Why I don't like Adam and Eve

    It was about 4 PM yesterday when my phone rang.  My 19 year old son called to let me know that the biopsies came back on the growths on his thyroid as cancer.  We talked for a bit.  He was, and rightfully so, emotionally distressed.  He had others he needed to call so our call was short.  After getting off the phone and coming home, I went to the internet and began reading.  I must add that this was all discovered because he went into the doctor for a sinus infection.  Good doctor!  What I learned was both heartening and disheartening.  Here is where Adam and Eve come in.  There are two primary means by which people get thyroid cancer.  The first is over exposure to xrays/radiation at a young age.  The second is through DNA.  He inherited the cancer from my gene pool.  I've had many blood relatives who have had cancer and some have died from the cancer while others are doing okay after treatment.  There are 4 types of thyroid cancer.  None are good.  The most common has a great treatment and recovery rate.  For this I am humbled and happy.  The medical sciences in treating cancer have come a long way and there is a good prognosis from that realm.  Then of course, and should have been mentioned first, there is God who can heal by any number of means from the miraculous to taking you home to be with him.  I prefer the former to the latter.
     So that's why I don't like Adam and Eve.  They set in motion the reality that everyone is born dead in sin.  Everyone.  They didn't bother to think of their relationship with God, their relationship with each other or their passing this sin onto the rest of mankind.  This cancer, sin, is pervasive and is only treatable by the cleansing blood of Jesus.  There is no such treatment for the deviations in our DNA.  None.  You and I aren't able to have our DNA switched or erased with new DNA put into it's place.  That doesn't happen.  Ignoring DNA is the same as ignoring God's warning of our being dead in sin.  There are steps we can take to deal with both the sin and DNA.  The DNA can be checked for signs or markers for disease and such.  Once we know what our DNA holds, we can take measures to deal with what is there.  It doesn't mean we can take those markers out of our DNA.  Then there is sin.  Sin is the cancer that has kept many people dead in sin or incapacitated to the point where they live a life of sin and just accept that that is all there is.  This is actually perpetuated by Christians as well as the world.  Here is the difference between the two.  We have means to deal with the cancer.  We have means to deal with the sin.  For the cancer there are medical professionals and medical procedures and medications that can eradicate the cancer.  Likewise, we have Jesus who can eradicate the sin when we come to him, acknowledge that sin, ask for forgiveness and repent. 
     The biggest question that remains for cancer and sin is the residual part left in our lives.  We may have the cancer eradicated but we never can eradicate that experience, emotional upheaval and will be constantly looking for signs of relapse.  It's the same with sin.  We may become alive through the forgiveness of Jesus and have spiritual healing from sin.  However, we live with our biggest enemy daily.  That would be our free will.  After cancer treatment people have a chance to change things in their lives to give them the best lives possible.  After the forgiveness of sin, it's the same story.  We can and do think about relapse from both.  If we didn't there wouldn't be any sinning Christians looking for selfish fulfilment.  Finally, there is the greatest of tools that we have for both situations.  I wish that Adam and Eve had used it!  That would be prayer.  There is no greater power than the power of a loving God who knows our needs and answers our prayers.  All we have to do is choose.  It's always your choice.

No time for anything!

     You and I hear this every now and then throughout the year but especially during the holidays.  We don't have time for anything and so discriminate on what's important to us first, our families second and others third.  We might even put Jesus into the equation if someone is watching.  Having no time for anything isn't God's doing and was never his intention for any part of his creation.  That includes us!  Because we have no time for anything we fall prey to everything.  Our busy lives start being distracted, we become stressed and forget to turn things over to God.  One thing leads to another and before you know it we are in trouble within our own world because of our own doing.  Having too many things on your plate isn't good for anyone and certainly isn't good for your relationship with God.  Along with no time for anything we have no time for God and that's not good in any sense of the word.  From the beginning God has wanted first and foremost to have a relationship with us.  He wants to walk with us, talk with us, console us, heal us, and many more things if we would only stop and let him once again take us in his arms.  But we make excuses and talk about no time for anything and that there are too many things on our plates keeping us from making time for God.
     Have you ever watched a family with multiple children getting ready to do something?  How about a group of workers who are tasked with doing a project that requires cooperation?  Maybe you have been in a church committee that has a makeup of different people who assume they are in charge. There are hundreds of other groups and individuals that could be used as examples of no time for anything.  These are NOT Biblical examples of the Christian life.  They are examples of people who don't take time to let God speak to them and direct their ways.  These examples are worldly and meant to distract you from having the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.  Peace within the storms of life isn't necessary when there is no storm.  So, who creates the storm?  Other people, organizations, pastors, the church lady?  No, that's now who creates the storm.  It is you!  You create the storms in your life.  Your storms affect others and that's how the crazy making happens in your world.  YOU have done it to yourself, God and others.  We all have times when it seems like we don't have time for anything.  What we do in those times reflects whether we have the image of God or the image of the world. 
     I grew up in the midst of the storm in a world without God.  God was there as I would find out when I met him.  But during the first 20 years of my life there were many storms and sometimes multiple storms at the same time.  Some of the storm were my doing.  Some of the storms were other's doing.  We think of the illustration of Jesus asleep in the boat and the lack of faith of the disciples who woke him in their panic to stop the storm and save their lives.  The problem was they thought that they had their lives in control.  As I grew up I was convinced the whole world lived as I did.  That would be found to be untrue.  When I came face to face with the truth in God's word I realized that there could be peace, there could be order and their could be hope.  Living in God's place of peace, order and hope only required that I surrender myself to Him.  If I chose to retain areas where I didn't relinquish my "stuff" there was no peace, order and no hope even as a believer.  Maybe you too need to assess your having no time for anything.  What we do with our lives can boil down to giving up and letting God be the conductor of the orchestra in each of our lives.  Remember that it's always your choice.  Choose wisely.

A time for everything

     There is a time for everything.  We don't like that so we take it upon ourselves to make things happen out of season.  We are an impatient lot and think this is fine.  The possibility of negative results arises each time we do this.  Back to my gardening.  Should I prune the orchard to early or to late I risk losing my crop of fruit.  There is a time for pruning.  When I planted my greenhouse I was confident that the seeds would be safe from harm and produce.  The next morning was 28 degrees reinforcing my decision to delay any planting outside of the greenhouse.  There is a time for planting and it's controlled by nature.  When I plant my yard with plants the perennials are dormant under ground for the winter.  The plants begin to come alive in the spring but the dahlia's won't  come up until mid to late summer.  There is a time for blooming.  My daffodils come up before the tulips and this is repeated every year like clockwork.  There seems to be no way I can hurry the season and time for everything.  So why do I do so?  Why do I try to hinder the season coming?  Embracing a time for everything according to God's plan is almost always disastrous.  Christians seem to try to change the time for everything in spiritual ways as well.  There are the doomsayers who have this intense energy that results in the prophecy of the world ending tomorrow.  There are also those who do everything they can to keep the end from coming.  Both actions are for naught.
     For the Christian there is a time for everything.  However, it's not up to the Christian to determine that time.  Paul exhorts the Christian to be ready in and out of season to provide an account of why you believe.  Christ tells us to not worry about tomorrow nor concentrate on the past.  Why?  Because we can do nothing about either.  Christians are admonished to be "present" and ready to do the work before them today, this moment, and nothing more.  Many Christians have scheduled things in their calendars two and three years out.  Do they every read the obituaries?  We aren't guaranteed a tomorrow.  We are only guaranteed this moment, today, now.  There is a time for everything.  The Bible explains there is NO time for worry, distraction, and apathy.  None.  The Bible also tells that professing ourselves to be wise we prove that we are fools.  Making decisions, plans and such for the future robs the present of it's possibilities.  There is a time for everything for the Christian in all aspects of their lives.  That time is now.
     Giving up yesterday and tomorrow is a difficult thing to do when you are still in charge of your life.  Recognizing what you can and can't do is beneficial in freeing up our lives for Christ to make a difference both in our lives and the lives of others.  Life is about pouring out oneself for the glory of Christ...now.  Not yesterday and certainly not tomorrow because neither one exists.  We have today and there is a time for everything today.  Think about what captivates your life and why?  Do you make plans for the evening or weekend after work?  By doing so the inner focus whether or not you recognize it is to escape the NOW moment whether that be at work, home or in the community.  Christianity is a very.  It's action is seen in those who seek the Lord's will and then do it.  As much as I would like to, I can't change the last minute or the future moment of my life.  Neither can you.  We have a time for everything and it's now.  Doing life on Christ's mandate of service is a now time and a now action which results in well done thou good and faithful servant.  What's your choice?  It's always your choice.

