"Judge not, lest you be judged"

I would like to draw your attention to a thread of comments at the link below concerning the use of the word "judge". Lots of "rich bloggy goodness."

And the rest is details...

Titus 3:5-7. NASB95
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Negative example of pastoring. Part 3

Ezekiel 34:5. NASB95
5 “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.”

This is an outworking of something called “abdication.”

Abdication: Latin origin is “abdicare” meaning to renounce. Abdication means, “fail to fulfill or undertake (a duty).”

Israel had shepherds, but they were abdicating their responsibility to their flock.

The shepherds that the Lord was denouncing had become focused on their own desires, not on the needs of the flock.

To turn this around, if I am called as a pastor, I need to embrace that call as a duty and fulfill it. I know that I will always fall short. Which, of course, is why the Good Shepherd had to lay down His life for us in the first place.

Negative example of pastoring. Part 2

Ezekiel 34:1-6. NASB95
1 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?
3 “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.
4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
5 “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.
6 “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.” ’ ”

Sometimes we learn by positive example and sometimes we learn by negative example.

Pastors:

• Feed the flock
• Strengthen the sick
• Heal the diseased
• Bind up the broken
• Seek out the lost
• Walk in humility, gentleness, service (NOT “ with force and with severity you have dominated them”).

Negative example of pastoring. Part 1

Ezekiel 34:1-6. NASB95
1 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?
3 “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.
4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
5 “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.
6 “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.” ’ ”

Sometimes we learn by positive example and sometimes we learn by negative example.

The Lord (and the pastors) has recently called me into a (very) low level pastoring position in our church (boy, is that badly phrased). This has caused me to think about what pastoring is and what a pastor does

I think what struck me here is this :

“Woe shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”

I have never officially taught or pastored in my church. However, I have a reputation for Bible knowledge. One analogy might be to a large store of wood, brush, and tinder; but unlit.

I do not take this passage that I have missed the mark in sharing what the Lord has given me. It is an encouragement that it is now time to share that which I have accumulated.

Discipline: gratitude (#7)

Colossians 3:15. NASB95
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Many of us were blessed by our parents when they trained us to say "please" and "thank you." Therefore, for some of us, it is relatively easy to begin to do it with our heavenly Father.

Through misuse and through rebellion, we in the church have gotten away from words (and practices) like "training" and "discipline". We despise them as legalisms. (Although we angrily insist on them from our athletes. It is not praise to say someone is “breaking training.”)

But that is what I have had to do with gratitude. Work on it as a habit. Remind myself. Carry around verses that focus on gratitude. Ask the Lord to remind me to be grateful.

Before the apostles became apostles they were disciples.

Spurgeon on "Spiritual Revival"

Blogotional has excerpts from one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons posted. It is a good, and convicting, read. See link below.

Jesus and Farming Analogies

Jesus and Farming Analogies

Matthew 7:15-20. Amplified Bible
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.
16 You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.
18 A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit [worthy of admiration].
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
20 Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.

When farmers (and gardeners) gather today, they talk about what their crops are doing. Did you get the onions in yet? Are your peas up? Is your corn filling out well? How’s the hay coming on?

I am sure that in Jesus’s time, this kind of sharing information and cross-checking went on all the time also. Did you lose any lambs? How are grapes setting? Have you gotten your olives pruned yet?

They watched the flowers on the trees of their fruit crops. They knew whether they had set a lot of fruit or little. They knew that some of the crop would “drop” or have to be pruned off for the health of the crop. Small farmers would know their individual trees, as if they knew a person. What kind of fertilizer and how much worked best. Whether this tree liked hot or cool weather better. They probably knew which tree grew the sweeter apple, which vine was the heavier bearer. They knew which field were most productive for barley, for wheat, for flax or whatever.

Oddly, the very simplicity of the metaphor probably grabbed His listeners. If they finely knew the differences in productivity between different fields, the challenge to know people, teachers, prophets and false prophets would be easier. Look at their fruit! Turn all of that finely honed skill of knowing your crops onto men. Look at their fruit! What kind of disciple are they turning out? Do they love the Lord your God? Do they love their neighbor as themselves?

Look at their fruit! I am sure that Jesus saw the fruit clearly enough.

Update; at the suggestion of my first commentor, I have edited this passage to delete the ungracious use of the word "judge" and its variations.

Cerulean Sanctum

Two good posts up at Cerulean Sanctum: About Wheaton College, Revival, and the Dark Unspoken and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

The first is about how most of us appear good, but are really in need, and well, so is the second one except from the point of view of long it takes us to be transformed.

"I Can See!"

Nice post over at John Mark Reynolds place on Mark 10:46-52 on blind Bartimaeus (and our blindness). .

See link below.

Love God

Deuteronomy 6:5. NASB95
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

John 14:21. NASB95
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Matthew 6:24. NASB
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

How does Jesus want me to love Him, and, “The Lord my God?” By keeping His commandments. Yes, there is an emotional component to love and obedience. Clearly this is implied in Jesus’s word about the two masters.

Because of my fallen nature, can I love God, with everything I am, all the time? No. I will fail.

If I could, I would not have needed Jesus to die on a cross for me. So then why ask me to do something that neither under the Law nor under grace I could possibly achieve?

First to remind me of my need for a savior. And second, as a promise of what He will do in me, via the work of the Holy Spirit. He will work this in me over the course of my entire life, but it will only be completed when I see Jesus face to face.

Jesus then lets me know that there is a “here and now” blessing to keeping His word: revelation. He will “disclose” (or reveal, manifest, show) me Himself.

