Taste and See. . .

2008-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

One of the arguments against the existence of God that I've heard during many one on one witnessing opportunities is that there can't be a God because bad people succeed and good people fail. A God wouldn't let that happen. First of all, without a standard of good and bad, good and bad wouldn't exist, and God set that standard. Second, and my main point, God doesn't let bad people succeed and good people fail. I believe this deals with perspective. Let us compare two passages of Scripture. First, Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 -- "There is an evil that I have seen under sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grevous evil." In this passage, we learn that fulfilled desires is not the same as enjoyment. Getting that which one counts as success is not the same as actually enjoying the fruits of success. While the evil man flourishes with success, most likely he is also drowning in despare, for he has all he wants, but does not truly reap the happiness that he thought his success would bring him. Rather, someone else enjoys his success for him, possibly that poor failure known as a righteous man. This man knows happiness, and gets it from the rich, successful, discouraged man. The second passage we should acquire wisdom from is Psalm 92:7, 12-15a -- "Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever...The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright." Here we find that the success of the evil man is of the earth and will soon transform into destruction. Everything comes and goes in its season. All that which is of this earth will be reduced to vanity, and all who trust in it will perish. But the righteous man, whose flourishing is in the house of God, will succeed forever, and will always be full of "sap," or, abundant, healthy, productive life, even when he is old. And this is so that the righteous can "declare that the LORD is upright." So I think success is all a part of perspective. To pile up vanity to oneself or to fill one's self with the uprightness of the Lord: which is true success? On the outside vanity is much more appealing. At least during life. But what then? All one has to offer God for his life is vanity. That which melts with the elements. Truly the righteous man who seems to fail in this life is filled with success that far exceeds the evil, wealthy man. That man can't even fully enjoy his wealth. So I will seek God. Not for pleasure, but because He is worth it. He is worthy of it.

2008-07-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Is God limited by reality and logic? How do reality and logic relate to one another? I will attempt to give an anwer from my limited understanding. The introductory question is one given by many who would attempt to undermine the limitless nature of God. However, a look at the nature of reality and logic, in my mind, undermine attempted undermining. What is reality? Is it something that can bind God? Is it an essence that can be escaped from? I think a more appropriate question is: is reality something that is to be escaped from? Let me explain. Many words within language are words that represent ideas rather than entities. Such words include "existence" and "victory/defeat." These words do not represtations of things, but rather ideas related to things, occurances, etc. Likewise, reality is not a thing. It is an idea that refers to what is. God IS boundless. That is reality. If God escaped from reality because of His boundlessness, He would consequentially escape from boundlessness. Reality is not an entity, it represents the God who is, and everything else. Reality is not a type of Alcatraz that provides the inhabitants a sense of capture and imprisonment. Reality is not even something that has inhabitants. We are not co-inhabitors of reality along side of God. Reality is an explanation, not a composition, of what is. How is reality related to logic? Is God bound to logic? Logic is a means by which intellectual beings understand reality. It is the ability to identify observable or otherwise comprehendable realities and conclude other realities. Math is an example (deductive). Betting at horse races is another (inductive/abductive). Is God limited by logic? Is logic a realm? I would say, no. Logic is a means of identification. Logic was not created. God is logical by nature, and He passed on that trait to the image in which He created man. Logic finds its roots in God. Is God limited by mathmatical equations? Can he not work outside of those bounds? Or is math representative of the mind of God? I suppose He could change math laws. I'm just not sure if such laws are a creation or if they are part of God's established logic, defined by His nature. Either way, He is not bound by logic or reality. Neither are entities that have the ability to bind anyone. They are representations and explanations of what is.

