Peter desires to stir his fellows up to remember God's holy word. I'm willing to bet they didn't tire of it back then.
2Pe 1:14  Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
2Pe 1:15  Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
2Pe 1:16  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
 Peter says "we were there, saw it and lived it!  and now report to you accurately the Lord's word. who better to learn from? the report of those there is better and more accurate than any preacher that lives this day. sometime in the future there will come an end times Elijah that is foretold in scripture, who may well be one of the two witnesses mentioned in John's revelation. these will be real honest to goodness prophets, those on the earth at that time would do well to listen to them.
2Pe 1:17  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pe 1:18  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
 Until the Day Star arises in our hearts, which is a future event that hasn't happened yet, Peter says here that we should read, study, and understand the prophesies God gave to us in the Bible. this 'aint me talkin, but Christ's Apostle Peter.
2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
 The Holy Spirit moved the prophets of old to write what they wrote. God spoke, and the prophets testified it. now here's a point few want to consider in these days, many people's hearts have grown cold and crusty thanks to the spirit of the age, but God caused the prophets to speak and write his word so people would read it. be cleansed in this living water! Read the word and let the Holy Spirit do it's work to make you understand it.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Insanity?

Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2Ti 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
2Ti 3:9  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
2Ti 3:10  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
2Ti 3:11  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2Ti 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
2Ti 3:15  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 Is this a critique of our generation? I wonder, watching the news, and watching the process of news reporting itself, the cry for "civility" that really means "anyone who disagrees with me should shut up"....(sigh)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Be a Berean

 Found a great website chock full of great studies. Please don't let this verse of Hosea be about you:

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,

 It's no accident the Apostle John started his gospel the way he did, Jesus, Yeshua (salvation), is the word, that word is the light and life of us, the "strait" gate and the "narrow" way of Mat.7:14.

Check out this website, I would like to post about a lot of these subjects and if the Lord blesses me with the time to I will, but this is just too good a source of studies to keep, read up! share with your friends and family. and send a note of thanks to Dean and Laura VanDruff for the blessing.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Psalm 2

 Life is an adventure, to be sure. Some days are full of happiness, some days are kind of mundane, and some days are full of tears. Some though, are full of anger. most people experience a full range of emotions that give color and flavor to life, many folks tend to fall into some habit that leaves them stuck in a rut, too. some folks are mostly happy, some folks are mainly even tempered, some are habitually depressed, some habitually angry.
 My desire and intent for the blog is to try to get people stirred up to seek the Face of God. Many parents go though a terrible time when their children hit their teenage years. It is a tough time for parent and teenager alike, not only do you have the problem of a youngster struggling to become independent at a time when they lack the wisdom age brings, the parent has both the external conflict of a rebellious teenager and the internal conflict of just what decisions do you let the child make on their own and what do you put your foot down about.'tis a mixed blessing, to be sure because you see your children make some good decisions but bad decisions too. There comes some point where parents have to let go, let their children strike out on their own, and just be available to give advice when asked. Human society as a whole seems to be in a rebellious teenager stage, and seems to have been from the days of Adam to today. some of my posts will not show humanity in a very good light because scripture does not paint humanity in very good light in many areas. Our forefather Adam and foremother Eve made a basic rebelious teenager mistake by disobeying God, AND listening to the serpent. how many times this has to take place before people "get it" boggles my mind. Using myself as an example I try to understand why humanity so vigorously pulls away from their loving maker. I'm going to think out loud here about how other people see me right now. some think me nice, some think me mean, some think me indifferent. to some I am a good friend, to some I am a hanger-on, to some I am smart, to some a fool, some might consider me a bum, some might remember me as hard working. some think me a weak minded brainwashed idiot. notice the wide range of opinions here? what I have lived and what I have said is what it is, yet from one person to the next you will find a wide spectrum of opinion. why? 
 Do people's opinion OF me define who I am? how can it? look above, who's right? who's wrong? and this is using a fellow human as an example. how much wider is the human opinion of God? this is the setup for comments of this psalm.