The dawn is just breaking...

    ...and I'm watching the change take place transforming my east view and tree line into a crimson reflection of this event.  Yesterday's sunrise was spectacular and perhaps todays will be as well.  Regardless, I woke up on the right side of the grass and have another day before me.  Last week the weather was nice so I pruned my orchard of 10 mature trees.  Pruning them has been a challenge.  When we moved to this property a bit over 2 years ago the orchard was overgrown and hadn't been attended to for quite a few years.  So, I bought books, watched you tube videos and went to work.  They produced well even though the pruning was quite radical even by my standards.  I haven't had an orchard before and believed in faith that what I was learning and practicing was the right thing to do.  Cut out all branches that go straight up, all branches that cross another branch, and inside branches that would block the sun.  Sounds simple.  It wasn't though.  The more I cut, the more I wondered if this was right.  In the end, the orchard came back better than ever.  This year the pruning has a different focus.  That focus being the expansion of the trees by keeping more branches while still pruning out those listed above.  Now, job done, I'm excited to see what the orchard produces!  The sky is getting more crimson and the bottom of the clouds are lighting up!
     A couple years ago I built a greenhouse.  The structure was easy enough.  I used glass for the sides and clear Plexiglas for the roof.  The first year I had an abundance of vegetables.  In fact, I just picked the last of the Brussel Sprouts.  But I learned some lessons.  The dirt that I brought in wasn't very good.  Some of my plants died and some just didn't produce much.  So this year I've learned and brought in fertilizer, rich garden mix dirt and rototilled it all together.  Now the soil is rich and ready.  In the first year I planted plants wherever.  This year I have learned and placed those who need more light to the sun side of the greenhouse and those that don't more to the back.  I've also chosen a crop of plants that will do well in the greenhouse.  I didn't know when I first planted what to put inside and what to reserve for the garden.  This resulted in some wasted space and lack of harvest.  The learning curve has been huge but the results will be magnificent.  I'll put in a watering system this year to aid in keeping the growth to a maximum.  All these things are essential to the production of food to sustain us until the next planting.  We all need to be open to changes that will benefit us in our gardens and orchards.
     The sky is now a magnificent red, pink and orange!  What a movie being played for my benefit!  I have an enemy that I fight every month of the year.  Moles!  They are quite prolific in their numbers and multiplication of those numbers.  I've had someone come and trap moles.  After looking at what he did, I reasoned that I could do that and save my money.  I did get rid of quite a few moles by trapping, fogging, and poisoning.  But they are the gift that keeps on giving.  Kind of like mosquitos!  Pests that they are, they too have a purpose besides annoying me.  Living in a country setting with neighbors who have moles (they don't try to eradicate them) that see a fresh country (my place) and move here to already have whole networks of tunnels to use.  They are just as diligent at what they do as what I do.  I know the battle will go on and neither of us will win.  That's just the nature of the beast...no pun intended.  Through it all, I've learned that I can leave the moles in the wooded areas alone as they pose no threat to my gardens and lawns.  There is the balance for me.  Choosing my battles keeps me from becoming frustrated and distracted.  The sky show is beginning to fade and the day is moving forward.  I'm sure that God has had me write this for a purpose.  Perhaps you are that purpose.  God bless you.  Remember, it's always your choice.

Roses are red and violets are blue...

     ...the Bible is true and this much I knew.  Kinda catchy.  Anyway, here we are almost at the end of the first month of the new year.  We can acknowledge that which we want and ignore the rest.  We can participate in our choices and ignore the rest.  We are large and in charge of our lives...or so we think.  There is much attention given to "fake news" today and rightfully so.  The media is excellent at manipulating the populace into believing whatever suits the winds of change.  It's not often that our media takes the high road and really do some true reporting.  We are at a crossroads of not knowing what to believe and believing that which is not true as true.  Wow!  What a dilemma the Christian is living within!  There doesn't need to be a dilemma for the Christian though.  There doesn't need to be the dividing of truth from lie.  Why?  Because we have the Bible.  We, if we read it, know what the truth is.  We can look up anything that we want to know God's take on.  If we are brave we can even die to self and let Jesus live through us.  Not rocket science.  When I gave my dead life over to Jesus and he made me alive, I read the Bible and know what is right to do and what is wrong to do.  Sometimes it's the lack of doing that's the sin.  Not standing up and being counted is a wrong.  Why does the Christian have such a hard time standing up for Jesus when they stand up for all that is wrong?
     Are you "fake news"?  The element of being what the world wants you to be versus what the Bible says we should be is indicative of our becoming "fake news" to the world.  The Gospel is not lived and for many not even known.  Yet they profess that they are Christian.  When we are as consumed by God and his will as we are by the world we live in the difference can begin to be seen.  Do we as Christians promote the "fake news" to the world?  Being politically correct, tolerant and accepting, and believing other than what the Bible teaches makes us "fake news".  There is no call for any of the aforementioned attributes.  Yet, many do just that.  Sometimes roses are yellow and violets are purple.  Sometimes people believe the Bible and sometimes they don't.  Here is a reality check for all of us who call ourselves Christian.  If it isn't the Gospel that Jesus delivered then it's not a gospel at all.  If you have chosen to take this and leave that in your understanding of the Bible then it's not a gospel at all.  If you have chosen to believe other than what the Bible teaches then it's not belief at all.  If you are chafed by these statements you might want to check with God on the priorities of your life.  You might just be "fake news" and are in need of repentance.
     The first year I pruned our overgrown fruit trees, the pruning was met with gasps of astonishment and outrage.  I was told that I had killed the trees.  Wrong.  I had pruned the trees and the would produce more the following year.  It didn't look like it.  It didn't show immediate results.  But...when the fall came we had an abundance of fruit and gave much away.  Our freezer is still full of the fruit from the various trees.  This year when I am pruning the orchard there is no naysayers amongst my friends and family.  Now they understand AND believe that the pruning actually produces more fruit than just letting the trees be.  That's the way we are as believers.  We believe something wrongly and when we see the results of the right choices we are convinced that we were wrong, in need of repentance and submission to God.  It's something each of us practices daily whether we know it or not.  We make choices on true news or fake news.  The former results in growth.  The latter results in no fruit.  It's always your choice.

Just what are you pastors doing?