2008-05-18T21:33:00.001-07:00

Empty handed I am. This is a fact all men can claim with personal application. However, some come to learn it through lonliness of heart. "Some" includes me. With a smile on my face, rotting my soul with its hypocrisy, I drown in emptiness. Can I not just be honest-faced? Is it that I do not trust that the body of Christ will care for its own members? It's most likely it will not, at least not with real concern, but there are a few that would truly reach out. A couple for sure. However, the issue extends to more closely related subjects. They might be discussed here in this physical representation of my scattered mind.
I can not live; I can not work; I can not read; I can not pray; I can not sing; I can not love; I can not laugh; I can not cry; I can not play. I can only appear to do these things. But my wholeness is not welcome at these festivities. This has only just occured to me. I know neither how nor why. Perhaps I do, for I can know one thing, and in this one thing changed the world: "Your love is better than life." Surely this one thing can change one who helps make up the world. May it do more than make sense. May it make me. He loved me first, and my natural response ought to be to first love Him. But sin makes one go against He who bought and changed him. I want to want to love Him. God uses that. It allows for perseverance. Not that God needs that; it's merely an aspect of such a condition.
"You make oceans from the rain, bringing life into this place. And I will drown inside your love until I see your perfect face."
I want to do this drowning.
Who else besides my self will I hurt because of the false sense of emptiness I experience? I know a few.
How is it a false sense, knowing that the things I know I don't have cannot be had anyway in the truest sense apart from intimacy with God? Here's a clue: the knowledge manifests itself in apathy and the selfish kind of depression, if there is any other kind. I'm not sure. One can know truth, and apply it selfishly. A lot of Atheists do this everyday. So do some fundamentalists with their perfectly ok policies, only in a different way.
So how can I know this truth in a selfless way? Not through force, that's for sure, for there is none that seeketh God. For me to seek through my power would be to ensure failure, for one that seeketh with his own power will not seek God, but by default seeks his own. But the one who seeks by His power by default seeks God's own, for he is and acts like God's own. Once again, the prevailing, one-word answer is. . .yield. Yield your soul, your life, your pride, everything inside and out. "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" But You use him for your glory as you deserve. What is man. . .you are mindful of Him? To understand this fully, the "you" must be understood. At least to an extent. But that' for our own personal thoughts and studies. But at least, know this my soul, that He who began this great work in you is faithful to complete it. So set your will, your struggles and strifes at highest second to the one Who can not fail at what He sets out to do. For to seek God's own is the highest calling for all who live, including God. And all who set out to do it in His power will be blessed with victory.

2008-04-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Why do we get proud when God does something great through us? Is it at its core because we like to take the credit for ourselves? I think that could be one way of seeing it. Another way of seeing it might be this way: men are of little faith. When confronted with a situation/opportunity/etc., we religiously pray that God would use it for His glory, when in all reality, our real desire is so that something good would happen so we wouldn't have to admit to messing up again, and/or that we may be lifted up in the eyes of men. The reasons can go on. So perhaps the prayer is merely a mentally spoken desire addressed to ourselves but tagged with the name "God." We do this maybe because we have more faith in the works or our own hands than in the hand of God. This is due to a belittled view of God. Perhaps I don't believe God works in my personal life, even though I can see that He did in the great Christian men of the past. So we feel alone. We feel the burden layed on ourselves to make the opportunity great. But we still pray, "Dear God, please. . ." We know as a fact that we have no strength, but we don't realize how much God actually does work in our daily lives. He really is real. He really does get deep into our lives. Deeper than we get into them. When we speak with Godly ferver, it really is Him speaking great things, not ourselves. But we, when we speak great things, don't acknowledge that God really does do great things immediately through us. We then perceive our actions as merely our actions. And when the action is great, we think we are great, when it was God working all along. All because we don't see God when He really does work. The memory gets blended with the times when we really did work in our own strength.

2008-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

If everybody in the world had a mental illness due to something not detectible by microscopes, CAT scans, or anything else that detects physical problems, and that mental illness influenced the thoughts and corresponding lives of those who had it, and one person lacked that illness, that person would be seen as "different" or "abnormal." As far as the majority goes, they think they are "right" because each one of them is "normal." Normality is relative to the majority, not to what should be. And far too often people critisize others for not being "normal," whether the subject of normality be phsycological, physical, or spiritual in nature. Let's deal with the spiritual aspect. Fundamentalists have a view of what is right based on their interpretation of Scripture. So do liberals. Fundamentalists judge liberals and liberals judge fundamentalists. First of all, neither of them has to be right about whatever topic is being discussed. Second of all, there has to be one conclusion to every discussion, whether that conclusion is subjective or objective in nature. How does one know what is the right conclusion? If I could answer that, I could eliminate the terms "fundamentalist" and "liberal." But I'm not going to do that. I do not doubt my fundamental beliefs, for I believe they are sound, but I cannot uplift dogmatism so high that it refuses to accept something else as truth if it is a better fit to reality than what I presently believe. When personal agenda reigns as the king of perceived truth, I no longer seek to find truth, but rather I attempt to make truth and I am unwilling to accept reality when God shows it to me. And this reality shows us intended normality. This normality is what God created, but man lost because of sin. To be driven by dogmatism is to be like the majority with the undetected mental illness. When they see someone who is "healthy," they cannot allow themselves to accept that they are "sick" and are the ones in need of change. Certainly there are diseases that are obviously detrimental to overall health, but what of the one who is merely...different? Cannot something be learned of him? Is the majority supreme, or is truth? Is historical normality the standard, or is truth? Truth is not found in "what always has been" or "what most people in our circles believe." Truth is its own substance and cannot be determined by what people say it is. Truth paints a picture of the immutable God - or should I say, truth is a product of the existence of God. Understanding changes. It always has. God doesn't. Logically we can deduce from these two statements that, historically speaking, 100% truth has not been found by men, nor will it be until we're all dead. Only glorified individuals who have seen God and have cast off the filthy, defiled flesh can truly see 100% truth, for only the glorified individual can see the complete picture of God. And even then we are limited. Who are we, who yet live in the flesh, to claim supreme health and be unwilling to learn from those who are different? Do we have to admit that they are right? Not necessarily. But we must be humble enough to learn, for our understanding about just about everything is still incomplete and always will be until we're dead. But our understanding can progress. This happens by learning, evaluating, discerning, praying, and yielding to the Spirit. No dogmatic (proud) man will know truth according to the Spirit as he ought. No, not much more than an unregenerate man can. I do not mean by this post that man cannot please God because he will never be able to truly see who He really is. God is pleased by one's desires more than He is by one's accomplishments. Accomplishments are done by the unregenerate everyday. But they are filthy rags. Rather, God looks on the heart. What we give Him today from our hearts pleases Him. This is yielding. This is relationship. Women and men don't understand each other very well. But a love and desire for the other (all things pending) will keep them together. Understanding within this bond will keep growing. But little or much understanding does not have to regulate little or much love. We can have a vibrant relationship with God, even though we don't really get everything about Him. So let's seek the love relationship. Understanding will come when the Spirit shows us. We must be willing to accept it when it comes though, whatever twists it may throw in our preconceived ideas. Our goal is truth as it displays God, because we love Him and want to know Him and understand Him. Love is curious about the deep things of the other. Should we not seek the deep things of God, while not making conceptual endeavors god instead?

