Owning Our Own Strife

Proverbs is such a great book! It contains so many nuggets of practical and applicable wisdom for almost anything that comes up! Recently I was overly bugged about a problem someone I knew was having. I really wanted to help, but it is so complicated. Then I started thinking about a verse in proverbs, and I knew it applied. The more I turned the verse over in my mind, the more interesting it became. On the surface it seemed to be saying: "Mind your own business or you'll be asking for trouble."

17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. Proverbs 26:17

I think there is more to this verse than 'mind your own business'.  When a person has a problem with another person, God is pretty clear that they should straighten it out among themselves. Every person can opt for the joy of resolving difficulties with others with His help. Why should we deprive people of that joy? Yes, I meant joy! Anytime we get to see God walk into a situation and pull off the most amazing resolutions, it is so encouraging!

If two people are too stubborn to resolve their differences, how can anyone else help? That is where the grabbing the dog's ears comes in. Somebody might get bitten.

The key to this proverb is the phrase 'meddling with strife not belonging to him'. We all own our own strife and we have the responsibility of taking care of it. How we take care of things can involve looking at the Word, talking to God about it (prayer) or even inviting someone in to help out especially if one of the quarrelers doesn't care what God thinks. The point is to get to a peaceful solution. For this there needs to be a desire to get it resolved, not to enjoy the fight.

Righteousness of Faith

Abraham lived by simply trusting God. He wasn't perfect and he made mistakes but God blessed him  and it carried through to his son Isaac. God said to Isaac in Genesis 25:

3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice (Romans 10:17), and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Genesis 25:3-5

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Romans 4:13-15 

At first glance, comparing these two records, it appears that they contradict each other. The 'righteousness of faith' supercedes anything done 'through the law'.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Romans 4:3

It's nice to have a friend that you don't have to worry about offending every time you get together. This usually happens when there is respect, trust and love involved. If you had to worry about rules of engagement all the time it just would not be a vibrant relationship. The trust and love for each other would be empty, hollow or even false. The benefits from such a relationship would be nullified or just 'of none effect'.

Where ever people get rule-orientated, guilt, anger and frustration play a big role. The law alone perpetuates acknowledgement of sin.

In the first part of the book of Joshua, Joshua, Caleb and Rahab are great examples of how God related to people trusting him. God was relational to them. They trusted and believed Him. God was able to do a lot for and through them. They obeyed, kept God's charge out of faith and love.

Righteousness comes from the heart (Romans 10:9-10), not self-discipline. Righteousness does not come from patting ourselves on the back and looking in the mirror and saying "ya done good". A truly righteous heart usually says "that's amazing!" to God. When we become intimately tied to the actions of God through a relationship with Him and recognizing His son Jesus Christ as the head of the church we are blessed.

Vertical Worldview and Horizontal Worldview

The word 'worldview' has been on my mind lately. When I watch the crazy political cycle going on  all around, I cannot help but wonder why there are so many different perceptions that exist seemingly everywhere. Why can't anyone seem to agree on solutions to ever-growing problems? There just don't seem to be any answers that everybody can agree on. Part of it is due to the self-ideation of leadership and that a good percentage of the the rest of the people passively accept everything that sounds good that comes down the tube (or rather cyber wires) these days.

One day this winter I was walking by a small lake in our neighborhood.  The ice on the lake had not frozen all the way to cover the lake and the birds were sitting around on the ice. There must have been over 200 geese. There is a sign by the lake that says "Do Not Feed the Ducks".  If people start feeding the birds they never migrate; they just hang around. They quickly become dependent on handouts. In some minds it may seem kind to feed animals, but it is not.  Birds get a far more nutritious diet in their flyways, moving around going abut their business. The same principle applies to humans. Our culture, however, disagrees on what is good and what is not good for people.

God created the universe, He will provide. Our country is not a theocracy, but our founders were aware of how God had provided for them and set up our government to empower people in the pursuit of happiness and that He gave them certain inalienable rights. Powerlessness doesn't come from God. The stuff that is going on now is ridiculous!

There are basically two ways to look at the world, either vertically or horizontally. Vertical worldview involves looking up and a horizontal worldview involves ground level. Colossians 3:1-9 reflect both world views.

3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Obviously, these verses represent a vertical viewpoint. The great thing about looking up is what it does to ones mind and the reflective power from on high that energizes back to the heart. It is amazing how it transforms a person.

