Take Heart!

Who's out there?  Who is causing this trouble? What should I do?

These are a few questions that I know are going through the hearts and minds of people today as we watch the news reports of shootings and riots around the world.  So much confusion and anger.  So much fear.

The first response seems to be to try to place blame.  Racism, Religious Terror, Bigotry, Insanity, Criminal Activity, the list seems endless.  Have people gotten so bad in the past 50 years that there is no hope?

My friends on social media are dividing into camps and fear is causing them to lash out against other people.  I have tried not to join the mudslinging, but have inserted my understandings into the conversation.  The problem is that the true solution to the problem is one that many of them do not want to hear or do not want to trust.

So to save a lot of space, here is my understanding.  It is based on what I have learned over the past 40 years.  Muslims are not terrorizing the world.  Christians are not the source of the unrest around the globe or even in our own county, cities, and towns.  Phobias about different races are not at the center of killings.  I am not saying we are not seeing these things, but that we are aiming at them when we should be understanding the source of evil.

I have seen that as a world full of people and especially as Americans largely ignore or flat-out reject the spiritual aspect of our lives.  We all have a physical, mental / emotional, and spiritual aspect of existence.  Because we trust so heavily in the physical and mental, we do not trust the spiritual.  It has taken me decades to realize that focusing on the spiritual aspect of life in the same ways I do physically and mentally provides a balance and wisdom that eliminates so much confusion.   The reality of this is explained in the Bible in Ephesions 6:10-20
which says:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

In other words,  the evil one in the world that the Bible identifies as Satan is the one who is behind the so-called Muslim Extremist, or the Right-Wing Extremist who kill indiscrimately and then kill themselves.  Or even the riots that grow out of uncontrolled anger and domestic disputes that end in murder-suicide.  Why do so many mass murderers kill themselves?  I think that Satan hates even them and once he has enough control over them to cause them to commit these crimes, he definitely has enough control to cause them to destroy themselves as well.  He is a manipulator of lives and walks into the lives of those who do not oppose him.

In John 10:10 the scriptures describes Satan as a thief and says John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

If this is the identifying mark of the "Thief" then he is definitely taking control of people who are not paying attention to their spiritual lives.


The second part of that scriptures gives the solution to this problem. Our spiritual aspect of life encompasses our alignment with good and evil. Because of the schemes of Satan, we must always be on guard to keep ourselves aligned with God in order to have peace within us and in order to keep the evil of the world from destroying all of us.


John 16:33 says

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”One by one, some people of the world are letting fear tell them that physical and mental efforts will overcome evil. But physical and mental efforts will only overcome evil when the spiritual part of us is aligned with the one who has already overcome evil. That is where the power to change the world lies.


God, who is good and all-powerful, has given us the opportunity to provide ourselves as a gateway for good to reign. He should be invited to control our lives in such a way that He is living in us and we in Him. When more and more of us turn our spiritual lives over to the one who lies, kills, steals and destroys, then that is the gateway for an evil world to prosper.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The answer begins with those who truly seek the Prince of Peace and not the Prince of Darkness.  We must seek God the Father and reject the Father of Lies. We must actively turn to God and admit that the power we need comes from Him who has all power and more importantly, give God permission to use our lives to bring about a healing of our land.  Humbling ourselves is very difficult.  Prayer takes discipline and patience. But these are the ways to seek the face of God and ask him to heal our land, our families, and our future.  Take aim, not against flesh and blood, but against the true enemy in spiritual realms, but take heart, He has overcome the world!