     Jeremiah 23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. ³ “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. ⁴ I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

     There is a small town in North West Minnesota that I pastored for a it.  I learned that that church and the church a 1/2 mile away had once been one church.  It seemed that the members of the original church engaged in a quarrel pitting one group against the other.  Eventually, those who believed differently than the others went their own way, built a church and began worshipping in their own church.  The churches never reconciled.  What was this grievous offense for which they deemed it necessary to split the church?  Where was the pastor and what was he/she not doing so that the church could be tended to?  You won' believe this.  They disagreed on what color to paint the downstairs bathroom!  I wish this was an isolated example of the sins of the pastor and the resulting scattering of the flock.  In the final analysis the members of the original church never prospered.  They didn't grow and they resisted the Holy Spirit.  Ultimately this church will die when the members grow old and die.  Across the country there are empty broken down churches standing as a testament of a church without a leader who represented God.  

     I would imagine that there are all kinds of excuses as to why pastors don't do their job.  Mostly because of one or two reasons.  The first would be they serve the idiosyncrasies of a selfish focused people.  Second, they have chosen to not serve God.  I know that sounds harsh.  However, I have plenty of my own experiences and the church experiences to speak here.  What do you do pastors when you are called to serve HIM?  You are not called by a church.  You are not called by a power family.  You are most certainly not called to be paid a large salary.  You are called to serve God whether you are pastoring a church, shepherding a flock, or being the intenerate preacher bring the Gospel across the land.  You are called to serve God.  Simply put, if you aren't doing what God wants your church is most likely dead.  If you aren't doing what God wants then your church isn't blessed and the Gospel isn't being spread, lives aren't being saved and the   

When you say "I am a Christian"

     The world is full of hang ups over identification.  I'm a white male, fat and educated.  I am a father, son, brother and other relative relationship.  I am a driver, carpenter, theologian, counselor, and many other trades.  I am a conservative.  I am all that and so much more.  When I say I am a Christian is when people take a step back and the judgment comes (positive and negative).  If I told my church friends that I was an assassin by trade most wouldn't blink an eye.  What is so important about what I do versus who I am?  Let's be honest, most people who believe in God think they are a Christian.  The Bible tells us that even the devil and his demons believe there God is.  Being a Christian is more than saying the words.  I could tell you that I'm a taxi driver (once was) and you wouldn't have any trouble envisioning what that means.  You could tell me that you are a Christian and not knowing you I would have trouble visioning what that means.  We, as Christians, assume (dangerous word) that all who say they are Christian are the kind of person attached to that identification.  It's not that simple or easy. 
     We live in a world that desperately wants to be someone.  We search for love, acceptance and approval from those around us from an early age to our physical death.  We want to know that we have purpose and that others know we have purpose.  Here is the big question: "Who would Jesus identify you as?"  Would he look at you and see the sinner unrepentant or the sinner repentant?  Would he be looking to see what road you are on and whether you point others in the same direction.  What is the identification with Jesus to be?  The simple answer is a Christian is someone who came to the awareness that they were dead in their sins, separated from God and in need of salvation.  They are people like you and I who assessed out lives and knew that there was nothing good within our lives.  We chose to lay down our lives so that Jesus could be resurrected in us so that "it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives within me."  Considering our lives to be dead and we now it is Christ who is alive in us, we have chosen to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what God wants instead of our own selfish desires.  Our primary goal is to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind and then give the love Christ gives us to those around us just as freely.  When you say, "I am a Christian." are you?
     Just who are you?  Who do you profess to be?  At the core of your being who is on the throne?  Christ or Satan.  There are only two choices.  If you think that's wrong you had better reassess, repent and rejoice if you have Christ.  The Bible doesn't lie.  The truths that are written there are meant to encourage us and to bring us to that place where all we want is Jesus living his life through us.  There are more than enough wanna be's in the world.  Do you want to be a wanna be Christian?  That means you aren't a Christian at all.  It doesn't matter what we tell others we are.  It doesn't matter what others think we are.  It doesn't matter if the world is placing their identification on you.  What matters is you and I knowing that we are His.  We have an advocate before the Father. Our sins have been forgiven, we have been redeemed and Christ has risen within us.  All for the glory of the world?  Not a chance!  All for the glory of God.  The world's message is Satan's message.  The Christian can say "I am a Christian" and know that the only place identification matters is in Christ.  And...it's always your choice.

A good marriage

Definition of a good marriage

A good marriage is the physical, psychological, and social union of a man and woman for the lifetime of either one of them. This union is an exclusive bond between the man and woman that is to be recognized by them and by the society in which they live as being special. This special status of living in a marital relationship is recognized by the laws and traditions of the land in which the couple reside.

Basic purposes of marriage

This special union has been designed by God for the conception and care of each new generation of human beings. And this special union is to be consummated by sexual intercourse between the man and the woman, which is to be part of the lifetime exclusive bond that they make with each other. This special union of marriage and parenthood is God’s basic calling for human beings. Men and women are created to be partners, particularly as parents, and the context for this special responsibility is a good marriage.

The legal boundaries of marriage

Since the sexual union of men and women has various personal and social consequences that extent beyond themselves alone, particularly in regard to children and the raising of these dependent human beings, it is good for the legal representatives of a nation to make appropriate laws that will govern men and women in their sexual unions and in this special relationship of marriage. These laws are designed to not only protect the children that are produced from the sexual unions of men and women, but they are designed to protect the men and women who enter into such unions, and also to protect society and the communities in which these couples live from undue responsibilities that may come from their sexual unions. So these laws are basically social protections, but they are also psychological and spiritual guidelines for good marital relationships. They can assure each individual in the union that his or her rights and responsibilities in the marriage are clearly established, and that their union is established in accord with God’s plans and will for humanity.

The social responsibilities of marriage

There should not be any doubt in anyone’s mind that children learn some of the most important and basic lessons of living from their parents while they are with them in the home that is provided for them. They have to learn to function as social creatures who know how to use the proper facilities to dispose of their body’s waste and how to eat with other people. They learn a lot of physical skills such as walking, running, getting dressed, and even sleeping. They learn how to talk and to express themselves, and hopefully how to listen. They learn the importance of rules, and how work is done. They learn how to play, relax, have fun, and enjoy the company of other human beings. They learn what it means to love another human being, and what it means to be disappointed by another human being. They learn what it means to trust someone else. They learn the difference between what is basically true and what is basically a lie. They begin to learn the difference between what is right and what is wrong, what is kind and what is cruel, what is respectful and what is prejudicial, and what is hard and what is easy. And many of these lessons are provided to them by their parents who are in this special relationship of marriage before they are ever exposed to any other teachers in the schools of the society in which they live.

Marriage of same sex individuals should be prohibited by law

It should be evident that individuals of the same sex cannot conceive children. It should also be recognized that the pleasures of sexual intercourse are not just for the enjoyment of sexually mature men and women, but that such unions have extensive social and personal consequences. And it should also be recognized that the early training and education of children is best done in a home that is well established by legal, personal, and spiritual principles of conduct that are designed to protect everyone and society for generations to come. The responsibilities and rights of men and women who are committed to each other in marriage should not legally be extended to men and women who cannot fulfill these responsibilities. Few, if any, men and women, are perfect, so there are few, if any, perfect marriages, but the imperfections of human beings should not be so established as to be legalized in marriage. That is why divorce is a legal matter and not just a breakup of a relationship, and why it does not end the responsibilities of men and women for their children.