2008-04-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

Why does it seem that the focus of marriage centers on what is physical? If such a focus displayed reality, then that would also be the focus that God has on marriage. But when in the Scriptures does it emphasize the physical above other things? When I think of Scripture passages dealing with marriage, I think of topics dealing with love, respect, understanding, sacrifice, giving and giving up, etc. These are the major emphasese, not the fulfillment of physical passion. Not that this is non-existant in Scripture, but it is not what is displayed as being the most important. But it is nevertheless what men and women look forward to the most on their wedding day. At least this is so according to my limited sources of observation. Welcome to America. Anyway, here are what I perceive to be the most important qualities of marriage: The permanent bond between two helps fit for each other-helps fit to aid in their spiritual walk with God, help in the work of God, lift up the other when they are down, to weep with, to rejoice with in all things for the rest of their lives; to have someone to understand and be understood by; to give and receive joy due to common love; to fulfill each other's love by being there, for no love desires to be seperated from its object. Many reasons are buried within these broad discriptions, and there are many more that could be mentioned. And I suppose this love that is true and in its right place doesn't have to be beckoned by the Spirit into the arms of God because its already there. It has recognized its King. It has fallen in love with Him too, foremost. First-not in a time sense but a priority sense. This is how love for another on earth can be its deepest and purest-when the fullness of one's love is buried deep within the heart of God. Otherwise, love only causes the Spirit to beckon and battles the Spirit when He beckons. This is the root of selfishness, the deepest enemy of love. This is what causes lust, aka love corrupted by the cancer of selfishness. Therefore, love cannot be what it is meant to be, hurting one's relationship with God and the other individual involved. Maybe this is one reason those entering into a marriage relationship find things the hardest right at the beginning. The physical relationship has transformed, and so often one's mind concerning the other individual has done so as well, replacing love with lust within the marriage relationship. Just because something's legal doesn't mean it has to be understood the proper way. Lawful fulfillment of passion doesn't have to be done in love for the other person. But it is done in love. For self, which, corresponding with one's relationship with the other, is lust. So where is the emphasis of marriage? It's found in the other person. It's found in God.

2008-02-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

If one knows not truth, but ends up telling truth though his heart sought to lie, is it not counted a lie? If one is misinformed and tells a falsehood thinking it to be a truth, is he not yet counted with the pure in heart? If one makes the righteous statement, "I love God," yet in his heart he has not renounced unrighteousness and cleaved to the Good, is he not a liar? Though he might suppose that since the statement is Christian, "and therefore good," is he not still a representative of the infadels at heart? Then again, if a person says, "I do not love God. Look at me: how could I?" and in his honesty rather the opposite is true, is he not still a man after God's own heart? Consider the prayers of the publican and the pharisee.

2008-02-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

I can picture God as I or any struggle through thoughts of depressed relationship between us: He looks upon us with wide dialated eyes and forcefully yet with peace and an overflowing heart says, "I still want you. I have not changed my mind about you yet, nor will I. Here's my love. Take it. Know it. Embrace it. I'm embracing you. I do not say you have never forsaken Me. I do not say that you have never played the whoremonger. I do say My faithfulness toward you will endure. Remember - I am love. Therefore, I am faithful. Your relationship with me is not based on you and your character. It is based on Me and Mine. I will not change. My thoughts about you won't either. Therefore, you are mine forever, o dearly beloved of My soul."