Follow Directions to Find Direction

     We recently received a do-it-yourself doghouse kit for "Baby" the new dog in our family.  As we opened the box it said all you need is a screwdriver.  We looked for directions but found that it only had a set of pictures on the side of the box with one-sentence instructions for each step.  Fortunately, the process was so simple that those were the only instructions needed.  The house went together quickly and easily.  Many men are teased for their approach to such projects thinking they don't need to read the directions and that they can figure it out for themselves.  I remember putting together the baby crib for our first daughter and realized that the company must have put in some spare parts.  Later, once I read the directions, I had to disassemble the bed and put the parts where they were supposed to go.
     I think a lot of adults treat their Christian life that way.  We may have attended church and been taught from the Bible as children and, upon reaching adulthood, we believe we know what we are supposed to do in every situation.  We have heard about Jonah and Moses and David.  We have heard the parable of the sower and the lost sheep.  We know most of the 10 commandments, but not the order.  Many of us feel like we can get through just fine and can go to a pastor if things get confusing.  But I have learned that we miss a lot of things in life and and up with a lot of spare pieces left over when we don't seek God's directions in His word every day.
     The Bible is not only the words of God, but is the living Word of God.  It is the Voice of God in our lives.  It is another avenue of communication used by God for our daily direction.  When you read your Bible every day, God brings to you the words AND the understanding to interpret it into your current situation.  He "speaks" to us about our present needs and decisions on a spiritual level.  The Bible also gives us wisdom that comes not from current culture, but from the everlasting, infinite, creator of the universe.  It is wisdom that can be trusted to always be correct.  Proverbs 9:10 -"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
     Time and time again I see adults who believe they "know" God.   Many of them know about God, but haven't communicated with Him in a long time.  When someone asks if I know someone, they usually mean, "Do I spend time regularly with them", or "Is this person a regular part of my life."   They usually don't mean, "Have I learned things about this person in my past."   In order to know God and have Him as the guiding influence in my life, I have to keep in regular communication with Him.  Otherwise, he is just a philosophy or a life-goal.  God is the divine person after whom we were spiritually created.  He is active and speaks through His living word.  We should seek that word daily and pray to Him in the same spiritual way He speaks to us.
     The Bible includes direction for our life, it is true, but by reading and studying it, God speaks to us about today and uses the time we dedicate to His word as a time to connect with us and allow us to know Him more.  We learn how powerful He is and how loving He is and how dependable He is.  He is our direction, He is our knowledge of everything, and He is our daily existence..... or as He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."  The direction to go leads through Him.
   

Ding Dong

 

  Click to watch scene from Wizard of Oz

     In a climactic moment of the Wizard of Oz,  the Wicked Witch of the West has Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion ,and Toto trapped in the Castle by her Soldiers and Monkeys, and is preparing to kill them.   Not only that, she tells them that "The last to go will see the others go before her, and her mangy little dog, too."  She is preparing to execute Dorothy's friends in front of her.  Truly a wicked thing to do.  She starts with Scarecrow and brings fire from a nearby torch to set him on fire which she does as she laughs a wicked laugh.  In an attempt to put out the fire, Dorothy throws water on the scarecrow, which spills onto the witch.  Dorothy doesn't know it, but water causes the witch to melt, thereby saving them all from death.

     In her final words, the witch is astounded that a sweet little girl trying to help her friend causes the destruction of herself and her plans. Wicked Witch of the West: You cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? Oooooh, look out! I'm going! Oooooh! Ooooooh!
The soldiers, realizing the witch is gone, begin to celebrate their freedom and pledge their allegiance to Dorothy who has saved them also. "Hail Dorothy, the wicked witch is dead!"

      The eye-opening truth is that we are confronted with wickedness in our world everyday.  We are sometimes unaware that the battles we face are "not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The powers of wickedness are very real and as a society we are fighting it less and accepting it more. Americans are becoming the soldiers and monkeys who do not want to follow evil but feel trapped and have aligned with the enemy looking for a way to survive. They are so happy when they are rescued from the trap of evil's domination and are set free to live. It must begin with our own individual lives.
The truth is that evil spiritual authorities have gained control because we have given them control. We have given them control by accepting evil practices into our lives. If we give evil a foothold, evil has authority to take control of all of our lives and then our communities followed by our nation.