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Due largely to church tradition, there are many Christians who view scripture as divided between the "old" testament and the "new" testament. and because of this, many do not realize it really is just one message. there is nothing "new" about it at all, even the Jewish scholars of old awaited a messiah, anyone who read and understood the scripture know that the animal sacrifices performed in the temple were only a foreshadowing of the REAL sacrifice that had to take place for redemption. there are myriad references to Christ in the old testament, and even the Jewish holy days are in themselves prophecies of the Christ Jesus. Jesus' followers knew him to be the Messiah because of their study and knowledge of the prophecies of the scripture. It is also prophecy itself that makes the Bible the only self-confirming book known to man. nowhere else will you find any literature that possesses clear, concise reports of events that at the time of writing, hadn't happened yet. there are many other events described that have yet to happen and this psalm is one such piece. It is worthy to note that the vast majority of Jews who spent quite a bit of time studying scripture rejected their messiah in the day. these people spent more time studying the word than most folks today do I'll bet. there was no television or a culture that prizes entertainment over all else back then. and they even had many prophecies actually saying that they would reject the messiah too. so to those who make their claim to be followers of the Christ now I put this psalm up as a warning to you, many will rebel against Jesus when he returns, many of you don't realize he even made any claim TO return to the earth, or that his days as a suffering servant will be over and his future days will be as a conquering King, and this DESPITE THE FACT that there are more prophecies about this event that any other by far!!!!hundreds!!

Rom 10:1  Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

  This is what the Apostle Paul had to say about his fellow Jews, Does this reflect the current state of many Christians?

I ask you to take the time to read Romans chapter 9 thru the end, this might give you a better understanding about both Jewish and Christian relationship to Christ. 

 Have a blessed day!
 

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Psalm 1

God Loves you, this is rather evident, just the fact of your existence speaks to this. you didn't have to be, yet here you are. Physicists tell us the entirety of the universe had a beginning. they call this the big bang, they tell us matter is condensed energy, and an incredible amount of energy burst forth and condensed into all the galaxies and stars, planets, everything you see and can't see throughout the night sky.  Thanks to Einstein we know that space and time are relative, as space has expanded, so time had dilated in relation to spacealso thanks to Einstein we know that perspective is important when looking at space/time. what you see standing at this point in time looking back to the beginning differs from what you would perceive standing at the point of singularity, that is, the point of the big bang looking forward to today.Our scientists today date the age of the universe at 13.75 billion of today's years old, and the age of our planet at about 4.5 billion of today's years old. what would the difference in time be if you were looking at today from the perspective of the beginning? you would have to be a much better mathematician than me to give an even close guesstimate but it would look considerably younger. consider this question, why did the big bang, bang? was there a reason for this? certainly something from nothing does not follow classical Newtonian physics, does it? Scripture tells us this "reason" was God. Many people look for other explanations, but what really have they found? it just "happened" is really all that science can explain by way of observation. physicists like to explain causes and effects but when it comes to the FIRST cause, well, then they will cite David Hume who said that humans cannot perceive causes and effects, so what, I'd ask, are they studying? If you can't perceive any cause or effect, what are they looking for? much of science today starts with an attitude first of skeptical conjecture. and attitude seems to dictate in humans where they will go in their observations. start with a supposition, then look for support in other supposed "facts". the problem with this is people will keep the "facts" that support their supposition, and ignore those little inconvenient "facts" that point in some other direction they don't want, or desire to go. what is this I have found here, for if desire dictates what people see as fact, and differing people have differing desires does each person exist in their own universe? sadly, way too many people these days think so, don't they? just fighting your way though a busy wal-mart will tell you so. 
 I bet you all are wondering what the heck this has to do with Psalm 1 by now, arn't you?
 well I'll tell you now, it has to do with the transformation that will happen to you if you seek to love God. Living a life by your own will and your own ways has an end, and that end 'aint so pretty either. Truly Loving God will cause you to seek out HIS will and HIS way. and you will try your best to make HIS will YOUR will, and HIS ways YOUR ways. 
 to do this you need to know his will and his ways, and his way is prescribed in his word. the Apostle John looking at the beginning saw that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Press yourself into that mold God made for us, and see what happens.

 the best two books of the Bible to start this process I can think of is Psalms and Proverbs. these two books give you many of the fundamental building blocks of conforming your mind to God's mind. chew on every word slowly, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a glimpse of how you stand up to the measure of God rule. Words give you knowledge, the Holy Spirit has to help you with the next part of the process which is understanding that knowledge, than understanding brings you to wisdom, not your wisdom, but God's. (if you try to take God's word and shape or define it by your desires, will you have the truth? no. let God define himself, this book, the Bible, is here for a reason)  the Gospel message is so simple even a little child can figure it out. Christ even said this, we tend to make it complicated in our broken sinful minds. God does not force his will on us at this time, simply provides us the opportunity to know his will, what we do with that is up to us.
Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psa 1:4  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 1:5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psa 1:6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Psalm 37

Psa 37:1  A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.


