Speaking the truth in love

As I post today, I must make a confession; I don't like Dr. Phil. If some of you do, that's OK with me, but personally I can't stand him. Its something about his attitude that just turns me off, something I just don't care for. However, this message is a good one and probably applies to more of us that we would like to admit. I know it makes me a little nervous because I am more than a little fat. For many of us there are medical and psychological reasons why we are overweight and before too many fingers are pointed, remember that we all have things to work on. Discipleship is a many faceted gem. Most of all, attitude is important. Consider what the apostle Paul has to say in this passage from the book of Ephesians.

Eph 4:11-17
11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,WEB

The Gentiles lived a life without Christ; many of them without any discipline whatsoever. True discipleship begins in the heart and eventually affects all aspects of life, not just one part. No amount of finger pointing or brow beating will make any difference at all; not with me anyway. Sometimes saying nothing at all is best; I know that's exactly what my wife did and one day in 1971 I just decided to quit smoking and have been smoke free ever since. I encourage everyone out there to think about their life and do what is best; and OH, yes, this passage teaches that other believers will help as well. Are you listening Gary?

Lunch!

Animals know what they want, but no so people. Most people strive to get a better job, more money, more possessions, more frills and the more people have, the more they want; it never ends. What does it take for someone to realize that there is more to life than the above list? I like this video because it shows a single-mindedness which gets right down to basics. Something as basic as eating can be a real motivator. Our sleeping friend sure had a wake up call, didn't he? Jesus chose his disciples and showed them how to communicate his message. This passage in Matthew shows how.

Matt 4:18-23
18 Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."
20 They immediately left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
22 They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23 Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.WEB

What a lesson in fishing for men; using the power you have to both help and teach at the same time. Hey, you don't have to hit me over the head with a baseball bat; just use the power you have and get attention... the message will do the rest.

Through the open window

Windows are funny things; they allow you to see the outside yet keep you inside. They reveal the world as it is and yet they somehow change it. Life is a lot like that, it is full of contradictions and things that beg the question "why". Elisha the prophet was about to die and just about the last thing he did involved a window. Read on for more...

2 Kings 13:14-20
14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness of which he died: and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him, and said, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen of it!
15 Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows; and he took to him bow and arrows.
16 He said to the king of Israel, Put your hand on the bow; and he put his hand on it. Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands.
17 He said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. He said, Yahweh's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians in Aphek, until you have consumed them.
18 He said, Take the arrows; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, Smite on the ground; and he struck thrice, and stayed.
19 The man of God was angry with him, and said, You should have struck five or six times: then had you struck Syria until you had consumed it, whereas now you shall strike Syria but thrice.
20 Elisha died, and they buried him. WEB

It is a curious thing the way God works through men to accomplish his will. It seems like God always seems to take the long way around in the ways he does things, but ultimately the lessons he teaches are on so many levels as to make you marvel. Why the window, why the arrows, why that number of arrow strikes to the ground? I don't know, but if it was important to have one of the greatest prophets who ever lives do this... so what. One thing is for sure, God was pronouncing judgment and the arrows were a signification of the power of God over the kingdoms of the world. Perhaps the window was a portal to the wonderment of the will and ways of the almighty. Its sort of like looking out your window at a glorious sunrise and marvelling at the beauty of it; you may not understand everything, but the sight of God's workings will inspire you.

The clouds in your life

Clouds like this generally mean trouble; a storm is brewing. We have all seen those days when the sky becomes black and its then we know we are in for it. At first glance I thought a good title for this picture would be "trouble in the graveyard" but then I realized that there is no trouble here. Everything has already been decided, life before life (or death as the case may be) has already put everyone on the path they have chosen. Now its up to God to sort it all out. How? Consider this verse from the book of Zechariah.

Zech 4:6
6 Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh of Armies.WEB

There comes a time when we must wait on God, when our efforts are to no avail. Death is one of those times. I hope that Yahweh of Armies (that is, Jesus) has given you of HIS Spirit and if that is the case the clouds in your life are unimportant because everything is just going to be OK!!!