What makes for a good marriage

A lot of books have been written about this matter, but I’ll just briefly cite a few of the basic factors. A genuine caring for the well being of each person must be one factor in the foundation for a good marriage. This may be known as love, but the quality of this love is certainly stronger than what is commonly recognized as sexual love or sexual desire. And it is the quality of this genuine caring that is protected by the commitment for an exclusive sexual relationship that makes the life-time bond between a husband and his wife. And it is this factor of genuine caring that is stronger than the changing circumstances of the husband’s and wife’s living situation; whether it is a situation of “sickness” or “health”, or “joy” or “sorrow”, or being “richer” or “poorer”.
This factor of genuine caring should be regularly demonstrated in the intimacy of sexual intercourse where the intention of the sexual activity is to give one’s spouse the pleasures of this sexual communication more than to just to receive them. And it is this factor of giving rather than getting that is another important factor in all of the other forms of communication that take place in the special relationship of a husband and his wife. It is these forms of intimate communication that enable a man and woman to really “know” each other, which is a biblical term for “sexual intercourse”.
Another basic factor that makes for a good marriage is having common objectives and priorities for the relationship. If there are basic and persistent differences in these matters between a husband and his wife, they will be pulled apart by them rather than being pulled together. These objectives and priorities may be financial in nature, or matters of faith and belief, or matters of raising their children, or caring for their home, or getting along with the relatives, or matters of work and careers. It is these relative objectives and priorities that can be clarified and merged by regular caring communication.
The last basic factor for a good marriage that I will mention is the gift of forgiveness. Since no human being is perfect and no husband or wife can be consistently caring, we all need to be forgiven from time to time for our unloving attitudes and actions. The active giving of forgiveness may be preceeded by the spouse’s expression of sorrow for his or her unloving attitude or action, but the words “I’m sorry” may not be offered. Nevertheless the gift of forgiveness can still be given. No caring husband or wife should let moments of anger or bitterness infect their relationship for a long time, even over night, when the tension can be relieved by this gift of forgiveness.

Benefits of a good marriage

A good marriage that is established on the personal, social, and spiritual factors that are described above provides men and women with a secure and stable foundation for their ongoing growth and development through a lifetime of changing responsibilities and opportunities. This foundation includes a family that is related to them by inherited characteristics and qualities that are stronger than just those that are acquired through social relationships. A good marriage is God’s nest or basic human community for the care of each generation of human beings that are born into this world. A good marriage provides a real visible model of love, human love for one another and divine love for humanity. A good marriage is a very GOOD gift that a man and a woman can give to each other. It will not only bless them with much happiness during their lives together, but it will also bless their children, the generation of relatives from which they came, and the society and communities in which they live. And these blessings of marriage can be GOOD forever.

THE YEAR IS 1916

What a difference one hundred years make.

  

This might boggle your mind!

The year is 1916 "One hundred years ago. "What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1916:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year.

A dentist $2,500 per year.

A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year.

And, a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and, used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars...

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

And, only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

    Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at local corner drugstore. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" (Shocking?)

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help...

There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.!

    

Christian politics

     If you claim to be a Christian and are not supporting your president and staff with your positive comments and actions along with your prayers, you are sinning.  Why?  Because the Bible calls upon us to do just that.  There is no excuse for not praying.  We are told repeatedly in the Bible to pray for our nation, leaders, and for our enemies as well.  So, why are their Christians who are rioting?  Why are there Christians who are not standing with the President and his staff?  Why are their Christians who don't pray for the leadership of the nation?  Why?  How do we justify civil disobedience?  How do we explain to our children that our actions, contrary to the Bible, are okay?  How do we stand in pride sinning in public or private?  The simple answer is that those who do are more worldly minded than heavenly minded.  That doesn't make the unbelievers.  It makes them sinning Christians who know that what they do is sin.  I wish they would make the stand against sin as strong as their stand for sin.
     Please notice that I am not suggesting you need to agree with the politics now, in the past or in the future.  We are created to think and make judgments about issues and then to pray for God's will to be done.  The Bible says that the prayers of the righteous avail much.  If you are acting on the world's standard you are not acting righteously.  That simply means you are more invested in your sin than in your life in Christ.  Does this sound like I am being harsh to you and others who believe as you do?  It should!  Believers are called to call to account fellow believers when there is sin.  Don't get me wrong, I've opposed myself until convicted by the Holy Spirit of what I was doin.  The real opposition of the Christian is to hate the sin but love the sinner.  So why don't we do that?  Why the anger at the person and not at the actions that are sin?  How does the Christian justify and rationalize not doing the will of God? 
     Protesting turns into rioting and terrorism.  Destruction of personal property and injury to others also fits the terrorism category.  Arrests are testimony of what is the result of sin.  We cannot call ourselves Christian and join in this behavior.  Where are the Christians who will stand up for God, confront the wrong and promote the Gospel?  Where are the Christians who expend as much energy accomplishing the will of God as they do undermining the will of God?  If you and I don't do what is right when we know what is right, we are sinning.  The answer to this sin is acknowledge that we are sinning, stop sinning, confess our sin and repent our behavior.  Then to return to the narrow way that leads to the cross instead of the wide road that leads to destruction.  It's always your choice.

What would you do?

     Let's imagine that it's become politically charged to be a Christian.  Let's imagine there is legislation prohibiting prayer in school or even the reading of the Bible.  Let's imagine that you are not able to share the Gospel in your work place.  Let's imagine that other religions are permitted to teach your children in school.  Let's imagine that you, a Christian, are the only special interest group that is no longer protected.  Let's imagine that you can be sued because of the exercise of your faith.  These are all things that we don't need to imagine.  They are real.  They have and are taking place all around you.  Whether you like it or not Satan is the god of this world and he isn't kind to believers.  That leaves you and I to figure out what to do?  Not even close.  We know what to do.  We don't need to be silent.  We don't need to be politically correct.  We don't need to be tolerant.  We don't need to subjugate ourselves to the whims of special interest groups.  God is still the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Stop imagining that everything is going to be okay! 
     As Christians we have stood by and let others contain our relationship with Christ.  Talk about praying and reading the Bible in school?  That's a game changer.  Actually doing it?  That is the work of the Holy Spirit standing up for what is right.  Share your faith at work and you may be fired depending on the employer.  Share it anyway.  God can take care of you and your circumstances.  Being led by the Holy Spirit and doing what God wants done is always a winning combination.  Stand up to other religions teaching your child in public schools.  What is wrong with us?  We need to be protectors of our children and the faith that is developing within them.  Coexisting is not an option.  Neither is pretending that other faiths are harmless.  Stand up in your business and not give in to the pressures of special interest groups.  What is the worst that can happen?  Well, today, you can be sued.  You might lose some business and gain other business deals.  God is in charge and the universe is unfolding as it should.  Stand up and do what is right for the right reason.  What would you do if these choices came before you today?  Would you choose to stand for God or acquiesce and save your worldly butt?
     These are tough times calling for tough Christians to stand up for their Lord and Savior.  Yes, some will be offended.  Why?  Because they are afraid.  We know the way to salvation and aren't afraid.  We don't need to wage war against a cult or other faith.  The war has already been fought and won.  Yes, those who believe in any god other than Jesus will perish and spend eternity in hell.  So will you if you aren't saved.  There is a call for grace and mercy to others in the form of God's love.  How can we share that love if we don't speak out, stand up and carry the Gospel everywhere we are?  How can the lost be saved unless the saved speak out and stand up against the enemy?  How can those who are perishing be saved unless we do the work of God amongst them?  The final question will be when we stand before God (we all will be called before God for an accounting).  When asked about our life will God answer us with well done thou good and faithful servant or will he say away from me you who wasted your life?  What would you do?  It's always your choice.

