Introspection

Is it possible to measure God? How would one go about it? I was thinking about it tonight after I read the following passage from Luke 18.

Luk 18:9 And he spoke this parable to certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The Webster Bible

How Big is God how large is He?
Bigger than a pebble, smaller than a tree?

Far, far away or right near by
The search is most difficult, but still I will try.

Do I start with my heart
Or begin with my eye?

When I start with the heavens I can barely see
The immensity of God is eternity.

When I look at others and compare them to me,
I know I can never measure God;
Instead he measures me.

Astronomers have measured huge distances as the above picture of our galaxy's center plainly shows, but, I wonder.... Do we even understand our own hearts?

Lunch!

When I first looked at this I thought they were singing! Then I realized they were waiting for their lunch (or whatever)! Food is necessary and often very enjoyable. My grandfather Raymond lived through the depression and would often say "Its a good day when you get a dish of beans"!!! You would never know it to look at me now, but as a youngster I (and everyone else in the family) never really had enough to eat. I remember my grandmother Gladys would sometimes get a little extra food and then give it to me when nobody was looking. She cared for me a great deal and to this day I still don't know why. I could say the same thing about the God of the heavens too. Why should HE care about me; what have I done? But, I have to admit, I can see how my way has been guided throughout my life. Its like the way the Israelites were guided in the dessert. Think about the following passage from Deuteronomy and see if its something like how God has worked in your life...

Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments, or not.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

The Webster Bible

Just like the chicks in the picture, we need to learn to depend upon God; we NEED HIM! Its not just food, either and not just lunch.... life with God is a banquet!

Fear

I couldn't move in my bed, I tried, but for some reason nothing happened. Finally, I saw a shadow behind me, and it was getting bigger. Two small "arms" appeared in front of my head and then there was a deafening crunch and incredible pain in the back of my head, followed by a terrible burning sensation. I woke up screaming!! This nightmare actually happened to me about fifteen or so times in the early seventies. I remember two episodes with spiders, one as a child and the other at age seventeen, when I fell into a pit in the cellar and came out with about twenty or more large black ones crawling all over me. In my mid-twenties I started reading the Bible seriously for about an hour or more a day and didn't even notice the nightmares had stopped. In retrospect, I think God took them away, but I just didn't think about it at the time because I was so engrossed in my reading. What you fear says a great deal about you!

Jesus said to his disciples:

Mat 10:28 And fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

The Webster Bible

I thank God its been over 30 years since I had those nightmares and I still wonder what they meant or what actually caused them. But, fear is not necessarily a bad thing, for it can help you stay alive when faced with danger. Its easy to understand worldly fear, but I wonder how many of us truly comprehend Godly fear? Perhaps we should think it more often; it might just save our lives!

When 1 is 0

I would feel very nervous about using this toilet! I imagine most people would not even have such a thing in their house, let alone even think about training their young with it. I can envision little kids being terrified that it would gobble them up. Why show such a thing? Because there are no real pictures of black holes, that's why. A black hole gobbles everything up, even light, so there aren't any pictures! Its an astronomy object with unbelievable mass and yet we can't see it; sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. Discipleship is like that, consider what Jesus said:

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luk 9:24 For whoever will save his life, shall lose it: but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luk 9:25 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? The Webster Bible

You can't really see spiritual life, except for its godly effects in this life; yet it is there. Like the black hole, you have to believe in something you can't see and according to Jesus, your very life depends on losing what you want to keep. The truth is that we can't understand everything; we can try, but to quote Wayne Walden "stop talking, you're making my head hurt". I have tried to truly understand the complexities of the eternal, yet like Job in the Bible, I realize I will never completely do it. To me, its like making a one into a zero; first you realize that you are at the bottom and God is at the top and the only way to approach the infinite is to bend to the will of the Almighty. When you submit to HIS WILL for your life and give up your own, you gain your life by losing it; again, a contradiction to our thinking, but not to HIS. Sometimes its just easier to do something rather than to try to comprehend it. I rejoice in the times I have truly given myself over to the will of God and regret those times I haven't. I don't know about you, but I think its better to be a zero than a 1; safer, too.