On the other hand, verses 5-9 represent the engulfing quicksand of living at the surface.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:5-9)

These attributes do nothing but drag us through the mud. When the pundits talk about the electorate being angry, it explains the crazy behavior we see all around us. Just because chaos exists doesn't mean there is nothing we can do. There's a lot that can be done, but the first direction our thoughts should go are up. God created the universe. He is going to have the right answers. It is going to take men and women who know God to set things in order. There are discrepancies in worldview so that is not going to be easy. We should not be fooled by political sermons and rhetoric even when God is mentioned. Corruptness abounds at ground level.

People who love God and abide in Christ are the elect of God. (Colossians 3:12) That election has been won forever. That gives us peace and cause for thankfulness (Colossians 3:15).

Drawn to God

How is it that we are drawn to God?  God draws us to Him as it says in John 6:44:

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

God doesn't take over control of us, so what does the word "draw' mean? 

A look at the Greek refers metaphorically to being pulled by some inward attraction. Jesus Christ is the attraction that people saw and can still see. He declared the Father to the human race. There is only one man who is mediator between God and men, and that one is Jesus Christ.

The next verse goes on to say:

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. John 6:45

All will be taught. Then, every man that hath heard and learned of God will come to know Jesus Christ. Not everyone taught will hear and learn, but those who do, will recognize the role of Jesus as the messiah and the key to our relationship with God.

As the verses continue, there is a comparison drawn between the manna of the exodus which was provided daily and the bread of life (verse 48) that came by way of Jesus Christ. The reoccurring blood atonement of Leviticus and the blood of Jesus Christ in a once and for all sacrifice are connected in verses 54-58:

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth*(abides) in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

This is what it means to walk on resurrection ground! As Jesus Christ so aptly put it on the cross. It is finished!

* This word 'dwelleth ' is a different one than what is used in John 1:14. Here the Greek word  'mene means to abide,wait, remain. In John 1:14 'dwelleth' is 'skene' which means tabernacled or tented among us:

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tented) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus is the Christ

Jesus was a human being. He breathed, talked, walked, ate, thought, hurt, and lived on this earth for a time. He is also resurrected from the dead, which is an amazing fact. He is the most remarkable

human even though most people around where he lived didn't acknowledge it:

1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:1-3

Isaiah prophesied long ago of the man who would become the Christ. Men still don't believe this today. The world is so tied up looking in other directions to the point of twisting and discrediting the reality of Jesus's life. Even more so, people have concocted different ideas about his purpose.

4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.1 John 4:1-3

Peter knew full well who Jesus was. When Jesus asked him about it Peter answered accurately as to who Jesus was:

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 16:15-18

It is that simple. Jesus is the Christ.

Circumcision of the Heart- has nothing to do whether you are Republican or Democrat

It seems like the world is crazy and spinning out of control. In our country, we are seeing so much nastiness (and that's a good word for it!) and ridiculous rhetoric, faultfinding, blame and torrid name-calling.  Much (or rather all of it) is done in the name of boldness and 'telling it like it is'. It is popular to be snarky; it is cool to be obnoxious. Yes there is evil and yes there is good, but without God people confuse which is which.

I am reminded of a verse in Isaiah 5:20:

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Circumcision is a theme throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. Under the old covenant it was a reminder and sign of God's relationship with His people:

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. Genesis 17:10-11

In Deuteronomy, Moses explains the spiritual significance of circumcision:

6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deuteronomy 3:6

God told them to forget about their stubbornness, to break up the clods of self-worship, doubt, ego and hard heartedness and not to throw their lot in with the prickly ones:

3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Jeremiah 4:3-4a

Bottom line? The New Testament hits it right on the head:

28 For he is not a Judean, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:But he is a Judean which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2:28-29

Boldness must be in regards to the truth of God. The Word says that 'by their fruits ye shall know them". We too easily get caught up in what people say rather than by their fruits. Words are dangerous when used in the wrong way. They can drop a veil of control over the heart in a split second when they appeal to our base natures. It can ruin even the nicest among us.

The big message of Deuteronomy after all the desert wandering is:

12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. Deuteronomy 10:12-16

It works today!

♪♫ Little Drop of Dew, Like a Gem You Are ♪♫♪

RecentlyI heard a song the other day on TV that had been a favorite of mine some time ago. I hadn't heard it in a while. My mind was flooded with good thoughts automatically just hearing the lyrics:

Little Drop of Dew

Little drop of dew,
Like a gem you are;
I believe that you
Must have been a star.
When the day is bright,
On the grass you lie;
Tell me then, at night
Are you in the sky?