Christians and their fake news

     Being aware of the "fake news" and the ramification of propitiating that news has been brought to our attention on many fronts by guess who?  The news media.  The ability to alter the news, give one sided news and deceive people isn't new and wasn't invented yesterday.  It began in the garden.  "Did God say you would really die?"  The history of mankind shows that simple statement has continued until today.  The Bible prophesies that this will happen and that decisions will be made according to the false information propitiated by Satan.  The Bible also tells us that the Christian will be subject to the ramifications as well.  In fact, the Bible tells us that there will be those who call themselves Christian who profess a false gospel for their own gain and selfishness.  We have read about this many times over the years.  Denominations have made up rules on their false beliefs that include anything from attendance in church to tithing.  When will Christians learn?  Obviously some preachers are making so much money off their lies that they simply don't care what news they deliver.  From the prosperity gospel (not the Gospel) to healing ministries designed to bilk money out of the parishioner and those confined to the TV the deception has become a money machine.
     Why do we engage the fake news?  Better question would be why does the Christian propitiate the fake news?  James tells us that we seek and do not receive because we ask with wrong motives.  Just what I a wrong motive? The Gospel states clearly that anything selfish focused is brought up with wrong motives.  Being a Christian means we are not "self" motivated but rather Christ motivated.  We are urged to be discerning (one of 3 definitions of judging) in our lives watching out for the fake news and any of the rabbit trails that result. Yet, itching ears demand some to not only read and listen to the fake news but to also repeat it.  Whether that be in person or on social media the results are the same.  We end up a deceived people deceiving others.  There is nothin unselfish about that.  From plagiarism to outright lying we take what we want and present it as real. That's not the way Christ has been our example.  His unselfishness in his death and resurrection is real news.  The Bible clearly states in several places the result of changing the Bible to suit one's wants.  If you add to the Bible you will have the plagues added to your life.  If you subtract from the Bible you will have your name erased from the Book of Life.  Choose wisely is the key here.
     Because of the selfish wants of many they have wandered away from the path that leads to salvation and embarked on journeys that only lead to eternal damnation.  Think about it; where in the Bible does it tell us to wink at sin and to bring sin to a place where the church thinks it's okay?  It doesn't.  That's not fake news.  Yet, some will portray the Bible as fake news.  Maybe you or your church does?  Just because the Bible doesn't address something we cannot assume that something will be okay with God.  What we can do is know that anything selfish motivated isn't from God and shouldn't motivate us.  There is only one action of selfishness that is okay with God and it isn't based on fake news.  Salvation.  We come to the Lord asking for grace we don't deserve and can't earn.  We ask for forgiveness of sins that we have committed and Jesus steps between us and the Father deeming us clean.  We don't deserve any of this.  What we need to do now is expose and confront the fake news delivering the Good News that mankind is desperately needing.

All the difference

     Sometimes I feel like I'm not making a difference.  Do  you?  Feeling that way isn't good for me.  It isn't for you either.  We have a choice in the matter.  We can assess our recent past and acknowledge that we have made a difference.  We can determine to make a difference today.  Or we can do nothing as making a difference isn't what we are about.  Making a difference isn't about being the hero or the champion.  Making a difference in the world is that way.  Making a difference as a Christian means we already have the hero and champion.  We have Jesus and he definitely makes a difference.  Without Christ's love we cannot know or give away love.  Without Jesus' finished work on the cross and his resurrection we don't have a chance of our own eternity with him.  When we look over the work on the cross; we are supposed to be in awe of it's timelessness.  We are supposed to be encouraged and full of hope.  What we do with the cross and resurrection makes all the difference.  At least it does for me.  Those who confess Jesus do make a difference to God, to other Christians and to those perishing.
     There are dry spells in most everyone's lives.  Either at work or home, in church or out of church dry spells happen.  Some actually choose to continue living in the dry spell and that means there is no difference being made.  The status quo isn't for the Christian.  There is no status quo with Jesus.  There should be movement either in your personal life or your life with others.  That's how others come to desire Jesus as their Savior.  You may not think you are having a dry spell and that you are doing what God wants.  The answer to that query is to ask yourself a simple question:  "What evidence is there that I'm a Christian?"  The fruits of the Spirit should be present and the greatest of these is the love God has bestowed upon us.  Are we loving those who need Jesus?  Love takes any number of forms.  The ultimate is giving up your life for Him to live through you.  The amount of love you can give is equal to that which you have accepted from God.  That amount is determined by how much of your life is given to God.  If you are holding onto "your life" then you don't have the love of God in that part. 
     I have an orchard on my property.  The fruit trees, grape vines and such all belong to God.  If I do nothing, they eventually will cease to produce.  There are three basic rules to pruning trees so they produce.  First is doing the pruning in the right season.  Second is to prune everything that is growing straight up.  Third is to prune all branches that cross each other.  That's it.  Sounds simple and is if you follow the directions.  We all have seasons where we are in need of pruning.  Will you let God prune that which is not desirable in your life?  The straight up branches symbolize our standing on our promises instead of God's.  When we run our lives (upright branches) there is a need to be pruned.  The crossed branches are symbols of the way we have the world entwined in our lives.  With the world messing up our lives there is little chance of much productivity.  This winter I will prune my orchard and help the trees to produce better and more abundant fruit.  That's the way it should be all year round with the Christian.  We should be encouraged to seek the pruning so that the love of God can better delivered to the lost.  We, through Christ, make all the difference.  It's your choice.

Encouragement and being Christ to others

Encouragement

Definition

Encouragement is a word, statement, or gesture that conveys an attitude of approval, of appreciation for, and a desire to see another person continue with what he/she is doing, seeking to do, expressing, or feeling. It may be as simple as a word of “thanks” or a pat on one’s back. It may be a personally written note of thanks and appreciation, or it may be a purchased card. It may be delivered in person, through the mail, over the phone or a loudspeaker, or by email, but in any case it is a sincere gift.

Encouragement can be singular or collective

I think that such a message or gesture is best when it is expressed to an individual, but a collected group of individuals may also be encouraged by a sincere message of approval and appreciation and continued best wishes for what they are doing. Where there is a strong spirit of teamwork and cooperation within a group, any sincere expression of encouragement to the group can be received and experienced by every individual within the group. But if there is any impaired sense of teamwork or cooperation within a group, not everyone in the group may feel the same degree of encouragement. Some individuals in some groups may need a very personal word of encouragement in such cases.

The need for encouragement

Everyone needs to be encouraged from time to time. Everyone at some time or another is engaged in something that is good, but it is challenging. It may just be a matter of growing up, or it may be a difficult project at work or home, or it may be learning something new (like operating a computer), or it may involve breaking a bad habit or getting free from an addiction or resisting a “sinful” temptation, or loosing some weight and getting in shape, or dealing with an “enemy” or someone with whom you differ, or fighting in a war, or recovering from a severe loss or injury or sickness, or being a faithful servant of God. Struggling against some addictions may be a daily battle that will require some daily reinforcements of encouragement to defeat.
In any case the individual may feel overwhelmed by the challenge or discouraged by his/her inability to meet it. He/she may get tired of the struggle, perhaps of trying to raise two or three young children by one’s self or finding a new job when one is past fifty years of age. Individuals in “broken” families probably need a lot of encouragement on a regular basis. Some of the normal channels for encouragement may not be present in such situations.
Individuals who are going through grief over the death of a spouse or another relative or close friend can be easily seen to be in the need of encouragement, but in some of these cases the message of encouragement may need to be repeated frequently. A quick word or gesture may not be enough. Most men who loose their jobs will need some encouragement in their efforts to find another. A few men may have other nice opportunities for comfortable employment waiting for them. Housewives who find themselves divorced will need a lot of encouragement as they seek to deal with the challenges of their new situations. Children who are trying to take care of their elderly parents (or parent) who may have been stricken with some infirmity of “old age” will need encouragement from time to time. Individuals in families where someone is away on active duty in military service will need a lot of frequent encouragement.
Life is not fair. Not all individuals are equal. The resources of the government can’t meet every need. No doctor or treatment or medicine may be immediately or completely effective. A large bank account may not be an adequate sanctuary against many fears, dangers, or moments of depression. There are dangers and risks around many corners. The devil never takes a holiday. Current beneficial resources may become depleted or they may be overwhelmed, as in the case of some natural disasters.
Even one’s relationship with God, one’s spiritual resources of religion and faith in any god, may be tested and tried by the challenges of living. Trying to serve God on the “battlefield” of this world is a challenging struggle for anyone. Many prophets of God’s word in the Bible expressed their feelings of discouragement and frustration in the midst of their challenging ministries. Priests, preachers, rabbis, teachers of what is GOOD and true and of ultimate personal benefit to others do not have an easy responsibility. The book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible is an extensive account of the suffering of one man who lost almost everything of value in his life.