Oh, No!

This is going to hurt! Could this accident waiting to happen have been avoided? Possibly, but its more likely he (or she) just took too many chances, didn't pay attention to their own safety or maybe just didn't care. There are a lot of things in life that are dangerous, but knowing how to handle yourself in a spiritually dangerous situation is essential. Look at the example of Jesus!

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry.
Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou art the son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith to him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall uphold thee, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said to him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up upon an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,
Mat 4:9 And saith to him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus to him, Be gone, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The Webster Bible

Notice that in each instance of temptation Jesus answers with Scripture. Pretty good example to follow isn't it? If we all did, I think there would be a lot less spiritual "Oh, No's" in this world. Perhaps even a few less accidents too.

Happiness is...

Imagine that you are so happy that you could "leap" for joy like this dolphin. Is happiness just a state of excitation or it is something more? Could you be happy in an unpleasant situation? I like the way Young's Literal translation translates "The beautitudes". Jesus says:

Mat 5:3 `Happy the poor in spirit--because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
Mat 5:4 `Happy the mourning--because they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 `Happy the meek--because they shall inherit the land.
Mat 5:6 `Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness--because they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 `Happy the kind--because they shall find kindness.
Mat 5:8 `Happy the clean in heart--because they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 `Happy the peacemakers--because they shall be called Sons of God.
Mat 5:10 `Happy those persecuted for righteousness' sake--because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
Mat 5:11 `Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake--
Mat 5:12 rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward is great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.

Happiness is living a life that Jesus describes; one that is not without difficulties, but rather one that is lived through them with the help of the God of the heavens. You may or may not leap for joy, but you WILL BE HAPPY, because God will show you how to live.

Listen up!

I have always enjoyed making faces, especially when I was very young (and I guess I still do..). My mother used to say to me: "Stop! do you want your face to freeze like that"! Well, that's exactly what I thought of when I saw this picture; imagine if his face really did freeze in place like this? Parents say things to their children for many reasons, but I like to think the one they use the most is to just plain teach them something. As for children, they need to Listen up!

The Webster Bible puts it this way:

"Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2 Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise)
Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. "

Now, if I ever could just stop making faces.. who knows...

Lonely

If you have ever been laid off (for whatever reason) there are many days that seem like what this person must be feeling. When you don't know where you are going to get money for food or rent, it seems like no one else knows that you are even alive. One of the best aspects of being a Christian is the knowledge that you are never really alone because God is always there.
The Webster Bible says:"
Heb 13:5 Let your manner of life be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Its amazing to me that although I have been in the worst of financial circumstances many times, somehow, someway a provision for my real NEEDS was there. Bad times will pass; better days are ahead... remember Heb 13:5

Honor due

Honestly, I did not vote for him, but I hope that in the future I can look back on his presidency and say that he was a great president. At this point I am doubtful to say the least. However, as Americans we must pull together if this country is to succeed as a democracy. Whether a good president or not, his position DEMANDS RESPECT. The early Christians had to deal with leaders who opposed Christians so much that they ordered their death. Imagine yourself under those circumstances and then reading (or possibly just hearing) the words of the apostle Paul:

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but from God: the powers that are, are ordained by God.
Rom 13:2 Whoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power; do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou doest that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6 For, for this cause ye pay tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. The Webster Bible

Whatever your political persuasion, I encourage you to reflect on these words of Paul and obey.

Withstanding the Storms

Finances and employment have been very difficult lately! Many people are hurting as never before, encountering seemingly overwhelming obstacles. Its nice to know that no matter how bad things are, we can withstand the Storms of Life if we have something solid to rely upon. Jesus puts it this way:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it. The Webster Bible

Be wise, be aware of the storms, but build on the rock!!!!!