As the sun goes down on the world, a Christian looks upward. We must refocus — since we actually and easily belong also to this world — tainted by a sin propensity inherited from our parents. (They got theirs from their parents who got theirs from their parents and so on.) We gaze skyward to where our precious Father and Savior has prepared a sinless residence, which awaits us at the time of our death or even before — at the snatching away of the Church at 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. The shout of the Lord, as a commander inciting his troops, will pierce the sky. A trumpet will reverberate, or bombastically blast out. Bright angelic tones sound out like the sun bursting through clouds — and all of it happening in a moment, (indivisible time), in the twinkling of an eye. (the flapping of a wing,…
Tag: <span>Father</span>
I don’t want to think on it any more. Title of a new song? No, heart cry of a grieving soul. I don’t want to think on it any more. The universe fills with thoughts — big enough for every human being to have his or her unique version. We play with it, enjoy it, embellish and create. We discover the powers of soul and their self-willed capabilities. One day arrives, however, when the self-personality waxes ugly and if I’m honest — I don’t want to think on it any more. To loath my fool-hearted-self, logically manifests itself, after all, a man is shapen in iniquity — “in sin did my mother conceive me.” So teaches God’s Word. The way that seems right to a man eventuates in the way of death. My own understanding lends itself not to be leaned upon. Then what? Oh happy day, when Jesus washed…
Do I belong? Do you belong? This question must be answered daily, since daily we may doubt it. The question of being acceptable, measuring up, meeting the criteria; haunts us — but why? For me, the inquiry can lapse into an obsession — one which draws me back to the days when I asked the same question — but looked for answers in another way and place. You too? Indeed, we relied on mirrors, facial cremes, designer clothing, hair gel and so much more. Then, We may have entered a segment of time where we shirked the caring — it was too much — too hard — much too time-consuming. Indeed, the self-consciousness cramped us and slowed us down. It made us feel like fish out of water, unable to focus on the task at hand, or have just plain hypocritical, phony, disingenuous feelings. We wanted to be real.…
Today I need Him, again, I can’t do it myself. Some folks are intellectually brilliant, they depend on this. Some are physically endowed, this helps them. A third group have wealth, they turn to it. Others cope well. I have also had the traits of mental skill, some muscle, too — some savvy; a good income. — great wife. Problem: The famous verse — “God helps those who help themselves,” Cannot be found in the Bible, even with a diligent search. The roots of such sayings can be strange. From “The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals” comes some thoughts by Donny Friederichsen. About our above phrase, he says, “…the form in which it usually appears today most likely originated with the Reformed and Puritan Bible commentator, Matthew Henry–yep, that Matthew Henry.” Henry’s commentary on Joshua 5:13-15 reads, “God will help those who help themselves.” Duncan speculates that one reason people think this phrase is…
“Amor fati” fellow fanatics, “amor fati!” translated “The love of fate.” “It is foolishness to oppose a tendency which is obviously a law of history and to take countermeasures against a trend which is a natural law.” Nietzsche. Really? Does history itself have a personality, does it have a mind? Is that raucous tide able to bend or yield? Where goes it? What are its ends? Can we change history? The fatalists emphatically say “no.” Apparently “history,” the person, is not like the redeemed saints who realize God’s image. The will of the lover of fate is already determined and cannot change. Therefore worshipers at this altar cannot stop the inevitable. They just “go with the flow.”– Whether death or life. What the historo-gods rule, they carry out through forced will. The Christian perspective is in diametric opposition to these ideas. We say indeed, history, (His story), will take a certain…
God laughed. Yes, from heaven He laughed in their face, at their calamity, at their delusion. The most sincere, He found hilariously funny, and justly cared not at their cultural correctness. The thoughts in the hearts of these wayward were only evil continually, and God flooded the world with no blinking. Noah in the mean time had built an ark of insulation, got in it with family and some animals, and was shielded from the laughing-wrath event. God didn’t change His mind at the crying of the ark-less, the drowning of the devil-logged proceeded. “Good riddance, I hope you enjoyed your brief excursion here on earth, but now we must move on to a cleansed and scoured new world, (paraphrase mine).” Pro 1:24-26 says, “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel,…
For this reason, before the first Passover, God told Moses, “When I see the blood I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). The children of Israel were told to apply the blood of the passover lamb to top of the door and on the twodoorposts—a picture of the mind, emotions and will being cleansed.Now, that subjective part has a new opportunity because God doesn’t remember sins. More than that, God’s mercy takes care of theeffects of what other people have done. He removes the effects of all sin. His vicarious death, burial, and resurrection, with the Holy Spirit’spower of cleansing, all work together to purge me and take away the sin, plunging it forever into the sea of God’s forgetfulness. Dr Carl Stevens Ever notice how we have the ability to make words mean something shallow, deep, hollow, trite or weighty etc.? We can use our…