The gift of encouragement

A message or a gesture of encouragement to someone who is struggling with a personal challenge or who is discouraged and otherwise overwhelmed by his/her present situation is a gift. It is not a reward. It is not a payment that is earned. It is a very special blessing when it is given at just the time it is needed, especially if its need has not been announced. Such a timely deliverance of this gift of encouragement is a testimony to a strong bond of sensitive support and love that exists between two individuals.
This gift of encouragement should be used as a means of blessing for individuals who are seeking to accomplish something good in their lives, who are seeking to overcome some challenging difficulties that are destructive of their lives, relationships, bodies, and eternal destinies. It is certainly needed by non-Christians, but it is also regularly needed by Christians. It is especially needed by Christians and others who are seeking to confront the challenges of the devil in the lives of others and to overcome the damaging effects of sin in their lives and that of their relatives, friends, associates, and other church members.
Paul, one of the primary teachers of Christianity and the author of many of the documents of the New Testament, teaches that we are to “encourage one another and build each other up” (I Thessalonians 5:11). He gives some detailed instructions for doing this in subsequent verses 12–23. They include giving special words of encouragement to “the timid” (verse 14). This gift can be expressed in patience (verse 14) and kindness (verse 15). It involves holding “on to the good”(verse 21), which is the theme of this website.
Encourage one another in what is GOOD with words of “thanks”, “keep up the GOOD work”, “don’t give up”, “God bless you”, pats on one’s back, friendly hugs, timely calls, surprising notes, some unexpected flowers, a personal effort of help, daily prayers, and consistent friendship and love. Encouragement is a special gift with eternal benefits.

"Time" for the Christian

Time

The basic nature of time

Time is the context for a person’s existence. It personally begins at the moment of one’s conception in a female’s womb, and then it goes on and on and on through various stages of life’s processes for living. Particular moments of time are commonly marked for one’s birth, the annual anniversary of that event, and other important events in one’s life, such as school graduations and one’s marriage, and in the process other historic and cultural events are noted and celebrated in accord with personal and family traditions.

The calculation of time

Most people recognize that time is commonly calculated by the rotation of the earth on its axis and its orbit around the sun. These events mark the days and the years that enable individuals to keep an account of the passing of time. But think for a minute how difficult it would be for an individual to keep track of time without the common tools of clocks and calendars. The form of these modern tools, that many of us probably take for granted, did not just suddenly appear on our walls when we woke up one morning. They have been developed by various individuals who have given their thoughtful attention and creative skills to this matter of the calculation of the passing of time. So we have progressed from circles of stones, as seen at Stonehenge, to sundials to water clocks to gear-driven clocks that were driven by falling weights to electric clocks to tiny watches that are driven by batteries and other forms of clocks and their power sources all to keep track of the passing of the seconds, minutes, and hours of time and various types of calendars to keep track of the passing of days and years. Time marches on, often faster than some of us would like, and its effects tend to get noticed without the aid of clocks and calendars.

The gift of time

Time is God’s gift to you with your conception and birth. You did not do anything to create or to generate it. You do not have any direct control over its operations. You did not choose when it would start for you, and you may not realize it, but it will go on forever for you. Its coming and going are the only factors that all human beings have in common. Everything else in every person’s life throughout all the days of history are different for each individual. As you grow day by day, you may have some choices in how you spend your time, but in a real sense many of these choices are limited or otherwise conditioned by the timing and placement of your initial existence over which you had no control. And the choices that you are able to make in your use of this gift are all made in the now moment of time! That is the only moment in which you can make any personal use of this gift of time.

Past, present, and future factors of time

The events and choices and things that you have done or have happened to you in the past are past. They are parts of your personal history and life story, but there is nothing that you can do in the present to change them. You cannot relive any moment in your past. And the effects of any moment may go on for days and years throughout your life. There is seldom many positive benefits to be received from hanging onto or carrying around a heavy load of bad experiences or poor choices from one’s past, except as they provide positive lessons for new learnings in the present moments of the now.
How you respond to those past events and choices and situations is part of the challenge of living your life in the dynamic of now. All of the work that you will ever accomplish in life will be accomplished in how you use each now moment. All that you will ever experience, remember, learn, receive, gain, achieve, share, loose, love, hate, regret, seek, celebrate, and worship will be encountered in these now moments.
And while you are living in the now, you will have no direct control over any future moments that will come your way. That does not mean that what you do or think or say or believe in the present now moments of your life do not have any effects on your future moments; they do affect your future. That is why one’s wise use of one’s present now moments can produce good benefits for one’s future. The wisdom of this process is commonly seen in the practice of good habits for healthy living and secure saving and investment accounts and careful building projects and loving relationships with family and friends and the faithful care of what one has received, which includes time and money.

A valuable lesson regarding one’s use of time

I am writing this statement at a time when the personal life and career of Tiger Woods is in the spotlight of public attention. The accident that he had on November 27, 2009 at 2:25 A.M. when he drove his car into a fireplug and a tree in his neighborhood in Florida was a now moment that will probably change his life forever. He has a recognized history of trying to keep his private moments of life private while he is willing to share the glories of his golf victories publicly with his fans and sponsors. But this accident tore down the wall that separates some of his private moments from those that are public.
Everyone has secret things that they have done or thought that are very private. Most of these are probably best kept as private personal matters. But they are always known by at least two individuals, that is the individual and God. And they always have some effect on one’s present now moments as well as one’s future moments. Tiger has publicly apologized for letting his “family down”, and he is in the process of trying to repair his marriage and his career. In this process he has probably learned some valuable lessons about how he spends his time, particularly those now moments when he is not on some public golf course but rather is in some lounge with an attractive female fan who is not his wife. Temptations come to everyone, famous and not so famous, successful and not successful, wealthy and not wealthy, attractive and not attractive, married and not married, and they must all be handled in the now moments of one’s life. Tiger Woods is learning this valuable lesson now.

What are you doing with God’s gift of time?

How are you using the now moments of each day as God gives them to you? Each day is a brand new day as the cycle of the earth’s rotation is repeated, but it gives you some fresh new opportunities in your life. Everyday may seem to be the same thing over and over again, but there are significant differences in the details. The seasons of the year change. The days of the week change. Daily chores and responsibilities and schedules change. Contacts and messages change. And the pressures of one’s culture, political situation, and holidays impose their changes on one’s moments of now.