"I love you more than the sun and the stars that I tought how to shine - you are Mine and you shine for me too. I love you yesterday and today and tomorrow, I'll say it again and again - I love you more!" - Matthew West

2008-02-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to be "right with God"? I would suppose that it means to be a person who runs after God's own heart. Wouldn't that assume that the same person is himself resembling God's own heart? Granted we are fallen. Granted we will not fully resemble Him until glory. But, like David who was an obvious sinner more than other Biblical examples of a Godly person, we can have God's desires be our own and pursue them as much as we are able. My problem is realizing that I don't have to understand every problem to the fullest extent in order for it to be dealt with. I can seek God while still having problems. Isn't God the one who is able to defeat the sin? So why do I think I have to have my problems under my thumb in order to be "right with God"? If I wait for that I will never be useful for God because I will never be satisfied because of Him. Rather, the recognition of our sin ought make us awefully consider God who calls us His beloved and chosen regardless of our sins against Him. We ought to consider the grace that yet called us. What did David do in most of his Psalms? Work out his own problems in his head and then display his thoughts on parchment? Rather he drew a picture of the person of God, to His praise. When David saw his sin, he turned the gaze of his heart to God who did not change His mind about him.

2008-01-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading Isaiah 5 this morning before bed and was immensely blessed by the first 7 verses. It tells an allegory of a planter planting a "beloved vineyard" and making all the necessary preparations to assure a quality and bountiful reaping of grapes. To the planter's dismay, all the vineyard produced was wild grapes. It was as if the planter had done nothing to the vineyard at all. Had he done nothing, the end would have been the same. Nothing but wild, useless grapes. God compares this story to His interaction with Israel. Though God dealt wisely with His beloved nation and blessed them beyond measure, Israel still lived as though God had no part with them - as though He never had existed. They claimed their own lives. Back to the allegory: God, acting as the planter, upon realizing the outcome of the crop, decided to let the field be "devoured" or "grazed over." He tore down the walls to the field for it to be trampled down by whatever fealt like coming through. The planter would no longer weed or till it. Comparing it to Israel, it was as if God said "If you wish to live as though I don't exist, then I will grant your wish. I will leave you to yourselves that you might see what will become of you apart from Me." The vinedresser in the allegory left the field to itself and it was destroyed by natural events. In like manner would Israel be destroyed when left to it's weak self. What's this mean to me? Many times I play the part of Israel in this story. I live as though He doesn't exist, though I make my pious claims that my circles expect. My heart doesn't really acknowledge Him, though my mind might. I have no feelings for Him at all, and true love will always come complete with feelings of some sort to some degree. Through all of this, I lose sight of reality; I find myself strong, and God unneccessary. So, God lets me see what I am when left to myself, and it is the most depressing experience imaginable. However, the point of His tactic is to bring me back to Himself, as it realines my perceptions with reality. Too bad I don't always recognize reality right away when it layed out right in front of my face. I'm way too stubborn. Dumb pride.

2008-01-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about Christian liberty lately. Most would apply the discussion to personal standards, but I'm not so sure the idea keys in on standards. It may impact standards practically, but only indirectly. Galatians 5:1 tells us to stand in the liberty of Christ, not the yoke of bondage. This yoke is what the false teachers, probably Jews, were trying to give new Christians, saying they had to keep the law of Moses with Christianity. I have fallen into this belief personally, but the yoke is not the law of Moses. Rather I convince myself that unless I can comprehend Scriptural ideas as much as I can apply practically, I am not right with God. I have been learning that the Christian life is lived by the same grace that saved me, and my salvation is based on the mystery of God's love and providence. Both of which factors I cannot comprehend. How then is my life to be based upon rational ability instead of faith? Is not faith the evidence of things not seen? So I have replaced faith with self-effort, similar to the yoke of Moses' law. I am commanded to live in liberty. Liberty lets one live free because of the expense of another. I've nothing to contribute - not even my mind or heart. Rather, those are effected by the one who is sovereign over them, and wisdom is gained only because God chooses to impart it to the one who has already known God by His grace through faith.

2007-11-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is a response to a question asked regarding a previous post: how do you limit the noise in church? In order to answer this question, one must have a proper understanding of noise. What is it? Is it completely external? Noise is anything that hinders clear transferal of communication. Examples of external sources of noise would be an email written in cell phone text language, a noisy room, staticy phone, etc. In church, some examples would be the pastor wearing a clown suit, the sermon being choppy and illogically presented without flow. These are some typical examples. However, one often goes unnoiticed: a traditionalistic mindset in the congregation. This mindset finds it's comfort in the fact that everything is done the way it's always been done. If something is different, critisism and offense arises in the minds of the people. Notice this comfort and basis for offense has nothing to do with what church is about. This mindset comes with a "spiritual" contentment with "doing church" regardless of terminology involved. Therefore, the working of the Spirit is quenched by "leave everything the same" mentality. Change is a swear word. The mindset toward church inevitably latches onto one's mindset toward spiritual things in one degree or another. As I have observed churches, this is typical. A church gets stuck in a rut of traditionalism, spiritaully grows weaker - both tr'ism and spiritual weaknes working together - but then experiences revival. Then things naturally tend to change in the service: the people welcome and even encourage spontanuity, things are cut out of the service to give room for something else that's actually worth doing, etc. So what needs to happen to eliminate noise? One thing, get rid of comfort in how things have always been done. The people need to come to church wanting to worship their God together, regardless of the order of service or elements involved (as long as those elements are worshipful in the first place). If the mindset of the people worships God with the individual elements, then they can do so no matter what order they are in. The problem is that people just "do" the elements of church without being consumed by their God in those elements. So, the lack of noise starts with a right heart. Other options beyond that is to change things up to help people not get stuck in a rut. If a rut is perceivable, it might be wise for a pastor to have a family discussion with the congregation about it, and maybe even take out the cause of the rut for a sufficient amount of time. The service does not have to reflect the immutability of God, but rather praise Him for Him.