There is a beautiful song in Deuteronomy 32 that God wanted taught to the children of Israel as a lesson and reminder (Deuteronomy 31:19). It starts out like this:

32 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:1-4

  What beautiful language! When God mentions doctrine here, the word 'leqach' is used referring to teaching that imparts learning. It is a beautiful image of God imparting His word. Rain falls from above to the earth below. The source of truth is God.

This teaching shall appear like dew. During the day the sun shines and water evaporates into the atmosphere.  The hotter the sun the more the earth dries out. At night when there is no sun the earth radiates it's collected heat up and away and the surface cools down. In the wee hours of the morning the evaporated water from the day condenses on the cooler surfaces of grass, leaves and herb revitalizing them. It seemingly appears out of nowhere and plants perk up in a refreshing preparation for the day ahead. 

The teaching of God will always 'ascribe' the greatness of God. He is the source of refreshing. Everything He does is perfect, just and has not even the smallest hint of evil! Any true teaching of God's word will emphasize the glory of God, not man. In Acts 2, the apostles shared the doctrine of Christ and the result was 'praising God and sharing grace' for those who heard.

God wanted future generations to continue to remember the goodness and life-giving vitality of God. He knew as people  grew, prospered and got comfortable in habit, they might forget The Source and become complacent. It is in that zone that people can get caught and evil tries to sneak in. Evil is always looking to scorch the earth, not refresh it.

The dew was an excellent illustration for the Israelite who all too well knew what it was like living in the desert, and the blessing of copious dew that dropped.  Dew was considered a wonderful gift
for fruitfulness of crops. Likewise, God's teaching is a wonderful stimulator of fruitfulness in our own lives.

Vanity of Vanities

My little friends and I are working on a 1000 piece puzzle. It is a lot of fun. My granddaughter informed me when we started, that the first thing you need to do is find all the pieces that have a straight edge and put them together. The first four prize pieces to find are the ones that are the corners. Doing this sets the direction and makes it easier to put together the outside frame of the puzzle. The rest of the work is in scanning pieces for similar colors and structures and fitting pieces together. It takes time and vigilance, but it is a satisfying type of effort when the pieces fit.

The whole activity reminds me of the importance of having the Bible as a top priority to understanding life. Life can be very puzzling without some kind of direction and meaning. The Word of God provides the ultimate picture of life at its fullest.

My habits of reading the word have changed throughout the years. I read the Bible in such a different way than I used to. Instead of reading because it is something that must be done to have knowledge of God, today I read it to find how to handle everything in life. It is a book about life! The framework of the word of God is very important.  There is an over-arching context which needs to be established first, then everything else starts to fit together in that frame.  As each of us experience life and continues to go to God, we fill in the missing pieces as they fit within the frame. The Word of God is personal.

The current political miasma cannot help but effect us and although I have tried to put it beyond arms length,  it still permeates the air. All of it is so ungodly and out of control, I have never seen anything like it this bad. I guess all the wheeling and dealing is so blatant that nobody worries anymore about being caught in a lie, or slandering some one else incessantly.  This attitude is permeating all of society.  A word from Ecclesiastes popped in my mind and I looked it up. It was the word 'vanity'. As I started to read some verses in Ecclesiastes,  my perception of what that book is about suddenly became very real, The knots in my stomach about what is going on disappeared. Just like what the word 'vanity' means in the Hebrew, "poof it is gone!". These things are but vapors and smoke.

As things come up in life, we can find answers that match our questions and fit them in where they belong in our personal big picture. This is incredibly satisfying work! It takes time and persistence in turning our eyes above rather than down, but it is the only way to go. It makes life a lot less puzzling!

8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Psalm 94- Days of Adversity

We are living in a turbulent time. We live in a country where people are guaranteed the right to freedom of speech.  Cable TV keeps its ratings up by expanding our exposure to a full spectrum of ideologies, gripes, criticisms and a lot of snark. The internet is available for blogging, commentary and news from every corner of the earth. We can be exposed to so much information, whether it be true or untrue. It stirs up a lot of reaction and adversarial rhetoric.

We all go through swirling times of unrest in our lives through relationships, our own musings and our exposure to the culture around us. The time in which we live seems turbulent, but there have always been turbulent times in history, as exemplified in reading the Old Testament. The Old Testament is pretty clear about the why's of problems in a society.  It involves an inverse relationship with God and lack of trust. We read about 40 years of peace in a given reign in Biblical times and it usually means there is a greater respect and love for God and thus a subsequent down season of evil.