The world is unfolding with or without you and I

     Things need to get worse before Christ's return.  I don't think there is any disagreement as that's what the Bible states.  We, despite ourselves and our effort, are not able to bring a stop to the inevitable.  It's going to happen.  It's not a question so much of how as it is of when.  The battle that Satan has put up to be his own god is on a crash course and whether or not we like it, that too will end.  Personally I like it.  We have, since the fall, become a captive people who have adhered to the way of the world rather than be repulsed.  Serving ourselves and the world around us have dulled us to the reality of the future.  It's not like the future that is predicted by economists or historians.  It's a future determined by prophecy from old.  Many years ago these prophecies were given by God to godly men and women who delivered them to the people.  These prophecies are ongoing.  They end with the destruction of the enemy.  In between we are left to engage in what we will based on our relationship with Jesus or the relationship we don't have with Jesus!  While there is a harvest to bring in, there is little time for that to be accomplished.  Time is drawing near for the return of Christ.  What you and I are doing or not doing is evidence of whether we have the love of Christ in us or not.  If we do not have the love of Christ we won't speak the Gospel because we don't really believe it.  If we don't believe the Gospel then what is our relationship with Jesus?
     I don't like the bumper sticker that states "coexist" in different beliefs symbols.  Might as well say we give up.  Christians are called out to be God's people.  With that in mind we should ask ourselves what we would say if we were called out for our faith.  That too will happen.  Men, women and children will be called out and told to take the mark of the beast.  Men, women and children will have to choose whether to stand up for God and die (physically) or to deny God and live (physically) without salvation.  There aren't any other choices then and there aren't any other choices now.  What we do when we profess Jesus should take us to a hopeful place where we know that we know that our lives are alive because of Jesus and that He will be taking us home.  Does your life?  Should we be content to coexist, we have no faith in God.  The choice is whether we coexist with the lost or whether we coexist with God and his people.  Remember that you and I will be called before the throne of God who will demand from us an accounting of how we lived or died.  Whether we like it or not, the timeline given is going to move forward with or without us.  It's up to us to make a difference in the lives of those around us; to those we are called to minister to.  If we don't tell the lost, who will? 
     We have it backwards.  We live as if our lives will never end while we know that they will in fact be taken whenever our time comes.  For some their lives are cut short while others live to be a "ripe old age."  Never the less, it's not how long we live our lives but rather what we do with the days we have.  We can throw up our hands and tell ourselves that there's nothing we can do or we can throw in our hands and do what we can, say what we can and live what we can.  Living our lives as lives that count and can be instrumental for Jesus is what makes the Christian a Christian.  I'm not talking about works as works don't save us.  I'm talking about loving because Christ is love and we are to be Christ to the world.  We are not called to do all the work.  We are called to do the work that Jesus has set before us.  That's to make disciples of all mankind.  If we don't take care of the widow and orphan than we aren't taking care of all mankind.  If we don't share the blessings of God then we are not taking care of all mankind.  If we don't share the love of Christ then we are not helping people escape their dead lives and become alive in Christ.  We are the mouth, hands and heart of Jesus.  What are we doing to be who he wants us to be to others?  It's always your and my choice.

Ethical dilemnas for the Christian

Morality

Definition

     Morality for a Christian is the application of God’s laws regarding a person’s private and public behavior. In his or her seeking to live a moral life, a Christian tries to obey the rules for his or her personal behavior that have been decreed by God and recorded in the Bible. Throughout centuries of history these rules have been proclaimed by God’s prophets, like Moses and Isaiah and Jeremiah, taught by Jesus, interpreted by the apostles, like Peter and Paul, established by Emperor Constantine, and proclaimed by various popes, theologians, and preachers, like St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jacob Arminus, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Graham, and other contemporary preacher/teachers within the Jewish-Christian traditional understandings of what is right and what is wrong.

Problems with moral behavior

     In spite of all of the clearly written and proclaimed statements of moral law, individual Jews and Christians and non-members of these biblically based religious communities have found it to be impossible to live in accord with these laws. No one has the ability to be as good as he or she knows that he or she should be. Although most people have a basic understanding of what is right and what is wrong, most of us cannot be consistently right in how we obey God’s laws as well as those that have been established by various governmental authorities.
     The psalmist of ancient Israel said that “all have turned aside (from seeking to do good and from seeking God) they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalms 14:3). Paul quotes this in his teaching letter to the Romans in Chapter 3, verses 10-11, and he adds this comment to include believers “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All human beings live and have lived on a battlefield between the righteous God and his rebellious angel Lucifer or Satan, and this battle between God’s righteous will and Satan’s rebellious desires goes on day after day in everyone’s life.

Attempts to deal with personal immorality

     No one likes to admit that he or she is a rebel against God, that he or she is a sinner. Individuals have gone to a great deal of effort in the study of God’s moral laws to find loopholes in these laws that will enable them to excuse their immoral behavior and attitudes. They have written new interpretations of these laws, and defined exceptions to them, like it is all right to use “deadly force” against a person if that person is threatening to use a “deadly” force against you or someone you love.
The book shelves of hundreds of law offices and law schools are filled with books interpreting these laws and their derivatives and how they have been applied in numerous legal cases throughout history. Our courts, including our Supreme Court, are constantly seeking to apply these laws to the behavior of individuals with whom they are dealing. The legislative bodies of our society are regularly engaged in the processes of trying to understand what is “right” for our citizens and what laws need to be enacted in order to get people to behave and to live basically moral lives. But there are hundreds of examples of how some legislators and lawyers and enforcers of these laws do not and cannot live in accord with them themselves. The moral life is neither easily defined nor demonstrated.

God’s summary of his moral laws

     Jesus engaged in a lot of discussions regarding the laws of God and personal morality with the lawyers of his people, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. They were constantly challenging him in regard to his interpretation of some of these laws and why his accepted disciples did not follow them more fully. In one situation a Pharisee, an expert in these laws, asked Jesus, as he addressed him as “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). And Jesus replied with this answer: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37- 40.
This really simplifies the rules for morality, God’s laws for moral behavior. Just love God completely and love everyone else as much as you love yourself. So the moral life is to be lived in love, and immorality is not living with such love for God and others. A life lived in accord with these two laws would be a perfect demonstration of morality.

How to practice morality

     In the first place it must be done with a person’s sincere confession of his or her sin and his or her inability to obey God’s laws by his or her own efforts. Such confession and repentance demonstrate one’s acceptance of God’s will and love.
     With the acceptance of God’s will and love comes his forgiving grace and his gift of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s grace, faithfully trusting in his good will, and surrender to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that enables any Christian or believer in Jesus to practice morality, to live a moral life. This is not a matter of regularly practicing traditional religious rituals of worship or even service to others, but it is a matter of being “born” by the Spirit of God.