Thank you Jesus.

And the rest is details...

Ephesians 1:18-21. NASB95
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

This is a passage I like to meditate on and pray over. I do not have much to say now about it expect this one thing. Our vision of God, His kingdom, and His calling for us are things that are beyond our imaginations.

He wants to bring light to the eyes of our hearts so that we can get glimpses of what He has in store for His church. And as we catch these glimpses, they are not for us along, but we then can share them with the rest of His church.

Seeing Jesus: Isaiah 6:1-4

I saw the Lord

Isaiah 6:1-4. NASB95
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

John 12:39-41. NASB95
39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” [Isaiah 6:9-10]
41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His [Jesus’s] glory, and he spoke of Him [Jesus].

“I saw the Lord.”

John, in his gospel, specifically declares that the “the Lord sitting on a throne” is Jesus. Very few peopel have been granted this kind of vision.

Usually, I “see” Jesus when I read the word, pray, enjoy fellowship with fellow believers, worship, or by a number of other avenues.

I can “see” Jesus by meditating on His word. For example, I can share Isaiah’s vision of the Lord, “lofty and exalted,” by meditating on that passage. Through Isaiah, I can see the following:

∙ Jesus is the enthroned King, lofty and exalted
∙ Jesus is attended by “burning ones” - the Seraphim
∙ Jesus is surrounded by worship
∙ Jesus is holy (set apart)
∙ Jesus’s glory fills the earth

Because Jesus’s glory fills the earth, I can look for it everywhere.

A glorious vision, indeed, which Isaiah has given the church (and me) to share with him. I can join Isaiah in worshiping Jesus, the risen and enthroned King.

The Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:21. NASB95
21 He made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21. Amplified
21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

2 Corinthians 5:21. Wuest Expanded Translation
He who did not know sin in an experiential way, on behalf of us, and instead of us, was made [the representation of] sin, in order that, as for us, we might become a righteousness of God in Him.

I spent some time meditating on 2 Corinthians 5:21 a while back at the suggestion of one of the pastors of my church.

First, what is our position, concerning sin?

Romans 3:23. ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. NASB95

I am the one who has sinned. Jesus is “knew no sin.” When I face my sin, I am like Isaiah in Isaiah 6: 5:

Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined [or “unmade” or “undone”]! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah 53:6. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. NASB95

For a long time, I have gotten stuck on the “I am a sinner” part. Yes, I knew I was forgiven. Yes, I knew that my “iniquity had fallen on Him.” But I was missing something.

One thing that came out of that season of meditating on that verse was a realization that I do not need to be afraid of my sin any more. I was not seeing that I have become the righteousness of God in Jesus.

That has given me a tremendous freedom to own my sin, confess it, and leave it at the foot of the cross, forever. Every time I “fall short.” Every time I “go astray.” Every time I sin.

Part of this was posted as a comment at the link below. This is dedicated to Tom

"Because he was a thief..."

John 12:1-6. NASB95
1 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said,
5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?"
6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.

Judas had the money box, entrusted with that which was held in common by Jesus and the disciples. John knew he was a thief. Did Jesus?

If He did, was Jesus trying to say something about human nature? Letting a thief take charge of what was held in common?

Why did Jesus leave a thief in charge of the money box? If Jesus knew, does not that make Him complicit in the thefts? Of course, God knows everything, and that does not make Him complicit in the evils men commit.

Philippians 2:6,7. NASB95
6 who, although He [Jesus] existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus laid down the “perquisites of godhood.” Did He also lay aside omniscience, the ability of God to know all things?

I do not have any answers on this. Just questions.

Discipline: gratitude (#6)

Colossians 4:2. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving... NASB95

Re: The "Biteback" Effect

I do not intend to do much with politics with this blog. But this struck me. I am especially sensitive to this kind of condemnation because both my wife and I have had different versions of it.

Victor Davis Hanson of National Review Online [August 19, 2005] has an article [at the link below] titled, “The Biteback Effect."

The general thesis is that the left in this county has gotten itself to the point that its tactics have become self-defeating.

Take [for example] the recent boomerang effect of those critics who critique the war, but in the process achieve the exact antithesis of what they intend.

[snip]

In the age of utopianism we demand impossible standards of perfection [from our country or our governmentt]. Then when they cannot be met, we conclude that we are not good at all, but the equivalent of a Pol Pot, Hitler, or Saddam himself — an elected American president who is a worse terrorist than Osama bin Laden.

What struck me about this behavior is that it is typical for a person operating under deep condemnation: the intense belittling of one’s self, the self-loathing. A lot of Christians I know struggle with condemnation. It may be due to a quirk in their family or the church they grew up in, or just a personality issue that developed on its own. People who struggle like this can be set free.

Romans 8:1-2. NASB95
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

But here, instead of applying the condemnation to oneself, it is being applied to the government, or the country, or to “red-state” Americans, or whatever.

How do you deal with this? How can people be set free from this kind of bondage? How can a political movement be set free? Other than by the obvious answer of “Jesus.”

And the rest is details...

John 5:24. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. NASB

Announcement, Part 2

Last night, Wednesday, August 17th, I spoke at the church my father-in-law used to attend. The talk itself, or an edited version of it, is at the "link" below.

My father-in-law wanted to come, so we picked him at the nursing home. He is so quiet that we never really have a good idea what he is thinking. The drive takes close to a half hour through some lovely hilly country.

The church is a classic small white building by the side of the road. There were about 25 adults present, and some children who went downstairs.