So how do we deal with the miasma of the world and life in general. I was thinking of all that late last night. It was one of my mental dizziness moments.  I ran across Psalm 94 when I opened my Bible. It is a wonderful song and it speaks to all that is going on in the world. I like solutions and verses 12 and 13 caught my attention:

12 Blessed is the man (geber) whom thou chastenest (train), O Lord, and teachest (instruct) him out of thy law;13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. Psalm 92:12-13

This particular use of the word 'man' has a sense of strength to it. It could even refer to a warrior. Evil exists in this world and it is not something to be ignorant of. We are in a fight. Dealing with it involves training. It also involves instruction. Teaching and training is where rest can gain a strong foot hole in our thinking. That happens in our minds. We commit to the training and instruction of God. That is what a strong person does. In verse 19 the psalmist talks about his 'multitude of thoughts'. We all have them and a strong person will also say 'thy comforts delight my soul' in response.

The wicked are digging their own pit.  It is in their own iniquity that they will be tripped (verse 23). God hears (verse 9) and God sees (verse 9 again) all that is going on and sooner or later everything will be brought to light.  In verse 1,  there are two references to vengeance. It does not say God is vengeful. It says both times that vengeance belongs to God. That is all God's business.  He is a great one to figure out the best way to deal with evil.  In the meantime, we have access to His delightful rest in His word.

Mary Worship

What are Rosary beads? I should know, but recently I decided to look  up the reason for this type of praying.  It requires repetition of prayer.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.9 After this manner (along his line) therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:7-10

In the rosary there are basically three prayers that are repeated:The 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary' and 'Glory Be'.  For every 1 'Our Father' there are 10 'Hail Mary's'. The Our Father is found in Matthew 6 where Jesus gave his disciple and example of what is contained in prayer, not something that was to be memorized and repeated over and over.

The truly alarming part of this is the 'Hail Mary':

Hail Mary, full of grace.

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

This prayer is to be said 9 times more than the 'Our Father' prayer Jesus used as an example in Matthew 6.

Mary was a special woman, yes, but mother of God?  Is Mary to be worshiped?  Absolutely not! The 'fruit of thy womb' is not to engender uterus worship! There is a big difference between 'worship' and 'honor'.  We worship God above all else.  Mary deserves honor because she loved God and did what He asked her to do.

Another point about Mary is that Jesus Christ died for her too. In that sense also, we honor her as we honor all those who love God and recognize what He did through Christ.

Actual prayer involves 'seeking first the kingdom of God' (also in Matthew 6) and in that thinking we don't just robotically recite words and not think about what they are implying. There is a whole lot more in the Lord's prayer than a mere repetition of words.

God is Not Mocked!

God is not fooled by anything! Man can fool us and we can fool ourselves.

6 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6:1-7

In verse 7 says 'God is not mocked'. I looked up 'mocked' and the definition I found from Thayer was: 'to turn up the nose or sneer at, to mock, deride'.  God is not to be sneered at. The action of sneering at God is like planting a seed that grows into a poisonous plant. The kind of seeds we plant are our responsibility, not God's.

Verse 7 also tells us to 'be not deceived'. Deception is going on all the time. Sometimes it is blatant and sometimes it is sneaky.  Blatant is easier to handle because it is easier to see. Sneaky can be exasperating because it lurks trying not to get caught. The shadows of lurking are exposed by light.

One of my favorite experiments I did with my Biology classes to help them understand the scientific method, was planting seeds and watching them grow. We planted 5 seeds in a cup and then hid them in a closet with no light. Then I had them plant 5 seeds in a cup and put them under a grow light. Seeds do grow in the dark, but the plants are spindly and white.  They grow very tall because they are looking for light. Seeds grown in the light are green, lush, leafy and look healthy. They have nice thick stems, and larger broader leaves to garner more light as they mature.

In Deuteronomy, Moses taught the younger generation the wise pathway to success. There are great life lessons in Deuteronomy. He sheds a lot of light on the successes and failures of the Israelites in bringing God's promises into fruition.

The light of God's word produces good results.  Yes, it takes time to grow from a seed to a mature plant. That is not the issue. In our lives, our thoughts are like seeds. We think both good and bad things. Whether good or evil, our thoughts need to be guided by genuine light from God. If you want to rout out those 'sneaky' influences, you need the light of God's word to do it.