Meaner than a junkyard dog

Many years ago, Jim Croce sang about a man who was meaner than a junkyard dog. How mean is that; well take a look at this dog and I think you will get an idea. I wonder, does he have any reason to be mean? What if someone were cruel to him, treated him like a D-O-G!! Would that excuse his meanness; well, maybe, but what if you were treated in not so nice a way over a long period of time... could (or rather should) your behavior be excused. I listed some various translations of a verse from 1st Peter for you to think about.

1Pe 2:18
(ASV) Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
(BBE) Servants, take orders from your masters with all respect; not only if they are good and gentle, but even if they are bad-humoured.
(CEV) Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.
(Darby) Servants, be subject with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the ill-tempered.
(DRB) Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward.
(EMTV) Servants, subject yourselves to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked.
(ESV) Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
(GW) Slaves, place yourselves under the authority of your owners and show them complete respect. Obey not only those owners who are good and kind, but also those who are unfair.
(KJV) Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
(LITV) Servants, be obedient to your masters in all fear, not only to those good and forbearing, but also to the perverse ones.
(MKJV) Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those good and forbearing, but also to the perverse ones.
(RV) Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
(YLT) The domestics! be subjecting yourselves in all fear to the masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the cross;

Literally, the word for "cross" (σκολιοις) means winding or crooked; its the word we use to describe someone who has a crooked spine. If you have ever worked for someone who was this way, you would know how unpleasant they can make life. But Peter is saying to be obedient to even the not-so-nice ones. Its easy to serve somebody who is good and kind, but Christians are charged to obey, regardless. I know this is tough, but it is to be heeded anyway. Don't let evil get the best of you and turn you into someone who is meaner than a junkyard dog, rather unleash the goodness in you and let God take care of the situation; it works, I know, I have seen it.

The whole watermellon?

Babies will try anything! This one may have bit off a little more than he (or she) can chew right now, but wait awhile and someday this may be child's play for it to handle. People grow up, mature and will often surprise you. There is an instance in the book of Acts that is like this; read on to see for yourself.

Acts 15:36-40
36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's return now and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing."
37 Barnabas planned to take John, who was called Mark, with them also.
38 But Paul didn't think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn't go with them to do the work.
39 Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away to Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas, and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.WEB

2 Tim 4:11
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministering.WEB

Paul had a problem with John Mark because of Phamphylia, because he had let him down. But there was more to this young assistant than was evident at the time and much later (in Paul's last book) he comments on his usefulness. All this to make a point: people change. So the next time someone lets you down, remember John Mark and give them a break; they just might surprise you. Someday they may handle the whole watermelon themselves.

A message from the other side

Babies change everything! Suddenly your concerns are not centered on your own little needs but on the life of another. If you have more than a child or two, then you notice how differently they behave almost from the moment of birth. My oldest needed attention all the time, my middle child was calm and almost always contented and the the youngest hated to be wet and we went nuts with diaper changes. Honestly, we never thought much about their personality before birth, but in recent years photos like the one above do raise the question of what babies are like before they enter into the world. I don't know, but God does and in at least one instance I can think of God had predetermined his future life. Read on to find out a little more.

Jer 1:1-8 1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2 to whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child.
7 But Yahweh said to me, Don't say, I am a child; for to whoever I shall send you, you shall go, and whatever I shall command you, you shall speak.
8 Don't be afraid because of them; for I am with you to deliver you, says Yahweh.WEB

To me, this is a bit of a mystery; how God forms an unborn child is knowledge I won't have until I reach heaven (if even then), but verse 5 says it plainly. God has a part in our reproduction and destiny whether we like it or not; whether we BELIEVE IT OR NOT! If you think about it, this little verse says volumes about birth control, because if this is God's doing, then any interference in the process could be considered as fighting against God. We can do marvelous things with the medical knowledge that exists today, but I can't help but wonder if we rely too much on what WE CAN DO and not enough on what God has set in motion. Think about it, because it won't be very long before we can not only clone people, but design them as well. I can't even imagine what God will think about those abilities. In any event, this picture is of a baby who is giving the peace sign, so perhaps this is God's neonatal message; I know it was Jesus'.

