My Unfavorite Holiday!

Today is Halloween! Of course it is cold, rainy, and dreary. Cute little munchkins will be knocking at

our door for the usual concoctions of fructose, glucose and whatever else is mixed in. Whole Foods is selling organic candy (?) for the healthy-minded parent.

The phrase: 'Trick or Treat', will resound everywhere. In essence it means: "Hand over the goods or I will do something bad to you".  Lawns will be decorated with gravestones, spiders, cobwebs, headless horsemen and snarling pumpkins.

A third aspect of Halloween is that children dress up in a costume.  I understand that superheroes, Starwars characters, and pirates are among the most popular costumes this year. There  will also be witches, ghosts and goblins and current Disney stars.

Thank goodness this holiday is not tied up with some religious event (like Christmas and Easter); or is it? Actually October 31 is Reformation Day celebrating Martin Luther's posting of his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg. October 31 also is know as All Hallow's Eve or ALL Saints Day Eve where people honor dead saints.

I guess I'm a holiday scrooge, but its not like I will walk up and down the streets with signs protesting fructose and glucose. But I do a lot of thinking as to the 'how and why' these things developed in our culture.

There is a superhero we all need to recognize and he is not a dead saint. He is not a fantasy, he is real and alive. He had a birth (but he doesn't wear a red suit) and he died and was resurrected (no eggs and bunnies involved) and he ever lives to make intercession for the saints:

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Love Produces Fruit

Recently in current events there has been a lot of discussion about what love is and what love isn't. Whose responsibility is it to define love? For me it is God who designed a creation that never ceases to exhibit love. God is the designer, creator and definer of who He is. God is the creator, we don't define love, God does. John 3:16 says:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God so loved that he gave. God has loved everyone in this world, no exceptions. How? By providing life through His son, that whosoever believes in Him has certain rights with God. This involves a choice. God provided man with choice. Love involves offering something without force.

I Corinthians 13 has a few things to say about God's love:

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

You would think prophesy, tongues, all knowledge, all faith would be the ultimate in godly actions. These things are nothing without God's love involved. The life in them is the source of energy behind them.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Wait!  Feeding the poor and being a martyr for the cause seem like great examples of unselfish giving.  Without the love of God, these activities are more flat than flat.

4 Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: I Corinthians 13:4-8

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

The love God pours into our hearts is distinct,  clear, unmistakeable and satisfying. The love of God helps us focus less on ourselves, comparisons, and pride. It produces right results no matter how complex the situation. There is no law needed in the presence of the fruit of the spirit. It will flood every nook and cranny of where God sends it. It absolutely never fails!

Dumb Idols

I Corinthians 12:1-3
Now concerning spiritual gifts (pneumatikos = spiritual matters), brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) 

What does it mean to speak in the 'spirit of God'? God is spirit and He has given us holy spirit to walk alongside our hearts in order for us to thrive in this world. So when a man or woman speaks by the spirit of God he/she is speaking what God has placed in the heart.  That is also how Jesus Christ can be Lord in our lives. We believe God about His son and that he is the head of the church. The relationship between God, Jesus Christ and us is a vital, living  and dynamic relationship.

I John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

  Idols are anything someone depends on and worships. It could be self, other people, technology, education, money, world issues and even religion. Now contrast I John 1:3 with the following verses about dumb idols.

Jeremiah 10:2-52

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Habakkuk 2:18

18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Isaiah 46:1-7 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.

3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?

 6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. 7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

Is there really any choice? 

Don't Know What To Pray For?

Recently, I got to thinking about the word 'intercession' in Romans 8:26:

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

As I read through the verse,  the word 'helpeth' jumped out and I looked up the Greek word and found 'sunantilambano'. Old Greek is a great language. We can gain a lot of insite into a word by examining its roots. 'Sunantilambano' is made up of 3 word parts. "Sun' means 'together with'. "Anti' means against. 'Lambano' means to take hold of something.

If I were to rewrite this first part of the verse with these parts in mind it might look like this:
Likewise the Spirit also works together with us to take hold  and move against something that is causing some problems....

It is magnificent to think that the Spirit can move together with us in such a way to take care of things we have no idea how to straighten out. So often the idiom 'the devil is in the details' is an actual reality and can cause headaches and confusion in figuring things out.

The gift of holy spirit that has been given to us works with us. It does not work independently of us. The spirit does the searching of the fine details and heart factors, none of which is readily visible. As we recognize its work in us, the way out starts to become visible one step at a time.