It went very well. They are lovely, God-fearing, God-loving people and it was an honor to be asked to talk to them. The talk was highly praised, and several were obviously moved (not emotionally, but in that wonderful way when you discover something new about Him.)

I am still not certain what to think about all this. It was first time I had formally presented a "talk" or "sermon" or "teaching" or what ever you (the reader) are used to calling these things.

I have quoted Martin Luther before, "All the works of men, even the most sanctified, are sin." In that I am always going to “sin and fall short of the glory of God,” then I fell short last night. Anything I spoke that the Lord uses to minister to others is still His doing. And everywhere I fell short is mine. I cannot take credit for the blessing. I can only take responsibility for the falling short and ask Jesus to cover my sin in His blood, and to bless the lovely people of Dad’s church.

God's will and Bloging

Good question over at Adrian Warnock's blog (see the "link" below).

Question for discussion: Does anyone ever get concerned with God's will when it comes to blogging?

I have been meditating on this verse for awhile:

Hebrews 5:14. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice (or “habit”) have their senses trained to discern good and evil. NASB95

The leading of the Holy Spirit is part of a deep and intimate relationship. It grows out the willingness to be transparent before our brother, Jesus. It grows in the good ground of being willing to receive the Holy Spirit as Comforter, and as the who brings conviction of sin, and as the one who brings to remembrance all the things that Jesus has spoken. It grows as confidence in hearing that leading grows as it is checked by the word, by the counsel of others, and by experience. The leading grows over years of living relationship.

It is interesting that Paul juxtaposes talking about fruit with talking about walking with the Holy Spirit and being led by the Holy Spirit. One does not plant a tree in the spring and expect fruit that fall. It may produce some fruit in its first years, but will not bear a large crop for years. Patience and perseverance are required.

A tree does not think about bearing fruit. It soaks up the sun and the rain. It is in relationship with the sun and ground. And fruit is borne.

Walking in the leading of the Holy Spirit, as in a flow of revelation and relationship, seems to me to be a function of maturity. People who have practiced and trained to discern good and evil can more easily discern the leading of the Holy Spirit than a newborn Christian. (And yet, oh, for the eyes of the newborn; they see things we older ones do not.)

If I pursing relationship with Jesus first and foremost. If I pursuing transparency to the Holy Spirit. If I am training my senses to discern good and evil. Then the fruit will be mine and will be increasing. Then blogging becomes just another part of my relationship with Him.

I need to pray about what to read, what to post on, what to comment about. However, I trust that He will lead me in this place in my life as He has lead me in other places.

Grace and Judgment

Judgment and Grace

Over at Cerulean Sanctum, Dan Edelen, has a posting called “Two Paths Into a Ditch” [go to the link below]. One path is over-emphasizing grace, and the other is overemphasizing righteousness (judgement). He uses John 5:1-15 and John 8:2-11 as a springboard to talk about why we need both in our lives.

I am going to try to come to the same place using some other passages.

John 9:39 NASB95
39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

John 16:8 NASB95
8 And He [the Helper, the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world [the Greek word is “kosmos”] concerning sin and righteousness and judgment....

Hebrews 9:27,28 NASB95
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Grace and judgment (or, should I say, conviction of sin) can be discussed as if they have nothing to do with one another. In practice, in believers, they cannot be separated.

We all face (or faced) judgment. The only way out of it is by grace. Every day. The Holy Spirit is in our lives every moment of every day bringing conviction of sin and judgment (John 16:8, and yes, I know this is out of context. But if this is what He does and I have Him in me, is anyone going to make the argument that He does not speak conviction of sin to me, a believer?).

Jesus is here, with His cross, everyday bringing repentance by grace, forgiveness by grace, and healing by grace.

If I emphasize grace at the expense of judgment, I am rejecting the on-going work of the Holy Spirit in my life. If I emphasize judgment (and conviction of sin) at the expense of grace, I am rejecting the atoning work of Jesus on the cross.

Every day, I need to see the cross of Jesus in my life. Each day there is conviction of sin and every day there is grace.

I need to open myself up everyday to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. And I need to open myself up everyday to His work of reminding me of grace.

Three things I've learned by being a teacher

Or, rather, three things from God’s Word that I am learning how to do by being a teacher.

The pastor of the church my father-in-law attended before he went into the nursing home asked me to speak on a Wednesday evening (August 17) about being a Christian and a teacher in a public school.

This is an edited version of that talk.

Introduction:
About the high school I teach at:
• very good school academically
• very friendly for Christians
• we have a range of teachers politically.
• our children went to a Christian private school for the first few years, but have been in this school system since then.
• we have many “interesting” conversations at dinner, about students, about what the teachers are saying. One teacher is a liberal Mennonite, another is a "progressive." They always have some interesting things to say.
• Always talk to your children. About everything.
• There are two active bible study groups at the high school. One of them is an on-campus, student led bible study. It meets 2-4 times per week. The other is off campus, run by a teacher, and is connected with, I think, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

I. We are all made in God image.

Genesis 1:24-31 NASB95
24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so.
25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.
31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

“Very good.” What was different about this day, the sixth day, that was “very good?” It was the day that He made something in His own image.

I have two ways of looking at this.

The first is that everyone we meet, everyone we know, everyone we hear about, everyone on earth is made in God’s image. Everyone reflects God in some way. That image may be badly damaged for one reason or another or it may be as good as our sinfulness and fallen nature can let it be. But we are all made in God’s image.

The other is that we as believers are being remade into His image.

Romans 8:29 NASB95
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

We all know some people seem to reflect God, and to be specific, Jesus, better than others, even among our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We need to remember that we all began at different starting points. Some, by virtue of a good upbringing, start by reflecting Jesus earlier than others.

