Romans 10: 13
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Being an old, retired English teacher, I can't help but love old sayings, idioms,
expressions that were used in my earlier years but may be unfamiliar to younger
folks. My father always emphasized the need to be very very careful when a deal
came up that was "free." Surely, there had to be a catch, some small, hard-to-read
fine print or some exceptions that made the original "free" anything but.
Often there were vacations promised where one could receive free airfare for
three days and two nights for a nominal fee, or amazing deals on swamp land in
Florida, etc. Things that were of value simply did not happen for free.
The God of the universe who created a perfect world and placed His creatures
within it valued those He created and wished to walk with them in this garden
in the cool of the evenings. He was and is a God of relationship, having been
in the ultimate relationship with the Son from time eternal. The problem was
that His created could not handle temptation by a wily snake-type creature
and, suddenly, creation was tainted. Sin crept in and creation was fouled.
Now God could have simply thrown up His 'hands' and turned His back on
what He had called Good, or He could have wiped it out and started over
again. God was truly justified in feeling great wrath for the disobeying
ones He had fashioned. Instead, the One who had been wronged, who
deserved to have reconciliation provided a means for those who had fallen
short to be reconciled.
It would be akin to having someone break into your house, steal valuables
and then having you provide them with money to repay you for what had
happened. The difference, and it's a whopping difference, is that we are
talking salvation, here. We are talking the chance to have the barrier created
by sin between God and ourselves, to be ended. We are talking eternal
life with our Creator. We are talking about Saving Grace.
Our end of things....you already know. Call of Jesus to be your Savior,
Repent and believe upon the Son of God. Might want to get that done
immediately.
Praise our God!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
He cut it from ten to two...and I'm still batting .000
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 36-40
Baseball is a sport where failing can be a good thing. If a batter successfully hits the
baseball for a hit, one-third of the time, he stands a very good chance of wining a
batting title!
The Mosaic Law, ten commandments delivered personally by God to Moses and
then given to the Hebrew people, were not designed for success! When I look at
those Holy commands, then search for my success rate, I fall way short of being
successful. Back before I realized what Christ was saying in His list of "but I tell
you's," I thought I was doing okay in some areas. After all, I hadn't killed
anyone. Then Jesus expanded upon those commands in rebuking the Pharisee
legal attitudes..... example....
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 6
I guess the fact that I had, at one time or another, wished for the demise of another
person sort of qualified me for failure.
Then, amazingly, I discovered that Jesus answered a question by naming two great
laws or commands that were to be followed. Oh boy, now I stood a much better
chance. No I did not!
The bottom line, here, is that we, as humans, filled with sin, are unable to
accomplish any of the commands, whether ten or two, that God laid out as
goals for righteous behavior and standing.
So the point is (was)...
WE NEED JESUS! They were designed to point us to our incapacity and
to the one true Fully man who could and did fulfill the law. Did His success
in keeping full righteousness cancel the law? No. He said that He came to
fulfill it, not to cancel it.
We who are in Christ are being transformed, being sanctified by the work
of God's Holy Spirit toward men and women who are more and more
righteous and more and more like the one true second Adam. We won't
get there, won't stop sinning until we go to be with Jesus in a place
where there will simply be NO sin.
Glorious! Praise our God!
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 36-40
Baseball is a sport where failing can be a good thing. If a batter successfully hits the
baseball for a hit, one-third of the time, he stands a very good chance of wining a
batting title!
The Mosaic Law, ten commandments delivered personally by God to Moses and
then given to the Hebrew people, were not designed for success! When I look at
those Holy commands, then search for my success rate, I fall way short of being
successful. Back before I realized what Christ was saying in His list of "but I tell
you's," I thought I was doing okay in some areas. After all, I hadn't killed
anyone. Then Jesus expanded upon those commands in rebuking the Pharisee
legal attitudes..... example....
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 6
I guess the fact that I had, at one time or another, wished for the demise of another
person sort of qualified me for failure.
Then, amazingly, I discovered that Jesus answered a question by naming two great
laws or commands that were to be followed. Oh boy, now I stood a much better
chance. No I did not!