God's Love and The Law

So much of the Old Testament reveals a lot of 'people stuff'. People will be people. As I finish up the book of Numbers, I realize there is nothing new under the sun. Much of what is addressed in Corinthians reflects the same thing. Human behavior is really very predictable.

God provided the law in the Old Testament to help His people live more abundantly. Our traffic laws make a great illustration why laws are given. There are more than 25 million cars on the road today in the United States. If there were no laws, it would be mass chaos.  The primary purpose of the laws is not to catch, fine and jail people who violate the law. The laws were set down to keep people safe. The world is treacherous.

The law brought down from Mt Sinai eventually expanded when well-meaning men or not so well-meaning men got a hold of it and fine-tuned God's simple list of 10. They added regulations, rules, oral law and legal traditions.

In the gospels, Jesus Christ simplified the law by providing two categories: love God and love your neighbor. Looking at the first 4 commandments in the Old Testament, the context together is evident: loving God. In examining the last six, how we deal with fellow humans in the light of loving God is spelled out. It is a list with two main ideas, that of loving God first and loving your neighbor. I really don't think the purpose of this list was to make each one an end in itself, or manage and control a wayward people. God wanted to help people live more abundantly.

Ultimately, through the faith of Jesus Christ, true righteousness is available to any believer. As a result, our lives will not be dragged down in guilt and condemnation in trying to live up to the law. In the heart of our hearts we are truly free to handle life and our relationships with others without pressure when we trust God and His loving grace.

Patience is not Agonized Waiting, It is Trust

The trouble with cable news (I mean one of the troubles of cable news) is the 'seesaw living' it engenders. One minute it is 'this' and one minute it is 'that'. Up and down, up and down, up and down! Minute by minute living can have some disadvantages, especially if it is controlled by circumstances.

Have you ever been in a situation that seemed to switch directions by the hour; it is totally draining. This can happen easily in our cyber world today of twitter, Facebook, emails, snapchat, instagram, live streaming etc, etc, etc. We expect instant answers!

God can provide instant answers, yes, but most often things develop and that takes time. It doesn't mean He is not listening or  not answering. Too often we give up before we see results.

The book of James was written of a time that was both difficult and amazing for people who loved God. Persecution and danger were everywhere after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was like a dense, thick cloud that hung over the believers.  For those who believed in God, it was one of the greatest moments in history, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. It was a dynamic time.  Read through the book of James and see how many times words like 'patience', 'endure', 'continue', 'waiteth', 'no variableness', and admonitions to be slow to do something are referred to. It is a great book.

There is a great illustration in James 5:7:

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

The early rain is the autumn rains that are necessary to prepare the soil for planting. The latter rain is necessary for growth before harvest. Crops take time. God may take His time. We all know He is able to do magnificent things (just take a look around - Did you see the moon the other night?) We also need to know that He is willing:

James 5:11: Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience (endurance) of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful (compassionate), and of tender mercy.

Cable and all the cyber opines will never  reflect God's compassion. His compassion is found in His word and the spirit that works in your heart. That is where you place your trust.

Grace is almost too good to be true but IT IS absolutely true!

Recently, I was drawn to a verse in Jonah that I wanted to mine for its gems. As I started to find a whole lot more, I was amazed again how magnificent the Word of God is in its simple depth. Jonah is an amazing story obviously shadowing the then future resurrection of Jesus Christ. With its 3 days/3 nights in the belly of the whale incident, it sits as a sparkling jewel amid the Old Testament records. It is the story of salvation, not only for Jonah and Nineveh, but it is a type for us to read and think about.

7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed.Salvation is of the LORD. 10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

The world is full of 'lying vanities'. Psychobabble, politics, self-interest and secular humanism opine at us daily dropping the veil of unbelief wherever they can gain access and distort or even remove our view of a compassionate, loving and willing God.

I am thrilled by the beauty of the Word and how God has protected it through the ages. There are many precious gems of truth sitting in the tiny book of Jonah. Just being in it a couple of days has generated fellowship, dialogue and joint amazement with other people who have reflected back more light off the facets of the same jewel.

Prayer Is The Answer Itself!

Thank God that God has provided an open door to His heart. We can communicate directly with Him heart to heart! Thank God that communication to him is not through text messages, emails, twitter and Facebook. Cyber communication has many pitfalls. Just look at all the quotes and conversations that appear on Facebook alone. Sometimes posts seem inspiring, but may still contain what I call the 'complaining' effect that when the 'Post' button is pushed it unloads something negative on all who read it.