2007-09-06T11:08:00.001-07:00

A house fire will eventually go out on its own. But the hard work comes with preventative measures - keeping the fire from starting in the first place. Most Christians think they show patience when the internal heat eventually goes away. Rather, such quenching is the natural degression of the flame as teh flame sparking event grows more distant from the concern of the individual. This happens faster or slower depending on the personality's response to or thought processes concerning a certain event. But the flame itself, though not necessarily displayed outwardly, is still spiritually destructive and sinful. Patience is the spiritual fruit that prevents a flame from appearing altogether when a spark occurs. It is making the house flame resistant by nature. This quality grows in a person as Christ imparts to that individual His mind and heart. "Let patience have her perfect work." To be perfect is not to be relative to the extremity of circumstances.

2007-09-03T18:49:00.001-07:00

Some see hell as the gun held to their head as someone threatens them. "If you don't accept My grace, I'll pull the trigger!" Hell was never intended to be used by God to threaten. It is a byproduct to ignoring His grace. It was "created for the devil and his angels," i.e., not for humans. So why does one go to hell? That one fails to allow Go'd grace to reign and do His work, i.e., to reject the saving blood of Christ. Why does a person go hell for that? It is a rejection of cleansing by the stained person whose stains cannot enter the presence of God because of His holiness (uniqueness, seperateness). It is a challenge to His glory. Therefore, we are saved for His glory, not our eternal comfort, nor because we give into the hell-gun threat. To give into a threat is not to do so because of the worthy nature of the threatener, but because of desire for personal comfort and life. We are not saved for such reasons. This would mock God by our pride filled motives. We are not saved for us. Heaven is not a reward for accepting His grace. We are saved for God and because of God. We are created for His pleasure - should we be saved for any other reason?

2007-08-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Two new posts today. . .what in the world.
What is it to give one's will? one's desires? It is to seek the best for another, to want good for another regardless of personal gain and satisfaction. How does God do this? Doesn't He love Himself first? I suppose my definition of love is merely how humans ought to love. Since God is transcendant He is also unique in the sense that He deserves glory. How would only be just by acknowledging this fact. Therefore, He gives that we might be satisfied in Him alone, thus acknowledging His Holinessand self-sufficiency compared to our opposite nature. He loves that we may respond in worship. Though there be no attractive qualities in us, He yet seeks a personal relationship with us, for we are His image barers, spreading or quenching His fame in the eyes of all. How does He deal with both in love? The spreader He gives yet more grace to thrive. To the quencher, he who resists His grace, he remains consistent with Himself and performs justice where justice is due. On earth, He deals justly that the quencher might turn into a spreader. In eternity, He deals justly because He loves His own glory, and cannot look upon sin, and cannot accept the stained into His presence.

2007-08-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

God's glory is foremost on His mind in every action and thought. he created all things with the intent that all created beings would bring Him pleasure and glory in one way or another. An olympic runner carefully trains himself that each step He takes will be as effective as possible - to the end that he might reach the finish line. A goal is always more important than the means, because it is the driving force that causes one to utilize said means. If the goal is appropriately assessed, the means will properly conform to the nature of the goal. So what is it to "glorify God"? Is it not to inwardly exclaim His magnificence and fame, producing outward response, the exclamation of His Name in one way or another?So how is God's goal of personal glory attained by Him? He knows His specific tactics. But that which is obvious - He gains Himself glory according to His love: for others and for Himself. In short, love is the giving of one's will freely for the benefit of others without thought of personal gain or satisfaction. Satisfaction is merely a natural outcome of love. So how is it that for His own glory's sake, God freely dispenses His will and desire to another? Love is a display of His glory. To be a receiver is to suggest on is lacking in some area and subject to the supply of another. To be a giver is to suggest that one is sufficient and another is in need. God's love for us is different than our love for Him. We love Him because He first loved us, and gave Himself for us. Being in sin, we cannot love God without His provision of grace. God is unique, holy, in that He is sufficient. He cannot help being love. Though He is love, however, He is also just, because He loves Himself foremost. When a man denies His free grace, He, being righteous and unable to commune with sin, must remain seperate from that sinner for eternity. Condemnation glorifies God since it magnifies this righteousness and justice. Plus, whatever God does spreads His fame. If it didn't, His action wouldn't be perfect, and He wouldn't be God. Therefore, the condemnation of a sinner brings Him glory, though He is yet not willing that any should perish.

