Learn, Believe and Speak

The weather has brought about the promotion of sitting on the porch for an hour or two in the evenings. With my wireless phone in hand, connected to my home Wi-Fi system, I was checking my email, was interrupted by a phone call, returned to my inbox, went online to check something out and even watched a short film clip about something unimportant, all within a matter of less than one half hour and never moving a muscle of exertion. I thought, what awesome power we hold in our hands now-a-days. We can travel the world and access any kind of information with our two thumbs and/or two index fingers. I did not live it, but I’ve seen the remnant of a time passed when the radio was ones only contact with world events and snail mail was the way of communicating long distances. The telephone changed a lot of things, but real time life involvement is a whole new twist on the lifestyle of this century. With little boy eyes, I remember seeing that huge upright Philco radio in my grandparent’s dining room. It had a big round dial with a dual pointer and numbers printed everywhere on it. The dial boasted of contacting such places as Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America, all of which I and my siblings never got the radio to do. Even with all the switches and knobs on the big four foot tall radio, it had outlived its usefulness with the advent of television following WWII. While still in high school, my brother acquired a tabletop war-time model which he placed on the chest of draws in our bedroom. He had the guts out of it testing all the old vacuum tubes and at the same time restoring the cabinet to look brand new. With 100 feet of thin steel wire stretched outside for a crude antenna from our bedroom window to an apple tree in the back yard, some chatter from Canada, the Erie Canal ship traffic and a few other places, with unknown languages, came through to spark the imagination and while away the time dreaming. President Kennedy challenged U.S. to go to the moon, which started people scratching their heads. I now hold in my hand more computing power than was on the vehicles that went to the moon and back. Today, zeros and ones, on and off switches, control our lives, because we chose to go to the moon. Today, I am literally overflowing with too much information in hand. Nevertheless, I learn what I can, sort the lies from the truth and help the technologically challenged, so in the end, we can all finish with a smile.

[Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 1:18-27 & 2 Peter 1:12-21] A lot to read, right? Not really. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…”; “It is written, ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With the same spirit of faith we (the Apostles) also believe and therefore speak…”; “…as surely as God is faithful, our (the Apostles) message to you is not ‘YES’ and ‘NO’; …but in him it has always been ‘YES’. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘YES’ in Christ.” Peter wrote, “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” God’s speaks to us today through his Word. It is communication for life; abundant on earth and throughout eternity. There are many great scholarly translations of the Bible available to bring you to an understanding of God’s will for mankind. Old, new, big and small, learn what you can, pass it along to others, so in the end we can all finish with a smile; with God.

Have You Deserted Jesus?

As I get older my memories become more pronounced for some reason. Maybe it’s because I sort of feel deserted with the fading of what I thought were timeless traditions over the years. Annual holidays, secular and religious, each had their own unique meanings and celebrations, but they all seemed to have lost their dedicated shine. I remember Easter Sunday being the promise of new beginnings with Spring popping up through the remains of a snowy winter with colorful Daffodils and Irises. Up and down the street, people were dressed in their finest garb, gathered in the yard, taking family photographs with their Kodak Brownie camera before getting in the car and heading for worship. Our family was no different, being careful to avoid the soft muddy soil of post-winter snows with our freshly shined “church” shoes. It was the only time of the year when one could look forward to getting sick on an overload of jelly beans. Alas, this year I have been abandoned. What has happened to my loving traditional jelly beans? Where are my purple and white and black and green and yellow, make your teeth hurt, big fat, pure sugar, jelly beans? I saw “jelly beans”, but they’re like the cartoons of today, nothing like the original. I can taste them right now.

[Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; Luke 24:13-35] Jesus was arrested to the chagrin of those in his presence. “…Then all the disciples deserted him and fled” (v56) and “Then everyone deserted him and fled.” (v50)  After three plus years, Jesus found himself without anyone remotely wanting to testify for or defend him. Even Peter who stated, “…Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same (Mark 14:31), was in the courtyard denying he ever knew Jesus while Jesus stood alone before the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin. What of his disciples? Some watched the crucifixion from a distance (Mark 15:41-41; Luke 23:49). His mother and “the disciple whom he loved” (John) were near and Jesus told her to go with John and for John to care for her as he would his own mother. Jesus did die and the hopes of his disciples died with him, but were revived at the resurrection. Two disciples of Jesus, while walking home to Emmaus feeling distraught and deserted, were unknowingly met by and talked with Jesus. “…we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (v21) (Luke 24:13-35). Jesus had not deserted his disciples. He was lifted to a higher level, a spiritual level, to which his disciples were to follow (John 14:1-14). Let me ask you: Are you a disciple of Jesus? Do you have a tendency to desert Jesus? Do you leave Him in the pew Sunday morning as you rush home to watch TV, eat Sunday dinner or hurry to get a good seat at the restaurant? Have you left Him outside when entering a building where you didn’t want to feel His presence in that kind of place? Do you leave Him at the time clock when you start your workday? Have you left Him in the manger never to let him grow up into manhood? Have you left Him dying on the cross hoping he won’t bother you anymore? Have you left Him in the tomb for dead? Where did you leave Jesus? Well, where ever it was, he didn’t stay there. He’s standing right outside the door of your heart. “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:19-20). Walk and talk with Jesus daily. Break bread with Jesus, and he will open your eyes. 

Are You Guilty?

Well, I’m far from being a computer expert and it only irritates me to no end that I am being forced to throw away perfectly good equipment because it can no longer be upgraded to more advanced operating systems. I don’t guess the geeks of the world understand what it’s like to wear a comfortable pair of shoes or be happy with a molded car seat and easy chair that fits your butt perfectly. They always have to change things just for the sake of change. I like my computer just the way it is! It’s comfortable! Leave me alone! But, nooo! Big business stays big because they are continually “improving” my life with things I don’t want, yet they give themselves the opportunity to run to Uncle Sam bragging about how they are stimulating the economy and creating new jobs. We’re hooked on our electronics and everybody has a better way of doing things. I guess I’m lucky with the personality of not needing the latest and greatest of whatever, every time something new hits the market. I’m still kicking and screaming fourteen years into the 21st century, having to change my telephone, forced into changing my television, having to convert my interior lighting with energy saving bulbs and having to convert to yet another environmentally safe gas for my air conditioning, along with a host of other used to be practical practices. A man can’t even earn one percent interest on the few dollars he has stashed away in a bank somewhere. If you’re not in debt up to your elbows, you have a terrible credit rating. I guess I could rant for a day, but it won’t do much good. If I’m going to function in today’s society I’m going to have to go for the bait and let them hook me one more time; I just hope I don’t lose sight of the goal.

[Matthew 26:1-4] Would I be called a Christian if everybody knew, my secret thoughts and feelings, and everything I do? Or, would they see the likeness of Christ in me every day? Would they hear Him speaking in every word I say? Would I be called a Christian if everybody could know that I am found in places where Jesus would not go? Would they hear His echo in every song I sing… in eating, drinking, dressing, would they see Christ in me? Would I be called a Christian if judged by what I read? By all my recreations and every thought and deed? Would I be counted Christ-like as I now work and play? Unselfish, kind, forgiving to others every day? If you were arrested tomorrow, accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If you were arrested, would anyone stand by you and witness for you? Would the judge declare, “Not Guilty” because of insufficient evidence? Of course you would protest, “What about the poems and prose that I wrote? I attend services regularly, and what about the services I spoke at, the times I wept in church and the long, sleepless nights of prayer?” The judge replies, “Evidence that you are a good writer, speaker and actor, nothing more. Continue to develop your theology, and use it to paint pictures of love. We have no interest in such armchair artists who spend their time creating images of a better world. We exist only for those who would lay down their brush, and their life, in a Christ-like endeavor to create a better world. So, until you challenge this system and become a thorn in our side, until you die to yourself and offer your body to the flames, until then, my friend, you are no enemy of ours.” Jesus challenged the system; laid down his life for sinful man, deserted and alone. Are you really guilty of being a Christian?

An Act of God

I’ve been moving a fence at the house in order to gain a little more secure feeling that my perpetual four-year-old will have greater difficulty escaping her own yard. I’m trying to get this job finished before it comes a big rain; fat chance. Then again, I’m filling the holes with water to soften the soil for removal; crazy, huh? Have you ever had a Chihuahua insistent on helping dig a post hole? It’s a real hoot. And, with the fence down, if she isn’t right under foot, she’s wandered off to where she shouldn’t be. We’ve had to share the shower several nights this past week. I guess she’s only trying to get involved and do her best to make her master happy. She thinks she’s giving 100% of what she has to give, which in reality is just a good laugh, and I love her for it