 Why would one be envious of the "workers of iniquity"? measure yourself not by others around you, but by the standard of Christ Jesus.
Psa 37:2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
 workers of iniquity will not inherit eternity, unlike God, we tend to look at just the little tiny bit of time we are living in and make judgments
about ourselves, others, and even God by this tiny tidbit of information. bad move.
Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
 by looking only at this tiny bit of present time, we can become discouraged, losing sight of the blessings to come. look at the big picture, and understand that though perhaps you experience troubles at times, these are not that big a deal in sight of eternity.
Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

There will come a day when Christ will sit on the throne of judgment. that will be a day rejoicing for some and a day of anguish for others, not because Christ respects any one person over the other, but because some will have accepted his gift of salvation and others will have rejected it. until that day the rain falls on both the just and the unjust alike, the wheat grows along with the tares until the time of harvest. don't be looking at your neighbor as to whether he is prospering or struggling as any indication of Gods blessing or cursing, and don't be measuring yourself against your neighbor for the same. consider the book of job, I'll be willing to bet Job was probably more righteous that any of us today by far, certainly more-so than me! I feel it safe to say and he had to admit to God he had spoken out of turn, and could do nothing but repent, cover his mouth, shut up and listen. 
 Consider his three friends too, accusing Job of some sin, and accusing God of punishing Job, without knowledge of such, and were reproved by God for this in the end. note that only the young man Elihu was not spoken against at the end of this discourse. what the young man said to Job and his friends was God is the potter, you are the clay. Jobs friends accusing Job of sin against God, had slandered God, and Job had come very close to this himself by justifying himself so as to be to the point of accusing God of being unjust. 
Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Psa 37:10  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Psa 37:11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Psa 37:12  The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
Psa 37:13  The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Psa 37:14  The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
Psa 37:15  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
Psa 37:16  A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
Psa 37:17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
Psa 37:18  The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psa 37:19  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Psa 37:20  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
Psa 37:21  The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
Psa 37:22  For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Psa 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psa 37:26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Psa 37:27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28  For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 37:29  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
Psa 37:30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Psa 37:31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Psa 37:32  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Psa 37:33  The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Psa 37:34  Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Psa 37:35  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Psa 37:37  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psa 37:38  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 37:39  But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40  And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

a spiritual war is being fought, a fight between the redeemer and the accuser. the redeemer has his weapons he uses, and the accuser has his weapons he uses. you can identify the spirit by the tools it uses against you, and others. 
Deu 30:15  See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deu 30:16  In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 30:17  But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deu 30:18  I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:20  That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

My thunk of the day

  