     How is evil destroyed? The witch wanted Dorothy's power held by the ruby slippers. She was unable to take the power unless Dorothy was destroyed and the life was gone from her. Satan wants to take our power, the power we have been given as we possess the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our power is stronger than evil. "I give them life forever and they will never die, no one can snatch them from my hand." John 10:18. And evil is defeated as easily as throwing water on a fire for those who have aligned themselves with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of Satan melts when sprinkled by the blood of Jesus.
     Who would have thought that good could destroy wickedness so easily. The power comes from those who possess the presence of the Holy Spirit within their lives because they have become devoted followers of Jesus. As the power destroys evil, the presence of the Holy Spirit brings peace and eliminates fear. Peace of knowing that the wicked witches of sin, abuse, sexual entanglement, addiction, and more can be melted away with a continual washing of forgiveness and restoration.
     "Hail Jesus, You have given us freedom from evil !" Although evil attacks constantly, there is no fear. I love the part of the movie where the Good Witch tells the Wicked Witch without an ounce of fear, "You have no power here!, Be Gone, Before Someone Drops a House on You!" That is the way we can approach the attacks of Evil, knowing we possess the power that so easily overcomes. Our everlasting life begins on earth and continues throughout our lives and into eternity when we spend forever with God in Heaven. Then our hearts can rejoice that we have left this world of evil attacks and can say, "There's No Place Like Home!"

Why follow?

The question of why to follow Jesus has come to the forefront of several conversations I've had recently.  The latest one began a facebook discussion about children being scared into making spiritual decisions by threats of Hell.  Everyone in the discussion agreed that this is not the way to share the gospel with children.
Because of the limitations of the facebook format, I wanted to expand on the discussion but not take up my friend's entire page.  Here is what I wanted to add.

The statement in a meme was, "If you need the threat of eternal torture to be a good person, you are not a good person."

This was not created by my friend but has been passed around.  My problem with it is that it pre-supposes the wrong question on many levels.  During our good discussion, it was revealed that many had experienced well-meaning church people who had boiled the entire Christian experience down to "Be Good or you'll go to Hell."  This is still the wrong understanding.  The part that is wrong is probably not the part you think I have a problem with.  The part that is throwing us off here is the "Be Good" part.

     I believe that if you asked Billy Graham if he considers himself a good person, he would say "NO."  Billy Graham knows better than anyone else what goes on and has gone on in his mind and his life.  Although Billy Graham strives to live a life that pleases God, he knows that the ability to live that way does not come from his efforts to "be good."  It does not come from him changing his ways because he fears Hell.  I believe he would tell you that "there is no one righteous (good), no not one." (Romans 3:10.)   The "goodness" in his life comes from his reliance upon God to live through him.  He has given up his own life in order to ask God to bring him a better one.
     God is the only truly "good person."   It cannot be coerced, at least not for very long, because we are imperfect.  Without a reliance upon God, we eventually hurt others, and ourselves.  Even our reliance upon God is imperfect and we do "bad things."  God resets us when we realize our imperfectness and turn to him to find the source of goodness.  When asked why I follow God, I don't begin with "because I fear Hell."  
     It's like asking someone why they are eating and they respond, "Because I have heard so many horror stories about people starving to death."  I usually eat  because of the wonderful, sweet, experience of eating and the fact that it fulfills a basic desire of my creation.  Its the same reason I follow God.  Sometimes I eat ice cream and sometimes I eat oatmeal, but I don't eat out of the fear of starvation.
     I am glad someone taught me that the result of not eating is starvation.  I am glad someone taught me that the result of not following God is to be separated from Him once this earthly life is over.  In both situations, it is a truth I understand, but not a fearful, daily motivating factor in my life.  I have experienced great food that sustains me and also brings me pleasure.  I have experienced the great joys of living according to God's plans which also sustains me and brings me pleasure.