2007-07-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

So I was reading today in 2 Cor. 9 where it talks about generosity. I don't suppose it would be too far a stretch to say that the generosity of which Paul speaks could refer also to spiritual gifts. According to my understanding, shaped by 1 Cor. 12-14, our gifts are not there to benefit us. Rather they are there to give us something to express our love through, that God may be glorified through the edification of the church. And let us not forget that these gifts are given individually for specific reasons by the one who has the lives of us all laid out before Him. Now we get to our passage in 2 Cor. 9. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times ,you may abound in every good work" (v. 8). In other words, in order to complete His good work, God, who has every moment and every area of our lives laid out before Him at all times, has given us all everything we need to do what He wants us to do. There is not a time in our life when we are deprived of any source needed to use our gifts as God would have us use them, for His purposes. Verse 11 states, "You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." "In every way" is an interesting statement. What is included in that? Is it only physical enrichment for physical generosity? money, housing, stuff, physical labor, etc? Or would that include those areas that are inside ourselves? To the bible communicator, would God deprive you of those things necessary to appropriately address a situation? Isn't such a conversation or sermon a tool He provides to bring Himself glory through the edification of the church and teh evangelization of the lost? Would He deprive Himself of glory? So doesn't it make sense that He would provide the understanding and the means of communication that are necessary to do so? Will He not work in the listener that they might understand also? So why do we worry? Shouldn't we rather seek the mind and heart of the One who knows what He is doing? He has promised to provide what is necessary for us to bring Him glory. So, where we seem to lack, we don't really lack, cuz God doesn't, for some reason, mean to glorify Himself in that area, but rather another. He gives us gifts. Why is the provision for the physical always pounded, while not giving thought to the spiritual? He provides the means to glorify Himself within us more, cuz without the inside, how will we be what we should be outside? To the communicator, God promises to give what is necessary to communicate effectively. Will we neglect His provision by not acknowledging it? It's His work. Don't think it's your own. Otherwise, you provide for yourself from your empty storehouse, and ignore God's abundance.

2007-07-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

So what's the deal with church? Why are yawns more common than Amens? Why is easy believeism practically becoming its own denomination? Why are the churches with the biggest bands and most up beat music and entertaining programs the churches with the greatest attendance? Is it the fault of the pastors? the people? the culture? I believe, yes, in different degrees in different circumstances. Here is a commonly overlooked initiator (common because I've never heard it as a reason before, so common to me): Noise. Noise is a business term that describes anything that interferes with effective communication. In many fundamental churches, the truth is preached(properly is a different issue), but the people are not phased. One aspect of this noise is daily information overload. Most people in our congregations are involved with business on a daily basis in one form or another. Information is thrown at us from every direction constantly. No longer is work highly physical labor, but rather mental. We get information in every internet page we visit. We get it in every meeting, email, letter, business document, conversation, newspaper article, and radio broadcast. Also, on the way home information is given through music, signs, dashboards, construction zone. At home it is given through answering machines, grocery lists, children, husband/wife, etc. The world is busy. The world is full of easily accessible and forced information. So it's no wonder our minds turn off when we go to church. The church also throws information at us constantly, even before the sermon. By the time the service gets to something that matters, noone cares anymore. The pleasant church surroundings and cushioned pews provide a nice atmosphere in which to zone out. The church member hears enough information to parrot when the time comes to act spiritual, but the rest of the week is spent in the "real world," as it has been made to be known. Little of the reality of Christ is known. The constant intake of information that doesn't need to be taken to heart trains a person to hear the Word and accept it only mentally. The heart is not trained to respond. Therefore, the people cannot understand a vibrant relationship with Christ. Therefore, they die, or remain in their death. So when will the church decide to cut out the unecessary noise and get to what matters? 3 services on Sunday, and one midweek, all complete with announcements the people already read in the bulletin, 400 verses from the hymnal that noone cares to understand, special music that rarely raises an eyebrow, 4 prayers that noone really means, a sermon that the people are too tired to listen to by then, an invitation that is more honestly a nap time, another clincher hymn, and then dismissal, which the people actually look forward to. Why do we tire the people out for the sermon? They're already tired of receiving information by the time they get there. "Prepare their hearts" - how do you prepare a dormant heart? Do we get bigger upbeat music? No, that just covers and excuses the problem at hand. So do most contemporary tactics. I say, according to the character of the church, start with cutting down the unneccessary noise. Who cares if that's how we've always done it. The sermon has just becomes another addition to the service. It is not longer the desire of the people. It is a "have to, cuz that's what we do." More later concerning church.

