Flexibility

This picture reminds me of what it was like to be a young child; limber and flexible in all things, open to new ideas and courses of action. Unfortunately, as we become older we lose some of these things, some by choice and others just by growing older. I don't think I can ever be as flexible as I was at say, age 8, but I can be open to the views of others and a healthy examination of my own life. This is what I think is the thrust of Romans 14. Its a long passage, but worth the reading.

Romans 14:1-23 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) Receive one that is weak in the faith, not for disputes over opinions.
(2) One indeed believes that he may eat all things, but another, being weak, eats only vegetables.
(3) Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
(4) Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or he falls. And he shall be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
(5) One indeed judges one day above another; but another judges every day the same. Let each be fully assured in his own mind.
(6) He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. And he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he that does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.
(7) For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
(8) For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
(9) For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
(10) But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
(11) For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
(12) So then each of us shall give account concerning himself to God.
(13) Therefore let us no longer judge one another, but judge this rather, not to put a stumbling block or an offense before our brother.
(14) I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself; except to him considering anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
(15) But if your brother is grieved on account of your food, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food the one on behalf of whom Christ died.
(16) Therefore do not let your good be slandered.
(17) For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(18) For he that serves Christ in these things is well pleasing to God and approved by men.
(19) Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
(20) Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but are evil for the man eating with offense.
(21) It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or becomes weak.
(22) Do you have faith? By yourself, have it before God. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself in what he approves.
(23) But he who doubts, if he eats, has been condemned, because it is not of faith; and everything which is not of faith is sin.

In the ancient world, meat that was sold in the market place may have previously been offered to idols and some early Christians were sensitive to that possibility and therefore would not eat meat. Others, who were converts from Judaism would want to celebrate special Jewish holidays. What do you do? Become flexible in your understanding of liberty is the answer. I think the key is found in verse 1 of this chapter; and that key is opinions. There are certain facts about Christianity that are absolutes, such as Jesus being the means of our salvation and the existence of God the father and The Holy Spirit. So liberty concerns itself with opinions, period. The fundamentals of Christianity are not open to debate, just matters of opinions. As far as I am concerned, the girl in the picture can wear whatever color outfit she wants on Monday, no problem. I am learning to be flexible about Monday; Tuesday is another matter altogether. I guess I need to work on my flexibility some more.

You may see more than fire!

I can't explain it, but somehow over the past few years sunsets seem to capture my imagination. This one is entitled "fire in the sky" and the name says it all. The name made a natural association with the following passage from Thessalonians and as you read you will see why.





2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) We are obligated to give thanks to God always for you, brothers, and rightfully so, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all increases towards one another,
(4) so that we ourselves are boasting in you among the churches of God about your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
(5) which is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which you also suffer;
(6) since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
(7) and to give you who are being afflicted rest along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels,
(8) in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) These shall pay a penalty--eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might,
(10) whenever He comes, in that Day, to be glorified among His saints and to be marveled among all those having believed, because our testimony among you was believed.



Jesus will appear in flaming fire. Says so, must be. Payday, someday, for those who oppress and oppose either Jesus or his own. Comfort to some, concern for others. No, I don't know when and I am glad I don't; would probably do me no good to know. Knowing is NOT NECESSARY, being on the right side of judgment, IS. Until this event occurs, keep looking up, you may see more than fire!

bliss

When I saw this cat today, I smiled. For two reasons: first because a smile tends to cause another one and second because it made me think of my friend Marge, who loves her cat sooo much. Why do we smile and can we be happy without smiling? The first part is easy... because it is a perfectly natural thing to do, but the second is a little harder. Lets read from the Sermon on the mount in the book of Matthew for some insight.


Matthew 5:3-12 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
(6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
(7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
(9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(10) Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) "Blessed are you whenever they revile you, and they persecute you, and they say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
(12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Some translations translate "blessed" as happy, so I guess we are on the right track. I think its a little more accurate to say "Oh, the blissful state of the person" followed by the beatitude. So, a smile is more than just something we do or a natural response; it is a reflection of an inward state of the person. This makes sense to me, because if one is in tune with the will of God, even unpleasant things like those mentioned in verse 11 really can't change your happiness. I don't imagine that enduring those things would bring a smile, but everyone is different, so I guess it is possible to be happy and not a have smile on your face. If Marge were here, she would tell you that a cat is all you really need. Of course, his name has to be Max! By the way, did you hear the one about the difference between "bird flu" and "swine flu"? See below for the answer.







