Monday, September 28, 2015

From strength to weakness..and back again!

A good friend fell asleep this past weekend; I will miss him very much. He is with
the Lord and, thus, I have no worries about where he is and how he is! If I am
interpreting scripture correctly, there is a very good chance that his wait to see his
loving wife, Kathie, and friends, which there were many, will be in the blink of an eye.
The whole temporal aspect of our own space-time is God created and not at all
applicable to those who have gone on.

Noel was a very strong individual. He was strong physically, strong in personality
and strong in his views on things. At first, this was a bit of a problem for me in terms
of creating a friendship, but that all passed. I was fortunate to teach and coach with
him at the middle school level for a number of years. This strength that describes
him continued throughout his years, though I did feel that he mellowed a bit from
a 'black or white' sort of soul to one who could see grey areas. His heart was big and
he would do anything for a friend.

Over the past few weeks his health deteriorated very quickly. Though I talked with
him and his wife, I really do not know exactly what was going on inside his body, and
it appeared that doctors also had a very difficult time determining how to help.
That strength of body changed into abject weakness as he told me over the phone that
he really had no strength. In the end, in ICU, his body gave out and shut down and
he went to be with the Lord.

Our strength, our very ability to live in a body wherein all sorts of things have to
be operating efficiently just to put our feet on the floor and stand, is derived from
God. It is imputed to us; we are sustained at all times by Him; otherwise, we
would lose that strength immediately. We also have a shelf-life. There is a  beginning
and an end to our very short time on this earth, and, once again, God is in total
control of that. When the strength of good health, of a body that is functioning
at the necessary levels gives out, our time has come. 

That strength given to us by God is promised to be renewed by the giving of an
nonperishable body, one that does not wither, does not fail, will be
everlasting. Noel is in a place that we simply are not allowed to see in clarity,
but the veil has been teased open enough to realize that it is more wonderful
than words can express. 

So I do not feel sorrow for this friend, in fact I would have to admit a bit of
envy. I will wait to see him and be overjoyed that my days in the place I was
meant to be will be forever. We will have coffee, a few laughs, and will be
joined by other special people that God has placed into our existence. I
am anxious for that time.

Praise our God!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The Whole Truth....and nothing but...

'I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree'

That was part of American history back in the days when I learned and
re-learned it. Turns out, George Washington never said it and never did it.
It was an urban legend, a fabrication, a stretching of the truth: a lie! 

We all lie. Sometimes we find reason to try and justify it, but when all
is said and done, a lie is a lie, big or small. It starts early, and if not nipped
in the bud, can become a habitual problem to the point that we may begin to
be unable to tell a lie from the truth!

But there is One that does not lie. He is Holy and telling falsehoods is
absolutely in opposition to who he is: He is God. He cannot not tell the truth!
So when it comes to coming to grips with our spiritual path, it provides
complete assurance to realize that what God has said is what God will do.
He is a promise keeper, a covenant builder. 

Oh it's easy to make promises. It's a different thing when we are called upon
to fulfill them. There are many promises in scripture and many of them
point to the eventual culmination to life on a troubled, broken earth. If
one is to believe the Bible, Jesus Christ will return at a time that has been
chosen by God, Himself. This Jesus Christ will arrive in a very noticeable
fashion, so apparent that all alive on earth will hear and see Him. This will
not be the suffering servant. he has made the sacrifice, been given authority
over the entire universe and is coming again to judge the world. This is
Jesus the conquering King. He will, thus, usher in the new world cleansed
of sin and death.

How can we know all this? Well, because God has revealed it to mankind
through the Bible and prophecy. From the Garden of Eden, through
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and on into the writings of the
apostles, the story of redemption has been unfolded. It has been promised
by One who cannot lie, whose plan will be completed, whose word is
truth.

Can you believe it? Yes. Should you believe it? Oh Yes. If you haven't done
so, take to your knees, ask for forgiveness and a Savior, repent and get
ready, for He will come when not expected at a time that is only known by
the One who tells no lies.

Praise our God!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Einstein and Simpson

I am constantly wondering about things...things related to God, His creation and
His plan for salvation. I want to know why? 

Why did God pluck me from the realm of blindness and non-awareness and fill
me, slowly but carefully, with the desire to belong to Jesus?

Why is my name in the Book of Life while other names are not?

Where was I before I was conceived?

What and how does God wish to use me to His glory?

How can atonement be limited? Why would the Christ die for some and not
for others?

(I guess I added to the 'why's')

How can God be omnipresent and omniscient all of the time? That's a whole
lot of omni!

Will I meet my Lord Jesus moments after I die? What will this glorious
being look like? What can I possibly say in that moment?

I could go on..I believe you get the point. There are a lot of unanswered
questions floating around in my mind. I am not so much troubles by that
reality as much as just very very interested.

God has chosen to reveal what we need to know, He is not
bound by my curiosity to provide answers for what He has chosen not
to reveal. Furthermore, it would be a lot like Albert talking with Homer.
I am not so sure that I could ever be capable of comprehending what God
would say to me. Plus, I may really never need to understand anything
more than the fact that God is in charge, sufficient for my care and future
and I can live, comfortably, with that!

Praise God!

Friday, September 4, 2015

From one to three trillion!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139

The journey from conception to birth is so very mysterious; yet, when that baby
or grand-baby arrives, it all seems so natural, so normal. I am enjoying the
precious little baby Ellen Grace who is rapidly approaching seven months of life
outside the womb. She is, of course, still being 'knit' and 'fashioned' by the very
God of the universe, in whose care she will remain, blessed by two wonderful
parents who love her!

At conception, all of us spend about thirty minutes as ONE cell, a zygote. Getting
to that moment of conception is not a simple process as many would-be parents
can attest. When it happens, and thirty minutes elapse, the wondrous process
of cell division and multiplication begin. God, Himself, takes over and even with
the help of pre-natal evaluations and care for the mother, it is He who sees to it
that things are progressing.

Then, after the promised pain of child birth, if all goes well, a baby is born with
toes, fingers and all the other noticeable parts. It is joy; there is no other word, and
relief and time for big changes. A big change that has preceded this birth moment
is the maturation and differentiation of cells in this new life. Three trillion cells
are at work in harmony and cooperation as that precious baby cries and begins
the hopefully long life that lies ahead.

Did you catch the math, here? One becomes three trillion! There are some who
would refuse to call this a miracle. In my mind, they are wrong. I believe that
if all realized the miraculous process that brought baby Ellen Grace into this world,
realized that a loving, sovereign God was hard at work, perhaps, just perhaps,
abortions would come to a halt. They need to come to a halt. Holding that
small, precious new life, makes the thought of abortion abhorrent and
so sinful. Erasing God's craft, His work, His love....NO WAY! One to three
trillion...enough said.

Praise God!