2007-07-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

How is it that we can think of Christ apart from emotion? Can we think of a lover apart from it? What is "first love" love? I like how John Piper put it: it is the love that is known between a wedded couple on their honeymoon, when they can't bare to be apart from each other for even a moment. If they're not wrapped up in arms, then they are lost in their eyes. Are we told in Scripture that we are supposed to lose this love for Christ? Then how can we think about Him without emotion? Is it because our considerations of Him are purely scholastic? Is it because we have given our love to another, and left little for Him? Is it becuase for one reason or another we have obstained from the full relationship that He wants to have with us? When Christ spoke with the woman at the well, He mentioned that He would give her "living water." Contrary to popular exegesis, "living" refers not to eternal life, but to vibrant, rushing waters. He compares the life He wishes to give to His own to the raging, bubbling, turning and tossing waters of a rushing river. But why is it that fundamental Baptists especially have traded this promised life for stagnant, bitter cisterns? Why have we left our first love? In order to leave one thing, one must go to something else. What have we sought in the place of Christ? To whom have we given our deepest love? I think, ourselves. This makes sense in context with this thought. Eternal life grants us not only length of life, but quality of life as well, which quality begins revealing itself in the mortal flesh. To love Christ, to abound in such a relationship with the one who calls His chosen the "dearly beloved of [His] soul," to be overwhelmed with His living water, is to enter into the quality aspect of eternal life. To love self is to retain the length of eternal life, but to deny the quality of it. Therefore, pride equals misery when one considers the life Christ gives. Not that we love Christ to gain abundant life, for to do that would be to miss the boat completely, living in the world of stagnant self-aggrandizement. To love Christ is to at the same time be "for Him" in every way shape and form, to show His splendor. To think otherwise is to lack love all together.

2007-07-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Let's discuss love again. Why is it so hard to love people that we really don't get along with? And yes, "not getting along with" and "love" are two seperate, sort of unrelated ideas. Personalities clash. It's a known fact. There's not much one can do about that. But, we can set our pride aside and love them anyway. We see love as though it is something that needs to have handles to hold on to. Like, there has to be some substance to which it can hang on. We can see something of the nature of love by the classic and undermined example of God loving us. Did we provide God's love with a handle (I am NOT talking about "love handles." On that note. . .)? Rather our nature does everything possive to push his love away from getting ahold of us, that He might love us, let alone depriving Him of a handle. Therefore, we ought love as God loves. "Uncoditional" is the term used, but what the stink does that mean? It's in our head. It's in our heart. It has nothing to do with those we strive to love. To have Christ's mind and heart is to with all our feeling, emotion, drive, desire, compulsion, longing, be for the sakes of others. Love is not a feeling that comes up at situation altering (greatening and quenching) moments. It is a state of existence that comes only to those who find it with God in their life in His immediate, yet, invisible presence. If one does not find that their above inward state characteristics are for God, then it will never be for man no matter how hard he tries. The unsaved have no real understanding of love. They can't find it, for to find it, one must gain it from a relationship with God. Let me clarify something - a relationship with God is not there so one can love. One loves so he might inflame the fire of God's popularity and image of beauty and majesty (aka glorify). So the question is - why do you want to love? Why do you want to better yourself? Why do you want to be successful in ministry? Why should you care about any of this? If the reason ends with anything other than God's glory (that's not just a textbook answer; it's never known by a 2 second soul searcihng) then your throne is occupied by vanity. WHY is a wonderful question to ask yourself throughout life. The answers come short of His glory all the time. But it's a needed thought.

2007-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

I admit, it's been a while. I also admit, a part of me misses writing on this stupid thing. Only a small part though, which, to be honest, is shameful. The whole reason I started doing this was to lay out my thoughts on various subjects that I stumbled across, and, while doing so, provide a means of edification whether it be through the mind of a reader, or through personal spiritual and rational developement put to use in every day situations. But, here I go anyway. But I warn the reader: I do not wish that this motive should change. In fact, I would purge the more-or-less statement of -or-less in reference to wanting to do it for personal enrichment, whatever that means. This is a warning because my unfiltered thoughts can sometimes lack tact to a great degree, so read at your own risk and take the statements merely as unfiltered thoughts containing no desire to offend negatively. Only positive offenses allowed, that is, those offences that draw us nearer to our Lord. But, acknowledging the presence of an audience, I will do my best to limit those offences cloaked with negativity. That's all for today. This post is a good example of my ability to say so little in so many words.