Communication on a human level is tough. God is a great listener. We can talk to Him and we don't have to worry about being misinterpreted. Have you ever poured out your heart to someone and gotten frustrated because he/she didn't understand what you were saying.  The more you try to explain, the deeper trouble you get into. I have worried about being misinterpreted and wanted to fix it, but the older and wiser (hopefully) I get, the more I realize that this too is what prayer is for. I have grown to love praying for people I have trouble talking to or don't understand. Prayer is the greatest action you can do for someone else and for yourself.

8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 62:8

Sometimes, and I have said this many times before, we feel like we are boxed in; that is the way of the world. When David was hiding in a cave away from Saul, his prayer was that he might praise God's name through it all. The situations we find ourselves in today may not involve a Saul problem, but a maybe its a dilemma that seems like there is no answer.

7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Psalm 142:7

Difficult things tend to make us feel very defective, David's psalms expressed the same feeling. David was a man after God's heart so despite his shortcomings, David trusted God. That is our job too!

Sin

In Genesis 4, God had an interesting discussion about worship. Cain brought an offering to God and Abel did too. Cain's offering was not a blessing to God and Cain got irritated. A response like Cain's defeats the whole purpose of showing God how much one loves and reveres Him. God addressed the issue at hand:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Genesis 4:5-7

God asked Cain why he was downcast and mad.  It was a logical question. If the whole reason for an 'offering' is to show appreciation for God, why would Cain explode about this. God said 'sin' (actually the first use of the word 'sin') is lying at the door. There is indication that the (namely Eve) believed Cain was the man from the Lord.  Could Cain have developed some religious pride about this and thought he was something he was not? The whole thing humiliated him and he was angry. God lovingly explained to Cain that evil repercussions were around the corner and he would need to get a handle on dealing with his heart. Cain didn't do that, but allowed pride and jealousy to get the worst of him.

Focusing on God and doing things out of gratefulness for all he has done for us keeps us out of the soup. That means rethinking through something that is less than the best. Certainly a 'very wroth' attitude does not fit. It is an attitude that needed to be 'ruled' over. Cain rejected God's loving advice and turned another direction which ended up ruining his life.

The Rainbow and Gravity- Just to clarify

God's creation is truly to be admired (but not worshipped, I might add). A rainbow occurs when light travels through prismatic type matter such as glass or water.  Because light is made up of various wavelengths of various speeds, the light gets divided into its component colors to produce a rainbow. After the great flood in Noah's time the rainbow appeared and God told Noah that this would be a reminder of God's covenant with man. Today, just because a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean that something significant is going on, but it does remind us of God's heart in his creation. God wanted to bless man with the rainbow and every time I see one I get blessed because I am reminded of the heart of God to create something very beautiful to see and something incredibly technical by design.

Gravity is an amazing force. We are held to the earth through gravity.  The universe is held together by gravitational forces among other forces. We are protected by gravity. However if we get to the edge of a cliff and continue to walk, gravity can have some very harmful effects. We decide by our own free will to turn around and take the safe route. We can figure out how gravity works and its effect as we are awed by it great pull.

People have free will. That means they can decide whatever path they want to take. No one can force or push you to believe one way or another. Our ability to think is also a gift of God. He designed humans, not robots. The greatest path to abundance and true freedom, however, is in respecting the design of God which we can see and understand through His Word.

"Throw Everything at the Wall and See If It Sticks"?

"Cover all your bases", "Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it", "Go til you hear glass break", Throw everything at the wall and see if it sticks, are frequently used present day figures of speech. Each one of them pushes 'effort' which is not bad in and of itself, but put together and emphasized, frustration and defeat can show up pretty quick.

One of the first problems with these type of sayings is that they focus on what we do. If we are have the attitude that we are out to change the world with out even checkin' in with the creator of the world, we take on a monumental task that usually ends in failure. Life is so much simpler when we trust God. Trusting God is not a passive, inactive mind set. Actually it is very proactive, but not in the self-energizing category.

It is easy to tell from which mind set a person is coming from. Check out who gets the glory. When God gives us answers to things, He nails it! You can't help but get excited! The results are easy! The only reason we have difficulty is when we worry, push too much, and doubt. Don't get me wrong. Life is work, no doubt about it, but when we trust Him step by step it is like sailing. Yes we have to adjust the sails and turn the rudder. There is absolutely nothing passive about trusting God. it all hinges on doing this:

 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)