The bottom line, here, is that we, as humans, filled with sin, are unable to
accomplish any of the commands, whether ten or two, that God laid out as
goals for righteous behavior and standing.
So the point is (was)...
WE NEED JESUS! They were designed to point us to our incapacity and
to the one true Fully man who could and did fulfill the law. Did His success
in keeping full righteousness cancel the law? No. He said that He came to
fulfill it, not to cancel it.
We who are in Christ are being transformed, being sanctified by the work
of God's Holy Spirit toward men and women who are more and more
righteous and more and more like the one true second Adam. We won't
get there, won't stop sinning until we go to be with Jesus in a place
where there will simply be NO sin.
Glorious! Praise our God!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
SETI. Seriously...?
I like listening to Carl Sagan; he had such an interesting voice. I was privileged
to teach his niece, Rachel, many years ago. What a wonderful, bright young
lady.
When it comes to SETI, I have to just shake my head and wonder; what in the
world are these people thinking? What would be the motivation for searching
the universe for other intelligent life? What would be proven if such a discovery
actually came to pass?
Perhaps these folks are feeling lonely. This blue marble seemingly out there in
a vast black void of space might make one feel alone. Perhaps it would be
better to discover that there have been other instances where something crawled
out of the primordial ooze onto a beach and then took millions of years to
randomly change into more complex beings able to communicate with us
on this earth?
It all fits in with the search for 'black matter,' 'the God particle,' etc. We are
beings that crave answers; we would really like to know the meaning, the reasons,
the answers. It doesn't feel right when we cannot find solutions to issues where we
do not have complete knowledge.
Well, I do know that contacts with aliens in movies and books have really not,
for the most part, been pleasant experiences. We haven't done too well in
these fictional accounts, having to rely on virus or water, etc. to deal the final
hand in repulsing alien invasions.
Look; we aren't alone. We do have answers. Knowing this is as simple as
listening to our hearts and observing the world around us. God created this
world and He did so with magnificent success. He spoke things into creation,
He breathed life into you and me, He is completely sovereign and in control
of where this blue marble of a planet is headed, its future and its eventual
restoration. It's a plain as the nose on our faces; yet, we still cannot
accept the fact that we aren't that smart, that aware and that intelligent
to really understand this vast universe without the assurance that there is
One who can and does.
Go on looking, or look inside yourselves to that spot that needs to be
filled with a loving, sovereign Father God.
Praise Him!
to teach his niece, Rachel, many years ago. What a wonderful, bright young
lady.
When it comes to SETI, I have to just shake my head and wonder; what in the
world are these people thinking? What would be the motivation for searching
the universe for other intelligent life? What would be proven if such a discovery
actually came to pass?
Perhaps these folks are feeling lonely. This blue marble seemingly out there in
a vast black void of space might make one feel alone. Perhaps it would be
better to discover that there have been other instances where something crawled
out of the primordial ooze onto a beach and then took millions of years to
randomly change into more complex beings able to communicate with us
on this earth?
It all fits in with the search for 'black matter,' 'the God particle,' etc. We are
beings that crave answers; we would really like to know the meaning, the reasons,
the answers. It doesn't feel right when we cannot find solutions to issues where we
do not have complete knowledge.
Well, I do know that contacts with aliens in movies and books have really not,
for the most part, been pleasant experiences. We haven't done too well in
these fictional accounts, having to rely on virus or water, etc. to deal the final
hand in repulsing alien invasions.
Look; we aren't alone. We do have answers. Knowing this is as simple as
listening to our hearts and observing the world around us. God created this
world and He did so with magnificent success. He spoke things into creation,
He breathed life into you and me, He is completely sovereign and in control
of where this blue marble of a planet is headed, its future and its eventual
restoration. It's a plain as the nose on our faces; yet, we still cannot
accept the fact that we aren't that smart, that aware and that intelligent
to really understand this vast universe without the assurance that there is
One who can and does.
Go on looking, or look inside yourselves to that spot that needs to be
filled with a loving, sovereign Father God.
Praise Him!
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!
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!
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!
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
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!
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