However, I want to talk about what this means for me in a classroom. When children walk into the class room they are all images of God. Somehow, each reflects Him. Each is His creation. Each is formed in the womb by His hands.

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if they all reflected the risen Lord Jesus. But they don’t. Though many do.

Psalm 8:4-6 NASB95
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

God has crowned each child that walks into my classroom with glory and majesty (or “honor” in the KJV). Most of us have been in high school. We know what fallen human beings are like at that age. I have been there, I teach there, I have children there who will tell me all about it in detail. It is hard to apply this period-by-period, day-by-day. And yet, God calls me to love, cherish, and honor those images.

Remembering that they are formed in God’s image is tough when they are determined to reflect the enemy more. I have to regularly remind myself that each child deserves respect; firm respect sometimes, but respect. Each needs prayer.

It has recently struck me that not every one of these children are prayed for. Not every one are “loved over” in prayer. One of the reasons that I enjoyed being a cafeteria monitor was that I got a chance to pray for students, and especially those students who are the most difficult in class.

I have a God-given responsibility to cherish these images as best I can. And the best way to do it is to keep my mind set, not on the images themselves, not on the children, but on the One they are images of. Jesus. I set my mind on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:6)

II. I am there to serve

I am a servant. A servant of the public school system, and a servant of Jesus.

Ephesians 6:5-8 NASB95
5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

What does this mean for me in the classroom?

I am called by Jesus into this work. I could go into my story a bit. I do believe that I was called by God into teaching in general, and to my school district specifically. But just as an aside, all of us have a calling on our lives, and that is to love and serve Jesus. That is the most important calling. After that, they are all lesser callings.

I am there to serve by teaching God’s images; by working to be the best teacher I can be; and by serving my administration in what ways I can.

But I am also a Christian in a public school. I also serve by prayer: praying for my administrators; for my fellow teachers; for the aides and cafeteria workers and secretaries; and most importantly praying for my students. I also serve by loving others. Everyone there is my neighbor. And everyone there is made in God’s image.

But I am not serving them; I am serving Jesus. I do not do what I do for them, but for Jesus. I do not do what I do to gain the approval of men, but the approval of Jesus. So my focus, even in serving at a public school must be on Jesus.

Can I do this? Perfectly? All the time? No I can not. I see these goals, these ideals, and I know that the only way I get to them is by Jesus’s cross. And every time I fail, I need the cross, too.

III. Take joy

What some people call “taking joy in the journey.”

James 1:2,3 NASB95
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

I am going to encounter trials. They may come in the form of a student in one class, or the entire class. They may come in the form of school board directive, or a federal program. Am I going to receive them with joy? Or with grumbling? I need to chose joy.

Deuteronomy 12:18b NASB95
18 ...And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings. [KJV “in all that thou puttest thine hands unto”]

I am called to be a teacher. I will rejoice in all that I put my hands to (even when I would prefer to grumble in the faculty room).

Romans 14:17
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Ready for a hard concept? The kingdom of God is where God is king. Where God rules. Where His will is done. Joy is one of the evidences of the kingdom of God being present in a person’s life.

Am I serving with joy? Here is a trick question: Can I serve Jesus and not serve Him with joy? Or rather, can I serve Him without joy? I do not think so. If a sign the kingdom of God is joy; joy has to be a part of serving Him.

Am I serving with joy? I try.

We call Jesus, “Teacher.” Ever think about what that means? Is He going to give me a “pop quiz” today about serving with joy? You bet He may. Am I going to be ready for it? Am I going to pass it? And He is a thorough teacher, and He will teach it until I get it.

He does not have to worry about the rest of the class getting restless, or falling behind. He is perfectly willing to work with me until I get it right. However long that may take, as long as I am willing to learn.

So, three things that I am learning how to do by being a teacher:
How to teach knowing that we all are made in God’s image.
How to serve Jesus by serving children.
And how to serve Jesus with joy.

Seeing Jesus: John 20:14-18

Jesus is my teacher.

John 20:14-18. NASB95
14 When she [Mary Magdalene] had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (Which means, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ”
18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Jesus is my teacher, my tutor. It is He who leads me in my daily lessons. It is He who arranges the “pop quizzes” of life: the angry co-worker, the stubborn child, the unbelieving spouse (and even Christian spouses can be, momentarily, unbelieving. I know I can be.), the reckless driver behind me.

And He asks me, “And how do you respond to this?”

Do I forgive? Do I correct in love? Do I pray for and bless the person who offended me? Do I ask Him how I should respond? Or do I fail the quiz, again?

Jesus, my Brother, is a kind and forgiving, but thorough, teacher. And He will repeat the lesson again and again until I get it right.

[This one is dedicated to Tom. Thank you]

Hebrews 4:15 - Comment

This is actually backward. You should read the next link down first, then this one.

Hebrews 5:14. NASB95
14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice (or “habit”) have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Hebrews 4:15. Wuest Expanded Translation
But solid food belongs to those are [spiritually] mature, to those who on account of long usage have their powers of perception exercised to the point where they are able to discriminate between both that which is good in character and that which is evil.

I got thinking about this verse the other day with regard to a puzzling situation, which I will not go into. I wondered why some Christians have a well-developed ability to discern, and some do not.

We have a "faculty of the mind" which can be trained to perceive, understand, and judge.

How do we do that?