The way of the dinosaur

I have always admired the ability of scientists to be able to take a few bones and reconstruct a long dead dinosaur. Those fierce creatures who ruled the earth for so long are gone now, but inspire both respect and fear for anyone who really thinks about it. What killed them is a mystery, but they are gone and that is that. Things change; consider how much they have changed in the past 50 years alone. I played with a yo-yo as a kid, but now my grand-children play with Wii's. I was taught to add using a paper and pencil or believe it or not, to actually do math in my head, but today hand held calculators and computers have taken the forefront. Is there anything that will never change? The answer is a resounding YES and Jesus gives a very insightful answer when questioned about the Law and the Prophets.

Matt 5:17-20
17 "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18 For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.WEB

The Bible is usually considered in two parts by Christians: The Old and the New Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the old, not abolish it.... HIS words, not mine. If he didn't come to destroy them, then how are things different? In a word... righteousness. Righteousness is being right and doing right before God and men. Those under the Law made mistakes and sacrifice was the remedy for those errors. But their "mistakes" (or SIN) went far deeper than just actions, they went into the very heart of a human being, into the thoughts and attitudes which LED to their actions. So, while an outward action might be dealt with by sacrifice, it took a more powerful remedy to address the inward problem. This is the mission of Jesus; to help men deal with the inward first and then the outward. The human heart must be the primary goal. Just following a set of rules and regulations is not enough and this is what the Scribes and Pharisees failed to see. Their perception of God was superficial and has gone the way of the dinosaur. Jesus has brought us back to the reason for the disobedience in the garden of Eden, not the law concerning eating fruit, but the heart to obey out of love. This will never grow old or pass away, because The Love of God is the greatest motivator of all. This love has been expressed in the sacrifice that reaches into the very heart of man and supplies an eternal remedy; Jesus on the cross, given for our sins. What man could never fully accomplish by himself, Jesus did once and for all. All that remains is for us to learn, love and obey... Jesus has done the rest.

Your Choice

There are times when things have to be changed and today's post is one of them. I was thinking about what to post on the blog today while waiting for an x-ray and had just about made up my mind. When I came home I received an e-mail from Bruce Arnold with this picture in it and suddenly the choice of what to post became just as clear as the choice in this picture. Why is it that we do not think about this scenario before we do something wrong? Are we so insensitive to God's will that we only think about him one hour on Sunday? Could be, but probably not. America has more followers of God in it than anyone could imagine, we just need to remember the terrible cost of sin and our own helplessness to justify ourselves before God. There is a real need to have faith and rely on God to help us make the right choice every time. Think about this passage from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 18:9-14
9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.'
13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."WEB

Ok, nobody likes to be called a Pharisee, but remember, there were good ones too. This Pharisee probably really did try to follow God as best he could, but his zeal undoubtedly led to pride and pride kills. The tax collector knew who he was and where he was going, but he was trying to do better, trying to following God. His prayer reveals his faith and the humbleness of his heart. The dean of the Northeast School of Biblical Studies (J.L. Deason) used to say that faith was a "Forsaking All I Take Him" and that reliance is something we need to remember on a daily basis. God in heaven, help us all to make the right choices; because these choices either have the truth of God in them or the consequences of pride. What next..... YOUR CHOICE!

After the flood

This time of year it rains in Florida and then rains again and again and again. It does stop, and when it does the air is clean, really clean. That's what this picture says to me: clean! The Earth had become full of sin and the flood had destroyed all life and then the rain stopped.

Gen 8:1-17
8 God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.2 The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.3 The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.4 The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains.5 The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.6 It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,7 and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.8 He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,9 but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ark; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ark.10 He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.11 The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.12 He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she didn't return to him any more.13 It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried.14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.15 God spoke to Noah, saying,16 "Go forth from the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."WEB

God is patient, but there is a limit and then .... wham, judgment. After the judgment, God makes a way out, a clean slate for those who have been preserved. So it was in the days of Noah and this scenario will be repeated again. Not the flood, for God has promised not to do THAT AGAIN, but judgment is sure because sin is prevalent, almost overwhelming. Be preserved through the next cataclysm, read from 1st Peter chapter 3:20-21 and see what must be done.