You get a tweetment for the first and an oinkment for the second.

Not good to be alone

What! was my first reaction. Facebook is addicting, I know, but a shot? Then I remembered this verse from the Bible and this little picture made more sense to me.

Genesis 2:18 Complete Apostles' Bible
(18) And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, let Us make for him a helper suitable to him.

We need each other, it isn't good to be alone. When I view Facebook, I connect with people I know and those I will begin to know. I don't need a helper, (already have one) but friends... well, you can never have too many of those. After seeing this picture, I don't think I will look at Facebook in quite the same way, ever again.

Don't value by appearance!

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today ("Right Truth") and I saw this picture. The picture on the left should look a little familiar to us, as she was on the cover of "The National Geographic" magazine in 1985. Her name is Sharbat Gula (which very few people knew until recently) and she is an Afgan refugee. Life has changed her and only her eyes seem to remain unchanged. She obviously has had a hard life, but what really bothered me when I read the article is that she was described as being "worn out" at age 30. Question: What do we do with someone who is worn out? Do they have any value once they are worn out, or are they worth less. Here is a passage from the book of Leviticus that should make us all think.

Leviticus 27:1-8 WEB (R)
(1) Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
(2) "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'When a man makes a vow, the persons shall be for Yahweh by your valuation.
(3) Your valuation shall be of a male from twenty years old even to sixty years old, even your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
(4) If it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.
(5) If the person is from five years old even to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
(6) If the person is from a month old even to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
(7) If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
(8) But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him who vowed shall the priest value him.

Admittedly, this is a problem passage for me! It seems to say some things I don't like; for instance, because I am now 60 I am worth less than I was at 20. Also, I really do not like the valuation for women and children as well. What it really refers to is the ability of the people mentioned to be able to keep their vows. That is the only way it makes sense to me. I have lived quite a while and would like to think I know MORE than I did at 20 (and am therefore more valuable). Consider this passage from the New Testament.

Galatians 3:26-28 Complete Apostles' Bible
(26) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
(27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


We all have value, all souls are the same and in Christ Jesus and all are the sons of God. I thought of the following poem and even though it is somewhat long I still wanted to include it!


The Touch of the Master's Hand
It was battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"
But, No, From the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low, Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?" As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?" "Two thousand, Who makes it three?" "Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone", said he.
The audience cheered, But some of them cried, "We just don't understand." "What changed its' worth?" Swift came the reply. "The Touch of the Masters Hand."
And many a man with life out of tune All battered with bourbon and gin Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violin
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
Myra Brooks Welch


Every day lived with God is a blessing, but the body will wear out and in the eyes of men we may not be worth much, but "IN CHRIST" we are all equal and worth something; I know this because of the value placed on us by Jesus (his life's blood). Don't value by appearance, but rather by character, for it is the reflection of the soul. Remember, God does not look at the outward appearance, but at the human heart (the character).

That is really groovy!

This little guy is sure enjoying himself! Music has a way of bringing happiness. But what if you have every reason to despair and you still can sing? Here is a passage to show that it can be done.




Acts 16:19-26 Complete Apostles' Bible
(19) And when her masters saw that the hope of their profit was gone, they took Paul and Silas, and dragged them to the marketplace to the rulers.
(20) And bringing them to the magistrates they said, "These men, being Jews, are agitating our city;
(21) and they are proclaiming customs which are not lawful for us to receive or to do, since we are Romans."
(22) And the crowd rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore their clothes and ordered men to beat them with rods.
(23) And when they laid many strokes on them, they cast them into prison, commanding the prison keeper to keep them securely;
(24) who, having received such a command, cast them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
(25) Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were loosed.




There are different types of music; no, I am not talking about the difference between Rock and Classical or Reggae and Ragtime. There are different objects within music; a rhythmic or melody with no object, a song about interpersonal relationships (love songs), one about events (such as the Titanic song), or one about feelings (such as the 34th street song by Simon and Garfunkle). However, these types have one thing in common: "I". When the object is heavenly it is a different matter; the relationship between God and His creation changes things. The gap between the Spiritual and the physical is breached and it is as if heaven comes to Earth and God is right near by. This closeness to God brings joy and peace such as only the creator can supply. "I" centered music is focused on oneself and therefore flawed, but singing that has God as its object reaches for true perfection. The music or singing doesn't have to be spectacular or even well done, it just communes the heart of man with that of God and that WILL CHANGE THINGS! Oh, it might not cause an earthquake, but you will change because a little bit of the perfection of God will rub off on you and that is really groovy!