First by reading the word of God. (As a habit)

Second by holding things up in prayer to God, and allowing Him to judge, cross-checking our judgment. (As a habit)

Third by holding things up for consideration and testing by the local body of believers we walk in, also cross-checking our judgment. (As a habit)

When the author of Hebrews says that this is for the mature, he is right. However, it is within the reach of any of us, by practice and by habit.

Word origins: senses

Ok, this is not actually about the word origins of the word “senses.”

Hebrews 5:14. NASB95
14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

The Greek word translated “senses” is “aistheterion.” It is only used once in the New Testament. It can be literally translated as “organ of perception.” “The New Thayers Greek-English Lexicon” says that the word is used in Plato and Aristotle to mean the “faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, and judging.”

The root of the Greek word moves into English as “aesthetics” (philosophy: the study of the mind and emotions in relationship to the sense of beauty) and its related words.

"Generous (evangelical) orthodoxy: catholic"

Scot McKnight of Jesus Creed has been blogging about Brian McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy. (See the link below, and scroll down).

I have appreciated the insight about a "generous orthodoxy."

The first fact is that we don't know who is Christian and the second fact is that God won't ask us to make the decision. Christians are those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, and anyone who embraces that gospel is a Christian.

[snip]

At no place is our commitment to generosity more important than here: while we embrace the gospel itself as our core, we are generous on the matters that are not at the core. The saying goes back to Augustine, I believe:

In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

A narrow and cramped orthodoxy is very satisfying to our flesh. However, I doubt it has any effect on the work of the Holy Spirit in others, only in us.

In the "Screwtape Letters," CS Lewis writes that the church is "spread out through time and space and 'terrible as an army with banners.'" I have liked the image this presents. And now I can also enjoy its generosity.

Announcement

The church my parents-in-law attended for many years has asked me to speak on Wednesday night, August 17. The general topic was about teaching in the public school. Jesus gave me a nice 3 point teaching to share: Three things I learned better by being a teacher. I have been spending a lot of time, recently, working on it. I will fix it up to be a posting here some time soon.

And the rest is details...

Matthew 17:5 NASB95

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"

A voice from a cloud of glory.

A statement proclaiming Jesus's divinity and relationship with God.

A proclamation that God the Father was very satisfied with Jesus His Son.

And a command to listen to Jesus, to be attentive to Him.

And the rest is details....

Discipline: gratitude (#5)

Colossians 3:16 NASB95

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

This is such a rich verse to meditate on.

First an admonishment to have the word of God dwell (be at home) in us.

Then an encouragement to teach one other with the sung word.

This is an odd encouragement for us today. And yet in a way we do this. Think of how many of us always have a music player on: Christian radio, hymns, praise songs, or contemporary Christian music, or the great, traditional choral music.

However, Paul's encouragement was to be an active participant in this flow of music, not a passive spectator. And another thing, I can be taught as I listen to a song on the radio, but it is not sung with me in mind. Nor can I sing a song for someone else.

In our house church, sometimes, someone brings music. I had a Honeytree song ("Pioneer") played for me a few weeks ago.

The last thing in the verse is to express thankfulness to God with singing. Again, not a typical picture for our age. All (or ALL) of us can sing (or least make a "joyful noise"). We can sing our thankfulness to God at all times. I realize that this is easier in some traditions than in others. Choruses and simple songs lend themselves to this better than the more exalted (and exalting) forms of choral music.

Most of us rely heavily on the "people up front" to lead worship. Who does it depends, again, on our traditions: the organist, the choir director, the pastor, the worship leaders.

But worship and thankfulness were never meant to be limited to Sunday morning. The verse encourages an on-going flow of music so that the Jesus’s word dwells in us richly.

Church is were 2 or 3 are gathered in Jesus’s name. Worship happens all the time. And, in Paul's encouragement and in God's eyes, I am (and each is) the real worship leader.

Humility

Rob Wilkerson at My Miscellanies has a post on humility that takes a passage from thewritings of St. John Chrysostom (see link below).

But as I said before, and on which account I have said all that I have said, let us be humble-minded as we ought, let us be moderate as we ought. Let it not be to us an occasion of being puffed up. Art thou humble, and humbler than all men? Be not high-minded on that account, neither reproach others, lest thou lose thy boast. For this very cause thou art humble, that thou mayest be delivered from the madness of pride; if therefore through thy humility thou fallest into that madness, it were better for thee not to be humble.

CS Lewis observed (and I am paraphrasing) how we should read books from different periods because the characteristic virtues of one era can speak to the characteristic failures of another.

I am amazed. Here is a pastor from the 4th century rebuking false humility. I cannot imagine a mainstream church in this era where false humility is a problem that has to be rebuked. It is hardly conceivable.

My wife grew up in a tradition that has a problem with a type of false humility that results in people, especially women, being “doormats.” But that would not be rebuked, but encouraged. And it is not nearly the same thing that John Chrysostom is rebuking.

Oddly enough, I think that His rebuke throws into highlight a characteristic failure of our age: pride. I try to imagine an era in the church where people are trying to outdo one another in humility. Then I look at the church in our age, and in comparison the church in our age reeks with pride.

What do we talk about? Our size, our outreach, our pastors, our books, our worship. Then we go home and talk about our food, our clothing, our cars, our vacations. We stand talking about our spiritual prosperity and our material wealth (though we never call it wealth).

Oh, how it must grieve Jesus to see His church behave this way. I know that I am convicted.

Of course the question is, what do I talk about now?

How about more about Jesus?

Seeing Jesus: Galatians 3:23-26.

Adrian Warnock has issued a "Galatians challenge" (see link below). I am not certain if I want to try to do a sermon series on Galatians. However I am willing to be a "volunteer research assistant." I hope this is helpful.