     Finally, the biggest misunderstanding of the statement that started this discussion is that it pre-supposes that the goal of Christianity is to become a good person.  There are plenty of people trying to be a good person.  They are kind to others, they love and protect animals, they take care of the environment, and they try to give good and uplifting advice that they hope will keep others from making mistakes.  I think Christians should do the same things.  But God's priority for our lives is not to be a good person foremost.  That is where the "love your neighbor" part come in.  But first and foremost He has a different goal.
     Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance."
God gives us the opportunity to follow him not to be good, but to be alive.  Our imperfection and failure to be good all the time has already negated our ability to survive spiritually in the presence of a perfect God.
God in his own goodness gave us the opportunity to give up our lives in exchange for the perfect life lived by Jesus.  Then we can have life and survive in the presence of a perfect God.
   
Jesus did not come into the world to make bad people good.  He came to make dead people live.
That is why I follow Him.

 

Didn't Men Write the Bible? Why Trust it.

     One of the most commonly made comments made recently in discussing Jesus has been from people who have said, "I can't trust everything in the Bible because it was written by humans."   Others say, "I heard that the Bible has been changed over the years."  I want to give some thoughts in the shortest way possible in this blog so I will try not to elaborate too much, but that is not the correct understanding of the Bible.

The Bible was written down by humans.  God the Holy Spirit guided the writers so that they wrote exactly what was to be written down.

In my scripture reading today, Peter, who was an eyewitness and follower of Jesus for 3 years, was present at the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus wrote this about scripture in 2 Peter 1 about how the scriptures came to be given to us.

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Hasn't the Bible changed over the years?  Amazingly very little.  The transmitting of scriptures has been miraculously preserved in accuracy.  There are more examples of scriptures preserved from the Bible than any other book by far.  These go back to within 100 years of the original writings nearly 2000 years ago. Early Greek historians and philosophers have less than 100 examples of their writings preserved and most are copies from over 1000 years after the original writings.  Therefore it is difficult to compare to the originals.  Scripture that are less than 300 years after their original writings are number over 25,000 examples and more are being found all the time.  The earliest example comes around 75-100 years after the original writings.  Therefore it is easier to compare modern Bibles to original texts and they have been found to be over 99.5 percent accurate.  The Bible has not been changed over the years.  Other historical writings that are still read today have a much less accuracy due to careless copying.  the earliest remaining manuscripts from Aristotle comes from 1400 years after it's writing and the number of ancient manuscripts is less than 50.  Numerous changes due to copying have been found in Aristotle's writing compared to the originals.


Here is a more in depth discussion
https://s3.amazonaws.com/jmm.us/Bibliographical+Test+Update+-+08.13.14.pdf

Josh McDowell is an authority on this and related topics.  www.josh.org

Here is a 30 minute video you may enjoy by Josh McDowell that answers a lot of questions.
http://www.josh.org/video-2/can-i-trust-the-bible/

The New Testament contains eyewitness testimonies that were undisputed by those who heard them.  

Archaeology continues to support much of the old and new testament scripture.

Since this is not a place for long explanations I just want to encourage you, that if you have any of these questions about the uniqueness of the Bible, don't believe someone who has never looked into the topic.  Explore some of these links.

God's word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Let's Give a Great Big Hand

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus responded that it is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and that the second greatest is to Love your Neighbor as Yourself."   

He said that all of the other commandments hang on these two commands.

If you love your neighbor as yourself, that means you don't put yourself above anyone else.  We all take care of ourselves.  It is natural to eat when we are hungry.  It is natural to put on a coat when we are cold.  It is natural to rest when we are tired.  That is the way we take care of ourselves.   When our neighbor is hungry, what should we do?   When our neighbor is cold, what should we do?  When our neighbor is tired, what should we do?  

Love is not always a word the describes emotion, it is also an action word in many cases.  This is one of them.