Another perspective

This little sign refers to a passage from the book of Romans. It is interesting to me because I had never really thought of it visually before. Yet, I should have, because God is both multi-fauceted and multi-dimensional. God both exists in the present, but in the past and the future at the same time. He created all things, but was not created. Wow, this gives me a headache just trying to consider all this. But what I like most from Romans 11 is that to me it is a sort of prayer.

Romans 11:33-36 Complete Apostles' Bible
(33) Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable are His ways!
(34) "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has been His counselor?"
(35) "Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to him?"
(36) For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things; to Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Charlie Biggers came to our home in the valley one afternoon in 1978 and read this passage out loud to myself and Linda. But the way he read it; with awe, amazement and reverence all at the same time. The memory of that simple reading has stayed with me all these years, but even more was the look on his face. The puzzled, trusting, inquisitive look a young child has when they ask DADDY a question because HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!! It was as if by the mere reading of the passage THE ANSWER would be given to us by God Himself. I still don't know the answer, but I LOVE the ATTITUDE OF PRAYER! Now at least I have a clue, even if it is only a visual perspective.

Too many kisses?

This little baby is obviously the object of much affection, but there is something odd about the way the lips are held. My first guess is that there is a thought going through its little mind something like: "what next"? Which raises the question: Can you love too much? Good question! Here is a passage from Titus to consider.


Titus 2:3-5 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) Older women likewise are to be reverent in demeanor, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teaching what is good,
(4) so that they may urge the young women to be lovers of their husbands, lovers of their children,
(5) temperate, pure, homemakers, good, submitting to their own husbands, lest the word of God be blasphemed.


Women are urged to love, that much is sure. Is it possible to go overboard.... as with anything else, yes. But in the context of the home and motherhood, I don't think so. Because if Godliness is the source, then the outcome will be to God's liking. All that is left to do is to get a washcloth and clean junior up a bit. Next round of kisses coming up!!!

I have a dream

This picture is of the peace rally of 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. I was listening to one of my favorite podcast called "The Word Nerds" on my way to work today and I heard an excerpt from this speech and recalled how powerful it was then and still is. Many of the World War II generation that I grew up alongside were very racially biased and I still recall the hatred in their responses at the mere mention of Dr. King's name. But those were different times and I am happy to see that some (and perhaps more than some) of the injustices that Black's endured have been made right. Who would have ever thought in 1963 that we would ever have a black president? Injustice in America is not dead, however, on the contrary, it is alive and well. Today, we have a new race of "slaves" and the ones that I see are mostly illegal aliens from Mexico. The big corporations use their political clout and somehow immigration laws are never really enforced. Why? Because illegals can't complain, they really have no rights and thanks to the current welfare laws are subsidized. So, the corporations win and the illegals win and the rest of America pays for everything!!! What is wrong with this is that they are stealing from America. Consider just one verse from the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 5:19 Complete Apostles' Bible
(19) You shall not steal.

This situation is allowing corporate America to create another slave segment in our society. Everyone in America should be under the same laws and those laws should be enforced uniformly. If someone entered this country outside the law-- let them go home. "I have a dream" is not over and it will not be achieved until everyone in this country is free and slavery in all its forms are dead! Don't agree with me on this, well, that is your right! Consider, however, what happened to the native Americans over the past hundred or so years in this country and then tell me I am wrong! I wonder, how we can make that one right???

When the rains come

Look familiar? I think we all can relate to things like this. When the checking account is overdrawn, when the baby gets sick, when the car breaks down, when you encounter all sorts of problems, remember that "stuff" happens to everybody. For me, today was one of those days; no matter how hard I tried, "stuff" just kept happening. And as I think about it, that is OK. What is really important is not the events that occur, but rather how we handle them. Are we trying to follow what Jesus has told us to do or something else? Look at the following passage to see what I am referring to.


Matthew 7:21-27 Complete Apostles' Bible
(21) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
(22) Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name we cast out demons, and in Your name we did many mighty works?'
(23) "And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you who work iniquity!'
(24) "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock:
(25) and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
(26) And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
(27) and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And its fall was great."

Notice that the rains fell on BOTH HEARERS!! Those who listened and did the words of Jesus (to all of Matthew 5-7) were wise, but not so the foolish who do not apply Jesus' teachings. So, when the rains come, (and they will) remember the Sermon on the Mount and the application of its teachings and Jesus will see you through. You may still get wet, but so what, that's what umbrellas are for.