Galatians 3:23-26. NASB95

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor [literally, “child-conductor”] to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:23-26. Amplified

23 Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),
24 So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.
25 But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).
26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

Thoughts:
The word translated here as “tutor” is better translated as “child-conductor” or “guardian.” In wealthier households, the “child-conductor” was a slave whose job was to conduct the child of the house whenever he left the house. The slave did this job until the child reached the age of adulthood. The slave took the young master to his lessons, to the marketplace, to his amusements. Depending on his master, he might only admonish or he could discipline. He was not a “tutor” or a “school-master.”

The law was the law of Moses. It was the code of right living and the interpretations and traditions that men had added to it. It also obligated its followers to animal sacrifice, circumcision, and other external actions.

Therefore, the law of Moses is a slave in the house of my loving Father. He makes me aware of my sin, my falling short, and my need for a savior. His job is to take me by the hand and lead me to Jesus, my Brother. And when he has led me to Jesus, he releases my hand and gives me to my Brother. His job is done. My Brother, by the Holy Spirit, then declares me a child of the Father, free from the sin that the law has shown me, and a fellow-heir with Him. .

Now, I no longer walk led by the Law, by rules and by traditions. Now, I walk with my Lord, by faith, believing in Him.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Word origins: Cape Canaveral

Discovery Lands Safely in California (see link below)

Good news. With all of the concern over flying foam and other problems, it is good to have them safely back. But that got me wondering about where the name "Canaveral" came from. Turns out I am not the one who does not know where the name came from.

From "Dictionary.Com"

Ca·nav·er·al Cape Formerly (1963-1973) Cape Ken·ne·dy

A sandy promontory extending into the Atlantic Ocean from a barrier island on the east-central coast of Florida. It is the site of NASA's Kennedy Manned Space Flight Center, the launching area for U.S. space missions.

From "The History of Cape Canaveral"

The name "Cape Canaveral" is made up of two fairly simple Spanish words. The name "Cape" was simply the designation for a point of land jutting out into the sea. "Canaveral", literally translated "canebrake", might have had a number of different meanings depending upon who actually selected the name.

The Smithsonian Institution included an account of the naming of Cape Canaveral in their 1992 traveling exhibition celebrating the 500th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. According to the exhibit, Cape Canaveral, translated as "Place of the Cane Bearers", was named by Spanish Cape explorer Francisco Gordillo after he was shot by an Ais arrow made of cane.

Cape Canaveral has also been roughly translated as "Point of Reeds" or "Point of Canes". While there is no actual sugar cane indigenous to the Cape Canaveral area, there are several forms of plants that resemble sugar cane. These include a type of bamboo reed dubbed "nomal cane" by early U.S. residents of the Cape. This plant very much resembles sugar cane when seen from offshore.

Discipline: gratitude (#4)

Colossians 3:15. NASB

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

The "hardest verse" meme

Originally from: The Theospeak Guy

Hat tip to: Beyond the Rim

I would like to challenge everyone who reads this post to think, pray, and write about what for them is the hardest verse in the bible...

See the posting below: "Variations on a passage." I wrote the post and then found the meme, so that it does not quite match the "challenge."

Thank you, "Beyond the Rim" and "The Theospeak Guy."

Variations on a passage: Matthew 11:12

One of the things I like to do when I am faced with a puzzling, hard, or “difficult” passage is to pull together as many translations of that passage as I can. Then I meditate on them, holding them up before the Lord. I reread the context, as well.

This one has caused me problems for years.

Matthew 11:12. NASB95
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

Context:

Matthew 11:11-15. NASB95
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.
15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 11:12. Amplified
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

Matthew 11:12. Wuest Expanded Translation
Indeed, from the days of John the Baptizer until this moment, the kingdom of heaven is being taken by storm and the strong and forceful ones claim it for themselves eagerly.

Matthew 11:12. NIV.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it.
[NIV Study Bible Commentary: They enter the kingdom and become Christ’s disciples. To do this takes spiritual courage, vigor, power, and determination because of ever present persecution.]

Matthew 11:12 ESV.
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, [or has been coming violently] and the violent take it by force.

The pastors of the church that I have walked in for almost 25 years uniformly hold that Jesus is describing something good. [A view apparently shared by the NIV Study Bible, the Intravarsity Press (IVP) commentary and Matthew Henry in his “Concise Commentary.”]

I could not see why “the kingdom suffers violence” would be something that Jesus would approve of. I am not violent by nature or by circumstance. Additionally, I first read this passage using the NASB Bible. It does not present any evidence that the violence and force are approved by Jesus.

Other versions had variations that seemed to support my pastors. However, I do not know Greek. I did not know how much of the alternate versions were more like commentary than a translation of what was literally in the Greek.

Initially, I thought that this passage might be talking about false prophets or others who claimed to be advancing God’s kingdom but were actually acting for themselves. Although that did not make much sense in context.

My interpretation of this passage changed when I saw a key question, “How can God’s kingdom be taken by anyone?” It is obvious that God simply would not allow that to happen. Therefore, the people who are violently taking His kingdom are doing so with His permission, leading, and instruction. The commentary in my NIV Bible then makes sense:

“They enter the kingdom and become Christ’s disciples. To do this takes spiritual courage, vigor, power, and determination because of ever present persecution”

The kingdom of heaven needs to be aggresively pursued. It is not for the sluggish, the slacker, the faint-hearted, or the passive. Jellyfish need not apply. That is, unless they are willing to be "transfromed by the renewing of [their] mind."