In conversation the other day, about how badly we needed rain, a fellow suggested we hire a rainmaker like they used to do in the old days. Okay, it’s time to grow our vocabulary. A pluviometer is an instrument used to measure rainfall (a rain gage). A pluviculture is a dude who attempts to induce rain artificially (a rainmaker). Charles Hatfield was known as a rainmaker. He was hired in 1915 by the City of San Diego to fill the Moreno Reservoir to capacity with rainwater, for $10,000. The region was soon flooded by heavy rains, killing some 20 people, destroying 110 bridges, knocking out telephone and telegraph lines and nearly bursting the reservoir dam, causing some $3.5 million in total damages (a lot of money in 1915). When the city refused to pay him (he had forgotten to sign the contract), he sued the city. The floods were ruled an “act of God” excluding him from liabilities, but also from payment. I think we need to leave it up to God as to when and how much rain we get. He doesn’t need any help. Now, that doesn’t exclude prayer. God knows we need the rain, but He still likes to hear from us.

[Romans 5:6-8 & 2 Corinthians 5:19] “…at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. …God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can never give more than God. We can never please God by trying to do His job, or by trying to improve on His perfect work. Okay, here’s a little mathematical formula to prove it. Assign numbers, 1-26 to the letters of the alphabet, A-Z. Now, let’s look to see what kind of answer we can come up with. 

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E (11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5) = 96%. H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K (8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11) = 98%. A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E (1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5) = 100%. L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D (12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4) = 101%. I think we can conclude that while knowledge and hard work can sometimes make us feel like a god, and the proper attitude can bring us to God, it is the love of God that will save us from ourselves in the end. It is sad when we think that “an act of God” usually denotes some kind of calamity, such as a hurricane or tornado, a flood or an earthquake. Lifting that phrase to a higher level, one can see the Gospel compressed into one sentence: “…God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” That, my friends, is an act of God! Reconciliation was not something man was seeking, or capable of bringing about. Our sins separate us from God, but God steps in to heal the breech and restore us to a right relationship with him. How? In Christ! “…for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ” (Galatians 3:22-28); “…And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 3:38), another act of God.

Priceless Heavenly Treasures

World conditions are getting to a point where a man can’t make up his mind what to invest in anymore. Interest rates on secure principles are virtually zero forcing one to essentially gamble in unstable commodities and institutions. Vladimir Putin evidently believes the best investment still available is real estate, but as we have recently witnessed in the state of Washington, even that’s not very stable either. I’m not making light of that terrible disaster, only looking at the fact that we have no idea what will disrupt our life tomorrow or the day after. Because mankind has the individual desire to live as one sees fit, to attain that goal, too many are turning to a lifestyle of greed and theft all the way from the top to the lowest of the humanistic food chain. The world is diplomatically dealing with two neighborhood bullies, one trying to destroy the capitalistic way of life and now the other standing on the doorstep of divide and conquer. Like I’ve said many times before, the one with the most toys doesn’t win.

There was a man, neglectful of his family and a real miser, who worked hard all his life and saved a ton of money. He loved money more than just about anything. He had instructed his wife, “When I die I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife.” So he got his wife to promise him this with all her heart, that at his death she would put all his money in the casket with him. Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket; the wife was sitting there in black next to her best friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertaker got ready to close the casket, the wife said, “Just a minute!” She had a shoebox in hand and approached the open casket where-in she placed the box. Then the undertaker locked down the casket and rolled it away. Her friend said, “I hope you weren’t crazy enough to put all that money in the casket!” The wife replied, “Yes, I promised. I’m a good Christian and I can’t lie. I promised him I would put that money in the casket with him.” The friend asked in disbelief, “You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in that casket?” “I sure did,” said the wife. “I got it all together; put it in my bank account, and wrote him a check for the full amount.”

[Matthew 6:19-24 & Colossians 2:1-4] Jesus said, “Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And like the commercial says, “Everybody knows that!” But did you know there is a heavenly treasure you can possess on earth? Paul, writing encouraging words to the Colossians said, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” Jesus, the Word of God (John 1:14), is the heavenly treasure we can enjoy here on earth. Through God’s Word, we have a treasure of wisdom and knowledge unsurpassed by anything man can present as a perfect lifestyle. “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you…” (Matthew 6:33). Love, wisdom, knowledge and a firm faith in Christ, are priceless treasures.