“The aims of a great empire and the moral health of the people are incompatible.” “Holding on to a great empire means to contribute to the extinction of our own people.” “And since the faceless and greedy pack did what it pleased, more often than not in our name, we will not be able to wash ourselves clean as quickly as the others have.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from “The Russian Question” As the leadership of a nation goes, so are it’s people judged. Sadly, a majority of the citizens could disagree with the rulers, but they are not differentiated. These, unfortunately, bear responsibility of all actions; the blessings of kindness — the guilt of wrongs done. Presumed on by outsiders, many bear the brunt of a nation disgraced, a name disintegrated. So, what can we learn? Many things: Private reputations often yield unconsciously to group evaluation. People judge often by national…
Healing at the Cross Posts
“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1Corinthians1:23 -2:2 “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14 We preach Christ and Him crucified? Without this real historic event of 2000 years ago, our life remains in shambles; because when He died,…
Two brothers approached and offered God yield of their life occupations. One offered a sheep, the other fruit. God respected one offering, the other, He rejected. The Genesis story describes two men and their God, two men shaped in iniquity, two men born outside the presence of the Almighty, two men excluded from the ongoing fellowship which their parents had enjoyed. A similar state belongs to every human born of Adam, it includes us also. Question? How do we approach Him? Do we need to appease God, or do we simply present the “already accepted” offering of a Savior? Do we need to do anything? What reconnects man and his God? First simple observation — production alone will not appease Him. Why? Because God cannot accept any works, fruit, or outcomes which have been born, developed or perfected by a sin-infected soul, including motivation or handiwork. Sorry but any product…
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1Timothy 3:16 “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” 1 Timothy 3:9 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:26 – 27 Many are the mysteries. The gospel, the second coming of Christ, the rapture of the Church, partial blindness to Israel are some of these. Also there is the mystery of iniquity, which does already work in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Though many mysteries abound, many also are revealed to…
“The voice of my beloved! lo, this—he is coming, Leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hill’s.” Song of Solomon 2:8 When last had we leapt or jumped or even skipped? Buoyant as a bird or gazelle comes a jumping someone, in our allegorical sense it’s the Christ, resurrected from the dead and demonstrating what a post-grave world looks like. Lo and behold He invites you and me into it. “Behold, there He stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice.” Song of Solomon 2:9 From the glory of the resurrected world, our Messiah seeks us who have not yet passed through. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,” Song of Solomon 2:10 We were, before salvation came, dead in trespasses and sins , But now, we hear of His love for us, we wonder as He…
Lists in the Bible are many — here are a few: 2Timothy 3:1 teaches: ” … understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ” For people will be: selfish, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, (over-shining). irreverent. disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, Without natural affection trucebreakers slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. . Avoid such people. In contrast is God’s love list of 1 Corinthians 13: Love is so patient and so kind; love never boils with jealousy; it never boasts, is never puffed with pride; It does not act with rudeness, or insist upon its rights; it never gets provoked, it never harbors evil thoughts; Is never glad when wrong is done, but always glad when truth prevails; It bears…
Song of Solomon 1:12 While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. Song of Solomon 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. Song of Solomon 1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. “The spikenard is a lowly herb, the emblem of humility.” “…as Mary did when she anointed Jesus’ feet with the ointment of spikenard that was very costly, one pound of it worth three hundred pence, and so fragrant that the house was filled with the pleasing odor of it. (John_12:3) ‘Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” Very precious and fragrant, an herb grown…
Faith exists the truly held, felt, smelled, and shelled nugget of gold — the one of my hopes and dreams — but comes by hearing, and the spiritual sense of hearing can only come by the Word of God.. Yes, God’s Word, God Himself, and our participation in that Nature, becomes our way, our truth, and our life. How? I must get near Him and when I do, like the Shulamite woman of Song of Solomon, Chapter 3, hold Him and never let go — “until I had brought Him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.” The Pulpit commentary explains: “ecstatic and intense as her devotion is, it is not the lawless affection of a concubine, but the love of a noble wife. The religious emotions are always presented to us in Scripture, not as wild fanaticism or superficial excitement, but as pure…
Not always, but occasionally, “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go,” sadly detours us onto unfamiliar routes. Sometimes these alternate routes are well marked and eventuate easily to the more familiar paths — But then, maybe not. We wish for a safe and clearly defined trail, one with landmarks along the way. However, this day we go down a ‘never-before’ gone road, and to add to the suspense, it is turning twilight, soon to be fully dark. Apprehension bids us: should we stop, ask for directions, pray, or all of the above? We may find ourselves just short of panic. Let’s pause. As much as we disdain the thought of these real-life detours, they occur. Jesus teaches his disciples in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many…
The Christmas Cross Some aspects of Christmas disclose themselves covertly: The Christ-child, tiny babe, was also Mankind’s Savior and continues our Personal Defender. You see, justice precedes love in God’s saving scheme, and we must see this. Justice and judgment must factor in, or we lose realness. Without grounds for judicial release in the objects of love, love has not much meaning. But what gets judged? Moses, in Exodus 15, led Israel three days without water toward Mara. The waters there were bitter and the people shrieked. Who could blame them, but was there a meaning? Moses begged an answer from God, crying with body prostrated. God showed him a tree and Moses threw the tree into the water, and the waters were made sweet. First thought is: God, using God’s man, leads them, but they hate the bluntness of circumstance. Number two, God wants to demonstrate justice and truth,…