And that is another reason that this passage has been difficult for me. I tend to be passive. The idea of taking the kingdom of heaven by force repelled me. But I need to repent from that. I need to be more aggressive for Jesus (submitted to His leading and to the word, of course).

Matthew 10:34-35 Amplified.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a newly married wife from her mother-in-law.

Jesus was not a Man of political warfare and political peace. He was a Man of spiritual warfare and spiritual peace. I am not using “spiritual warfare” in the way it has come to be meant, binding demons, casting them out, praying against principalities, etc. I am using it in the sense that “taking the kingdom of heaven by force” is, in itself, an act of spiritual warfare, both for God’s kingdom, and against any other kingdom, whether “seen or unseen.”

I intend to return to Matthew 11:12, sometime soon. Look for “I repent.”

PS. This one is dedicated to Brian.

And the rest is details...

1 Corinthians 15:3-5. NASB95

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...

Comment on "Ask For The Ancient Paths"

Posted as a comment on the link below.

2 Corinthians 11:3. NASB95
But I am afraid that . . . your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Luke 10: 41,42. NASB95
[Jesus said,] “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Mary was seated at Jesus feet, listening to Him speak. Martha had the glory of serving Jesus all to herself. Which one was doing the necessary thing? Which one had chosen the good part?

Martha’s life was complicated, her time was short, and she was frustrated. And There would come a time when Martha would no longer serve Jesus a meal. That would be taken away from here.

Mary was devoted to Jesus, in purity and simplicity. That part could not be taken from her.

Life is complicated. But the most important questions and the most important answers are all simple. Will I chose the good part? Will I chose the one necessary thing? Will I devote myself to Jesus? Will I run (with endurance) to Him on all occasions, at all times, for all reasons?

Discipline: gratitude (#3)

Psalm 100:1-5

1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Word origins: appeasement

From "Nordlinger's Impromptus" on National Review Online (see link below).

“Appeasement is a bad word, and always has been — or at least since Neville Chamberlain stood under that umbrella. But would you like to see a different use of that word? In Albania — in its wild north — there is the problem of blood feuds, with families gunning for families, year in, year out. An organization is working to stop this: and it's called the National Committee for Appeasement.”

“Striking.”

Appeasement. From a French word (with Latin roots) meaning “added or increased peace.” The original meaning of “appease” was “to bring to state of peace or contentment.”

It is only later, during the run-up to World War II, that “appease” gained more recent, and negative, meaning, “to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of a (nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort.

The Tsunami, the Fall, and the Wall Street Journal

Mysterious Ways: How do Christians explain a tsunami. By Paul J. Griffiths.

This article (link below) was published in todays Wall Street Journal, and is from a book review.

The tsunami that swept over southeast Asia in December left in its wake not only death and destruction but a profound and vexing puzzle. What kind of a God would allow such a thing to happen?
[snip]
In "The Doors of the Sea," David Bentley Hart, an Orthodox theologian, tries to provide an answer.
[snip]
From a Christian point of view, Mr. Hart notes, such events are quite easy to explain, if difficult to accept. They are dramatic instances of the fact that the world is profoundly out of joint, damaged in deep ways by the fall of Adam and Eve and the rebellion of man. This fall, brought about by the exercise of human freedom, has altered the very physical order of the cosmos so that what God had intended to be a world of harmony and peace, free from suffering and death, is now a world running red with blood.

Word origins: cleanse

1 John 1:8-9. NASB 95

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The word translated from the Greek as “cleanse” is related to a word translated elsewhere as “prune.” He wants to cut off the sin from my life.

And the rest is details...

Matthew 18:3 NASB

And [Jesus] said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."

All the works of men, even the most sanctified, are sin.

Martin Luther wrote, “All the works of men, even the most sanctified, are sin.” [see "link" below.] I am not certain if I accept this 100%. However, it does have a heavenly fierceness I admire. I like it because it lays waste to any possibility of pride for one’s accomplishments. With this I can stand with Paul in Romans 7:16-17. NASB95.

16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

My sanctified “successes” are still sin in the eyes of God. My failures are due to the sin which dwells in me. I sin. I need to confess it. I need refuse to do it again. But the failure is no longer mine.

I have escaped from the trap of success and failure. I do what I know the Lord wants me to do. I read His word, hear godly counsel, listen to the “still, small voice” within. And I obey. But I do not have to worry about failing or succeeding. Sin will cause me to fail, and His grace proclaims His victory over sin.

It is the natural state of gardens to have weeds.

It is the natural state of a garden to have weeds. I can spend my morning out in my garden working my way through the false-strawberry, the crab grass and the dandelions, the oxalis and all the rest. I can collect my piles and carry them to the compost bin. I can look around and be pleased at a job well done. The flowers are blooming well. The colors are rich and full. Even the grass looks good (I do not do “weed ‘n’ feed” so it is always nice when the grass looks good).

I go in, I shower, I putter, I have a leisurely dinner with my wife and daughters. We come back out in the cool of the evening to enjoy the garden, chat about the day, talk about what we want to do where in the garden next year. All is pleasant.

And what do I see? The brazen gold of a dandelion! False-jasmine in the hedge! And, insult of insults, poison ivy in the Impatiens! Oh, woe is me! They have defeated me again!

Well, what of it? Gardens have weeds. There is nothing I can do about it. Bill, get over it.

I am going to have weeds no matter how thoroughly I weed, dig, mulch, or, even, gasp, spray. Am I going to focus on the garden? Or on the weeds? Which brings joy? Which is more pleasant?