Messages we ignore

     My dog sat there staring at me with this look that said, "Well, the ball isn't going to throw itself!"  He was right.  Water dish empty?  Same stare different message.  Wants a treat?  Same stare different message.  It's amazing how our pets condition us to take care of their wants and needs.  No all are good pet owners (actually they own us) and some are abusive.  However, my dogs have an advocate in me.  They believe they will be taken care of, played with and included in most every aspect of my life.  And I do.  Well, they aren't able to do it for themselves!  When a slipper appears in the family room after it was left in the bedroom I know the message.  You are ignoring me.  Have an accident inside while I'm gone?  Their anger at being left behind is...well, left behind.  We see and acknowledge these message.  Sometimes we even laugh about the behavior.  Cats are much more subtle and worse than dogs in my opinion.  However, all animals have messages for us to include us in their world.  What does all this have to do on a Christian blog?  Everything!
     Driving down a street in the rain one day I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to look to the right.  There was this fellow walking in the rain obviously soaked and homeless.  I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to give him my hat.  What!?  It was my favorite hat!  So I passed him up but not before the Holy Spirit became the Hound of Heaven.  So I went around the block, stopped beside him and rolled down my window.  He was curious as I called him over.  I told him that God told me to give him my hat and handed it to him.  He was delighted and put it on.  After a nodded thank you he and I went on our ways.  Even though I had done right eventually, I hadn't been "instant in season and out" with my Christian obedience to God.  I had not ignored, I had disobeyed.  Out of my many blessings God asked me to give one item away and I had failed.  Yes, I had returned and handed over the hat.  No I hadn't done that when told to do so.  I had disobeyed God.  I've been on that same street many times.  I have never seen the man before or after.  Was he an angel of the Lord?  I don't know. 
     I live in a city that has lots of homeless men, women and children.  You may as well.  I live in a city where there are more unbelievers than believers.  You may as well.  I go to a church that has many blessed and talented people.  You may as well.  They may even have many missions that care for the homeless, the widow and the orphan.  Mine does.  What concerns me is the REASON why we do what we do and don't do what we don't do.  What would happen if we were fully God's servants to this world?  What would happen if we truly believed all that we are and all that we have are God's and available for His use?  What would happen?  Drive down any street (I do on my way to church) and you and I are confronted with that person at the stop sign, sign in hand, asking for money, food, gas or even booze.  What do we do?  If we do anything but what God desires we are the judge and jury of condemnation of that person.  That goes with anything in our lives.  What messages do we ignore?  What messages do you ignore?  It's always your choice.

This is what the Lord says:

     "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich an boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, , justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."  Jeremiah 10:23-24

     

The Christian’s Mind

Basic nature of one’s mind

     The human mind is an amazing organ in the brain of every human being. From the moment of its formation in the human fetus until the death of its human host it processes various types of sensory data from the human’s environment, sends controlling signals to other organs of the human’s body, enables the human individual to form impressions and thoughts regarding what is going on in his or her world and even to form dreams and visions that go beyond one’s sensory data, and to store these impressions and thoughts and dreams as memories that facilitate the processes of learning and motivation for the human individual throughout his or her life, and to express his or her impressions and thoughts and attitudes regarding what is happening or not happening in his or her world in physical activity (behavior) or vocal sounds (including words of learned language). The human mind determines habits and skills for each individual host, and the impressions and thoughts and attitudes that it causes the individual to express are received by other human beings as qualities of character that define the nature of that particular individual in the world of other individuals.
     It has been said that “You are not what you think you are. But what you think, you are.” This indicates that the momentary opinion that you hold of yourself is not as important in determining your nature as a human being as are the persistent basic thoughts that you harbor in your mind. And these basic thoughts and impressions and attitudes begin to take form early in your development as a human being and they grow in strength through repeated reinforcement from outside sensory input and internal decisions regarding what is important to you in order to meet your ongoing needs and wants. The instructions and modeling of the human being’s parents or guardians provide the initial sources of learning for the individual human being, but it isn’t long before the influences of other relatives, media from the surrounding culture, the use of toys and games and other sources of entertainment and pleasure, and the personal direct instructions from other teachers begin to have their effects on the forming mind of the individual with the consuming brain. And the effects of these various sources of data and attitudes will be present throughout the lifetime of the individual. It is well to note that human individuals have some power to make personal choices regarding what they think, what they strive to learn, to what they persistently give the attention of their minds to contemplate and to remember and to repeat and to express, and to basically believe about themselves and their world. Your mind is the center of your nature and identity as a human being.

Jesus' commandment regarding one’s mind

     During the course of his public ministry, Jesus had frequent discussions with the Pharisees and Sadducees regarding various points in the Jewish laws that were recorded in their Scriptures in the Old Testament. On one occasion, a Pharisee who was a lawyer addressed Jesus as “Teacher” and asked him this question: “which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered him with this statement: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And he indicated that this “is the great and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:36- 38) In citing this commandment, he was referring to the teaching of Moses to the people of “Israel” that emphasized that “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” To which Moses added this commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4- 5) But note that Jesus revised the concluding phrase in that statement to refer to one’s “mind”. Although these Pharisees and the ordinary Jew understood that the role of one’s “heart” in a human being’s life also included the role of one’s mind, but Jesus clarified the force of this commandment by making a specific reference to the role of one’s “mind” in his citation of this commandment regarding how human beings, particularly faithful Jews and Christians, were to relate to the LORD God. The point of this commandment, as cited by Jesus, is that Christians are to “love” God with all of the willful passion and dedication that they can generate from their total natures as human beings.

But “the natural” human being can’t do this

     Paul teaches that the mind of a “natural person”, an ordinary human being, cannot comprehend or understand the “wisdom of God” or what is “revealed…through the Spirit”, because it has not been “taught by the Spirit” to such individuals. Only those who “have the mind of Christ” can understand “the mind of the Lord” and those “things” and “the thoughts of God” that are “freely given” to individuals who are redeemed from their natural state as rebellious sinners “by God” and who are “taught by the Spirit”. (See 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 for this teaching) This teaching makes it clear that a “natural” human being who is living without the indwelling teaching influence of God’s Spirit cannot even understand the spiritual wisdom of God’s mind and laws with his or her “mind” let alone “love” God with the full “might” of his or her devotion.

But your mind can be renewed!

     After a very lengthy and complete teaching statement about the righteousness of God, his laws, the saving faith of Abraham, the bless of living by faith in Christ, and the failure of the people of Israel to do so (See Romans chapters 1-11), Paul urges his Christian “brothers” to present their “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” as an expression of their “spiritual worship”. (Romans 12:1) And then to resist being “conformed to this world”, but rather to “be transformed by the renewal of” their minds so that they “may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. (vs. 2) The personal sacrifice of your self-centered will and desires and thoughts to God can initiate a transforming change in your mind that will enable you to understand the “perfect” “will of God” and the “wisdom” of his laws and the glory of his grace.
And Paul taught his Christian disciples, and us, that they could be encouraged in their efforts to live “in Christ” by “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” with “humility” in accord with the mind of “Christ Jesus” who took the role “of a servant” by “becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:1-8, see also 1 Peter 5:6-9) Later in his teachings to these disciples, Paul emphasized his point that they should “stand firm…in the Lord” and “not be anxious about anything”, but “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:1, 5 & 8) In his teaching regarding how to live in cooperation with the Spirit, Paul indicated that “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace”. (Romans 8:6) According to Paul, what we give the attention of our minds to in our concerns and thoughts has a lot to do with its renewal and transformation into an effective organ for discerning and experiencing the spiritual wisdom of God that is revealed in Jesus.
     Peter also taught similar lessons to the Christian disciples who received his letters. He taught them in preparing their “minds for action”, which is required by anyone’s efforts to live a life of faith in Christ, that they are to be “sober- minded”, “as obedient children” without being “conformed to the passions” of their “former ignorance”, which came from their ”natural” minds. (See 1 Peter 1:13- 14) But they are to “be holy” because God who offers them and us his grace in Jesus is “holy”. (vs. 16) And Peter described how “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” that comes through the Christian’s “renewed” mind (accord to Paul) can enable Christians to “become partakers of the divine nature” and to escape “from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (or thoughts and attitudes in one’s mind). (2 Peter 1:2-4) And then he urges them to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love”, because “these qualities” will “keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)