If someone has a need, it is important to pray for them.  It is even important to tell them that you are praying for them.  By praying we are agreeing with God in the plan that He has to take care of their needs.   The next step, however, is to try to determine what God's plan is for you in this situation and whether it involves us being the giver of that care.  We pray to ask God to change our understanding and lead us to be a part of His plan.  Sometimes that means that we Love our Neighbor by following God's leading to practically help.    
     When I was baptized, I remember that the first thing the Pastor asked me was, "Doesn't it feel wonderful to follow God's commands for our lives?"  It does.  When God leads you into a situation to know someone's needs, it is our time to ask God, "Are you leading me to help by giving?"  I am sure that we cannot help every situation we become aware of.   As Christians we must become accustomed to asking and listening for the Holy Spirit to tell us what to do and then do it.  If we are following the plan of God, He will provide the necessary means to fulfill the plan.  We will be blessed as we learn to fulfill God's plan for our own lives.  Doesn't it always feel great to help someone?  That in itself is part of the blessing.  I do not subscribe to the teaching that we should give so that we will be given material things in return from God.   I do believe that seeking and acting upon God's plan in our lives creates a deeper relationship with Him and that is always a blessing. 
     When we see our neighbor is hungry, we love them by giving them food.  When we see our neighbor is cold, we love them be giving them a coat.  When we see that our neighbor is tired, we love them by helping and giving them rest.  When we see that our neighbor is lonely, we love them by spending time with them.  

This is such a simple lesson to understand and such a difficult one to put into practice.  
Do we ask the question "What if I don't have enough food to share?"  If it is in His plan, He can feed the 5,000 with loaves and a few fish. (Mark 6:30-44)   "What if I don't have clothes to spare?"  Didn't the Israelites spend years in the desert with clothes that never wore out? (Deut 8:4)   What if I am too tired to help them?  We are reminded that those who wait upon the Lord, (follow His Leading) will renew their strength, will run and not grow weary, will walk and not grow faint. Psalm 40:31

Take Action when you see a need. Pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Gal. 6:9-10

It May be Dark, but it's Not Too Late

It's not too late.  It's not a lost cause. It's not hopeless.  It's not too far gone. 

     When we are in a relationship with someone, not matter what kind, it often seems like there is no way to repair the damage when the relationship is broken.  Marriages end, children are estranged from parents for decades, and people die having never restored themselves to each other.  We see this so often that we believe that all relationships are like that.  That is not true.
     First of all, most relationships that are broken and not repaired are that way because one side or the other refuses to restore the relationship.  It may be out of anger or the feeling that a restored relationship will only bring a return of the problem that began the rift in the first place.  In order for a relationship to be restored, there has to be several changes.  A change must come in the situation and a change must come in the mind and heart of those in the relationship.
     The situation could be an argument that resulted in statements being made that established hurt feelings or a refusal to associate with the other.  The situation could be a stance on an issue that is outside the bounds of one person's acceptable living limits.  The situations are usually real problems, but are not always unchangeable.
     The other change takes place in the heart of those involved.  We have to be willing to listen and understand.  Possibly a misunderstanding has taken place and can be corrected.  Possibly the situation is exactly as it was originally understood and a change in the situation must occur.  Then a decision can be made as to whether the relationship is worth the surrender of the stand we have taken.  
     All of these scenarios involve an evaluation of something we hold dear, our control.  Our ability to decide what we want.  Sometimes that is the source of our broken relationship. 

There is one relationship, however that has a different set of rules.  Our relationship with God.  When there is something wrong with our relationship with God, it is easy to figure out where the change needs to happen.  Why do I say this?   
God never changes.  



Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

God is never unfair. He is perfectly just based on the way He designed the universe. He made the rules.

No matter how much we want to have a say in it, they are already set and do not change.


God always forgives someone who honestly asks Him for forgiveness. No matter what it is. But we have to be the ones to change. We have to REPENT or change our ways and ask him to forgive us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9


God has already sacrificed in an order to restore the relationship.

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8


Whether we are spending our lives not in a relationship with God because of anger or because we feel unworthy or because we are in a situation that is against God's universe, the fault is not God's. We can be consumed with the desire to control our own choices, but ultimately they must align with God.


We must confess that Jesus is Lord of all including us. We must recognize Him and be willing to give up control.


Next we must ask forgiveness and for restoration of the relationship. He has promised to say yes.


"If you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and trust in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."


The relationship is maintained just like most other relationships. Talk together often. Learn everything you can about each other. Choose to do things that improve the relationship whenever you can.


It's not too late.