It is the natural state of gardens to have weeds.

1 John 1:8-9. NASB 95

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is the natural state of fallen man to have sin. So, what am I going to do about it? “Woe is me?” “Oh, I am defeated again?” Beat myself up? Hide myself from God? Lie to myself? Blame someone else?

God already knows the sin. He has already known since before I was born, even since before the world began. He knows all my sin, from now, up to day I die and see Him face to face. He knew, and therefore He gave His Son to us. His blood, His sacrifice on the cross washes me clean of sin.

It is the natural state of a garden to have weeds. It is the natural state of fallen humanity to sin. Get over it. Take the sin to Jesus, and get over it. This is not giving permission to “have a weedy garden.” This is giving permission, if you will, to go to Jesus and get clean, and free, and to receive an overwhelming victory.

It is the natural state of a garden to have weeds. It is the natural state of fallen humanity to sin. This is not giving permission to “have a weedy garden.” I need to be pure, I need to resist temptation, I need to reject sin. I need to repent from sin.

Repenting from sin is not beating myself up (that is focusing on the sinner). Repenting from sin is not dwelling on what was done wrong (that is focusing on the sin). Repenting from sin is turning to Jesus, confessing the sin as sin, and allowing Him “to cleanse [me] from all unrighteousness.” And then keeping my eyes there, on Him.

I need to focus on Jesus, who “takes away the sins of the world.”

It is the natural state of a garden to have weeds. It is the natural state of fallen humanity to sin. And Jesus knows what to do about that.

Word origins: dandelion

Dandelion. Noun, Weedy plant having deeply notched leaves and golden flowers. From the French, “dent de lion,” the teeth of a lion, referring to the “deeply notched leaves.”

The genus/species name is Taraxacum officinale. The “officinale” refers to the fact that the dandelion was used once medicinally.

Self-discipline: gratitude (#2)

Psalm 31:19. NASB95

How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!

Amen.

And the rest is details...

Matthew 15:15-16. NASB

15. He [Jesus] said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

16. And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Seeing Jesus:

Galatians 3:23-26 (NASB 95)

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor [literally, “child-conductor”] to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:23-26 (Amplified Bible)

23 Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),
24 So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.
25 But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).
26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

The word translated here as “tutor” is better translated as “child-conductor” or “guardian.” In wealthier households, the “child-conductor” was a slave whose job was to conduct the child of the house whenever he left the house. The slave did this job until the child reached the age of adulthood. The slave took the young master to his lessons, to the marketplace, to his amusements. Depending on his master, he might only admonish or he could discipline. He was not a “tutor” or a “school-master.”

The law was the law of Moses. It was the code of right living and the interpretations and traditions that men had added to it. It also obligated its followers to animal sacrifice, circumcision, and other external actions.

Therefore, the law of Moses is a slave in the house of my loving Father. He makes me aware of my sin, my falling short, my need for a savior. His job is to take me by the hand and lead me to Jesus, my Brother. And when he has led me to Jesus, he releases my hand and gives me to my Brother. His job is done. My Brother, by the Holy Spirit, then declares me a child of the Father, free from the sin that the law has shown me, and a fellow-heir with Him.

Now, I no longer walk led by the Law, and by its rules and traditions. Now, I walk with my Lord, by faith, believing in Him, personally. The law is a burden I could not bear (Acts 15:10). It was never meant to be my lord, or the lord of any Christian. Only Jesus is Lord.

In this daily reality, however, the Law reminds me of my desparate need for Jesus, my need for the cross, my need to keep my eyes fixed on Him. It is in seeing Him that I can believe that I am a son of God.

Record Hurricane Season Predicted

"This year's Atlantic hurricane season will be worse than previously expected with as many as 21 tropical storms and 11 hurricanes, U.S. government weather forecasters predicted Tuesday." CNN News

These predictions are not just for this year, but for the next few years. It is amazing that this apparently has nothing to do with global warming, but rather is part of a regular cycle that happens over a 30-40 year period.

The scientists predict that hurricanes will make landfall all up and down the east coast, especially in the Carolinas. However, the Lord is the Creator of heaven and earth. It is He who permits them, and who can turn their paths.

Lord, confound the scientists. Please be merciful and let the landfalls be few or none and any damage be minimal. Amen.

Word origins

"Gratitude," from the Latin, gratus. A noun meaning pleasing, thankfulness; appreciation of kindness. A warm or deep appreciation of kindness. It is related to the word "grace."

It is not related to the word "grate."

President Bush appoints Bolton to UN

The I Timothy 2:1,2 Note: "Pray... for all in authority... in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life..."

Self-discipline: gratitude (#1)

“For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5. NASB95

I have found that in my life, “good discipline” is linked to “the stability of my faith.” The purpose of self-discipline is not the discipline itself. It is merely a means to an end. And here, the end is my walk with Jesus, the stability of my faith in Him. Does it matter I spend time reading God’s word, if I am not looking for Jesus in it? Disciplined Bible reading becomes just a rule to live by if I am not seeing looking for Him in His Word.

Therefore, I must both regularly read the Bible, and regularly look for Jesus in it.

One discipline that I am working on right now is gratitude. I have done this by reading Bible passages about gratitude, meditation on those passages, praying about them, or singing songs of thanksgiving.

What I am going to do here is to put a Bible verse or two on this Blog every few days. I may write about it, or not.

Lord, help me to be grateful for all of the things that You allow into my life. I know that is easy to be grateful for beautiful weather, or a good meal. But You cause all things to work for good, even those things that do not look good when they happen. Thank you.