  • C.S. Lewis On Theology

  • "In a way I quite understand why some people are put off by Theology. I remember once when I had been giving a talk... an old, hard-bitten officer got up and said, 'I've no use for all that stuff. But mind you, I'm a religious man too, I know there's a God, I've felt Him: out alone in the desert at night; the tremendous mystery. And that's just why I don't believe all your neat little dogmas and formulas about Him. To anyone who's met the real thing they all seem so petty and pedantic and unreal!'
    "Now in a sense I quite agree with that man. I think he probably had a real experience of God in the desert. And when he turned from that experience to the Christian creeds, I think he really was turning from something real to something less real. In the same way, if a man has once looked at the Atlantic from the beach, and then goes and looks at a map of the Atlantic, he will also be turning from something real to something less real: turning from real waves to a bit of colored paper.
    "But here comes the point. The map is admittedly only colored paper, but there are two things you have to remember about it. In the first place, it is based on what hundreds and thousands of people have found out by sailing the real Atlantic. In that way it has behind it masses of experience just as real as the one you could have from the beach; only, while yours would only be a single isolated glimpse, the map fits all those different experiences together. In the second place, if you want to go anywhere, the map is absolutely necessary. As long as you are content with walks on the beach, your own glimpses are far more fun than looking at a map. But the map is going to be more use than walks on the beach if you want to get to America.
    "Now, Theology is like that map. Merely learning and thinking about Christian doctrines, if you stop there, is less real and exciting than the sort of thing my friend got in the desert. Doctrines are not God: they are only a kind of map. But that map is based on the experiences of hundreds of people who really were in touch with God--experiences compared with which any thrills or pious feelings you and I are likely to get on our own are very elementary and very confused.
    "And secondly, if you want to get any further, you have to use the map. You see, what happened to that man in the desert may have been real, and was certainly exciting, but nothing comes of it. It leads nowhere. There is nothing to do about it. In fact, that is just why a vague religion--all about feeling God in nature, and so on--is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work; like watching waves from the beach. But you will not get to Newfoundland by studying the Atlantic that way, and you will not get eternal life by simply feeling the presence of God in flowers or music. Neither will you get anywhere by looking at maps without going to sea. Nor will you be very safe if you go to sea without a map."

  • Christians believe in revelation theology: We know God because he has revealed himself to us. The knowledge of God is a great gift. Were it not for this, it would be impossible for us to "figure him out". But the revelation God has given may not fit our notions of how we think he ought to be. So many have rejected the knowledge of God and follow their own ideas, detached from the Scriptures and the Body of Christ. For these sects, "Theology Bashing" has become popular. Rom 1:22,25a,28 (NIV) Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie.... Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not be done.

  • A.W. Tozer: "We can hold a correct view of the truth only by daring to believe everything that God has said about Himself... Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist on trying to modify Him and to bring him nearer to our own image."
  • Wednesday, January 12, 2011

    Wisdom cries

    Pro 1:20  Wisdom cries outside; she utters her voice in the streets;
    Pro 1:21  she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying,
    Pro 1:22  How long will you love simplicity, simple ones? And will scorners delight in their scorning? And will fools hate knowledge?
    Pro 1:23  Turn at my warning; behold, I will pour out my Spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
    Pro 1:24  Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention;
    Pro 1:25  but you have despised all my advice, and would have none of my warning.
    Pro 1:26  I also will laugh at your trouble; I will mock when your fear comes;
    Pro 1:27  when your fear comes as a wasting away, and your ruin comes like a tempest when trouble and pain come upon you.
    Pro 1:28  Then they shall call upon me, and I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me;
    Pro 1:29  instead they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Jehovah.
    Pro 1:30  They would have none of my counsel; they despised all my correction,
    Pro 1:31  and they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own desires.
    Pro 1:32  For the turning away of the simple kills them, and the ease of fools destroys them.
    Pro 1:33  But whoever listens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

      how much time does a person spend on diversions in this day and time? entertainment seems to be at the forefront of most peoples desires, be it television, video games, movies, whatever. things productive, be it work, study, relationships, even prayer take a backseat to being "entertained". Why? to what end will this take a person or civilization as a whole? when does fantasy become reality in a person's or even a whole civilizations mind? and what good is it? what will happen when the bubble people have encased themselves in pops? 
     people have distanced themselves from truth by quite a margin at this point. folly rules the day, today. how will the people respond the day truth stands up?

    Saturday, January 08, 2011

    Signs of the Times revisited

      I noticed that I did not mention the other part of the church, the remnant that follows the redeemer, giving the impression that the latter day church is wholly corrupt. this is not the case, although I believe a larger part of the latter church will follow the accuser, there is a part that will follow the redeemer, and will be largely protected from the accuser and his organization. this is found in Rev. chapter 12. please read all about it. 

    Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
    Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
    Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

     note Mat 24:9 Implies the saints will be hated by the masses, then note that the next verse implies trouble within the church, that some of the brethren will betray their fellows.  even Jesus made mention of this event to happen:

    Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
    Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
    Mat 10:36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

    Paul gives you the keys to discernment, one can easily judge between the tools the accuser uses and the tools the redeemer uses.

    Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
    Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
    Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
    Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
    Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

     Pray God's will be done.