For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future; but an excuse can last for life. Eric Hoffer A great statement and wise observation, it grabs us because the folly of human nature often exposes itself so loudly. Hoffer above describes a person who thinks wrongly, but why? We can call him or her a legalistic thinker, because they view life as a proving, a measuring up to a standard, a trying to please or appease a serious onlooker who holds their fate. It’s no shock to us that this law-beaten type of individual must turn their mind toward evasion tactics and ploys of excuse making. Their life is drudgery. They stay with a project for a while and try it on. They wait for the prospect of fulfillment —on their own…
Tag: <span>grace</span>
“The transgression of the wicked says within my heart, there is no fear of God before their eyes.” This is Psalm 36, verse two. So, something that others do has something to say in my heart? Yes, the heart moves and absorbs movement, processing thoughts, feelings, conscience, etc. We guard the processor vigilantly, entrusting it to God, this is Proverbs 23:26. See, we have a brand-new heart, but what became of the old heart? That heart has the capability to resurface in our experience if my new heart is not safe-guarded. To avert this re-rise we put our bodies on an altar, set apart, and fellowship in a discernment of his will and purpose which correlates to my new heart. See? Now, with this new heart we have many sanctified functions: one of these is to distinguish all people and circumstances. Let me give you an example; when operating in…
Storage bins: they hold stuff. They serve best when dry, unbroken. Where many accumulate, markings identify each…maybe they are color-coded or tagged. These bins survive in protected cargo space. I worked a small warehouse once, primarily because I lacked production side skills. My job was to label and categorize things previously “hit and miss.” In my case, this meant putting steel with steel, or copper with copper. Sometimes I put red with reds, and yellow with yellows. I took boxes of arbitrary screws or nails and sorted them, marked them, and placed them in individual jars on shelves. I threw out a lot of useless junk. Indexing and making things readily accessible to the production engineers started saving time on their projects. I so enjoyed the job. An outside business evaluater complimented my work, and encouraged me about how vital it was to the company. Nevertheless, she said, most employers…
People who understand grace also understand the meaning of the cross. It’s vital for the application of grace to personal situations. “Grace embrace” and “cross” require a commitment, and that “surrender” leaves self behind and moves Father-bound. Jesus cried out from His cross, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.” Likewise, we commit our works unto the Lord toward established thoughts, in Proverbs 16:3. When we commit our way unto Him, the way comes to pass. (Psalms 37:4-6). We commit the keeping of our soul unto Him. He keeps it. In Romans 6, Paul showed us a bunch of facts to memorize, namely: we were (at salvation) baptized (immersed) into Christ and His death; two-we were buried with Him because of this saturation; three-since Christ was raised, we could walk in a new life; and four-we were joined to Him in perfect equivalence to His death and resurrection. See, united to Him…
The judicial system does not separate a person from his past but sees the person’s identity as a consistent whole throughout a lifetime. Thankfully this is so, otherwise it could be argued that the person, five years removed from the deed, has become a new person and so sheds responsibility for past years, ie. Tom at age 18 was a different person from Tom at 27. In a true story, Tom robbed the grocery store when he was young. What do we reckon now that Tom has been found out 10 years later? In most places our legal system says he still pays for the crime, but many folks are of the opinion to release him. What do you say? Well, lets ponder; if an individual could receive a token status of “new identity” in a measure of time lapsed, there most certainly would be criminals running free in our…
In thoughtful reflection, I set aside some time, and contemplated how a friend may have been feeling. I suddenly wondered, does God ever do what I am now doing? Do our thoughts and feelings matter to God? Growing up as a child and then a young man, I don’t remember many times anybody asking me, “Tom, what do you think about this?” “What are your feelings? I remember only a few occasions of someone sincerely saying to me, “how are you doing?” In the Bible, when Jesus met a rich young ruler, it says that He loved him. Yes, though the man did not grasp Jesus’ message, Jesus loved him. When Peter didn’t understand Jesus’ feet washing ministry, Jesus, nevertheless, took time to identify with Peter’s bafflement. Then The Lord explained things. Jesus took the side of and defended an adulterer one day, causing quite a stir. I mused about…
“The love of God does not find that which is worthy of His love, but rather creates it for Himself; but the love of man comes into being through the lovableness which it finds.” Luther Paul found a hard reality when he reported “the more I abundantly love you, the less I am loved,” in 2 Corinthians 12:15. Why no reward for his love? At deeper thought, why the opposite kind of reward did he receive than what was expected? “Natural human love expects something in return. But Paul is saying, “It doesn’t really matter to me whether you love me or not. I am willing to be completely destitute anyway; willing to be poverty-stricken, not just for your sakes, but also that I may be able to get you to God.”” This is a quote from Oswald Chambers. Jesus, one day girded Himself with a towel and began to…
Life has jagged edges, abrasive surfaces, serrated openings, and corrugated backs. These help us to grip something, but how hard? They dull a sharp knife and make it a saw, they wipe out a pattern, and make things hard to follow. These crinkled grooves wear away at a habit and move us toward change. O happy day, we might say, but not to dismay. If we are annoyed about the rough and tumble, could it be that we matriculate toward the smooth side? Whatta you mean? I mean; are you partial, comfort-bent toward the safe living zone ? We all admit this, because we all grossly underestimate how drastic a metamorphosis beckons its operation within us. We find ourselves thinking in tiny adjustments’ terms, while God determines shifting paradigms, and entire value-systems’ revamps. See, we must be born again, then our “born again” must emerge from its safe cocoon. We…
Christmas is a time for goodies, cookies, candies, pies and cakes. Have you ever eaten humble pie? This happens when, at a moment of self-pampering, we painfully become cognizant of our animal-like-behavior. We were moving along entertained, painting the town with our free wheeling, till —oh my goodness! Suddenly, we are stunningly shamed! Humble pie exposes one’s pride. These two, pride and humility, taunt each other; they ebb and flow, tide high and low in soul’s ocean. They exist the in and out, introvert and extrovert, subjective and objective, above and below. One serves while the other reigns a god; one thrives self-consciously, the other one not so much. Pride thinks of itself more highly than it ought, or, more lowly than obliged. Humility considers never so much of it self. God giveth grace to the humble, but he resists the proud. Satan giveth favor to the proud, but resists…
I knew a man in Christ, a father, a friend, a counselor, mentor and inspiration. I knew a man in Christ, he taught me how to think, how to live, how to die. He taught me the Bible, removing all gray areas; preciseness was his forte, accuracy his norm. He taught dogmatically, leaving no room for doubt; exposing the foolishness of inferior systems. Yes, I knew this man in Christ. When my pastor spoke, there was an anointing, clear, distinct, heavenly, penetrating. Sometimes came tears, sometimes a display of authority. Often the message pin-pointed the exact issue of my current experience. I sensed the ministry tuned into me, to me personally — adjusting my thinking, feeling, and conscience. I was a part of it, my listening perpetuated it, my heart embraced it, my soul bathed in it. Many times, I wept. I sensed something very deep happening — A healing, deliverance,…