2006-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, summer camp at Ironwood is over for 2006. I've been home for three days and it feels like 35 brothers and sisters just died. I'll see them again though, no doubt, almost every day from now through eternity, if eternity has days. I can't express in words what I learned this summer. The classic answer would be "I've got a lot to learn," which is deffinately true. But about what? Here's an example: love. When I left for camp, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the concept of love and I thought that I truly loved people. Little did I know. . .yah. I'm coming to learn that love is probably the deepest subject of all, and the most neglected by today's Christian. After all, Love God and Love neighbor are the two greatest commandments given by Christ. It makes sense to ignore it, right? I mean, humility is part of it, and that's just not cool. To give, or be willing to give, 100% of myself for someone else's welfare, "Lord, you don't understand!" To which the Lord responds, "I've shown you reality, will you live in it? I've revealed to you my heart, will you seek that it be your's as well?" Maybe it's just that we don't realize it's place of prominence in the reality of God. It took a summer of intense outpouring of self to give me a taste of it's importance. Here's a trap we usually fall in to: Marshal Mike gave us this example while trying to teach us this: God wants us to move to Philadelphia, not to just stay clear of Colorado. In other words, we see "don't hate people" and "love your neighbor" as the same thing. They are completely different ideas. How do I get to Philadelphia? "Stay clear of Colorado!" Dumb directions. You have 1 in a billion chance of finding Philly, where God's will resides. Don't just not hate people! Love them! That is evidenced in 100% service-from the heart, not from duty.

2006-05-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

God's will has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly in relation to man's handling of it. We can either submit to it and walk lovingly in it moment by moment, or we can deny it, deceiving ourselves, and subject ourselves to fallen human strength which results in some measure of worry. I'd like to apply the first, but more often than not, I find myself losing a heated battle with the latter. Pride is really the foundation of it. Do I want to deny myself that the Father might be exalted at my expense? Fall in love with Him, with His will, and choosing to do His will becomes easy by His grace. It's often said, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." His providence may not always sound all that great. Ignorance is one thing normal people can't stand having, and we let it get the best of us sometimes. But regardless of how "great" trusting His will may sound, if we love Him, the choice is a no-brainer. Worry is cast out by such faith. Who is going to take care of those I have been discipling over this summer? Are they not His first? He's got them covered. What does He want me to do, and in what location? The work is planned, the tickets paid for. God has our lives before Him, complete. We see pieces as He shows them to us. So what's the worry? Forget yourself. Acknowledge Him. Trust.

2006-03-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

Been thinking a lot about death lately. Have heard of several instances in the past couple of weeks about loved ones dying or having certain deadly diseases, both the saved and the unsaved. I tryed to get into the mind of an unsaved person getting ready to die, and O how frightful, even not being in the situation. To consider one without hope passing out of life, not having received Christ in life, and dying twice, without Him. In life, they have nothing to look forward to, whether they believe in hell or not, the consideration of death is torment. But, why is death so bad for we who are redeemed? Why are we saddened at the thought? While we live, it is unto Chirst, to the Glory of the Holy. When we die, we should already be used to it, for in life we die daily for Christ's sake, so do we die physically, only the end being the casting off of this piece of filth and seeing His face, thereby being at last changed into His image. That is a day "when life's trials and torments are no more, and we may worship before His very feet forevermore, when His glory is proclaimed through the mighty works He has wrought, and at His hand His enemies to shame are brought; when the unashamed statnd hand-in-hand with their Lord in the glory-land. This is a day, a beginning, to which life has lead; the glory of man's Head, Who is risen, but for three days was dead. Glory be to the Holy Three-in-One, the battle is finished, the war won." Do not fret death, for to fret it is to claim earthly treasures. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." As Dr. J. stated today concerning one who had passed, "I'm jealous." Profound, really, concidering the heart of man. Be jealous. Be very jealous.

2006-03-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Been studying Paul's first letter to Timothy lately. Was smitten by 6:8 - "And having food and raiment let us therewith be content." One of my favorite journal entries by Jim Elliot applies: "I have been musing lately on the extremely dangerous cumulative effects of earthly things. One may have good reason, for example, to want a wife, and he may have one legitimately. But with a wife comes Peter the Pumpkin-Eaters proverbial dilemma---he must find a place to keep her. And most wives will not stay on such terms as Peter proposed. So a wife demands a house; a house in turn requires curtains, rugs, washing machines, et cetera. A house with these things must soon become a home, and children are the intended outcome. The needs multiply as they are met---a car demands a garage; a garage, land; land, a garden; a garden, tools; and tools need sharpening. Woe, woe, woe to the man who would live a disentangled life in my century. II. Timothy 2:4 is impossible in the United States, if one insists on a wife. I learn from this that the wisest life is the simplest one, lived in the fulfillment of only the basic requirements of life---shelter, food, covering, and a bed. And even these can become productive of other needs if one does not heed. Be on guard, my soul, of complicating your environment so that you have neither time nor room for growth!" Even though I am far from having a wife, the same principle that he presents applies to every area of life. Once you first "mind earthly things," however small a thing it might be, you start your fall on a slippery slope that ends in spiritual destruction for you and those you might have impacted for Christ. "But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." This statement according to the context is in direct relation to serving others, specifically others in authority to us, but the same heart attitude will serve those equal or subject to us. When we put others aside for however short a time, we become earthly minded and cannot be content with "food and raiment." "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. . ."